Leo held his hands up, palms out. "Hey, I'm just an innocent bystander here. I didn't do anything." He looked at each of them in turn. "In fact, I think this is something you two need to work out on your own. If you don't mind," he paused and jerked his thumb toward the door. "I'll just go outside and count the clover or something."

"Oh. My. God. Not another one of you idiots with that counting business. I know that's a load of crap." She grinned and shook her head. Turning to Leo, she said, "Look, you don't have to go anywhere. I realize what you two are to each other and I'm happy for you. I really am." Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "If you don't mind," she stopped to clear her throat when her voice broke. "I really need to go. I have business to attend to."

"To hell with this," Nico snarled and grabbed her arm, pulling her into his embrace. "I've missed you, Caramia." He took a deep breath, taking in her scent, her very essence. "I've dreamt of you, of this moment every night for the last fifteen months." Fisting his hand in her hair, he drew her head back and stared down into her beautiful eyes.

Thick black lashes drifted down, effectively hiding her emotions from him. He brought his free hand up, his thumb caressing her full, lush lips. He wanted nothing more than to lean down and claim her mouth with his, but he refrained. Instead, he brushed his thumb over her quivering bottom lip and the coffee and cream of her cheek. He loved the contrast between the colors of their skin. He couldn't wait to see her sandwiched between the two of them.

He couldn't wait to sink his cock into her slick channel once again. He barely dared to dream what it would feel like to bury himself deep into her tight sheathe while Leo fucked her ass.

Finally giving into the urge, Nico bent and slanted his lips over hers. Closing his eyes, he groaned. She tasted of Cara, sweet, sweet honey and heaven. Nothing had ever compared to the sensation of her lips pressed against his, her body moving in time with his to the inaudible music of an ancient dance. As always, invisible lightning arced between them. It raced through his blood, heating him from the inside out like a star gone super-nova. When Cara opened her lips, he groaned deep in his throat as he thrust his tongue into the dark recesses of her mouth.

His already hard cock grew impossibly larger as he repeatedly pressed his hips against hers. He dreamt of this every time he lay down to sleep over the past year. Living without her the past months was the hardest thing he had ever had to bear. Just knowing that he left his mate needing him, grieving for him, nearly drove him mad. His need ratcheted higher as he thought about the long, lonely months they spent apart. Even the companionship of his best friend couldn't assuage the guilt of leaving her alone when he knew she would repeatedly stalk danger like a wolf stalks its prey.

Standing here with her in his arms was nothing short of a miracle. He had ached to do this, to feel her soft heat pressed intimately against him, her body quivering with the same need as his. Nico needed this woman by his side, by their sides, just as surely as he needed nourishment to survive.