His arms flexed, bunched in anger.
“I would have killed him if I had known, Roni. I may kill him yet,” he swore.
“You’re better than he is,” she sighed. “And he’s not worth the complications. He’s not worth the stain on your soul.” She rose up, staring him in the eye. “I know what you are, Taber. I know what happens when you come inside me. You don’t have to hide me from life. All I need is to know you’ll be beside me.”
“I always have been.” He shook his head in confusion. “Why would I leave now, Roni? You’re mine. I told you that.”
She rolled her eyes impatiently. “Taber, I don’t belong to you…”
“The hell you don’t.” Stubborn male arrogance lit every word. “I warned you before, baby, and I’m telling you now. Once I had you, it was too late to re-think the issue. I won’t play games with you. I won’t lie to you. And I’ll sure as hell never let you leave me.”
“Good thing I’m content to stay. For now,” she muttered as she plopped back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a frown. “Must be the animal coming out in you. Though I never knew cats to be possessive. You’re going against type, Taber.”
He grunted mockingly as he stared down at her, a brow lifting with an expression of superiority.
“Really?” he drawled, his voice deepening. “Says who?”
“Wild Kingdom,” she snapped without heat.
“Wild Kingdom needs to research a bit more.” He laughed as he settled down in the bed beside her, drawing her close to the warmth of his body as he pulled the sheet over them.
“I don’t know.” She yawned. “They seemed pretty sure of it. You sure you can’t mate anyone else?” That one worried her, more than she wanted to admit. She would hate to have to kill him after getting used to this crazy situation he had thrown her in.
“Don’t know. And I sure as hell don’t intend to find out,” he grumped. “Mating you is about to kill me. I doubt I’ll be able to walk straight when I get up in the morning. Which isn’t far off. Go to sleep.” He reached over, extinguishing the light on the small table by the bed.
Silence filled the room. Weariness dragged at her body.
“You should make him leave, Taber.” She voiced the fear aboutReginald that she couldn’t seem to rid herself of. “He’s dangerous.”
Once again silence stretched between them for long moments.
“We’ll watch him, Roni,” he promised her. “Remember. Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer.Reginald will show his hand eventually. When he does, one of us will be there to stop him.” She sighed wearily. She couldn’t push the suspicion of her mother’s death from her mind. Someone had killed her. She had known the mountainous roads in all conditions. She would have never gone over that cliff on a perfect summer day.
“I’ll protect you, Roni.” His confidence washed over her like a comforting wave of warmth.
“I don’t doubt that, Taber,” she sighed. “It’s not my safety I worry about. It’s yours.”
“Go to sleep, baby.” He tucked her closer, his arms, strong and warm, sheltering her. “Tomorrow is soon enough to deal with it.”
She closed her eyes, her hand moving from the bed to her abdomen. She could feel the change in her body. The desperate heat was cooling, leaving only a more natural desire now. A comforting warmth.
Would it happen so soon, she wondered?
“Sleep.” His hand covered hers. “Tomorrow is soon enough.” Chapter Thirty-One
“Okay, listen up kitties.” Kane strode into the large kitchen like a hard wind bent on shaking up whatever previous safe zone had been established. “Get your noses out of the cream, we have problems here.”
The morning ritual of after-breakfast coffee had run smoothly the few days Roni had been there. But it wasn’t a ritual Kane had partaken of until now. She had seen Merinus’ older, taciturn brother only once in the past days since her arrival. He watched everything and everyone suspiciously.
He was handsome, with his dark hair and striking blue eyes. He was tall, not as broad as the Feline Breed males, but exuding a powerful grace that drew the eye. This morning he was dressed in jeans that conformed to every muscle in his long legs and emphasized his tight, hard stomach. A black T-shirt was tucked into the waistband that was cinched with a plain, leather belt. On that belt he wore a holstered gun with such casual confidence that it seemed to be an extension of his body.
“He’s going to call me a kitten one time too many,” Sherra muttered with low violence from beside Roni as she stared down at her coffee cup.
The interactions among the small Pride of Feline Breeds fascinated Roni. They were completely loyal to each other and the other Breeds who had slowly been making their way to the estate set up for them.
Like a large, extended family. They fussed and grumbled with each other, but they fought tenaciously for each other as well.
“Kane, as always, your entrances leave much to be desired,” Merinus sighed as Callan chuckled in amusement.