Now she stepped to his side so she could squat beside him. Now see, you little rat, if not for you I could have run my hands up those beautiful legs and . . . "Think again. Not with that grease all over you. " Reaching out, she touched the kitten with a finger. The animal was cowering under the cup of his hands, quivering so she appeared to be a faceless ball of matted, oily fur. "Oh, goodness, what are we going to do with you? The dogs won't tolerate you; that's for certain. " "I thought I could take her over to Elijah's. He's had to take his grandson in. Even if his son or the kid's mother comes back to get him, he could likely use some company. " Lyssa raised a brow. "You've been male bonding. " Jacob gave a mock shudder. "You make it sound so sordid. " Smiling, she came down to him, catching his lips in a kiss, strok- ing her fingers through his hair. "How do you know it's a she?" He couldn't cover the thought that came into his mind quickly enough. With a smothered laugh, she gave him a sharp nip. "Men tend to be pains in the ass, too, Jacob. Quite frequently. In fact, they're probably the main reason women don't always have a sweet disposition. " "I bow to your great wisdom, my lady. " "Only because you know I could stomp on your groin with my heel. " "There's that sweet disposition showing itself now. " He grunted as she drew blood this time, but the tip of her tongue flicked at it, took it off his lip, her green eyes meeting his, glowing with sensual intent. His body stirred. If he hadn't spent so much time retrieving the feline, he would have let her toddle back under the car and see if he couldn't coax his lady into getting dirty. "Uh-uh. " She smiled again, those wet lips curving. "You set up the appointment with the bank to sign the trust papers. Told me I had to be there on time, you bossy thing. It's your own fault. " She turned her attention to the creature in his hands, stroking the fluff y back between the bars of his fingers.
"Give her some scraps or milk before you take her. Poor thing feels like she's starving. " He watched appreciatively as she balanced herself against the car to put on one shoe and then the other. "Keep walking around bare- foot on this asphalt and I'll have to give you another pedicure. " "An odious thought. I've had nightmares about the first one you gave me. " Her wicked smile gilded the image she allowed to flash from her head into his. The way he'd knelt between her legs, his mouth on her dew-kissed flesh at the Eldar Salon, the soles of her feet pressed into his bare back. She adjusted a strap. "I'm not coming back to the house tonight. I'll be back in two days. Keep Sunday night open. We're taking your motorcycle out. " Jacob frowned at the unexpected announcement. "Where are you going, my lady?" "My business, " she said, but rather than sounding impatient or imperious there was an anticipatory gleam to her eye. "And don't argue with me. I'll be fine and I'm going. I'll stay in touch, so don't worry like a shrewish wife. " His gaze narrowed. "Sunday, then. Any special preparations, a particular destination?" "Somewhere special. A surprise. " "Where?" "That's why it's called a surprise. " She easily evaded his attempt to catch her calf between his feet. Moving nimbly out of his reach, she headed for the BMW. "You better not have reprogrammed my radio. " He hid his grin as she turned the ignition and AC/DC's "Back in Black" blasted out her windows. Sitting up, he eyed Bran, who gave the bundle still securely held in his grasp a calculating look. He parted his jaws to pant, showing a foam of saliva. The kitten squeaked. "You're too much of a sportsman for this little mite. Let's go find a box and take her somewhere not populated by a legion of hell- hounds. " Still, as he rose to do just that, his brow furrowed. Where was she going for the next two days? And where the hell was she taking him Sunday?
At least she did stay in close mind communication. Just before dawn on day one, he'd woken with his mind flooded by an image of her in a hotel lounger, dressed in nothing but a black satin garter belt and stockings. Her hand covered herself, playing lazily with her pussy, which she kept frustratingly out of view with artful placement of her fingers. She'd nearly brought herself to orgasm before she cut the link, her playful laughter making him want to choke her even as she succeeded in reassuring him of her well-being. After that, he wasn't able to tell where she was or what she was doing, but she regularly fired off demands for correspondence to be sent, phone calls and paperwork to be handled. There was a plethora of things she wanted done related to the Gathering in addition to his normal duties. Despite her teasing and his full schedule, he worried about her. While she hadn't experienced any symptoms of the virus for the past few days, underscoring how the third mark had boosted her im- mune system, he knew it wouldn't last forever. He dreaded seeing symptoms reappear, because how soon they did would be a barom- eter of the disease's progress. She needed that annual kill. He'd set all the details up, forcing himself to treat it as he did a domestic task. He'd communicated three possible dates based on the man's daily routine. She'd agreed to the date that was the furthest out, two weeks, and refused to con- sider anything closer. On one hand, it made sense. She was choosing the date closest to their departure to the Gathering so she'd make the most of the strength the kill would give her, while milking along the benefits of the third mark. Which also told him she suspected, no matter what measures they took, her time was short.
The idea of witnessing her annual kill and handling the disposal details was a hard ball in his stomach. But he knew that making it happen sooner was not likely to dissipate that ball. His conscience was starting to resemble a pitted battlefield.
It didn't matter. He had to push it out of his mind. Make her his primary focus, everything else just the details. You think by learning how to clear your mind I can't read your face, your heart, Jacob? Your body? It had been just a whisper in his mind as she picked up on his thoughts, but he resolved to keep his mind off it anyhow. He knew his conflict over it bothered her, and he didn't want to give her an opening to deny him the right to be at her side when she did it. If her time was short, there were many reasons, both emotional and functional, that he needed to stay as close as possible. When she came back on the second night, so close to dawn he met her at the car with a cape, she was pale. She didn't speak, but once they were inside she pushed him down into a chair, straddled him fully clothed and bit into his throat, seeking nourishment she seemed to need badly. She murmured her pleasure at the taste of his blood, the feel of his hands on her hips as she purposefully rubbed against him, arousing him to the point of bursting. Because of his worry, his need for her had a sharp, emotional edge that made the physical craving even more acute. But she'd moved off of him and left him with a wicked though somewhat wan smile. Until Sunday, my servant.