Daniel’s kiss was like a drug Catherine never wanted to quit.

Getting the words out had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. Exasperation didn’t begin to cover it. The man had never heard of mates?

Of course he hadn’t. She took for granted the common knowledge he’d never been exposed to. She had a lot to teach him.

His fingers traced her cheek, threading through her hair and deepening their kiss. A helpless sound rose from her throat as his tongue stroked hers with expert surety. Pulling away, his mouth traced along her jawbone and stopped just below her ear. “I want you,” he breathed. “Now.”

Like liquid fire, his words ignited something deep within her. Already she’d been aching, now she felt as if she might weep if he wasn’t inside of her soon. But… “Wait,” she panted. “God. Daniel, you have no idea. But…Meredith.”

His teeth grazed her neck, nipping the skin. “What do we do?”

It took every ounce of willpower to snag his hands and pull them away from her body. “We walk,” she said. “You wait while I drive her home. You go inside and wait for me.”

“I can do that,” he said, then darted in to claim her mouth once more.

She moaned, reveling in the kiss. And oh, the proof of his desire was right there, warm and hard and wonderful. Unable to resist, she pressed herself against him, groaning with want. To have him slide into her, right now…

To her relief, he pulled back, his eyes bright and his cheeks flushed. “Go,” he whispered.

She fled, running up the block like a child. It was physically painful to pull away, but the sooner Meredith was back home with her grandparents, the sooner she’d have him…and have him, and have him, if the night went as she hoped.

Meredith was waiting on the couch when Catherine walked in. “Oh. My. God” The teenager’s eyes were huge and sparkling.

“What?” Suddenly, Catherine was overly conscious of her appearance. Was her hair mussed? Her mouth too pink? She resisted the urge to smooth herself over. To do so would be admitting what she’d been up to.

“You and my dad?” Meredith jumped up from the couch, throwing her arms around Catherine. “You’re gonna be my mom!”

It was impossible not to start laughing. Relief washed over her, a tension she hadn’t been aware of melting away. “You approve?”

“Cat! You’re gonna be my mom!” Meredith was bouncing. “And we’re going to Europe and we’re gonna have a wedding and maybe you and my dad will have babies!”

“Whoa, calm down.” The girl’s enthusiasm was infectious. “How did you even know?”

Meredith rolled her eyes as she picked up her backpack. “Please. You two are like dogs in heat. I can even smell him on you right now, and I’m trying not to be weirded out by that because it’s super awesome, and I’m a grown-up now, so I can handle things like this in a mature way. Is he your match? Say he’s your match.”

Catherine unhooked her car keys from the hook on the wall. “Okay. He’s my match.”

Meredith squealed. “That’s so awesome! Soulmates…it’s real!”

Catherine smiled. “It’s very real. Which makes me think that’s why I found you when you were little, kitten.”

“Maybe.” Meredith grinned, adjusting the shoulder straps of her sequined bag. “Whatever. I’m gonna have a mom and a dad, and they’re taking me to Europe. And then I’m going to UCLA and I’m going to be tan all year. Life is pretty flippin’ sweet.”

Catherine opened the front door, and Meredith skipped out to the car.

It was a quick drive back to her grandparents’ house. Daniel had made no mention of having seen his parents yet, or any plans to. That bridge would have to be crossed, but not tonight. Catherine asked Meredith to keep things quiet for the moment, and Meredith agreed, giving her a kiss on the cheek before jogging up the driveway and going inside.

It was hard not to floor it the whole way back. Catherine finally pulled into her driveway and climbed from the vehicle, her fingers shaking as she fumbled with her house key.

She needn’t have bothered. The door opened as she walked up, Daniel’s silhouette greeting her. “Get in here,” he growled.

With a breathless grin, she complied. He reached for her wrist, pulling her inside and pressing her up against the closing door. In seconds, his lips were on hers, his hands groping for the hem of her blouse. Desperate for him, Catherine found the neckline of his jacket and pushed it down, the two of them fighting to remove their clothing.

Daniel threw off his coat and returned to her neck, his mouth trailing kisses over her skin. Her trembling hands found his belt, the leather slipping through her fingers as she pulled it free. They parted briefly as he worked her blouse over her head and tossed it aside. Catherine popped open his trousers and slipped her hands within.

Pure heat, delicious to her nerve-chilled fingers. He groaned, then leaned into her touch, seemingly uncaring of her cold fingers. His mouth was on hers once more as she took his length in hand, marveling at the warmth and hardness. He sighed and held still as she stroked him. Catherine drew a shivering breath, her hand wrapping and caressing every glorious inch.

Daniel growled, returning to her neck with lips and tongue. In a few more moments he’d freed her of her jeans, and she’d managed to get his pants off. Catherine gasped when he suddenly scooped her up. “Bedroom?” he murmured.

“That way,” she whispered. Good God, how she needed him. Every nerve begged for satisfaction, her innermost self pulsing with want.

It took only seconds, but every second was an eternity. At last he laid her back, his fingers shimmying her panties down her legs, then crawled up over her, his mouth gentle and firm. Catherine’s body pleaded, the ache almost too much to bear. Agonizingly slow, his hand trailed down over her belly and found her center. Catherine’s head tipped back as she gasped, his touch setting her aflame as he kissed her. “Please,” she urged in a broken voice. “Daniel, I need you.”

His kiss deepened, her body quivering as she felt his hot hardness find her entrance. With a groan that signaled nothing but the most satisfying of beginnings, he slid within her.

Catherine reveled in his fullness. He hesitated, then withdrew, making her gasp with dismay. “What—”

“No condom,” he grated. “Damn it.”

Catherine wrapped her legs around him. She wasn’t letting go so easily. “Are you my mate?” she whispered.

He dipped his head toward hers, his nose tracing a path across her cheek. “I hardly know how I can feel this way so soon,” he said softly. “But…it’s like…”

“You just know,” she whispered. “Are you going to leave me after tonight?”

He shook his head.

“Do you have anything I should know about? Like the clap?”

He chuckled. “The clap? Is that even still a thing?”

“I doubt it. But do you?”

He shook his head, his nose brushing hers. “I’m practically a monk. It’s been years since I had a partner of any kind.”

“What if I get pregnant? Are you going to duck out?”

He groaned, his head falling into her shoulder. “God, never. Catherine…when you say that, I just want to…to…”

She wriggled beneath him, his touch making her want to whimper. “Then, what’s the problem?”

He stared into her eyes, one thumb lifting to trace her jaw. “We’re not young.”

“We’re not old, either,” she laughed. “I’m thirty-eight. You’re?”

“Forty-one,” he murmured.

“Daniel…you’re my mate. I want a life with you. If we’re blessed with children, so be it. Either way, we have Meredith…but don’t stop now just because we don’t have protection.”

“Are you sure?”

She closed her eyes and touched his forehead to his. “I’ve never been more certain.”

With a sigh, he kissed her, then slipped within her once more.

The relief of joining with him bled through her, the sweetness and rightness of it turning her world in circles. Catherine pulled him close, their tongues twining in a slow dance as he began to move.

They settled into an easy rhythm, their bodies perfectly tuned to each another. She tightened around him and caught his groan as he neared his release. A wave of ecstasy crashed over her just as Daniel gripped the sheets and cried out her name. Catherine called out her own breathless response, the strength of her orgasm robbing her of vision. In this moment, she and Daniel were all that existed.

After a few rapturous moments, Daniel withdrew, rolling away far too soon. Catherine missed the feel of his body, but he’d satisfied her in every possible way…and there would be many more encounters to come. Of this, she had no doubt.

Drowsy and content, Catherine curled up in Daniel’s embrace. “That was too short,” she teased. “We’re doing that again. Soon.”

He growled and nipped at her ear. “Give me fifteen minutes.”

* * *

The sound of insistent knocking woke Daniel the next morning. Catherine lay snuggled in his arms, her body a delight to the eyes and the touch. He brushed his lips against her ear, closing his eyes as he drew in her scent.

His mate.

Something he’d never dreamed possible. It was like a fairy tale…what were the odds that the woman who’d been caring for his daughter was the one he was meant for?

From the front of the house, the banging continued.

Irritated, he groaned and stretched. At his side, Catherine stretched, her eyes dredging open. “What’s going on?” she asked, her voice a touch slurred.

“Someone wants us up,” he replied, then hooked her chin to touch his lips to hers. “It’s Sunday. Whoever they are, it’s rude.”

The doorbell, pressed three times, made them both grumble. “Jesus,” Catherine muttered, then shouted. “Coming!” She picked up a robe from a chair at the side of the bed, yawning as she stood and pulled it on.

“I’ll be in the shower.” Daniel stretched as he stood.

“I’ll make coffee,” Catherine offered. The doorbell sounded again. “Once I figure out whose house is on fire.”

She shuffled from the room. Daniel opened the only remaining door, finding her master bath. It was…feminine. His lips quirked as he realized this was probably how his bathroom would look from now on. It had been much the same when Jessica was alive.

It might be nice to have pretty things around again.

He turned on the shower, and had barely climbed in when Catherine burst through the bathroom door, his bundled clothing in her arms. “Meredith’s gone.”

“What?” Panic sliced through him as he shut off the water. “What do you mean she’s gone? Who was at the door?”

“Your mom. Your parents were out last night, and when they came home, Meredith wasn’t there. They assumed she was spending the night here—Daniel, there’s a note. Get dressed. They’ve got her.” She piled his clothes from the night before into his hands, then tore out of the bathroom.

With shaking hands, Daniel pulled on his clothing, his mind racing. “What did the note say?”

“I’ll show you in a minute. Your mom has it, she’s in the living room.”

The developing situation almost trumped the embarrassment of his mother catching him with Catherine this early in the morning. Even so, it was with the barest touch of chagrin that he grabbed his socks and walked out the bedroom door.

It had been nearly two decades since he’d seen her…since bringing her Meredith. His mother looked up from Catherine’s couch, her eyes creased with worry, then widening into shock. “Daniel?”

“Mom.” Three steps, and he was across the room and holding her in a bear hug. “Hi,” he said in a muffled voice.

“Oh my god, Daniel.” The tears were in her voice, but her grip on him said more than words. She was older, frail…it twisted his heart to see how she’d changed. Graying and portly, she brought to mind the woman he’d once called grandma. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see Meredith, and…we have a lot to talk about,” he said. “But this isn’t the time. Catherine said you have a note?”

“You and Catherine…know each other? And you spent the night, I assume. How long has this been going on?” She handed him a folded paper, confusion filling her eyes. “How long have you been here?”

“Since yesterday.” It answered both of her questions, actually. He unfolded the note.

Ms. Phillips… Here, kitty, kitty, kitty. Come play if you want her back. Pride goeth before the fall.

“What does it mean?” His mother’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Daniel, what does it mean? Where’s Meredith?”

He closed his eyes.

Catherine’s footsteps sounded in the hall. “It means we have a lot to tell you, Joan,” she said. “Did you call the police?”

“Not yet,” she said. “I wanted to come here first, because what if it was just a school prank? The kids are always doing foolish things like this these days. I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

Daniel looked at the note again. Sloppy writing, the honorific “Ms. Phillips”. Without context, he’d have thought it was a prank, too.

Pride goeth before the fall…was it a warning about Catherine’s pride?

“Mom, you have to go,” he said. “I’m going to find Meredith. Don’t call the cops…I know where she is.”

“Do you? Oh thank God,” his mother said. “Do you want me to wait here?”

“No. Go home. Tell Dad it’s going to be fine.” Or it wouldn’t. Either way, he didn’t see the use in worrying his parents.

“Daniel,” Catherine said in a low voice. “Maybe we should call the police.”

“No, it’s not necessary.” He gave her a brief smile, then led his mother toward the door. “Don’t worry, mom.”

“Call me soon,” she said, her voice quivering.

He ushered her out and closed the door behind her.

“Do you actually know where she is?”

“No.”

“Your plan?” Catherine asked, her voice tight.

“You stay here. I’ll go find her.”

“Daniel, no.” Catherine stepped in front of the door. “I have to call my pride leader. Think for a minute. Don’t just go off half-cocked.”

“My daughter is out there, Cat! What the fuck are the police going to do? What’s your pride going to do, huh? They want me, and if I can get to her, I can save her.”

“And who’s going to save you?” Catherine cupped his cheek. “Give me five minutes. Please.”

Daniel clenched his jaw, thinking of the things John’s men had done to him. The torment he’d endured. If not for Angela…

Maybe Catherine was right. He hadn’t escaped alone. Trusting others didn’t come easily. But for Meredith, he would do anything. “Five minutes,” he whispered.

She fled, returning seconds later with her cell phone. Her fingers flew across the screen, pausing briefly, then moving again before she tucked the device into her pocket. “Come on.” Grabbing his hand and her keys, she tugged him out the door.