Mine for Eternity [Council Enforcers] (Siren Publishing Classic)

getting calmer with each passing moment. She took the gun Ben offered and tested its weight in her hand. She gave herself a mental pep talk. Telling herself that she could do what she needed to keep Nico safe. Ben seemed satisfied and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
    She hugged her son then whispered in his ear. “Mommy needs you to get under Mitch’s desk and hide. Don’t come out until I get you. Okay?”
    Nico nodded and climbed down from her lap. When he ducked under the desk, Tessa had a sense of déjà vu and the memory of him hiding in the tree stump in her dream popped into her head. Shaking it off, she pushed the chair back up to the desk and stepped back. She couldn’t see him any longer. If she hadn’t sent him under there, she would have had no idea he was there. Satisfied that he was in a good hiding place, she went around to the front of the desk and stood guard facing the door.
    Tessa examined her emotions as she waited. The strange sense of calm was still growing. Added to that was a sense that a weight was being lifted off her chest. She was able to breathe deeper and easier with each minute that passed. She hadn’t realized what a struggle it had been to breathe until she could do it again. Something was going on, and she had no idea what it was.
    The knob on the door began to turn, and Tessa lifted the gun, ready to shoot whatever came through the door. She waited as the door slowly creaked open.
    “Tessa, don’t shoot, baby, it’s me.”
    The sound of Mitch’s voice had her running across the room and throwing the door open. She leaped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and buried her face into his neck. His smell hit her, and she groaned. The scent of his expensive shampoo and masculine musk that was all him acted as a balm, soothing her tight muscles and relaxing them for the first time since he had walked out the door.
    “I’ve missed you so much.” Tessa trailed kisses along his neck and jawline. “Don’t ever leave me like that again without calling to let me know you were okay. I was so worried about you.”
    “I’m sorry, baby. I’ll explain everything later. But first”—he took the gun out of her hand and handed it to Ben, who had come in the office behind him—“that’s better. I need you to stay in here with Ben for a moment longer while I try and track the rogue trespassing on my land. We smelled him as we drove up, and Ben explained what was going on. I have a feeling he’s long gone by now, but I’m not taking any chances.”
    Tessa was reluctant to let him go since she had just gotten him back, but she slid down from his arms without complaining. She didn’t miss his erection, and she brushed against it and felt her panties growing wet at the thought of finally having him inside her again.
    “Hurry back,” she whispered.
    Mitch hesitated a moment before adjusting his crotch through his jeans and hurrying out of the room. Tessa hurried back over to the desk and moved the chair. She peered under the desk and smiled when she saw that Nico was curled up fast asleep. It seemed that all of the running and playing he did with Ben had worn him out. She was glad the mess she had gotten herself into hadn’t affected his sleep one bit.
    She stood and answered Ben’s frown when she moved away from the desk. “He’s sleeping. There’s nowhere to put him if I move him, so I’ll wait until Mitch gives the all clear then take him up to his bed.”
    Ben nodded and turned back toward the door to stand guard. Without anything to do, Tessa sat in Mitch’s chair to wait. If she hadn’t believed in what Mitch had said about mates before, she was a firm believer now. Everything she was feeling up until Mitch had walked through the door was from the mating bond. She knew without anyone having to explain it to her that the calm she felt and being able to breathe easy was the bond’s way of letting her know her mate had been on his way.
    The feeling of being in his arms again was indescribable, but also gave Tessa something to fear. If she felt that way about him after just three days, how would she feel a month or even years from now? Would she be obsessed with him? She knew without a doubt that she was coming to love the man, but how much of it was the bond and how much of it was truly her? Tons of questions swirled through her head, but Tessa knew one thing was certain. She didn’t want to live without Mitch, but she also didn’t want the