Her eyes narrowed. “Really? Did he mention anything else?”
“Not so much,” he replied elusively. “Except to ask how I was recovering. He wanted to make sure I’d been rehabbing well from my injuries.”
She nodded, though her gaze was penetrating as she observed his reply.
Caleb knew why. Vampires had an uncanny ability to sense lying and deception in the human condition by monitoring heartbeat, pulse, eye reaction, and muscle tension. They were amazing lie detectors in an eerie way. Fortunately, everything he said was true. I wouldn’t try to lie overtly about anything important. Trust was vital in a relationship, more so when your mate was a powerful vampire.
“You’ve been exercising quite a bit recently,” she observed. “Your dedication is impressive, and your muscle tone is better now than before your injuries.”
His eyebrows rose slightly as he realized very little got past her. “You noticed?”
She confirmed in a seductive manner, “You’re always a subject of focused study for me, my love.”
He shivered slightly, and his eyes darted fleetingly to her as he chewed his food. Katrina had a way of unnerving him slightly when she wanted to, but always in a manner that he found both mysterious and pleasurable. It’s a remarkable quality, he conceded.
She walked behind him to caress her fingernails playfully down the back of his neck. A tingling sensation rippled across his skin, and she kissed him softly on the back of the neck. Then she silently exited the kitchen and walked deeper into the house.
“I’ll be in the sublevel room, my love,” she said. “I’ll start making our travel arrangements for the trip to England.”
“You mean you’re going to the lair?” he teased.
He had playfully coined the phrase to describe the large room that was at one time an oversized basement, but had since been converted into a mini-apartment. There were no windows, and Katrina had added a full bathroom and walk-in closet. Other additions included a wet bar, a wall-mounted LCD television with a surround sound system set before a large couch, two desks, a king-sized bed, and other bedroom furnishings. The centerpiece arrangement was an oversized computer hutch containing her vast array of computer equipment and the controller for the estate’s security system. If Katrina had been a superhero, the sublevel room would be her secret hideout. It did have an obscure entrance in the form of a hidden panel door leading from the main hallway, appearing as nothing more than a section of the wood paneling lining the hall.
Katrina stopped in the hallway and turned to stare at him. “Maybe we should start calling it our chamber,” she suggested with an edge to her voice.
“That works, if you prefer,” he said agreeably before lifting a forkful of food to his mouth. For reasons beyond his understanding, she didn’t care for the nickname he had selected.
“When you’re finished, please change into something casual,” she advised. “We’re going out tonight.”
“Will do,” he acknowledged.
After he finished eating, he cleaned up the kitchen and washed the few dirty dishes and pans. He proceeded to their chamber and changed into a pair of khakis, but kept his blue dress shirt on. He appreciated how gracious Katrina had been to allocate space in a chest of drawers and the walk-in closet for his clothes and belongings when he had moved in with her. Fortunately, his former apartment had been small, so there were relatively few clothes and belongings he needed to move into her estate. And though he still had trouble considering it his home, he enjoyed living there with her.
Maybe if she’d let me pay part of the bills, I’d feel better about it, he mused while brushing his teeth.
Katrina appeared behind him, which startled him, much to her amusement. He shook his head and rolled his eyes to the ceiling as he finished brushing.
“Surprise,” she offered with a smirk.
He admired her reflection in the mirror. She had changed into black slacks and a turquoise turtleneck cashmere sweater. Her hair was tied back in a single ponytail, accented with a sterling silver clasp.
“You look great,” he observed after rinsing.
She grinned appreciatively. “Thank you. About ready?”
They made their way to the garage, and Katrina pulled the keys to the Audi from her small purse.
“May I drive?” he asked tentatively. “Please?” he added with a hopeful smile.
She cast an amused glance at him, knowing that he loved driving her car. Happy to indulge him, she tossed the keys to him. Ever the gentleman, he held the door for her