Mark snorted. “You want everything inside?”
Tessa nodded. “You sure I should put my things in your bedroom? I could…clean up one of the rooms on—”
A snarl escaped without warning, and her cat eyes blinked rapidly as she stepped away.
Drat. “So much for my calm. Tessa, don’t push the wolf, okay? Not now. Yes, my bedroom. Even suggesting anything else pisses him off.”
“Sure. I can do that.”
Poof. She was gone again. Up the stairs with only the swirl of her scent lingering on the air to torment him.
Mark went for another load, wondering how long it would take for his dual personalities of shifter/human to have a major breakdown.
He unloaded everything, carrying it into the main entrance before locking up and taking the first stack all the way upstairs. Rounding the corner into his bedroom, his heart was already racing at the idea of finding her in there. His mate, part of his future…as soon as he discovered more about her.
She wasn’t there.
Neither was she in the bathroom or the living room or the kitchen. He’d just about given up when a flash of blonde hair drew his attention to the balcony.
She sat on the railing, happily kicking her feet as she stared over the ocean.
His heart rate tripled. Mark opened the outside door cautiously, making sure he didn’t spook her. It was a long, long way down if she fell.
“Tessa?” He spoke softly. “What are you doing?”
She twisted her head to flash him a brilliant smile. “Sunset colours are so pretty tonight. Come…” She patted the spot next to her. “Watch with me.”
He strolled over, leaned on the railing and casually slipped his arm around her waist to make sure he had her anchored. Only then did he start to breathe again. “Very pretty sunsets from here.”
“We’ll set up drinks and snacks in the evening for the B&B guests. They can sit here and talk about how wonderful their day was, and then new people will want to go on the same trips, and it’ll work in a circle. More happy visitors coming all the time.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly.
“I think this is the first time since we met you haven’t been moving at a breakneck pace,” Mark pointed out. The sensation of her in his arms was so right. He dragged in breath after breath of her scent in an attempt to satisfy his need.
A yawn escaped, and she stretched, teetering precariously toward the wrong side of the railing. “Sunsets do that to me. Soporific effect? Is that right?”
He stepped behind her and caught hold of her tighter. “If that means you’re ready to curl up in front of the fire, I’m good with it.”
“I like fires.” Her voice slipped into lower, sleepy tones that tickled along his spine and promised slumbering kitty within minutes.
Then she sent him into near panic mode as she twirled in his grasp, her arms around his neck the only thing stopping her from tumbling to the ground many feet below them.
Mark held in the swear words that wanted to escape, instead lifting her over the railing until he could settle her more comfortably in his arms. He moved to a safer position, heading toward the house before he glanced down at her face.
Her eyes were closed, her long eyelashes resting against her cheeks. Her mouth pulled into a slight pucker, and a tiny sound escaped her lips. She snuggled up to his chest, breathing rhythmically.
She’d already fallen asleep.
Mark carried her to his bed, depositing her on the mattress before stepping back to debate what came next.
Stripping her down seemed…dirty. If she’d been awake, he could have asked her what she wanted, but there was a line he refused to cross now that she’d drawn it in the sand.
Instead, he pulled off her shoes, put them on the floor in the closet. She’d hung up a bunch of her things, and he smiled at the sight.
When he turned back to the bed, it was to discover she’d nestled into the covers, curled up and purring.
Seriously purring.
Mark sat on the edge of the mattress next to her, and stared. Rosy colour in her cheeks, one hand lying comfortably beside her head, the other stretched out toward where he intended to crawl in later.
To a human it might have seemed strange—that she’d said no to mating with him and yet was snuggled into his bed. Made sense to him, though. There was a huge difference between sex for fun and sex as mates and plain old cuddling. He wasn’t as sure about cats, but wolves were pack animals. Being with others satisfied something deep inside.
So far, so good. As long as he could keep them moving in the proper direction.
They’d discussed many ideas for the B&B, but she’d never promised to stay forever. Until she did, he wouldn’t be able to calm down, even though she’d admired his supposed placid exterior. Inside he was a bundle of concerns, wanting more. Needing more. One step at a time, he had to convince her they belonged together.