My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 36

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Sera

I stared at him. An inconvenience. That’s all I was. A dead man’s promise he was stuck fulfilling.

Fenris took a long drink, set the mug down, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "So here we are. Two people stuck at the same table who would rather be anywhere else."

I didn't answer. I just looked back at my eggs, feeling small.

"But that’s not true," he said. His voice had dropped. It was quieter now, vibrating with that low rumble that made my skin prickle.

I looked up. He was watching me, his grey eyes fixed on my face with an intensity that made my heart do a stupid, frantic flutter. I hated it. I hated that he could do that to me with just a look.

Fenris stood up.

I tensed, my fingers gripping the edge of the table. He walked around the side, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator stalking through tall grass. He didn't take his eyes off me, and I couldn't look away from him. My pulse started climbing, thudding in my ears. The scar on my collarbone began to hum, growing warmer as he got closer.

He stopped right beside my chair. He didn't touch me, but I could feel the heat radiating off his body. Then, he lowered himself. He crouched down until his face was level with mine.

I couldn't move. I couldn't even draw a breath. He was so close I could see the tiny flecks of dark grey in his irises and the rough texture and white patches of his beard. There was a small, jagged scar just above his left eyebrow that I’d never noticed before.

He smiled, but it wasn't a kind look. It looked like it hurt. "The universe has a real sick sense of humor," he muttered.

I couldn't respond. My brain was short-circuiting from being this close to him.

"There is nothing I should like about you," he continued. "All I wanted was to fulfill a duty. Secure the Valdris influence. Strengthen the alliance. It was supposed to be a simple transaction." He let out a dry, harsh snicker. "But then this mate bond I never asked for snapped into place. Either you’re a witch, or the universe is really into cruel comedies lately."

"You—you're too close," I whispered. My voice sounded weak, even to my own ears. "You should move."

Fenris didn't move. "You’re soft. And I’m a warrior. You’re Southern. You’re pampered. You’re spoiled." He moved even closer, his face inches from mine. "Yet here we are."

My heart was in my throat. If he moved an inch, our lips would touch. I could feel his hot breath on my skin. I could smell the steak he’d been eating and the scent of woodsmoke that seemed to live in his clothes. It should have been disgusting. It should have made me pull away.

It didn't.

Under the table, I twisted my thighs together, needing the friction, needing something to ground me. My whole body was pulled tight like a bowstring about to snap. I wanted him to close the gap. I wanted to feel his mouth on mine. I wanted to reach out and bury my hands in that thick beard. I wanted him to grab me, throw me onto the table, and just tear me open.

"Sera," he said.

I froze. The way he said my name—it was like he was tasting it. Like it was the first time he’d really said it. It sounded heavy.

"Sera," he said again, slower this time. Then: "I want to fuck you."

My heart stopped. It literally stopped for a heartbeat before restarting with a violent slam against my ribs. I couldn't break eye contact. I couldn't speak. The words were just hanging there between us, raw and brutal and completely honest.

And God help me, I wanted it. I wanted him to draw blood. I wanted him to fuck me until I couldn't walk, and then I’d have an excuse to skip training tomorrow.