Page 97 of Brushed By Moonlight

“Hell of a way to focus on a mission,” Roux grumbled over breakfast the next morning.

I bared my teeth at him. Yes, I’d spent the night with Mina, doing more than just resting. Surprisingly, though, we’d both managed to get some sleep. A deeper, sounder sleep than I’d found in years.

Doesn’t take a genius to know what that means,my dragon side muttered.She’s our destiny.

Bene wandered into the dining room, mumbling, “Good morning.” Then his eyes went wide, and he leaned over to sniff me. “Glad someone had a good night.”

“Someone other than me,” Roux muttered.

Bene shrugged and yawned so wide, his lion fangs showed. “Maybe it will mellow him.”

I glowered. Dragons did not mellow, dammit.

“Just what we need going into a mission.” Roux hacked at a breakfast sausage with his fork and knife. “And here I was thinking Henrik was going to be our goddamn liability…”

Bene stuck out an arm, blocking me from the coffeepot, as if he expected me to hurl it at Roux. A damn good idea. But maybe great sex had mellowed me, because that hadn’t even entered my mind.

I pointed at the clock.

“You said, meet at eight. It’s ten to. How’s that for focus, asshole?”

Roux didn’t look impressed, but Bene nodded cheerily. “Top marks, baby. Especially since you had to leave a warm bed. Or did Mina kick you out?” When I glared, he stuck up his hands, grinning. “Hey, I wouldn’t leave her.”

A low, dangerous snarl built in my throat. He wouldn’t be with Mina in the first place.

Light footsteps sounded behind us, and we whirled.

Mina stepped up, braiding her hair on the go. “Leave who?”

“Uh, I was just saying, it will be hard to leavehere.” Bene motioned at our surroundings and the sumptuous breakfast spread. “Beautiful, huh?”

Mina shot him a dubious look but went on braiding.

It had taken every ounce of resolve I had to leave her in the shower a short time earlier, and now… My cock ached as I soaked in the sight of her. Five foot nine inches of sass, intellect, and determination. Five foot nine inches that had been wrapped around me, moaning in ecstasy, not too long ago. Not to mention when she’d gone down on me and—

Mina’s cheeks flushed, and her gaze bounced off mine.

We’d both sworn to focus on business once we stepped outside the cottage, but apparently, her mind was just as stuck back there as mine.

“Sugar with your coffee?” Bene asked Mina.

I nearly huffed. She drank her coffee black. Hadn’t he noticed?

“No, thanks. I prefer it black,” she said at exactly the same moment.

So, there. I strode over and shouldered between them, loading my plate.

Bene moved aside, chuckling.All yours, man. All yours.Then he took his plate over to sit beside Roux and announced,“So, we’re all here. Well, everyone except a certain blood-sucking—” Footsteps sounded, and Bene looked up. “Speak of the devil.”

Literally, I thought as Henrik appeared at the edge of the patio.

“Good morning,” the vampire said in a tone that was merely icy, rather than his usual glacial,Fuck with me and I’ll kill you/Don’t fuck with me and I still might kill youundertone.

“Now don’t you look positively ruddy,” Roux observed dryly.

Mina stopped midway through filling her plate, then scraped the Spanish omelet back into the platter. I couldn’t blame her for losing her appetite.

I glanced at the upstairs window, hoping Henrik hadn’t completely drained poor Delphine. But vampires only looked that flushed after a heavy feeding, so the chances were fifty-fifty.