A moment, then, “It’s nothing.”
“Are we getting mated or not?” No more beating around the bush for her. They’d done enough of that all week long.
He paused, not even bothering to turn around, just paused on his way to his desk. “Why?”
Not the answer she wanted. Her heart stopped beating. Oh god, she knew it. She knew something was wrong. It hurt to speak. “I’ve been asking you for a week now and I’m done playing games. You’re keeping something from me. I know it.” He turned around. “I want you to tell me what it is. No, I need you to tell me because if you’re going to break my heart then do it now.”
“It was supposed to be a surprise.”
She jerked, stunned. “What’s a surprise?”
A slow, devastating smile formed as he crossed his arms and sat on the corner of his desk. “I was planning the mating ceremony, flying in your mother, sending out invitations to only select people, though we can’t keep out people if they want to come and I was going to surprise you.” The smile he sent her was taunting and mocking.
She glared. “You need to work on that.”
“Work on what?”
“Hiding things from me.”
His smile slowly died. “It was a surprise, sweets, nothing more.”
“Yeah, but this sneaking around all week had me worried and getting more worried by the minute. I appreciate the surprise, I think, I mean, yes, I do. But you could have dropped some hint so I wouldn’t have been worried that this was going to end in a break up.”
He stood. “A break up?” he said slowly. He came towards her. “A break up?” he repeated. “You and I could never...break up. After all we’ve been through. After our failed attempt at mating before, everything we’ve been through since, you really think I’d let you go?”
“Just promise you’ll work on it.”
He bit her earlobe catching it with his teeth and tugging. “Promise. Do you have any idea how much I love you?” This he said while cupping her cheeks, his face closing in on hers.
“I have an idea,” she said, soft as a mouse.
The corner of his mouth turned up. “How about I show you.”
“That sounds great.”
His grin turned into a soft laugh as he did just that.
The crunch of tires over gravel brought Felicity’s head snapping up. She glanced down and saw Dom still asleep on top of her from where they’d had their rather vigorous lovemaking on the floor of his office. He was still inside her, still hard.
“Dom, get up! Someone’s coming!”
He grumbled something then snuggled deeper, planting his face in her neck.
Grunting and wheezing she pushed and squirmed under him trying to free herself. “Dominic, get up!”
“Sweets...no,” was all he said.
Half-laughing, half-freaking out, she heard the vehicle stop then the sound of a door slamming. “I’m telling you someone is here.”
“I know,” came his sleep-heavy voice again.
“What do you mean you know? If you know then get off of me.”
A low rumble came from his chest then he leisurely lifted himself up into a push-up just as the doorbell rang. Felicity pushed at his shoulders, laughing.
“Get off of me. I haven’t seen another living person in a week.”
He smiled. “Tired of looking at me already?”
“No,” she said in a soft voice.
“Fine,” he said leveraging himself off her. “It’s for you anyway.”
“For me?” She didn’t wait to hear his answer. She pulled on her clothes and raced for the front door, throwing it open. Her jaw dropped but she quickly clamped it shut. Then she wasted no time in slamming the door shut. However, the man on the other side simply stuck out his hand so the door bounced off. “Dom!”
“There’s no need to get all snippy with me now, darlin’. I mean, really, after all we’ve been through? I practically raised you.”
Felicity relaxed as she felt Dom’s presence at her shoulder. She cast him a glance and found his face set in stone.
“You didn’t raise me.” The words felt so ridiculous to say she nearly giggled. The alpha had to be crazy or something.
He rolled his eyes. “Semantics, syntax, whatever. If not for me you wouldn’t have this fine vampire at your side.” He leaned down and whispered. “Let me know if you ever get tired of his taste. I hear us weres are practically mouthwatering.”
“What are you doing here?” Dom said, his voice a growl.
Zeke stepped back, putting his hands in the air. “Hold on there, partner. No need to go all Dracula on me now. I just came by to have a little chat with you.”
“Go inside, Felicity.”
She snorted. “Like hell I’m gonna miss this.”
He sent her a warning glare but she just winked and wrapped her arm around his waist.
“What do you want, Zeke?” she asked.
Zeke smiled at her. “I like her. She’s got spunk and all that. Now, here I am, president of the council which you so sadly lost, Dom. Very regrettable. My sincerest apologies for kicking your ass at the polls and all that.”
“What the hell do you want, Zeke? Remember, you’re on my land now.”
Zeke rubbed a hand over his stomach as if he was petting a full belly. “See here I got a little problem, thought you might help. Philips wants to step down. That means we need another of your kind sitting on the council to even things out. I thought I’d be a nice fella and offer it to you.”
Felicity’s eyes widened. She smiled up at Dom, but he still looked like he was made from granite.
“What do you want in exchange?”
Zeke slowly grinned, his whole face softening. “I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel that you know me so well already, Dommy. Can I call you Dommy?”
“Not if you want to keep your teeth,” came the sharp reply.
Zeke laughed a deep, belly kind of laugh that made you want to join in. “Dom it is then. Listen, pal, all I want is for you to agree with me every now and then. My people want some big changes. They want to mate with other packs, having stronger pups and all that.”
“It’ll cause problems. The men won’t like it. It’ll be a war.”
Zeke shrugged. “It may, it may not. Fact is, we gotta keep our stock strong and mating with the same folks for years on end, well, you can see the problem. We need to spread our wings. Change things up. I have strong support in the were community.”
“From the men?”
Zeke laughed. “From enough of the men. The smarter ones.” He winked at Felicity like they shared some kind of secret. They didn’t.
Dom grew quiet. Felicity knew that look on his face—the deep, thinking one where he weighed the pros and cons of the entire situation before making a decision. After a minute, he nodded. “I’ll do it.”
Zeke rubbed his stomach again. “Sounds good, Dommy—I mean Dom.”
They shook hands then Zeke left shooting up gravel as he did.
Felicity turned to Dom. “That was my surprise?”
He grunted. “Hardly.”
Another car came down the drive passing Zeke on its way. Felicity squinted at it but didn’t recognize it. “Who’s coming now?”
He smiled. “Now that’s your surprise.”
“Dommy, what have you been up to?”
He pressed her up against the door, his face inches from her. In a dark voice he said, “What did you call me, sweets?”
She wet her lips at the dark glint in his eyes. “Dommy?”
She squeaked at his growl then his lips caught hers in a kiss that addled her mind like scrambled eggs. They were still kissing when someone cleared their throat. She tried pulling away, but he was much more reluctant. He kisses her on the lips, at the corner of her mouth up the line of her jaw to her neck.