Meant For Him (Book 1 in the Golden series)

Chapter 17

Abigail

When we walk into the house, I look around in awe. "Wow, this place is so different from when we were here nearly a month ago!"

Rush smiles at me. "Thane designed it on his free time."

"Well, he did a very nice job."

"I'll tell him you said that," I say.

I drop my stuff in Rush's room and then go into the bathroom. When I come back out, I find Rush looking out the window. His arm rests on the window pane above him.

I walk up to him and touch his arm gently so as not to frighten him if he didn't hear me but he jerks anyway. "Rush?" I say.

He doesn't move and doesn't say anything. He just keeps staring out the window with a distant look in his eyes, like he's far away from here. I feel something tighten in my heart and I can't place that feeling. I've never felt this before.

"Rush," I say again.

He finally blinks out of his reverie and looks at me. "Oh, hey, you're back."

"Yeah, I'm back. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing much," he says offhandedly but I squeeze his arm and glare at him in warning. He takes one look at my face and gives an annoyed, "What?"

"Stop that."

"Stop what?" he asks innocently.

"Stop hiding your thoughts. We're mates now. Bound together. Don't hide what you're feeling from me. Please," I plead.

"I was just thinking how we're mates now and... long distant relationships don't really work with us. Besides, once a mate accepts his/her position as a mate, they stay with their mate forever. But I don't want to do that to you," he quickly adds. "You have an entire life back at home, waiting for you and I don't want to take that from you."

I look away. "We're not really that far away from each other. I could always visit you once in a while."

He looks reluctant. "I don't know. I really don't. What if it doesn't work? You'll be busy with school and I'll be busy with the pack."

"We'll find time," I say firmly.

"I don't want to hold you down. Go on with your life, forget about me and move on. All I'm going to do is endanger you. You're not part of this life and I'm sorry I brought you into this in the first place."

"I can't just forget you," I blurt out. Forget him? I can't! That's impossible! He's been such a... rock in my life.

"You need to. You have a life that doesn't include this and I know you want to go back to your house, friends and life. Tomorrow, either I'll drive you back or Thane will. "

Tears fill my eyes. "I don't want to leave you. We're mates!"

"And your mother doesn't know that. What are you going to tell her?"

I swallow, tears blurring my vision. "I can't..."

He pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me. He rests his chin on my head and I dig my face into his chest and sob. He strokes my hair and rubs my back to comfort me. "I'm sorry but I don't want you to regret this."

I don't say anything, just sniff against his shirt. After a while, I pull away from him and grab clothes to go shower.

I shower quickly, clear the tears from my eyes and cheeks and then change into the skimpiest pajamas that I own- a tank top and the shortest shorts known to man.