They walked down a short hallway. A door to the right opened into a large kitchen and beyond that a living room and den area. Curious about her new surroundings, she swept her eyes around the room as they moved over to the couches and chairs set in a semicircle around an entertainment center. Stairs led up to the second floor and another hallway led off the living room, probably to a bedroom or bathroom. Better to leave the questions about him being her mate to the last. That one was going to draw a reaction.
“Okay, we do need to talk.” She took a seat on the couch. She sank into the plush cushions and the soft fabric seemed to wrap around her. Exhaustion pulled at her. She fought the urge to put her head back and close her eyes.
“I know you have questions. You’ve been thinking some heavy thoughts on the drive here.” He settled onto the cushion next to her. His hand brushed against the side of her cheek. “I know you’re tired. We can do this later.”
“I want to talk. Let’s get the minor ones out of the way first. Why here?” She raised a brow. She turned and curled a leg under her as she faced him.
“You mean why here instead of in the city with the authorities close by?” He tilted his head as he braced his arm on the back of the couch. His fingers played with her hair.
She nodded. “Yes, why risk being followed all the way out here.”
“Control. We have more of it here than we do in the city. Here, if someone tries to get close to watch or try to attack, we’ll be able to spot that. In the city, they can mingle and blend in with other people. Here, well, we’d notice strangers or even a strange car.” Gavin smiled and he sounded completely sure of what he was saying.
“All right, I’m not sure I really want to know this, but how are they going to know what size to get me for shoes, clothes, underwear? I assume they’re not going to my apartment.” She tilted her head. She really didn’t want to have to send them back after a larger size. That was an embarrassment she could live without.
“Don’t worry about that. They’ll get the right size. I told them what to get.” He took her hand and squeezed it.
“How do you know my size? You haven’t bought me any clothes.” She frowned. They’d always spent the night at his house and he’d hardly been in her apartment at all.
“Part of my job is observation. Don’t you think I’m good at what I do?” He winked at her. “I know your body.”
She bit her lip to keep from grinning. A blush rushed over her cheeks and neck. He did know her body intimately. The reminder immediately brought memories of his hands teasing and that delicious roll of his hips as he drove into her pussy. Shivering, she licked her lips and forced her mind away from those heated images. She let the subject drop, but if he was wrong, she’d definitely tease him about his miscalculation.
“I know you have a few more questions.” He raised a brow, although a smile curved his lips.
From that expression, he knew at least something of what she’d been thinking. Immediately, she felt like smacking her forehead with her palm in the classic “duh” gesture. Of course, he knew. Freaking werewolf sense of smell. Another blush rose up her neck and cheeks.
“What about your wounds? Won’t you need pain medicine, fresh bandages or treatment of some kind?” Although she had to admit that he didn’t seem to be in any pain or hampered at all. Not at the Protectorate and definitely not now. He practically smoldered with leashed hunger. Those green eyes glowed and drifted down her body periodically before returning to her face. If she didn’t know there was a bandage underneath his shirt, the way he acted certainly wouldn’t give her any kind of clue.
“They’re bringing bandages, just in case, and some pain meds for the possibility that I smack my arm into something, but weres heal fast. I know you want to know more than if they’ll be bringing supplies.” His gaze swept from her face and down her body in a leisurely journey as if to remind her that he’d much rather be doing something else.
She swallowed heavily as all thought of teasing fled. “Yeah. Were you just saying that you were my mate to keep me with you? It wasn’t necessary if you did. I’d stay with you regardless, Gavin.”
His smile turned into a fierce scowl and his voice came out in a rough growl. “I didn’t lie about being your mate. That’s a word a shifter doesn’t throw around lightly.”
His hand fell from the back of the couch, and before she even realized what he intended, he hauled her into his lap. She stiffened and put her hands on his chest more out of surprise than any desire to slip out of his hold.
“What do you expect me to think, Gavin? Hell, even what you just said gives me reason to doubt. Shifters don’t play around with that word. If I was your mate, why didn’t you say something before? Everything I’ve heard about a werewolf meeting his mate tells me that you would have said something immediately about it or at least been way more intense.” She shook her head, but didn’t try to scoot off his lap. She wanted to get much closer. Any time they touched, the attraction exploded. The urge to straddle him and slowly peel away his clothes pounded through her.
“Normal shifters, maybe, but I’m not your average man. I have more patience than that. I wanted to give you some of what you’d expect from any other man. The dates, the romance and the time to get to know me. You didn’t want that?” He tilted his head.
She saw the confusion and maybe a little uncertainty in his eyes. She hadn’t expected that. “I loved that, but the sudden claim of me being your mate has confused me a little. I know you’re aware of the shifter reputation for practically dragging women into their lives. I thought dates were all there was between us other than really intense attraction and very hot sex.”
“That reputation for claiming women regardless of if they even know our names was what I was trying to fight against a little.” He shrugged and his lips twisted in a wry half-smile. “Don’t think that it was easy for me to walk away from you every night. I knew you were my mate. There was part of me that wanted to make sure you and everyone else knew about it.”
“Why did it take you so long to come after me if I was that important to you?” She licked her lips.
“I was in the building with you for a lot of the time. That helped settle some of the uneasiness I felt. I knew I could get to you if you were in trouble. We were looking at the information the Protectorate has on the splinter group and the way they operate. Trying to find patterns to get to them, if not identify them before they attack. Unfortunately we’re going to need more information for that.” Evan drew his fingers up and down her back.
Her fingers brushed against his cheek in a slow caress. His words touched her, but part of her still held back, waiting for the other shoe to drop. She probably wouldn’t fully believe until this was finished. If he still called her mate then, she’d know it wasn’t a lie. The sudden revelation felt too good to be true. “I wanted there to be more between us, but knew that you wouldn’t settle for anything less than your mate.”
“I wasn’t settling for anyone other than you.” His fingers trailed over her cheek in a slow echo of her movements. “You’re still not sure, though. I can see and smell your uncertainty.”
“It’s going to take some time, Gavin. Almost since our first date, I’ve thought I was going to have to say goodbye to you at some point. On top of that, it was a hell of a night.” She licked her lips.
Both of his hands framed her face and his lips came down on hers in a fierce kiss. “I wasn’t ever letting you get away. How about we get some sleep? I know there are sheets and blankets here. You’re right. It has been a long night and it will be a few hours before they show up with the clothes and other necessities.”
“That sounds good. We can finally sleep together without one of us having to get up and leave early to go to work.” She smiled and ran her hand over his chest. As much as her lustful thoughts might urge her to grab him, she was too tired right now.