She shifted her pelvis at the same time so that they ground together, his hardness against her soft moist center. Harper groaned and broke their kiss.
“Next time we’ll go slow,” he muttered, pushing his joggers down just enough for his erection to break free.
“Next time,” Drina agreed, and then gasped and clawed at his back as he filled her. They had a long life of next times ahead and she planned to enjoy every one.
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from LYNSAY SANDS
Available November 2011
Katricia took her time closing bedroom doors, peering curiously into each room as she went. It was partially out of curiosity and partially to give Teddy some breathing room. She didn’t need to read his mind to know that he wasn’t comfortable with her. She supposed she’d come on too strong too fast, but hadn’t been able to help herself. The very fact that he might be her life mate made her want to test it. She wasn’t hungry yet, but then the only food around was in cans and boxes. There was nothing really to tempt her palate. Which meant the easiest way to know for sure was to kiss Teddy and see if she experienced the shared pleasure she’d heard so much about.
Unfortunately, it was looking like that might be a hard objective to achieve. Teddy didn’t appear to be comfortable with what he thought was their age difference. That seemed obvious to her from the way he’d quickly removed his hat and scarf and then turned, as if presenting some monstrosity to her. This was going to take some patience, which had never been Katricia’s strong suit. She was already struggling with the urge to simply walk out into the kitchen and jump the man’s bones. The only thing stopping her was the worry that she might give the poor guy a heart attack or something. That would be just her luck-kill her life mate with a heart attack before she could woo and turn him.
Grimacing at the thought, Katricia continued checking out the rooms. She found the one with Teddy’s suitcase and smiled faintly, thinking it was the room she would have picked too. It was the last on the left with the window overlooking the driveway, where he could easily look out to see who was approaching should anyone come up the driveway.
It was a good defensive position and his cop instincts were showing in the choice, she thought with a smile, before pulling the door closed and moving back up the hall. Her eyes widened slightly when she found Teddy kneeling by the fireplace, situating a couple of pots at the edge of the fire.
“What are you doing?” she asked curiously, moving up behind him to peer over his shoulder, but inching back a bit when she sensed him stiffening.
“Experimenting,” he said gruffly, straightening and stepping around her to get back into the kitchen. “Boiling water to make drip coffee and heating chicken soup. It’s not the usual breakfast fare, I know, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
“Clever,” Katricia murmured, watching from the fireplace as he walked into the kitchen and began to measure coffee into a filter.
“Hardly clever,” Teddy said with amusement, setting his coffee fixings aside and rifling through the box. “More like desperate. I’m useless without my java.”
“Java?” Katricia asked, warming her hands at the fire.
“Coffee,” he explained, and then said, “Since you’re over there, keep an eye on the soup for me, will you?”
“Sure,” Katricia said, watching him cross to the table to put on his hat and scarf.
“I’m going to go see if I can get my truck door open and the engine started so I can charge my phone,” he explained as he moved to the door. “If I can get the phone hooked up, I can call Marguerite and see if we can’t get the power back on.”
“Marguerite?”
Teddy paused to glance her way in surprise. Probably because she’d barked the word in her surprise, she thought, and grimaced to herself. Clearing her throat, she asked more calmly, “Who’s Marguerite?”
“Marguerite Argeneau, a friend. She arranged for me to rent this cottage. I want to call and find out who I should report the power problem to,” he said slowly, still eyeing her a little oddly. But then he shook his head and turned to walk out into the vestibule to put on his boots. He pulled the door closed behind him and Katricia stared at it, biting her lip.
She had a cell phone. It was in her pocket and had been since she awoke, and yet she hadn’t once thought of using it. . not even to check on her blood delivery. That more than anything told her just how upset she’d been since finding she couldn’t read Teddy.
Muttering under her breath, she pulled out the phone, but then paused and simply stood there listening until Teddy finished donning his boots and stomped out of the cottage.
Katricia then turned to give the soup a quick stir before moving into the kitchen to peer out the window. Spotting Teddy by the door of his pickup fiddling with the lock, she quickly pulled up contacts on her phone and found her aunt’s listing. Marguerite answered on the second ring, her voice cheerful and happy as she said, “Hello Tricia, dear, how is your vacation going?”
“I can’t read Teddy,” Katricia blurted, not bothering with niceties.
“Oh, how lovely!” Marguerite didn’t sound at all surprised. “I hoped the two of you would meet. Isn’t he a handsome man?”
“Yes,” Katricia breathed. Teddy Brunswick was the most beautiful man she’d ever met. Of course she might be biased since she couldn’t read him and suspected he was her life mate. It tended to color things. Still, he
“He’s so dignified-looking and such a gentleman. I’ve seen pictures of him when he was younger and I promise you he’ll be even more gorgeous after he’s turned. He-”
“Does he know about us?” Katricia interrupted, zeroing in on what was most important to her. If he knew about them, she could just tell him she couldn’t read him, then jump his bones and find out for sure whether he was her life mate or not.
“Yes, he does, dear. He’s the police chief in Port Henry, a nice little town where your Uncle Victor now lives with his Elvi. Many people know about us there. You can let him know what you are. He won’t be horrified.”
“How much does he know exactly?” Katricia asked. “I mean, does he know about life mates and such?”
Marguerite hesitated briefly, and Katricia was sure she was about to say no, but instead, her aunt said, “Well. . yes, he does know about that, dear. However, it might be a good idea if you don’t blurt out that you can’t read him until he’s gotten a chance to get to know you a little better.”
“What?” Katricia asked with alarm and then almost whined, “But why?”
Marguerite chuckled softly, “I know it’s tempting to just tell him that he’s your life mate and so on right away, but-”
“Is he?” Katricia interrupted eagerly.
“Is he what? Your life mate?” Marguerite asked with surprise. “I thought you said you couldn’t read him?”
“Well, I can’t, but sometimes mortals can’t be read because- ”
“Teddy is very readable,” Marguerite interrupted soothingly. “In fact, you’re the first immortal I’ve heard of who can’t read him. Even Elvi and Mabel are beginning to be able to read him, and they’re still quite new to this business.”
“Oh,” Katricia breathed and bit her lip. “But then why shouldn’t I tell him-”
“He’s mortal, dear,” Marguerite interjected gently. “It might be a little much for him to handle so soon. Maybe just let him get to know you a little better first. You don’t want him jumping in his truck and heading back to Port Henry in a panic.”
“He can’t,” Katricia assured her, and then quickly told her about the tree blocking the road and the power
