Page 74 of Brandon’s Mate

“Wait a minute. You expect me to believe that even though you just found out an evil psycho with a vendetta against your family is running the panther clan and the Talons, all you’re thinking about is ruining me with hot sex and romantic surprises? I’m thinking not.”

Brandon stopped kissing her and rested his forehead against hers. “Look,” he said. “I have every faith in us—in all of us. We’re going to get Raines.”

Kitty narrowed her eyes. “But?”

“But life is unpredictable. And you—me—” He cupped her cheeks with his hands. “This is important. And I’m just starting to learn that assuming you have all the time in the world to do the things that are important doesn’t always work out the way you think it will.”

He kissed her softly. “So, while we’re waiting for Raines to make up his damn mind about our deal, there will be hot sex and romantic surprises.”

“Oh,” she said. “Did you know you just made my insides go all squishy?”

He laughed and pulled her into a real kiss. She closed her eyes, trying to hold onto this moment, where Brandon loved her and everything would be all right.

A couple of hours later Brandon was back, in panther form—without the truck, and without Remy.

Colt looked up from the porch sofa, where he and Kitty were kicked back, drinking beer. “Shit. You didn’t kill Remy and leave his body in the woods, did you?”

Brandon Changed back to human, looking hot and delicious all naked. “Nope. If I was going to kill one of you, it would be the Bad Twin. That would be you.” Colt flicked a beer cap at him, and Brandon dodged it easily. “He’s doing me a favor. He’ll be back soon. Now I have to talk to my woman.”

He pulled Kitty up off the couch and swept her into his arms, carrying her around the corner of the verandah.

“You’re naked,” Kitty said.

“I know.”

“Wanna make out?”

Brandon laughed. “Yes. All the time. But right now I want to talk to you.”

Kitty sighed. “If you must.”

He let her slide to the floor, but kept his hands on her waist. “Things are probably going to get kind of crazy in the next couple of days. I know I promised you a date, and I want to take you into the city and go someplace fancy, but we really need to stick around here in case we hear from Raines. So I planned something else.”

“Does it have hot sex in it?”

“If I’m lucky.” He paused to kiss her again. “There’s this place way up at the very top of the hill behind the house, with a kickass view. There’s going to be a full moon tonight, and I wondered if you want to take a run and see it. Panther and wolf. Want to?”

It didn’t take two hours and two people to get ready to see a full moon. He really was planning something special and romantic. All for her.

And her wolf had wanted to go running since they got here.

“I’m in,” she said. “Should we take clothes with us?”

Brandon ran his hand up under her shirt. “I’m thinking not.”

She turned her head and called, “Hey Colt, we’re going on a naked date. See ya!”

Colt’s voice came back. “Dammit. Now I’m going to have to drink until I destroy the brain cells that contain that image.”

Brandon said, “Hold the fort, will you? Remy will be back soon. You can have some bro time.”

“Not the same as getting laid,” Colt called back. “Just sayin’ that some people are getting the better end of this deal.”

Brandon “helped” Kitty take off her clothes, which almost ended up in a naked date right on the porch. But finally they Changed and took off up the hill in the dusk, the last of the sunset lighting their way.

Kitty had forgotten how good it felt running with Brandon, it had been so long. Her wolf nipped playfully at him, dodging and pouncing.

Brandon’s panther swatted at her, no claws, and chased her until she suddenly didn’t hear him behind her. She turned around, searching the shadows, but there was no black panther.