Leopard's Wrath (Leopard People 11)

“After everyone is gone, Sevastyan will do a sweep to make certain there are no listening devices anywhere or cameras left behind.” Mitya gestured toward the stairs. “We know no one has gotten upstairs. I had men stationed on the stairs to prevent that.”

“Did anyone try?”

He smiled, looking a little bit like a pleased wolf. “Several, but they were stopped and noted. Go on up, and I’ll join you in about a half an hour. It won’t take longer than that to get everyone moving.”

A bath would be just the thing to get all the kinks out. She still found it astounding that grief could cause the body to hurt every bit as badly as it did the soul.

Ania looked up at his face and she couldn’t help framing it with both hands. “Thank you for taking care of all this for me. For taking care of me. You were the one shot several times only four days ago, but you still did all this for me. I really appreciate it.”

“I’ll always take care of you, Ania.”

She looked into his eyes for a long time, searching for something that was just out of reach. She couldn’t find it. She didn’t even know what it was. At that moment, Jewel was very quiet. There was no terrible fear welling up to tell her to run. There was only this man who had done for her what was unexpected and wonderful. She went up on her toes and brushed her own kiss across his lips.

“A bath sounds perfect. If you would say my good-byes to everyone, I would greatly appreciate it. Especially Evangeline. She looks tired, and she really helped me out this evening, running interference.”

“I’m sorry I had to slip away for a few minutes. I had to warn Bannaconni and Drake that something wasn’t right. Amory worked for Drake, and he’d been in Bannaconni’s home. Emma, his wife, often cooked for the men working for them. They ate in the house, family style.” His voice turned hard. “I don’t like to think that Amory sat at their table with Emma and the children, eating the food she prepared for them, and then betrayed them.”

“I don’t like it either, Mitya. Of course you had to warn them. There could be listening devices in their homes.” She put her hand on the banister, suddenly needing to go somewhere quiet. She’d been born into the world of criminals, but she’d always lived on the fringe. She looked around at the men and women in Mitya’s home. Almost every single one was involved in some way or another in crime. Shaking her head, she turned and walked up the stairs.10MITYA reached down to lift his woman out of the cold bath. She was sound asleep, curled up like a little drowned kitten. Her hair floated around her like a mermaid’s might. Long and thick, she had hair most shifters had. When he looked very closely, he could see the various colors streaked through the dark strands. Her lashes were thick and long, like her dark hair, and there was the faintest scattering of freckles across her elegant nose.

He loved her mouth. Her lips were full and formed a perfect bow. When she smiled, she had straight, white teeth, although on the bottom, there was one tooth that was just a little crooked. He was particularly fond of that tooth.

Water poured off Ania’s body as he cradled her against his chest. Immediately she turned in to him, seeking warmth. His body was always hot, and she used him like her personal furnace. One-handed, he wrapped a towel around her, trying to soak up the water dripping from her hair. Lashes fluttered and then lifted. She smiled at him, and immediately his heart ached.

“Hi.”

“You stayed in the bath too long. You’re shivering.”

“Your fault,” she declared, burrowing closer as if she could get inside him.

She didn’t have far to go; she was already inside, wrapping herself around his heart, and he wasn’t certain how it had happened. He kept drying her off, using just one hand as he seated himself on the edge of the bed. He held her against him with the other, although she didn’t try to pull away. She felt elusive to him, as if any moment she might make a run for it.

He bent his head and inhaled her fragrance. He loved the way she smelled. He had to face it, even if it was only privately, he loved everything about her. “Why did I smell all those men on you?”

She sent him another smile, this one a little mischievous. “You leave me alone too long and they just flock around me like I’m a magnet.”

He knew she was teasing him, but it was the truth. She just wasn’t aware it was the truth. “I recognized Marzio Caruso’s scent.” It had to be said, and he knew it would come out gruff. He felt murderous every time Alessandro Caruso got near Ania. “His sons were close to you as well.”