her know sex with Casey would be mind-blowing. She’d always believed as much.
He snapped his jaws. “Possibly. I do enjoy munching on the well-to-do.”
“Casey, for realz.” She searched his face for an answer as to what was happening. “Why are we here? I thought you said you were taking me back to your house so I could get cleaned up and rest.”
He shut off the car and suddenly seemed nervous. That was certainly a trait she wasn’t used to seeing from the normally outspoken and all too often grumpy man. “The hotel is one of the places I pick to lay my head. Gus and Bill like it there and Laney used to call it home. I wanted to stay close to them in case there was an issue.”
She watched him, waiting for him to cut to the chase. Why the hell were they parked in front of a mansion? She’d begun to develop something of a mistrust for those considered her own kind—the elite. During her discovery stages, she’d continued to find more than one of her father’s supposed family friends and those considered in his inner circle on the lists of backers of the testing done on humans and shifters. She wasn’t sure who she could trust outside of Casey, Laney, and those they put their faith in.
“I have a number of places,” Casey said, gripping the wheel as if he might yank it off in another second. “Some are kind of dilapidated, but I don’t mind that. I’m not very fancy.”
“You don’t say,” she said with a grin so he would know she was only teasing. She’d come to appreciate his lack of concern over material things.
He blushed, and Harmony didn’t have to fake surprise. She was. Casey wasn’t a blusher.
“Then I have a few that are not so dilapidated,” he said sheepishly.
Harmony soaked in what he was telling her. She gasped. Her favorite lone wolf was secretly loaded? “Holy crapola! You’re serious. This is your place?”
“Do you like it?” he asked, hope in his voice.
She touched his hand gently. “Casey, it looks like a beautiful home, but you should know that while the hotel sort of creeps me out, I don’t mind it that much. Oddly, I think I kind of actually like it.”
“Somehow, I doubt that greatly,” he replied evenly.
“Well, it’s true. Plus, I just spent a week in a cell. The hotel looks like it’s five stars in comparison.”
He cupped her hand, strain evident on his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. I promise you I was searching for you.”
Hearing he’d cared, that he’d tried, meant the world to her. She stared at their joined hands and found the courage to ask what she’d wanted to since he’d arrived at the factory. “Why didn’t you correct Weston when he said I was your mate?”
“I was sort of hoping you missed that part,” he said.
“I didn’t.”
“Come on.” He touched the door handle with his free hand. “I’ll draw a hot bath for you and then see what I can whip up in the kitchen. I’ll warn you, I only use this place every once in a while, so it’s not fully stocked.”
She squeezed his hand, desperation clinging to her. “Please don’t shut me out. I need you to answer my question.”
“I will,” he said, meeting her gaze head on. “But not until you’ve gotten cleaned up and have had something to eat. I know you, Princess. You don’t like having anything close to dirt on you. And you’re hungry. I can hear your stomach growling. First do those things, and then we can talk.”
He was a stubborn man. She’d known that much about him for years. She wanted answers, and he wanted to see her cared for first. He’d win. No doubt about it. “Fine. But you’re talking to me, and if you try to shut down on me, I’ll knock you out with my magik and shave a picture of a kitten into your chest hair.”
“Deal,” he said, partially laughing under his breath. He exited the vehicle, which she was fast suspecting was really his and not a boosted one as she’d first
He snapped his jaws. “Possibly. I do enjoy munching on the well-to-do.”
“Casey, for realz.” She searched his face for an answer as to what was happening. “Why are we here? I thought you said you were taking me back to your house so I could get cleaned up and rest.”
He shut off the car and suddenly seemed nervous. That was certainly a trait she wasn’t used to seeing from the normally outspoken and all too often grumpy man. “The hotel is one of the places I pick to lay my head. Gus and Bill like it there and Laney used to call it home. I wanted to stay close to them in case there was an issue.”
She watched him, waiting for him to cut to the chase. Why the hell were they parked in front of a mansion? She’d begun to develop something of a mistrust for those considered her own kind—the elite. During her discovery stages, she’d continued to find more than one of her father’s supposed family friends and those considered in his inner circle on the lists of backers of the testing done on humans and shifters. She wasn’t sure who she could trust outside of Casey, Laney, and those they put their faith in.
“I have a number of places,” Casey said, gripping the wheel as if he might yank it off in another second. “Some are kind of dilapidated, but I don’t mind that. I’m not very fancy.”
“You don’t say,” she said with a grin so he would know she was only teasing. She’d come to appreciate his lack of concern over material things.
He blushed, and Harmony didn’t have to fake surprise. She was. Casey wasn’t a blusher.
“Then I have a few that are not so dilapidated,” he said sheepishly.
Harmony soaked in what he was telling her. She gasped. Her favorite lone wolf was secretly loaded? “Holy crapola! You’re serious. This is your place?”
“Do you like it?” he asked, hope in his voice.
She touched his hand gently. “Casey, it looks like a beautiful home, but you should know that while the hotel sort of creeps me out, I don’t mind it that much. Oddly, I think I kind of actually like it.”
“Somehow, I doubt that greatly,” he replied evenly.
“Well, it’s true. Plus, I just spent a week in a cell. The hotel looks like it’s five stars in comparison.”
He cupped her hand, strain evident on his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. I promise you I was searching for you.”
Hearing he’d cared, that he’d tried, meant the world to her. She stared at their joined hands and found the courage to ask what she’d wanted to since he’d arrived at the factory. “Why didn’t you correct Weston when he said I was your mate?”
“I was sort of hoping you missed that part,” he said.
“I didn’t.”
“Come on.” He touched the door handle with his free hand. “I’ll draw a hot bath for you and then see what I can whip up in the kitchen. I’ll warn you, I only use this place every once in a while, so it’s not fully stocked.”
She squeezed his hand, desperation clinging to her. “Please don’t shut me out. I need you to answer my question.”
“I will,” he said, meeting her gaze head on. “But not until you’ve gotten cleaned up and have had something to eat. I know you, Princess. You don’t like having anything close to dirt on you. And you’re hungry. I can hear your stomach growling. First do those things, and then we can talk.”
He was a stubborn man. She’d known that much about him for years. She wanted answers, and he wanted to see her cared for first. He’d win. No doubt about it. “Fine. But you’re talking to me, and if you try to shut down on me, I’ll knock you out with my magik and shave a picture of a kitten into your chest hair.”
“Deal,” he said, partially laughing under his breath. He exited the vehicle, which she was fast suspecting was really his and not a boosted one as she’d first
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