“Wait!” Kat glommed onto his arm. “Come home with me.”
“Kat!” someone shouted.
Xavier didn’t look up to identify the speaker; he was too lost in his mate’s eyes. “Why?” Kat appeared protective of the young dryad, and Xavier’s presence wouldn’t help.
“Because you’re my mate, and I want to get to know you better. Come home with me, please.”
Xavier sighed his surrender. “All right. Melcori doesn’t expect me to check in until tomorrow anyway.” Xavier blushed. “Not that I plan to spend the night.”
Kat grinned. “We can discuss that when we get home.”
“Why don’t we take Rance with us so you two can get to know each other?” Silver offered.
Kat answered before Xavier could, never taking his eyes from Xavier’s face. “Thank you.”
CHAPTER6
Ten minutes later, they waved Rance goodbye as a Silver drove him to the pack house, telling him they needed time to get to know each other. Kat wasn’t sure how this would work out, but finding a mate should be celebrated, not sandwiched between crises.
Kat turned away from the sight of the car driving off. “Hello, mate.”
Xavier’s mouth quirked up on one side. “Hello.”
“Take me home.”
“Bossy little thing, aren’t you?” Xavier’s smile grew wider, proving he didn’t mind, and Kat had to grab tight on his self-control to stop from pouncing. If he kissed Xavier now, they would fornicate on the forest floor as Kat’s inner cat wanted. Luckily, his human half was resolved to wait for a more comfortable location.
“I can be bossier if you’d like.” He batted his eyes at Xavier.
Xavier’s grin was a sly, wicked thing. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good.” He would crack jokes all day if it would keep his mate smiling. From their brief conversations, Xavier appeared to be a rather serious person. “Let’s go home.”
Xavier didn’t correct him about whose home they were visiting. Instead, they got into his car, and he followed Kat’s directions.
“This is cute.” Xavier pulled into the driveway.
“Thanks. I just moved in. It’s small, but it’s big enough for me.” Kat paused midstep. “It would also be big enough for two.”
“I thought it already had two. Isn’t Rance staying here?” A dimple appeared on Xavier’s right cheek.
“For now, until we decide where he wants to go permanently. I don’t like the sound of the Grove’s dynamics. Even if they need him to grow their Grove, I don’t trust them to treat him right. Sometimes, subtle psychological abuse is more insidious than outright beatings.”
Xavier scowled. “Know that from personal experience?”
Kat shrugged. “No one lives the perfect life. Don’t worry about Rance; I’ll happily share my bed.”
He didn’t want to go into his childhood trauma. He wanted Xavier madly in love with him before sharing all the emotional baggage he lugged around in his mental steamer trunk.
They were barely inside the front door before Kat was pressed against the wall with Xavier’s hot mouth and hotter hands all over his body. He gave a little hop, high enough to wrap his legs around Xavier’s trim waist and lock his ankles together. The wall supported more than the building for uncountable minutes while he explored his mate’s lips with his own.
When Xavier finally pulled away, Kat had to flex his thighs to prevent him from falling into a pile of goo at his feet. “You’re an amazing kisser.”
“Thank you.” A blush dusted Xavier’s amazing cheekbones.
“Get a lot of practice?” He was pushing; he knew it, but his inner cat yowled at the thought of anyone else pressed against this hard body and enjoying those lush lips.
“Not often. It’s hard to get out, and anyone in the know avoids Blood Mages. I need to go places I’m not recognized if I want to have any fun.”
