Page 9 of The Protector’s Heart
“Marshmallows?” he asked hopefully.
She couldn’t help but smile. “Mini and regular.”
* * *
Malachi knew the roads were getting treacherous. He’d almost gotten stuck twice at the end of her development on the way to bring her groceries. The plows were out in force, but the snow was falling too fast for them to keep up. The news on the radio said that they were headed for a state of emergency in town, and that meant that soon no vehicles would be allowed on the road. But damn if he could pass up hot chocolate made by his mate. With marshmallows.
“Take off your shoes, you’ll get my carpets all wet,” she said softly, smiling at him before toeing off her own boots, dropping her coat over a chair, and walking back into the kitchen. He glanced at the fireplace and thought it could use some more wood, so after he divested himself of his coat and boots, he added wood to the fire and then looked at the crib. Jack was adorable. He’d seen him at Acksel and Brynn’s engagement party, which seemed like an eternity ago. He looked just like Nila, but a slow inhale told him that the young boy was more wolf than human.
He joined Nila in the small kitchen. The tile floor was old but clean, the curtains over the one large window in front of the table were cheerful red gingham, and the scent of beef stew lingered in the air.
He caught the scent of gas as she lit the stove with a match and put a pan of milk on to heat. He sat on a padded kitchen chair and took the opportunity of her distraction to look at her in the glow from the electric candles on the counter. She was wearing dark pink lounge pants decorated with penguins, and a dark top under a thick sweater. Her long hair was tucked back into a braid, and he wanted to undo it and run his fingers through the strands.
“How long has the power been out?” he said in a low voice.
“Since about nine-thirty. This house isn’t really insulated well so it cooled down fast, hence the fire.”
“All the lights are out on this street, but my sister’s house still has power. I texted her before I got out of the SUV.”
After she put the cold items in a bag, he put it out on the back porch for her, and then shut and locked the door. He stared down at the two deadbolts, his gut telling him that she’d put them in as a safety measure against her ex.
“I know they won’t stop him if he wants to get in, but they’ll slow him down,” she said, her voice soft and sad.
Mal turned slowly and faced her. Her back was straight with determination, but her eyes were haunted. Once more he found himself struggling not to offer her comfort. His wolf was genuinely aggravated that she was scared and he couldn’t help her.
“I can help with the security, if you’d like. I have a security company.”
Her head tilted just slightly in curiosity. “I thought you were Brynn’s bodyguard.”
“That’s my pack job. I’m a protector, and that means I protect who the alpha says, and he says Brynn. As a sideline, though, I co-own L&M Security.”
“You’re the ‘M’, who is the ‘L’?”
“My best friend Lucian.”
“Is he a wolf?”
“No, he’s human. He’s got a…complicated life, and he travels quite extensively, but he does what he can for the company now until his life settles down.” Not that Malachi ever expected that to happen. Lucian wasn’t planning to retire from his real job anytime soon.
“I don’t want to put you out.”
He blinked, not sure what she was talking about, and then he realized she meant him helping with her home’s security. “It’s not a big deal. I saw the security company sign in the flower bed out front, and judging from the system you have in here, it wouldn’t take much for me to upgrade it so you’d feel safer.”
“Gosh, I don’t know what that would feel like.” She rubbed her arms.
His heart panged. “I want that for you.”
She blinked, tilting her head up until she was looking into his eyes. She stepped closer to him, the sweet wildflower scent of her skin making his mouth water. “Safety?”
He nodded, not daring to open his mouth because he really wasn’t sure he wouldn’t say something completely idiotic like please be mine forever.
Something splashed loudly and he looked over her head to see that the milk had boiled over. She gasped and lurched toward the stove, lifting the pan as he grabbed a towel and turned off the gas.
She cursed under her breath and carried the pot to the counter, setting it on a hot pad. He sopped up the spilled milk and wrung the towel out in the sink. Within a few minutes, they were sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace drinking hot chocolate, both of their mugs topped with marshmallows.
While they stared into the fire, they talked about everything and nothing, the sort of light conversation that people tend to make when they don’t want to talk about the elephant in the room. For Malachi, that particular elephant was wearing a giant flashing sign that read, ‘You’re my mate.’ From what little he’d learned about Nila’s ex, he’d spent the better part of their relationship treating her like property and terrifying her. She didn’t need Malachi acting all ‘me Tarzan, you Jane.’ He really wished that relationships came with a manual so he could flip to the table of contents and figure out where to start.
Nila put her empty mug on the coffee table and turned to face him. She blinked slowly, fatigue showing on her face, and then her eyes closed and didn’t open again, as her breathing evened out.