“What if I get Alzheimer’s or go crazy?”
“I’ll care for you every day. And I’ll love you every moment.”
She shook her head. “That’s crazy. You can’t have formed a bond like that already.”
He grinned. “I can. I have. And don’t think you can run away and it will fade. It won’t. This is locked in now. It’s done. And…” He took a deep breath. “I really hope you meant it when you said you loved me.”
She smiled. “Of course, I did. I do. I love you.” She was prepared this time for his kiss, but she lifted her hand up to stop him. She didn’t want to get distracted again. Not just yet.
“Simon, wait!”
He froze, his entire body expectant.
“Could you maybe say the words back to me? Just once?”
He blinked then grinned. “I love you, Alyssa. I love everything about you. And I’m going to love you with everything I am until the day I die. You’re my mate, my everything. And I really need to take you back to someplace safe so that I can show you how much pleasure a man can give to his mate.”
“I think you already covered that last night.”
He chuckled, and again it was the most beautiful sound. “Honey, you have no idea how much better it can get.”
“Then okay. Let’s do that,” she whispered. She might have said more, but he was kissing her. And she was kissing back. And they kept kissing until flashing red and blue lights illuminated them. Plus the bright spotlight of a high-powered flashlight.
And when Alyssa was going to ignore that, Simon abruptly broke their kiss to glare hard at the interruption. Then the spotlight pulled off their faces and she could finally see Detective Kennedy with his hands raised in an I-surrender gesture.
“I was just trying to see if you’re okay.”
Alyssa giggled, embarrassment making her spout words that she would normally keep inside. “We’re mated.”
“Yeah,” the cop said with a smirk. “I figured that out. Yesterday.”
She grinned, but rational questions were pushing to the fore of her brain. “How are you here? Is everyone else okay? How bad is the damage to my building?”
“Looking for you. The wounded are already on the way to the hospital. The rest are all fine. Including that high-as-a-kite hybrid. And as for the apartment building.” He exhaled with a sigh. “Fire’s there now, but the damage is pretty bad. You have insurance, right?”
She nodded, feeling a little sick inside. “I do. But my whole life was in there.”
“No,” Simon said as he touched her face and brought her around to look at him. “Your life is here.” He touched her chest, right above her beating heart.
She mimicked the gesture on him. “And here.”
He nodded. “We’ll figure out the rest.” Then he smiled. “Besides, I’ve been trying to think of what to do with the rest of Nanook’s money. Why not use it to build again? And maybe in a better neighborhood.”
“No!” she said, her voice sharp. “This neighborhood is my home. And those people are my family.” Then she smiled. “But I like the idea of rebuilding.”
“Good. Because I like the idea of making you happy. No matter what.”
She smiled and together with Detective Kennedy, they started walking back toward what used to be her home. She knew there would be lots to do. She had a whole building of people who needed to relocate. They had statements to make and details to iron out. Plus Detroit was still under quarantine, so that was going to make everything more complicated.
Even so, she smiled like a giddy school girl. He loved her. And she loved him.
“I think I can get used to being mated,” she said with a smile.
Simon drew her close and whispered into her ear. “As soon as I get you alone, I’m going to…” His words were graphic and very detailed. They made her blush hot and giggle while Detective Kennedy tried to look anywhere but at them. And all the while, Simon kept talking. Damn, the man was very logical and very thorough.
And she loved him all the more for it.
Then his words slowed, though his hold on her body remained intimate. And when his words stopped, she looked at him, a question on her lips. It died the moment she saw his face. It was wrinkled up in disgust.
