Tabitha sauntered across the room, stopping when her toes met his. She cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb through his beard. “That’s a shame.”
Major grabbed her hips, pulling her closer. “A real shame.” He dipped his head and took her mouth, keeping the kiss somewhat chaste. It was next to impossible not to get carried away. His Gryphon sent out a wave of energy, and after a few seconds, areturning pulse hit Major in the chest. “Holy shit.”
Tabitha laughed against his lips. “That was new. I have a feeling when we seal the bond, those two are going to let loose.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Major stepped back, tapping her on the nose. “I’m going to text Mason and make sure our guest is behaving.”
“What do you mean? He’s locked in.”
“Yes, but his phone rang on the helo ride back to the airport. I want to make sure he isn’t sharing our location with anyone.”
“Gotcha.” Tabby stood on her tiptoes and kissed Major again. “See ya in a few hours.”
Major closed the door and strode on silent feet down the tile hallway, past the sunken den, and into the kitchen. He didn’t hear Craig talking, so Major opened one of the cabinets for a tall glass. He filled it with water from the freezer door, checked the contents of the refrigerator, then walked to the back of the house, looking out over the still, early morning. The back of the property was surrounded by thick trees, but there were cameras and motion detectors all around the perimeter. After downing the water, he put the glass in the dishwasher and made his way to the office. He placed his hand on the biometric scanner, and when the lock clicked, Major let himself in, taking a seat at the large desk. The security system was monitored remotely by H3, as were all systems in all the safehouses. Major had no idea how the Trio kept up with everything. It helped that Nikita’s mate was also a hacker, but it was a lot of work for four beings on top of the jobs they contracted out.
After typing in the code to sync the system to hisphone, Major sent a long text to Mateo with a request and an apology for the early hour. Once he received a thumbs up, Major left the office and returned to the bedroom he commandeered for the duration of their stay. As tempted as he was to go snuggle Tabitha, Major removed his clothes down to his briefs and climbed into bed. As with any job, his mind rewound to the events of the day, and what a long fucking day it had been. He prayed to Zeus that the Trio found Cabretti soon.
When the sun filtered through the blinds, Major pushed back the covers, rolled to his feet, then grabbed clean clothes from his bag and took them to the bathroom. He hadn’t slept, but being a Gryphon, he didn’t require as much rest as a human. After a quick shower, Major took his dirty clothes to the hamper in the bedroom closet. The scent of coffee wafted down the hallway, meaning Tabitha was up because Craig wasn’t going to be assed to make it. His mate was sitting at the island with a mug in front of her, along with her laptop. Her smile was glorious when he entered the room. Major made a beeline to her, and when Tabby twisted on the stool, Major stood between her thighs, grabbed her braid, tilting her head back, and gave her a proper good-morning kiss. She tasted like toothpaste and java.
“Mmm. You taste good,” he said against her lips. Before they got too carried away, Major moved around the bar and poured his own cup. “I texted Mateo earlier, and he’s going to bring what he needs to do a DNA test on Craig. He’s also bringing breakfast and a few groceries.”
“What about his clinic?” Tabby asked. Mateo had taken over the medical clinic in Troy when Rev and Bethany relocated.
“Aria can handle it until he gets back.” Aria was Mateo’s mate and a nurse. “Any word from the Trio?”
“Not yet, but—” Tabitha’s phone rang. “Why’s Perry calling me?” She swiped the screen to answer. “Hello?”
“Tabitha, I hope I’m not calling too early.”
“Nope. What’s up?”
“Where are you?”
Tabitha frowned at the device. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry, that was rude. I only asked because I was hoping you would change your mind about guarding Trista on her new movie.”
“I thought you were supposed to arrange security for her.”
“Yes, I am. I did, but the company recommended by Roman Bane’s manager said they would send someone to meet with her yesterday afternoon. They didn’t give me any contact information for the woman. They didn’t seem as organized as your company, and well, I thought if you weren’t busy, you could take over. I know how much Trista trusts you.”
“I appreciate that, but I already have a client. I’m sure the company Roman Bane uses is good.”
“Right, right. Thanks anyway.”
Major’s Gryphon perked up, but before he could voice the male, Craig entered the kitchen looking rough. His hair was sticking up, his clothes were wrinkled, and he had bags under his eyes.
“No problem.” Tabitha disconnected, scowling. “That was weird, right?”
“What was weird?” Craig stumbled over to the coffee pot and stared at it.
Tabitha ignored the question. “Mugs are in the cabinet to your right.”
Major’s phone buzzed with a text. “Mateo’s here.” Taking no chances, he opened the app that showed the camera footage. Seeing his cousin was alone, Major buzzed opened the gate. “My cousin, who’s a doctor, is here to do a DNA swab.”
Craig poured his coffee, mumbling, “Okay.”
Tabitha’s eyes widened at the man’s back, and Major shrugged. Maybe the day had caught up with Craig, and he didn’t get any sleep. Instead of worrying about it, Major went to the front door, opened it, and strode down to meet his cousin. “I owe you one, Buddy.”
