Jake nodded and both men put down their beers when Emma opened the sliding glass door. Jake’s gaze was on her face immediately.
She went right to him, leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across his mouth. “Dinner’s ready. Cat fixed a couple of surprises. We exchanged recipes. I had so much fun.” Her tone was honest and clearly she was conveying something to Jake.
Eli had the feeling she wanted him to take extra care with their guest. Jake was right when he said Emma was very astute. She had sensed how uncomfortable Catarina was and set about putting her at ease.
Eli rose and went straight to Catarina. Her gaze jumped to his as he stalked across the room to her, moving in close. Possessively. He hadn’t been away from her for so long since he’d brought her to his ranch. His hand cupped her face, thumb sliding over her warm, satin skin.
“Missed you. Got used to having you right next to me.”
She smiled at him and leaned into him. Giving him her closeness. Her fingers curled in the hair at the back of his neck and he was suddenly very glad that leopard’s hair grew so much that most of the time his was a little too long. He liked feeling her fingers there.
“I’m having fun, Eli. Thank you for convincing me to come. Emma’s… great.”
“I want your mouth.”
“We’re not alone,” she reminded softly, her gaze going from amazing blue to more blue violet.
“I want your mouth, and I don’t give a damn who’s around,” he growled, just as softly.
Her mouth curved and she turned her face up to his. He was gentle, his lips brushing hers tenderly, his tongue teasing for just a moment before he pulled back, pleased with her. She gave him what he needed, in public or not. She let others know he was her man and that meant everything to him, although he was convinced he’d almost gotten the eye roll from her.
When he lifted his head, her eyes sparkled with happiness at him. “Can you believe this kitchen, Eli? The stove is like the best, although it’s a commercial one. That convection oven is perfect. And a double oven? Love that.” Her hand swept around the room. “Emma let me do some of the cooking and we sort of compared sauces and breads. Her breads are killer, but she’d never made beignets before. She has a killer fryer.” The words tumbled out, nearly running into one another.
He found it interesting that she spoke in a low tone, as if sharing a secret with him. There was joy in her voice, and he knew Emma and Catarina had connected and bonded almost immediately. Both were lonely. Both took care of their men. Both were chained to dominant shifters. They understood one another. But she was still being careful, not wanting to be too loud about making a new friend.
“Emma cooks too?” he asked, inviting conversation. He wanted her to talk to him about Emma without being afraid.
He allowed his gaze to sweep the kitchen, noting the stove in particular and the pots and pans he’d overheard her saying she’d always wanted. He didn’t really understand or give a damn why one skillet or pot would be better to cook in than another and he really didn’t care, except that Catarina did – and that made it important. He didn’t ever want to pass up anything important to her.
“She’s a really good cook. And she bakes too. A lot of people love to do one or the other, but like me, she enjoys both. She has some great recipes. We cook different things, because I’m from New Orleans and she’s from the west, but the more we talked recipes, the more we realized we liked the same things. We’ve decided to swap recipes.”
He circled the nape of her neck with his palm. “I think that’s great, Kitten.”
Catarina glanced over her shoulder at Jake and Emma, who were laughing together as they walked inside hand in hand. “I’m hoping if she has to go on bed rest that she won’t mind me bringing a few meals over to help out. She’s adamant she doesn’t want anyone else taking care of Jake and the children.” She raised her eyes to his. “I understand. I wouldn’t like someone else taking care of you.”
His heart stuttered. Her admission was under her breath, almost as if she was afraid it would upset him. He bent his head to hers. “I wouldn’t want anyone else taking care of me. I’m fond of the way you do it.”
That got a smile.
“You two ready?” Emma asked, as Jake called Kyle and Andraya back into the room. She indicated the two chairs facing the sliding glass door so they’d have the view.
Jake swung both children into booster seats and secured them, dropping kisses on their heads before seating himself beside Andraya. Emma sat next to Kyle.
“Mommy’s going to have another baby,” Kyle announced solemnly.
Catarina smiled at him. “Really? That’s wonderful. What do you want, a brother or sister?”
“A sister,” Kyle said firmly. “Sisters are really good, but you gotta take care of them, right, Dad?”
“That’s right, son,” Jake agreed, putting roast and potatoes on Andraya’s plate and then his own.