There. He did it again. It wasn’t just his words. It was the way he said them. His tone. Velvet soft, like a caress. He wrapped her up in his casual statement that wasn’t casual at all. He could turn her inside out with the way he would suddenly, out of the blue, issue his declarations. Was that his way of telling her he was in love with her? She knew nothing of real relationships. She didn’t trust herself to know one way or another. She just knew she didn’t want to lose what she had with him.
She smiled at him, pretty certain her heart was in her eyes, so she looked away from him as he took the boat up the channel and back to the next fork heading home. He had such a great sense of direction in the swamp. In the dark of night, there weren’t any landmarks, and yet he always seemed to know exactly where each turn was, even if he was taking a shortcut.
There were sections of the river where he drove fast and others where he went slower and more cautiously. She paid little attention to the actual direction and more to the beauty of the night and his skill. The way he looked against silvery-black water or the backdrop of an abundance of trees took her breath. Gedeon always gave off a quiet confidence.
By the time they made it back to their pier, she couldn’t think of anything or anyone but Gedeon. When he tied up their boat, she noticed the smooth, fluid way his muscles rippled beneath his clothes as he crouched on the woodenpier and then stood to extend his hand to her. She stepped onto the wooden boards, and he tugged her to him easily. Meiling slid one arm around his ribs and leaned into him.
Gedeon cupped her chin and tipped her face up to his. “I want to show you the new master bedroom, Lotus. Will you come with me and at least look at it?”
There was seduction in the smooth velvet of his tone. In the glittering green of his eyes. There was no resisting, not with the way emotions were so overwhelming and the way her body reacted so physically to his. She nodded, unable to speak.
15
MEILINGwas Gedeon’s, and she deserved to know she was loved for herself. Not for her leopard. Not because she was elite. Not to give their species female children. But for herself. He intended to show her that he truly loved her for who she was.
To say he was shocked at his emotional response to Meiling was an understatement. He hadn’t believed himself capable of the kind of depth of feeling he had developed for her. Every trait she brought out in him—although most were good, some were dark and ugly—had developed at an early age and was now brought roaring back. Those dark traits were compounded by his leopard’s vicious nature. Still, he found he had a gentle side with her. He found genuine humor with her. She’d given him so much. He wanted to give her as much, if not more.
Slayer had informed him Whisper was going to rise soon. The leopard would do so fast and Gedeon knew theheat would be intense. Sexual passion would be incredible between the two humans, but it wouldn’t show Meiling that he wanted her for who she was. Whisper seemed unpredictable, and he needed to ensure his woman knew she was loved.
He didn’t know how to say the words to her. He didn’t want to say them. The words stuck in his throat. Choked him. Each time he thought to tell her how he felt, something dark and ugly would grow in his gut, stopping him. He resolved to find a way to show her.
They walked through the house together, not turning on lights. They didn’t need them. Their night vision was superb. Gedeon held Meiling’s hand, feeling the tension in her. She hadn’t been near the master bedroom since the night she’d walked in and found him with a woman. He’d despised himself for the out-of-control, frenzied sexual behavior that night. Even now, when he knew the explanation—that her female was rising, causing Slayer to become so inflamed, both man and leopard had been so desperate for sexual release neither could think straight—he was still ashamed.
“I hope you like the changes I made, but if you don’t, you tell me what you want different, and I’ll have it done.” He’d taken everything he knew of her and tried to make the perfect space for the two of them.
Gedeon opened the double doors to the master suite and stepped back to allow her to enter first. The master bedroom had been transformed completely. He hadn’t wanted it to look the same at all. The wall facing the swamp was no longer a panel of windows. He had had the craftsmen construct a wall of glass that could be opened to include the wide, screened-in patio. The screen was dark so they could see out, but it would be difficult to see in unless lights were on.
The bed faced the bluish-gray stone fireplace. He’d had all the furniture changed. She seemed to prefer the colorspurple and blue, so he’d woven those colors into the duvet on the bed as well as the chairs surrounding the fireplace. The designer he’d worked with brought in potted plants that nearly reached the high ceilings, the green leaves climbing along the walls of one side of the room, creating the look of a rain forest. There was even a water feature, albeit a small one. There were stairs and landings provided for the leopards along the same wall. The room was spacious. Two very large circular stairs down to the sitting area in front of the fireplace created the only division of space in the room. Two giant fans with paddles provided airflow overhead, or they could use the cool air pumped in when preferred.
Gedeon wanted the master bedroom to be all about Gedeon and Meiling, the humans. Her upstairs room could be transformed to be all about Whisper and Slayer, when they came together in a rush of wild passion—not to say it wouldn’t happen in both bedrooms. He knew it would.
Meiling stared around the room in shock. Light came in from all directions. There were privacy screens, but he wanted her to have as much open space and as much light as he could give her, as well as different views.
“It’s beautiful, Gedeon.”
Her reaction was everything he could have asked for. The shock on her face. The little hitch in her voice, as if she couldn’t believe he would go to all the trouble and expense for her. He wanted her to know he’d do anything for her.
Gedeon caught her hand again and guided her to the master bathroom. She might as well see that he’d incorporated changes there as well. The double sinks and the huge walk-in shower with the multitude of nozzles, choices of sprays and handheld devices along the racks were meant for two people. He wanted that clear. The side-by-side soaking tubs. The huge Jacuzzi meant for two. This was a masterpiece designed for them.
She turned her face up to his. “You want us to sleep down here together.”
“Part of the time.” He was honest. “The leopards can use the stairs going up the wall if need be, or they can escape out the window or off the patio into the swamp. It will be much more convenient from the suite upstairs by the time we finish renovating it.”
“You’re going to change my suite?”
He cupped the side of her face, his thumb brushing along her full bottom lip. “I’ve got the plans rolled up right there beside the fireplace.” He indicated the long tube resting against the stone fireplace.
Her eyes lit up. “I’d love to see the plans.”
“I have a few little rules for you to follow before we unroll the plans.”
Her eyebrow shot up. “Rules? You have rules?”
“I like to boss you around. That’s what you’re always saying. I’m bossy and arrogant. So, rules. You want to see the plans for the upstairs suite, you have to follow my rules.”
He came up behind her, crowding her body with his, sweeping her dark hair from her nape, pressing kisses along her neck and watching her shiver. Satisfaction shot through him. She couldn’t hide her reaction to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Do you want to see those plans?” He brushed her hair from the side of her neck and kissed the tender skin there, right over her pulse. Then scattered more kisses up to her ear, where he bit gently on her earlobe.
