by Lynn Howard
Penny shrugged and lowered her head, the way she did when she was in trouble.
“Talk to me, sweetie. Did something scare you? Are you worried those guys from our camping trip will find us or something?”
She shook her head, glanced up at the trees, then lowered her head again. Ryanne looked over her shoulder in the direction where Penny had looked but didn’t see anything that would keep her from talking.
Lowering to her knees, Ryanne took both of her sister’s hands in her own and ducked her head so Penny had to look at her. “You can tell me anything, sweetie. What’s going on? Whatever is scaring you, I promise we’ll figure it out and make it go away.”
Penny stared at Ryanne for a few moments, glanced at the trees, then back to her big sister. Her mouth opened to answer, but snapped shut when Daxon’s truck rumbled up the driveway.
“Daxon!” she squealed, running down the few stairs to wait for him by Ryanne’s car.
Daxon’s grin matched Penny’s as he pushed from his seat and jogged to where Penny nearly bounced in place. “How are my girls today?”
Damn Ryanne’s heart. It was already hard as hell to keep from marking Daxon as her mate, but now he was making it impossible for her to avoid falling for him. He was so good to Penny. He treated her like she had been a part of his family her whole life, like she was his daughter instead of the sister of someone he was dating.
“I had apples for a snack,” she informed Daxon.
“How many apples?”
Penny looked to Ryanne for the answer. “She had apple slices. Only one apple.”
“Ah,” Daxon said. “Did you save me any?”
Penny leaned forward. “Cats eat apples?” she whispered.
Ryanne and Daxon both chuckled.
“My panther doesn’t. But I do.” He made a chomp noise that sent Penny into giggles. “What are we doing today? Sandcastle? Tag?”
“Tag?” Penny asked. “We can play tag?”
“Well…” Daxon said, glancing at Ryanne. He looked unsure suddenly. “I had another idea, but we’ll only do it if you’re not scared.”
Penny’s look turned instantly serious. And she also glanced at the trees again.
Daxon narrowed his eyes at her and followed her line of sight. “Do you see something?” His tone sounded suspicious and Ryanne wondered if there was something she should know.
She wouldn’t ask in front of Penny, though, not when she was already suffering from their last trauma.
“No,” she said, her voice so soft.
He studied the tree line a few more minutes, then turned those narrowed eyes on Penny again. “You know, if there’s something up there that scares you, you can tell me. I can make it go away.”
Ryanne looked up there again, too. She didn’t see anything. Could it be her imagination? Or maybe the noise from that flock of birds had scared her earlier.
“What kind of game did you want to play?” she whispered.
She didn’t want to discuss whatever had her so scared.
Daxon looked to Ryanne for guidance. She nodded and shrugged. If she didn’t want to talk, they wouldn’t make her. Ryanne wanted Penny to see Daxon as a safe person, and that meant being able to come to him when she felt ready.
“Do you remember seeing my panther in the woods?” he asked her, still holding her, his arm under her behind.
“The night those bad guys tried to take us?” Penny asked and broke Ryanne’s heart.
“Yeah. Were you scared of my panther?” Penny shook her head. “Have you ever ridden a horse before?”
Penny looked to her big sister, who shook her head. “No.”
“What if…you rode on the back of my panther. And then Ry can Shift into her animal. The three of us can race through the woods.” He leaned his head closer to Penny and pretended to let her in on some big secret. “But you and I will win.”
The light-hearted giggles were back as she nodded with so much excitement.
“You’re going to let her ride on your back?” Ryanne asked.
Why that surprised her so much, she wasn’t sure. He had already dispelled any opinions she could have formed about him since the first night they met. He didn’t act or think the way she thought someone who looked like him would, didn’t treat Ryanne or Penny the way she thought some bad boy Shifter would treat females.
It was probably time for her to stop judging all males by the actions of a few.
“You up to it?” Daxon asked as he lowered Penny to her feet.
“Are you sure?” she asked, but wasn’t sure whether she was asking her sister or Daxon.
“Yes,” they answered in unison.
“You’ll have to turn around while Daxon takes off his clothes,” Ryanne said, twirling her finger in the air for Penny to give Daxon her back.
Penny looked disgusted as she looked up at Daxon. “You’re going to take off your clothes?”
Both adults chuckled. “He has to take his off just like I do when I Shift. Because what happens if I don’t take them off first?” Ryanne asked.
“They tear up,” Penny said, but that look didn’t fall off her face too quickly.
“Okay. Turn around.”
Penny turned to face the house while Ryanne tried to decide whether she should give Daxon some privacy, as well.
He had seen her breasts. Shouldn’t she get to at least see some of his body?
Daxon had one of those sexy smirks on his face as he grabbed the back collar of his shirt and yanked it over his head. His torso was completely covered in ink and Ryanne felt her mouth go dry.
As he reached for the button of his jeans, Ryanne decided it was best if she hurried and stripped so she could Shift before Penny turned and caught them ogling each other naked.
Yanking the straps of her dress off her shoulder, she shoved the dress to her ankles, then reached behind her to undo her bra. When she raised her eyes back to Daxon, he was fully naked, cupping himself, and staring at her with bright golden-green eyes.
If he wanted to hide himself, he really needed to use both hands and arms, because the tip of his hard cock was peeking above where his hands met.
That smirk was nowhere to be found. Deciding to play with fire, she slowly pushed her panties down her legs, let him get an eyeful of her fully naked body, then bent forward and let her lynx take the reign.
As Ryanne’s lynx stretched and shook out her fur, Daxon finally let his panther take charge. Two massive paws dropped beside where Ryanne stood, shaking the ground beneath her a tad.
“What was that?” Penny asked, a touch of fear in her voice.
Ryanne rounded her baby sister and rubbed against her side. In her animal form, Ryanne was only a little bit smaller than Penny, but still heavier.
“I missed you,” Penny squealed, throwing her arms around Ryanne’s lynx and hugging tight.
It was a really good thing Ryanne’s animal was so submissive. And she hoped Daxon’s panther wouldn’t mind the child rubbing and scratching at his fur.
How the hell was she going to hold on while she was riding the back of Daxon’s panther? And did his beast recognize Penny as a friend? Ryanne’s lynx adored Penny and played with her like a puppy would instead of an oversized cat. Hence the reason she was so excited to see the animal.
Daxon lowered to his belly and waited for Penny to climb onto his back. He didn’t move until her legs were gripping his sides and her hands were balled in his coarse fur.
He looked to Ryanne as if to ask if Penny was secure. Ryanne let out a chuffing sound and started moving toward the trees, letting him know they were good to go.
Penny’s giggles echoed through the woods when Daxon went from a slow walk to a trot, then finally took off at a full run with Ryanne right on his heels.
And he thought he would win so easily.
“Faster!” Penny called out, those giggles coming nonstop.
Daxon looked back at Ryanne and she could’ve sworn his panther smiled at her.
&nb
sp; Oh, he wanted a real race, did he?
As Daxon darted off, Ryanne ran after him, only barely falling behind. Okay. So maybe his panther was faster, but not by much.
By the time he slowed down, tears ran down Penny’s face as she gasped in breaths of air. Ryanne wasn’t sure she had ever seen her sister laugh so hard or so much.
Guess Daxon was good for both of them.
And he definitely made them both feel safer when he was around.
Chapter Seven
They took their time walking back down the hill. Daxon and Ryanne had run for over two hours with Penny holding on for dear life.
He had wanted her to hold tight, but he was sure there would be some bald spots where her little hands were gripping his fur.
When they cleared the tree line and stepped into the field that surrounded Ryanne’s property, Penny laid her head on his back. The girl was wiped out.
Did she still take naps? Did five-year-olds have naptime? And had Daxon disturbed that by showing up?
If she didn’t take naps normally, he knew damn well she would today.
Once they were close to the house, Daxon lowered to his belly and let her slide off. Then she stood there, her eyes bouncing between them like she wasn’t sure what to do next.
Ryanne stepped forward and nudged her toward the house.
“I should go inside?” she asked. Ryanne chuffed. “Why can’t your cats just talk like normal people?” she whined as she pushed the door open and went into the house.
Daxon followed Ryanne to where they’d left their clothes, then took his time savoring her body as she Shifted back to her human form and began to redress.
With a sigh, he pushed his panther back and pulled his jeans up his hips. “You’re so damn beautiful,” he said with a shake of his head. “One of these days, I’m going to have you naked in front of me for hours.”
That sexy flush was back on her cheeks and Daxon caught a whiff of her arousal when a breeze kicked up, pushing her skirt up in the back.
With another shake of his head, he yanked his shirt over his head and shoved his feet back into his boots.
Oh, he had every intention of spending hours exploring every dip and valley of Ryanne’s curves, no matter how long he had to wait for that day.
“Try to get your eyes and boner under control before coming into the house,” she said with a sexy wink. She was trying for cool and casual, but that pink still darkened her cheeks.
Daxon adjusted himself, pushing his engorged dick to the side, and tried not to notice the way Ryanne’s full hips swayed with each step.
If she expected him to get his libido under control, she wasn’t doing a thing to help it.
He spent close to ten minutes thinking about every unsexy thing he could come up with until his dick relaxed and he was sure the glow in his eyes had faded.
“Finally,” he muttered as he clomped up the stairs to Ryanne’s porch.
He still couldn’t understand why she had been so embarrassed to have any of them see the way she lived. It was small and needed some maintenance work, but it was clean and tidy and always smelled fresh. It smelled like Ryanne and Penny and something else warm and homey.
“Can we do that again?” Penny asked from the couch before opening her mouth on a long, wide yawn.
“Today?” Daxon asked in surprise.
“No. Tomorrow? Or next week?”
“We’ll do it again. I promise,” Daxon said, winking at Ryanne when she shook her head with a smile.
“You’re going to spoil her.”
He shrugged. “Isn’t it my job to spoil my girls?”
A shy smile was on her face as she ducked her gaze. Was she not used to this kind of male attention? Or did he make her uncomfortable?
That last thought made him want to reel it in, but she hadn’t looked uncomfortable when she had been checking him out earlier. She’d looked…hungry. That was the only way he could describe the expression on her face when her eyes had roamed across his chest and shoulders and down to where his dick was poking above his hands.
At least he’d made an attempt to cover himself. It wasn’t so much for Ryanne as for Penny. The thought of the little girl turning and getting an eyeful of his tall, thick, tattooed body naked made him a little sick to his stomach.
“You hungry? I need to make Penny some dinner,” Ryanne said, turning her back and rummaging through the fridge.
“I could eat. Or I could take you girls out for dinner.”
She turned, her hand still on the fridge door. “I can’t let you keep buying us stuff, Daxon. I appreciate it, but…you’re talking about that Shifter bar, right?”
“Moe’s. Yeah.”
“Too many people. And they’ll be smoking. But thank you. We’ve got food here.”
She had a point. Penny was way too young to be around people smoking. And, as much as he would like to say his friends would be there to keep her safe, he didn’t need to bring a human child into a place full of Shifters, some of whom he might not know.
Ryanne pulled a few things out of the fridge, then rummaged through the cabinets. Then she chopped and mixed and tossed things into a wok. She was making stir fry for him and Penny.
“Your sister eats stir fry?” he asked, lowering onto a kitchen chair to watch her work.
“Penny is the least picky child you’ll ever meet. I haven’t found a food she won’t at least try. She hates canned peas, though.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Because they’re mushy and have no flavor.”
“See? Daxon doesn’t like them either,” Penny called from the couch without looking back. “And he’s cool. That makes me cool, too.”
Ryanne huffed out a surprised laugh while Daxon chuckled.
“Yeah. I’m cool.” He lifted his chin and tugged on his make-believe collar.
These two girls brought out a playful side to him he’d long forgotten. They really needed to start hanging out with the Pride more often. If Penny thought he was fun and cool, she would love Brax, Daxon’s twin brother, and the never serious Mason.
He realized he was thinking of these two as being a bigger part of his life. And it didn’t scare him. It felt right. Being here in Ryanne’s house, sitting at her table while she cooked him dinner, felt right. It felt natural, like this was exactly where he was supposed to be in his life.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” he asked.
She answered without turning to look at him. “I guess it depends on the question.”
“Where are your parents?”
Ryanne and Penny looked so different, but she’d said they were sisters.
“Well,” she started, then checked on her sister. Lowering her voice to tones only Daxon would hear, she said, “Our mom died three years ago. She was a drug addict and OD’d. Neither of us have ever met either of our fathers.”
He nodded as she spoke even though she wasn’t looking at him.
“I pretty much raised Penny, even before Mom died. She was rarely around, and I couldn’t stand the thought of Penny being left alone as a baby. I’m not sure Mom noticed the days when I took her to my place. She was probably just happy she didn’t hear a crying baby while she was falling out from whatever she’d injected in her veins that day.”
The way Ryanne spoke…it broke Daxon’s heart. She was angry, there was no doubt about that. But there was so much pain in her voice. It had hurt her that her mother had cared more about getting high than about either of her daughters.
“Your dad took off before you were born?” Daxon asked, keeping his voice gentle but neutral. Ryanne wasn’t the kind of woman who would respond well to pity.
“I don’t know if he knew about me or not. Mom never really divulged that information…when she was sober.” That last part was spoken so softly Daxon had almost missed it.
Part of him wished he could find her father. Both of their fathers. He wasn’t sure what he would do from there, but maybe having a part of her family who cared about her
would make her feel better.
He wanted to be her family. He wanted to be family to both Ryanne and Penny. He could never make up for the neglect and abandonment, but he could love them and care for them the way they deserved.
Love them?
Yep. He knew without a doubt he was falling in love with Ryanne, even after the short time they had spent together. It was beyond the mating bond, although that was there, too. His heart had swelled like that damn Grinch in the Christmas movie when he had met these two.
And he had loved Penny from the start. How could anyone meet such a sweet and innocent child and not love her? He could never be her father, but he could be a father figure.
He could be her bonus dad.
****
Ryanne watched as Daxon and Penny talked and ate and played and then ate some more. For such a little girl, Penny had quite an appetite and was always hungry.
They included Ryanne in on a few of their jokes. And she would laugh or feign insult at the right time. She just couldn’t get over how open her baby sister was around Daxon. It was like they had known each other all her life.
He was so great with Penny. He didn’t act as though he was only being nice to her to get to Ryanne. He truly seemed to care about her, about her well-being, about her happiness.
Ryanne’s lynx might have wanted to mark him, but she was falling head over heels in love with him. How could she not?
She had always been one of those people who didn’t care how someone treated her, as long as they were good to her baby sister. But he was good to them both. He didn’t act put out when Penny struck up some nonsensical conversation. He leaned forward and paid attention, nodding and interjecting his thoughts when appropriate.
There was no way Ryanne could picture their life without Daxon in it now. Not after the last couple of weeks. Not with how happy his mere presence made Penny.
“I’m full,” Penny announced, pushing her plate forward.
“Me, too,” Daxon said. He patted his belly and hummed his approval of the meal. “Your sister’s a good cook, huh?”
