He stepped closer and chuckled. “What are you offering, little one?”
She opened and closed her mouth, her pupils dilating, her chest rising as she took a deep breath.
“Your porch light was off. I just wanted to be sure you got into the house ok.” He offered to break the silence.
She nodded. “Thank you.” She turned and dropped them again, groaning, her hands shaking.
She stooped to get them and stepped back into his chest. His body went up several hundred degrees and he grabbed her waist to keep her from falling.
“Lord have mercy,” she whispered.
He laughed outright, enjoying her flustered face. He grabbed the keys from her and opened her front door and stepped back, holding out her keys.
“Good night.” He whispered.
“Good night,” was her breathless reply as she rushed in and shut the door.
“Lock the door, babe.” He said through the oak door. He smiled when he heard the lock snick into place.
Carlos met him at his truck, his arms folded over his chest as he leaned against the front of the hood. “Tell me again why I can’t charge in and take our mate.”
Derrick adjusted his cock, painfully hard and grunted. “Because we have to stabilize this prowl.”
“A little taste, Beta.” Carlos begged, a mock pout on his face.
Derrick groaned and leaned on the truck next to his alpha. Carlos may be joking, but he was more than tempted to go knock on her door and charm his way inside.
“I don’t think a little taste will work with our mate, Alpha. She’s fucking beautiful, and perfect, and I know once either of us tastes her…”
Carlos groaned. “It will be a dream.” He said finishing Derrick’s sentence.
Derrick stood next to his best friend and willed his body under control. He wanted nothing more than to go next door after Savannah, but he didn’t want to rush her. It was okay, he could be patient. As it had been with Carlos, before he’d convinced him to become Felix of their pride, he’d wear his mate down just the same. Soon he’d have the family he wanted, and he didn’t intend to fuck it up. He pushed his body off the truck and handed Carlos the keys.
“Let’s get home, we have an alpha to meet tomorrow and a prowl to stabilize. I want our mate sooner rather than later.”
“Damn right.” Carlos growled and headed to the driver’s side.
They drove the fifteen minutes away from Savannah’s neighborhood to the apartment building they’d bought near downtown to be prowl housing. It had two separate towers. While they’d been in Jersey, the contractors they’d hired had finished refurbishing the first tower which would be used as their main living space and family housing. The other was for the single panthers and still being worked on. The prowl they’d established in Jersey would be trickling down to Florida as soon as they finished the deal with the new alpha and he wanted the building ready for them to move in.
The Felix put in the code to open the front gate and drove around the perimeter of both towers to check out everything. Derrick knew Carlos would still do a round on foot to check out security and be sure his scent markings held. Derrick headed to his apartment on the fifth floor once they’d pulled into the garage. The two-bedroom was temporary. They refurbed the seventh floor to be a penthouse suite, one that would be their permanent residence once they’d fully mated.
His panther chaffed at being down here when he should be upstairs assuring their mate would be comfortable. There wasn’t anything he could do for now, so he pushed down on his cat, promising him they would take care of their mate soon.