Chapter Twelve #2
“I’m really okay,” Misty whispered. “Should I go talk to him?”
“No,” Dame told her. “Let him have some space.”
“Open the cage,” Ren said.
“You don’t know what you’re asking. You don’t understand what he is,” Dame said.
“I do.”
“You don’t! I’ve fought him. His animal is something different.” Dame shook his head. “No.”
“Open it!” Ren said. “I trust him.”
“You shouldn’t!”
“Mars, will you hurt me?”
“I…” He looked confused. “I don’t know anymore.”
“Will you hurt me? That’s the simple question. Will you?”
“Ren,” he pleaded.
“Will you hurt me? Or will you protect me? From anything. Yourself included.”
Mars’s dark eyebrows lowered and he searched the floor by her feet, thinking. “I will protect you.”
“Promise me. I need you to keep me safe. Promise me you will keep me safe from everything.”
His blue eyes sparked as he lifted his gaze to hers. “I will protect you from everything.”
“Open the cage.”
“Do it,” Misty murmured.
“You know how fast Stellan was. You know how good he was at pretending,” Dame uttered.
“Dame, I’m asking you to open the cage. Please.”
There was a charged moment between them, and then Dame retrieved the key from the table across the room. He strode past Misty, and past Ren, looking furious. He unlocked the padlock, and yanked open the door, then stood back, ready, snarling.
Ren’s heart raced as she walked right for the open cage door.
She shoved it open wider and reached for him.
Mars was ready and caught her up in his arms, lifted her off the ground and pressed his lips to hers.
His hand went to the back of her head and cupped her, gripping her hair like he didn’t want her to separate from him.
The world melted away again, just like it had at the wedding.
She hugged him so tightly and wrapped her legs around him.
He pecked two more kisses on her lips and ended the kiss, then buried his face against the side of her neck as she squeezed her eyes so tightly closed and hugged him as hard as she could.
“I knew it,” Misty said from the other side of the bars.
“Knew what?” Mars asked in a ragged voice.
“Ren isn’t your Rabbit, you idiot. She’s your mate.”
Mars had been swaying her back and forth, but he paused and settled Ren onto her feet. “What?” he asked, forcing his attention to Misty.
“You’re obsessed with her?” Dame asked.
Mars nodded.
“Have you ever wanted to hurt her?”
“Well, no. But I need to be around her, and I get this feeling when I’m around her.”
“What kind of feeling?” Misty asked.
“This…” He released Ren enough to gesture to his chest. “This uneasy feeling builds inside of me, like something is going to happen.”
“Something bad?” Misty asked.
“I don’t know.”
Dame blew out a relieved breath. “Misty’s right. She ain’t your Rabbit, man. You couldn’t hold her like that if she was. You’re good.”
“But…I don’t understand this feeling,” he argued.
Dame nodded and made his way into the cage, clapped him on the back, and gripped his shoulder, then shook him gently. He was smiling so big now and nodding over and over. “I know the feeling. It’s scary for Cats like us. You’re good though.”
“But what if this feeling changes and turns evil?” Mars asked.
“It’s not like what Stellan’s Cat did, man. It’s different. Ren is fine.”
“Well, just to be safe, maybe I should stay the night in here.”
Dame snorted. “Get out of my cage. I have a room for you two to stay in.”
“I booked a hotel for her.”
“Cancel it,” Dame said, walking toward a door near the fridge. “Misty and I had an apartment built for reunions. Stellan is in the RV. You two can have the apartment.”
Mars stood there frozen, but Ren tugged on his hand. “Come on,” she said, her heart full to the brim with happiness.
“I…”
“Am good. You’re good,” she assured him.
Mars blew out a long breath and huffed a soft laugh. He nodded his head. “Okay.”
“Yeah?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
He slid his big strong hand around hers and led her past Misty, who was looking at them with mushy tears in her eyes. She squeezed Ren’s other hand as she passed, and it was such a comfort. She really liked Misty.
“Dinner’s at six,” Dame said as he held open the door for them. And with that, he turned and slung his arm around Misty’s shoulders and gave them space.
“Towels are in the closet,” Misty called before the door swung closed and Ren and Mars were alone.
The renovated space was attached to the barn and probably looked like a tack room from the outside, but inside, the walls had been painted in a nice, soothing taupe color, with white wainscoting around the spacious studio style apartment.
There was a bed against the back wall with a deep mauve comforter and beige throw pillows.
One accent wall boasted beige and white floral wallpaper and a small kitchen area complete with a mini fridge and a two-burner stove.
The bathroom was in the corner, and was small, but had a full shower, sink, and toilet combo in it.
On the shining hardwood floors was thrown a fuzzy rug, and the room had little pictures and knickknacks that made it feel homey. Ren ran her finger down the cool countertop and lifted the clean coffee mug from the one cup instant coffee maker. Across the mug was printed Close to Home.
She smiled at it, tracing the raised print. “They put a lot of work into this guest house,” she said softly. She turned to find Mars sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her. His eyes were still tight from that lingering headache, but his smile was freely given and full of relief.
“Hi handsome boy.”
“Hey pretty girl.”
“I have a request.”
“Of course I can sleep on the floor. It’s no problem. Or I can sleep on the cot in the cage and give you this whole place. I really don’t mind.”
“No, not that. Can I have your phone so I can delete the messages Stellan sent me? I’m embarrassed by my responses. I feel…well…I feel tricked and exposed, and I don’t want you to see what was said.”
Mars nodded. “Sure.” He unlocked his phone and handed it to her.
She opened up the text thread, and a blush of mortification heated her cheeks as she went through and deleted those embarrassing texts. At least he wouldn’t know she’d been tricked into telling Stellan I love you.
Mars had drifted into the bathroom and was opening a little travel package of a toothbrush and a tiny toothpaste. He removed his shirt and tossed it to the ground, then turned on the shower water. She watched as he brushed his teeth and leaned on a locked arm on the counter, eyes on the sink.
“Everything is okay,” she assured him.
He shook his head. “This was all a mess. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I had it all planned to be smooth, and for you to just have fun here.”
“Yeah, but I’m here, and you’re here, and I’m not your Rabbit and now we can just be the friends we were meant to be.” Yeah, it was a test.
“I’m not your friend and you know it.” He straightened his spine and looked at her in the mirror, then spat toothpaste and rinsed his mouth.
He turned and shucked his pants, eyes on her as he slid out of every piece of clothing on him.
He stood there, strong and tall, muscular body on full display. “I’m going to get into the shower now.”
“Okay,” she whispered, staring at his flexed six pack.
“Would you like to join me?”
She pursed her lips against a smile, but she couldn’t hide it if she tried. Who, me? She mouthed, pointing to her chest.
You, he mouthed back. He crooked a finger, ushering her to him. “Come here.”
And oh, the urge inside of her to obey that man. She liked it when he was dominant like this.
This little apartment felt so safe, like their own little world.
She padded softly to the bathroom and kicked out of her flipflops and moved to pull her shirt over her head.
“Let me,” he said softly, his eyes sparking with hunger.
She dropped her hands and studied the tiredness etched into his facial features. Even with the too-sharp angles of his face, he was her Mars. He was comfort. He was safety. The Rabbit stuff didn’t matter anymore. It wasn’t their story. This, right here, right now…this was their story.
He pulled her tank top over her head and reached around, tugging gently on her hairband until he released her messy bun. Her curls fell around her face, and he slid his fingers into it and massaged her scalp gently. With a groan of pleasure, Ren rolled her head back and closed her eyes.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
She eased her eyes open. The stretch of her smile felt so damn good. There was so much relief emanating from Mars right now, she was getting high off of it.
He reached around her and unsnapped her bra, and the release of pressure of that fabric felt so good as he pulled it from her arms and dropped it to the floor with the rest of their clothes.
His erection was stone hard and standing straight up, and she ran a soft touch down his long shaft.
His shoulders shuddered and he rolled his eyes closed, then opened them again.
They were an even brighter blue. Feeling bold, she slid her hand around the width of him and slowly pulled her grip upward toward the head of his cock, then back down.
Mars gripped the back of her hair and rested his forehead on hers. “We don’t have to do anything today. We can just take a shower if you want.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You,” he said without hesitation. “I wanted you before I even saw you. I smelled you and then saw you days before I got the guts to go into your record shop.”
His admission came as a shock. “You did?”
He nodded. “I like that you’re a Cat. I don’t have to be as gentle with you. I liked the scent of you before I even knew what you looked like.”
Right. She forced a smile and pulled her grip up the length of him again. His breath hitched and his abs flexed, and God, she loved his body’s reaction to her touch. She didn’t recall ever feeling this powerful before.
They had hours before dinner. Hours to explore each other, and there was something so exciting about that to her.