Page 35 of Betrayed Kidnapped Mate

“Rosa,” he says, his voice in that same rough tone as the other day when I closed the door in his face. I stare at him, thinking about what Linnea said about him being a good man. He had never been anything but that up until the night he left. Maybe it’s time I heard his side of the story.

“Bigby,” I say, sliding the hand on his chest up and over his neck, which is hot to the touch. I cup his cheek, and he closes his eyes, leaning his head into my hand. His breathing slows, and his arms come around my waist slowly as though he’s afraid I might pull away.

My breasts are pressed firmly to his chest, and every time he takes a breath, we get impossibly closer. I snake my arms around his neck and bury my face in his shirt, taking a long breath.

After a moment, Bigby seems to remember that we’re standing in his driveway with an audience, so he releases me, clearing his throat.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” he says, his voice low. Linnea, Aris, and Ado are staring openly at us. Apparently, none of them thought I would be able to slow him down.

“That’s okay, man,” Aris says, coughing. “I have never seen you like that before.”

Aris’s eyes flick to me with a question. I shake my head at him. Bigby may be intimidating to other people, but I know him. He would never, ever hurt me. Or Kaila.

“Are you coming inside, or what?” I ask, crossing my arms as I look at them. “We’re playing Monopoly.”

***

“How does she keep winning?” Linnea asks, throwing her cards down and playfully poking a finger at Kaila. “We have got a Monopoly genius on your hands.”

“She’s just a regular genius,” Bigby says, grinning at Kaila, who tilts her head. I raise my eyebrows at Byron, who gives me a shrug like I don’t know what you’re implying.

His entire strategy was to make sure Kaila won so Olivia wouldn’t, and now Olivia is outside, sulking. She never lets anyone else win at Monopoly, so she’s taking it pretty hard.

“I love this game,” Kaila says, dancing a little in her chair.

“Yeah, well,” I say, taking her money from the table and stacking it neatly. “It is way past your bedtime. You’re not a real estate tycoon just yet.”

Surprisingly, Kaila doesn’t put up much of a fuss, stifling a yawn with one hand as she waves goodnight to everyone and heads down the hall to the bedroom we’re sharing.

“Brush your teeth!” I call, which makes Kaila groan and everyone else laugh.

Byron goes outside to find Olivia, and I follow Aris and Linnea to the door. Linnea hugs me tight and says, low enough so nobody else can hear, “Talk to him. Please.”

I release her and give her a little nod, then, to my surprise, Aris gives me a hug, too, nodding once before following Linnea out the door. Just before I close it, I hear Linnea say, “The nanny is going to be so mad.”

I laugh as I close the door and turn to head back inside, where Bigby is in the kitchen, washing up the dishes from dinner. Wordlessly, I join him, grabbing a towel and drying as he washes. I guess it depends on the location of each dish, and most of the time, I’m right.

“You don’t have to help,” Bigby says quietly, “you’ve already done enough today.”

“I know,” I say, throwing him a grin. We finish the dishes, then I walk over to the chess table, raising an eyebrow at him. “Ready to lose again?”

He cracks his knuckles as he comes over.

“You only beat me last time because I was distracted.”

“That’s what all the best chess players say.”

He rolls his eyes and takes his place across from me. I always play white, so I open the game, and we get into the rhythm of it quickly. Just like yesterday, I’m the first one to take a piece. I give him a grin.

“I wanted to thank you again,” he says, his voice rough, “for earlier. I don’t—I know it was unacceptable, it’s just—” he sighs, then scrubs a hand over his face. “You know that team member we lost during our last mission?”

“Percy,” I say, moving my rook and looking up at him. “I remember. It’s who Linnea and Aris named their son after.”

“Right,” Bigby says, clearing his throat, “well, it turns out there’s some evidence pointing toward Percy not actually being dead.”

“That’s great news!” I say, momentarily forgetting about the chess game. “You found him?”

“No,” Bigby says, clearing his throat and moving his piece. “We found some of his fur, but it implicates him in the human disappearances.”

---