Page 39 of Out of Peril

Lindsey took us all to the library. It was a magnificent room. When I told her as much, she lit up like a Christmas tree. And I discovered that I loved the feeling it gave me knowing I'd just made my mate happy.

The four of us got right to work dusting and wiping down the wood. The kids especially enjoyed cleaning the large wolf statue in the center of the room.

Every now and then, I'd catch Lindsey watching me. And when I'd look up and notice, she would blush and look away, but there was a beautiful smile her face the entire time.

She was more at peace here in this room, and I noticed there was a lack of destruction and marred wood. Her beast had clearly left this one room alone.

I caught her staring again, and this time she gave a soft feminine giggle when she turned away.

Was my mate flirting with me or just embarrassed about being caught?

I wonder if she had any idea just how appealing and sexy this innocent game of hers was becoming. If it weren't for the kids in the room, I would have closed the gap between us and kissed her again. Maybe even tried for more.

I had learned enough about her past to suspect she hadn’t had much experience with men. That excited me more than anything. The way my wolf seemed to want to protect her, I imagined she was still a virgin, and I had no doubt I had her beast to thank for that. I very much liked the idea of being the only man to ever touch her.

Either way, I could get used to this sexy playful side of her. And I realized I genuinely wanted to know everything I could about the woman before me. She was so enchanting, and I knew there was more to her than the beast inside.

As we finished up and the kids started checking out some of the books on the shelves, I sat down on the large cushioned window seat. Much to my surprise, Lindsey joined me. She sat close enough that I could feel the heat of her body radiating against my side.

Without really planning it, I held out my hand, palm up, and allowed her to slip her small hand into my much larger one before lacing our fingers together.

A surge of awareness shot up my arm, and I didn't miss the slight tremor that ran through her.

Mine, my wolf growled.

“Mine,” I whispered in agreement.

She sighed contentedly and scooted a fraction closer to me.

I was as much aware of her as I was myself. Every word, every smile, every laugh captivated me.

Desperate to learn more, I started peppering her with questions. Nothing too deep or serious, just the sort of things one should know about his mate. I was happy to see her join in and ask me things too.

We spent much of the day right there on that window seat just holding hands and talking. The kids had long since abandoned us to run off and play in other parts of the house, the threat of Dante's visions temporarily forgotten.

At some point it hit me like a slap in the face, I was falling in love with this woman. And I didn't think it was just the bond making me feel that way. I didn't want to risk scaring her by saying it or ruin the wonderful day we were having in any way.

“Lindsey, can I see your beast?” I surprised us both by asking.

“What? You've already seen her.”

I could feel her apprehension building and hated to be the cause of it, but this was important. To love Lindsey meant learning to truly love her beast too. They were one in the same, and I was embarrassed to admit that I hadn't really looked at her when in that form. And I was surprised to realize that I not only needed to that for us, but I wanted to.

The kids had told me a bit about the genetic mix used to create her—bat, eagle, cheetah, perhaps some other sort of bird, and who knew what else.

“You're serious?”

“Very.”

She licked her lips nervously, drawing my attention to them and momentarily making me forget what we were even talking about. All I thought about in that moment was kissing her soft lips once more.

“Okay, but not in here. I could never live with myself if I accidentally destroyed this room. The library is no place for my beast.”

It took me a second to even realize what we were still talking about.

She got up and tugged me along with her, still holding her hand tightly in mine. I let her drag me from the room and out into the large foyer.

When she started to remove her clothes, I did too. Lust consuming my actions.

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