Lucian opened his eyes when Leigh shifted sleepily against him. He'd blacked out again, but just for a heartbeat this time, he was sure. Leigh, however, was still under. He didn't mind. It meant he got the chance just to lay here, holding her and planning their future. The years stretched away in his mind, full of happiness and laughter.

Leigh liked his house, which was good. There'd be little to do to accommodate her there, though he thought they should get a bed like this big round one of Thomas's. A smile crept over his face as he recalled all that they'd done, and all that they could still do on a bed like this.

Of course, he realized, they couldn't stay at his house all the time. She had a business in Kansas City she'd want to oversee, but perhaps he could persuade her to hire more help and spend less time there. He'd have to see. He wanted her happy.

Lucian toyed with a strand of her hair and wondered what her own house was like. He was imagining it small and cozy, full of overstuffed furniture and comfy pillows. He supposed he'd find out soon enough. They'd head down there once Morgan and Donny were caught and out of the way.

Leigh murmured sleepily again, rubbing her head on his chest like a cat, and Lucian smiled. Releasing her hair, he let his hand run down her warm skin, caressing her back, his smile widening as she murmured and cuddled against him while arching into the touch. He loved touching her. He loved how she responded. He loved her.

The thought didn't surprise him. Their minds had merged while they'd made love, and he'd caught glimpses into her. Leigh had a quick, intelligent brain, a kind and loving heart, and she cared for others before herself. She was also as alone and lonely as he was. A kindred spirit.

Unfortunately, she also had a passel of fears bundled up inside her. He had only touched on them, but knew there were some things to get past before their future could be pursued. But for the most part, he felt sure everything was fine.

"Hello. How long did I sleep?"

Lucian glanced down and smiled at the sexy, sleepy look on Leigh's face.

"Not long. Are you ready for a shower and breakfast?" he asked, though it was going to be more like a late lunch. It had been past lunchtime when he'd tried to cook. Now the clock on the dresser said it was close to three in the afternoon.

"Oh yes," Leigh moaned, then gasped with surprise as Lucian suddenly shifted and swung her up in his arms as he slid off the bed.

"Mmm," she purred, slipping her arms around his neck. "You'd better watch it, Argeneau. What with you feeding me, then carting me about... you'll spoil me with all this care, and I'll come to expect it."

"And so you should. A smart man treats his life mate as the jewel she is," Lucian said softly, and Leigh's smile faded, a flicker of concern drifting through her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, but she glanced away, then cleared her throat as she saw he'd carried her into the bathroom.

"Ooh, this is nice," she murmured, peering around the huge room with its sunken sauna and stand-up shower that could fit four, maybe five people. "Thomas certainly has luxurious taste."

"He can afford it," Lucian said with a shrug, setting her on her feet as she began to wiggle. He felt her absence as she moved to the shower and opened the door.

"Are we sharing?" Leigh asked, tossing him a smile over her shoulder.

"Water conservation is always a good idea," he said with feigned solemnity.

Leigh chuckled as she stepped into the shower and moved to adjust the water taps. "Yes, well, that's all well and good, but you behave yourself. I am hungry, and if you start something, we'll never get out to breakfast."

"I think it will actually have to be brunch," Lucian admitted as he stepped into the shower stall with her.

Leigh was fiddling with the selection of knobs on the wall, trying to sort out what would start the shower. Lucian found the curve of her back irresistible and stepped up behind her, his hands catching her waist as he pulled her back against him.

"Lucian," she said in warning.

"What?" he asked innocently, pressing his semierection against her backside, then he squawked and jumped back as cold water shot out of the shower head.

Leigh laughed and quickly began turning knobs, trying to adjust the spray.

"Sorry." She turned toward him once she finally got it at the proper temperature. "I couldn't figure out the -- "

Her words ended on a gasp as he kissed her. Leigh allowed it for a moment, then pushed at his chest.

"Food," she said, her voice husky.

"I have to soap you up. There's no reason I can't kiss you while I do it," Lucian said mildly, and reached for the soap, then put his arms around her to lather behind her back as he bent to her lips again.

Leigh sighed into his mouth, her arms slipping around his neck as he kissed her. Then she shifted and sighed again when he broke their kiss and turned her out of the water, blocking it with his own body as he ran his soapy hands over her back.

"You're like a cat wanting stroking," he growled by her ear as his hands drifted lower.

"Cats don't like water," Leigh reminded him, pressing against his erection as his hands now slid up her arms, then under them and around to cover her breasts in lather.

"Mmm," she murmured, and covered his hands, her head lolling against his chest, her bottom pushing back to rub against his now full erection as he caressed her soapy body.

"Where have you been all my life?" she asked on a sigh, and groaned as he dipped one soapy hand between her legs.

Lucian smiled and kissed the side of her neck, then nibbled at her ear before whispering, "Waiting for you," as he slid one finger inside her. Leigh gasped, and stiffened as he withdrew his hand.

"Food," Lucian taunted when she groaned in protest and caught at his hand, urging it back.

"Food can wait," she assured him, one hand sliding back between their bodies and closing over his erection.

Lucian held strong and turned her into the water, rinsing her and wetting her hair at the same time.

"Tease," she grumbled under her breath, but quit trying to touch him and let him wash her hair. Little sighs of pleasure slipped from her lips as he massaged her scalp. Despite his words, Lucian had gone hard as a rock. Her body kept brushing his in the shower with teasing, fleeting caresses of skin, and he was hard-pressed not to finish what he'd started. But she was hungry, and he actually was, too, and she needed food.

"This is a big shower," she commented on a little sigh as he moved her back under the water so she could rinse the soap from her hair. While she did that, he quickly shampooed his own hair.

"Yes." He glanced toward the walls as he massaged the shampoo into his scalp, thinking he'd like to make love to her here as he had in the dream of her shower. "Maybe we should put one in at the house. We could arrange to have it done while we were in Kansas so we wouldn't have to put up with the inconvenience and noise of the workmen."

Lucian felt her still, and glanced back to find her eyes open, that same troubled look in their depths. He raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I -- You keep talking like we're -- " Leigh frowned, then said gently, "Lucian, I don't want to rush into anything."

"What does that mean?" he asked slowly.

She hesitated, then said, "I mean, I'm willing to give it a try and date you, but -- "

"Date?" he squawked with amazement. "Leigh, you're my life mate. We aren't dating. We're -- "

"If we aren't dating, we aren't anything," she interrupted, and suddenly stepped out of the shower. He watched dumbfounded as she snatched a towel off the rack and began to dry herself, then he turned and stepped under the water to rinse the soap away before following.

"Leigh, last night -- "

"Last night was lovely, but -- "

"Lovely?" he echoed sharply. "Flowers are lovely, cinnamon buns are lovely. What we shared was incredible, dynamite... rare. Our minds merged, Leigh. We are life mates."

"Yes," she agreed. "It was all of that and I still want to just date for a while." She stomped out of the bathroom.

"So, you sleep with everyone you date?" Lucian asked, following to find her pulling on her clothes. "It meant nothing to you?"

"No, I don't sleep with everyone I date." She frowned, then said on a sigh, "You're angry."

"You're damned right I am. I offer you my heart, my body, my life, and you say let's just date?" Lucian stopped abruptly as he noticed the fear that had entered her eyes and the way she'd flinched as he'd gestured with his hand. Leigh had thought he was going to hit her, he realized with shock, and suddenly understood what this was all about. Kenny. The abusive and, fortunately for him, dead ex-husband. She'd dated him six weeks, married him, and only found out then that he liked to talk with his fists. Leigh had only known him a matter of days and -- life mate or no life mate -- feared making another mistake. This was where the proving he would never hurt her part came in, he realized.

Shoulders slumping with defeat, he sighed. "Okay."

Leigh blinked. "Okay?" she asked with surprise.

"Sure." Lucian made himself shrug, turned to find his own clothes, and started drawing them on. "If you need time to adjust and reassure yourself that I won't start beating you, then so be it. I've waited thousands of years for you, what's a little more time?"

"It's not that I'm afraid you'll become abusive," Leigh began, but fell silent when he turned to stare at her with disbelief.

"If it isn't that, what do you think it is?" he asked quietly. "Aside from the whole life mate thing, we're very compatible. We have similar taste in food, homes, and clothing. We enjoy each other's company and laugh a lot together. From the talk we had at lunch yesterday, I know we both like to read and have similar taste in movies. And we're more than compatible sexually."

Leigh frowned and opened her mouth, but he spoke first, saying, "And I like you, Leigh. I truly like you. Long after the passions are spent and the lust has waned -- which will happen in two or three thousand years -- I know you'll still be my best friend. You've made me laugh again. I love you, Leigh. And you like and love me."

She opened her mouth, but afraid she'd deny his words, Lucian said, "Our minds merged, Leigh. I know your heart. Whether you'll admit it to yourself or not, you do care for me. So the only thing left is trust."

Her shoulders slumped as a sigh slid from her lips. "I don't -- "

"No." He forced a smile. "It's okay. I've fought Romans, Scots, Spaniards, and Germans, among others over the millennia. I'll help you fight your fears." His smile turned wry. "I just wish I could do it with a sword. Unfortunately, this is one of those things that take time, and with all the years I've lived, I still hate waiting."

Finished dressing, Lucian turned and headed for the stairs. "Hurry up. The faster you're dressed, the sooner we can get to a restaurant. I'll feed Julius while you finish getting ready."

Leigh's mind was running in circles as she dressed, Lucian's words circling through her head over and over. They liked the same foods, the same clothes, the same movies and books. They were compatible and laughed a lot...

She realized as she tied her shoes that he was right. The only thing holding her back was trust. She didn't trust him...

That thought didn't feel quite right. She knew herself well enough to know that she wouldn't have slept with him and given herself to him if she hadn't trusted him. Perhaps the truth was that she didn't trust herself, her own judgment. While she didn't think Lucian would ever lift a finger to her in anger, she hadn't thought Kenny would become a wife-beater when they'd married either. How was she to know she was right this time, when she'd made such a mess of things before?

Sighing, Leigh finished tying her laces and stood to move to the stairs. Lucian seemed to think it would take time, and he was probably right, but she wished there was a way to do it faster. Despite his outward acceptance, she knew he was hurt by her insistence on keeping their relationship to just dating for now.

"Stupid dog, cut that out."

Leigh glanced around the main floor as she descended the stairs, finding Lucian and Julius in the kitchen area. At first she thought they were wrestling. Lucian was lying on his side on the hardwood floor with his legs wrapped around the big dog's body as he tried to pry his mouth open. Unfortunately, Julius was not cooperating. Squirming and pawing and clawing, the dog was doing all he could to escape.

"It's for your own good," Lucian told him firmly, readjusting his grip and trying again to pry his mouth open.

"What... ?" Leigh said in bewilderment as Lucian managed to pop a little colored pill in the dog's mouth. He immediately forced Julius's mouth closed and massaged his throat to get him to swallow.

His medicine, Leigh realized. Marguerite had mentioned something about an infection in that first phone call. She'd forgotten about it. She had never seen Lucian try to give it to the beast before. It looked like he had, though.

"There. You're done. Go." Apparently sure Julius had swallowed the medicine, Lucian let go of him. The mutt was instantly on his feet and shaking himself, then leaned over and gave Lucian's cheek a lick as if in apology for being difficult.

"Yeah yeah," Lucian muttered, pushing the huge head away as he got to his feet. "Go eat or something and get the taste out of your mouth."

Leigh smiled faintly at the order as Lucian moved to the sink, then frowned as she saw the blood dripping from the hand he lifted to put under the tap.

"He bit you," she said with surprise, hurrying to his side. "Are you okay?"

"It'll heal," Lucian said with a shrug as the water washed the blood away.

Leigh hardly heard the words, she was staring at his hand. It was a good bite and must have hurt, but Lucian didn't sound particularly angry and hadn't been rough with the dog when she'd come down.

"It's my own fault anyway. I haven't a clue what I'm doing, and think I'm doing it wrong. And he's just as dumb as me and doesn't understand it's for his own good," Lucian added dryly. "He thinks I'm trying to choke him or something."

Leigh lifted her gaze to his face. Kenny would have kicked the dog and blamed him for everything. Lucian was taking the fault on himself.

"There's probably an easier way to do it," Lucian muttered, pulling his hand out to see how it was healing. "I'm sure Marguerite and Maria know how to do it without getting bit."

"They probably put it in his dog food," Leigh murmured, peering at his hand. It was healing quickly, she noted. There wouldn't even be a scar in an hour or so.

A curse from Lucian drew her gaze up to see him rolling his eyes. "Of course! In his dog food. You're brilliant! I'll try that tomorrow. Thanks."

He leaned to kiss her on the cheek, then grabbed a paper towel to dry his hand, and Leigh turned to peer at Julius. The mastiff was contentedly lapping up dog food Lucian had set out for him, the trauma over for the day. She could almost believe it hadn't happened. Julius wasn't keeping one wary eye on Lucian or anything that would indicate...

Leigh paused as she realized what she was thinking. The scene here had reminded Leigh of an incident with Kenny and his parents' dog, Dolly, before they'd married. A border collie, Dolly had been friendly with everyone but Kenny. She'd shied away from him, cowering and flinching whenever he raised his voice or moved too suddenly. Leigh hadn't noticed it until later, after they were married and she started doing the same thing.

The incident she was thinking of at the moment, however, was when they'd gone to his parents' house for a Sunday dinner. Dolly, asleep in the living room, was startled awake when Kenny clumsily stepped on her paw in passing. Coming awake with a squeal, the collie's head shot around instinctively to snap at him. She only snapped at the air by his foot, but Kenny kicked out at Dolly in retribution, missing her only because she'd been quicker than him.

Kenny had said "Stupid dog" then, as Lucian often did, but there wasn't a drop of affection in the words, just dislike. That incident had always bothered her. She'd only realized how telling it was after the wedding, though. Kenny had treated her the same way he treated Dolly, blaming her for his own clumsiness and inadequacies and striking out at her for them. She had often wished that she'd paid more attention to how the dog had reacted to him before agreeing to the marriage.

Her gaze slid over Julius, and she considered his reactions to Lucian. The dog never cowered or flinched around him, whether Lucian raised his voice or moved suddenly, or not.

"Ready to go?"

Leigh glanced around to Lucian to see his hand was mostly healed. Pushing herself away from the counter, she nodded. "Yes."

"Good." He slid his arm around her waist, kissing her lightly before urging her toward the door. "You look nice."

Leigh chuckled wryly at the compliment. Her hair was still damp and slicked back off her face, she had no makeup on and was wearing the suede pants again and a t-shirt she'd found in the drawers upstairs. She was hardly a fashion plate.

"I hope Thomas won't mind, but I borrowed one of his t-shirts. The collar of the pink top is kind of stretched out. I'm hoping a run through the washer will fix it, but in the meantime, the only clothes Rachel packed was the nightie," she explained as they reached the front door.

"Nightwear is really a most important consideration," Lucian said with a grin, allowing his hand to slide over her bottom as he opened the front door for her to walk outside. Then he added, "I shall have to thank Rachel for her thoughtfulness when we get back."

"Oh, she'll love that," Leigh chuckled as she waited for him to lock the door, then she frowned and said, "Rachel said you threatened to have her terminated when you first met."

Lucian stiffened, then finished at the door and turned to face her, his expression solemn. "I protect my people, Leigh. It's what I do. I protect my people from discovery, and protect mortals from any of my people who have gone bad. Rachel was threatening the welfare of us all by stubbornly refusing to go along with a plan we hoped would end another threat. I had to shake her up and get her on board."

"Yes, I know," Leigh murmured, then asked what she really wanted to know, the reason she'd brought the topic up again. "Would you have killed her?"

Lucian hesitated, and she could see the battle in his eyes and knew he wanted to say no to reassure her, but in the end he offered her the truth.

"If there were no other way to handle the matter, yes."

Leigh nodded thoughtfully. She could tell by his expression that he feared his honesty might have hurt his efforts to gain her trust, but the opposite was the case. He'd been honest with her. She'd already known the answer before he spoke it. Lucian did what he had to do to protect his people, even if it meant killing someone. She'd already figured that out.

"Leigh, I... " He paused, apparently at a loss, and she leaned up and kissed him on the corner of the mouth as she took his hand.

"It's okay. Let's go, I'm hungry," she said, and turned to lead him toward the car, her steps slowing as she realized she'd have to drive.

"I won't say a single solitary thing the whole ride," Lucian assured her, apparently picking up on her reaction and zeroing in at once on the reason for it. "I promise."

"Yeah, right." Leigh laughed and got into the car. She started it as he walked around, then shifted into reverse to back out of the driveway once he was in.

Lucian was true to his word and didn't say a thing, but he sure had to do a lot of lip biting on the way. He also sat with hands clenched and foot occasionally slapping the floor as if searching for brakes. But he did keep his promise.

Leigh thought about that and other things as they laughed and chatted over their late lunch. One of the other things was that Lucian was taking her decision to go slow and just date very well. He wasn't sulking or angry with her for the choice. Kenny had sulked, she remembered. They were in Vegas, he'd suggested getting married, and she had shied like a mare who spots a snake in the road. Kenny had sulked. He'd pouted, then turned cold to her afterward, and it scared her. She'd felt abandoned, and it reminded her of how alone she was, leaving her afraid he'd break up with her and she would have absolutely nobody. It was why she'd given in and agreed to the marriage.

Lucian wasn't doing any of that. If anything, he was more affectionate than he'd previously been, constantly reaching out to touch her or take her hand, rubbing his own hand over her back, kissing her on the cheek, neck, or lips at every opportunity. Of course, part of that was because they were now lovers. He'd touched her a lot before last night, but then it had been more mundane touches like taking her arm to walk her places, or a hand at her back as he followed her through a door. But he wasn't treating her coolly as punishment for putting him off. He wasn't another Kenny.

"Do you want to go for a swim?" Lucian asked as they headed back to the cottage.

Leigh glanced over, smiling with amusement as she saw that he had discovered the "Oh shit" bar over the door and was holding it as if his life depended on it. She was only going the speed limit. "A swim sounds nice."

"Maybe we could barbecue some steaks later," Lucian suggested, sounding a little more relaxed as she turned into the dirt lane to the cottage.

"That sounds good, too," she admitted, her gaze moving over the woods they were driving through. It had been after four by the time they'd reached the restaurant. Now, on their way back, it was after six and the sky was darkening overhead. It had been gray and dim while they were on the road, but here in the cover of the trees it was almost dark. She had to resist the urge to turn the car's headlights on.

"Geez, what is it with you guys and people?" Leigh said abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Lucian asked.

"I mean Marguerite's house, your house, and this 'cottage' are all surrounded by forest. I presume that's because you don't want neighbors."

"It's more because we don't like to move."

"Move?" she asked.

Lucian nodded, then pointed out, "We don't age, Leigh. If you have neighbors, they tend to notice that after a while and you end up moving every ten years or so to avoid troublesome questions. This way, no one really knows who lives in the house. They never see you coming or going, so unless you're foolish enough to go knocking on their door, you can live here as long as you like."

"Oh," Leigh breathed as she recognized the sense of his words, then her eyes widened. "They'll notice I'm not aging at work."

"I'm afraid so," he said quietly. "It's not something to worry about right away, but eventually you'll have to stop running it yourself, or sell it and start somewhere else."

Leigh frowned at this news. She loved Coco's. It had been her salvation years ago. Her whole life revolved around the restaurant/bar. Or had, she realized, and then frowned as it occurred to her that she hadn't called Milly in a couple days to check and make sure everything was running smoothly. That had to be the first time since she'd owned the bar that she hadn't been in contact with the restaurant once a day. Even when she was in the hospital with pneumonia two years ago, she'd called to check on the place.

"You could always start an immortal bar," Lucian said, and she glanced at him with surprise.

"Well, you can run those forever without raising the eyebrows of your customers or employees. You just have someone else deal with the delivery guys and so on," Lucian pointed out, then reached over and patted her hand. "Don't worry. Everything will sort itself out eventually. By the time your not aging becomes a worry, you might have grown tired of the whole bar scene and decided to do something else."

Leigh managed a smile. "What? Like help you kick rogue butt?"

Lucian chuckled at the suggestion as she parked the car.

"You don't think I could?" she challenged as she turned off the engine. "I learned my lesson with Kenny and took some self-defense classes after I left."

"I'm sure you did, and you're probably very... competent."

"Ohh, competent. That sounds like humoring the little woman, Argeneau," Leigh said with amusement as she got out of the car.

"Not at all," he assured her. "I just -- "

"Yeah yeah," she interrupted with a laugh. "You just wait. Before we go swimming, I'll throw you around the beach a bit."

"Hmmm," he almost purred. "That sounds promising. Almost kinky."

"Honestly." She laughed as she opened the front door and walked into the house. "The only things you seem to think about are food and sex."

"Leigh." Lucian grabbed her arm.

She turned back. There was a frozen look on his face as he peered at the door she'd just opened.

"You locked that, didn't you?" she said quietly, fear slipping up her back and setting the hair at the nape of her neck prickling.

"He did," someone said mildly behind her.

Lucian's hand tightened on her arm as Leigh slowly turned to peer into the living area. At first she didn't see anything, but then Morgan sat up on the couch and peered at them over the back of it.

Smiling, he added, "Fortunately, Donny has a certain skill with locks. It's one of the talents I'm sure he didn't bother to mention on his application for a job in your Coco's."