SEVERAL MONTHS LATER
DANTE FLIPPED THROUGH his paperwork, going over applicants. Months later, they still hadn’t found a good replacement for Lexine. Thankfully, things had been pretty calm lately, so they weren’t short. And having Sterling off suspension also helped, but Dante still wanted this whole recruiting process to be over with.
But, if that was all he had to complain about, life was pretty good.
Just then, Hunter walked by the open office door.
Well, finding a new Guardian and Hunter’s sullen mood were his only complaints. The normally content Hunter had turned into someone no one wanted to be around lately. Dante had tried to talk to him, but the Guardian refused. He just hoped they weren’t headed toward another Lexine situation, though he hadn’t been getting that vibe from Hunter.
Dante put his head down and read over a few more applications when he smelled her. He looked up to see his beautiful, vibrant, and quite pregnant mate enter his office. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it with a mischievous smile on her face.
“Red, I need to get through these applications,” he told her.
He could tell his words went in one ear and out the other as she stalked toward him.
“Phoenix,” he warned, but he couldn’t quite get the stern tone into his voice.
She continued toward him, her eyes completely feline, and he knew what she had in store for him. He should kick her out, but his dick was already hard and telling his brain to shut the fuck up.
Dante loved the confident sexual look in her eyes, and he was so proud to be the one who had helped her achieve it. Although the real credit went to Phoenix. She’d decided she wanted to change, and she had done it.
She reached his office chair, put her hands on the armrests, and pushed his seat back. She leaned over and kissed him. She pulled back and smiled at him again. Using the armrests, she lowered her body until she was kneeling before him.
She slowly lowered his zipper and pulled him out of his pants. She took him in her hand and licked him from base to tip before taking him in her mouth. Dante’s eyes rolled back in his head.
Yes, his mate had come a long way. She had gone from being sexually repressed to giving the best blow jobs.
She finished him off and then stood up to get in his lap. Dante had to help her up now because her belly got in the way often. He tucked himself back inside his pants, and Phoenix curled up against him.
He rubbed her expanding belly. “Any contractions so far tonight?”
“Nope.”
Dante sighed with relief. “Good.”
Phoenix had begun getting contractions about a month ago. Because of this, they weren’t allowed to have sex, and she was definitely not allowed any orgasms because that was what had started the contractions in the first place. He missed being inside her, but he couldn’t deny that he loved how much oral sex he’d been receiving. He would worry she did it just to make him happy, except he could tell how much she liked it from their blood link. He wasn’t supposed to feed from her, but Phoenix insisted that he take enough for him to stay connected to her. How could he not love this female?
“Are you sore anywhere?” he asked her.
“My back a little.”
“Lean forward.”
Since he couldn’t return the favor, he’d been trying to give her as many back rubs and foot rubs as she wanted. He dug his fingers into her lower back, where he knew she was usually the most sore, as she rested her arms and head on his desk.
“So, no luck with finding a new Guardian?” she asked.
“No.” Sigh. “Maybe I should just hire you.”
She sat up so fast that she almost hit him in the nose. “Dante, you’re a genius.”
“Not going to argue, but why?”
She turned around on his lap. “To further our alliance with each other—shifter and vampire—why don’t we have something like a liaison program? We could have shifters, both cat and wolf, be Guardians, and you could send one Guardian to be a cat-shifter sentinel and one to be a wolf-shifter sentinel.” She frowned. “Of course, you’d still have to replace Lexine, but it’s still a good idea. I already live here, and it would be easier to work here than go back and forth between the bunkhouse and here.”
“Wow, Red, that’s a really good idea.”
She smirked. “I know.”
Dante laughed. “I’ll talk to Vance and Damien about it and then the Guardians. I feel like it’s something we all have to agree with.” Dante kissed her. “You’re the real genius.”
She smiled and turned back around. “Well then, this genius needs you to continue with that back rub.”
Dante laughed and began kneading his fingers over her again. After a few minutes, it became pretty apparent that she wasn’t going to stay awake much longer.
“Dante?” Phoenix said, her voice low and sleepy.
“Yeah?”
“I really do love you, you know.”
He smiled. “I know. I love you, too, Red.”