Page 22

A weight pinning my legs roused me out of my sleep. I blinked awake in the dim room and spotted Lucian draped over my lower half.

Purring.

From what I knew about Chitahs, they did that when comforting a loved one, so I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

After sex last night, we had skillfully maneuvered his T-shirt between our arms to ensure it stayed dry while we showered.

Then we changed the sheets, which was a hilarious challenge because of the cuffs.

Lucian’s dry humor made me laugh, and what could have been a nightmarish situation—being shackled to someone I barely knew—turned out to be an enjoyable experience.

In the middle of the night, I awoke to him caressing my thigh. Still in that dreamlike state, I pulled my panties down and climbed on top of him. The sexual energy between us was explosive from the start. I thought having sex would dampen those feelings, but all it did was intensify them.

In the morning light, Lucian rolled over with his hair sticking out in every direction and squinted up at me. “What time is it?”

“Time to get up, sleepyhead.”

He rubbed his eyes. “Do you want to check on your father?”

“I’d rather you live to see your next birthday. He might be old, but if you came tiptoeing down there with me at this hour, he might knock you out with an oxygen tank.”

“You’re an adult.”

I laughed softly. “And he’ll always be my father. That never changes. Can you scoot up? The chain is pulling my cuff.”

Lucian prowled across the bed with a wicked grin on his face. “Do you always wear that to bed?”

I took off my satin bonnet and set it on the table. “It protects my hair and keeps it nice.”

Lucian had worn his T-shirt and underwear to sleep, while I had on a nightie—one I could step into.

I couldn’t put the strap over my left arm, but it stayed on just fine.

After everything we’d been through, sleeping with my bonnet was the least of my concerns.

We weren’t in a relationship, so I didn’t have to worry about what he might think.

When he kissed my neck, my pulse jumped.

“I need caffeine,” he grumbled. “Tell me you have coffee.”

“I need to pee.”

He looked over his shoulder at the bedroom. “Sorry about your shelf.”

“I’m deducting that from your payment.”

“No problem.”

I sat up. “I’m joking. It was a cheap piece of furniture.”

“Obviously, or it wouldn’t have snapped like a twig.”

After the embarrassing process of using the bathroom, I located my black sundress and stepped into it.

I’d bought it years ago for an outdoor formal event.

Lucian adjusted the back and told me I looked pretty, which was what every girl wanted to hear first thing in the morning before putting on makeup or styling her hair.

Because of his heightened sense of smell and our inability to separate, I skipped putting on perfume and scented lotions.

Instead of going downstairs, I called my father to make sure he had changed his oxygen tank. This wouldn’t be the first time I’d gone to work without talking to him. He liked his independence, so sometimes I would call him from work so we could catch up.

When I told him I had to go in early and I’d check in on him later, he seemed okay with it.

I wasn’t.

Lucian raised a steaming cup of coffee to his lips, looking handsome with his damp hair and fresh morning face.

“I know you probably don’t want to talk about last night,” I began, “but was there something I did wrong?”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re a Chitah. You have different rituals in the bedroom, and maybe I wasn’t doing all the things you’re used to that… well, that help you finish.”

There was no easy way to broach the topic, so I put it out there.

He set the mug down and stared at me for a beat. “If that ever happens again, bite my neck.”

My eyebrows popped up.

He rubbed his whiskery jaw. “It, um… helps us finish. It’s a Chitah thing.”

I smiled and stepped into his arms. “Ah. So that’s the secret sauce.”

“Don’t bite hard enough to draw blood, and it only works on the neck.”

“Why is that? You’re not a Vampire.”

“It’s like our body needs permission. But you’re also too fucking pretty, and staring up at me after you finished put me on the spot. It was like having an audience.”

“Yes, but this audience is cheering you on. Do you mind if I ask about the scars on your stomach? I thought Chitahs healed.”

He ran his hand across his flat belly. “Gunshot wounds from a bunch of assholes who jumped us. Salem thinks it hit an artery or something and that’s why I lost too much blood. It slowed the healing, and Mel stitched me up.”

I drew the slack on the chain and played with it while thinking about the past. “Is this related to that Shifter who was after Robyn not long ago?”

“Yeah.”

“I like that you’re honest with me, especially about all the bedroom stuff. That’s rare, but I appreciate it. The only way we can understand each other is talking it out.” I stepped back and finished my juice. “I need to call Connor.”

Though I was famished, we grazed on fruit. I was afraid cooking bacon might carry the aroma down the elevator shaft and signal to my father I was still home. He had plenty of food and drinks down there.

Lucian and I sat on the living room couch, and while I scrolled through messages, he picked up the remote and turned on the television.

“How long do you think it’ll take to secure the house enough that my dad can come up again?”

He scooted down in his seat and pursed his lips. After a beat, he replied, “I can secure the house in three weeks.”

Relief washed over me to have a date in mind. I wanted us to have our lives back again.

“That’s contingent on how soon I can get the materials to reinforce the windows,” Lucian continued.

“It’ll take longer to install security cameras around the property and inside the house since I have to wire you up and secure the feed.

I buy them from a guy who builds the equipment himself.

If you want the option that requires a new roof and escape route, it’ll be at least a month before he can move up here. ”

“If you can install motion alarms around the outer perimeter of my property before everything else, that’ll be good enough for me to move him out of the basement. Everything else can take its time.”

“What’ll you do if you get an alert while you’re at work?”

I smiled while swiping my phone screen. “My tiger loves a good hunt. Can you mute the TV? Connor sent me a text to call him.”

When Lucian hit Mute, I noticed he had stopped on cartoons.

“Hi, Connor. How’s everything?”

“Grand,” he replied in his pleasant Irish accent. “And how’s your da?”

“Good. Thanks for asking. I want to knock this trip out of the way as quickly as possible. This is one of the few days on my calendar I actually have open. I’ve also got personal things going on at the house.”

“Anything serious?”

“Just working on home security.”

“Aye. Need to be doing that meself. You haven’t had any trouble out there, have you?”

“Just a small fire. The usual petty nonsense. Anyhow, I called because I need the key to those cuffs—the ones Peter calls Satan’s Wedding Ring. I also need the itemized list so I can match it up with everything we hand over.”

“Them and their fecking lists. Aye. That one’s in the bottom desk drawer of me office.”

Connor always used me instead of my , which drove Hiroki nuts. Having Irish and Japanese partners was always entertaining with their cultural clashes.

“And the keys?” I pressed.

“Don’t be telling no one about this. I put the keys in the arse of me gnome.”

“Your what?” I jabbed Lucian in the ribs when he barked out a laugh at the cartoon.

“You got a fella with you?” Connor asked.

“My dad. I was on my way to the office but wanted to touch base so I can get this done. The earlier I can leave, the sooner I can get back and finish up work at a decent hour. You said it’s in your gnome?”

“The garden gnome on me office shelf.”

“The biker.”

“The very one. If you turn him over, there’s a cork in his arse. The keys are inside. Be sure you lock everything in that portable trunk, and keep it covered in the boot.”

“What’s a boot?”

“That’s the word we use for a car trunk. Fine, have it your way. Put the trunk in your trunk. You see how corny that sounds?” He laughed. “Drive the speed limit, and call Hiroki if you run into trouble. I don’t want to take another chance with a racist arsehole.”

Once, during a drive to San Antonio, a state trooper pulled me over for driving a few miles over the speed limit.

He ordered me to get out of the vehicle, and when I asked why, he lost his mind and started shouting.

While I was well-versed in human laws and knew he had no probable cause, refusing him would only escalate the situation.

Luckily, I’d called Connor the moment the cop’s lights flashed in my mirrors, and within minutes, a Vampire was on the scene.

Since our Vampire insider was also local police, he could approach the trooper without issue.

I was on a deadline and left the scene. After that, I was cautious about watching my speed and following traffic laws.

I couldn’t be careless going forward—not with all the contraband we transported.

“If those weapons fall into the hands of the coppers, we’re all in trouble,” he tacked on.

“I know the protocol. I’m gonna give my car a thorough inspection to make sure all the lights are working and stickers are valid; I’m not giving them any reason to pull me over.”

“Coppers always come up with reasons. You know that.”

“What time should I tell Peter you’ll be at the jail?”

“Afraid I won’t be back until later. I’ll keep me phone on if you run into trouble.”

“All right. Thanks, Connor. I’ll see you later.”

I breathed a sigh of relief that Connor hadn’t lost the keys.

“Are you sure it’s safe for you to go alone?” Lucian asked.