Wolf's Fall (Alpha Pack #6)(57)

“Will this do, madam?” the tall man asked.

“It looks terrific,” Nick broke in. “Thank you for coming all the way out here. We appreciate it.”

“Our pleasure, sir.”

Nick handed him a large wad of bills and saw them out. When the door was shut and locked firmly behind them, he turned back to her. “Shall we eat?”

“Definitely. It smells wonderful.” She sniffed appreciatively.

“I’ll get the wine.”

Nick reappeared in moments, filling Calla’s glass and holding out a chair for her to sit down in. He uncovered the dishes one by one as Calla’s jaw dropped in amazement. The table abounded with Caesar salad, seafood linguini marinara, delicate asparagus, fresh bread, strawberries and cream, and two huge slices of cheesecake.

“There’s enough here to feed every neighbor within ten miles! I would feel guilty if I weren’t so busy salivating,” she said, shaking her head in wonder. “You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

“Oh, sure. Picking up the telephone was a lot of trouble,” Nick teased. He loved watching the childlike joy on her face and sensed it had little to do with the food.

Nick filled their plates and they talked quietly, basking in each other’s company. The shadow of this morning seemed to fade into the past, for which he was profoundly grateful.

Finally, they turned to the subject of Graham’s surprising betrayal. “And Ivan Cardenas?” Calla pondered. “I barely remember him. I certainly didn’t know Carter was his mate.”

“Neither did anyone else,” Nick said. “We’re going to find him, though. When we do, he’ll have to face justice for trying to overthrow a prince.”

“It’s really sad,” Calla said, her brow knitting. “Grief can do terrible things to a person.”

“True. But he was mated to Carter, and since Fate chooses those who are supposed to be perfect for us as our Bondmates, I’m not sure how innocent Ivan ever was to begin with.”

“There is that. But he’s going to be extremely dangerous, with grief driving him. I know something about that, after Stefano. . . .” She trailed off in apology, but Nick shook his head.

“You can always talk about him. You can say anything to me, and I’ll always be behind you.”

“In some ways, I understand where Ivan is coming from. Carter was evil and he hurt many. He deserved what he got. But as a mate, I get Ivan’s grief. I didn’t go after Stefano’s killers—Tarron did—but sometimes I think if I had it to do over again, I would make a different choice.” She let out a sigh.

“What would you do, sweetheart?” he questioned softly, taking her hand.

After a pause, Calla took a deep breath, looked him in the eye, and said, “I wouldn’t rest until I found the hunters who kidnapped and starved my mate to death. I would follow every lead to the ends of the earth until I skewered the bastards and roasted them on a spit.” She looked down at their joined hands.

“Why didn’t you?” Nick searched her face and hated the pain he saw reflected there.

“Because I was numb. I couldn’t even breathe, much less mount a manhunt. I relied on my brother to exact justice, and he did.”

“There’s no shame in that, baby.”

“I know. But you asked.” Her lips curved into a smile and the shadows left. “You know what I would never change? Meeting you.”

They finished their meal, chatting companionably. When they were done, he wiped his lips with a napkin and said, “We’ll leave the dishes. I’ve got someone coming to clean up and return the dishes to the restaurant tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” she said. “This was wonderful.”

“Oh, the evening isn’t over yet.” Her smile was worth all the effort of preparation. “Want me to start a fire? It’ll get a bit cool tonight.”

“Sounds lovely.”

Pushing from the table, he took care of that without any trouble. In minutes, a fire was blazing cheerfully in the hearth. Calla had taken a place on the sofa, and kicked off her high-heeled shoes. Settling next to her, Nick took off his jacket and ditched his shoes as well. Then he tucked her into his side and they simply sat for a while, holding each other and enjoying the closeness.

Reaching up, he stroked her dark tresses, running his hand down the length of it. She felt so warm against him, so right. His blood quickened. She shifted a bit so she could look at him, and started to say something. He beat her to it.

“I need you so much,” he rasped.

“You have me.”

The desire on her beautiful face matched the fire inside him. He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her slowly at first. Then more hungrily, sending the flames between them leaping. He kissed her deeply, savoring her, as she entwined her fingers in his hair.

Calla sucked in a sharp breath as his attentions traveled downward to the curve of her neck. He liked her reaction. All afternoon he’d been waiting for this. Any lingering fear about allowing her to sink those sharp little fangs into his throat was gone. This was Calla, and she’d never hurt him.

There was no point in denying it any longer—he belonged to her, body and soul. He was ready to be claimed. Her hand snaked upward. Before he realized what she’d done, his shirt was halfway unbuttoned and she was gently caressing his chest. It wasn’t enough.