A heat stained her cheeks, and his animal purred in pleasure. He loved the fact he could still make her blush. Now if he could just make her happy with him too.
“Wanting me—needing me—involves more than sex,” she muttered.
Raph frowned. “I know that.”
“Do you?” With a surprising strength, she jerked out of his grasp and headed back down the pathway.
His frown deepened as he watched her walk away into the moon-dappled darkness, her back stiff and her shoulders set at a dangerous angle.
“Ashe.” With a burst of speed he was walking at her side again, studying her tight profile with a growing sense of confusion.
“Tell me.” She marched forward, refusing to glance in his direction.
“Tell you what?”
“What it involves.”
Oh. Raph hesitated. He’d been a clumsy fool when it came to this female. No…when it came to communicating with this female. He wasn’t going to blow it again. Not if he could help it.
“Loving you,” he said, his tone cautious.
“And?”
“Protecting you.”
“And?”
He heaved a frustrated sigh as around them a sudden breeze whipped up, cooling the air. He loved and desired this female beyond reason. He was compelled to protect her, make her feel safe. That seemed strong and right.
That seemed like enough.
“What do you want me to say, ma cher?”
She sent him a quick, searing glare. “I want you to be interested in me. Not as a warm body. Not as the mother of your child. But as a woman with a brain and talents that have nothing to do with what goes on in the bedroom.”
Raph swallowed the teasing words that fairly danced on his idiotic tongue in that moment. Ashe didn’t seem in the mood to hear that her talents extended far beyond their bedroom. They included the shower, the back garden, and occasionally the roof when they could sneak away from their sleeping daughter.
Instead, he said, “Of course I’m interested.”
“Are you?” There was an edge in her voice as she sidestepped a patch of mud. As if she was clenching her teeth. “Do you know how I spent my day today? Or yesterday? Or the day before?”
Raph stiffened. Was this a trick question? “I know you’ve been taking care of our beautiful daughter and making sure that our house is a home. My heart warms as soon as I step through the front door.”
She made a sound of exasperation. “I’ve been spending each morning with Julia in the clinic.”
The words came as a surprise. He’d had no idea. He’d just assumed…
He grimaced, realizing he’d been more than an insensitive ass. He’d been downright neglectful. And it didn’t matter that there’d been one emergency after another at HQ. This was his mate. Priority One.
He should know what she was doing. Even when they were apart.
Hell, he wanted to know!
“Why have you been in the clinic?” he asked.
“Julia’s been training me to assist her as a midwife.”
Raph blinked in surprise. “Midwife?”
Ashe shrugged. “With the surge of pregnancies among the Pantera, she said she could really use an extra pair of hands.”
Raph felt deep satisfaction at his mate’s words. For endless years the Pantera had struggled to produce cubs. They’d been dying along with the Wildlands. Now their homeland was filled with females proudly cradling their cubs or rubbing their extended bellies in anticipation.
At the same time, he wondered why Ashe hadn’t said anything to him about her desire to become a midwife.
“Does it make you happy?” he asked, glancing over at her as they walked.
A smile curved her lips. A smile he realized he hadn’t seen in weeks. “Very happy.”
“Because…” He stalled, forced to clear the lump from his throat. “Because you were bored?”
“Because I need something in my life,” she corrected.
Raph flinched, feeling as if he’d just taken a blow to the gut. “You have me. And Soyala.”
“Just as you do, but that doesn’t stop you from being the leader of the Pantera,” she pointed out in tart tones.
“It wasn’t my choice,” he protested.
She arched a brow. “No, but you wouldn’t give it up, even if someone offered to take over.”
Damn. She was right. He walked with her in silence, his mind alive with deep thought. It hadn’t been his desire to take over leadership. That headache was supposed to belong to the elders. But for years the ancient trio had been in one war after another, barely able to battle back the evil intent on destroying them. The Pantera had needed a leader who was knowledgeable about the outside world, and willing to make the tough choices. But now that he was in charge he knew he could never step aside. He’d sacrificed everything for his people. He wasn’t going to let it all fall apart now that they had the chance for a better future.
“It’s my duty.” His voice was solemn, reverent.
“And your passion,” she pressed.
He shook his head. “You are my passion, Ashe.”
She clicked her tongue. “You know what I mean.”
“Do I?” he muttered. “Then why does my gut feel like it’s being twisted in a knot?”
“Because maybe it scares you a little. Me having another passion, other than you and our daughter.”
Speaking of our daughter. He muttered a low curse, veering off the path into the tangled underbrush. He scented Soyala. She’d come through here just a few hours ago. In her cat form.
It was time to have a good, long talk with that cub. Set down some rules.
But first…he needed to understand his mate. And, more importantly, make her feel understood.
“My time in the clinic brings me joy and a sense of purpose,” she continued. “It also gives me a greater appreciation when I return home to Soyala.” She tossed him a mock sour glance, followed by a soft smile. “And maybe, occasionally
