Page 25 of Honey Heat
“Thank you,” Ethan whispered, not moving away. His hazel eyes were dark with something that made Lucio’s pulse quicken.
Without thinking, Lucio leaned in, capturing Ethan’s lips in a gentle kiss. His mate responded immediately, pressing closer, one bandaged hand coming up to rest against Lucio’s chest.
The kiss deepened, Lucio’s hand sliding to the small of Ethan’s back, careful of his injuries. A soft moan escaped Ethan’s throat, the sound sending heat coursing through Lucio’s veins.
He pulled back reluctantly, resting his forehead against Ethan’s. “We should probably eat something,” he murmured.
“Food. Right.” Ethan looked dazed, his lips slightly swollen from their kiss. “Good idea.”
They made their way back to the kitchen, Lucio’s hand resting lightly on the small of Ethan’s back.
While preparing the meal, Lucio kept glancing at his mate, who had found the remote and was flipping through channels. His mate looked right in his space, like he’d always belonged. The domesticity of it all hit Lucio with unexpected force.
His phone buzzed with a text from Santiago. Chopper stable. Martinez says he’ll make it. Shooter still unknown.
Lucio’s grip tightened on the knife he was using to chop garlic.
He typed back. Good news. Taking care of my mate. Will check in tomorrow.
“Everything okay?” Ethan called from the living room.
“Yeah,” Lucio replied, setting his phone aside. “Just an update on Chopper.”
“The guy who got shot?” Ethan’s voice grew closer as he appeared in the kitchen doorway, leaning against the frame. “Is he going to be all right?”
Lucio nodded, resuming his chopping. “Looks like it. He’s tough.”
“What happened to him?” Ethan asked, taking a tentative step into the kitchen.
“Someone shot him on the side of the road. We don’t know who yet.” Lucio didn’t want to worry his mate, but he wouldn’t lie to him either. “It might be connected to what happened to you.”
Ethan’s face paled slightly. “You think so?”
“I don’t know,” Lucio admitted. “But it’s too much of a coincidence. First, you get tortured for information about your clan, then one of our pack members gets shot in broad daylight.”
“I should have told you more about what happened to me,” Ethan said quietly.
Lucio set down his knife and crossed to his mate. “You don’t have to talk about it until you’re ready.”
“But if it could help—”
“It can wait until after dinner,” Lucio insisted. “You need to eat and rest.”
Ethan nodded then surprised Lucio by leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not pushing. For bringing me here. For…” Ethan gestured vaguely. “Everything.”
Lucio smiled, feeling something settle inside him. “That’s what mates do, cariño.”
Dinner was a quiet affair, with Ethan complimenting the food between bites while Lucio helped him manage the fork with his bandaged hands. They talked about small things—Lucio’s job as the pack’s tech expert, Ethan’s work as a wildlife photographer, the books they’d read recently.
It was only after they’d moved back to the couch, bellies full and the kitchen cleaned, that Ethan brought up his captivity again.
“They kept asking about clan territory,” he said, staring at his hands. “About our defenses, access points, how many of us there were.”
Lucio sat beside him, close enough that their shoulders touched. “Did they say why?”
