Page 25 of Pleasure and Mane
Caius paused beside the truck, his blue eyes searching her face. "Having second thoughts about staying?"
"No," Quinn said quickly, then blushed at how eager she sounded. "I mean, Lavinia needs me here. And this town is... it's special. I can see why you love it so much."
The smile that spread across his face was devastating in its warmth. "Good," he said simply, but the single word carried the weight of something much larger.
As he helped her into the truck, his hands lingering at her waist longer than necessary, Quinn couldn't shake the feeling that she was standing at the edge of something life-changing. Six months had seemed like a long commitment when she'd agreed to come here, but now it felt like it might not be nearly enough time.
TEN
CAIUS
Caius knew he should turn the truck toward the mansion. His desk was buried under reports that needed his attention, investment proposals that required careful review, and a growing stack of correspondence that Henry had been diplomatically reminding him about for days. Ever since Quinn had arrived two days ago, his legendary focus had scattered like leaves in a windstorm.
But as he glanced at her sitting beside him on the truck bench of his '52 Chevy, her dark hair whipping in the mountain breeze and that serene smile lighting up her face, work felt like the last thing he wanted to think about. She looked utterly content, like she belonged in this moment, in his truck, beside him. The sight of her like this sent his lion purring with deep satisfaction.
This could be my life,he thought, watching her tip her face toward the sun.Every day, coming home to her. Having someone to share these moments with.
The rational part of him – the part that had been Alpha for too long – warned him that if he wanted Quinn to be in his life permanently after her six-month commitment ended, he needed to prove he could balance being both a devoted mate and aneffective leader. Right now, he was failing spectacularly at the latter.
But when she turned those bright green eyes on him, full of joy and something that looked suspiciously like happiness, rational thought fled entirely.
Instead of turning toward home, Caius pressed the accelerator and continued down the winding mountain road.
"Where are we going?" Quinn asked, her voice carrying curiosity rather than concern. "I thought we were heading back."
"Change of plans." He shot her a grin that felt lighter than he'd managed in years. "There's a little diner about twenty minutes down this road. Best pie in three counties, according to Henry. Thought we could grab some lunch and enjoy this weather."
Her smile could have powered the entire universe. "That sounds more than okay with me."
The drive stretched through some of the most beautiful country Colorado had to offer – rolling meadows dotted with wildflowers, dense pine forests that released their crisp scent into the warm air, and distant peaks that looked like they'd been painted against the azure sky. But Caius was stealing glances at Quinn more than the scenery, memorizing the way she looked. So beautiful and so carefree.
She needs to stay,his lion insisted with growing certainty.She fits here. She belongs here. With us.
The Pine Ridge Diner sat nestled in a grove of aspen trees, its rustic exterior and red-checkered curtains promising exactly the kind of down-home comfort food that had kept it running for forty years. They settled into a corner booth with cracked vinyl seats and a Formica table that had seen better decades, but the coffee was strong, and the menu promised everything from chicken-fried steak to fresh berry pie.
"This place is perfect," Quinn said, running her fingers along the worn edge of the table. "It feels like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting."
"I think that's the idea. Sometimes the best places are the ones that don't change with the times."
They ordered – Quinn chose the grilled chicken salad while Caius went for the pulled pork sandwich – and settled into the comfortable rhythm of conversation that had been developing between them. But as their food arrived, her expression grew more serious.
"Caius, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Something that's been bothering me since yesterday."
The shift in her tone triggered his Alpha instincts. He set down his sandwich and gave her his complete attention. "What is it?"
"Do you know someone named Vincent Keale?"
The name hit him like a punch to the gut, and Caius felt his entire body tense. His lion surged forward, hackles raised, recognizing a threat to their territory and their mate.
"Where did you hear that name?"
"The women from Lavinia's pregnancy group mentioned him. And some of the couples at the party last night." Quinn leaned forward, her professional instincts clearly engaged. "When they were telling me about their pregnancy losses, something didn't add up."
Caius's hands clenched into fists on the table. "Vincent is a land developer. He's been circling our town like a vulture for the past year, trying to convince families to sell their property to him. Wants to turn Leon into some kind of commercial development – shopping centers, highways, the whole nightmare."
"That's exactly what I was afraid you'd say."
"Why? What did they tell you?"
