Page 178 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Flynn nodded. “I’ll be back around mid-morning?”

Langston shook his hand. “Works for me. See you then.”

Flynn looked at Stephanie. “Could I see you outside real quick?’

“Yeah,” Steph said quickly, jumping up from the chair.

I looked at Jace, leaning close to whisper in his ear. “They look smitten. That was fast.”

Jace cleared his throat. “It always is. Even for me.”

“It sure didn’t seem that way when I met you,” I said. “I had the distinct feeling you wanted me gone.”

Jace lowered his voice. “I was scared, okay? Sue me.”

The front door reopened, and Flynn and Steph walked back in, her lipstick smeared, hair somewhat disheveled, and her clothes looked slightly askew. Jesus, I thought.

Langston laughed at my expression. “Shifters learn about fated mates from a young age. Usually”—he sent an exasperated glance at Waylan—“we don’t waste much time when we find them.”

“Exhibit A,” Jace said, gesturing to Steph as she straightened her blouse.

Steph’s face turned a deep crimson. “I’m gonna have Tank escort me back home, if that’s okay?”

“That’s fine,” Jace said. When she turned to leave, he called for her to stop. “Steph?”

She looked over her shoulder, fear in her eyes. She was worried she’d be punished for something else. At that moment, she didn’t look like a shifter to me. She looked like a scared rabbit cornered by a fox.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” Jace said. “For coming to tell us. And for everything else.”

A heartbreakingly happy smile broke across her face, and her eyes shone. She didn’t seem capable of saying anything, probably for fear of breaking down. Instead, she nodded once and hurried out.

“I’m going, too,” Flynn said. “To escort Stephanie. I’m sure your guy Tank is capable, but…” He shrugged, knowing any explanation was unnecessary, and rushed out the door.

“I guess that’s our cue,” Langston said. “We’ll let you all rest up.”

He and the others headed for the door, but Waylan lagged behind, sending worried glances up the stairs. Harley and Tinsley were still upstairs.

“You’ve gotta give her some time,” I said. “Trust me, Harley is worth waiting for.”

Waylan heaved a sigh, then left.

In their absence, the house was preternaturally quiet. There’d been so much activity over the last couple of days, it was strange to sit in silence for once.

Jace wrapped his arms around me, and I sank back into him, enjoying the privacy and peace. Since my kidnapping, there hadn’t been many moments like this—time to simply sit and enjoy each other, and I would try my best to relish it.

“Do you want to do something really crazy?” Jace told me a few minutes later.

“Always, though I don’t think my lady parts can handle anything too intense after what we did earlier.”

Jace barked a laugh. “Not that, though I do like where your head’s at. I meant we could do something normal. We haven’t had much of that.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I thought we’d put on a movie, pop some popcorn, and drink a whole bottle of wine. A nice, plain evening in.”

“A stay-in date night? My god, how exciting.”

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