“Jesus,” he muttered as he took the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. “I’m acting pussy-whipped already.”
Just as he stepped into the cabin, he heard tires crunching along the dirt road, and Tatiana’s now-familiar energy signature whisked over him on a warm breeze. He breathed deeply and willed his eyes not to shift as he stood on the porch and watched them pull up. Tatiana wore a pair of dark sunglasses, but he could tell she was tracking his every move.
“Hey, Dom,” Layla said, stepping out of the passenger seat. “Thanks for dropping off the keys.”
Tatiana and Matt emerged and gathered their bags. They’d been running tests all afternoon in the lab, and Dominic was glad to see they were finished because having that human in the main house made him uncomfortable.
Layla let Cass down, and the puppy quickly began to claim the area as his by peeing on one of the stones lining the path.
“Hope Cass isn’t going to mark up the inside too,” Dominic muttered as the puppy bounded enthusiastically along the path and attacked various pieces of grass on the way.
“He’s claiming his territory,” Tatiana said with a grin as she watched Cass tumble along.
“You know how male animals are,” Matt chimed in. “They want the world to know what belongs to them. Tatiana and I see it all the time in the practice. Don’t we?”
Dominic grit his teeth and fought the urge to say something. He hated that this guy knew things about Tatiana and shared things with her that he didn’t. It was dumb as dirt to be jealous of this scrawny kid, especially because Tatiana clearly wasn’t interested in him, but it didn’t make it less true.
“Mm-hmmm.” Tatiana nodded but didn’t look at either of them as she continued up the steps. Careful. The teasing lilt of her voice floated into his mind. Your alpha male Amoveo is showing. Her sweet scent filled his nostrils, and combined with the telepathic connection, it made his dick twitch.
“I suppose I can’t say as I blame them.” Dominic breathed her in as she brushed past him and murmured in a low voice, “Marking their territory is embedded in their DNA.” He touched her mind with his. But I promise you, when I stake claim to my territory… I’ll choose a far more pleasant method.
Tatiana stumbled and almost fell, but Dominic grabbed her arm and kept her on her feet. “Careful,” he murmured. He gave her a knowing look. “You’ve already taken one tumble today.”
“Thank you.” She pulled her arm from his grasp and gave him a tight smile. “I think I can manage.”
Cass bounded up the steps between them, breaking the spell. They all watched as he went sliding across the smooth wood floors and landed butt first into the back of the couch.
Tatiana let out a whistle as she looked around the surprisingly roomy cabin. The first floor had an open layout with a large living and dining area to the left and a spacious kitchen to the right. Windows surrounded much of the first level, giving it the feeling of being far larger than it was.
“Just wanted to be sure you got settled. Did everything go well in the lab? Is it poisoning like you suspected?” Dominic asked as he closed the door behind him.
“Yeah,” Matt said with awe. “I’ve never seen such a cool setup. This Richard guy must be freakin’ loaded to have a med lab like that.”
Dominic ignored the kid and kept his attention on Tatiana.
“Yes. Someone tainted their feed supply, but the water came up negative.” Tatiana looked around the kitchen as she spoke, carefully avoiding him and his gaze. “We emptied and disinfected the feed buckets, so we’ll have to go out tomorrow to get clean food. They should be fine once it works its way out of their systems, but someone definitely messed with them. Although, I’m a bit worried about Spirit. I hope we got to her in time.”
“Yeah,” Matt chimed in. He scrunched his face up and ran a hand through his messy hair. “I don’t get it. Who would anyone mess with this guy’s horses?”
“He’s not just some guy,” Dominic said evenly. “He’s—”
“The horses are worth a fortune,” Layla interrupted and shot Dominic a look that screamed shut up. “Who knows why crazy people do crazy things? Anyway, Dominic and Eric will obviously have their hands full and are stepping up security. Right, Dominic?”
“It’s really none of our concern, Matt,” Tatiana added quickly. She smiled and lifted one shoulder. “We were hired to figure out what was going on, and we did. As soon as they’re all on the mend, you and I will be on our way.”
“So, what?” Dominic walked to the granite island and leaned both hands on it as he turned his full attention to Tatiana. “That’s it? You’re leaving?”
“Not yet.” She held his stare, meeting his challenge. “We’ll stay for a few more days to make sure their symptoms dissipate… and then we’ll go.”
“Aw, man,” Layla huffed. She leaned both elbows on the end of the island and looked at her sister. “I was hoping you’d stay longer.”
“Oh please.” Tatiana laughed. “You’ll be sick of me by tomorrow.”
“Well,” she said slowly, as if she was afraid to say more. “I won’t be here tomorrow or the rest of the week actually.”
“What?” Tatiana’s eyes widened, and she flicked them briefly to Dominic before narrowing them at her sister. “You’re leaving?”
Tatiana’s energy waves fluttered with panic and a touch of fear, making Dominic surprisingly uncomfortable. Was she afraid of him? Of being alone with him? He pushed himself away from the granite counter and walked over to the window, pretending to be interested in something outside.
“I’m sorry, sis. I got a call from National Geographic this morning for a photo shoot, and it’s too good a gig to pass up. William and I are leaving tomorrow afternoon. I’m surprised he didn’t give me a hard time about going, but I think the latest assassination attempt has him on edge. Listen, if you’re pissed at me, just take heart in knowing that I’ll have my husband doing his overprotective macho stuff during my entire trip. I’ve never taken him on a shoot, so I have no idea how this is going to go, and it could turn into a cluster-fuck of epic proportions.”
Dominic glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of Tatiana. Her arms were folded over her breasts, and she was biting her thumbnail. The woman had turned into a bundle of nerves in a matter of minutes, and he knew full well it was because of him. The puppy seemed aware of it too because he whimpered at her feet and rubbed against her legs.
“When will you be back?” Tatiana asked quietly. She let out a slow breath as she reached down and petted the dog.
“Saturday—a week from today—and I promise we’ll have some serious sister time, but I really can’t pass up this opportunity.”
“I know,” Tatiana said on a sigh of frustration. “I just… well, I guess this means we can finish up and head out as soon as possible. There really isn’t any other reason for me to stay. You and William should visit my place in Oregon when you’re finished with your gig.”
Dominic fought the urge to grab her, throw her over his shoulder, and tell her she wasn’t going anywhere without him ever again. However, he suspected a move like that would go over like a fart in church.
“Well,” Dominic interrupted. “However long you’re going to be here, you’ll need keys to the cabin. Here they are.” He placed them on the small table by the front door, trying not to sound like a possessive dickhead. He faced her again. “Not that anyone ever locks their doors around here.”
“First time for everything,” Matt said from his spot on the large leather sectional. Dominic had almost forgotten he was there. “Wouldn’t want any unwelcome visitors in the middle of the night.”