Page 24 of Pleasure and Mane
"Thank you," she whispered, though she wasn't entirely sure what she was thanking him for yet.
Caius's hand soon settled at the small of Quinn's back with possessive certainty as he turned and guided her down Main Street. The touch sent warmth spreading through her entire body, but she tried to focus on the charming storefronts that lined the cobblestone walkway.
"Leon might not have Denver's excitement," Caius said, "but it has something most cities have lost."
"Which is?"
"Community. Heart. People who actually give a damn about each other."
Quinn could see what he meant. The town stretched only three blocks in each direction, but every building radiated warmth and character. Hand-painted signs hung above shops with names like "Mountain Rose Bakery" and "Leon's General Store." Flower boxes overflowed with petunias and marigolds, and the sidewalks were spotless despite the mountain location.
"It's beautiful," Quinn murmured, taking in the town square ahead where a fountain sparkled in the sunlight. "It feels like stepping back in time."
"That's the idea."
Their first stop was the bakery, where construction scaffolding surrounded an expansion project. Caius moved with Alpha authority as he spoke with the foreman, but Quinn noticed how his eyes kept tracking back to her, watching every interaction she had with his people.
"You must be Quinn," said a woman with flour-dusted hands who'd emerged from the bakery kitchen. "I'm Martha. Heard you're helping our Lavinia through her pregnancy."
"Word travels fast here," Quinn replied with an easy smile.
"Honey, in a town this size, sneezing in the morning means everyone's saying 'bless you' by lunch." Martha's laugh was infectious. "How are you finding our little slice of paradise?"
Quinn was aware of Caius listening intently to her response. "It's lovely. Different from what I'm used to, but in the best way."
Martha beamed, and Quinn caught the subtle relaxation in Caius's shoulders.Why does my approval matter so much to him?
As they continued down the street, Quinn became increasingly aware of the whispered conversations that followed in their wake. She caught fragments—"mate" and "finally" and "about time"—but the words meant nothing to her. Caius seemed to hear them too, based on the way his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Caius," Quinn said quietly as they approached the park construction site, "what's a mate? People keep whispering about it, but?—"
"It's complicated," he cut her off, his voice rougher than usual. "Lion shifter terminology. Nothing you need to worry about."
But the dismissal felt like a deflection, and Quinn filed the topic away for later consideration.
At the park, Caius transformed into full Alpha mode as he surveyed the progress. Workers straightened under his attention, and Quinn was fascinated by this side of him—commanding, decisive, and utterly in control. When he rolled up his sleeves further to examine some blueprints, the muscles in his forearms flexed in ways that made her mouth go dry.
"Quinn, dear!" An elderly woman approached with a cane and a bright smile. Quinn had met her at the party last night, and they'd had a brief but pleasant conversation about gardening.
"Mrs. Whitman," Caius said, moving closer to Quinn's side. "How are your roses?"
"Magnificent. Though I can't take all the credit. This young lady here gave me some excellent advice last night about soil acidity." Eleanor's eyes twinkled. "Seems our Alpha has excellent taste in more than just business ventures."
Heat rushed to Quinn's cheeks. "I just mentioned something I remembered from my grandmother's garden."
"Nonsense. You have natural insight." Eleanor patted Quinn's arm with obvious affection. "Mark my words, this one's going to fit right in."
After Eleanor walked away, Quinn caught Caius watching her with an expression of intense satisfaction, like she'd just passed some test she hadn't known she was taking.
"You're very popular," she observed as they headed to their final stop.
"It comes with the territory." His hand found her lower back again, warm and protective. "But watching how you handle them... that's something else entirely."
The way he said it, rough with emotion, sent shivers through her body. There was something significant happening here, something beyond her role as Lavinia's midwife. The pride members weren't just being polite to a visitor—they were evaluating her and measuring her worth for something she couldn't quite grasp.
As they finished Caius's errands and headed back toward his truck, Quinn realized she hadn't thought about Denver, her practice, or her usual responsibilities in hours. The slower pace here felt natural, like slipping into a warm bath after years of cold showers.
"I should call Kate later," she said, more to herself than to him. "Make sure everything's running smoothly at the practice."
