Sweetest Devotion | ✓

eighteen

"Bonnie & Clyde" -Vance Joy

    Sean watched as Bonnie almost slipped past him into the house. It took him a moment to focus on his planned speech he had rehearsed that morning rather than the beauty she possessed after just waking up. 

     Reaching down to grab her hand gently, Sean watched her eyes widen slightly as she forgot about the talk she had with Nora, her gaze and attention solely on her mate. Sean sent her a small and almost, pleading, smile. Her brows furrowed in confusion as he opened his mouth slightly to speak, but nothing came out.

     "You doin' okay there, Teddy?"

    Sean almost reeled back in shock. His chest began to ache in pain and he didn't know why the name had affected him so much. His mate had called him by a different name, one that wasn't his, one that was another...males.

    "What did you call me?" He whispered.

    She blushed as a small smile rose to her cheeks. Bonnie began to avoid eye contact, feeling embarrassed by the nickname. She clutched onto his now limp hand tighter, running a finger over his knucks. Making Sean involuntarily shiver.

    "Teddy...Because you're my teddy bear," he said nothing, making Bonnie regret the nickname, "Do you not like it?"

    A breath he didn't know he was holding, left him slowly. His chest deflated as a smile he couldn't hold back appeared. Bending down to her eye level, the hand that wasn't wrapped by both of hers, raised to crip her jaw gently. 

    A small gasp left Bonnie as he smirked down at her. Her cheeks flamed from the look in his eyes and the tight feeling in her lower stomach surfaced. Sean squished her cheeks slightly, making her lips pucker. His smirk widened slightly at the sight of them.

    He pecked them slowly. Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed and a pitiful whimper left her lips once he did. A breathy chuckle left him from her response so he kissed her reddened cheek once.

    "I love it." 

    Bonnie nodded her head rapidly, making him let go of her jaw. His smile never left as she pushed a knot of hair out of her face, avoiding all eye contact.

    "Well, I'm glad."

   Sean watched his hand as it reached up to the long strands of hair that were on her shoulder, pushing it off gently before resting his hand on the shoulder, moving it down her arm as a way to not only calm her but him as well.

     "I...I need to talk to you."

    From the sound of his voice, Bonnie's embarrassed blush began to leave her as she looked up at him. A frown etched itself on her lips and a sudden feeling of rejection filtered through her chest. She nodded for him to continue, not trusting her voice. 

    "I just wanted to apologize."

    Bonnie shook her head. The Idaho wind swayed her long locks around that almost had him mesmerized but, he needed to stay focused. 

    "What for?" She whispered.

    He avoided her eyes, his hands left her as he crossed his arms over his chest, "For...For how I treated you in Washington. I know it wasn't right, even before I did it, but I need you to know that I won't ever treat you like that again."

      "You already apologized-"

   He nodded, "I know, I just...I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't want to be away from you. I had just found you and then we established that one-week thing. Then I thought about how, if I introduced you as my mate, all this pressure and-and attention I know neither of us wants would be directed at us.