He let her be vulnerable. He accepted her weaknesses as though they were nothing to be ashamed of.
Though she’d never been ashamed of her emotions, there were plenty of men who hadn’t been willing to accept them.
Rune was also intelligent. They talked about everything under the sun, and she was always impressed with how well-thought-out his opinions were, even if she didn’t agree with them. And he was a brilliant strategist. He’d talked her into playing chess with him one evening and they’d spent half the night battling it out. Her father was the only person in her family who could beat her, and even then, it was rare, but Rune trounced her every time.
When she’d suggested that Rune come work for her company, he’d only laughed and shaken his head, saying that he would be lousy at security because he forgot to lock his own doors half the time.
The absolute truth was that Rune Ferguson made her life better. She had never needed a man to be happy or to feel fulfilled, but she wanted Rune in her future. She wanted his coffee cups on her counter, his books scattered throughout her house, and his arms around her every night.
She wanted the life that they would build together.
Now, she just had to figure out how to introduce him to the rest of her family. Sylvie and Devorah liked him. Her sister-in-law, Claudia, adored him. Probably because he was one of the least fussy clients she’d dealt with. Astra knew it wouldn’t take much to have her other sister, Sirena, on board. Of the four of them, Sirena was the most…well, serene. She rarely lost her temper, but when she did, it was volcanic and just as devastating.
That only left her parents. She still wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with them. She wanted to do it in a way that would cause the least possible drama. She’d been thinking on it for several weeks now and still hadn’t come any closer to a plan. Or even a sentence to introduce the subject.
Then again, maybe none of this would matter because Astra wasn’t sure that Rune felt the same way.
If there was one dark spot in their relationship, it was that he hadn’t bitten her yet. They’d been having sex for several weeks now and, while he’d grazed her with his fangs a few times, he’d never taken the final step.
Sure, she’d been put off by the idea at first, but now…now she worried that he was holding himself back. That maybe he wasn’t as far gone as she was. Emotionally speaking.
Astra leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling of her home office. She’d come home after lunch with the intention of working there, but she’d gotten very little done because she couldn’t stop turning the issue over in her mind.
If there was one thing she was guilty of in her personal relationships, it was overthinking. And she was definitely putting in some overtime there today.
Disgusted with herself, Astra sat up and tossed the pen in her hand onto her desk. She knew the best way to handle the problem, but for the first time in her life, she wasn’t sure she wanted the answers to her questions. They might hurt too much.
Astra groaned and rubbed her hands over her face. No, she wasn’t a coward. Never had been and she wouldn’t be starting now.
Determined, she saved what little work she’d gotten done and shut down her laptop. She was going to prepare for tonight the way she would prepare for battle. If Rune Ferguson didn’t want all of her, she was going to make it as difficult as possible to say no to her.
With her actions set in her mind, Astra left her home office and went up to her bedroom to get ready.
He wouldn’t know what hit him.
* * *
Nerves hummed in Astra’s belly as she walked up the sidewalk to Rune’s front porch. Claudia had already made changes to the exterior of the house. Instead of silvery grey, the siding was a dark greyish blue and the trim was white. The front door was no longer black. The wood had been treated with a golden stain that looked beautiful against the blue and white of the new exterior colors.
There were also new plants surrounding the porch, shrubs and flowers that were beginning to fill out. It gave the house a great deal of curb appeal.
Though he bitched a little about having to water the plants, Rune still did it. Probably because he was afraid of what Claudia would do to him if he let them die.
Before Astra could knock, the front door opened to reveal Rune. Instead of his usual jeans and casual shirt, he wore dark grey slacks that were obviously tailored just for him and a white dress shirt that was open at the throat and the sleeves rolled up.
Her mouth went dry. This was a side of Rune she’d never seen.
“Hey,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. His eyes trailed over her outfit and widened. “Wow, you look…just wow.”
Astra smiled. She’d picked this particular outfit because it made her feel sexy but still subtle. She’d left the black shirt unbuttoned low enough to reveal the jade green lace at the top of her bra.
She’d also touched perfume behind her ears, at the base of her throat, and between her breasts. Rune liked the scent and commented on it every time she wore it.
Her black skirt had a zip up one side that could be opened from the top or the bottom. She’d chosen to leave it zipped only a few inches below her hip, revealing quite a bit of her thigh. Black pumps with a slender, spiked heel were on her feet. It was an outfit that allowed her to reveal or conceal as much as she liked.
As a writer, Rune liked possibilities the most. He enjoyed mysteries and hidden treasures. She understood that and dressed to tempt. To tantalize.
“Thank you,” she murmured, brushing by him as she entered the house.
