Relief floods through me.

Maybe it’s stupid, but I really was afraid that if we ever touched and the spark of being fated mates wasn’t there? That it would change things.

That’s not fair to Varos, I know. So to my great surprise and relief, with our hands joined, it’s been verified.

He’s my fated mate and I’m over the moon.

I release a shaky breath and watch as a wide smile spreads across his face. “Not bad, huh?”

“Yeah.” Now that we have proof, I’m reluctant to let go.

He leans across the table and takes my other hand. His grip is warm and strong. Immediately, my mind goes all sorts of places about what else he can grip and I have to will my body into behaving. I just realized that Varos is my fated mate. I’d kind of like to savor the moment before I jump him.

“I don’t get it, though. When we touched before, why didn’t we feel it?”

Varos smooths his thumbs across the backs of my knuckles. “My thinking is that it doesn’t work like that. There has to be skin contact for the connection to be made. And like I said earlier, we just never got that close in each other’s personal space.”

“I guess not.” Social propriety is such a pain sometimes.

He glances around the restaurant area. “So, what’s next on the agenda? Still up for some gaming?”

“Are you kidding? You must be kidding to ask me that.”

It is hard to release my hold on Varos’ hands. I finally settle on just holding one as we hit the game floor. The plan is for me to navigate the bottom floor, he gets the second, and if we’re not completely worn out, see what the third has to offer.

Neither of us wants to risk the mechanical bull.

On the second floor, I’m drawn to a horror video game I’ve never seen before. Of course I have to try it out. With a tug on his shirt, I drag him over. After reading the instructions and watching the demonstration cut, I insert my card. Ready to play, I wait for the count down. Varos standing so close to me is a distraction and I have to force myself to focus on the screen.

On Go! I manage to play for about four seconds before I’m dead. A creature came out of the shadows because I veered too close to the corner. I try again. Second life down. A third and I actually make it to the door before the creature kills my stupid butt dead.

Game over.

“What the hell is this?” I step back to look the machine over and run into Varos. “Is it rigged? It’s rigged.”

“Or you’re just a newbie.” Varos nudges me with his elbow to step up again.

“Watch it,” I say with a mock warning. My smile betrays me and he laughs.

“I was watching it. Your aggro box is big at this level. Stay closer to the right side.”

On Go! I try again. I actually make it to the door, proving Varos right. I glance at him over my shoulder to see his smug grin… right before the creature eats me again. “Damn it!”

“Just… hold on.” Varos places his hands on my shoulders to square me at the video game and reaches around me. His hands cover mine on the controls and the tingle that shot through me when we first joined hands at the table happens again.

It’s really distracting. His body is hot and firm as he presses against my back. With his face close to my ear, his voice tickles as he speaks. “You have to relax and pay attention. I thought you were a gamer.”

“I am,” I say with a laugh. “But you make it really hard to concentrate when you’re so close.”

“You know,” he whispers in my ear. It sends shivers down my spine. “These credits are good for any visit. We don’t have to play them all tonight.”

I glance at him. Our faces are very close together. So close that our noses bump. “Are you saying we should leave?”

“I’m suggesting that we can leave.”

“Where to?”

Varos gives me an enigmatic smile. “My place. Your place.”

“My place is a wreck. Yours,” I say with confidence. I’m not sure where it came from but I’m just going with the moment. We made a huge leap in our relationship. After having danced around each other for so long, I’m more than ready to get to know Varos as deeply and intimately as I can.

My last game life is eaten as soon as the counter goes off. I really don’t care. As Varos draws me out of the building and we head to my car, there is only one thing on my mind.

My fated mate.

The front door to Varos’ condo bangs open so hard it shakes the pictures on the wall. Not that I care. I’m too busy investigating Varos’ mouth. And how hard he is in his jeans.

The entire twenty minute ride here was pure torture when I couldn’t touch him once. Now that I’m no longer a hazard on the road, I waste no time wiggling my hands beneath his shirt to strip it over his head and give it a fling to land who knows where.

Who cares where. Not this guy.

His cock is hard and it presses against my hip almost to the point of pain. My body aches to feel more of him, to touch skin to skin and to feel the rush and tingle of our connection.

If that happens every time we get together to have sex? I can confidently say I’ll die a very happy fox.

His fingers tug at my jeans, finally winning the button free of the hole. The zipper falls just as easily beneath his clever fingers so he can push the denim off my hips. It traps my thighs and I laugh breathlessly. Not that I mind how quickly we’re both moving to get naked but it does make it hard to get to the bedroom when my feet are trapped.

I manage to kick my jeans and underwear off, leaving me completely naked in front of him. He’s still dressed and I make a noise of disappointment. “I’ve dreamed about seeing you bare, Varos. Don’t tease me like this.”

Varos leans in, trapping me against his closed front door in the circle of his arms as he takes another kiss. “You dream about me?”

I nod, chasing his mouth for another kiss. No more talking. More doing something other than leaving me hard and wanting like this.

His hand skims along my side and strokes over the curve of my ass. Burying his face against my neck, he inhales. “Do you realize how good you smell?”

He’s managed to trigger my heat and I can feel my slick wetting my ass until I’m dripping. His fingers slide up the crevice of my ass cheeks and he plunges two fingers into me. I gasp and arch against him, fingers clawing at his shirt.

“Oh, now there’s a pretty response. Do you like that, little fox?”

“Varos!” my voice squeaks.

“Mmmm, yeah, I like the sound of that.” Varos lifts his thigh to press against my own hard cock. “I wonder if you know how much I’ve wanted this.”

I’m panting now, dizzy from the crazy energy between us. Wherever his hands touch me, tingles like the first time he held my hand. I can’t tell which way is up. “Prove it, Varos,” I say. My voice cracks, which causes it to lose a lot of its command, and it makes Varos laugh.

He slides his hands down the back of my thighs and encourages me to jump to wrap my legs around his waist. “Come on, then.”

I’m biting and sucking at his throat as he navigates down the hallway to his bedroom. He slams the bedroom door and drops me on the bed. Before I can bounce, he’s covering me, pressing me down with the full weight of his body.

I whine softly, gripping handfuls of his shirt to lift it up his back. “Varos, please take this off.”

“Just this?” Varos grins cheekily at me but does as I ask, reaching over his head to grasp at his shirt to strip it off.

“No, you ass, don’t be difficult.”

I love the sound of his laugh as it echoes in the room. It’s musical and light and it makes me feel as if I’m floating on clouds and flying through the air.

When he kisses me, safety is in the shelter of his arms.

And when he finally sheds his jeans and his cock pierces my body for the first time, there’s no pain. Only the sheer elation of having my body filled with my mate’s cock as if it were created just for me.

His thrusts are deep and full; his kisses claim me with every swipe of his tongue and every exhale of his breath. I’m happy to have him in my arms. Happy like I’ve never been before.

Finding his climax, he shouts my name and I follow close behind as he draws his hand along my cock to make sure I’m equally as satisfied.

Floating back to the bed, coming down from our high, his heart beats rapidly in his chest. I hear it beneath my ear and I close my eyes to commit it to memory.

The task before us, so close now it commands my focus, frightens me.

I just found my mate. Will he be taken from me? I can’t bear that if it happens.

“So talk to me, Ronnie,” Varos shifts his body so I can easily roll against him. “Something’s on your mind.”

He’s amazing that he can tell, even though I haven’t said anything.

Our legs twine together. My body is pleasantly sore and I hum in satisfaction that sex with him was the best I’ve ever had. “It’s not any one thing,” I say with a soft sigh. “Just the whole thing coming up with this hate organization and going after these people once and for all. When we first started, it was shiny and new and exciting to figure out the pieces of the puzzle. Now? We’re coming down to the last push in an all-or-nothing offensive and… I’m worried. What if we missed something? What if I got something wrong? Or misjudged it or—”

Varos presses a finger against my lips. When I stop talking, he playfully pulls at my bottom lip. “Whatever happens, I’ll keep you safe. Even if we weren’t fated to be together, Ronnie, you mean too much to me to let you fall into any danger.”

“Hey now.” I lift my head and rest it on my hand. “I’m the guy with the tech savvy. By definition, I’ll be the safest guy there. But it’s my job to make sure you stay safe.”

“I’m not worried. I know you’ll take good care of us, Ronnie. We trust you. If you trust us, then we’re all golden.”

It’s not about me trusting them or worried they don’t trust me.

I don’t trust myself. It’s a heavy responsibility that I have resting on me. I am confident I won’t crumble under the pressure.

But it’s the life of my fated mate and my friends that’s on the line here. I can’t screw it up.

In the dark of Varos’ bedroom with his arms wrapped around me protectively, I find it easy to believe him.

My fated mate would never lie to me.