“So, what happens now?”
“I hoped once the Hatti searched and didn’t find me, they would move on. I didn’t expect them to come back and bring you presents.” He pointed to the pearl necklace.
“This was the least of it.”
“There was more?” He wheezed as the air left his lungs in shock.
“Come see for yourself.” She led him to a closet by her workshop and began to pull out a dozen wooden boxes decorated with geometric patterns inlaid in precious metals.
He helped her stack them on the floor, numb with disbelief.
“I’m not sure what’s in them. Taltos showed me, but I was too surprised to pay much attention, and then Kyle got weird and… well, I just shoved the boxes in here and forgot about them.”
Lateef opened a box, speechless at the array of jewelry pieces revealed.
“I still don’t understand why they brought any of this.” She held up a beautifully filigreed pendant made of a metal that gleamed like fine silver yet had a much warmer glow. The figure looked like a dragon with sapphire eyes and was so finely done it seemed to move in her hand. “All I did was feed them breakfast. And I had to threaten to refuse the gifts if they wouldn’t accept lunch.”
His eyes grew wide and his stomach churned. “You threatened them?”
She shrugged. “Not really. I told them they had to eat since lunch was already cooked and then we could be even—they didn’t owe me anything else.”
He shook his head in admiration. “And they agreed?” This woman was a constant source of amazement. She was absolutely fearless at times.
“Taltos tried to argue, but I don’t think the rest of the group was okay with leaving.” She smiled in memory of the meeting. “Everything smelled good by then. I let him know if they didn’t eat and take the rest with them, I’d have to throw the leftovers away. Got an immediate reaction.”
“I bet.” Lateef’s knees weakened. He had seen the Hatti fighting demo. Any one of the soldiers could have killed her without breaking a sweat. “What happened then?”
“They ate, I packed up the leftovers and made up a plate for their Thane. I thought I owed him something special after he sent me these pearls.” She once again fingered the strand, wonder in her gaze. “So, I sent them a local wine since they apparently sent me some of their wines.” She pointed at the box full of metal containers. “I added a bottle of mead for the Thane and one for Taltos, since he had been so kind. Then they left.”
“You make it sound so much like a tea-party in the garden,” Lateef said. He was unable to tear his gaze from her. She had handled the threat so easily. Trevan had regaled him with numerous tales of bloody conquest, all set off with far less provocation.
“I didn’t do anything special,” she protested.
“Probably why you got away with it.” He continued quickly at the flash of anger from her. “The Hatti are very, very serious about their food. Their sub-clans are headed by matriarchs who jealously guard the family recipes. Wars have been fought over attempts to redact a recipe and marriages are arranged as much on culinary prowess as genetics and clan ties. There isn’t an equivalent concept in your world. Food is such an important thing to them the fact you took them in and fed them and asked for nothing in return—not even information—put them in your debt.”
Dani gaped wordlessly at him for a long moment. “It was only crepes,” she finally got out. “Not worth this!” she held up the dragon pendant.
“It was to them.”
She had no response, so he showed her how the wine containers kept a preservative seal on the remaining wine. Another box contained bottles of liquors they uncorked to sniff. Rich odors of berries and licorice filled the air and they took turns tasting samples dripped onto their fingers. Every time their hands touched a spark passed between them, and those touches grew longer and the silences grew more and more heated.
“Danielle.” Lateef took both of her hands in his and turned her to face him, unable to ignore the feelings any longer. Fear made his hands tremble, but he kept his shields up, afraid to find out what she wanted.
“Yes?” Her hands shook to the beat of her pounding heart.
“Do… Do you think we… Can it…” His voice trailed off.
She reached up and cupped his face with her hand. “Do I want to be with you?”
He nodded slowly, allowing her to see all of his fear and insecurity. She could so easily destroy him and the thought terrified him.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I very much want to be with you, no matter where that might be.”
He raised a hand to cover hers, closing his eyes. Relief made his muscles weak, but he pulled her in tight against him.
“Even if we are far away from here?” he whispered, his lips scant inches away from hers.
“Even if it’s in another universe.” She stretched forward, closing the distance between them.
Her lips were every bit as warm and soft as he imagined. His mind went blank as his nerves came alive, the fire growing with every touch until he wanted to pull her entire body into his to merge forever. His hands roamed across her skin, pushing aside the interfering pieces of cloth in his way. She helped, her excitement amplifying his until there was nothing but need. The two of them existed in a space beyond the physical, bodies entwined as their minds merged and they danced to the oldest music of all, lost to the flames of passion consuming them both.
Chapter Seventeen
“Good morning.”
Dani smiled lazily and stretched as she slowly opened her eyes.
Lateef lay beside her, propped up on one elbow as he watched her. His expression moved from open and vulnerable to passionate in seconds flat.
“It is a good morning.” She returned his greeting.
He laughed and leaned over to kiss her. The kiss deepened and she tangled one leg around his, pulling him off balance until he lay stretched out beside her, in contact along the length of their bodies.
Warmth bloomed in her belly as she ran her hand up and down the length of his toned body. Her breath came in pants as his hands made her skin heat with a delicious glow. All thoughts of her scars and imperfections vanished.
‘You’re beautiful exactly the way you are.’
Dani wasn’t sure she heard the words with her ears or in her mind, but the emotion banished the final shadows from her soul. She could finally release the overwhelming sorrow that had dominated her life for so long.
Lateef paused with his lips inches above hers. “You bring me joy. I love you, Dani and I will spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
Tears stung her eyes and she rose to meet his lips, kissing him with an intensity that left her shaking as he plunged deep inside her. Fireworks burst behind her eyelids as they moved together.
She felt his mental invitation to meld with him. After a slight hesitation, she accepted, and the universe exploded with so many different sensations it was impossible to tell where her skin ended and his began. Time slowed to a crawl as pleasure swirled throughout her body, pulling her to heights she had never imagined possible.
‘You’ll never be alone again.’
The absolute certainty of his love pushed her over the edge and she shuddered as an orgasm caught her.
She tightened her legs around his body as he followed her over the cliff of passion, secure in the knowledge that against all odds, she had found her soul mate.
****
An hour later Dani stood at the stove, flipping pancakes. She’d showered and dressed in comfy jeans and a loose sweater but was barefoot with wet hair trailing down her back like a thick snake. Lateef was in the shower now. They’d tried sharing one together, but the friction of soap and wet bodies led to more contact and… soon they needed another shower, and the hot water was getting low. So, they had finally decided to bathe separately. She hummed as
she moved around the kitchen, more relaxed than she had been in years.
“You are beautiful!” Lateef’s quiet comment from the doorway didn’t startle her.
She knew exactly where he was now. In fact, she had to concentrate to completely separate her feelings from his. Except for the few things that she kept behind tight barriers. No one else needed to know those bad things. It had to be okay for her to forget about them, too.
He took several steps to close the gap between them and swept her body against his. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this.”
“Me either.” Dani leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing with contentment, until a whiff of smoke broke the spell.
She squeaked and pulled away to drag the pan off the burner. “You are impossible.”
He stepped behind her and pushed the thick mop of wet hair aside to nibble on the back of her neck as she poured more batter.
“That’s my job,” he said.
She twisted away with a fake angry growl. “And what are you going to say when the house burns down because you’re distracting me?”
“I would never let anything happen to you.” He took her face between his strong hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. “I’ll always stand between you and danger.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t possibly keep.” Dani pulled away from him with a sudden twinge of foreboding. “I don’t need protection.”
“Can’t help it.” Lateef snuck in a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll do my best not to be smothering, but I can’t guarantee I won’t occasionally slip into the heroic protector role.”
“As long as you understand I’ll do the same thing sometimes.” She captured his lips with hers, sinking into his embrace.
Abby barked and they heard a car coming down the driveway.
“Who could be here?” She fought the urge to ignore the sound and drag Lateef back up to her room.
Lateef’s eyes unfocused momentarily, then his gaze sharpened on her. “It’s that PI.”
“Kyle? Why is he back again?” Outrage warred with curiosity as she considered calling Charlie, but decided to see what he wanted first.
“He cares about you.”
“I never wanted him to.” She flipped the almost forgotten pancake. “I didn’t encourage him.”
“You didn’t need to.” Lateef caressed her face as he tugged her against his chest. “You are a beautiful, vibrant lady. All you have to do is smile and birds fly down from the sky to be near you.”
She laughed aloud. “No more radio for you. I have to cut you off when you start paraphrasing song lyrics.”
“But I’m serious,” he said. “Maybe not about the birds, but to men like Kyle? You’re catnip.”
She rolled her eyes at him, refusing to pick up on his seriousness. “Do you have any idea how bad catnip smells?”
“Not to a cat.” He stuck his nose on her neck and sniffed loudly before nibbling up to her ear.
“Such a cruel thing to do when company is coming.” Dani clutched at the stove to remain upright as her knees threatened to buckle.
“I know.” His quiet murmur was more in her mind than her ears. “But you are irresistible.”
“We could hide upstairs and refuse to answer the door.”
“He’s determined to see you today.” Regret and disappointment were obvious in Lateef’s voice. He straightened, holding tightly to her until she regained her own sense of equilibrium. “Besides, the scent of burnt pancakes will give him a reason to insist.”
She swore under her breath as she turned back to the stove to take care of the problem.
“You know, there was something to be said for being alone. I never used to burn food.”
“But you were lonely, and now you’ll never be alone again.”
She nodded. Even if she found herself physically alone, she would never again have to endure the tortured emptiness of being utterly abandoned as she had since losing Caity. It seemed like a silly distinction, but it was huge emotionally.
She leaned against Lateef’s warm strength, enjoying his physical presence for a few seconds, before Abby’s renewed barking pulled her back to the present.
“I guess we should let Kyle in.” Reluctance slowed her words.
“Maybe he’ll go away happy if you feed him.” Lateef dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “It worked for the Hatti.” He gave her one final hug and stepped away. “Just remember I won’t let him or anyone else hurt you.”
“I’m not that delicate.”
“But I am that protective.”
“Then go get some plates and mugs.” She tapped his chest playfully. “I’ll get some pancakes ready. It’s hard to argue with a full mouth.”
She had a couple of flapjacks cooking away, flipping them as a car door slammed in the front yard.
“Do you want to get the door or should you stay out of sight?” She suddenly realized Kyle had never met Lateef.
“Too late to hide.” Lateef gestured towards the large window on the side of the kitchen where she met Kyle’s angry glare.
She sighed in resignation. This wouldn’t be easy. She gestured with her head for him to go around to the back door and concentrated on cooking as Lateef showed the unwelcome visitor into her spacious kitchen.
“Will you tell me what the hell is going on?” Kyle snarled as he stalked into the house.
“Why are here when you’ve been told to stay away from me?” Her retort was every bit as quick, but without anger—an icy contrast to his incandescent heat.
She slid pancakes onto a plate and poured more batter onto the griddle. “Sit down and eat, Kyle.” It was more order than invitation. “You’ll feel better with a full stomach.”
“I’m not one of your strays to be distracted with food.”
“No.” She whirled, pushing her anger down. “But you are an uninvited stranger who has forced his way into my home on numerous occasions, and who has refused to obey my explicitly stated desire to be left alone.”
His mouth opened and closed several times as she glared at him. She turned and slammed the plate down on the table and then returned to the stove for another batch of pancakes. “Sit down and eat while it’s warm. Butter and syrup are on the table.”
Wordlessly he obeyed, all the while shooting daggers at Lateef who calmly poured coffee in three mugs. All three moved in silence until the rest of the batter was cooked and Dani couldn’t put the confrontation off any longer. Alone is so much easier than dealing with wounded egos.
‘But lonely. Being with me is better.’
She touched Lateef’s back as they walked to the table, taking comfort from the contact hidden from Kyle’s view. They took seats across the table from the sullen PI.
“Who is he?” Kyle gestured with his fork at the serene healer.
“Lateef D’Oro.” Dani made the introductions. “This is Kyle Manning, Private Investigator.”
“Nice to meet you, Kyle Manning.” Lateef nodded his head and speared a couple of pancakes, transferring them to his plate. “Hope you don’t mind if we go ahead and eat while you talk. Be a shame to let these get cold.”
Kyle settled back, giving Dani a chance to slowly eat one pancake before she pushed her plate aside. Her appetite was gone. She realized she felt the anger in a way she had never felt someone else’s emotions before. She shot Lateef a sideways look, aware his presence had changed more in her than she had realized.
“Ready to talk now?” Kyle was rigidly polite. “Or do you want to come down to Denver and be official?”
She shook her head, more in sorrow than anger. “What do you need, Mr. Manning?”
“I came up here to find… someone.” He stumbled over the words.
Dani felt a flash of shame that made no sense to her, even as she saw Lateef stiffen and a barrier slammed bet
ween them. His expression turned hard and he put a few inches of space between them. She waited a few seconds for an explanation that didn’t come, so she turned to Kyle.
“You told me you wanted to find Lateef. Then you wanted to know about the men looking for him. Who are you really searching for and why do you think I can help?”
“It’s complicated.” He reached across the table for her hand but stopped when Lateef twitched.
Nervous tension twisted in her gut as a nasty suspicion took root. He couldn’t be working for Carl’s father, could he? The absence of Lateef’s now familiar mental touch bothered her more than expected. From the set of his jaw, he knew something about Kyle that pissed him off.
“Saying something’s complicated generally means you won’t tell me something you know will piss me off. Who are you working for, Kyle?”
Kyle’s gaze darted between her and Lateef and several emotions crossed his face before he settled on indignation. His back straightened and he thumped both hands on the table, leaning toward her with a grim expression. “I need to know where those bald men came from.”
She bit her lower lip, as the butterflies in her belly grew spikes. Changing the subject was not a good sign and Lateef was no help. He was like a black hole beside her.
“Why? My company is none of your concern.”
“It is when they bring you something made of a metal that doesn’t exist on Earth. Kind of makes it a matter of national security.” His grin was smug as he leaned back in the chair, arms crossed in satisfaction.
Dani froze, cold fury slamming through her veins. “How do you know?” she asked.
“I had one of the necklaces analyzed.” He blinked, as if surprised he had answered.
“You stole from me?” She leaned forward to glare at him. Lateef reached out to touch her leg under the table and she shuddered, trying to get her emotions under control. “When?” Her mind was on overload and she mentally reached for Lateef, only to meet a tight shield. Fine. I’ve dealt with bastards before. Kyle’s a kitten compared to Carl’s dad. I’ve made it this far without help, so if Lateef has to hide behind shields, that’s his deal.
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