Or at the very least, they could spend an hour or two every day in bed doing other things.
She deliberately didn’t think about work as she got out of bed. She needed to do some kickboxing and do a few miles on the treadmill. After she sweated a lot and showered, then she’d switch to work mode.
Faine was in the house. She knew it, felt his presence. That piece of him that lay in her belly shifted a little, as if it knew she was thinking of him.
He came around the corner as she headed to the garage to work out. “Good morning, alamah.” He pulled her to his body and kissed the top of her head.
“Mmm, morning.” She tipped her face up and he kissed her lips, his taste settling into her senses.
“What are you up to?”
“I’m going to run a bit. Work out with the bag.”
“Want a partner with the bag? I already did five miles but I’m always happy to stand around and watch you glisten with sweat as you beat the bag into submission.”
“I’m pretty sure you’d be able to make any subject whatsoever sound dirty.”
“I have many talents.”
She laughed and he kissed her again. His joy at doing so flooded the connection between them. She threw her arms around his neck and hung on, making that quick kiss a longer one.
“You taste good.” She grinned and he swatted her butt.
“Keep that up and you won’t get outside for some time.”
“It occurs to me that we haven’t even had shower sex yet.” She went out into the garage and began her stretches.
He poked his head out. “I’m going to start the coffee and then I’ll be out in a bit. But don’t think I’m going to forget about the shower sex comment.”
She moved to the treadmill. “Counting on it.”
The scent of coffee rose and woke her up nearly as well as the miles she ran, and when he came out some time later without his shirt and wearing his snug running shorts, she was plenty awake.
“Suddenly I really don’t care about the bag.” She stepped to him and took a lick over his right nipple. “But I’m really, really dirty. Think you can help with that?”
Laughing, he bent, caught her at the waist and heaved her up and over his shoulder and jogged to the master bath where he gave her a workout and got her all clean. Physically anyway.
FORTY-FIVE minutes later they came out to the kitchen. “You totally deserve to have me make breakfast after that performance. If I had scorecards you’d have all tens.”
“You’re in a mood this morning. I like it.” He poured them both a cup of coffee.
“Calm before the storm, I think.”
“Are we defining sleep as the calm?”
“Five hours without injury or conspiracy is a win. I’ll take what I can get.” She began to pull the makings for breakfast from the fridge. “And now that I’m exercised, sexed up and clean on the outside, I suppose I can no longer avoid looking at the news.”
He winced and she knew it was pretty bad. “You want to get me up to speed while I cook?”
“They made four hundred arrests last night in St. Louis. At this point it’s millions of dollars in property damage. The mayor declared a curfew.”
“The little girl?”
“She made it through the night so they’re cautiously hopeful. Her parents went on television and begged everyone to calm down. A mob showed up at their house and tried to burn it down. But the Pack had guards there and they prevented such a thing. The cops showed up and arrested everyone, even though the mob started it and the wolves were just defending themselves. Rumors are swirling around. Cats came after that and are guarding the house along with some witches and some humans too.”
“Good lord. Well at least there’re some small rays of hope.”
“The coven offices in New Haven were trashed. Windows broken out. A security guard was beaten. He was treated at a local hospital and released. Several members of the city council showed up today to help with cleanup.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m trying hard to hold on to all the positives in that news.”
“Me too.”
They ate breakfast and watched the national news while she scanned the local news on her notebook. She needed to get out in the field. Things at the office were being handled.
She called to check in and Marian told her Rebecca was fine and they’d moved classes to the nearest enclave and had upped the security. The kids were learning defensive magick along with geometry and poetry. That’s how it had to be and no matter how sad it made her, it didn’t change anything. But it would make them better able to defend themselves in a world where some people wanted to harm them simply for who they were.
“You’re going to carry today?” He tipped his chin at the weapons she’d strapped on.
“Concealed mainly. But if they’re assaulting children now, I’m not taking any chances out there. I need to stop over at the DMV in Montebello. They were refusing to help anyone who appeared to be an Other yesterday. Like you can tell?”
Faine gave her a long, slow perusal that had her blushing within moments. “I don’t know. I can see the magick all around you. Beautiful. Makes me want to lick you.”
She waved a hand to fan her face. “Stop that.”
“You’re breathless. I thought I’d satisfied you enough to hold you over for an hour or three. I apparently didn’t do my job very well.”
“You’re making me all fluttery.”
“I see that. It’s beautiful on you. My beast loves to play with you.”
“You did. Three times.”
He laughed. “Maybe it should have been four.”
“I’m going to be so relaxed the DMV people will eat me up. I need to be tough and hard-ass.”
“Mmm. I’ll let you play bad cop if you’ll let me frisk you later.”
She laughed, finishing her coffee and rinsing out her cup. “Come on. Incorrigible.”
Bad things were happening all around them. But it wasn’t all bad. She had this male, this being who made everything better.
“You sure about carrying? I distracted you inside before you answered.”
“Yes. I’ve got a permit. And I’ve got a don’t-look spell on them at the moment. No one is going to see them unless I want it.”
He pulled the car out of the garage and they’d gotten about two blocks when she rolled her window down.
The sun was now up and she waited to hear the birds. But instead she heard . . . yelling and then gunshots.
“Shit. Get to the gates. Now.”
She put her earbud in and called the office. “There’s something going down at the enclave down here.”
Which was an understatement.
Several large trucks had pulled up to the front gates, a few mounted with .50-cal guns. They sprayed the area with bullets as other humans wearing camo and masks tried to get in the gates.
She needed to pull everyone together. She spoke into her phone, “Get the rest of the guards in the area here. I don’t want us to get flanked, so someone needs to get a better view of what’s happening around the entire enclave. People need to stay in place, we don’t want to leave any openings. Remember there are kids here, get someone to contact the school and if they’re not on lockdown protocol, make that happen. Call me when you hear. Don’t bother calling the local cops. Call Gil Anderson at the FBI.”
Faine pulled the car around a corner and they got out, keeping low. “I need to get over there to get people together.” She popped the trunk and pulled out more weapons and ammo. He took what he needed.
He understood it. He’d been in command in military situations for much of his adult life. But if she thought he’d stay behind while she did, she was out of her mind.