“Minister, I’ve had a very long, rough two days. I’m exhausted. Would you mind if I got back in the bed for the interrogation?”
He smoothed his hand down his expensive necktie. “With your training, you should be strong enough to suck it up and endure whatever I’m about to throw at you.”
Bastard. There was a time she’d rise to his bait. But truthfully, she doubted he could endure what she had the last few days—mentally or physically. She hiked her chin in defiance and kept her eyes locked on his as she stood and sat on the edge of her bed. After kicking off her slippers, she slid her legs under the blanket and tucked the covers under her armpits. Just to irritate him some more, she closed her eyes. “All right, Minister Laroche, I’m ready for your interrogation to begin. I promise to be truthful, just understand my energy levels are low.”
A bear’s low growling, ominous and menacing, rumbled from Ronan’s throat. Magnus wanted out. Chasen Laroche spun around, searched for the sound, and shrugged his shoulders as if it were nothing. The high and mighty Minister of Defense had no idea what danger he was in. He better watch his French ass. Her Scottish man would shift and destroy him, which would only lead to more trouble.
For centuries, these shifters had succeeded in keeping their existence a secret. She could not ruin the lives of so many, just to save her own behind.
“How much do you know and where would you like to start, sir.” She opened her eyes and stared directly into his gray gaze fastened on her.
The room fairly vibrated with Ronan’s anger. “Kendric, ye went behind our backs and called in her boss? Ye put her in danger without a word of warning?”
“I’m a law enforcement officer. There was a warrant out fer her arrest. I have laws by which I must abide. Although the Minister was surprised she’d applied for asylum and was under the international protection that affords.” He pushed over a chair for the Minister and plopped his own behind in her wheelchair.
Ronan stood and got into his big bed with what appeared to be little difficulty. He slipped something under his pillow before he turned to scowl at Kendric. “Is yer laird aware of this?”
Kendric ran a palm down his face and shook his head. “Yer brother will nay doubt beat me senseless. But me job carries certain duties here in Scotland and internationally. I was under obligation to share what I knew with the Minister of Defense. The Minister and I have gone over the intel Anisa freely gave me.”
Minister Laroche opened a folder full of printouts of what she’d discovered. Page by page he went over every word of information with her. After a couple of hours, her head hurt so badly, she could barely think straight. “Minister, my head is pounding. I can scarcely hear your questions much less think clearly enough to answer them. May I ring the nurse for some medicine? Otherwise, my answers might be nothing more than mumble-jumble and not the truth you require.”
To her surprise, he snapped the file closed and stood. “I’ll return at nine sharp tomorrow morning. We will continue then, even if it takes us all day. Thank you for your openness thus far.” He gave a curt nod. “Good night.” He marched out with straight, military precision.
Kendric turned to Ronan. “I ken ye dinna understand why I had to do things this way.”
“Get the fook out! Ye put yer career ahead of the sleuth’s mandate and our friendship.”
She couldn’t allow the mess she’d gotten herself in to ruin a lifelong friendship between cousins. “Ronan, man that I love, what Kendric did was the honorable thing. We don’t have to like it right this minute, but what he did was right. His job carries a huge burden of responsibility. I’m betting he took a sworn oath when he got his job. A man can’t go against that, not with Scottish blood running through his veins. He belongs to the law system, just as I belong to the French government.”
Ronan glared at Kendric. “I dinna want to lose her. I’ve waited all me life fer this woman. Dinna expect me to accept yer putting me beloved at risk.”
“What I’m trying to do is clear her name so she can go home to Paris to see her family if she wants or if one of her family members becomes ill. Some things we’ve got to do in steps. Aye, her asylum, if approved, will keep her safe within our borders, especially after ye’ve wed. But wouldna ye want yer name cleared if ye’d worked as hard as she has to earn her rank? Wouldna ye want to come home to see yer mum if she became deathly ill…or one of yer brothers?”
Ronan’s hand extended in a stop gesture. “Dinna give me yer excuses right now. Thanks to yer righteous devotion to yer job, the French government, the CIA, the good and the bad of ICAT, and the Russians know where she’s at. Every dirty, fookin’ rat will be heading toward Mathe Bay fer her!” He pointed to Anisa.
“Sweetheart, I put myself in danger the moment I copied those files from CIA computers. I ruined my military career when I stole that drone. The things I’ve done on one hand were to clear my name and, on the other, were illegal. Even though I’d planned all along to turn every bit of the intel over to a law enforcement agency. One I trusted. Blame me, not your cousin.” She wiped tears from her cheeks.
“Thank ye, Anisa. Maybe after he’s had a few days to think about what all me job entails, his attitude will change.” Kendric spun and opened the door to leave.
“Not if me woman is taken from me, ye knife-in-the-back friend.”
Anisa’s heart pounded in her ears and her breathing was rapid. She was going to have to pay for what she’d done to ICAT and the French Intelligence Agency. The fact that the Minister of Defense came to Scotland to talk to her was a bad sign. One that carried a death knell with it, for it was not lost on her that neither his greeting nor his farewell included mention of her rank. He’d insist she’d return to France for a military trial and court-martial. She’d be put in jail for the rest of her life—or shot, as a traitor.
Had her decisions been rash? Once she’d realized her home was bugged with listening devices and cameras and read reports that pointed to her as the mole in the International Coalition Against Terrorism, she’d known she had to take the offensive. But was running the offensive or the defensive? Had she handled this mess completely wrong?
“Ronan?”
“Aye, luv.”
She crawled out of her bed and into his where he wrapped his arms around her. “Do you think I handled the entire situation in an erroneous way? Put yourself in my place. After gathering the intel to prove your innocence, would you have marched into the prime minister’s office with it or head for another country the way I did?”
He was all scowls over what Kendric had done, yet his touch to her cheek was gentle. “Ye’re doubting yerself. Things happen fer a reason.”
“Like my dropping from the sky and landing on a bear?”
The corners of his mouth twitched as if he were fighting a smile. “Dinna make me laugh at the memory. I’m fookin’ pissed right now. Bloody hell, I never expected me own cousin to betray us the way he did. The Minister is going to take ye back to France, and I willna be able to stop him.” He rolled on his side and pulled her so close she could barely breathe. “I canna endure the thought of it. Ye are me future. And imagine the weeping and wailing going on inside me right now. Brother Bear is having a breakdown.”
“Is he asking for food?” She batted her eyes.
“Dinna be a smart-arse about this. I’m warning ye, Anisa. Ye are our reason fer living.” He burrowed his face in the crook of her neck and bit her, as if he were unable to contain the wildness and anger within.
Their door opened. “How are me two favorite…och dear…”
Ronan’s head rose and he glared over his shoulder. “Davina, get out. We’re having a deep discussion that’s about to get deeper.”
Her eyes sparkled when she smiled. “Och, I do love those kinds of talks. I’ll be back in a couple hours. Ronan, dinna overdo.”
His erection was all but engraving its imprint on Anisa’s abdomen.
“Davina, bloody hell!” His blond eyebrows furrowed.
The door closed.
“Ronan, you can’t possibly be thinking about having sex. You’ve been shot and just had surgery.”
“Woman, dinna utter another word except ‘aye.’ Shifters heal faster. We get horny quicker and we love harder.” He reached behind her under the pillow and pulled out a black velvet box. “ ’Tis a custom in our family to give rings worn by women loved, cherished, and protected in earlier times by Matheson men. Mum brought a few today for me to choose from. This was worn by me da’s mum.”
He flipped open the lid to reveal an Art Deco filigree diamond set in white gold. The diamond she judged to be over two karats was framed with four round diamonds with detailed engraving on the top and sides of the band. “Anisa, luv, will ye marry me? Will ye give me the right to cherish and protect ye forever, nay matter what happens over this drone business?”
“Oh, Ronan, it’s an absolutely beautiful antique ring. It almost takes my breath away.” She knew what it meant for him to give her something that had come from his dad’s mother. “But what if I have to go to jail? They’ll take it from me.”
“I willna allow ye to be put behind bars. Ye are mine and Brother Bear’s. Ye belong to us. Now will ye marry me? All ye need to say is ‘aye.’ ”
She held out her hand. “Aye, man that I love. I will marry you, if I’m able.” And she prayed to God she would have that chance. He kissed the diamond before he slipped it on her finger. “It looks fabulous on my hand.” She ran her hands over his bald head, bringing it down to meet her lips. “I love you more than my career in the service and I didn’t think I’d ever say that to anyone.” Now, if only she’d have a chance to prove it.
A spark of devilment, or was it the beginning of desire’s fire, gleamed from Ronan’s eyes as he reached under her to untie her hospital gown. “At the cabin, we mated. Just now, we pledged. Now, we are about to create our future.” He slipped the gown from her arms, careful of her shoulder bandage.
“I ken ye are scared, but I willna live without ye. This, I promise, me Beauty, fer I am yer beast—ferever.” His lips covered hers, gently at first and then more commanding. He bit her lower lip and then sucked it, sweeping his tongue under it and into her mouth, touching and sweeping across every area as if trying to memorize the taste and texture of her. His hands searched for hers and their fingers entwined as he placed them on either side of her head.
“Sweet mountain air that rolls across the Highlands, but I love ye. Me heart beats stronger when I’m near ye.” As if something snapped within him, he kissed her face, bit her jawline, and worked his way down to her breasts with quick kisses and sucking on her skin.
His dominant loving drew her into a vortex of passion and need. Every problem, every fear, every worrisome scenario left her mind. All that remained was Ronan—only him and the extent of her love for this complex man.
He lapped her areola with his tongue until her nipples rose in needy peaks. He sucked on one and she scratched his back and he chuckled. “Ye have a bit of tiger in ye. I like it.” He moved to her other nipple and her groin rose to meet his and rub against his erection. “Aye. What bloody sweet friction ye make. Ye drive me mad with need.”
She pulled her hand from his to yank up his gown. Her hand encircled his cock, her thumb moistened with the drop of moisture found at its end, and she spread it around his head. He groaned, “Beloved.” She pumped his erection a few times. “I canna hold back much longer.”
“Don’t. Give me as much as your wounded body can handle. I’ll take it all.” She pressed the head of his erection against her opening and he plunged in. This man was her home. Both groaned as he moved slowly and then faster within her.
“Give me yer hand back, luv. I want us joined everywhere in every way.”
She did and then she wrapped her legs around his hips. Their lips and tongues touched and mated, while Ronan increased the speed of his hips.
“Open yer beautiful blue eyes and stare at me. Connect to me in every way while we create our future of love and sheer joy. I adore ye. Me heart needs ye to beat.”
The tremors of her climax began, squeezing his cock. She gasped for every breath, her eyes focused on him. “I love you,” she mouthed. Sweat poured from his forehead as he continued pumping her, the feelings of euphoria growing. She pressed her lips against his shoulder as she screamed his name.
He kept moving and nipping at her neck until his release came, too. As he shuddered and emptied himself into her, his lips covered hers and she swallowed his groans of pleasure. She wrapped her arms around his back. They lay wrapped around each other, breathing hard, the trembling of their bodies easing, and love anchoring in each other’s souls with whispered expressions of devotion.
Minutes later, when they’d regained their normal breathing patterns and the ability to speak complete sentences, Ronan took her hand bearing his ring and rubbed the stone with his thumb. “With ye, I feel as if I’m walking out of a cave of shadows, an emotional prison I’ve been in most of me life. I will nay allow him or anyone to take ye from me, fer ye are me sunlight. We belong together—forever.”