He shrugged. Happy that she was so happy.
“It’s a quick trip. I’ll be back by the late afternoon. Just to DC with Grace.”
“I’m going to send one of my men along. Don’t argue, people are trying to kill you.”
“Grace said her personal guard would be going. Dave, I think she said his name was. I’m going to be carrying too.”
He held back his growl. “Be that as it may. You’ll have a guard with you. That’s how it has to be so don’t fight me over it. If I can’t be with you, I’m going to send along someone. And I can’t tomorrow, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not interested in anyone having to give up their life to be with me.” Her mouth hardened and he realized they were headed back to that place they’d been in before.
“Didn’t I just say I couldn’t? I have meetings all day. If I was giving up my life, wouldn’t I have cancelled them all and gone with you?”
She eyed him carefully and he wanted to laugh.
“You take me from happy to turned on to exasperated and then back to turned on in zero to three seconds.”
“It’s a gift.” She kissed him again and turned back to the stove. “I really missed being able to cook big meals. I figure I’ll need to find a place with a giant kitchen. Dario’s dad runs a property management company so he’s got me looking at a few places.”
He frowned at her back as she dug through his fridge.
“I went grocery shopping today. Really, Gibson, you need more than olive oil and Parmesan cheese to eat. You’re a growing boy.” She laughed as she pulled things out and put them on his counter.
“You can give Dario or one of the others a list, and they’ll get it for you. The jamboree has an account at a few places nearby.”
“I’m perfectly capable of grocery shopping. And as I told Dario when he tried that we have an account here business, I don’t work for de La Vega. I pay my own way. You didn’t pay for my food when I lived elsewhere, you don’t need to now.”
He didn’t want her living anywhere else. There was no need for her to look for apartments when she was here. And they didn’t know how long this rogue-cat thing would last after all. She shouldn’t move out until he was sure she’d be safe. That wasn’t right now.
“You should hold off on finding a place.”
Suspicious, she turned to face him. “That so? Why?”
“Because those cats are still out there. Because you’re safe here. I like it when you’re safe. And you don’t work for us, but you do live with me, and it’s my fridge and I say I pay for groceries. I have a job. If you had a job and I didn’t, would you expect me to pay for groceries?”
“Nice try. But I do have a job. I work for my parents and as of tomorrow I’m working for National. I get paid a base salary and then bonuses for each job. I have money in savings. Those cats won’t always be out there. You’re good at your job and you’ll find them and everything will be safe and I’ll still need a place to live. Joe is back in two days so I can’t go back there. Or I could, but I don’t want to sleep on his couch any longer than I have to. And he’ll want to have ladies back to his place for sexytimes anyway.”
He exhaled, trying to read her as she regarded him with a poker face. There was something going on in that head of hers and damned if he could figure it out. “I like you here.”
She grinned. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?” She turned and stirred whatever she had in a pot on the stove.
“Was there a doubt?” He kissed the back of her neck, his cat settling down as her scent hit his system.
“It never hurts to say it out loud.”
This relationship thing was complicated.
“How long until the lasagna is done?”
She turned to look at the oven timer. “We’ve got another twenty-five minutes.”
“What about what you’re cooking right there?”
“I was getting ready to put it on a back burner and put a lid on it.”
He slid his hands around her waist and up her belly to find her breasts unfettered by a bra. He sighed, smiling against her skin.
He pulled her away from the stove and over to the center island. Easily, he picked her up and sat her on the island, stepping between her thighs.
She kissed his ears, knowing how sensitive they were, loving the way he growled low in his throat. She’d been with him long enough to recognize his turned-on growl. She knew that because she’d heard the pissed-off growl enough to know the difference.
He pulled her shirt up and over her head. “I could feast on you all day long.”
“Don’t ruin your dinner.”
His teeth grazed over her nipples, one and the other and back again until she pounded on his back, wanting more than that. Needing all he had to give.
He laid her back and pulled her jeans and underpants off. “I like the braids, by the way.”
He had her naked on his kitchen counter and he commented on her braids. He made her laugh.
“What’s so funny about that?”
“You still have clothes on and you are not inside me. Lame.”
He shook his head but he pulled his shirt off and then undid his rig, divesting himself of his weapons and then his pants and more weapons.
“You’re like a small army.”
“Gotta be. Brigands about.” He moved back to her but she bent to reach his cock before he could spread her thighs wider.
“I want this in me.”
He pulled her from the counter and spun her body so she faced it. “Feet apart.”
His fingers slid through the slick folds of her pussy, and he hissed as she pushed back against them when he dipped inside her.
“Greedy.”
“Mmm.”
But the head of his cock was nudging into her body as she got to her tiptoes to get him deeper. “More.”
“Patience. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She angled herself and used her hands on the counter to push back, taking him in all the way in one hard movement. She shuddered as a small orgasm spread through her body, warming her.
“Christ. You’re too much. Wait, wait.”
“Don’t want to wait, Gibson. I want you in me all the way. Hard and fast.”
She knew he liked it that way. His animal side just beneath the skin as he thrust into her. Possessing her. His fingers digging into the muscle of her hips hard enough to leave a bruise for a few hours.
She liked it too.
He snarled as she tightened around him and unleashed his desire. Fucking into her so hard she had to lock her elbows to keep from moving forward.
In the reflection of the granite on the counters, she watched his face. The intensity of desire on his features, the light of his cat in his eyes. Hers rose in response, filling her senses with that twin nature.
And then he licked her left shoulder and she whimpered at how good it was. At how much he meant to her. She’d look for another apartment just to have a fallback, but she liked living with him. Liked waking up sore and warm because after he’d woken her to fuck at three a.m., he’d pulled her close and held her tight until the alarm went off the next day.
She liked him. Period.
But she wanted him to admit it out loud. More than his careful skirting around it. More than his nearly saying it. She wanted him to ask her to stay. Wanted him to ask her to live with him, not just because it made her safe or he could keep an eye on her. But because he wanted to be with her all the time.
He reached around and found her clit, sliding the pad of his finger over it in tiny circles. Over and over until she couldn’t hold it back anymore, and she came so hard she brought blood when she bit her bottom lip.
His teeth grazed her shoulder and everything in her froze. Her cat seemed to roll inside her. She stretched her neck, exposing it to him in submission, and he growled, those grazing teeth suddenly grasping and biting the muscle.
She came again, nearly collapsing as orgasm crashed again and again as he joined her, he
r flesh still in his teeth. As he marked her.
He couldn’t believe he’d marked her.
But once she’d bared her neck and offered herself, his cat pushed, the man didn’t resist. He had to get his teeth into her skin, and when he had and she’d come again, he fell into her so deeply he knew he’d taken a step into a place he couldn’t retreat from.
He rested his forehead on her shoulder, eyes open, looking at it. At the mark of his teeth in her skin.
He knew without asking that no one had marked her before.
Just as he knew he’d be thinking about that mark all the next day as she flew Grace to DC and back. And that he’d be waiting for her at the National building to give her a ride back home. Where he’d celebrate the first day of her new job.
Because she was far more than one of his cats.
It had been a good day. When she’d climbed into the cockpit of the Gulfstream, it had all come back to her in a rush. She’d fought back tears as she re-oriented herself. She’d flown the midsize private jets a few times over the years, and this was one of her favorites.
She could do this, she realized. She could fly planes and live the life she wanted to on her own terms, and those shitheads down in L.A. could fuck off.
Grace had settled in with her daughters and her bodyguard, Dave, along with Robby, one of Gibson’s men assigned to guard Mia. Thank goodness the plane was a good-sized one so everyone would fit comfortably, giant shifter males and all.
Grace’s daughters had come along with their mother to see Templeton, who in turn was delighted to be fawned over and jumped on and slobber kissed. He’d even played dolls with them, and in doing so, Mia had absolutely fallen for the charmer.
His mate, Carla, had also been wonderful. Chatting with Grace and Mia about a trip they’d recently taken. While Templeton wasn’t strong enough to be Alpha anymore, he was still alive and had no plans to stop enjoying his life.
As they’d left he pulled Mia aside.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mia. I wanted to talk with you about something and I’m going to mess it up because I’m a man and I’m nosy and of course no one should have shared this with me, but shifters are a nosy bunch.”
She’d known then he was talking about her attack and had looked to Grace, saddened that she’d shared a story Mia had told her.
“It wasn’t Grace, I’ll tell you that much.” He looked over at Grace where she was packing her things up with Dave. “I don’t know how much you know of the reasons why I retired and Cade took over. But I was dosed with a substance, a poison that led to the degeneration of several muscle groups. I was really bad off for quite some time, and while I’m recovered now, I get tired far more easily, and I’ll never, ever have the strength I had before.”
He paused and she tried to wrestle her emotions back.
“I was the Supreme Alpha of the United States. No one messed with me because I was absolutely the baddest wolf in the country. That’s not bragging. That’s the truth. And then I wasn’t. I wasn’t and not because I was an old wolf. Which is the natural order of things. It wasn’t time to retire and hand over leadership to the next generation. It was because someone took my future away from me. With malice and intent to kill me. I will never be what I was before. It took me a long time to accept that. I was depressed for months. Poor Carla, I know I was horrible to live with. But she’s no pushover and she kept shoving the truth at me until I finally accepted it. I can’t be what I was before, but I can be something else. I can embrace what I have and live my life to the fullest.”
He took her hands as she blinked back tears. “You flew today. How long has it been?”
She swallowed hard. “Five months. I haven’t flown since before I left the air force.”
“How’d it feel?”
She recalled that rush of joy when she’d taken off and they’d left the ground. “Marvelous.”
He grinned. “Yeah. Don’t let what you were before stop you from being the best what you are now. I’m around if you want to talk. I know what it feels like. I’m sorry as hell for what happened to you. I did call to rip a new one in the Pack down there. He should have offered to help. He’s working with the police officer, who I also spoke to, nice boy. They’re going to get some people on the men who nearly killed you.”
She took the handkerchief he handed her way and dabbed her eyes with it. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And I mean it. It was a pleasure to meet you. We’ll see you next month. Keep the handkerchief.” He patted her hand. “And say hello to Gibson for me.”
Grace hadn’t asked what he’d spoken to Mia about, though she was sure she guessed. But she didn’t pry.
Instead, once they got back home, Grace gave Mia a hug and invited her to lunch the following week.
Mia had rediscovered a big part of herself that day.
So she came out of the elevator into the lobby to find Gibson standing there with a gigantic bouquet of roses, and the tears had come back, even as she grinned his way.
“Happy first day on the job.”
She took the roses and tiptoed up to kiss him. Because it didn’t matter if anyone saw. He brought her roses, damn it.
“You’re getting really lucky later.”
“My evil plan succeeded. Come on.” He put an arm around her. “We have dinner reservations in forty-five minutes.”
“Roses and food? You’re a miracle to me, Gibson de La Vega.”
He smiled, kissing her cheek before pivoting them toward the doors.
“Gibson, hold up!”
They both turned to see Jack coming toward them, holding a folder. “Some information here for you. Call me later.” He stretched and kissed Mia’s cheek. “Hey you. Thanks for handling the flight today.”
Gibson’s growl and tightening of his arm around her shoulder surprised them both.
Jack put his hands up and stepped back. “Just saying hello to Mia.”
Gibson relaxed. “Sorry.”
The mark on her back throbbed a little, and he turned to her, surprise on his face.
“Do you really think he was going to ravish me in the middle of the elevator lobby with your arm around me?”
He just looked back to Jack. “Thanks for the info. Appreciate it.”
Jack winked at her and Gibson growled again.
Jack turned that brilliant surfer-boy smile on Gibson. “Fuck off, Gibson. You mess with Renee and Kendra all the time just to poke at your brothers and me. Get used to it. Your lovely Mia is far too pretty not to want to flirt with.”
Mia laughed as Gibson hmpfed and led her out to his car.
“Hey, Dario.” She waved as he got out and handed the keys to Gibson.
“Hey, Mia. Good flight today?” He opened her door and Gibson snorted, throwing his hands up and then pushing Dario from the way to help Mia up into the SUV.
She looked around Gibson’s body to Dario. “It really was. It was a good day all around.”
“Good. See you later.” He turned to speak to Gibson for a few moments until Gibson got in the car with her.
Shifters were a territorial bunch, she knew. It was instinctual so those moments with growls and glares tended to happen from time to time, even with close friends and family. Generally it was accepted as something that came up and no one got really fashed over it. But they didn’t usually occur unless the Weres were involved in a serious relationship. Which, she supposed, they were.
“So how was your day?” She breathed in the scent of the roses, smiling. “These are so pretty.”
“Let’s stop at home first for a moment. I need to make a call and the number is there.”
“Everything all right?”
“Today we found out some stuff about the cats who attacked me. Us, I suppose. I need to call the Smithville Alpha, the new one.”
She waited for him to navigate through a busy intersection, not wanting to mess with his concentration.
“I need to go down there. I’m only calling
him as a courtesy.”
“When? When do you plan to go?”
“As soon as possible. Tomorrow most likely.”
“I’ll take you.”
He looked askance and then back to the road as they headed up the street toward his place.
“What? Max told me he had jobs for me from time to time as well. He said you guys have a jet. And even if you didn’t, I could borrow the one I flew today. We could be there in a few hours. Back that same night if necessary. Or you could fly commercial. Show up hours early, get frisked, not be able to carry on board and then do it all over again, only on their schedule instead of yours. Everyone loves that.”
He sighed and pulled up to the house.
“It could be dangerous.” He got out of the car but she waited, knowing he was extra tense. She even let him help her down and got a quick kiss for her troubles.
“And I’ve been so safe and trouble-free of late. If only I had military training.”
He groaned, put-upon, and they went into the house. “I don’t want you in danger.”
“Too fucking bad, Gibson. I already am. I have a skill you need. I’m offering it. I don’t have to be back for four days so I have the time.”
He held up a hand and dialed the number he’d had on his desk.
“Bob, it’s Gibson de La Vega.”
“Yes? What can I do for you, Gibson?”
“I’m calling to request permission for me and—” he flicked his gaze up to Mia briefly, “—four of my cats to enter your territory. I have to question some people who may have some answers I need.”
“Permission is granted. But would you like my new Bringer to question them on your behalf?”
“No. Though your offer is appreciated.”
“All right. Would you like transportation from the airport?”
“I’ve got that handled, but I would like to take a meal with you tomorrow evening if possible.”
He eased the discomfort with that and Mia admired his political skill. He was playing whatever he was doing very close to the vest so the dinner offer would help Bob understand Gibson wasn’t there with angry intentions toward Bob.
“Of course, yes. I’ll have a dinner planned with me and my wife.”