Page 27 of Pleasure and Mane
"And you don't understand that this is exactly what I trained for." She unbuckled her seatbelt and angled toward him, her hand coming to rest on his forearm. "I've handled toxicology cases before, Caius. Substance abuse during pregnancy, accidental poisonings, and chemical exposures. This is my expertise."
The touch of her fingers on his skin sent electricity rushing through him, but it was the unwavering confidence in her voice that truly undid him. This woman – his mate – wasn't backing down from a fight that could save his pride. She wasn't running from the danger or complexity of their situation.
She was running toward it, ready to stand beside him.
"Quinn." Her name came out rough. "What you figured out today – about Vincent, about the connection to the pregnancy losses – I would never have seen it. Hell, none of us would have. You were just supposed to be here as Lavinia's midwife, but you've already done more for this pride than you know."
A soft blush colored her cheeks. "I was just doing my job."
"No." He reached up to cup her face, his thumb tracing the delicate line of her cheekbone. "You were doing so much more than your job. You went above and beyond to help me and my pride, and that means more to me than I can put into words."
The air in the truck cab grew thick with unspoken tension. Quinn's lips parted slightly, and for a moment, Caius thought he might finally find the courage to tell her everything – about themate bond, about what she meant to him, about how desperately he wanted her to stay forever.
But fear clawed at his throat, silencing the words.
What if she runs?The thought crashed through him with devastating clarity.What if telling her about the mate bond sends her straight back to Denver?
Quinn was human. She had no understanding of fated mates and no biological programming that would make her accept what probably sounded like a fantasy. Worse, she might think he was trying to manipulate her into staying, using some mystical connection as an excuse to control her.
And God help him, he couldn't lose her. Not now. Not when he was just beginning to understand how empty his life had been without her in it.
"We should go inside," he said finally, though every cell in his body protested. "We need to prepare for tonight's meeting."
Disappointment flickered across Quinn's features before she masked it with a professional smile. "Of course. And Caius? Whatever this Vincent situation brings, we'll handle it together."
Together.The word hit him with sheer force, full of promise and possibility.
As they walked toward the mansion's front entrance, Caius made a silent vow. He would court Quinn properly, the way Lavinia had suggested. He would prove that he could be more than just her temporary employer or a dominating Alpha who expected obedience.
He would show her that he could be the man worthy of her choosing to stay.
ELEVEN
QUINN
Quinn settled into the chair at the antique writing desk positioned near the floor-to-ceiling windows of her suite as the late afternoon sun streamed through the glass. The view of Caius's meticulously maintained gardens should have been soothing, but her mind refused to focus on the roses and lavender beds below.
Instead, she started replaying every moment from their trip into town like scenes from a movie she couldn't stop watching.
"Focus, Quinn," she muttered to herself, spreading her notes across the mahogany surface. "People's lives are at stake."
The gravity of what they'd discovered about Vincent Keale demanded her complete professional attention, but her heart kept wandering back to the way Caius had looked driving his father's restored truck. His wind-tousled hair that caught the sunlight and those impossibly blue eyes that crinkled with genuine joy as he'd glanced over at her. When was the last time she'd seen a man look so utterly content just to be in her presence?
Never,her treacherous mind whispered.You've never had anyone look at you the way Caius does.
She forced herself to review the timeline she'd constructed from the pregnancy group mothers' stories. Each account followed a disturbingly similar pattern. Vincent's unexpected visit, his charming demeanor, his request for water or coffee, and then the devastating loss weeks later. The correlation was too strong to ignore but presenting it to an entire pride of grieving families required delicate handling.
I need concrete evidence,she reminded herself, tapping her pen against the desk.Speculation won't be enough to convince everyone, and I can't afford to cause panic without proof.
But even as she tried to organize her thoughts into coherent talking points for tonight's meeting, her pulse quickened remembering how Caius had placed his hand protectively on her lower back as they'd walked down Main Street. The gesture had felt so natural, so possessive, yet respectful. Like he was silently announcing to his pride that she belonged under his protection.
Which brought her back to that word that kept floating through hushed conversations whenever she was near.Mate.
"It's just lion shifter terminology," Caius had said when she'd pressed him earlier, but his deflection felt too practiced and too dismissive for something so seemingly insignificant. The way people's eyes lit up when they saw them together, the knowing smiles from the pride elders, and Lavinia's barely contained excitement—there was definitely more to this mate business than Caius was letting on.
Why won't he just tell me?The question had been circling her thoughts all afternoon, growing more insistent with each memory of his protective touches and heated glances.
Quinn set down her pen and leaned back in the leather desk chair, allowing herself a moment to simply remember. The way his large hands had spanned her waist when he'd helped her down from the truck, lingering longer than necessary. How his jaw had tightened with barely controlled fury when she'dmentioned Vincent's name. The fierce pride in his voice when he'd thanked her for uncovering the threat to his people.
