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Valentina slammed her hand on the table. “I cannot begin to tell you how much I tire of this. You will be civil toward my mate or you will leave.”
Isaak inched up his chin. “I owe no civility to dumb cat who sneers when he speaks of Mama. My Valentina would not stand for it. She would defend Mama. He has you so cowed you say nothing.”
Valentina ground her teeth. “She makes it hard for me to defend her when she continually tries to kill him.”
“The last bullet grazed my throat and took away a chunk of skin,” said James. “You know that already, Isaak. You were there.”
Isaak shrugged. “I was busy.”
“You were helping Olga hold the gun steady,” said James.
“As any dutiful son would.”
Luke exchanged a quick glance with Blair, who was clearly trying to contain a laugh.
Exhaling heavily, James turned to Luke. “I really do hope you have more luck getting along with your mate’s family than I do mine.”
Luke felt his mouth curve. “Yeah, so do I.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Having finished her cereal the next morning, Blair washed her bowl and spoon. She and Luke usually ate breakfast together, but he was still in the bedroom talking with Tate, who’d called him mere minutes after she and Luke had gotten out of the shower. Too hungry to wait for him, she’d sought food.
From the kitchen, Blair could vaguely hear Luke, but she couldn’t decipher the words. She suspected that the two brothers were finalizing the plans for tomorrow, when the pride would deal with Zayne once and for all.
Havana and Camden had managed to talk Aspen into agreeing to said plans, but it allegedly hadn’t been easy. Blair could understand why. She wouldn’t like Luke putting himself in the path of danger, no matter what kind of, or how many, precautions were in place.
Her inner female was all revved up, likely affected by the fine ribbon of anticipatory tension that buzzed in Blair’s system. Which was why Blair had decided that she’d spend the day relaxing. If she wound down a little, so would her animal. That would be best, because it was never good for her female to be worked up. The animal would push for freedom and then start destroying furniture to burn off her tension.
Blair grabbed her empty coffee cup and moved to the counter, intending to get a refill. The sound of footfalls made her glance over her shoulder. And there was her mate. Unlike her, he was fully dressed and his hair was now dry. She’d done no more than pull on a tee after their shower before seeking food. Well shower sex could make a girl work up an appetite.
His eyes took her in, heating. “I like seeing you in my tees.”
“I’ve noticed.” She retrieved a mug from the cupboard and turned to the coffee pot, asking, “Am I right in thinking that you and Tate were finalizing the plans for tomorrow?”
“You are.” Pressing his front to her back, Luke snaked his arms around her before relaying his conversation with the Alpha. “We’re pretty sure it’ll flow smoothly enough, since it isn’t likely that Zayne will bring many people with him.”
Blair agreed. “As a celebrity with an image to protect, he’ll be reluctant to trust his plans with more than a few.”
“He’d be a fool otherwise.” Luke pressed a kiss to her temple. “Have you eaten yet?”
“I had cereal.” She poured coffee into both her cup and his. “Do you want me to make you anything? I’m feeling all magnanimous after the whopping big orgasms you gave me earlier.”
He rumbled a laugh. “That’s kind of you, but”—keeping her pinned against him with one arm, he lifted his mug and took a swig—“I’ll grab a Danish from the bakery on the way to the antique store. I need to go over the plans for tomorrow with my dad. I could do it on the phone, but …”
“But you want to go check on him in person, and this is the perfect excuse to do it,” she understood. Luke and his siblings were still careful to keep an eye on their father.
Luke nuzzled her neck. “Want me to wait for you to get ready so you can come?”
“Nah, you go have some father-son time with him. I’ll be fine here.” She sipped her drink. “I’m in the mood to have a lazy morning.”
“What does that entail?”
She felt her brow furrow. “Being lazy.”
He chuckled. “All right.” He took another swig of coffee and then set the cup on the counter. “I won’t be long.”
“There’s no rush. I’ll be waiting.”
The arms around her waist gave her a quick squeeze, and then he slowly began pulling them back, sliding his hands along her belly as he did so. “At some point today,” he began, setting his hands on her hips, “we need to let our animals run to—” He stilled, his fingers digging into her hips. “Why don’t I feel a waistband beneath this tee? You’re not wearing any underwear, are you?”
