Tarek laughed. Damn, he hadn't taken Jonas for a
comedian.
"Fine. Whatever." He grunted. "Now tell me the truth." He was going to kill Jonas for playing f**king games with him. He wasn't in the mood.
"No shit, Tarek." Jonas sounded much too serious. "It's kept very quiet. A complete ban on the information unless a couple appears to be mating. One of the best-kept secrets in the world." Heat rushed to his head, and then to his dick.
"What do you mean, 'She's my mate'?" Could that account for the almost obsessive lust that had developed in the past months? The patience with her that he would never have had with anyone else? The growing, clawing hunger that kept his c**k hard, his senses inflamed?
"Biological, chemical, whatever you want to call it," Jonas snorted. "If you kiss her, it causes the hormone to affect her even more than you. Mating Heat. Complete sexual abandon from now until forever. You poor bastard." There was an edge of envy in his voice, though.
Complete sexual abandon? From now until forever? His mate?
"She's mine," he whispered.
"Yep. That's what the doc says. Somehow, nature picked your perfect woman for you. Have fun."
"Have fun?"
Jonas chuckled. "Tarek, you sound dazed, buddy." He gazed up at the stairs before closing his eyes and shaking his head miserably. He had a feeling Lyra was really going to have a reason to be pissed now.
"Shit," he breathed out roughly. "This is not a good time for this, Jonas. I don't have time for sexual abandon or some kind of f**ked-up aphrodisiac. Get the cure out here." Jonas laughed at that.
"I'll bring the latest attempt at contraception instead," he informed him. "Tell her what the hell is going on, and before you take her, be sure she takes the little pink pill. It's worked so far. Their best guess is that the Mating Heat is nature's way of ensuring the success of the species. Because without this pill, conception of the first child occurs quickly. They sure do make some pretty babies, though."
Babies? Tarek swallowed hard. The thought of Lyra carrying his baby did things to him he couldn't explain.
"Just get me some help out here," he snapped, attempting to cover the emotional response suddenly surging through him.
"I'm telling you, Jonas, it's getting dangerous here."
"That goes without saying," Jonas agreed. "I'll head out there myself with Braden and cover you. Let me know how she takes it."
Tarek grunted at that one.
"The information. Not that." He laughed, entirely too amused to suit Tarek. Then his voice sobered. "She's a good woman from what I learned, Tarek. You could have done worse."
"She could have done much better," he said. "You say it's permanent?"
"Like a drug," Jonas said, his voice quieter now. "There are only a few mated couples so far. They're still doing tests, trying to find answers. But so far, it's permanent."
He was f**ked. He would have to tell her the truth. If she had a brain in her head, she would run as fast and as far from him as possible. And he would be stuck, obsessed—hell, in love with a woman he knew he had no right to, and no chance of touching.
Chapter Six
The next morning dawned cold, the rain still falling in a listless, icy drizzle along the windowpanes. Every curtain in the house—thick, heavy, rubber-backed curtains—was closed tightly, and the atmosphere between Lyra and Tarek was decidedly tense.
Breakfast consisted of rich, strong coffee and the mound of sausage biscuits Tarek had nuked in the microwave. She had managed to choke down two. God, how did he stand that stuff?
Then she sat, finishing her coffee, watching as he consumed the rest.
He was too quiet. Brooding. His expression savagely relentless as the silence became thick enough to cut with a knife. She could almost see it distorting the air around them.
"I have to go home," she announced as she rose to her feet and took her cup over to the sink. "The security company should be around soon…"
"I canceled the call." His response had her turning back to him slowly. "My people will be here in a few hours to replace the system entirely."
She stared back at him silently for long moments. This wasn't the lazy, often-cautious man she had come to know. He was still, prepared, his body tense. Still sexy as hell, but the caution had been replaced by a dangerous sense of expectation.