“I’m not saying there aren’t some things I see and decide I should pick up after my shift is done. It’s kind of the downside of the job. I’ve spent more money at the store than I should at times.”
“I’ll have to take you shopping sometime and let you fill the cart up with whatever you want. My treat.”
They found only Dirk inside the kitchen. He stood at the stove plating a steak he’d fried. He also had a large mound of mashed potatoes smothered in gravy on his plate.
“You’re finally back,” Dirk said as he turned and went to sit at the table.
“Where is everyone else?” Leif asked.
“Saskia, Eli, Roan, Ansley, Jager and Daylen went out for dinner, separately. Kye and Skylar are with Roxie. I’ll be heading back over there as soon as I’m done eating.”
Leif pulled out a chair for Jaden to sit. “Oh yeah, it’s date night. And isn’t this your day off?”
Dirk nodded and swallowed his mouthful of food. “Yes, but Roxie is helping with a project of mine. Before I forget, Saskia left a couple of thawed steaks in the fridge for you and Jaden.”
Moving toward the fridge, Leif said, “I don’t know, Dirk. Since you practically live over at Roxie’s, you might as well move in with her and Beowulf.”
“I don’t think so.”
Leif turned to Jaden with two packages of steak in his hands. “I think I’ll throw these on the barbeque. How would you like yours done, Jaden?”
She looked at the t-bone steaks he held. “I like mine medium, but not too pink.”
“Then yours will have to go on before mine.” Leif turned back to the stove and lifted the lids off the two pots that sat on it. “And it looks as if there are enough potatoes and gravy for us so I don’t have to make anything else. I’ll just run out and get the barbeque fired up.”
Jaden watched Leif walk out the back door to the patio. Now alone with Dirk, she turned to him and smiled. After meeting all of Leif’s siblings, she’d noticed that Dirk was the quietest of the bunch. He even used quiet even tones when he spoke. With his friendly dark green eyes and dark brown hair with blond highlights that just fell past his shoulders, she was sure he drew a lot of female attention, but Dirk didn’t come across as a man that would take much notice of it.
He smiled back. “While Leif is busy, I just want to tell you that I’m happy you’re with him. He’s a better man for it.”
Jaden blushed. “Thanks, but I’m sure I haven’t had that much of an effect on him.
We haven’t even known each other for a week.”
“Yes, you’ve definitely had an impact. Before meeting you, he had a bit of a roving eye when it came to women. But he’s settled right down with you. We all told him one day he’d find the woman meant for him. He never wanted to believe us. And now here you are.”
“Thanks, I guess,” she said, not sure what to say in response.
“Anyway, I’m happy to see you with Leif.”
Dirk then turned his attention to his food, leaving Jaden to think over what he’d said.
She’d assumed Leif wouldn’t have had any problem picking up women before meeting her, but she hadn’t thought he was one of those guys who went from one woman to the next. It didn’t seem like the Leif she knew. Whenever he was with her, he seemed only to have eyes for her. Not once had she caught him staring at another woman. Assuming what Dirk said was true, Leif’s asking her to move in with him would have been a monumental step for him to take. Maybe his feelings for her were a lot stronger than she thought.
Leif returned to the kitchen and washed his hands in the sink. “I have your steak on, Jaden. I figured we can just heat the potatoes in the microwave.”
When he turned to face her, she stood and walked over to him. “How about I do that since you’re looking after the steaks?”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “All right. That would be a big help.”
Dirk pushed back from the table. “I’m done so I’ll leave you two alone to enjoy your meal.” He put his plate in the sink and then walked out of the kitchen.
“I hope Dirk doesn’t feel as if he had to leave because of us,” she said.
“He knows he doesn’t. Knowing him, he’s probably in a hurry to get to Roxie’s to play on the computer. They’re both internet junkies.”
“Oh.”
Leif brought his mouth down to hers. He swept the seam of her lips with his tongue before it slipped inside. Their tongues brushed against each other, tasting. Jaden leaned into him, feeling herself getting swept away on the tide of passion Leif stir inside her. At her moan, his kiss deepened. Angling his lips over hers for a tighter fit, he ground his erection against her.
Before she completely lost the ability to think, Jaden said against his mouth, “Leif, the steaks.”
He quickly let her go. “Crap, I almost forgot about them. We’ll have to continue this later.”
After he went back outside, Jaden looked inside the cupboards until she found the plates. There was no question of what she and Leif would be doing after they ate. It looked as if she would be getting dessert once she finished her meal after all.
The sound of his cell phone ringing had Leif reluctantly leaving the warmth of Jaden’s arms. They’d eaten and then hurried up to his room to make love. It had been pretty close as to whether or not they’d make it to his room. While they had eaten, he’d used every opportunity to heat things up between them. He would never be able to look at another steak or mashed potatoes without getting aroused.
Grabbing his cell phone off his nightstand, he flipped it open. “Hello?”
“If you want that information you were looking for, you need to meet with me in an hour. Alone.”
Leif recognized the gruff male voice as a lone wolf he had been working on to get information about what Miles was up to. “I’m not in the city right now. How about we set up another meeting?”
“No, it has to be tonight or the deal is off. I found out what you wanted. Meet me in the parking lot behind the bar. You know which one. You have less than an hour now.”
When the other end disconnected, Leif swore under his breath. He had no choice but to meet up with the lone wolf. The information he had might be the lead they needed to flush Miles out of hiding again. The bastard had a knack for pulling a disappearing act.
Putting his cell phone back, Leif turned to look at Jaden. The lone wolf had just complicated things between them. He couldn’t bring her with him. It was too dangerous.
She was a mortal and could easily get hurt or worse. Leif didn’t exactly trust this lone wolf. Leaving Jaden behind was going to cause them to go through the separation anxiety. And it would be really bad since they were newly mated. Once they had been mated for a while, like Roxie and Beowulf, they could stand to be away from each other for a few hours. Shit, he was going to have to quickly explain everything to her before he left, and he wouldn’t have any time to reassure her or answer the inevitable questions she would have.
“Is everything okay, Leif?”
He sighed. “No. I have to go out, and I can’t take you with me. Get dressed.”
Jaden frowned, but she did as he asked. Leif quickly dressed, then headed for his walk-in closet. He came back out with his sword and a leather jacket in his hands. When he looked over at Jaden, she was dressed and her gaze was locked on his sword.
She swallowed. “Is that a sword you’re holding?”
“Yes. Come downstairs with me. I don’t have much time, but I have to tell you something.”
Once they reached the foyer, he belted his sword on his back and pulled his jacket over top of it. Turning to Jaden, he took her by the arms. She gazed at him curiously. He also saw the confusion in her eyes. There was nothing for it but to tell her everything at once. He hoped he didn’t scare the hell out of her.