Lex and Reb left the room. Frankie looked worriedly at his mate. "Are we in trouble?"
"No," Vince assured. "If we were, Lex would have said something. This is just a formality."
He slid from the bed and, taking Frankie's hand, urged him up. "Let's get this done with and then we can go back to making out."
Frankie figured Vince said that to cheer him up, and as he got into the shower with his lover and they exchanged blowjobs, he realized it had worked.
Frankie really should have listened to his mate. He'd allowed himself to get all worked up and stressed out for nothing. All the Vampire Council had wanted to know from him was who had been holding the whip and how many vampires were in the room, and if he recognized the vampires in custody as the ones who'd beaten Vince.
Frankie had been all too happy to finger the group of men who'd hurt his mate.
Evidently, attacking a representative of the Vampire Council was a very serious offense. The entire group was sentenced to death.
Frankie tried to decide how he felt about that. The vampires had attempted to kill his mate, and had planned to kill him, too, in front of Vince, just to make him suffer. Frankie decided Mikael and his friends had gotten what they deserved.
Sitting in a chair in the lobby, he waited for Vince. The vampire had taken a second conference call from someone on the council.
Reb patted his thigh, drawing his attention. "There's your man. Is he moving in with us?" he asked, indicating the bag slung over Vince's shoulder.
Frankie rose to his feet and watched Vince and Lex head toward them. "I don't know. You don't mind if he does, do you?"
Reb shrugged. "Not really. The house is big enough, but if you're sticking around Stone Ridge, you might want to consider getting your own home." His brother rested a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "You always have a place with me, you know that. But making a home of your own with a mate is important." He winked. "You'd never have to worry about me walking in and seeing your mate's sexy ass again."
Frankie nodded. He knew his brother would never turn him out, but he appreciated the reminder, just the same. "We haven't talked about it, yet. I don't even know where his home is," he admitted.
"Atlanta, Georgia. Same as Caspian," Vince said, obviously overhearing the last bit of their conversation. "And you're right … we do have a few things we need to discuss." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"
Taking it without hesitation, Frankie asked, "Where are we going?"
"See ya, little brother," Reb said, slapping him on the back.
Frankie smiled and waved. "Later."
Vince nodded at Reb, then answered, "To a house I'm renting for the next several months. I checked out some pictures, and it's not large, but it appears clean. It's furnished and it's close to Stone Ridge."
"When did you have time to do that?" Frankie asked curiously, climbing into the SUV when Vince opened the door for him.
"Lex found it for me. I just gave him the go-ahead," Vince explained.
Frankie glanced over his shoulder at the empty back of the vehicle as Vince eased the SUV into traffic. "Where is Lex?"
"On his way to the airport. He's taking a cab."
"Oh, but you're staying?" Frankie couldn't help feeling elated. His mate was staying with him.
"I am. I've secured the next three months off," Vince told him. He flashed a grin Frankie's way. "It's high time I learned to relax, and what better way to do that, than falling in love with one's beloved? Hmm?"
Frankie's jaw dropped. "You love me?" No one but his brother had ever said that to him.
Vince pulled the SUV into a driveway, but Frankie was too busy staring at his mate to look at it. Vince unbuckled his belt and turned to face him. "I'm definitely at least halfway there, Frankie. I know it won't take long for me to be head-over-heels in love with you. You're amazing, and kind, and giving." His smile turned fiery. "Not to mention sexy as fuck and a hotter-than-hell lover. We still have plenty to learn about each other, and I can't wait to get started."
Frankie couldn't stop the goofy grin from splitting his lips. "You keep talking like that and I'll be madly in love with you back."
Vince's voice dropped to a sultry pitch as he reached for Frankie. Right before their lips met, he crooned, "Then I'll talk like that to you every hour of the day."
"Okay," Frankie breathed.
Their lips touched, and their tongues tangled as they pressed closer together in the confines of the vehicle. Even though Frankie knew this was just the beginning, he couldn't wait to share everything about his life with Vince. As his brother said, it'd take respect, communication, and compromise, but it would be worth it.