He purred, the sound so full of contentment she smiled.
“Bellmia,” he murmured, sounding half-asleep.
“Hey,” she whispered, drawing her fingertips over his bare back.
“You okay?”
“Never better. You?”
“Feeling a wee bit weak in the knees. You did me in, lass.”
“Liar,” she said, laughing.
His head came up. The corners of his eyes crinkled a moment before his expression smoothed out. Planting his elbow on the counter, he took some of his weight from her, then threaded his fingers through her hair. He rubbed the strands together, learning the texture, watching his hand play before turning his palm to cup her cheek.
“My mate… So beautiful.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, a gentle stroke. Gorgeous sentiment behind it. Her chest went tight. A fierce light in his hazel-orange eyes, he caressed her again. “Thank you, Cate.”
Distracted by his touch, she blinked. “For what?”
“Agreeing to be mine.”
“Don’t do that,” she whispered as blinding emotion swept through her, making her eyes sting.
“What?”
“Make me cry after I’ve just had the most amazing orgasm of my life.”
His lips twitched. “Tough chick.”
“You know it.”
“Well then, hate tae disappoint, but…” He paused to trace the curve of her eyebrow. “It cannae be helped. You need the words as much I need tae give ’em tae you.”
“Ran—”
“You’re important, Cate. Everything tae me.”
Losing the battle, Cate felt tears pool in her eyes. She couldn’t stand it. Just couldn’t. Rannock was more than everything to her. He was her beginning, her end, and every road in between, filling the hollows deep inside her, clearing away the debris of the past to gift her with a brand-new future.
Throat so tight it hurt, Cate took a shaky breath. “You’re the beautiful one. You keep saying it’s me, but it’s you. It’s always been you.”
“Bellmia—”
“I think I fell in love with you day one. The second I heard your voice, I knew I was done. That I was yours and would be forever.”
“My beautiful Cate. So brave. So fierce. All mine.” Gathering her up, Rannock pushed upright. As he stood, he drew her with him. Setting her on the edge of the counter, standing between her thighs, he framed her face with his big hands. “You love me?”
“Yeah. I know it’s fast. Maybe I should’ve waited to tell you, but—”
“I love you too.”
“God,” she said, closing her eyes, fighting to keep her tears from falling. “You’ve gone and ruined me.”
“Nothing wrong with crying, lass.”
“You cry a lot, tough guy?”
“Once a week… at least.”
She huffed in amusement. A tear tipped over her bottom lashes. Holding her gaze, Rannock wiped the wet trail away as she murmured, “Such a terrible liar.”
His mouth tipped up at the corners.
Grasping his wrists, she pulled his hands away from her jaw. The second he released her, she burrowed in, pressed her breasts to his chest, her core to the open fly of his jeans, closing her arms and legs around him. With a rumble, he buried his face in her shoulder and hugged her back. Wrapped secure in his embrace, Cate let herself go, allowing herself to just be. Be in the moment with the man holding her. Be inside a bathroom inside a beautiful house, instead of worrying about the problems that existed outside it.
“Bellmia?”
“Yeah?”
“We need tae move,” Rannock murmured against her skin.
“Do we have to?” Tucked against him, not wanting to be anywhere else, Cate shook her head. “We could stay here. Live here. Maybe someone’ll slip us crackers under the door.”
Rannock chuckled.
She sighed. “They’re getting restless, aren’t they?”
“Aye. Rathbone’s about tae—”
A knock sounded on the door. Heavy-handed knuckles. Plenty of impatience.
“Time tae get dressed, lass.”
A growl wove its way in from the corridor. “Dragon.”
Planting a kiss beneath her ear, Rannock lifted his head. “Five minutes, Rathbone.”
“Contact your pack,” Rathbone said, deep voice rumbling. “Before they blow us all to kingdom come.”
Raising a brow, Cate mouthed, Kingdom come?
Busy drawing the cups of her bra over her breasts, Rannock shrugged. She let his silence go, knowing she shouldn’t find anything about the situation funny. Nothing about being trapped inside a house owned by men she suspected of wielding supernatural powers amounted to a good time. The instant she stepped outside the bathroom, her interlude with Rannock would be over. Reality would rush back and force her to confront a hard truth.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Cate took a deep breath and resettled her mind. Time to set the fairytale aside and face the issue head-on. What she and Rannock faced—fixing her father’s mistake—wasn’t going to be pleasant. Nowhere near enjoyable at all.
13
Keeping his mate close, Rannock walked beneath the center archway into the Shadow Walker’s study. Beautiful space. A masculine room with floor-to-ceiling wood paneling and old-world charm. The kind of place that invited a male to sit down and put his feet up. Maybe smoke a good cigar. Drink an expensive glass of Scotch. Block out the noise of a busy city and stay awhile.
Relaxed. Roomy. The smell of good coffee and chicory in the air.
A total trap.
One meant to lull him into a false sense of security.
Standing next to a breakfast bar, holding a stainless-steel coffee carafe, Rathbone glanced over his shoulder. “All set?”
“My brothers will hold…” Stopping beside a studded, low-slung leather couch, Rannock drew Cate closer. Her hand flexed in his. He squeezed back, gaze riveted to the other males in the room. Big. Well built. Powerful magic humming just beneath each one’s surface—fires banked but burning. Include Rathbone in the mix, and he had a walking, talking triple threat on his hands. “For now.”
“Good,” Rathbone murmured, grabbing a mug off the tray. Flipping it upright, he poured coffee into glazed pottery. The scent of chicory grew stronger. Dressed in a fancy suit and tie, he pivoted and raised a brow. “Java?”
Cate’s stomach growled.
Shoulders planted against the wall by the hearth, the dark-haired male scowled.
The blond holding up the stone mantel with his shoulder chuckled. “Breakfast’s on its way, Cate.”
“Stop being nice to me, Noble,” Cate said, a snap in her voice. “I’m not eating anything you—”
Rannock squeezed her hand, stopping her mid-tirade. “You need tae eat, lass.”
“What if they—”
“No one’s getting poisoned here,” Rathbone said, eyes sparkling with amusement. “We don’t kill that way.”
“Terrific,” Cate mumbled, glaring at the blond.
Green eyes narrowed on her.
Reading the male’s expression as a threat, Rannock snarled at him. The male’s lip curled in response.