Free Sassy Ever After: Sassy and a little Bad-Assy (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Jessie Lane Page A

happened to his family. Only, it didn’t come. Instead, the words she spoke next battered down every emotional steel wall he had just tried to put up.
    “How you must hate me …”
    Shocked by her response, Cruz’s attention snapped back to her face. He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him with her fingers over his lips.
    “No, don’t say anything. I just need a second, and I’ll go, but how you must hate me. I’m so sorry, Cruz. There you were, moving on with your life, and then I come along and kicked in these instincts you can’t help feeling because I’m your true mate, probably making you feel emotions you never wanted to feel again after … after losing your family. All because some sort of supernatural chemistry tells your wolf we’re meant to be together. I would hate someone, too, if they made me feel things like that when I didn’t want to feel them.” Nikki’s eyes glassed over, and a tear slipped down her cheek. “I hope you know I would never hurt you like that intentionally. I can leave tonight, and if you never come to see me again, Cruz, I swear I understand. I don’t want to try to replace your mate and child, so I’ll just go now.”
    Nikki tried to frantically slip off her chair while grabbing her crutches, but she stumbled in her haste and fell into him. That was fine with Cruz.
    As he wrapped his arms around her small frame, the wolf in him was desperately trying to claw its way out, needing to make an appearance and do something to show their mate that he wasn’t sorry he had met her at all. She was everything to them now. They would always love Lindsey and Laura, but Nikki was his breath of life.
    His entire body trembled as he held his wolf back while refusing to let her go. She struggled a bit in his embrace, trying to push away, but he wouldn’t let her go. Somehow, he had to make her understand that she was what he wanted now more than ever.
    Sliding both of his hands up to her face, he grabbed her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. She seemed startled by whatever look was on his face. Cruz was sure he looked savage. He certainly felt that way.
    Here and now, both the man and wolf were determined to do one thing: show their mate how much he wanted her and her alone.
    “You’re not leaving me.” His voice was gravelly with his wolf so close to the surface.
    Nikki didn’t say anything, so he shook her a little to make sure she was paying attention to him.
    “Promise me you won’t leave me! I can’t lose you.”
    Understanding and something else, perhaps a bit of awe, melted the scared look off her face. Sure, there was some uncertainty still there, but she seemed to be getting what he was trying to convey.
    “You don’t hate me for coming into your life like this, Cruz? I would understand—”
    He shook his head fiercely. “No. You don’t understand at all. I could never hate you. If anything, you probably saved me, Nikki. Don’t you see? I’m getting a second chance with you, pretty girl. Now that I know what losing someone I love is like, I’ll never take a second with you for granted. All you have to do is stay with me and give this a chance.”
    She brought her shaking hands up to cup his face. “I would love nothing more than for you and me to take a chance on us. You’re quickly becoming one of my favorite things about the day, Cruz. Just seeing you, it’s all I look forward to now.”
    Feeling too much and unable to express how much she meant to him already, he did what he had waited two long weeks to do. Cruz kissed her. It was hungry at first, desperate for the taste and feel for her, needing her sweetness on his lips and the feel of her imprinted on him.
    As the haze of primitive need receded, allowing the catcalls and whistles around them to filter into his brain, he slowed the kiss down. He made it soft and sweet like her, lingering on the touch of her tongue, craving to feel like this with her always.
    They were both out of breath when he