Three

Stupid, stupid, stupid!God, what is wrong with me? She probably thinks I'm a horrible person. Who just kisses someone and dashes? A fucking amazing kiss. One that set my soul on fire and had my cock harder than it's ever been in my life.

Mate, she's my fucking mate. This can not be happening right now. I knew this could be a thing, that I could meet my mate at any point in time. My mother met my father just by bumping into him on the street when she was going around the corner. It can happen that fast, that randomly.

I just didn't think I'd find mine like this, least of all tonight.

By the time I finally stop running, I'm already back at my uncle"s house. "Fuck." I curse as I take a seat on the porch stairs. Groaning, I hang my head. "So much for a relaxing summer before picking between two major decisions that will change my life completely. Let"s add another into the mix."

"I thought I heard you out here," my uncle says, stepping out on the porch.

Standing up, I dust some sand off me. "Hey."

"How was it?" he asks with a curious smile.

"Fine," I mutter as I step past him into the house.

"Did you have a drink? Meet any cute girls?"

"A few beers," I say, not answering his other question. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"Night."

Heading into my room, I close and lock the door behind me. Taking my hat off, my horse ears spring free, sore from being pressed down and hidden under the hat.

Pulling my hoodie off, I toss it to the ground as I turn the TV on for background noise, knowing tonight is going to be one filled with thoughts running through my mind, making it hard to sleep.

Falling back onto the bed, I stare up, watching the lights from the TV dance across the ceiling.

To answer my uncle"s second question, no, I didn't meet a cute girl tonight. I met a gorgeous woman. A woman with the whitest blonde hair and the bluest of blue eyes. God, the way her little button nose scrunches up when she smiles. I just wanted to trace her dimples with my tongue.

And her laugh. Fuck, it took everything in me not to cum in my fucking pants at the sound.

Marley. My little human mate. Fuck.

I can't stop thinking about that kiss, the way my body lit up. I knew she was meant to be mine, that the universe hand-picked her for me. I regret running away like a coward, but I was afraid. This is big, this is a lot to take in all at once.

The feeling of her soft lips against mine, our tongues tangled together. My cock twitches at the thought.

Looking down, I find a massive tent in my sweats. It's not going to go anywhere, anytime soon if I don't take care of it. And I'd rather not be in pain with a raging hard-on.

So, I pull my pants back, allowing my cock to spring free. A string of pre-cum drops from the tip already. Wrapping my hand around my length, I bite back a groan as I add some pressure, giving it a long, firm stroke.

My eyes fall shut as I relax back into the bed. I start to pump my hand a little faster, Marley's face flashing behind my eyes.

I imagine how I wish that kiss would have gone. That when we broke apart, she would drop to her knees. Looking up at me with her big eyes, a sexy smile taking over her pink puffy lips as she licked them and pulled my pants down.

My cock falls heavy and she whimpers at the size. But she wraps both of her tiny hands around my shaft and strokes me, licking the dripping pre-cum from the tip.

My breathing starts to come in ragged pants as I feel my orgasm creeping up on me fast. My balls tingle in anticipation as I jerk myself faster, tightening my grip.

In my mind, Marley takes me into her hot, wet mouth, causing me to moan as I gather her hair in my hands.

I start to give her little thrusts, knowing not to go too deep because I'm too big. She can't take all of me, not even half of me, but it doesn't stop her from trying.

She sucks and slurps on my cock, gagging when it goes too deep. Both in my fantasy and in real life, I'm unable to hold back any longer. The thought is too much.

My balls draw up, my stomach muscles flexing as my orgasm takes over. I bite my lip hard enough to taste blood as I hold back the roar that threatens to slip free when my cock starts to twitch in my hand, sending thick ropes of cum out and onto my stomach.

It's never ending, so much fucking cum it covers my abs. Finally, when the last drop falls, I let out a sigh of relief.

Knowing everything will spill over if I wait too long, I grab the towel from my shower this morning off the bedside table and clean myself up.

Looking at the soiled linen, I grimace; there's no way I can toss that in the dirty laundry.

Getting up, I take the towel and some of my other dirty clothes and start a load of laundry. I shower and change before getting back into bed.

I have no idea what I'm going to do, and what this even means. Why couldn't this just be a relaxing summer?

* * *

The next morning, I decide to call my mom. If anyone can offer me advice, it's her. She is a human, after all, mated to a centaur.

"Lucius, honey! It's so good to hear from you. How are you, baby?" my mother says cheerfully as she picks up the phone.

"I'm good. Sorry, I haven't called much. There wasn't anything to really report back to you."

"And there is now?" she asks, sounding intrigued.

"Yeah," I say, nibbling on my lip, nerves making my stomach uneasy. "I met my mate."

"What!" she gasps. "Oh my god, that"s wonderful."

"Her name is Marley. She works at a tiki bar by the beach house. She's beautiful, Mom. Short and blonde, with a bubbly personality that anyone can't help but fall for."

"She sounds wonderful, baby. But why do you sound sad? You should be thrilled."

"It all happened so fast. We only met last night, hardly talked, then I kissed her and ran away like an idiot." I groan, rubbing my face.

"Oh my," she says, but I can hear the amusement in her voice.

"It's not funny, Mom," I grumble.

"No, of course, it's not. It"s normal to be freaked out. But, honey, you need to go back to that bar and apologize to that girl."

"I know." I sigh. She's right. I don't like the idea of Marley thinking badly of me. "But that"s not the only thing. She's human."

"Ahhh," she says, her tone turning to understanding. "What are you afraid of, sweet boy?"

"That she doesn't like monsters, that she will look at me like I'm a freak. It was dark, and I was covered up, so I don't think she knows what I am."

Looking out the window, I watch the waves, wondering if she will be disgusted when she sees the real me.

"Don't think like that. You don't know anything until you talk to her. Ask her out, and get to know her a bit better. Give her a chance before you overthink everything and assume the worst. You never know, she might surprise you. Take it one step at a time. But, honey, the more time she spends with you, the more she"s going to fall in love. And not just because of the mate bond. You're a good man, Lucius. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom," I say, feeling a bit homesick. My mom and I are close, almost best friends in my eyes. She's always someone who"s been on my side, someone I felt safe to talk to about anything.

I love my dad, and he's a good guy, but sometimes I feel like I failed him for not being more like him. I'm half centaur, half human. No matter what, I've never fit in with either side.

We get off the phone a few minutes later. Deciding to go apologize later, I shower, eat, and play on my phone as I wait for the night to fall. I don"t know when she works or if she will even be there tonight, but I have to try.

When I get to the bar, it's just as busy as it was last night. I'm about to walk in when worry hits me.

Shaking it off, I go inside and find Marley behind the bar. My heart stops as I watch her. She laughs at something the guy in front of her says; her face lighting up. She's stunning. Then I'm hit with jealousy that she's being friendly with another guy.

"Hey," I say, taking a seat at the bar.

She looks at me with surprise. "Hey."

"Do you have a moment?" I ask, feeling nervous again.

She bites her lip and looks over at the other bartender. "It's time for your break. Go ahead."

She looks back at me and nods. "Let's go outside."

I follow her out of the bar and down toward one of the bonfires. "I didn't know if you would be back. You seemed to want to get away pretty fast." She won"t look at me and I hate myself.

"I'm sorry. I was a fool. That kiss, it was amazing. I thought about what it would be like kissing you again the whole night. I'm sorry I didn't seem like I wanted anything to do with you because it's the complete opposite." I run a hand over my hat. "I'm not good when it comes to girls. And I sure as hell don't know what to do when it comes to one as captivating as you."

"Really?" She looks up at me with a sweet smile that has my heart pounding.

"Let me make it up to you. Can I take you out to eat?" I ask, hope swelling in my chest.

"Are you free tomorrow? I know a really good seafood place down the beach."

"Yeah." I smile wide like a fool. "Of course. I can meet you here around six?"

"Six works for me."

"Okay, yeah cool," I say, blushing, so damn happy she said yes.

"I gotta get back to work. But I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?"

"Tomorrow night." I nod.

She giggles and leans up to place a soft lingering kiss on my lips before giving me a blushing smile of her own and taking off back to the bar.

I'm going on a date with the most beautiful girl in the world. My mate.