Chapter 40

"Okay." The word popped out before Lia could organize her thoughts. She was nervous and relieved at the same time. "I'll marry you."
Mike tugged her out of the chair, tunneled his fingers in her hair to anchor her head, and gave her a kiss that seared her down to her toes. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, sweeping it over every surface and tangling with hers. Only when they both ran out of breath did he finally lift his head and grin at her, hunger glittering in his eyes.
"You had to know I'd never let you get away."
"I hoped," she told him. "But you didn't bring it up."
"Like I said, I was afraid it would break the spell and you'd leave." He sprinkled kisses on both cheeks. "Let's eat and we can talk about the future, okay?"
In the end, it had been so easy, she laughed at herself for all the crazy thoughts she'd had. They'd gotten past the biggest hurdle. Her wolf. Everything else should be a piece of cake. Right?
"Graphic designer," Riley mused when she told him. "You work for yourself or an agency?"
"I was with a big agency," she told him. "But when all this came up, when my bunica died, I took a leave of absence to follow the trail of the pack."
"But they're expecting you back," he guessed.
"Let's put it this way." She swallowed a bite of chicken and chased it with a sip of water. "There is a place there for me if I want it. I say, in all modesty, I am damn good at what I do. But, if I don't come back, they'll fill my spot in about twenty seconds."
Riley quirked an eyebrow at her. "So, what will you do?"
"Well." She patted her mouth with her napkin. "I have a lot of connections in the business, and I have a certain amount of name recognition. I thought I'd open my own business. I mean, if it's okay with you, I could set up my office in one of the spare bedrooms and work from home."
"If it's okay?" he practically shouted. "Of course it's okay. The corner bedroom across for the master suite would be perfect. It's got a big window, so you'd have plenty of natural daylight, it's not gloomy, it's - "
"I'm sold." She giggled, touching her fingertips to his mouth.
"But what about where you live? Do you have a house to sell? An apartment lease to break?" He paused when she shook her head. "What?"
"All of that are just details, Riley. I was staying with my grandmother for the past year, so no apartment. I had already put the house up for sale." She waved a hand in the air. "All that's just so many details. We can go over them tomorrow night after I pull everything together."
She picked up her fork and bent to her dinner again but looked up when she felt Riley's eyes on her. "What? Is there a problem?"
His mouth curved in a wide grin? "Not even a little one. I can't believe how lucky we are. I mean, I am." He shook his head in disbelief. "That's all."
"Riley, we're both lucky," she told him. "It's so incredible for me to find someone like you, who knows the real me and doesn't run screaming into the night. For someone like me, like Mike, having a real relationship is very difficult if you can't find someone of your own kind. I feel so blessed."
And she did. When she first set out to find the book and try to trace what was left of her pack, she never thought something like this would happen. It was an unexpected gift.
Be careful of good luck.
She could hear her bunica telling her that over and over. She wished the woman was here so she could tell her this good luck was real. But, even as she thought it, a tiny finger of ice rippled down her spine, warning her never to take anything for granted.
As she was trying to shake off the unwanted feeling of unease, Riley's cell phone rang. He grabbed it from the counter where he'd left it, looked at the readout, and swore.
"What is it?" Lia asked, her fork paused in midair.
"It's Charlie." He punched the Talk button. "Yeah, what's up? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. And it has to be tonight? Fucking damn. Yeah, I know. This is a priority. Okay, why don't you pick me up? I'll be ready. Just honk the horn." He disconnected the call and swore again.
"You have to go out?" Lia asked, and thought, there goes the evening. But she knew with Riley's job, schedules didn't mean squat. Besides, this case he was working on was so heinous, she wanted him to be able to do whatever it took to solve it.
"Our latest victim is more alert than she was the night she was brought in. The lieutenant wants us to talk to her again. Plus, a couple of the people Charlie left his cards with called him and think they may know something." He leaned down and cupped her chin. "I'm sorry, Lia. I had big plans for tonight. Big celebration plans."
"I'll still be here when you get home," she pointed out. "I'll wait up for you, no matter how late it is."
"It could take hours," he warned.
"Maybe I'll open up my laptop and begin outlining my business plan." She was actually excited about doing it now that things were settled firmly between them. And it would help her pass the long hours.
"All right. But if you get tired - " The ringing of the phone interrupted whatever he was going to say. "Now what?" He checked the caller ID. "Hmm. It's Mike. Wonder what he wants? Hey, guy. What's up? Really? No kidding? This is great because I have to go out on my latest case. Hold on a sec, and I'll ask her." He looked over at Lia. "Mike says he hasn't had a run in a few nights. He wants to know if you want to join him. He runs in the woods behind us."
So, did that mean he was the wolf she'd seen the other night? Most likely. She was flattered that he would ask her already.
She nodded. "Tell him yes. I'd love to. And I thank him very much for asking."
Riley did then passed the phone over to her. "He'll give you the details."
She took the cell from him. "Hi, Mike. Thank you so much for this."
His low chuckle came over the connection. "One of the reasons I didn't hesitate is because I'm guessing you were the white wolf I saw in the forest area the other night."
Lia laughed. "And after I met you, I suspected you were the one who saw me. Sure, I'm looking forward to it. Tell me how and what time."