All she had to do then was convince Margie this was the safest place for her and the kids to hide out. Surely her sister-in-law would see sense. To do that, Margie would have to see past the current state of Kelos’s house.
“I’d love to show you around.” Kelos placed his mug down on the table. “What are your plans?”
“Plans? For tomorrow or longer-term?” Amber asked, suddenly worried that staying here might not be an option after all.
“For tomorrow. I have to go to work but I could call and tell them I can’t make it if you need me to hang around.” Kelos’s eyes rested on Amber and the now familiar feeling of warmth that she experienced when he was close spread through her body. Her cheeks turned pink as the heat continued to creep upwards and she longed to fan herself to cool her heated body.
When Shawn had talked about shifters knowing who their mate was as soon as they met, he had never mentioned that their mate would experience the same kind of sense of recognition. Not when they were a non-shifter. But here it was.
“No, you should go to work,” Amber insisted. “We’ll be fine, no one knows we’re here, and Shawn said he would come by.” The words tumbled out of her mouth as her cheeks flamed red. What she really wanted to say was—Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Ever.
“What do you do for work?” Margie asked, her eyes flicking back and forth between Amber and Kelos. Had she sensed the tension in the air? Sexual tension. Amber blew the air out of her cheeks and then hid behind her teacup. She wasn’t ready for a barrage of questions from Margie. Not when she had so many unanswered questions herself.
“I work at the local sawmill,” Kelos said. “They’re good people. And my boss will understand if I call and say something has come up.” He stared at Amber for a long moment before he tore his gaze away.
“The sawmill.” Margie nodded. “A hands-on kind of man.” She pressed her lips together then abruptly stood up. “I need to sleep.” As she brushed past Amber, Margie placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“Goodnight.” Amber kept her eyes lowered as Margie left the room. Her mouth was dry, and her tongue felt too big, as if she would never be able to form a coherent word again.
Was this her fate? Did being the mate of a shifter mean she’d spend the rest of her life as an emotional mess? Or maybe she just needed to break the tension between them and get him out of her system.
Chapter Five – Kelos
“Okay, so, do you want to show me these blankets?” Amber asked as she drained her cup and got up from the table. She went to the sink and turned on the faucet. “I’ll just wash these first.”
“No, it’s okay. I can do that.” Kelos was out of his chair and by her side before she’d had a chance to squirt dish soap into the steaming hot water.
“I’ll wash, you dry.” Amber looked up at him and grinned, but her tiredness showed in the pinched lines around her eyes and mouth. “I insist.”
He bowed his head. “I’m not going to argue.”
“Then you can show me the blankets.” She shivered. “I just want to wrap myself up in a cocoon and close my eyes and pretend none of this is happening.”
“I’m sure you deserve to forget about it all for a night.” He gave a short laugh. “I’m sure you deserve to forget about it for longer…”
“One night is better than nothing.” She stifled a yawn. “That’s if I do sleep. It’s not easy to close your eyes and let go of the world around you when there might be people lurking in the shadows who want to hurt Margie and the kids.”
“Is the threat real?” He grabbed the dishcloth and started to dry the dishes Amber had placed on the drainer.
“Yes.” She paused, her hands buried in the soapy hot water. “My brother isn’t the kind of person to overreact. When he called me, I could hear the panic in his voice.”
“You must be close to your brother if he called you to take care of his family.” Kelos watched her closely and heat crept across his skin at the thought of his arms cocooning her away from the world. They could create their own little bubble under the blankets in his living room.
“We are close.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Although, I don’t know what use I’ve been other than to drive Margie and the kids here. If anyone came for them, I doubt I’d be strong enough to deal with them.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Protecting his mate was his number one priority. Perhaps he should call in sick tomorrow.
“I never expected to meet my mate.” She stared down at the soapy water. “I can’t let whatever it is between us compromise Margie and the children’s safety.”
“I know. Their safety is our number one priority. I promise I’ll put them first.” He smiled coyly. “It goes against all my instincts since my mate is supposed to be my number one priority.”
She laughed nervously and scrubbed the inside of a coffee mug, the water in the sink sloshed around as she worked. “Sorry I’ve made you change the rules.”
“Rules are there to be broken.” He leaned over her shoulder, his arm rubbing against hers. She tensed and dropped the mug back into the water, sending soap suds sloshing over the side of the sink. “I make you nervous.”
She swiveled around to face him. “Yes. You do. I never expected to feel this way. Not when we’ve only just met. I mean, Shawn told me what it’s like for a shifter when they meet their mate, but he never mentioned the effect it would have on me.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know.” Kelos leaned forward, his breath caressing her
