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to the bed and pulled the quilt and top sheet back.
    Her body sagged and her eyes burned from exhaustion. Her feet moved forwards on his command, then she sat heavily on the thick mattress. Jaryn knelt at her feet and untied the laces of her shoes. Her hands automatically went to the button of her jeans, but froze as she realised Jaryn was still kneeling in front of her.
    "It's okay, sweetheart. Let's get you comfortable, otherwise you won't have a good rest."
    Jaryn unfastened her jeans and she lifted her hips so he could pull them down. To his credit, his eyes didn't linger on her lace panties, although she did notice that he inhaled an extra long breath before standing to tuck the quilt around her. He closed the curtains then came back and sat on the edge of the mattress. His hand smoothed her hair away from her face and his thumb caressed her cheekbone.
    "I want nothing more than to kiss you right this second, but I'm going to wait until you're wide awake. Our first kiss will begin the bonding process, and I want you to desire and cherish the sensations it will bring as much as I will. So all I'll do right now is say rest well, Nicole Holland, and I will see you this evening."
    Jaryn apparently couldn't forgo a small touch because once again his firm lips landed on her forehead, lingering for several seconds, before he quickly stood and exited the cabin. Nicole turned on her side and closed her eyes. As sleep quickly overtook her, she wondered if she would dream of the man calling himself her mate.
    * * * *
    Jaryn sat across from Nicole in the quiet restaurant. The hostess had seated them in the back corner, so they had some privacy. He gazed at her burgundy hair as the light from the flickering candle in the centre of the table highlighted the various red hues. Her forest green eyes lit from within at his contemplation. The spell was broken as the waitress delivered their drinks. He watched Nicole take a long drink of her water, her throat moving as she swallowed. He wanted to kiss the soft pale skin, especially that spot at the base where her pulse beat rapidly. Nicole put her glass down and he reached for her hand before she could place it back in her lap.
    "Before we get to the heavy discussion, tell me about you,” he said.
    "What do you want to know?"
    "Why don't we start with the basics?"
    "I'm thirty-five years old. I'm originally from Chicago, but went to University of Wisconsin in Madison. I majored in natural science, and have a Master's degree in education.” Nicole took a deep breath and looked across at Jaryn before she slowly said, “And for the past year and a half, I've been a prisoner of a shifter named Adam Broyles."
    Jaryn clenched his water glass so tightly, he was surprised it didn't shatter. He knew something had happened to his mate to make her so skittish, but he never suspected that she'd been held hostage. He studied her dark-green eyes, so sure he'd find evidence of the trauma she'd experienced. Her scent was rich with determination, mixed with a touch of anxiety, but there was no terror. No emptiness. Nothing to really indicate the ordeal she'd gone through.
    "Can you talk about it?"
    Nicole nodded. “I promised them I would. That I'd find help."
    He'd figure out exactly what she meant by ‘them’ later. He could see that Nicole needed to unload her burden, and as her mate it was part of his job to be there for her. Jaryn saw her hand shake as she lifted her glass of water. He reached across the table and enfolded her other hand between his. “Take your time. Why don't you start at the beginning?"
    "Adam is wolf shifter living in the Northwoods area of Wisconsin. I'm not sure what he has can be called a pack, since almost everyone there is being held against their will. Adam likes to call it recruiting, but I believe there's a more accurate term for what he does. I was living and teaching in Wausau when I met Adam at a singles’ Valentine's Day party some friends were having. We talked