Kai took a sip from his travel mug as he waited patiently, his eyes trained on the door. When Ember finally exited her apartment, his heart stopped. Maybe it had been a mistake to pick her up. It was early in the morning, and he wasn’t too sure how he could keep his lust under wraps after so little sleep.
The kisses they had shared were burning bright in his heart. He wanted more. He just didn’t know how to ask for it.
Of course, the tight jeans and soft yellow shirt she was wearing did nothing to lessen the sharp need he felt for his mate.
You just have to tell her that we need her.
“Good morning,” she all but sang as she took a seat in his car.
“Morning, how are you feeling?” he said, smiling at her. “God, what is that smell?”
His vehicle was filled with the most delicious scent, and it wasn’t just his mate’s natural aroma that had drool pooling in his mouth. Ember giggled and pulled a container from a canvas tote. She flipped the plastic lid, and the mouthwatering odor was downright unbearably appetizing.
It almost competed with Ember’s own essence. Almost.
“I didn’t know if you were the kind of guy who likes breakfast, but I took a shot.” She offered him the container. “These are egg bites. Basically, they’re bite-sized omelets with a croissant crust. There are two ham and cheese and two spinach and mushroom. Then, there are four jalapeno and jack because those are the best. The Monterey Jack and jalapeno are the perfect combination.” She pointed to one of the tiny omelets, each in the perfect two-inch sphere. “That is one right there.”
Kai blinked at her. His brain was completely blank of anything polite he could say. Ember swallowed, frowning at him. “Shit,” she gasped. “Are you allergic to eggs or something?”
“The cupcakes had eggs,” he said lamely.
“Oh.” A blush crept up her cheeks. “Right.”
“You made me breakfast.” God, why did he sound so faltering?
“Well, I had a hard time sleeping, so I got up and made these—”
“That is really sweet of you.”
Kai didn’t understand why the gesture was punching him in the heart. It was really sweet, and he wanted to gobble her up. Her. Not the taste of breakfast she had made him. It was her he wanted. Finally, after a head-splitting roar from his lion, he took one of the jalapeno and jack omelets and popped it into his mouth.
The groan it pulled from him was completely involuntary. Her responding smile was lovely.
“Good?” she asked.
“Good?” he took another. “These are fucking amazing. How can an omelet have such a complex flavor?”
She giggled, the sound going to more than one organ and limb. “That is the magic of baking. It is pretty great, though.”
“Thanks for this. You’re amazing.”
Shit.
No, really. SHIT! He had meant to say they are amazing, but the truth had come out due to his lowered defense.
“Oh. Well. Thanks. You’re pretty wonderful yourself.”
That had definitely not been the response he expected, but he would take it.
Our mate thinks we’re wonderful. Now kiss her.
He couldn’t.
Could he?
We have already kissed her a couple of times. What is one more?
Kai licked his lips, hungry for so much more than the omelets.
He leaned over the center console and cupped her face. She held her breath, her eyes going from his to his lips and back again. There were pleading and anticipation there. Kai would give them what they both wanted.
He gently pressed his lips against hers, lingering longer. He would have pulled away, but Ember’s tongue touched his lower lip, and he was lost. His hand went to cup her face, and he angled her toward him, his tongue delving into her mouth, their tongues tangling in their passionate embrace. Ember moaned into the kiss, her hand going to his neck. Her fingers trailed the sensitive skin there, making him shiver.
“We should go,” he whispered against her mouth.
“We should,” she agreed. But she didn’t pull away.
Kai kissed her again — because he could — because he wanted to — because he never wanted to not be kissing her.
“Shooting starts in an hour,” she said between sips of his mouth.
He groaned in frustration, pulling away. “Do you suppose I could take you out sometime?”
Ember blinked at him, her eyes wide. “Like on a date?”
“Yes, Ember.”
“Oh, I—” She leaned back into her seat, buckling her seatbelt as he drove away from the curb. “I would like that, yes.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Ember sounded unsure, like he had sprung this on her with no warning.
What did she think all of those kisses had been? A tease? A game? He didn’t know how to set her mind at ease, not without spilling all of the shifter and mate stuff. Instead, he reached over and took her hand in his. He started driving, never letting go. Every time they hit a red light, he would turn to her with a smile.
“Think you could feed me one of those egg bites?”
“Sure.” She popped one in his mouth, and he made sure to lick her fingers, even nipping the digits playfully.
It tinged the breakfast food with her taste, and that made the delicious food even more irresistible. Kai couldn’t wait to lay her down on a soft bed, spread her legs wide to taste her. To really taste her.
Kai drove them down to the Police Station, where they filled a police report. The Officer made a copy of the letter and gave them instructions to contact him if anything else popped up.
That was it.
They didn’t do anything more.
Ember had warned him that this would happen. That the police wouldn’t do much because there was not much to do. It still irked him, down to his bones. This was his mate’s safety, her life. He would always protect her, but he was feeling let down by the systems in place.
Apparently, one single threatening letter wasn’t enough to warrant the authorities’ full attention. Kai could only hope that he got to the culprit before the letter turned into a more physical threat. Until then, he wouldn’t let Ember out of his sight.
Even if she couldn’t see him, he would always be around.
She had no idea that he had slept in his car within view of her place. He had only gone home to shower and change when his cousin and employee, Marius, had come to keep an eye out. Kai was sure that telling Ember would only upset her. Not only because it might seem like an invasion of privacy, but because she might think he was possessive and jealous.
He wasn’t.
Well, not any more than any other male shifter.
That’s why he convinced her that he wouldn’t let her walk from the parking lot to the soundstage alone. In the golf cart, he drove them to the lot and proceeded to walk Ember straight to the makeup artists’ domain. Kai had already arranged for added security. There were guards posted at each exit and one who was ordered to keep close tabs on Ember, and anyone who came in contact with her. Kai was going to be participating in the competition, which meant he would be staying close. But he wasn’t going to take any chances.
Not with his mate.
“Have a good time filming,” he said, his hand cupping her cheek. “I’ll be doing quick rounds before the cameras turn on. Maybe when we break for lunch, we could hang out.”