Ch. 23

Nathan’s POV

Charlie’s heat was rising again. I could see it in the beautiful flush of her skin and the way she was starting to squirm. Every impulse drove me to reach out and touch her. But I wouldn’t. Not yet. This decision was too important to taint with heat-induced desire.

“You want to mark me?” She was staring at me like I’d just asked her to volunteer as tribute in the Hunger Games.

It destroyed me to see how terrified she was of tying herself to me but I couldn’t blame her. After the vile things I said to her, she couldn’t possibly trust my intentions. I could see the fear warring with raw carnal desire in her eyes and knew I only had moments to convince her to take a leap of faith with me before her heat took away any possibility of rational consent.

“Please tell me I haven’t lost you, Charlie!” My voice was raspy, a heavy plea in my tone. “I know I accused you of lying, but you were only doing what life had forced you to do, protecting yourself because you’d never b