His Arrogant Human Mate novel Chapter 22

"Thanks, gorgeous," he hummed. "Good to see you too."

What was Andrew expected me to get from that exactly? "Andrew told me to," I blurted suddenly, mentally smacking myself.

"Did he?" He tested and I nodded. "Remind me to give him a raise."

I pouted, earning another soft kiss from him, before he released me. "Ready for lunch?"

"I didn't make anything..."

"I know. The butler did."

Keeping a hand on my lower back, he guided me towards the kitchen. On the counter was a spread of crackers, cheese, and four sandwiches, plus a glass of pink lemonade and a beer next to it.

"How did you know I liked pink lemonade?" I asked softly.

"You threw it in the cart yesterday. I connected the dots. Plus I asked Alfie. Does that sound yummy?" He asked, kissing my cheek.

I nodded, picking up the glass and taking a sip. It was good, just as I expected. I sat up in a stool and sipped at my drink as Dominic piled our plates up and set one in front of me. "You look nice," he commented. "I like those boots on you."

"Thanks," I said curtly as I bit into a sandwich.

"Cara, what do I have to do to make you happy?" He asked in exasperation. "I want you to be happy, I do. But you're so frustrating. You won't even give me a chance."

"Have you ever thought about not being a dick to me?" I quizzed. "Not forcing me to sleep with you, not forcing your mark on me, not bringing me here in the first place."

"Those aren't things I can change, though. What other things can I do? What do you want from me?"

"I want to go home, Dominic," I said simply.

He frowned, forehead creasing as he got a sour look on his face. "No."

My shoulders slumped. "Don't you hear yourself?"

"You're mine. You're staying with me."

"But-"

"End of story," he snarled. "We are done talking about this."

He grasped my hand, pulling himself to stand on the stairs in front of me, blocking my path. "No. No, of course not. You're my mate. My queen. I'd never just use you for that. You're so beautiful and smart. It'd be a crime to ignore that."

"You threatened to hit me," I said softly.

He grimaced. "I would never." He sat on the steps, holding my hips and pulling me closer to him. "I couldn't lay a hand on you like that. It would hurt me too. I say crap when I'm angry. But I don't mean it."

"Yes, you do."

"No, princess. Never." He lifted me up and sat me on his thighs, smiling softly at me. "I signed up for this. I want you. You with your grumpy days and with your good days. When you're outsmarting me in a fight, when you're afraid of me. I want it all. And I'm determined to have it. To have you."

"Can Alfie come over?" I asked quietly, somehow worried this would make him snap.

"Why don't we go over to Andrew's place? We can walk there and get some fresh air. Okay?"

I nodded, relieved. I needed to get out of here.

Cara walked a few paces ahead of me, her slender arms crossed over her chest, her eyes on the ground. I could sense how upset she was. Caroline was just down in a funk. She felt stuck. But she didn't realize that it was the opposite. I didn't want to trap her. I wanted to set her free and have her be happy and joyous.

My gaze shamefully fell to her cute little rear end. The dark jeans made her legs look delightful, with the boots adding a bit of toughness to her outfit. "Caroline," I called out when she missed the turn.