Page 66 of Cruel Mate

“If I’d said we’d be here now all those years ago in Blackwell Falls, what would you have said?” Zander asked as he dropped down into an armchair, Kane and Will filing in behind them to hear his report.

“I wouldn’t have said anything,” Jack said, shaking his head as he sat down at his desk. “I’d have just laughed in your face.”

“None of us could have imagined having any of this,” Kane said. “Me, least of all. I was totally alone before you guys came along.”

“Maybe you should have stayed that way,” Will laughed, poking Kane playfully.

“It’d certainly be a simpler life,” Kane agreed with amusement. “But then I wouldn’t have you guys.”

“Aww, who’d have believed under that tough guy exterior there was a soft underbelly?” Will teased. Zander and Jack laughed along with him while Kane growled, baring his teeth.

“I’ll show you soft underbelly!”

“Oh, careful now, Kane,” Will winked, “I might start to think you wanna show me a good time.”

Everyone roared with laughter then, knowing the two werewolves were straighter than metal poles. Both of their conquest counts rivaled even Zander’s. That was, before he’d mated with Layla.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough you two,” Jack barked, waving the two of them down before he turned to Zander and asked, “What do you have to report?”

Zander shrugged and said, “Not much. The usual. The bad guys were neutralized, and I’ve handed off all the information to the major.”

“How is John?” Jack asked, looking curious.

“Missing us and all our antics terribly,” Zander scoffed. And all the men laughed.

Damn, it was good to be home.

If Zander had thought that his new life was unbelievable, what was even more astonishing was the garden when he stepped out onto the terrace at the back of the house.

Having taken to her gardening and trade business like a duck to water, Layla’s small garden back at their house hadn’t been nearly big enough to keep up with demand.

Seeing the potential and financial gain for the rest of the pack, Jack had offered up a portion of the garden for rent, and it seemed that since Zander had left Nightstar two weeks ago that portion of land had grown.

With JJ lying on a blanket in the center of the lawn, cooing away with a rattle in hand, Layla, Bonnie and Marie were hard at work tending the plants that Layla cared for as if they were her children.

And it was easy to see why. The place was an oasis of beauty and color, somewhere one could get lost for hours without a care in the world.

He couldn’t help himself. Crossing the lawn to where his wife knelt at the herb bed, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You had better stand up before I take you right here.”

He heard Layla’s breath catch in her throat and held out his hand to help her up.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she growled, stepping close to him and rising up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. Zander returned her challenge with a deep growl and gripped her hips, pulling her close. She only stopped him when she asked, “How did reporting go?”

Zander nuzzled his nose against hers. The last thing he wanted to do right now was talk about work. “Fine.”

Layla pulled back and examined his eyes closely. “Is there anything I should be worried about?”

Zander sighed and cupped her face in both his hands. Looking her deep in the eye without blinking, he said firmly, “You never need to worry ever again.”

Layla gulped again. This time it was not desire, but fear. “I’ll always worry. Especially now that we have JJ.”

She glanced across the lawn as if to check that their son hadn’t magically learned to roll off down the hill. Then she looked back at Zander and played with the facial hair upon his chin. “You need a trim.”

Zander leaned forward and rubbed his chin against her face until she squealed.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you like hairy men?” he growled playfully.

Layla laughed hard and demanded, “If I didn’t like hairy men, would I have married a werewolf?”

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