The Deputy and His Enforcer (Kincaid Pack #3) - Kiki Clark Page 0,115

into danger than I was for you.”

Eyes narrowing, Marcus looked off to the side, gaze becoming unfocused like he was trying to figure something out. Robson let him think for a few moments, then decided he might need to distract Marcus from coming to any disturbing conclusions about the three men. As far as Robson was concerned, the hunter had gotten lucky that most of the shifters he hung around depended so much on their enhanced senses that they didn’t notice what was right in front of them sometimes.

Cupping the back of Marcus’s thighs, Robson gave him a tug until he was settled on his lap, straddling him. “When do they leave?”

Marcus hummed, nuzzling into the side of Robson’s face. “Probably pretty soon. They should be able to get in and out quickly and get back to the safety of our territory.”

Uh-huh. Sure, because sensitive missions always went exactly to plan.

“Your mom sounds like she’s getting annoyed with your sisters for being on their phones instead of helping her, and Teresa and Patrick just pulled up. We should probably go downstairs,” Marcus said softly, making no move to pull away as he settled his head on Robson’s shoulder, moist breath heating the skin of Robson’s neck.

He held Marcus tightly, enjoying the moment and hoping for thousands more just like it in the future. And he knew he’d get them. Sure, things were tight in the house at the moment with some of Marcus’s things getting stored in a unit in town, and they’d have to share their bathroom with Teo, but Robson was kind of looking forward to getting to know his younger siblings better and for Marcus to have the chance too. He couldn’t wait for the holidays when Benito and Rafael would be home as well.

Sighing happily, he pressed a kiss to Marcus’s cheek and eased him up. “Alright, let’s go, cariño. We have to go save my mom before guests start arriving.”

Marcus’s soft smile lit up the room and Robson’s chest. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Hours after he talked to Robson in their bedroom, the last of the pack had finally headed out and he, Robson, Teo, and Patrick were finishing cleaning the kitchen. Robson’s mom, Annalisse, Valentina, and Teresa were all asleep—the first three in their beds, the last on the couch with little Maria next to her in some sort of portable sleeping thing.

Placing the last of the leftovers in the fridge, Marcus turned and scanned the rest of the room, but almost everything else was taken care of. Robson was drying the last of the dishes, laughing with Patrick over something Callie had done the last time Robson was at the manor. He walked over and kissed the back of Robson’s neck, whispering in his ear that he was going to bed and not to keep his brother-in-law too late.

As he and Teo silently climbed the stairs together, he was surprised at how normal it felt to be surrounded by so many people. He’d been on his own for so long, he’d been worried he’d feel suffocated living with Robson’s family. But it was the opposite.

The constant noise soothed a piece of him that had been aching for that sense of connection since he was a kid, shunned and ridiculed for his differences by his family and pack.

It was funny, Marcus realized as he waved good night to Teo and entered his bedroom, that he’d ended up mated to someone who would have fit in to his family’s pack so much better than he ever had. Robson’s dark hair and unflappable nature were exactly the kind of traits they’d valued. Whoever Marcus’s red hair and freckles had come from, they’d sure as hell cursed him to an agonizing childhood.

Taking a deep breath, Marcus held it in his chest and closed his eyes, focusing on clearing his mind. Thinking about his old pack and family tended to suck him into a downward spiral he would struggle to extract himself from afterward.

His past might always be a part of him, but he was done giving his time and energy to thinking about it.

“You okay, cariño?” Robson asked as he stepped up behind Marcus, wrapping his arms around him.

He nodded and turned around, lightly kissing Robson’s mouth as he rested his arms on his shoulders. “I’m more than okay. I’ve never had this before, you know. Not really.”

Robson cocked his head and looked around them. “To share a room?”

Marcus chuckled and pressed even closer, letting his mate’s heat and