Dana Bell - Steel Beauty

He grumbled something under his breath, his cheeks turning red. Rick frowned, wondering why his Marshall wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Ben—”

“Bye, Ben.”

Rick allowed his mate to tug him away, seriously curious now as his mate’s shoulders began to shake.

“What did you do to Ben?”

She looked up at him with wide, innocent green eyes, so startling against her fair skin. “What makes you think I did anything to Ben?”

He frowned at her, not fooled for a moment. “Belle.”

She laughed as he opened the elevator, pressing the button for the third floor. “Well, it all started with fairy lights.”

“Fairy lights?”

“Uh-huh. Seems Dave really likes them.”

Rick nodded slowly. “I don’t get it.”

“Do you want to?”

He thought about Ben’s red face. “I’m not sure.”

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. He growled at her wince as she stepped forward.

“You’re in pain.”

Her smile was extra toothy. “Yup. I’m going to be in pain for at least six more months, too. Get used to it, big guy.”

Rick picked her up and strode down the hallway to a set of double doors. He ignored her weak attempts to get free, only easing his grip when she gasped. “Sorry.”

“Put me down, Fido.”

He stopped just outside the double doors and glared at her. “You bite me and you’ll regret it, Belle.”

“Oh, I’m so afraid,” she cooed. “Watch me shiver in my boots.”

And the amazing thing was, she wasn’t afraid of him. Not one tiny little bit. If anything, she was getting seriously pissed off at him.

He loved it.

Everyone was afraid of him, from small children to grown men. But Belle was no more afraid of him than she was of a gnat. A dead one, at that.

“Don’t make me break out the rolled-up newspaper.”

If her hip hadn’t been broken he would have dumped her on the floor for that one. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve made sure the place is just the way you’d like it. I even got your litter box all set up for you.”

He set her down as she bared her teeth and hissed. He opened the door and waved her in with a laugh.

“Welcome home, Belle.”

She shivered as that deep voice washed over her. Welcome home, Belle .

Home.

She stepped over the threshold, eager to see Rick’s idea of home .

She stopped, shocked at what she saw. She’d expected him to continue the theme he’d had in the lobby up here, since it so clearly matched his tastes.

Instead, he’d built something straight out of Casablanca. Dark, rich woods with brown, tan and green textiles in tropical patterns littered the living room. The exposed wood of the sofa and chairs had richly carved fronts and sported “pineapple” feet. The side tables and coffee table were also exquisitely carved.

The drapes were pale ivory, a contrast to the mocha latte walls and exposed, dark beams. The floor was the same wood as the furniture, with a large sisal rug underneath to define the area.

She could see the intricate dining table and chairs beyond the living area, as well as a kitchen that would make any serious chef swoon. Because the whole area was so open, instead of feeling dark and dreary the living space felt open and earthy.

He’d even painted the ceiling a soft, barely-there blue, finishing off the look nicely.

“Is there anything you’d like to change?”

She looked around, taking in the stone and wood fireplace, the massive entertainment center with the plasma screen TV, the bric-a-brac and photos that lined the wall…

Wait a moment. “Rick, when did you start hanging my pictures?”

“I did that yesterday. I wanted you to feel at home as soon as possible.”

Big dope. She didn’t know whether to sigh or to hit him. “You went through my things?”

He rolled his eyes and stepped past her into the living room, shutting the door behind them with a very final sounding click . “It’s not like I read your diary or jerked off in your underwear. I hung a few pictures, that’s all.”

She bit back a snarl as he hung up his jacket. “They are still my things. You can’t just go through someone else’s things.” What if he found my medical bills?

He stalked towards her. His hands curled around her shoulders, halting her progress when she tried to move back instinctively. “I didn’t ‘just go through someone else’s things’. I went through my mate’s things.”

“Without her permission.” Her chin went up, daring him to deny he’d done something wrong.

“ This is all the permission I need.” His mouth swooped down, taking hers in a kiss that set her soul on fire.

Soul afire or not, they needed to get a few things straight. She picked up her foot and slammed the heel of her boot down, hard, on his instep.

“God damn mother-fucking son of a bitch!” Rick howled, hopping back from her, his face completely blank with shock. “What did you do that for?”

She leaned on her cane, trying her best to keep her expression serene in the face of his growing anger.

“You do not go through my things. You do not open my mail. You do not answer my cell phone unless I ask you to. You do not read my e-mail. You do not go through my checkbook.” She stopped for a moment, mentally counting up the things she didn’t want her overbearing mate to stick his big nose into.

“You can take my car to be inspected. All insects shall be slain by you. If I have a doctor’s appointment, you may drop me off, but I won’t have you there growling at the nurses or my physical therapist, so you’ll go do shopping or Pack things until I’m done. You will not forbid me to do anything, or you’ll live to regret it. ‘Nair in your shampoo’ type regrets.” Not that she’d ever go through with that threat. His hair was truly beautiful, and she’d sooner cut off her own arm than one single inch of it. “Oh, and one other thing.” She reached up and patted him on the chest. “The Halle Pride leaders are my friends, okay?

So I want you to stop picturing Simon’s balls in a pickle jar in your fridge.” She smiled up at him, all sweetness and light, not surprised by the fact that his face had gone expressionless.

“Is that all?”

“Not quite. You’re going with me to Florida in April. You’ll need to buy a suit.”

He pulled her jacket off, his jerky movements betraying his lingering anger. “Why is that?”

“Emma asked me to be a bridesmaid, and I said yes. One of the garment bags brought up here should be my dress, in fact.”

“I already own a suit.”

She sniffed, knowing how it would annoy him. “I’ll have to see what it looks like.” She tried to saunter into the living room but was hampered by her limp.

His long suffering sigh followed her as she made her way into the bedroom.

Holy moly. If the front of the home had been full of decadence, the bedroom eclipsed it entirely.

Sapphire blue silk mixed with burgundy on a four-poster bed so massive it would swallow her five-foot-six-inch frame whole. It looked like something out of a tropical bordello.

“I can’t wait to see your skin against all that silk.”

Belle turned to find Rick standing behind her, so close she was surprised she didn’t feel his breath on the back of her neck.

She did feel it when he leaned down and licked a slow, torturous path from her shoulder to her ear, stopping to nibble at the sensitive juncture where her neck and shoulder met. Without even thinking she tilted her head, giving him better access.

His hands went around her waist, holding her steady as he nibbled and sucked to his heart’s content. “I have a few ground rules, myself.”