His lion began to purr and everything inside him relaxed. This was where she belonged. His cock flexed in ready agreement. He ignored his more carnal instincts and focused on taking care of her emotional needs. She needed comfort, and it was his job to provide it for her.
“What’s going to happen?” She tilted her head back and stared up at him.
He shook his head and placed a light kiss in the middle of her forehead. “I don’t know. I expected to hear from Hades by now.” The morning had come and gone and it was now afternoon. All this waiting was beginning to wear on him, and he knew it had to be doing the same to Araminta. Maybe that was Hades’ plan, to lull them into a false sense of security. Wasn’t going to happen. Leander knew Hades wouldn’t give up, would attack when they least expected it. He gently touched her cheek. “Hades sent his minions to search your home.”
Araminta stiffened and sucked in a breath, but she nodded. “I expected as much.”
Her bravery continued to impress him. “What could he have been searching for?”
She shook her head. “I honestly don’t know.”
Leander made himself release Araminta. As much as he wanted her in his arms, he could not allow himself to become distracted by her. A thought occurred to him. “What were you writing?”
She leaned against the counter and nibbled on her bottom lip. Leander wanted to nibble on it for her, wanted to lick and sooth her abused mouth. There was much he wanted to do to her.
“I’d started to outline my third book. The one about the lion.”
All his senses kicked into overdrive. “You were writing about me?”
“I’m not sure if it was you, per se, but it was about a lion shifter and a writer.” Her gaze grew thoughtful. “Do you think that was it?” She shook her head before he could answer. “But I didn’t write much past the beginning. We’ve already gotten farther than the characters in the book.”
Disappointment swamped him. He’d been hoping there was something in her writing that would help them. Something, or someone, was moving around outside. He cocked his head and heard the lightest shuffling on the dry grass.
He tried to tap into more of his power so he could determine who or what might be out there. Nothing. He was still weak with only the bare bones of his power available to him. He could manifest clothing and his weapons and nothing more. He had to depend on his enhanced senses, natural power, speed and cunning to protect Araminta.
He prayed to the Lady that it would be enough to save them both.
“I need to go and check the perimeter. You stay inside, and whatever you do, don’t answer the door.”
“Are you sure you should go out there?” She reached for him but stopped herself. Leander wanted to roar. His hatred for Hades grew with each passing second. Because of the threat to them, Leander had been forced to keep Araminta at arm’s length. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, and now she was leery about reaching out to him. It wasn’t to be borne.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her into his arms, burying his face in the curve of her neck. He inhaled, taking in the various scents that surrounded her. She smelled of clean, honest sweat and her perfumed soap. He nuzzled her and inhaled again. There, ever so faint, was the sweet scent of her arousal. In spite of the danger, in spite of the way he’d put up a wall between them, she still wanted him.
He felt the barriers he’d erected start to crumble. Groaning, he dropped a quick, hard kiss on her mouth. “Stay inside.” He set her away from him and stalked to the back door. He closed it none too gently behind him.
Chapter Eleven
Araminta pressed her fingers against her tingling lips and stared at the back door. The sound of it slamming still rang in the air. The man was driving her crazy with his mixed signals. One minute it seemed as though he didn’t want to be anywhere near her, and the next he was all over her.
Her nipples tightened and she swallowed a moan as her pussy clenched. The man was so damn sexy all he had to do was walk in a room and she wanted him. Which was crazy given the situation they were in.
She admired the fact he was trying to remain in control and not give in to the sexual urges they both had. He was staying focused on the task at hand—survival. She should follow his lead and do the same.
She took a deep breath and slowly released it. Her body was still hyperaware but slightly more under control. She headed back to the bedroom, grabbed the garbage bag and carried it into the smaller bedroom, which acted as her office. Papers were strewn everywhere. Most of them were of no importance to anyone but her. There were contracts and manuscripts and reams of research.
The mess was quite daunting.
Even if her manuscripts had been taken, she still had all of them on a flash drive that was attached to her key chain tucked away safely in her purse, plus they were all on her laptop as well. Her laptop case now sat just inside the office door where she’d stored it earlier. Against Leander’s protests, she’d gotten her suitcase and computer out of the car, figuring her belongings would be safer in the house. Now she wasn’t sure, but it was too late to do anything about it.
She thought about taking out her laptop and trying to do some work. Anything to take her mind off the mess her life had become. But the jumble of papers wasn’t going to go away unless she took care of it, and only she could sort out the paper explosion on the floor.
She gingerly walked across the floor to her desk. Her favorite paperweight, a rock from the coast of Maine, sat unmoved and undamaged. She and her grandmother had taken the trip the year before her grandmother had passed away. They’d rented a cabin on the beach and had spent five glorious days there. She ran her finger over the memento.
Family pictures and several award certificates still hung on the wall, their glass frames intact. There was no quick way to deal with this mess. She’d have to sort through it one piece of paper at a time.
That called for coffee and maybe a piece of the coffee cake that Mary Jo had brought over. She could practically hear it calling to her from the kitchen counter. Maybe she should have some cake first. After all, if she didn’t make it through today she wouldn’t need to worry about her weight any longer. And if she did make it through today she’d probably need the extra calories to fight demons. Made perfect sense to her. Cake first, clean later.
“I thought he’d never leave.” The feminine voice was laced with boredom and a hint of malice.
Araminta whirled around, kicking up several pieces of paper in her wake. Heart pounding in her chest, she faced the intruder.
Luna Starquest was leaning against the doorjamb with her arms crossed under her ample breasts. As always, her outfit was stylish and form fitting. The dark-blue low-cut dress clung to her curves and stopped barely south of her crotch. She was wearing matching shoes with heels that had to be at least six inches.
“What are you doing here?” Araminta couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that Luna was standing in the middle of her home. She hadn’t heard anyone come in. Besides, the front door was locked and Leander was out back. Could she have slipped past Leander?
Luna laughed. “Haven’t you put it all together yet?” Luna straightened away from the door and gave a mock sigh. “Really. Do you think I’d bother with a little nobody like yourself if you didn’t have something I wanted?”
That hit her where it hurt the most. Araminta was very insecure about her ability as a writer. No one, not even her beloved grandmother, had thought she could make her living selling her stories. Her last serious boyfriend had informed her it was time to grow up and put childish dreams aside and concentrate on her real job. That’s when she’d shown him the door. Even her recent success hadn’t put a dent in her self-doubt.