“Because you asked,” she said simply.
Damn me and my curious nature.
“I’m sorry. I should have kept it to myself,” she added sadly. “Forget I said anything. You’ve already got a lot going on without adding this to it.”
“It’s not that.” I stopped in front of the couch, wanting her to see the truth of my words. “It’s a confusing time. I thought I’d finally escaped my parents but turns out I haven’t. There are multiple bounty hunters wanting to kidnap me for money. And I’m supposed to be focusing on this conference, which is a very big opportunity for me professionally, an opportunity that will lead to bigger and better assignments. I just… I’ve worked hard to make a normal life for myself. Normal doesn’t include bounties on my head and people turning into wolves and vampires claiming me as their mate.”
I dropped back onto the couch and downed half a bottle of water as if it was a shot of whiskey. I wish I had a shot of whiskey, because this was a lot to take in.
“Last week my life was normal. Quiet,” I finished quietly. “Now everything’s crazy. I don’t do crazy. I tried very hard to get away from crazy.”
Marilee’s hand came down on my thigh, her touch warm through the thin fabric of the sleep pants I was wearing.
“Hey, we don’t have to figure anything out right now. There’s a lot going on, but we’ll get the bounty off your head, and you’ll go to your conference and when everything’s over, when you’re safe, we’ll figure out what – if anything – we do about us.”
“But I thought you didn’t have a choice about the mate thing?”
“I don’t have a choice, but you do,” she said clearly. “And I’ll respect your choice, whatever it is. But just don’t make that choice now when everything is up in the air and you’re feeling under attack. Okay?”
“Yeah.”
We sat in silence for a while, eating another slice of pizza as we watched Sheldon and Leonard argue about their roommate agreement and Penny come over in a skimpy outfit looking for free food. It was a stupid show, but funny, and there was something about watching old reruns of shows I only watched when I was bored in hotel rooms that was comforting.
When the episode finished I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, then settled into bed. A few minutes later Marilee came out and I noticed that she’d removed her bra. I mean, of course she did, it wasn’t like she was going to wear it to bed, but the lack of a foundation garment meant that her breasts swayed almost hypnotically while she went through the motions of double checking the doors and windows, making sure that everythingwas secure before she finally crawled into the bed across from me.
I lay on my back staring up at the ceiling in the dark, my mind racing with everything that had happened today. I thought about the attempted kidnapping and Marilee’s wolf and Lois’s crankiness and all the people I met at the cocktail party tonight, but despite the eventfulness of the day, my mind returned again and again to one thing: the kiss. Well, kisses.
Marilee said that we were mates. I knew that supernatural communities believed that mates were chosen by fate. Pre-ordained. That your mate was the perfect person for you. But how could that be? Marilee was a respectable person. A veteran. A bodyguard. Talented and strong. How could her mate be the daughter of notorious criminals, a person who’d funded her escape by stealing from her parents?
It didn’t make sense.
Then again, I’d worked hard to make a new life for myself. In many ways it would have been easier to take my place at my parents’ side, joining their criminal empire, having a marriage of convenience with the idiot son of another wealthy criminal family. I’d literally pulled myself from the gutter and become a valuable member of Canada’s diplomatic corps. Didn’t I deserve a soulmate? Someone who would love me unconditionally?
I promised myself that I’d be open to whatever happened with Marilee. I might not believe in fate, but I couldn’t deny the pull between us. The intense heat. The instant sense of comfort andcloseness, as if we’d known each other for years instead of two days.
Maybe this mate thing would work out after all. But first we’d have to find a way to deal with my parents and their lowlife enemies. I just hoped things would stay quiet until after the conference so I could do what I came here to do.
“Are you okay?”
Marilee’s question brought me out of my reverie. I thought she was asleep.
“I’m sorry, I thought you were asleep.”
“You’re thinking pretty hard over there,” she noted. “You need some sleep. You’ve got a big day of diplomacy tomorrow.”
Something about her tone made me laugh. “You hate this stuff, don’t you?”
“What stuff?”
“Conferences. Cocktail receptions. Business dinners.”
“You have no idea,” she said drily.
“What do you do for fun?” I asked. “When you’re not doing bodyguard stuff.”
She paused before answering. “Running. Paintball. Playing video games. Oh, and I like to bake.”
“You bake?” I asked in surprise.
