Sensation, feral and hot, rushed from the spot she held in her mouth to his c**k and he exploded inside her.

Sometime later, she rolled off and into the curve of his body that’d been made just for her. “Oh. Well then. Thank you. I feel very lucky too. But I worry about you. I worry one day you won’t come home. It’s a dangerous time right now.”

He kissed her. “I’m careful. You’re careful, or you will be. And we’ll make it through. When this is over, you and I are going away for a while. Just us.”

“Good. I want to hog you all to myself.”

“You know, and I hesitate to bring this up, but all that could have been avoided if you just said what you felt right up front. I want you to be honest with me. I was afraid you hated me,” Cade said.

“I’m sorry I’m so bad at this. It’s not like I’ve had a dozen boyfriends.”

He felt, rather than saw her annoyance and it made him want to laugh. For all her precision, she was still a woman, still partly human and thus, as fallible as he was at the relationship stuff.

“You’re perfect.”

“Nicely said.”

Chapter Fourteen

Grace awoke early and got out of bed, hoping to take advantage of the quiet and get some work done. In a rare moment, Cade still slept. As much as he’d had to deal with over the last weeks, she left him that way. He couldn’t run on adrenaline forever and crashing right as he needed the energy wouldn’t help anyone.

Plus, she thought as she looked down at him, tawny skin stretched taut over muscles, he looked really good. Before she jumped on him, she took one long, last look and headed out.

Of course the moment she stepped out her door, two guards were there. She sighed.

“Morning, Hiroshi, Dave. I need to get working today.”

“All right, Grace. We’ll escort you down. Does Cade know?”

“He’s sleeping and he needs the rest. Don’t you dare wake him up.” She saw their anxiety. “Look, guys, he’s sleeping, I like it that way. You’ll both be with me. The lab is like some secret governmental facility with all that security. I’m not hiding where I’m going and I’m not being unsafe. Come on, I’ll even let you take me in that ridiculous Hummer. As long as someone runs to grab me breakfast when we get to the lab.”

She continued to walk until she reached the kitchen. Nina, another early riser, was up and shuffling around. Lex sat at the table and watched her with hungry eyes. It made Grace smile and she liked to think Cade looked at her that way too.

“Good morning. Want some coffee? I like to watch other people drink it while I suffer in silence.” Nina snickered.

“Silence? Yeah, sure,” Lex mumbled and Nina tossed a pot holder at him.

“That’d be great. In a to-go cup please, I’m on my way to the lab. And before you ask, Cade is sleeping and he should stay that way. Your brother needs the down time.” Thank goodness Lex was sitting so she could attempt imperious by looking down at him instead of up into his towering face. She spoke as his Alpha and she saw it flash in his eyes but then it eased and he nodded.

“I agree. Dave, add one more guard and take the Hummer.”

She wanted to grin at her victory but instead touched his arm and turned to Nina, who winked and handed her a cup.

“Coffee to go. Did you write him a note at least? Because, you know he’s going to be grumpy when he wakes up and you’re gone.”

“I did leave him a note with my schedule on it, yes. I know he thinks he can be in a hundred places all at once, protecting everyone and everything but he can’t and I have a job to do and I don’t want to hinder his job with it. If he has to babysit me every time I go to the lab, how can he get his work done here?”

“You’re right of course. I’m his guard for the time being, until this is finished and we can relax a bit.” Lex gave her an appraising and, unless she was mistaken, appreciative look.

Twelve hours later, she reached up to rub her aching neck only to have her hands moved, replaced by big, warm, sexy hands.

She breathed deep and Cade overran any scents of the lab. She leaned back into him. “Hi there.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Quitting time, Dr. Warden.”

“I’m on to something here, Cade.”

“You can find it the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is the Joining ceremony and our house is already bursting with people. Dinner is in ninety minutes. My mother was going to come down here herself so you should thank me.”

She turned. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot. Let me shut this down and set up this other program to run all night.” She kissed him quickly and turned back around to finish up.

He sat and she felt his warmth just behind her. It filled an empty space she hadn’t realized was the source of her discomfort over the day.

“I shouldn’t tell you this, it’ll only make your ego bigger.” She turned to him after she’d hung her lab coat up on a peg and grabbed her bag. “But I really missed you today.”

He smiled, slow and sexy. The way he approached her, muscles moving against the tight, dark shirt he wore, branded him a predator and she wasn’t so very unhappy to be his prey.

“Good. I missed you too. Thank you for your note and for taking along another guard. I wasn’t pleased to wake up alone, but I do hear you growled at anyone who thought of waking me up. I like that, being protected by you.” He pulled her close, one arm around her waist. With no more than a slight bit of energy, she found herself being dragged up that hard wall of chest and meeting his mouth with hers.