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Cat’s laugh wasn’t full-throated, but that haunted look had left her eyes, at least. “She seldom does.”
Bones squeezed her hand. “Actually, Rodney’s a bit unsettled about seeingyouagain for another reason altogether. He’s not sure if you’re upset with him over Danny.”
“Danny?” she repeated in confusion. Then, her expression cleared. “Oh, right, his murder. That was more your doing than his, as we discussed before. Besides, Rodney’s coming to help.”
Bones smiled. “That’s what I told him you’d say.”
A finger teasingly jabbed him in the chest. “Think you know everything, huh?”
He let his hands trail up to her arms, and then down to her back. “Not everything, but some things. For instance, I knew without a doubt that I’d fallen in love with you when we met. Then, I knew I’d do anything to make you feel the same way.”
Annette’s teacup hit the table with a small bang. “I’ll take myself off to shower now.”
With that, she beat a hasty retreat. Moments later, he heard the shower turn on, but he was more interested in how Cat’s heart had sped up as he let his hands wander.
“You keep saying you fell in love with me right away, but you beat me unconscious that night,” she said in a breathier voice. “Andyou were so surly with me those first few weeks.”
Bones’s laugh was filled with memory. “You demanded that duel between us, and you would’ve stomped me into submission if I’d shown you any weakness. OfcourseI didn’t let on how I felt. At the time, you hated the sight of me.”
She leaned forward until her mouth brushed his neck. “I don’t hate you now,” she murmured, moist heat searing him as her tongue flicked out to touch his skin.
He had her up in his arms before she could gasp. Then, her eyes widened as he took the stairs at a run.
“I was teasing,” she protested. “We can’t. She’dhearus!”
Bones pushed the door open with her body and shut it with one decisive sweep of his leg. Then, he dropped her onto the bed and covered her body with his.
“Iwasn’t teasing, and I don’t care.” Her clothes hit the floor as he pulled them off her, and his mouth chased away the last of her concerns. “We only have an hour before I have to leave. Let’s not waste it.”
37
“You’re late,” Rodney said two hours later.
Bones couldn’t stifle his grin as he said, “Traffic.”
Rodney laughed and slapped his back as he hugged Bones. “Most obvious lie you’ve ever told.”
“It is,” Bones agreed.
Rodney had five bags with him, but only one was his personal belongings. The rest contained weapons and other tactical necessities. Their confrontation with Ian was nigh, and Bones couldn’t leave anything to chance.
“Have to make a stop on the way to the house,” Bones said once they were on the road. “We’re picking up a few of Cat’s blokes and having them for dinner.”
Rodney’s brows went up. “As in…?”
“Not that,” Bones said with a snort. “Though one might annoy me into it before too long. Still, Cat wants her men to have more contact with the undead that doesn’t involve knives.”
“Smart,” Rodney commented. “Now, what are these guys like? I’ve read their dossiers, but that doesn’t tell me personality.”
“Cooper is serious but fierce, Juan is sly and skilled, and Tate is brave but begging to be killed with how openly he’s in love with Cat,” Bones summarized.
Rodney’s eyes widened. “No shit?”
“I shit you not,” Bones said dryly. “She brushes it off as infatuation, but I can see it in his eyes. Only thing that makes him useful is that he’d die for her without a second thought.”
Rodney gave him a shrewd look. “So, you’ll keep him around in order to do that, if she gets herself in a tough spot?”
Bones lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “She doesn’t want me killing him, so this is the next best thing.”
