Before they could get too distracted, Adri pulled away and tapped Rafe’s pocket. “Did you find my little present for you?”
Rafe’s brow raised in question, and Adri reached into his sweats, pulling out the neural chip he’d found when he was scouting the building and carefully carried back in his jaguar’s mouth.
“When did you put this there?” Rafe asked, inspecting the chip.
“Before I shifted back, when I head-butted you. I didn’t want Kyan to see. I hope I didn’t damage it with my teeth.”
“It’s intact. You did good, kitten. Really good.”
Rafe’s phone buzzed with an incoming message before Adri could respond to the praise with either violence or affection. The warmth his words had sparked was an uncomfortable sensation he chose to ignore.
As close as they were sitting, Adri could read the text over his shoulder, his jaguar purring inside him as his eyes traced over Rafe’s strong, veined hands as he held the phone.
Alpha:
I know you want to get your kitten back to your apartment but I need you both back home to regroup.
Adri huffed under his breath. “The pack lands aren’tmyhome.”
Rafe didn’t glance up as he typed out a quick reply. “You’re my mate.I’myour home, and the pack lands are my wolf’s territory. That makes it your home.”
“Rafe,” Adri whined, exasperated by the way his doc refused to let him pretend this thing between them was anything other than what it was.
Rafe tipped his chin up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips that had Adri’s eyes slipping half-closed. “Don’t think too hard about it, kitten.”
Adri huffed again and used the excuse of putting his seatbelt on to break the too-deep moment between them. Rafe didn’t push again as they drove toward the Lunetti Pack lands. He just reached out and placed one of his big hands on Adri’s thigh as he drove, squeezing gently. Adri stared out the window at the streetscape blurring by and pretended he hadn’t noticed. Fromthe corner of his eye, he could see Rafe’s mouth stretched in a soft smile as he manoeuvred them through the city one-handed. Why was that so hot?
The SUV’s headlights were the only illumination as they drove down the long driveway toward the pack house in the depths of the night. The crunch of tyres on gravel, the thrum of the engine, and the soft sounds of owls in the distance the only noises breaking the silence.
Adri’s jaguar pouted inside him when Rafe finally took his hand off his leg as he slid the SUV into one of the underground car parks. Rolling his eyes at his own ridiculousness, Adri unlatched his seatbelt, only to have the door opened for him before he could reach the handle. It was hard to be annoyed when his usually serious doc flashed him a wicked grin as he stood there waiting for Adri to exit, knowing full well that Adri didn’t want to be coddled that way.
“You’re insufferable,” Adri said, resisting the urge to press himself to Rafe’s body as he got out.
“You seemed to enjoy my brand of suffering just fine when we were in bed,” Rafe shot back.
The internal access up into Marco’s private house that he shared with his closest family led them through a back corridor filled with a scent that had Adri’s mouth watering. He’d never been in this part of the mansion before, and Rafe directed him toward the smell until they found the rest of Marco’s family who’d been out with them gathered around a large island in the kitchen. Teasing and laughter shot back and forth as they served themselves from a selection of baked pies so fresh that someone must’ve been busy baking while they were facing down the coven.
Adri let himself be manoeuvred onto one of the barstools and sat watching in careful silence as Rafe fetched them a slice of something that smelled of cherries and apples.
“How did you know that’s my favourite?” Adri asked, keeping his voice soft.
“I know everything about you, kitten.”
“Aww… am I going to have to give up the title of chief stalker?” Rocco asked from nearby. The air witch looked pale, with dark circles like bruises beneath his eyes. He’d expended a great deal of power for the pack.
“Sit down before you fall down,” Rafe said, eyes scanning him in concern as he left Adri’s side to manhandle Rocco onto a cushioned window seat where he could recline if he needed to.
“Hey! How would you feel if I touched Adri like that?” Emilio complained.
“Just fine if you were making sure he didn’t hurt himself,” Rafe shot back.
“Shall we test that theory out?” Silas asked, stepping closer to Adri and sparking a full-on growl from Rafe that had everyone cracking up.
Adri felt heat rise in his cheeks, but kept his thoughts to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was encourage the Lunettis to double down on their teasing.
“Where’s Marco?” Rafe asked Silas, returning to Adri’s side and scooping up a bite of pie from his untouched plate before holding it up to Adri’s mouth.
“I can feed myself,” Adri muttered.
