Chapter 10.

Pascale.

I HAD DIED AND GONEto Heaven. Abby's pussy was as sinfully tasty as it was beautiful, and I was still in deep.

Her milky thighs crushed against my head in a vise-like grip as she reached the crescendo of her orgasm. She trembled violently on the bed and cried out, her voice carrying throughout the house. Her pussy clenched and her body shiver around my fingers and I reveled in every delicious shudder and shake.

She is absolutely perfect in every way.

I allowed myself to enjoy her screams, gasps, and soft sighs of ecstasy and happiness. These moments in time were fleeting and I stretched them out as long as I could. I nibbled her inner thighs and nuzzled at her clit, staying exactly where I was, not wanting to move. But I could hear her coming down from her release induced high, so the spell was bound to be broken any second now.

"Pascale, come up," she whispered, opening her thighs and loosening her grip on my head. "Please."

I surreptitiously used the sheets to wipe my face so that I could crawl up beside her and lay down, before pulling her protectively into my arms. I'd never ever in my whole life been with a human woman while in rabbit form until this moment. It was unsettling to say the least. I was happy to lavish her with love... but to have her reciprocate? I didn't want that for her. Not now, not like this. It wouldn't work.

Abby laid her head on my chest and while I worried about my fur pressing into her face, her small hand brushed along my stomach, and she made no complaint. "Aren't you going to take your pants off?" she ventured.

She wanted to have sex, and that was understandable considering the attraction that burned so strongly between us. But it just wasn't possible.

I kissed her lips, taking my time in exploring her mouth. When she began to unbutton my jeans, I grabbed her hand and broke our kiss. "No. I can't."

Her eyebrows drew together, and she looked hurt, as if she believed I was rejecting her advances or desires. "What do you mean, you can't?"

"I mean... I can't." I said, not sure how to better explain it. I'd never had to before. "My... anatomy is different when I'm in shifter form. Things wouldn't work between us. I still feel turned on and strongly desire you, but our ... we just aren't compatible in my current state." I couldn't blush while in rabbit form, for which I was grateful. Otherwise, I would have died of shame in that moment. I'd be as bright as a beet!

Abby's jaw dropped and her beautiful pink lips parted. "Oh."

"I hope that doesn't change things between us," I said, keeping a tight grip on her out of fear she might try and scramble out of the bed in disgust.

Instead, she threw her leg over mine and cuddled in even closer. "No, not at all! I just... will it be okay when you can... shift back? Is that the right term?" she asked, gazing up at me.

I kissed the top of her head, loving the empathy and understanding she was showing for a creature others might think an abomination. "Yeah, that's perfect. And the short answer is yes, as soon as Easter Sunday is over, I'll be able to shift back to being human. Then I can fuck you as much as you want."

She made a strange snorting, scoff noise sound then grinned up at me. "Ah... I'm glad to hear it."

I chuckled at the lovely pink blush in her cheeks. "Well, the saying, ‘go at it like bunnies' comes from somewhere, my love. And I'll be only too happy to show you what traits I still possess while in human form."

She blinked up at me, her eyes growing a little wide at my speech.

I thought I was being open, and sexy, and maybe even a little crude for shock value. It was a combo I'd hoped she'd appreciate.

"Did you just call me, my love?" she asked, her gaze searching.

Fuck. Too much? Too soon?

"Ah... yeah," I did, I admitted, swallowing at the lump that was forming in my throat.

She stared up at me, her expression strangely serene.

A part of me wanted to pull away and find somewhere to hide, but there was nowhere to go. While a larger, more prominent part of me stood by my words. I hadn't said anything untrue. I just had to hope and pray I hadn't crossed a line and freaked her out. I really was happy to take all of this at her pace. I'd follow her lead, as long as her desires were safe and right for the both of us.

Thankfully, she changed the subject. "Hey, do you want to come chat with me while I have a quick shower?"

"Sure," I said, grinning down at her.

She kissed me quickly on the lips, then slid off the bed. "The ensuite's on the small side, but come in."

I followed her into the quaint bathroom, loving the view of her hips swinging and her perfectly round ass jiggling enticingly as she walked.

She turned on the shower a moment later and soon slipped under the hot water and began washing her hair and lathering up her body.

I would have loved to get in with her, but there was no way I could show her my full rabbit body, nor clogging her sink with my fur. We still had time for all that when had gotten to know each other a little bit better.

Baby steps. Just take this one date, and one day at a time.

"So..." she said. "Tell me why I feel like I need to ask you to move in with me, like... now?" She posed the question so nicely, and with humor, and yet the answer expected serious.

I didn't know if I wanted to tell her the truth. Not yet.

But if not now, then when?

"Ah..." I leaned against the wall and stared at the bathroom floor. "I'm not quite sure how to answer that, Abby."

My mate smiled. "Oh, I know. This is so sudden. But you know what I'm talking about, don't you?" she asked. "I mean, you don't think I'm crazy, do you?"

I lifted my gaze to stare at the beauty before me. She had her head slightly tilted back, water cascading over her long hair.

God, she's a dream come true.

"I don't think you're crazy," I answered with small smile. It was all I could say for the moment.

Taking the hint, Abby changed the subject again without missing a beat. "So, what did you think about Amery's hair? I was thinking about doing something similar for Easter, myself. Maybe just a pastel pink and a pale lilac ombre to go with my blonde? I think that'd look quite seasonal. But I'm just talking a once off rinse. Rainbow colors are a lot of work to maintain, and I tend to get kind of lazy with my own hair when I'm busy doing everyone else's."

I smiled at the vision she painted, and I liked what I saw. "Yeah, I think that would look amazing."

She continued to wash her hair, pouring shampoo into her hands, then scrubbing her long blonde locks from root to tip.

I didn't know what else to say, so I just watched her, appreciating the opportunity to drink in her beauty. Her pink nipples looked so tempting, just like juicy raspberries, and every time she turned or moved her breasts bounced in a way that had me dying to pull her out of the shower so that I could lick, suckle, and ravish her all over again.

"So... are you going to explain to me what the whole attraction thing is?"

I sighed and straightened against the wall. "You're really not going to let this go, are you?"

Abby's laughter filled the bathroom as she rinsed off her suds. "No, because it's obvious you're hiding something from me. So, just tell me. It certainly can't be harder that saying you can't have sex with me—even though we both want to."

She was right, but then again, how the hell was I going to say this correctly? "Well... and for the record, I didn't want to tell you this yet because I don't want you to feel like you have to be with me. Okay? So, this is officially your last chance to stop me, to maintain the mystery and decide for yourself how you feel in your own time." I stared at her and waited.

She simply grabbed the hairbrush and started working through the tangles in her hair. "Nope," she said brightly. "So, out with it. Tell me."

I inhaled sharply. It was finally time for the truth. She thought she was ready. And if she really was my mate, she wouldn't run or leave me, right?

Fuck! It's now or never.

"Okay, so... the thing is, you're my fated mate. It's like soul mates, but for paranormals and magicals. And I know you're not a shifter, or a witch, but since you can see falling angels, I can only assume you must have some sort of magic in your blood... so, yeah. There you have it."

Abby dropped the hairbrush, and it clattered loudly in the small wet space before she swooped down to pick it up again. "Ah... sorry. My bad. That just wasn't what I was expecting."

I shifted on my feet and gulped. "Well, there it is. The truth. I'm sorry, Abby."

She set the brush down, rinsed her hair and turned off the water, her brow furrowed as she stepped out of the glass stall. "Why are you sorry? Did you want another rabbit shifter as your mate?" She reached for a towel, far too calm in my panicked opinion.

"No... no. I'm just sorry that you, you know... are kind of stuck with me now. The rule of fated mates are, now that we've met, we won't ever want to be a part. And I know you're keen to travel and see the world."

Abby dried herself like she was used to doing it fast, wrapped the towel around her body, and then walked out the door.

I followed after her, but the stiffness in her shoulders told me that I'd just pushed her into seeing that our relationship was not in fact going to be all sunshine and roses.

"What do you mean, I can't travel?" she said, her tone calm, but terse as she pulled on her pajamas with annoyed, and jerky movements.

"You can!" I corrected myself, immediately regretting my choice of words.

God damn you, Pascale!

"Of course you can. I misspoke. What I mean is that I'll miss you, and you'll miss me."

"Couldn't you just come with me?" she asked, tugging on a pink pajama top over her wet hair. "Then we wouldn't need to be a part."

"I..." I stopped, a frown marring my expression as I thought about it. "I've never actually left the city. I don't go far from the burrow, to be honest. I'm not even sure if I can."

"Well, we're going to need to find out," she said. "I want to know what my life if going to be like."

I stared at her, almost afraid to believe that I'd just heard what she'd said. "You want to be with me? Still? You don't feel pushed or trapped or anything?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled back at me, filling my soul with the most profound sense of relief. "No, I don't feel any of that. And of course, I still want to be with you, Pascale. But I want to know everything. What I can do, what I can't. And where we're going to live." She adjusted her pajamas and stood tall. "Hey, can we go see your house?"

I gulped. She was being far more understanding and cooler about all of this than I could have ever dared dream. "Um..."

"Like now?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips, her brows raised.

I'd opened a can of worms on this one now, and I had no idea how to put the jack back in the box.

Shit just got really real and fast.