Gavin looked across the kitchen table at Diana. She smiled at him as she ate breakfast in the bright yellow kitchen. A good meal and time holding her last night had helped soothe the jangled nerves. The tense emotions from last night had faded, but knowing she was going to be leaving to work in a separate building in another part of the city had his tension rising again.
She’d kept the conversation on light subjects after they’d made it out of the shower. As normal as all of the routine was, he couldn’t keep his mind away from the fact that she was at risk. They’d use her to get to him. That was even more of a possibility if she was in a separate location. Even with the people meant to guard her, they could get a chance at her.
“Is something wrong, Gavin?” Her head tilted and she frowned a little. Her fork hovered over the wedge of pancakes on her plate. Overall, she looked concerned and a little confused.
“Just worrying. If they can’t get to me, they’ll go after you to try to draw me out. I think Ally knows that I’d be protective of any woman who was dragged into a situation like this.” Gavin looked at her intently.
She blinked and he saw consideration enter her eyes. “We knew that they might try to come after me to get to you. I was there. Considering that most groups of weres are known for their protectiveness to any female, I’m pretty sure they know that you’d try to keep me safe even if you were hurt in the process. And if they actually did watch you, then they know we were dating.”
“More than dating.” He scowled at her choice of words. He could see the doubt in her eyes. That considering, uncertain look peeked out every time they spoke about the mating or the future. He’d known she wasn’t completely convinced that she was his mate. It wasn’t something he could change right now. Not without starting the transformation in her. He didn’t want to make that choice for her. He intended to let her make that decision.
“They’ll only see it as dating. Because when people think of a werewolf getting serious, they don’t think courting or dates that lead to something more. Weres claim and everything else comes afterward.” She met his eyes and then looked down at her plate.
“I’ve already told you that I wanted to give you the romance that you deserved.” He struggled to hold back a growl. Her persistence in pointing out the reputation werewolves had for claiming a mate immediately began to grate.
She leveled a look at him and he clearly saw disbelief and anger there. “Maybe, but that’s not the issue here. It’s what the people after you will think and might do because of it. They have no reason to think that I’m your mate. Not unless you start shouting it.”
Gavin growled. He couldn’t hold back the angry sound. Stubborn woman. He locked his muscles against the urge to get up, pluck her out of the chair and take her back to bed to convince her. He had told her and tried to show her that there was more between them, but all she saw was that it hadn’t happened the way she expected a shifter mating to happen.
He knew of at least three women who’d be thrilled to get the time he’d given her. The woman was as contrary as a cat. She felt something strong and deep for him. It was in her every reaction to him. She was pulled to him, but she kept resisting because his claiming didn’t fit her preconceived idea of how it should be.
“I don’t fucking care what they think. Right now, I’m not even concerned about their beliefs anymore.” His fist clenched on the table. “When are you going to start believing me?”
Her denials grated and irritated his already shortened temper. He wanted to claim her and show her that there was no doubt about who she was to him. A little voice at the back of his mind kept shouting that once he claimed her and started the change in her, she wouldn’t have any more questions of what she meant to him. It only made the urge even greater.
She looked at him levelly for a moment and shrugged. Her teeth tugged at her lip for a moment. “I don’t know. How am I not supposed to have any questions when nothing about our relationship went as it normally would? Hell, I thought you were just dating me and was bracing myself for the time when you eventually moved on to someone else. I wanted more, but there was no reason for me to think it would be anything except some dates before you moved on to search for your mate.”
He could see the uncertainty in her eyes and body language. He understood why she might have some problems believing at first, but she’d had time to see how he reacted to her in this situation. It was hard enough not to claim her and do everything he could to make sure they couldn’t hurt her.
“Have I lied to you before? Do you think I’d be callous enough to hurt you like that? Even if it protected you now, once this situation is finished, you’d be hurt if I suddenly backed away and decided you weren’t my mate. Don’t you think I have enough sense to realize that? If I just wanted to keep you safe because you were a woman I felt protective of because of the situation, I would have said it straight out.” He narrowed his eyes at her.
“You haven’t lied, but you’re caring and smart. It’s one of the simplest ways to keep me where you’re sure I’ll be safe. On top of that, you didn’t have time to think about things that much.” She shrugged and her lips twisted into a grimace.
He growled and pushed to his feet just as he heard a footstep behind him. He whirled, a snarl curling his lips. He wanted this finished and whoever was in the house was likely to leave headfirst. They’d be lucky if he opened the door before he tossed them out. Max strolled into the room, smiling.
“Hi, Gavin, you’re in a chipper mood. Evan’s waiting at the office to see you and your woman, so if you’re finished with breakfast, we need to leave.” Max grabbed a piece of toast off the table and bit into it.
Diana stood and slid a wary glance at Gavin. “I’m finished. I just need to get my purse and shoes. Does Steven know I’ll be there? If I don’t show up, he’s likely to send someone out looking for us.”
“Yes, he’s been informed.” Max nodded.
Gavin watched her leave the room, torn between the urge to go after her and to pound on Max a little for interrupting them. Part of him insisted that Evan would understand if they were late. He was mated too. The rational part of his mind knew that while Evan would understand the desire, he wouldn’t appreciate the delay.
“Pushing her and repeatedly insisting she’s your mate isn’t going to solve things, Gavin. Fear isn’t logical and she’s afraid of the rejection she saw coming even the first time she went out with you.”
“How long were you listening?” Gavin growled, taking a threatening step toward the other man.
“I did a sweep around the outside of the house before I came inside to check for any sign that someone had been here last night, although nothing was spotted. I heard that part from the window over the kitchen sink. One of them is open a little. I wasn’t eavesdropping.” Max held up his hands and nodded to the curtained window over the sink. It had two panels and one of them was slightly open.
“Now you’re an expert on women?” Gavin frowned, still in a bad mood.
“No, I just have a sister. They can be stubborn and sometimes hold onto an idea despite solid proof. Either stick to your plan or fully claim her. If you’re going to give her time, give it to her. Maybe she’ll come to the right conclusions. If not, you can go back to standard werewolf practice.” Max grinned.
Gavin flipped him off as he left to grab his wallet and slip into his shoulder holster. He was just straightening his gray suit jacket as Diana walked back into the room in her heels. She looked very professional in a gray skirt with a silky pink top. Her purse hung from her shoulder and she looked a little somber and tense.
He hated that their argument was probably the cause of some of it. He didn’t know what he was going to do. Something had to give. Arguing about it was only going to force the issue if the situation with the woman trying to kill him didn’t. As much as her doubt irritated him and the wolf, he knew that he should keep with the plan.
The lack of trust did irritate him, but he wanted her to realize that her feelings for him went beyond simple attraction. Although he did admit that gaining her trust would give him immense satisfaction. Regardless of if he was a werewolf or a normal human, she’d be the woman for him.
She needed time to realize that, especially with the stress from the attacks and the possibility of more danger looming. His intentions were good. The only question was how long he was going to be able to hold onto those good intentions.
He walked over and put his arm around Diana. She stiffened a little and glanced up at him through the corner of her eye. Maybe she expected him to keep arguing the issue. He didn’t know what she saw, but she relaxed against him and her arm slipped around him. Her fingers curled over his hip and she squeezed just a little. She opened her mouth, but he put a finger on her lips to stop whatever she was going to say.
“We have time, Diana. You’ll be sure. All of those questions you have will be answered. Hopefully before either of us does something drastic.” His smile was a little rueful. That last bit was more aimed at himself. He’d been close this morning to doing something extreme. His fingers slid over her lips and then cupped her cheek.
A little of the tension eased from her shoulders and she smiled at him. “How are we going to find those answers, Gavin? It seems impossible.”
He loved the “we”, but didn’t say anything about her phrasing. “Time, baby, and we’re going to learn more about each other. I think the answers will come to you if we can be patient and keep our tempers under control.”
“Hustle up, everyone. Evan already knows you’re coming, you don’t want to be any later than you already are.” Max moved up behind them and then went around them.
Gavin seriously wanted to slam the man’s head into the wall a couple of times. Max kept interrupting them and Gavin could certainly use the exercise and stress relief of a fight. This interruption irritated him even more than the first had. Diana had been relaxed and smiling and now her muscles tightened again with tension. He knew she was thinking of the people after him and what they’d already tried.
“Tonight, we’ll talk again.” Gavin gave her a quick kiss. He didn’t want to go anywhere, but Evan might have some important news. Hell, maybe the woman had been caught or they at least knew her real name.
* * * * *
Diana slid a glance over at Gavin. This wasn’t what she’d expected when she’d been told that they’d be meeting with Evan. She’d thought they’d talk and then she’d go to work. So not what happened. There hadn’t been much talking or explanation.
She’d been informed that she’d be working here so that the people wouldn’t be able to take her to use against Gavin. They might try that tactic, but she hadn’t expected the situation to be dealt with like this. They’d taken a shot at him only yesterday. Now if they managed to get Gavin, they could very well get to her too. They still had too many options to draw him out another way.
Still, she couldn’t say she minded staying close to him. Steven sent her work to her. She ran through video on one of the monitors on the six-person, U-shaped station. Gavin scrolled through what looked like random office scenes at the right end of the station and two other people diligently watched the screen in front of them. The array of equipment in the cream-colored room surprised her. It was just as good as what she used at the Protectorate.
This didn’t seem to be Gavin’s normal duties. He’d restlessly gotten up to pace at least four times and it wasn’t lunchtime yet. Every time he did, he distracted her. He didn’t stop or talk. When he paced, he always managed to come over to her. His hands trailed through her hair or over her shoulders. Not to mention he was gorgeous and she couldn’t resist watching him.
The first time, he’d startled the hell out of her. She’d been focused on the images in front of her. These had nothing to do with the Gavin or the people after him, which irritated her, but she’d known that she wouldn’t be able to work on that too long, since she was involved. She’d managed to block out the other people in the room and concentrate solely on the scenes and the people in them. When his hand brushed across her shoulder, she jumped and nearly fell out of her chair.
The way he seemed to gravitate to her intrigued her. The room wasn’t that small. He should be able to pace and not touch her. They could leave the room and walk around the building as long as they didn’t go outside. The hallway offered more room to stretch his legs if he was that restless.
She wasn’t sure what it meant, but it did make her think and watch. The more she did that, the higher her hopes rose. Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe she was his mate, like he claimed. That still didn’t explain why he was able to go so slowly about the claiming, if it was true.
She felt a prickling on the back of her neck. Stopping what she was doing, she turned her head and found Gavin leaning against the wall staring at her. She smiled and shook her head at him. Up again. She looked down at her watch. It was only eleven thirty. He didn’t seem inclined to go sit back down again.
“Something wrong?” She tilted her head and swiveled the chair to face him.
He glanced down and a broad smile curved his lips as he saw her bare feet. “Are you ready for lunch?”
“Our lunch won’t be here until twelve. I’m not going with you to find a closet or something. There are almost as many surveillance cameras here as there are at the Protectorate.” She shook her head firmly. She wasn’t providing endless amusement to his coworkers or becoming an instant web hit if they chose the wrong place.
The woman working at the station next to her laughed. “That’s what happens when your mate works in the security field, Gavin.”
Diana raised a brow. She hadn’t been introduced as Gavin’s mate. She idly wondered how the woman knew. Maybe Evan had said something about Gavin’s mate working here while they were still in danger. That made sense more than her first suspicion, which was that Gavin had told them. She didn’t know why the idea had popped into her head, but she couldn’t completely put it out of her mind, even though logic dictated it had probably been revealed only today to most of the people here.
“I helped install those cameras. We wouldn’t get caught.” His lips curved into a wicked smile and he winked at her.
“Try that on someone who hasn’t heard moans and screams coming from a closet. Listen up, impatient. Not going to be an office joke. Go take a walk along the halls or find someone else to bother. I have work to do, even if you can’t get yours done.” She shook her head and swiveled back to the monitors.
The woman at the other bank of monitors sounded like she was choking for a minute before full laughter erupted. The man managed to control everything but a big smile. She heard Gavin sigh and then footsteps as he walked over to her. He spun her chair around and stepped forward until their knees brushed.
“I see I’m going to have to teach you about spontaneity.” He dropped a kiss on her head.
“I can do spontaneous, Gavin.” She laughed, not at all concerned or guilty. “I just don’t do office entertainment. You think of something kinky that doesn’t involve six people greeting us outside the closet door, maybe holding improvised scorecards, and I’m in.”
“I’m going to take a walk, see if there’s anything I can help with.” His arms came around her and he squeezed briefly. Before she could think about hugging him back, he walked away.
“You’re good for him,” the woman said as the door closed behind Gavin.
Diana spun around and stopped the video. She’d find where she’d left off. Glancing over at the woman, Diana was a little surprised. She’d always thought of it the other way around. He made her a better person in so many ways. Lighter, more open, more ready to try anything, she loved how she felt around him.
“I’d hoped, but from what I can tell, he’s just a great person.” Diana smiled and slanted a look over at the woman.
“Oh, he’s a great person and has always had a sense of humor, but you’ve brought something special to him. I want to say focus, but that’s not it exactly. He was already focused. You’ve given him something he didn’t have before.” The other woman tilted her head and looked a little thoughtful. “He’s been that way since he first began telling us about you.”
Telling them about her? Diana frowned. She opened her mouth and then closed it. No, she wouldn’t ask how long they’d known about her. If she was going to ask that question, she’d ask it of Gavin. It really looked like it was something she was going to have to mention. She wondered if her original suspicions had been wrong. Normally, a werewolf claimed his mate immediately, but a courtship was possible. She hadn’t ever heard it before, but that didn’t mean it was impossible.