“Do you think I’m your mate?”
His fingers stilled against her belly, and she felt the beating of his heart against her back ratchet up in speed.
“Andreas?”
He swallowed loudly again. “I—yes, I do believe you are. I’d like very much to keep you, sweet Mary. Will you let me?”
She didn’t respond, and not just because she’d been in the man’s acquaintance for less than a day and shouldn’t have been able to tell him yes.
She didn’t respond because she wanted to tell him yes and that she’d take care of him, but she couldn’t be so certain that she was interpreting the magic accurately. Couples in Fallon didn’t stick anymore—the magic that steered people toward partners who’d be loving and faithful had diminished rapidly in the past generation. Not even her parents had been in a pairing that was meant to last. Her father hadn’t been enough for her mother. Mary hadn’t been enough for her mother. Her mother had left, and her father didn’t talk about what he’d felt or hadn’t felt with her. He’d only ever said, “I got you from the ordeal,” as if that were the entire point of bothering.
She wanted Andreas—that was a certainty—but she didn’t understand if that tightness in her chest was from the excitement that she’d found The One or if the feeling was a warning sign that things were moving too fast. She had no mentors to ask. No one to guide her in matters of fated loves. Her father wouldn’t even have known.
Taking a deep breath, she took his hand and squeezed. “We’ll play things by ear, okay? I’m leaving Fallon soon. There’s no way of knowing what’ll happen.”
He didn’t respond, and she was glad. She didn’t know what else to tell him.
Chapter 9
Andreas needed to feed his woman. The meager offering he’d given her earlier was only enough to be insulting, and he needed to start providing for her. Given he was a man of considerable means, he should have been doing more. He should have been better prepared, but never in his wildest dreams would he have anticipated having a mate, and certainly not one like Mary.
She’d moved away from him, weaving through the stored items in the expansive basement and murmuring to herself about the curiosities she’d found.
He remained anchored on the chair with the blanket draped over his waist, watching her.
Listening to her belly growl.
Every time he thought about getting up and pulling on his clothes, his skin began to ripple and the muscles beneath spasmed, ready to shift into that beast he was again.
He didn’t know what he was thinking or feeling that might have been triggering the metamorphosis, but had found keeping still and quiet kept the beast locked down. Too bad, because he wanted sweet Mary back in his arms.
“What do you plan to do with all this stuff?” she asked. “When’s the last time anyone’s been down here?”
He leaned back against the settee and sighed. “There are pears in the refrigerator. Please eat them. And, the last time I spent any significant amount of time down here was about four months ago. I spoke with some engineers about the structural integrity of the building.”
“Why were you concerned about that?” She did what he asked—returned to the makeshift kitchen and pulled the fruit from the refrigerator shelf. “Did you plan on doing something with the building?”
“Yes and no. The town wanted proof that the building shouldn’t be condemned. They sent their inspectors out, but I didn’t trust them. With or without the building on the property, this lot is worth a great deal.”
She took a bite of one of the pears and retreated into the maze of junk. “What did the inspectors say?”
“Approximately what you’d expect, but they gave me the opportunity to appeal their decision. I hired two independent engineers to write up assessments about the building. They spent plenty of time down here.”
“I bet. What’d they say?”
“One said that this building could likely withstand a nuclear apocalypse, though I’m certain he was exaggerating, at least somewhat. The other confirmed that there’s no justifiable reason to raze the building.”
“What do you think the town wants?”
Andreas shrugged, and then remembered she couldn’t see him. Her voice had come from somewhere in the back. There were lots of interesting treasures there he thought she’d like. “Hard to speculate on what the town would want with this particular parcel, though I’ve heard rumors that the town planners have been eying locations for the new auditorium.”
She scoffed. “Yes, that’s exactly what we need. Another underutilized building in a place that’s populated in large quantities by transients.”
“No one ever said bureaucrats were supposed to make sense, sweet Mary.”
“I know that all too well. I’m a paralegal, remember? I deal with people who talk out of both sides of their mouths every single day. Ooh, Andreas! What are these?”