Lightning & Thunder

Chapter Eighteen

Olivia wanted her immediate answer to be no. No, she did not want to share such a vulnerable thing with anybody else ever again. No, she did not want to put herself in another awkward state of tip-toeing around the other person's life, sharing their bed, their sleeping schedules, their lives together.

The look in Raiden's eye was something that made her re-consider for a split moment. There was something pleading about it-as if she could grant him something special.

No man had ever made her feel special before. Maybe it was time for him to be the first.

How was it that she was so ready to throw herself off a waterfall, but be hesitant when it was time to start something new with somebody else?

Sure, it was quick and she hadn't been given enough time to heal and move on. But sometimes things in life are just thrusted upon you.

Sometimes you roll with the punches in hope of something better.

Raiden was giving her that hope. It was an opportunity.

"Okay." Olivia agreed. "I'll share a room with you. But you're not allowed to touch me without my permission."

"Of course, that goes without saying."

"Not in my experience."

The look he gave her was of concern. An understanding dawned in his eyes, and she wasn't sure of what to make of the room's atmosphere. It became a little too heavy too quickly.

"So what happens from here now that we've decided I'm staying?" Olivia asked quickly.

"You officially move in. We can begin to integrate you into the pack. I think it would be best to focus on legally integrating you above all else. To protect you from your ex-husband. We'll have to make sure he doesn't pull any legal strings. Everything else is your choice. It'll be yours to decide from here-on out but-,"

That made a ping of nervousness strikethrough Olivia. She did not like buts.

"-I'm not going to lie to you Olivia. I believe, from what I feel, that you're my mate. It was not something I expected. I thought it was going to be a long time before I found my mate. Yet here you are, in the flesh. Everything within me tells me to make you my Luna. I want to make you mine, Olivia."

Those thoughts scared her a lot. The one thing she could appreciate, however, was his honesty. He was telling her what he wanted.

She just hoped he wouldn't force it. Something within his sentence stuck out to her.

"What do you feel?" Olivia asked. There was no way he could feel so much in so little time. They just met. She continued, "I don't feel much at all. I thought mates were supposed to feel-I dunno, a zing or a smell or something." She felt stupid for asking.

He frowned at her. "You really don't feel anything at all?" His hands were still holding hers. His thumb was still rubbing circles upon her pale skin.

Well no, she didn't feel nothing. She had to admit to herself that she definitely felt something-it just wasn't as intense as she imagined.

It felt like an undercurrent. Like slight tingles here and there. His presence definitely made her nervous-but so did most men.

She really had a hard time deciphering what she felt with Raiden.

"I," Raiden starts, grabbing her attention. He brings her hand to his mouth for a split second, giving it a gentle kiss. "I feel overwhelmed. Everywhere your skin touches mine, tingles shoot into me. I can feel your presence cloaking mine, sinking into me. I can smell you everywhere. It invades my senses, the scent of peppermint haunting me every time I go to bed. I honestly don't know what to do with you."

Olivia didn't know either. His words made her speechless. The spot on her hand still burned from where he kissed it. Her heart quickened, a warmth entering through her at how intimate his words felt.

His gaze felt pretty intimate too.

-but she just couldn't believe them. Doubt still laced through her at his words.

Words didn't mean shit.

She would know.

They continued to gaze each other, studying the other's face in search of different emotions they didn't know what to do with. The air started to feel a little electrified.

Heat passed between the two and if they didn't put it to a stop, Olivia thought she would combust.

She was the first one to break eye contact. She gently tugged her hand out of his, letting his hand slowly slip away from her grip.

"I-uh-I need some water." Olivia muttered.

"Me too." Raiden croaked. He cleared his throat before he led her to the kitchen where they both awkwardly sipped their drinks, their gazes darting at everything but each other.