Dare to Believe tgc-1

by Dana Marie Bell

  Aileen smiled at her. This close, the faint lines of strain around her eyes were more noticeable. She wondered if there was anything she could do to take some of the burden off the older woman. Sean had come into the kitchen and whispered something in Leo’s ear and Leo had nodded in response, his expression pleased. Sean had then moved to his wife, placing a small kiss on the side of her neck before pulling plates from the cupboards.

  “That’s sweet of you, Ruby, but no.” Aileen raised her voice only slightly and the wrestling near the kitchen table came to an abrupt end. “Moira and I have things under control.”

  “I’ll show Ruby to our room, then, Mom. I think we could both use a shower before we eat.” Leo stepped forward, his hair deliciously rumpled, his shirt half out of his pants. Ruby had to tamp down the totally inappropriate spate of lust that gripped her. For God’s sake, girl, get a grip! His mom is standing right there!

  Did he just say our bedroom? She looked over at Aileen, wondering how the woman felt about that.

  “Dinner in one hour, Leo.” His mom didn’t even lift her gaze from the stew pot she was stirring.

  He took Ruby’s hand and began leading her from the room. “We’ll be ready.”

  “Leo?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Where’s your parents’ bedroom?”

  “Two doors down from ours.”

  “Oh, hell no.”

  She pulled against his hand and he stopped with a frown. “What’s the problem, kitten?”

  “Leo, we can’t sleep together with your parents right down the hall!” Her horrified whisper was more of a hiss. He opened the door to their bedroom.

  Their bedroom. The shaft of joy and satisfaction that shot through him at that thought would have had him grinning except for one thing. Leo had fully expected an argument from his little kitten when she realized his parents had put them in the same bedroom. He wasn’t disappointed, unfortunately. He’d just known she was going to be difficult about this. He led her to the upstairs bedroom his father had put their suitcases in. “It’s all right, Ruby. If my parents had a problem with it, Dad would have put our suitcases in separate rooms.”

  Ruby dug her heels in. He had to drag her the rest of the way into their room. He’d have picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder if she’d offered any serious resistance. He’d had a hard enough day without adding a fight with her into the mix.

  He began unpacking his suitcase, ignoring the fact that she hadn’t moved from where he’d left her.

  “Unpack, sweetheart, we’ve got enough time for a quick shower before dinner if you hurry.”

  She stirred, a frown on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but bit her lip and looked away instead.

  He stopped, a shirt dangling from his fingers. She looked…odd. Like she’d swallowed something sour. “What is it, kitten?”

  She shrugged, a small smile chasing away her frown. “Nothing.” She began to unpack.

  Leo had been around enough women to know that nothing usually meant something. And nothing said in that particular way usually meant everything.

  He put the shirt down on the bed and went to her, wrapping his arms around her. He inhaled her sweet scent and his cock hardened immediately. “When a woman says nothing the way you just said nothing, I start worrying. Out with it, kitten.”

  She shrugged again, obviously embarrassed. “It’s nothing, really.”

  “Now you’re beginning to terrify me.” He bent down and nuzzled her neck through her hair, wallowing in the silky feel of her skin. He felt her shudder when he stroked her earlobe with his tongue and teeth. Suddenly, it had been way too long since he’d been inside her. “C’mon, kitten. Tell me.”

  “It’s stupid.”

  He licked his way from her earlobe to the top of her shoulder. “Mm-hmm.” He’d totally lost track of the conversation, his only goal now to get her out of her clothes and on her knees. Or on the bed. Or anywhere, so long as it involved a lot of naked.

  “It’s just…you’ll think I’m just being whiney.”

  Danger! Red alert! Red alert!

  She jerked in his arms. “Did you just hear a siren?”

  He pulled up abruptly, pulling his powers back around him like a cloak. “Um, no, what did it sound like?”

  She frowned up at him, confused. “Like the red alert signal from Star Trek.”

  “Oh. Uh, maybe Moira’s watching TV.”

  She relaxed, and he held back a sigh of relief. “Oh. That makes sense. I suppose.”

  “Now. What’s the problem?” No way were the words “stupid” or “whiney” going to pass his lips. He had some sense of self preservation, after all. He tried to get her to relax by stroking her back soothingly.

  “This is so juvenile.”

  Hell. “Spit it out, kitten, you’ve chewed it enough. What is it?”

  She took a deep breath and visibly braced herself. “It’s just…well, I mean, your parents are down the hall. Aren’t they going to, you know, hear us?” That last was a furious whisper, her face beet red. She glared up at him.

  He stared at her. How exactly do I want to answer that?

  She rolled her eyes before he could come up with a response. “Never mind. God, I feel like such an idiot for even asking.”

  “Oh, no, let’s get that one settled right now.” He forcibly walked her over to the bed and sat down, pulling her down onto his knee. He wrapped his arms securely around her waist. “Care to repeat that question?”

  She punched him, hard enough to earn a grunt. “Leo! What if they hear us? ”

  “First of all, I’m not twelve years old.”

  She mumbled something under her breath, but he decided to let it pass.

  “Second of all, you’re not twelve years old.”

  She glared up at him through her bangs, looking mutinous.

  “Kitten, if it bothered them, Dad would have put us in separate rooms. Do I hear an echo in here?

  Ow.” Leo rubbed the sore spot that was rapidly developing on his chest. I have got to find a better use for her hands. “What is the problem here? You came with me, you’re here for me, and they put us in the same room because they know you’re mine. Do you want to sleep in my sister’s room? Because if you do, I’ll just sneak in there, and you’ll be naked with an audience.”

  She sighed. “Leo—”

  “I need you with me, Ruby.” He stared into her eyes, trying desperately to convey with a look what he couldn’t yet put into words. It was too soon, too much else was going on, and there were things he still hadn’t told her. Things he knew he should tell her, but he wanted to talk to his parents first. “Please.”

  Again, it was the please that won the day for him. That, and the fact that he’d actually argued about keeping her with him. “Okay.” She cuddled up against him and he held her, stroking her hair. The part of her that was starting to seriously fall for him was glad she hadn’t insisted on moving out of the room despite the oddness of having his parents right down the hall from them. “But I’m still not sure about the whole nookie thing.”

  “Nookie?” His shoulders quivered under her hands. He sounded like he was trying not to laugh.

  Her head tilted to the side and she bit her lip. An idea had occurred to her, brought on by the thought of both getting clean and getting some Leo. She just hoped she was up for it. It had been a really long day and she was starting to wind down, but she was tired of fighting something they both wanted. “Didn’t you want to take a shower?” She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. “We could always take one together. With all that running water, they might not hear anything.”

  She scraped her nails along the nape of his neck, enjoying the shiver that moved through him. He leaned down, his expression smoldering. She barely suppressed her own shiver when he began nibbling at her ear, taking the lobe between his teeth and doing things that made her wish dinner wasn’t in less than an hour.

  “Um. Sounds…delicious.” His voice
was a low growl. His nibbling had migrated to her neck and was lazily heading south. By the time he reached the sensitive juncture of her neck and shoulder she was ready to melt into a puddle of goo. When he reached up and began tweaking her nipple through her shirt she did melt into a puddle of goo.

  With a low groan he pulled himself away from her long enough to yank her shirt over her head. He bent over her, pulling her in close for a kiss.

  “Leo Dunne! If I don’t hear water running in five minutes you’ll know what’s what!”

  Ruby looked up at Leo. His eyes were wide and bright with suppressed laughter. “Now you know why I ran away from home.” He leaned in and planted a swift kiss on her smiling lips. “Yes, Ma,” he yelled, loud enough to make Ruby wince.

  “Should I make sure you wash behind your ears?” Ruby giggled. She hadn’t felt like this since she was a teenager.

  “And other places?” His puppy-dog hopeful expression had her hiding her face in his shirt, overcome with the giggles.

  He picked her up easily and carried her into the shower. “Let’s conserve water, shall we?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Leo slipped quietly out of the room. She’d been too tired to make love before nodding off. His kitten was totally exhausted. She’d slipped on a tiny, silky little cream colored thing that she swore was a nightgown and he swore was a wet dream come true. She’d crawled into bed and passed out soon after dinner, curled up around him like the kitten he’d named her. The shower gymnastics he would have loved to indulge in had been interrupted by his pest of a sister, banging on the door and yelling for all she was worth that dinner was ready and he’d better get his Fae butt down the stairs before his mother came up for him. Perhaps it was just as well. He doubted she would have lasted long enough to eat if they’d made love.

  He’d just have to make sure he took better care of her from now on. He didn’t like it when his little kitten was all tuckered out for the wrong reasons.

  He hadn’t understood why Ruby had glared at his sister when they’d finally headed down, until he’d heard her mutter under her breath that his butt was fine, thank you very much. He’d nearly burst out laughing.

  Dinner had been a unique mixture of tension and curiosity. No mention was made of Shane or his kidnapping at the table. Instead everyone had focused on Ruby. They’d done their best to make her feel welcome, but there’d been no denying the gentle inquisition his parents had put her through. But his kitten was tough. She’d answered each question with dignity and a light touch of humor that had won over both of his parents. He hadn’t needed to see his father’s nod of approval or his mother’s smile to know they’d both liked her tremendously.

  Moira, however, seemed to be reserving judgment. Oh, she liked Ruby, and made that plain. Yet in that odd sisterly sort of way she’d managed to convey that she wasn’t certain that Ruby was good enough for him. He wondered if he’d be as big a pain in the ass when she brought her mate home to meet them one day, and shuddered. The thought of his baby sister letting a man touch her made him want to punch something.

  His family was waiting for him in the kitchen, Mom making a pot of coffee, Dad chatting quietly with Moira. They all looked at him when he entered, and suddenly he knew how Dad, and to some extent Shane, felt during these family meetings. Each of them was staring at him like he could somehow make everything right. He took his seat, accepting the coffee his mother handed him with a small smile.

  “Is Ruby settled in then?”

  The lyrical notes of his mother’s tongue flowed over him, soothing something in his spirit he hadn’t even realized had been abraded. “Aye, Mum. She’s sleeping peacefully.” The language, so long unused, came to him easily, surprising him.

  “You’re sure she’s the one, then?” Moira’s question, though not unexpected, still grated.

  “Aye, I’m sure. Everything about her calls to my senses in a way no other woman ever has.”

  The confidence in his voice had Moira sitting back, nodding thoughtfully. “Does she know of us?”

  “You mean does she know that when we aren’t glamoured we sprout pointy ears and speak in Sidhe?

  No, I haven’t told her that yet, considering I just finally got her into my bed last night.”

  Moira unconsciously fingered the delicately tapered point of one ear. “When do you plan on telling her? Before or after the ceremony?”

  “Moira. Enough.” Sean’s voice was stern. “Ruby’s human. Leo will need to lead her up to it.”

  “Rent Lord of the Rings first, it might help.” Moira grinned at him, that cheeky one that never failed to worry him. She leaned forward. “Ask her if she thinks Legolas is hot.”

  “I can’t wait to see who you mate, Moira. I hope he’s human.” Leo bopped her on the head with an oven mitt, making her giggle. “Maybe he’ll think Legolas is hot.”

  She bared her teeth at him in a smiling snarl. Aileen took the oven mitt from her before Moira could bop him back. “Enough. Leo, let us know if you need help explaining things to her.”

  Meaning, explain them soon, before you head back to D.C.

  “Yes, Mum.”

  Sean stood, and all eyes turned to him. Leo’s dad was one of the most easygoing men he knew, until one of his own was threatened. Leo had sensed the tremendous anger Sean was hiding the moment he’d stepped foot on his father’s land.

  It was never, ever wise to piss off an earth sprite.

  “I’ve got feelers out to all of my cousins in this country and Ireland, just to be safe,” Sean said. He’d planted his feet wide, his thumbs hooked into the loops on his jeans, his face stern. He looked like a warrior readying his troops for battle. “The earth spirits allied with us will keep me apprised of what’s going on. If he’s anywhere near one of them, they’ll let me know.”

  “I’ve contacted some of the Sidhe who still speak with me, and they’ve assured me they’ve heard no mention of Shane.” Aileen’s face was calm and composed. Her hands were white-knuckled around her mug. She took a deep breath, her jaw determined, her eyes hard, and Leo was suddenly, inexplicably afraid.

  “There’s someone who owes me a favor—”

  “No, Aileen.”

  The iron in his father’s voice surprised him. “Who?” His parents shared a long, unreadable look.

  “Who owes you a favor, Mum? If they can find Shane, we should call them.”

  “That favor may come at a price we’re not prepared to pay, Leo.”

  Leo turned to his father, but Sean’s stern gaze never left Aileen.

  “He owes me, Sean.”

  “And he’ll turn that to his advantage.”

  “He can find my baby, Sean Patrick! Let him find my baby!”

  Aileen finally broke, tears running silently down her face. Sean’s eyes closed at the sight of his mate’s fear and pain. The helplessness he obviously felt in the face of her grief was something Leo hoped he’d never suffer through with Ruby. Bad enough his brother was missing. If it was his child, the child of his beloved mate? He didn’t know if he’d be in any better shape than his mother was in.

  Leo huffed out a breath and exchanged his own glance with Moira. Who the hell was his mother talking about?

  “You’ve called him?” Sean’s voice was weary.

  “Aye.”

  Sean nodded at his wife’s whispered response. “So be it, then.”

  “Who are you two talking about?”

  The sudden gust of wind heralded the advent of a tornado of power in the middle of the Dunne kitchen. Out of that tornado stepped a tall, slender man with waist length red hair and laughing blue eyes in a face that would have made Michelangelo weep. The tornado was dressed in a dark blue poet’s shirt that matched his eyes and tight leather pants that showcased a slim build. Knee-high leather boots completed the look.

  Every hair on Leo’s body stood on end at the sight of that slender young man.

  “Robin Goodfellow, for my sins,” the figure said, bowing extravagantly. He loo
ked up from his bow, cocked his head at Sean, and laughed out loud.

  “Shit. Shit. Robin-fucking-Goodfellow owes Mom a favor? ” Leo paced back and forth in the front yard, wiping at his face wearily.

  “Ah, but I’m not fucking at the moment, dear fellow, although I might wish I was.”

  Leo swung around and gulped. Robin Goodfellow was sitting on the hood of his Navigator, legs crossed Indian style, a leer on those boyish features. “You see, when I received that call from your absolutely ravishing mother, I was hip deep in a pool with a pair of Naiad twins. Alas and alack, I doubt the lovely ladies waited for my return.” With an exaggerated sigh, Robin brushed his long red hair back with an effeminate sweep of his hand. Leo noticed that the Hob’s nails were painted black. “Now, if I had a prime piece waiting in my bed for me the way you do, I doubt I’d be out here worrying about someone like me.”

  “Stay away from Ruby.” Leo didn’t even recognize the growl that erupted from his throat.

  Those brilliant blue eyes flashed completely green before auburn lashes drifted down, hiding them.

  The leer turned into a smug smile. “Bonded, boy?”

  “Not yet,” Leo forced out between clenched teeth. He’d never been more terrified in his life. He was insane. He’d practically challenged the Hob!

  Bright blue eyes lifted up and studied him, all humor, all pretenses gone, and Leo realized he was seeing the true Hob, Oberon’s Blade, for the first time.

  “Well, isn’t that a shame, seeing as you’re the reason Shane’s missing.”

  “Damn. The marriage contract?”

  The Hob nodded. “The marriage contract.”

  Leo began swearing, a blend of Fae and English. “I thought that old contract was null and void, due to Mom bonding Dad. Why are they trying to enforce it now?”

  “Power, Leo. Why else would a family like the Malmaynes do this?”

  Leo stared at Robin, trying desperately to see past the unholy amusement in his deep blue eyes.