Landon’s wedding. That’s all. The moment he kissed me, I immediately shut him down and let him know I’m not available.” She made a face. “Something you would have known if you’d hung around a few minutes longer.”
Declan chuckled, then shook his head. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Believe what?” she asked.
“That Ivy and Landon are married.”
She groaned. Oh, that. “I was serious before. This is more than top secret. If you leak a word of this, Dick will split them up and—”
“I’m not going to say anything,” Declan promised. “Besides, I’ve known that Ivy and Landon were more than partners for a while.” He grinned down at her. “You know, you have a lot of secrets. At some point real soon, you’re going to tell me all of them.”
She’d gladly tell him anything and everything. Well, everything except the matchmaking software she came up with. And no way was she typing her name in there, either. She didn’t need some computer to tell her that Declan was her soul mate.
“I will,” she told him. “At least as much of it as I can tell you without betraying confidences. But I’ll tell you everything I can, as long as you promise you’re going to stick around to hear all of it.”
“I’ll be here.” He cupped her face, his thumb brushing her cheek. “Although, if we’re going on missions together, we’re going to have to learn to sneak around like Ivy and Landon.”
She laughed. “We don’t have to worry about that. I don’t think I’ll be going on any missions anytime soon. I’ve decided I like being an office drone a lot more than I thought.”
Declan grinned. “Good. Because I want my ring on your finger where everyone can see it. Including Derek.”
Her breath caught. “Ring? As in wedding ring?”
“Yeah.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “If you don’t mind being married to a bear.”
Kendra laughed. “I don’t mind at all.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He gazed down at her, his blue eyes turning that same beautiful rose color they had in the cave. “Then what do you say we go into the bedroom and celebrate?”
She went up on tiptoe to kiss him long and lingeringly on the mouth. “I say, lead the way.”
Declan did better than that. He swung her up in his arms and carried her there. She caught a glimpse of a big four-poster bed and a huge built-in bookcase as he set her down on her feet, but she was too focused on him to pay much attention to the decor. He undressed her slowly, kissing each and every part of her body as he exposed it, leaving her quivering and weak-kneed by the time he was done. She clutched his shoulders, afraid she’d fall if she didn’t hold onto something, but Declan was already urging her back on the bed. She lay on the pillows, watching as he unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down. Then he was on top of her, bracing his weight on his forearms as he covered her mouth with his.
Kendra wrapped her arms around him. Had it only been a few days ago that they’d made love like this in the cave in Costa Rica? It seemed like years.
She cooed as her trailed scorching kisses along her jaw and down her neck, shivering when his teeth scraped against her skin. No, not teeth, fangs.
She grabbed his head, gently urging him to look at her. He gazed down at her in confusion, his eyes glowing like the setting sun.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I just wanted to see your face,” she said softly. “Your fangs are out.”
His eyes widened, and she caught the panic in them before he quickly looked away. She cupped his cheek, gently bringing his face back to her. He didn’t meet her gaze.
“Declan, look at me,” she entreated. “Please.”
He did, slowly. His eyes were almost back to their natural color, and his fangs had retracted nearly all the way. She couldn’t see much more than the tips peeking out. Knowing he was hiding that part of himself made her want to cry all over again.
“Declan, when I say love you, I mean all of you, including your shifter half,” she said. “You never have to be afraid to show me that side of yourself, especially in the bedroom. Okay?”
He started to say something, but then stopped and swallowed hard. She waited for him to try again, but instead he kissed her so hard she could barely