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narrowed her gaze. “So if I’m not a virgin, your intention is to strip me and fuck me fast? And if I am, you’re going to take seven extra seconds?” She was teasing him now and couldn’t keep the grin from spreading across her face.
    Micah bristled before he saw her face. “Imp.”
    “How about if you treat me like you intend to forever, so I’ll know what to expect in general?” Now she had to bite her lip to keep from chuckling. Although part of her was serious. She didn’t relish the idea of letting him know that was her first kiss, let alone the fact that no man had ever touched her the way he had already.
    Am I embarrassed? A twenty-two-year-old woman with no sexual experience? Or am I so horny right now I want him to fuck me as fast as possible?
    He narrowed his gaze at her and kissed her gently on the lips. “Tell me. It matters to me,” he murmured.
    Kaitlyn nodded. Then she tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling. She was really going to do this. This…this…thing she never ever wanted to explore. And not only was she going to have sex, but she was going to keep doing it with this man who was already tipping her world upside down and dumping the contents out on the floor for all the world to see.
    Her soul felt bared. All her private thoughts and secrets that had never been shared with anyone were about to spew out by osmosis. She leveled her stare back on the man waiting for her to gain control. “You’ll be in my mind after, right?”
    “Yes. Do you have deep dark secrets?” He smiled.
    She furrowed her brow and nodded. “Some, yes.”
    Micah sobered. “Baby, whatever is in your past is just that, past. We’ll work through it together. Besides, the connection is more of a communication thing. It’s not as though I will suddenly be privy to everything you’ve ever thought or done. Only the current things you project my way. And even that you’ll learn to block, when you want.”
    That sounded better than what she’d assumed from conversations with the wolves on her farm.
    With his brow furrowed, Micah stared into her eyes. “If you understand about mating, you must realize this is a forever sort of thing. Once I claim you, it can’t be undone. At least not without both of us suffering miserably. I’m yours, you’re mine. That’s kind of the way it goes. Don’t make this decision lightly.”
    Kaitlyn inhaled slowly. She shook her head to clear it. She’d never done anything this rash in her life. Where had her senses gone? Logically, she knew she should walk away. But her heart and soul told her she belonged right here with Micah, even if it was the craziest decision she’d ever make. “Won’t we both suffer if we don’t mate?”
    “Yes, but I don’t want you going into this thinking it’ll be just the same after. It won’t. My brothers have assured me of that. After the claiming, being apart would be unbearable.”
    “I see.” She did. And yet, Micah looked at her with such gentle eyes. He didn’t move. His patience filled her with courage. She knew beyond doubt even though she knew very little about Micah and had spent only a handful of minutes with him, she would never meet anyone in her life who could compare. It felt more right than any choice she’d ever belabored. He wanted her. His protective arms wrapped around her in a way that made her feel safe, cared for.
    Could she do this? Be someone’s everything? What if she sucked at relationships like everyone she knew in her family? She’d had only dysfunctional examples in her life.
    She could start fresh. She didn’t have to be like her mother or her grandmother. She could break that chain right now. “I’m not leaving.”
    A grin spread across Micah’s face. “You’re more courageous than I thought.”
    “Don’t forget that.”
    “You know I’d lay down my life for you, right? That’s the power of the mating.”
    She nodded. It shouldn’t make sense, but it did. He was sincere. This was for