Page 74 of Misbehaving With Minotaurs
Speeding up, I swoop her into my arms and carry her up the final few stairs, down the long hall and up the next set to her room. Annabelle, that darling girl, swings the door open for us so I can sail through.
I head for the bed, and Catherine laughs as I drop her into it and fall on top of her, bracketing her between my arms so I can stare. “You look so fucking pretty in this bed,” I muse as I lift one hand to run it over her breast, pinching the nipple until it peaks high. “Look at you, Cath. You smell needy, woman. Tell me how you pleased yourself while I was gone.”
She lifts her chin in playful defiance. “I didn’t. I saved all thatpleasure and desire for your return. I was quite busy with my gift.”
I bend low and nuzzle at her breasts, wanting to rip the dress from her but not wanting to ruin it if it’s a favorite of hers.
“Get naked, woman.”
“Not yet, Nor. The present, remember?”
I sigh and sit up, pulling her upright with me. Slipping both hands into her hair, I bring my forehead to hers and close my eyes, breathing her in. That sweet, sugary gingerbread scent is home. Her heart beats slowly, steadily as I consider the path that led me back to her after so long apart.
She’s quiet, stroking my ears and the side of my neck before moving to my horns. As she touches them, I shudder and sink harder against her.
“How was it being home?” Her tone is curious but cautious.
“Miserable without you,” I admit. “I want you to get to know PG, but on our terms. Not because I ripped you away from everything you love.”
Around us, Annabelle lets out a miserable-sounding groan, the pipes in the floor creaking as she shudders and shrieks.
“Easy, sweetheart,” I caution her. “I wouldnever. Age brought me the wisdom to know my place is here with my girls, building something new with you both.”
Catherine squirms out of my grip and backs across the room, beckoning me with a crook of the finger. I slide off the bed and follow, thinking about how I want to press her to the window and sit her on my muzzle to do naughty, naughty things.
“I scent your need, mate,” she whispers, “but I promise you’ll want to see this.”
Shock and pride course through me in equal measure, forcing me to halt in place.
“You called me mate,” I manage.
She plants both hands on her hips, a dark brow quirking upward. “Are you not?”
I’m across the room before I consciously think about moving, hauling her into my arms and pressing her to the far wall. It’s covered with a large velvet curtain, and she?—
“Stop, Nor,” she commands, eyes swirling with gold. “Or I’ll be forced to stop you. I want to give you my damn present.”
“You called me mate,” I practically whine. “I need to touch you, Cath, to show you how much it means to me that you called me that.”
Annabelle creaks and groans, and Cath cocks her head to the side. Like every time she and the inn communicate, it amazes me how they seem to have their own language. “Okay, darling girl. You first.” She looks quizzically at me. “Annabelle has something for you too.”
Surprised, I lean against the closest wall and wait to see what happens.
A creak across the room draws my attention. A giant ceiling beam creaks, and then a tiny door opens, and something drops onto the floor, disappearing behind the bed. Cath and I watch as the whitewashed floorboards ripple, tumbling something small toward us. A second item drops out of the hole in the beam, and the kitty cat timer meows as she gets tumbled to meet up with the first thing.
Annabelle tosses both items to me with a quick flip of the closest floorboard. I catch them easily, the timer leaping up onto my shoulder and tucking under my ear with a happy purr. Cath presses closer as I open my hand to reveal whatever Annabelle brought me.
It’s a heart. A wooden heart. It’s made of dozens of small pieces that look like Annabelle’s siding. They’re every shade of pale pink and a few white, too. The heart fills my palm but weighs almost nothing.
But I can’t find my breath as shock and love courses through me in equal measure.
“Oh Annabelle…” Catherine’s hand trembles as she lifts it to cover her mouth. Her eyes fill with tears as I struggle to pull breath into my lungs.
“Annabelle,” I manage, my voice wavering as I lift the heart to my chest.
Tears stream down Catherine’s face as they well in my eyes. I press a hand to the wall, clutching the heart to my chest. “This is a gift beyond measure.” I curl my fingers into the wooden wall as Annabelle rumbles and flutters everything around us.
I risk a look at Catherine, who’s wiping tears away. “Did you two plan this?” It’s all I can manage as she shakes her head.
