Change of Heart

that when I take you to bed, you won't be the only one lost."
    How could just his voice fill me with such a surge of feeling? Why was I having trouble breathing with just his eyes on me?
    "You're all I will ever want."
    He meant every word. I knew it inside, where everything was welling up and rising to the surface. The man could never lie to me; I would read that on him. He could hide nothing from me. I was his mate, after all.
    "So please, just stay with me."
    "No one wants me around."
    "I do." He exhaled slowly.
    The way he was looking at me, I shuddered. I couldn't help it. "You should run away from me."
    I got a slow, lazy smile that was very sexy. The man knew he was gorgeous and completely understood his effect on me.
    "I've never run from anything in my life."
    I didn't doubt it. He was a rock.
    "And I would never, ever run from my mate."
    I could feel the heat radiating off his body as he stepped back in front of me. "I don't want to complicate your life, and I'm not certain that you've thought this all—"
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    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    "Listen," he cut in, his fingers slipping around the side of my neck before they ran under my chin, tilting my head up so I had to look into his gorgeous amber eyes. "The decision's made. You're mine... you belong with me."
    I shook my head. "But your family and your tribe are not gonna accept—"
    "Anyone is free to leave my tribe at any time," he told me, his right hand sliding up to my cheek. It took everything I had not to lean into the caress. "Anyone who does not understand a semel wanting his reah is not someone I need anyway.
    Stupidity is not a trait I admire."
    I took a shaky breath. "Yeah, but—"
    "No," he said, his voice low, gravelly. "It's done. You belong to me."
    "Logan, it's not the simple. I heard what your father said, and I know you have responsibilities to—"
    "Last night when we found Crane outside and he told us that you had been taken, I couldn't even think, and that's never happened before. Always I'm calm, rational, logical...
    it's a strength of mine, but everything was gone except rage.
    I have never been angry like that, and even now, I have a need to tear Christophe into pieces for daring to put his hands on you."
    "It wasn't him who—"
    "On his command, you were taken. All the responsibility falls to him."
    I nodded.
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    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    "You are my mate. How dare he even speak to you without my permission?" Fury coiled around his voice like a snake.
    The man could explode into violence at any moment.
    "I heard what you did," I said softly. "It's enough. Let it go."
    I saw him take a quick breath, and the light that filled his eyes made my heart hurt, it swelled so fast. God, it was awful. I didn't just want him to do bad things to me, I liked him too. We could be friends. I could feel it. "So you think maybe you wanna date me?"
    He rolled his eyes like I was just the most annoying thing in the world ever before he bent and kissed me. The kiss was deep and devouring, his fingers buried in my hair as he held my head so I couldn't pull away. As if I wanted to pull away. I just wanted to drown in him, to crawl inside his skin, into his heart, and live there for the rest of my life. When he smiled against my mouth, I sighed into his.
    "My mate," he sighed as he lifted his lips from mine. The way he was looking at me, so possessively, made my mouth dry. "Listen, from now on you go no...." He trailed off, inhaling deeply, breathing me in and trying to keep the command out of his tone. He was used to ordering people around, but he knew, instinctively, that it was not the way to approach me. "I need you to hear me."
    I nodded.
    "You are my mate. It is all there is, all that matters. I have my business to run, my tribe to lead, my family to support, and now I have my mate. My life is set. There is nothing more 138
    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    I want or need." His voice was low and deadly serious. "All right?"
    I nodded quickly.
    "I don't want to date you, or see you on the nights you don't work, or do any of the other million stupid things that I'm sure you have planned. I want you here with me all the time. I want you to take your place at my side in our tribe and sleep in our bed every night. You belong to me. You need to wrap your brain around it."
    I tried hard not to tremble.
    His smile was warm before he stepped away from me, walking back toward the door. "Now, I'm gonna go get you something to eat."
    I didn't