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“I won’t be upset with you if you do,” she hurriedly assured him. “It’s not exactly something you can control. I’m just wondering.”
He brushed his mouth over hers. “No, baby, I haven’t dreamed about her since before I claimed you.” Quinley took up too much of his mental space to leave room for anyone else.
Her lips hitched up. “I’m glad you’re free of them.”
Well, of course she’d be more bothered about how he’d be affected by the dreams than how they’d make her feel. Typical Quinley. “I dreamt of you before I even met you.”
She blinked. “You did?”
He nodded. “The night after we exchanged messages on FindYourMatch.com. I don’t remember the dream all that well, but I do remember you were pregnant.”
A thoughtful expression slipped over her face. “Do you think it was something to do with Lucinda being pregnant? Like… your mind substituted me for her in the dream as a reflection of how you were moving on?”
“Not sure. All I know is that I woke up feeling good for the first time in a while. It made me more eager to meet you.” He slid his hands down to cup her ass. “And when I saw this phenomenal ass right here, I was sold.”
She chuckled. “I have noticed you seem to like it.”
Considering he’d bitten it, finger-fucked it, claimed it, come inside it, and spanked it hard enough to leave a handprint there… yeah, he wasn’t surprised she’d figured that out.
“For me, it was how cool and steady you are that pulled me in. I’m not shallow, you see, so I’m not swayed by physical attributes like you clearly are.”
He grinned. “Bullshit. You eye-banged me just as I did you.”
“Believe what you want.”
“I believe what’s true.”
A little shiver took her. “Now I need to dress, because I’m getting chilly even with your body heat. Also, I want to hunt down a snack or two.”
“Naturally,” he said, his voice dry. “Before we get down to just enjoying the rest of our day, I want you to know one thing. If Zaire comes back, I may kill him.”
She thought about it for a moment. “Oh. Okay.”
Oh. Okay. Isaiah smiled and hugged her tighter.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Wow,” breathed Aspen. “That is one beast of a burger.”
Isaiah nodded, grimacing as Andaya placed a large platter on the table in front of his mate. On top of it stood a high stack of beef patties that were skewered between two buns. Between each layer were sauces and other toppings such as slices of tomato, cheese, or pickles.
“How many patties are there?” asked Havana.
“At least thirty,” Isaiah estimated, scratching his jaw.
The pride had decided to hold the hamburger eat-off in the communal yard behind Alex’s apartment building. A table and two chairs had been brought out for him and Quinley. They sat side by side with a person-sized space between them.
The scents of grilled meat, melted cheese, and warm bread drifted through the air, mingling with the smells of pond water, wildflowers, and tree bark.
Isaiah stood reasonably close to the table, a bunch of his pride mates fanned out around him. Though the yard was large, it was cluttered with trees, rockeries, shrubs, and tall grass—thus making it the ultimate playground for pallas cats. Still, there was enough space for the pride to gather around and witness the eat-off. Other spectators hung out of the building’s windows, including Elle—who was babysitting a currently-sleeping Aurora.
An identical tower of patties was right then brought out by Valentina, who set it in front of Alex. The male wolverine regarded it with a haughty Is this it? expression, as if all he’d been given was a bag of chips.
A low snort popped out of Bree, who then glanced at Isaiah and said, “To be fair, he has a right to all that arrogance.”
Maybe so. But the same could be said for Quinley, who was studying her own stack with a cunning eye. She wasn’t at all nervous. Isaiah knew it for sure, because the only flickers of emotion he felt breezing along their partial bond were anticipation and hunger.
For the past few days, they’d each been able to feel echoes of the other’s emotions. Something which delighted them both, just as it did their inner animals. It illustrated that the imprinting process was still progressing.
