Burning Read Online Free Page A

rumble of Dean’s large truck filtered through the tree-lined gravel driveway.  I wanted our relationship to move forward; our one-year anniversary was rapidly approaching, after all.  As it stood, we were at an impasse. Dean was refusing to take our physical relationship to the next level, and I still hadn’t agreed to marry him.  Could I get married at nineteen or twenty, with my birthday less than six months away? 
    I shuddered thinking about satin and tulle and everything covered in white.  But that was just the wedding—could I be married?  Hmm… Married to Dean, open access to his hot, muscular body, waking up in his arms, forever.  Well that didn’t sound so bad.  Okay, so I was thinking about it like Chloë had said, and the thought was growing on me.  What could I do to try on the idea a bit more? 
    In September , Dean and I would have been together for a year.  We had been together now for eleven months, and I still hadn’t introduced him to my mother.  I mostly tried to keep my human family away from my supernatural life.  My mother knew that my father was special , but she did not know that he was an immortal wizard.  I was afraid to shatter her illusions of their life together, but I didn’t have to lump Dean into that same category.  I needed to see how he fit into my old life, into that part of me, and then I could decide.
    The giant silver beast turned into view, and there he was again.  I stood on the top step, waiting for him to park.  I vibrated with the desire to run down to him, but I forced myself to stand and wait.  They pulled up, and Chloë came out to stand next to me.  I knew that she wanted to see Finn.  They were pulled to each other, but they were both stubborn mules and fought against their feelings. 
    Dean jumped out of the cab of his truck and stalked toward me.  I blazed off the porch and launched myself into his arms.  He buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. 
    “I’m never leaving you like that again,” he muttered hoarsely. 
    “Sounds good to me,” I replied. “Stay with me tonight,” I requested.
    “Anita …” he said in frustration. 
    “Just to sleep, Dean.  We’ve spent enough time apart . I don’t want to spend the night in different beds as well,” I implored. 
    His hazel eyes searched my face, and his luscious , full lips smirked into a half smile.  “Just to sleep then,” he agreed.  He ran his hands through my long honey-brown hair.  “Have you given any thought into marrying me?”
    The late afternoon sun shone in his thick dark golden-blond hair. The shadows accentuated the strong muscles in his jaw and his cut biceps.  I’d definitely been thinking about being with him. 
    “I can smell the pheromones pouring out of your skin.  I can’t hold myself back forever, Anita.  I need you to be mine, completely and soon.”  He gently caressed my face and slid his palm around my neck.  “I want it to be your decision, but my control is growing thin.  If you start wearing your tiny shorts and low-cut tops, I’m going to take what you are offering and I won’t ask you to marry me anymore.  You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours, but I want you to choose it first.”
    I felt a purr trying to break free of my chest, which was odd since he was the cat , not me.  He cocked his head sideways, sensing the vibration that I was trying to contain.  I rubbed my head against him before I arrested complete control of myself. 
    “You’re already bonding to me,” he whispered huskily. 
    “Are you turning me into a cat?” I choked out.  How big of a freak was I going to be?  I was already unique in the supernatural world, which was really saying something.  I was the only half-witch/half-vampire, and now I was becoming part cat? 
    “No , you aren’t becoming a shifter. You are just in tune with me.  It is like picking up each other’s mannerisms.  It means the bond has started.  Once it does, it will demand