The open kitchen had dark granite counters, white cabinets, and plenty of work space. A large oak table that could easily sit twelve sat off to one side. Over the expansive counter where many of the men liked to sit and eat, the living room invited company with plush leather sofas, chairs, a huge plasma screen television, a pool table and poker table, and a fireplace. Across from the fireplace, a set of French doors led outside onto the patio. The Croatan National Forest bordered the land behind them, the tall oaks, hickories, and pines providing the perfect place for Circs to run and hunt without detection.
“They've only been gone three days, but it feels like a lot longer,” Sheridan said to Olivia.
“I know.” Olivia grinned. “Jesse just told me they're all doing well, and they learned some interesting things on their trip.”
Olivia and Jesse shared a lot without speaking. One of the perks of mating a telepath, Ava suspected.
She studied Sheridan and Olivia, two women she considered very good friends.
Olivia was tall and slender with black hair, blue-green eyes, and model-good looks.
Her ability to read emotions had made her the perfect mate for Jesse, a man who heard thoughts. She had a great sense of humor and cared for the Dawn Endeavor team. And she had a soft spot for Gunnar. As much as it burned Ava that Olivia knew Gunnar intimately, conversely, it made Ava like her that much more for her open heart.
Sheridan had only had sex with Gunnar once—that Ava knew of—and that had been to establish ties to her as the team alpha's mate. Ava didn't want to, but she understood and grudgingly accepted Sheridan's place in the team's hierarchy.
The woman had dark red hair, blue eyes, and a curvy frame that had snared Jules from the get-go. She could also heal with a touch, and she stood at Ava's eye level.
Not someone to look up to, finally.
Keegan entered the kitchen. “They'll be in shortly,” he said to Mrs. Sharpe and scowled at Ava, still not happy with her, apparently.
Join the friggin’ club.
“We'll be standing by outside,” Keegan added in clipped words.
The Circs had issue with the psychics. Though Jesse and Olivia had personally scanned every single one of the new men, trust was still a commodity much in demand around the mansion. And not only that, but the psychics had an odd effect on the Circs. Ava sensed it as well.
Jules had explained that it was as if he sensed a kindred spirit with the new guards. He wanted to take them in, make them pack. But the guards were fully human. Making them pack would have involved his beast biting and fucking them—brutal bonding humans would never accept. So the Dawn Endeavor team kept their distance from the powerful males.
Having men around their mates, and pregnant mates at that, didn't bode well.
So when the Circs remained at home, the guards normally made themselves scarce, patrolling outside yet close to the house, away from the females. Keegan and James Foreman, a pyrokinetic with a wicked sense of humor, remained near her grandmother but out of sight, at Alicia's command.
Ava scented the team as they neared, attuned to Jules's signature. He gave off a subtle waft of vanilla and grass, an earthy blend of sultry Circ. Kisho smelled like cinnamon, Jesse like mint, and Morgan like citrus. Morgan was human, but since he'd mated to Kisho, he'd taken on Circ energy, altering his physiology enough that to Ava, he was Circ.
And Gunnar… She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to manage her sudden fiery libido.
Gunnar smelled perfect. A blend of cedar and the light scent of the Amazon.
Thick, humid, a jungle of sex and lust and violence. Her beast absolutely loved his darker, wilder self, what he called his berserker. Unfortunately, Gunnar rarely let the creature out to play, too afraid of hurting anyone in the event he lost control.
She'd seen him that way once—huge, his hair long and white, his eyes black agates of danger.
She shivered, wishing she could see him like that again.
The men followed Jules into the living space. Sheridan raced to meet him and jumped into his arms. Jesse found Olivia and kissed her long and hard. Kisho and Morgan entered together, the pair of them like bookends. Different yet the same, fitting together as if made for each other. They collapsed onto the couch and sighed with relief.
“It is so good to be home.” Morgan pulled Kisho into his arms and just lay there with his eyes closed, his head back against the couch.
God, I want that. To belong to someone else, to need and be needed.
Almost against her will, Ava sought Gunnar. She turned to see him frowning at her, his bright blue eyes narrowed in anger.
She sighed. What had she done now?
“Good trip?” Alicia asked, one brow raised in inquiry.
To Ava's trained eye, her grandmother had always spent more attention on Gunnar than the others. Though Jules commanded the team, Alicia had always seemed partial to Gunnar, though Ava had never understood why.
Gunnar answered, “Raul's dead. We killed two of his three buddies but brought the fourth to Quantico for the admiral to deal with. Fallon read him before we handed him over, though.”
“Excellent.” Alicia beamed and took Gunnar by the arm before he could blink.
“Why don't the rest of you settle in and relax. Gunnar can fill me in on the mission.
Keegan has the guards in hand. There's no one new and no problems to speak of.”
“You expecting one?” Gunnar asked. He stood stiffly under her grandmother's touch, but he didn't refuse it. Progress.
“Not at all. I just like to make sure we're all on the same page.” Alicia paused.
“Ava, dear, see to it that Gunnar has fresh towels. I'm not sure that was properly attended to.”
“I'll have James—”
“Ava.” Her grandmother frowned.
Gunnar smirked, and she wanted to smack him right in the mouth, then kiss his fat lip all better. “Fine. I'll see to it. Welcome home, guys.” She left the living room and started down the hall toward the wide stairway leading to the Circ wing upstairs. Once up on the second floor, she paused to grab a few large bath towels from the linen closet—God forbid Gunnar actually find his own linens—and continued on her task.
She walked into his room, expecting the worst, and got a pleasant surprise.
Housekeeping had obviously taken the time to fix Gunnar's mess. The usual Tastykake wrappers and dirty clothing no longer littered the floor. The king-size bed had been neatly made, dark blue and gray pillows littering the headboard. The room had a masculine feel while still being luxurious. Across from the bed an antique desk was being used as a small media center. A video game console and a stack of magazines sat beneath a television mounted to the wall. The smaller chairs that graced the other rooms had been replaced with a large, ugly recliner to fit Gunnar's massive frame.
She tingled just thinking about his size. Though small, Ava knew she would fit him if the blasted man would give her the chance.
Ava pushed through another door and walked into an attached bath. Gray and green porcelain tiles covered the floors. A huge shower stall with multiple showerheads, a large sink, and a toilet completed the room. In this wing, the Circs each had a bedroom suite complete with bath.
Down the hall in the next wing, where the guests stayed, some rooms had attached baths, and others didn't. Ava snorted. Her own room, downstairs next to her office, was a third the size of Gunnar's. A half bath connected the bedroom to her office, but in order to shower, she had to make use of a guest bathroom upstairs.
She hadn't minded so much because she'd never figured on making the mansion her permanent home. And with Gunnar's recent attitude, she'd begun to wonder if she'd made a huge mistake in thinking him her mate.