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Marny put her hand to the small of her back. “I hear that.” Her belly looked exactly like she’d taped a basketball to her stomach. “I know I look ridiculous.”
“Have you picked out a name yet?”
She grinned. “If it’s a boy, we’re thinking ‘Stone’.”
“You’re not serious?”
“I am. Can’t quite
persuade Bertie. He thinks I’ve got a crush on you.”
At that, Stone glanced at the fae woman. Did she?
She fluttered her eyelashes up at him and rocked her head back and forth a few times, playing it up absurdly.
He rolled his eyes.
“Don’t mean anything against you, Mastyr, but Bertie’s got a kind of charisma that will have me dancing around his feet forever.” Her face took on a faraway expression that confirmed what she was saying. When she came back to herself, she said, “All right. I’ll keep an eye on you myself. Hope your girl makes it.”
He’d already had Marny pour two dark beers into tall glasses. Aralynn preferred beer to wine and he wanted her to know that he was thinking of her. Marny, aware he was on a romantic hunt, had also provided him with a red rose in a small vase.
He had his hand on the back of the booth, gripping it tighter than he should. He even released a series of deep breaths to try to calm himself the hell down.
He shouldn’t be this jumpy, but after he’d arrived at his private lake house, a place he wanted to share with Aralynn, he remembered her restraint. He’d jumped the gun, as he so often did, leaping in with his proverbial impulsive feet and hadn’t considered what this must be like from her point-of-view.
He was a strong man and he’d been told he had a booming voice. When he’d been with Aralynn earlier and had suggested they bond, he now realized it had probably sounded more like a command than anything else.
For himself, he had no doubts that completing the blood rose bond was the route to take. But how to persuade a reluctant wolf?
Movement near the entrance shifted his gaze to the new arrivals. He was absurdly disappointed that a fae couple walked in, until he caught sight of dark red hair and creamy white skin just beyond them.
Aralynn.
He was heading in her direction before he’d ordered his feet to move.
As he drew close, her eyes widened. She looked him up and down. “You’re wearing a suit. Is that silk?”
She’d asked a question, but he hadn’t heard her. “You look beautiful.” Understatement. She’d somehow tamed her hair into a braid she’d twisted and pinned to the back of her head, showing off her strong cheekbones. She’d added some make-up as well that enhanced her brown eyes.
He leaned close and could smell the rich scent of her blood. He kissed her cheek. Aralynn, slipped from his mind to hers.
She caught his arm. “We have to talk.”
“We will. Whatever you want.” He meant it, too.
But right now all he could think about was how beautiful her throat was. She wore a black dress with a neckline that plunged to a deep ‘V’ and really showed off her breasts. As he guided her to their booth, his gaze kept returning to the sight of her cleavage. His tongue vibrated with need. What they’d done earlier in Joseph’s lair had been wild, incredible and very fast. This time, he wanted to slow things down.
She scooted into the booth and he joined her on the opposite side. “You ordered a beer for me. Thank you.” Her wolf voice called to him. “But I think maybe you’d better kiss me before you explode.”
His arm was already settled along the back of the booth, close to her shoulders. “Does it show?”
“Not ‘show’. But your mating energy is pounding against mine so hard, I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep my hands off you.”
His gaze fell to half-mast. He leaned in and as she turned her head in his direction, he caught her lips with his own. He hadn’t even noticed his mating drive, but she was right. He was already begging admittance.
He deepened the kiss and when she parted her lips he moved inside, plumbing the depths of her mouth with his tongue. She moaned softly and pressed herself against him.
He only stopped when he heard Marny clear her throat. He drew back. “Sorry to disturb, but here are the grilled artichokes you ordered.” Though she spoke respectfully, her eyes were dancing.
