Page 15 of In the Line of Fire
8
Damien
Waking up with Soleil in my arms was fucking incredible. Better than I had ever imagined. I felt rested for the first time in more than three years, having finally gotten a full night’s sleep without waking up wondering if my fated mate was somewhere she could safely rest. Knowing that she’d spent all that time fearing for her life pissed me the fuck off. My dragon was beyond ready to destroy the coven who’d been hunting Soleil. To raze all the dark practitioners to the ground, leaving nothing but burning embers in the wake of his fire.
Seeking the comfort that only Soleil could provide to help settle my inner beast, I ran my fingers through her dark locks, careful not to tug her scalp because I didn’t want to wake her. She was more than a full foot shorter than me, but the force of her personality made her seem taller. I was in awe that fate gifted me this dainty woman who’d used her wits to escape evil witches over and over again. I was so fucking proud that she’d done whatever it took to keep herself safe, and I refused to allow those bastards to inflict any more pain upon her. She’d suffered more than enough already, dammit.
The navy blue sheet hung low on her back, the dark material in stark contrast to her pale complexion. My lips curved in a smug grin at the sight of the red blotches I’d left on her smooth skin when I’d tasted every inch of her body during the night. But none of them compared to the permanent mark I’d left on her shoulder. The bite that she’d more than willingly accepted, making her mine forever right before she left her own claim on my chest. Not all shifter females made that choice, but I was proud as fuck to wear Soleil’s mark on my skin.
Her stomach let out a low rumble, pulling me from my inner musings. Carefully sliding off the mattress, I padded from the room and downstairs to the kitchen. We’d been so consumed by our mating last night that I hadn’t checked to see if my mom had followed through on my request. After opening the fridge and finding the shelves stocked, I grinned in satisfaction as I dug through the contents to grab what I needed.
As usual, my mom had gone overboard. But her enthusiasm was particularly useful in this situation since I hadn’t told her that she was shopping for more than just me. Sharing that information would have resulted in too many questions I hadn’t wanted to answer yet. Besides, she’d find out soon enough since my parents were bound to be curious about why I was back home so quickly after running down the lead Connor had given me. Odds were good they’d show up later today, hopefully not while I was balls deep inside my mate because that’s how I planned to spend most of my day.
Soleil needed energy for everything I wanted to do to her body, which made feeding her breakfast my first priority. I loaded up the marble counter on the kitchen island with eggs, bacon, bread, butter, potatoes, cheese, ham, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. After I’d sliced, diced, and whisked the ingredients needed for omelets and home fries, I laid the bacon out on a sheet pan that I lined with parchment paper and stuck it in the oven. Then I got the coffee machine going before dumping the potatoes into a frying pan on the stove.
I had just flipped the omelets when I heard a soft feminine voice behind me. “I can’t remember the last time I woke up to fresh coffee and a home-cooked breakfast.”
I looked over my shoulder toward where Soleil stood at the bottom of the stairs and flashed her a mischievous grin. “I took your mom’s warning about not letting you go hungry to heart.”
She padded across the living room, craning her neck to get a look at the pans on the stovetop. Her pretty gray eyes went wide when she saw everything I was making. “That’s quite the spread. You’re going to spoil me.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” I reached out to snag the bottom of the button-down shirt that covered her body from her neck to her knees. She must have grabbed it off the floor because it was the one I’d worn yesterday. With her body flush against mine, I murmured, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll bring you breakfast in bed.”
She rose on her toes to aim a kiss on my mouth, but only reached my chin. “If I hadn’t already thought you were the sexiest man I’d ever seen, this would’ve cinched it.”
“Oh, yeah?” I gripped her elbows to keep her on her toes, lowering my head to capture her lips with mine. Her delicious scent and the sweet taste of her mouth made me want more, a fierce need to take my mate again pounding through my veins. But her stomach growled, and I forced myself to end the kiss and take a step back. Soleil would never want for anything when I was near—and I had no plans to leave her side anytime soon after how long it took me to find her.
She swung her hand up in the air after her eyelids slowly lifted. “Look at you. Gorgeous, deadly, an amazing kisser, but also capable in the kitchen. That combination packs one heck of a punch.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I brushed my lips over hers again, unable to resist the temptation she presented. “You’re the only woman who’s ever seen me like this, besides my mom and sister. As my dad’s second and then the head enforcer for the shifter council, few people in this world have seen behind the walls I put up in case I ever had to exact justice against someone I called a friend. And I didn’t let those few in very far.”
She rubbed her cheek against my chest, soothing an ache of loneliness deep inside that I hadn’t realized had been there all these years. After pressing a kiss over her mating mark, she looked up at me. “You don’t need to worry about hiding anything from me. I’m already inside those walls. All the way to the very core of you. And I love what I’ve found there so far, mate.”
“You’re so fucking perfect.” I stole one last kiss before I set her away so I could finish making breakfast. Pointing at the stools lined up on the other side of the island, I growled, “Sit down before I decide to let the food burn while I devour you as my meal instead.”
“If I wasn’t so hungry, I’d totally take you up on that offer.” She circled the counter and climbed onto the stool at the end closest to me, patting the marble surface. “Although, you might need to work extra hard so I don’t notice how cold this is against my back.”
Her sassy attitude was a major turn-on. “Challenge accepted.”
“I can’t wait,” she breathed as her fingers toyed with the top button of the shirt she was wearing. When the plastic disk slipped free, the material gaped. I tore my gaze away from the sight of the rounded swell of the top of her tits with a groan. My mate was too damn sexy to resist for long. I needed to get her fed so I could satiate my true craving—for her.
My patience was rewarded when Soleil ate every last scrap of food I put in front of her. I wasn’t sure where she put it all—she ate almost as much as me but was only about half my size—but I had zero complaints. Her healthy appetite applied to more than food, and I was the lucky guy who’d benefit from it for the rest of our lives.
I didn’t bother to put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Impatient to get my mate beneath me again, I just rinsed them off and piled them into the sink. Soleil must have been thinking the same thing because when I turned toward the island, she was perched on the counter waiting for me. Crooking her finger, she purred, “How about you come over here and keep me warm?”
“With pleasure.” It only took two strides until I was standing between her legs and yanking her to the edge of the counter.
When I glided my palms up her inner thighs, she spread them farther apart and murmured, “I love how your hands feel on my skin. Rough and gentle all at the same time.”
I nipped the inside of her knee. “And my mouth? Do you love when it’s on your body, too?”
“So much,” she moaned as I trailed kisses higher up her thigh. My rock-hard cock leaked pre-come into my sweatpants when I realized she wasn’t wearing any panties. There was no barrier between my tongue and the arousal glistening on her sweet pussy. Taking full advantage of the easy access, I was mid-lick when I heard the murmur of familiar voices from the front yard.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I groaned, dropping my forehead against her belly. The scent of her desire filled my lungs, and I wanted to howl in frustration over the interruption. Licking her taste from my lips, I tugged the button-down shirt lower before lifting her off the counter. “You might want to head upstairs and put on some pants.”
Her gray eyes were fogged with desire, no hint of recognition in them as she asked, “What?”
I trailed my fingers up her jawline and teased the shell of her ear. “My parents will be at the front door in less than two minutes, and they each have their own code for the lock. Unless you want to meet them dressed in nothing but my shirt, you better get moving.”
