Page 15 of Pleasure and Mane
Instead, all he could think about was the taste of Quinn's lips and the way her body felt against his in the moonlight.
What was I thinking?The question had been torturing him since he'd fled the garden like a coward instead of walking her back to her suite like a gentleman. He'd left her standing there alone in the dark, probably confused and hurt by his abrupt departure.
The memory made his lion pace relentlessly. His beast wanted to track Quinn down and claim her properly this time—no hesitation and no walking away. The animal side of him didn't understand concepts like professional boundaries or species compatibility. It only knew that Quinn was theirs, and they'd abandoned her when she'd needed reassurance.
Caius scrubbed his hands through his hair, the weight of his leadership pressing down on him with crushing force. He'dbeen Alpha for fifteen years, and in all that time, he'd never let personal desire compromise his judgment. He'd made decisions based on logic and what was best for his pride, not on the demands of his heart or body.
But Quinn had shattered that supreme control in less than twenty-four hours.
The bedroom door opened without a knock, and Henry entered carrying a silver tray with coffee and what looked like reports from the barbecue preparations. His uncle's blue eyes held that knowing glint that always made Caius feel like a twelve-year-old boy caught sneaking extra dessert.
"The caterers arrived an hour ago," his uncle announced, setting the tray on the coffee table near the leather armchair. "The grills are being set up in the south gardens, and the band will start their sound check at three. Everything's proceeding on schedule."
Caius barely looked up from his laptop screen, though he hadn't processed a single word of the financial data in the past hour. "Good. That's... good."
"The guests should start arriving around four-thirty for the five o'clock start." Henry paused, and Caius could feel his uncle's penetrating stare. "I assume you'll be joining us at that time, instead of holing up in here like a hermit?"
"I have work to finish." The lie tasted bitter on his tongue, but Caius couldn't admit the truth—that he was hiding from a human woman who'd flipped his life upside down with one kiss.
"Hmm." Henry settled into the armchair with the casual ease that came from years of family intimacy. "And I suppose this sudden dedication to investment reports has nothing to do with our new resident?"
Caius's fingers stilled on the keyboard. His uncle had always been too perceptive for his own good, a trait that had served thepride well during Henry's years as acting Alpha. Now it just felt invasive.
"Quinn was brought here to care for Lavinia. That's all. I'm just behind on my work since helping her get settled yesterday."
"Of course." Henry's tone dripped with amused disbelief. "That's why you both disappeared for over an hour after dinner, and why you've been locked in your room ever since."
Heat crept up the back of Caius's neck, but he kept his expression neutral. "We discussed her background last night. It was a necessary step."
"I'm sure it was very... thorough."
Before Caius could formulate a response that didn't involve throttling his uncle, Henry's expression shifted to something more serious. The playful glint in his eyes disappeared, replaced by the sharp intelligence that had helped him guide Caius through the early years of his leadership.
"She's not leaving the party, you know," Henry said quietly. "Quinn. Lavinia invited several women from her pregnancy group to come early and speak with her about their experiences. Your mate wants to understand what our pride is facing."
The words hit Caius like a slap.Your mate.Henry knew. Of course he knew—the man had raised him and had probably sensed the mate bond the moment Caius walked back into the house last night reeking of Quinn's scent and barely controlled desire.
"She's not—" Caius started, then stopped. There was no point in lying to the man who'd helped him navigate every major crisis of his life.
"She's human," Caius said instead, the words heavy with all the implications that came with them. "It's impossible."
"Is it?" Henry leaned forward, his weathered hands clasped between his knees. "Or are you just afraid of what accepting her would mean?"
The question struck too close to home. Caius slammed the laptop shut and stood, his imposing frame casting shadows across the room as he moved to the windows overlooking the estate grounds. Below, he could see the catering staff setting up tables and stringing lights between the massive oak trees that dotted the south gardens.
"I've spent fifteen years putting this pride first," he said, his voice thick with emotion he rarely allowed himself to show. "Every decision, every sacrifice—it's all been for them. I can't just abandon that responsibility because of some biological imperative."
"Who says you'd be abandoning anything?" Henry rose and joined him at the window, his presence solid and comforting in the way it had been since Caius was a grieving twelve-year-old boy. "Maybe she's exactly what you—what all of us—need."
Caius wanted to argue, but movement in the garden below caught his attention. Quinn emerged from the mansion's side entrance, dressed in a flowing sundress the color of spring grass that made her long brown hair shine like silk in the afternoon sunlight. Even from this distance, she took his breath away.
She wasn't alone. Lavinia walked beside her, glowing with pregnancy and gesturing animatedly as she spoke. Behind them came three other women—members of Lavinia's pregnancy group, if Caius had to guess. They moved like a protective cluster around Quinn, their body language warm and welcoming.
They like her,he realized with a jolt of surprise.She's not just an outsider to them. They're treating her like she belongs.
"She asked specifically about attending the barbecue," Henry continued, his voice carefully neutral. "Said she wanted the chance to speak with anyone who might have insights about the pregnancy losses. Lavinia was thrilled, and apparently half the pregnancy group had wanted to meet the midwife who's going to help solve their problems."
Caius watched Quinn laugh at something one of the women said, her face lighting up with genuine joy. The sight hit him square in the chest, making his lion purr with satisfaction. His mate was being accepted by his pride. The thing he'd thought impossible was happening right in front of his eyes.
