A Great Gray owl skimmed about three feet off the ground, flying silently past with soft, slow wingbeats. Jonas paused at the bathroom door, watching its progress into the forest before following Camellia inside.
There was no wasted motion in anything Camellia did. He couldn’t help but admire the fluid way she moved and found himself smiling as she struggled to braid her hair. The wild mass refused to be tamed no matter how hard she tried to gather the silky strands and twine them together.
He stepped up behind her and took the dark fall of waves and curls and braided it for her, his gaze on hers in the mirror. “I believe our company are members of Team Two, honey. We haven’t even had our coffee yet. Do you want to go into the kitchen and make that for us while I talk to them first?”
Gossip traveled fast, especially when it came to something as huge as a healer in their midst.
Teams Three and Four had both psychic healers and doctors. One and Two didn’t have a psychic healer and they desperately needed one. He had made it clear that no one was to talk about Camellia. Ryland had made it clear. He was certain Kaden had decreed it as well. Jeff and Kyle and Gator had all been in the room with them. So had Tansy.
Damn it.
There was no doubt in his mind that Tansy was the one who’d blabbed.
“You need a better sense of humor.” Her voice was very soft. She leaned her body against his after he looped the little tie at the end of her braid.
“I have a sense of humor.”
“You need a better one. Or maybe you’re all snarly and grumpy in the morning because you didn’t get much sleep. We had a great day yesterday and a really good night together. We’re not going to let them spoil this.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and rubbed his chin on top of her head. “All of those things could be true, but I’m admitting to none of them. Did the owl warn you? Is that why you’re already so prepared?”
“He warned you too. You just weren’t listening.”
The trace of amusement in her voice and the dancing mischief in her eyes sent heat rushing through his veins and happiness spreading through him. “I listen. I think he just likes you more than me. He didn’t even look at me.”
Her laughter bubbled up, just like he knew it would. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and tasted the temptation of that smooth skin on the side of her neck just below her earlobe. He loved the way she smelled. The fragrance was so subtle. One had to be very close to catch it. His lips wandered to her ear, and then his teeth caught her earlobe and tugged. Her breath hitched but she didn’t pull away. Her eyes met his in the mirror, darkened with desire, with something else he hadn’t expected to ever see from a woman.
The connection between them was growing stronger, deepening into something far more intense than he ever thought possible. The burn of physical lust was stronger than ever.
“They’re here, Camellia. What do you want to do?” Jonas pressed a kiss to her neck, right over her pulse.
She raised her chin. “Let’s go see what they want, but I’d rather talk to them outside on the porch. I always feel safer outdoors.”
He felt the same way. They stepped outside, and he closed the screen behind him. For the first time, he felt a small ripple of unease move through her. He recognized Jack Norton and his wife, Briony. With them was the leader of Team Two, Logan Maxwell. Jack was one of those men you never wanted coming after you. He just didn’t have any stop in him, not ever. And Jack was willing to take orders from Logan, so what did that say about him?
Jonas reached for Camellia’s hand, his larger one completely enveloping hers. To hell with what anyone thought. He wasn’t going to let her face this alone. “Jack, Logan, Briony.” He stated their names immediately so his woman would know who she was dealing with. “Good to see you. We were sleeping and haven’t had time to make coffee, so I can’t offer much in the way of refreshments.” Deliberately, he glanced at his watch. “We were going back out into the field soon. No one gave us the heads-up that you were coming to see us.”
That wasn’t subtle at all. He didn’t mean it to be. He always gave Team Two the courtesy of letting them know he was coming to see them before he showed up. There was an unspoken rule between the teams that they let one another know if they were visiting. That way, men arriving in their territory didn’t set off alarms. Team Two had set them off, and his men would already have known it, even before Jonas.
Kyle and Jeff would be on their way, but they wouldn’t be the only ones. He knew Nicolas Trevane, a highly decorated sniper who never missed his target, was somewhere watching them right now. If Jonas needed to, he could pinpoint his location. Nico wasn’t the only one covering his back. Ian McGillicuddy would either be sitting up in the trees as well or lying out somewhere not that far from them, utterly unseen, rifle steady as a rock. Jonas knew his brothers had him covered.
You told me that Ryland would send Lily and Daniel to be taken care of by Team Two, and yet you’re so distrustful of them. In fact, your team plans to have all the women going there to have these men guard them. Now you’re practically ready to shoot them down when they haven’t done anything but want to talk. That doesn’t make any sense at all, Jonas.
“I tried texting,” Jack said smoothly. “You know how spotty our system is out here.”
Jonas waved his hand toward the chairs scattered around the verandah. “We’ve got some time. This is Camellia Mist, my woman.” He made the claim deliberately, letting them know they would be dealing with him. “Honey, Jack Norton, his wife, Briony, and the leader of Team Two, Logan Maxwell.”
Camellia had a point. The two teams had always been friendly. More than friends. They’d counted on each other. Why was he suddenly feeling so protective? Was it just because of Camellia? Or had the other team done something to set his radar off?
Camellia moved closer to Jonas, right under his shoulder, tucking her front against his side like she belonged there. She gave the visitors a small smile, the one that didn’t reach her wary eyes. “It’s nice to meet you.” Her voice was whisper soft, her tone just as leery as the look in her eyes.
Are they your friends or enemies, Jonas? I don’t know how I’m supposed to act.
She went with Jonas to the lounge again and sank down beside him, her thigh tight against his, keeping her gaze from Briony by concentrating on Logan. Jonas was so tuned to her, he felt the connection flowing from his veins to hers, a deep purple lighting up like sparks along the edges of the flow. He wasn’t certain what that meant, but he knew it was all about her mood.
He caught flickers of trepidation. The verge of anger, carefully controlled. He caught glimpses of pink surfacing in the midst of the purple as it flowed through their veins and spread through the neural pathways and cells throughout their bodies. That bright pink was all Camellia. The heart and soul of her in spite of trepidation and anger. He kept possession of her hand, his thumb rubbing soothingly along her inner wrist.