She shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“Did you know that Jesse and Harley aren’t true mates? They imprinted.”

“No, I didn’t know that. Their bond is very strong.”

“Imprint bonds can be just as strong as true-mate bonds.”

“I know.” Mila rolled back her shoulders. “I’ve accepted my situation. Made my peace with it. I’m ready to move forward.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to relocate to Russia and enter an arranged mating.”

“I don’t have to enter one, no. I’m choosing to see if there could be anything between me and Maksim.”

Maksim . . . His wolf despised him already. “You say you’ve accepted that you won’t have your true mate,” said Dominic, keeping his voice gentle, “but that’s not exactly true if you need to go all the way to Russia to find some peace, is it?”

“It’s my cat who hasn’t made her peace with it, not me. Every time she sees him and his female together, she grows a little bit more bitter. If she’s not around them, maybe she can find contentment with someone else.”

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘she sees them?’ They’re local?”

She licked her bottom lip. “They’re part of my pride. Adele is actually my cousin. You’ve met Joel already.”

“Shit.” That explained the male’s behavior earlier, Dominic thought. Joel had developed an odd sort of attachment to her. Nothing remotely close to a mating bond, but something that made the male feel both protective and possessive. That wasn’t good for Mila or her cat, and it was little wonder that she wanted to be far away from the pride.

Dominic put his bottle down on the counter. “Come here.” He drew her to him, curling both arms around her. She didn’t tense in his hold as he’d expected, she went pliant against him. His wolf rubbed up against her, wanting to soothe. “How many know about this?”

“Just Alex and my parents.”

He rested his chin on the top of her head. “I can see why you feel the need to get away.”

“You’re not going to tell me I’m making a mistake and I should hold out for something better?”

“Do I think you could do better than an arranged mating? Yes, I do. But I can’t blame you for trying to save your cat’s sanity by putting some distance between you and Joel.” Dominic also couldn’t see her ever committing herself to someone she wasn’t sure of, so there was every chance that things wouldn’t work out between her and Maksim, but he didn’t say that. She didn’t need negative comments right then.

Mila pulled back enough to look up at him. “I’d really like to drop this now.”

He wanted to know more about Maksim, but Dominic cautioned himself not to push. She’d already told him plenty, and it hadn’t been easy for her. He wanted to ease the lines of strain on her face. Wanted her smiling and laughing, not dwelling on shit.

“All right.” He brushed her curls away from her face. “I guess we can talk about how hot and desperate you are for me.” Her mouth quirked a little, just as he’d hoped.

“Hot and desperate, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m all ears if you want to share. It’s never good to hold stuff in.”

She shook her head, incredulous.

“Come on, don’t be shy. There’s no shame in admitting that you find me hard to resist.”

“Well, with all that warped charm, how could I not?” she said, her voice dry.

“Exactly. But, hey, it’s fine if you don’t want to talk. We could play a game instead.”

“A game? I’m almost afraid to ask what kind of game your filthy mind has come up with.”

“How about . . . Titanic?”

“Titanic?” she echoed, her brow furrowing.

“Yeah. When I yell ‘Iceberg,’ you go down.” He watched as her smile widened and the lines of strain on her face smoothed out. It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling to know he could make her tension slip away like that. He tucked her curls behind her ear, thinking how fucking beautiful she was. “Come on, Mila, I promise to return the favor.” He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to her neck. “We’re friends. Friends make each other come.”

She chuckled. “No, they don’t.”

“Special friends do.” He planted a kiss on the other side of her neck and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with her scent. “Give in to me, Mila,” he coaxed, his voice deep and thick with need. “Let me make you feel good.”

Fighting the temptation building inside her, Mila squeezed her eyes shut. “Why do you have to push this?” Much to her embarrassment, it was almost a whine. “My rejecting you gave you a challenge, I get it, but—”

“You’re not the first person who’s turned me down. The difference between you and them? They were playing a game, wanting to have the upper hand so they could lead me around by my dick. But you . . . there aren’t any mind games with you. No manipulations. You simply respect yourself far too much to be a faceless fuck to someone. I like that. Respect it. Respect you.” Breezing his thumb along her cheekbone, he kissed the soft curve of her lush mouth. “You could never be a faceless fuck to me, Mila.”

Maybe not, thought Mila, but she’d still never be more than a fuck, would she? “Yeah, well, I’m sure you have plenty of special friends. You don’t need another one.”

“Despite what you might think, I’m not someone who’ll fuck anything that moves.” But Dominic wasn’t offended that she might think it—he’d carefully cultivated that image. “I have as many standards as the next person. I’m not ruled by my cock. In fact, I have more self-control than most. I just don’t do commitment. Does that make me a bad person?”

“I never said you were a bad person. And I’m not asking you for commitment—”

“Then stop fighting me.” He nibbled her lips with his own, tempting her, teasing her. “Don’t you want me inside you, Mila? Don’t you want to feel my cock stretching you . . . filling you . . . fucking you?” He grazed her bottom lip with his teeth and then swiped his tongue over the small hurt to soothe the sting. Her body melted slightly into his, and he sensed that she was close to giving in to him, but just not close enough.

He remembered what Taryn had said earlier. Mila knew he was good with words, she wouldn’t be swayed by compliments. He needed to give her something he hadn’t given the women in his past. He’d done it earlier when he gave her and her parents the truth about his family. He’d give her another truth now.

Dominic caught her face in his hands. “I haven’t touched another female since I first saw you on that stage. I haven’t wanted to. Haven’t found one even remotely tempting. I want you so fucking badly, it’s like there’s no room for anyone else in my head. I have to know what it’s like to be in you.”

If Mila hadn’t been looking right in his eyes, hadn’t seen the pure sincerity glimmering there, she might not have believed him. There was also sheer determination there, and she knew he wasn’t going to tip his hat and walk away. But if she did finally give him what he wanted, he might very well walk away afterward. The thrill of the chase would be sated, and then she might not hold any sexual interest for him. Maybe they’d bump into each other from time to time, and maybe he’d even do a little harmless flirting, but that would probably be it. And that thought was sad enough to make her swallow hard.