by Marie Cole
Three: And this was the big one, she was muttering to herself. It was kinda cute, watching this tiny little thing mutter about big, stupid males and something about a kitty (he assumed that was him, but hell, no one called him a damn kitty). But the way she did it made him think she wasn’t used to people being around.
And that was a damn shame because he could tell Josie Little needed company like he needed air and a nice yard to run around in from time to time. Some people were just wired that way, and she was one of them.
Everything about the way she moved from room to room, bringing him a drink (which he hadn’t asked for by the way), padding around and arranging things to make sure they looked tidy was adorable, really. She’d make an amazing mother to a pack of cubs.
Cubs.
And just like that, he felt his cock straining against his jeans. The idea of Josie carrying his cubs did things to him that’d have Greg kicking his ass for years. Speaking of Greg…
He stood up, pulling out his phone. “Josie, I gotta make a call. I’ll be out front.”
“Got it!”
He grinned and dialed his friend as he walked outside, shutting the door behind him. He leaned against a pole on the front porch.
After two rings, Greg answered. “She let you in?”
Cathan laughed. “Hello to you too. And yes she let me in.”
“Good,” Greg sighed. “I’m sure you two will get along great once she stops being pissed at me.”
Oh he certainly hoped so, but he wasn’t saying that out loud. No reason for him to get that ass-kicking immediately or anything. “Hmm, she does seem madder at you than me.”
Greg chuckled wearily. “Yeah, well, she can’t stay mad at you. I’m the one that hired you. You’re just doing your job. She knows that.”
Yeah, the job. He barely held back a laugh. “You wanna tell me why your baby sister needs a shifter bodyguard? Because trust me, I can handle a random robber just fine, but this seems a bit…”
Greg sighed again, and Cathan was sure the man was tired, but he needed answers. “Look, it’s like I told her. My newest job hasn’t exactly been…the most legal thing.”
Cathan snorted. “Yeah, well no shit. But that doesn’t ex—” He paused as it hit him. “You think they’ll use her as leverage.”
“Well, yeah. She’s all alone. We don’t…” He blew out a breath. “We don’t have any other family. She’s a perfect target.” He snorted. “Hell, don’t tell her I said that. I won’t be invited to Christmas.”
Cathan smiled. “Noted, but what am I looking at here? Do I need to bring in some bigger guns?”
“No, nothing like that. Just be your big scary imposing self for now. Anything else happens, call me immediately.”
“Got it.” He paused for a second before continuing. “You wanna elaborate on ya’ll not having a family? Because you’ve never mentioned it and she…”
“She offered you a drink and is now puttering around the house like a hummingbird on crack?”
Cathan laughed loudly. “Something like that.” He sobered. “What’s going on, Greg?”
“Look we just—”
A sweet little voice spoke up behind him. “Talking about something fun? Don’t leave me out.”
Cathan was proud of himself for not jumping when Josie spoke from behind him. How in the hell did she get the jump on him? He was a shifter. He had great hearing and he hadn’t even heard the door open. So how did she sneak up on him?
He looked behind him, seeing her sad eyes before she shook it away with another fake smile. “Is that Greg?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Greg groaned in his ear. “Can you hand her the phone?”
Cathan blinked but did as he was told, giving Josie the phone. She nodded and whispered thanks before moving back inside and starting to pace as she spoke. Cathan followed her and shut the door behind him.
“Just what the hell were you telling him?” She paused, glaring at the floor. “Don’t you give me that tone, asshole. You might be older but that doesn’t mean any—” She listened and then sighed. “No, I’m probably not going to send him away.”
Cathan had to hold back his triumphant shout. His cat wanted to roar in happiness. She at least liked him a little. Or trusted her brother that much. Right now he didn’t give a shit. He’d take what he could get.
“Are you OK?” The worry in her voice for her brother tugged at something in him. It was making sense. If they had no one else…
He couldn’t imagine it. His family might’ve been annoying (hell, being the youngest of eight kids would do that to anyone) but he’d always had them around. Even with his parents passing away a few years ago, he still had his siblings. They’d always been there for him.
She nodded. “OK. OK. Yeah. We’ll lock up.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Yes, my alarm system is still working.” She shot a glance at Cathan and gave an apologetic smile before rolling her eyes. “I think we’ll be fine. Don’t worry, all right? Huh? Yeah.” She handed the phone back to him. “He wants to talk to you again. I think he’s done nagging me.”
Cathan laughed and took the phone back. “What’s up?”
“First off, I wasn’t nagging her. Second off, make sure everything’s secure before you settle in, all right? I just… I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“Greg, we’ll be fine. I got this, OK? You don’t have to worry about her right now.”
Greg growled. “She’s not the only one I’m worried about, moron, but fine.”
He heard the man blow out a breath before giving a light laugh. “Make sure she gives you a cookie. I promise you’ll never want to eat anyone else’s again.”
Cathan barely held back a groan.
If only the man knew how true that was…
God, Cathan was gonna get his ass kicked. He just wasn’t sure which Little was gonna do it yet.
CHAPTER FOUR
Josie checked her security system for the fifth time, making sure everything was correct before stepping back with a nod.
“Everything all right?”
Ugh. Cathan’s perfect deep drawl was killing her.
She spun around with a grin and nodded up at him. She barely came up to his shoulder. How the hell could one man be so tall? Were shifters all just giants or something? It wasn’t fair.
“Yep, everything’s good. Checked all the locks and windows. Security system is fine.”
Cathan nodded, walking around the room. He searched the area, rechecking everything she’d already checked. She narrowed her eyes.
“I’m perfectly capable of locking up, you know. I’ve lived here alone long enough to know that.”
The man shrugged as he jiggled the lock, obviously making sure it was secure. “Yeah, well, Greg hired me for a reason.”
She huffed, crossing her arms. “Whatever. No one asked my opinion. I’m a grown ass woman. I can handle myself.” She started to walk, hearing the soft tread of his boots as he followed behind her. “And I have a knife on me, so I’ll be fine.”
“Wait, what?” A heavy hand settled on her wrist as he spun her around to face him. His golden eyes narrowed as he grabbed her shoulders. “What does a tiny thing like you have a knife for?”
She glared back. She would not be sucked in by gorgeous eyes. She wouldn’t. “Look here, Cathan. I might be short, but I am not, nor have I ever been, tiny.” She had way too many curves to ever be considered tiny. “And that’s beside the point. Even if Greg never told me directly what he was, I was never dumb. I knew I needed to be able to defend myself. I live alone, I get that.” She poked his chest. “So don’t stand there and give me some speech about how the little lady shouldn’t be carrying big, scary man-weapons, because I won’t stand for it.”
He laughed. He actually laughed at her, his eyes fading back to that light green color that looked like it could’ve been a jewel.
“Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way, honest. It’s just hard to imagine you hurting anyone.” H
e tilted his head with a smile. “You’re not wired for it.”
She snorted, crossing her arms. “Ask Greg if I am or not. He got quite a few bruises when we were younger that prove otherwise.” She shook her head, not wanting to talk about it anymore. “Come on. Might as well get comfy. I’ll make up the guest room for you.”
“You don’t have to go to the trouble. I can sleep on the couch.”
She glared. “No guest of mine is sleeping on the couch when I have a perfectly nice room.”
Cathan held up his hands in defeat. “Fine. At least let me help.”
She wanted to argue but finally just nodded. “All right. Follow me.” She looked down at his shoes. “But take those off first, please.”
He grinned before toeing off the boots. “Don’t want dirt on the carpet, kitten?”
She blinked. “Kitten?”
He shrugged as he put the shoes next to the door. “Yeah. Don’t like it?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a nickname like that before.” She laughed. “Well, maybe Greg called me something, but it wasn’t…” She hesitated, then eyed him again. “Come on. Follow me and I’ll show you the room.”
She turned and moved up the stairs, hearing him pad behind her. She realized his steps were very quiet. She supposed that made sense. He had the grace of his cat after all.
She rounded a corner and opened a door, showing him inside. He had to duck under the door a bit to get inside. “Here you are.”
*
Cathan glanced around the tiny guest room. Even this room was decorated for Christmas. There was a small tree on the wooden dresser and everything. The bed was made up with a red and white comforter and matching pillows, all arranged neatly. The walls were painted a nice white color. There was even a little rocking chair in the corner next to a bookshelf, filled with what appeared to be children’s books. Everything looked really cozy, honestly.
There was only one thing that bothered him.
“Have you ever really been in here?”
His little kitten tilted her head. “What do you mean? The place didn’t decorate itself, you know.”
He chuckled. “That’s not… I don’t know… It’s hard to describe.”
It didn’t smell like her in here. Not at all. Or no, that wasn’t right. It smelled faintly of her. So faintly, he barely caught it. Like it had been years since she’d walked inside. Oh the rest of the house smelled like her. He could practically feel her essence pouring through the walls. But this room…
“Why did you buy this house?”
He caught the sadness in her eyes before she masked it again. “I just liked it.” She paused. “Do you not like the room? I can give you mine and sleep on the couch or something.”
He couldn’t stop a growl from escaping his mouth. His mate wouldn’t sleep on the couch. Hell, he wanted her next to him, but it was too soon for that. His cat pushed forward, and he was sure his eyes were golden now. He backed her against the door, his arms caging her as he stared down at her. “The hell do you mean you’d sleep on the couch?”
She glared at him, narrowing those pretty, brown eyes. “OK first off, what’s with the attitude? If you don’t like the situation, you can leave for all I care. I didn’t ask you to be here.”
He blinked, taken back by her reaction. He blew out a breath. “Hell.” He took another breath, calming down the damn cat. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just…” He lightly touched her cheek, smiling a little when she startled at the action. “Sorry. I was wrong. It’s your house. You just looked upset and I want to know what’s wrong.”
She shook her head. He had to give her credit. Even faced with a shifter glaring at her, she didn’t back down. “Look, it’s nothing, all right? If you don’t like the room, I can sleep on the couch. It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.” He blew out a breath to calm himself. “I don’t dislike the room.” He shook his head. “The rest of the house smells like you. Smells like love and cookies, and this room smells…empty. Why?”
She worried her bottom lip, and he held back a groan at how sexy it made her look. Now was not the time. “I just…don’t want to be in here. That’s all. Can we end this conversation?”
He moved his hand to cup her chin, making her look up at him. “What’s bothering you?”
She was silent long enough that he thought she wouldn’t answer before she finally spoke. “This was… This was my old room. Before…before everything went to hell…”
He blinked in confusion. “Your old room? Then this was your old house…” He shook his head. “You guys both said—”
“That we don’t have family. We never said we never did.” She laughed, but it sounded forced. “It’s not like we just spawned up out of the ground.” She looked around, rubbing her hands. She looked so small and scared. “Can we…?”
He understood. “Come on. Let’s continue this in the living room, all right? Greg promised me a cookie if I was a good little kitty for his sister.”
She laughed again. “Well, lucky for you, I actually have some.”
He realized then that he might be falling faster for his tiny mate than he thought. Because all he wanted was to hear her laugh forever.
CHAPTER FIVE
Within twenty minutes, the two of them were comfortably situated in the living room. She’d changed into her winter pajamas (a sweater she’d stolen from Greg years ago and a nice pair of sweats with snowflakes on them) and was now curled up in her favorite chair. A mug of cocoa was keeping her hands nice and toasty.
Cathan was lounging on the couch again, nibbling at a cookie like it was the greatest thing he’d ever tasted. He finally popped the last bite into his mouth with a groan before looking at her.
“Now, kitten, let’s talk.” He crossed his legs with that damn grace of his and grinned. “I’m all ears.”
She sighed, placing her mug on the table in front of her. “It was…God…twenty years ago now? Greg was twenty-two and I was around nine or ten.” She shook her head. “It’s hard to remember. My birthday’s in a month anyway, so…”
He smiled gently. “Well, I hope I’m here to celebrate with you.”
She bit back a reply that she hoped the same. “Anyway, he was off at college, and I was still living with our parents.” She tilted her head back to look up at the ceiling. Maybe if she didn’t look at him, it’d be easier. “It all happened so fast. I was at school and I get a call that…that Greg was going to come get me. He had to take me somewhere safe.”
“And?”
She blew out a breath. “And he did. We moved away. Moved across the country.”
“Why?”
“Because… Because our parents were dead. And they thought…” She shrugged with a sigh. “I don’t know. I was so young I never really understood everything, I guess. And Greg didn’t want me to know the details.”
Which had been a constant argument between the two of them for a long time, honestly. She wanted to know, but Greg was so protective. She knew why he feared telling her, but at the same time, it left her unaware of anything and feeling vulnerable, like a child. She wanted answers too, even if she couldn’t find them the way he did.
“He just wanted to keep you safe.”
“Yeah. And he did.” She shrugged. “There’s a reason I’m not surprised at what he does. He was always like this. He made sure whatever home we lived in was so safe. I don’t think he even slept until I left for school, honestly.”
“With him, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Yeah… It wasn’t until I went to culinary school that he finally calmed down a little.”
“You went to…” He laughed. “That explains the cookies. Do you work at a bakery?”
“I own one. I let Greg help pay for that at least, but I send him checks to repay. Pretty sure he’s never cashed them, but…” She sniffled, rubbing her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, but it was all too much. “But yeah that’s…that’s everything. While I don’t doubt he’s w
orried, I wouldn’t put it past him to send you just to keep me company. He worries about that too, you know.”
There was a silence before he spoke again. “You don’t have a boyfriend or anything?”
She heard a slight growl in his voice but ignored it. Probably just a shifter thing, and he seemed like a growly guy.
“No, nothing like… No. I haven’t really…” She chuckled, leaning forward to get her mug. She took a sip before continuing. “With an overprotective older brother who has more weapons than most people have seen in their lives, sweet little Josie didn’t really get to date a lot.” She smirked. “You should’ve seen Greg when my prom date picked me up. I was pretty sure he was going to pin the poor kid to the wall with knives if the moron stared at my chest any harder.”
There was that growl again. “Probably should’ve…”
“Look, the point is, no. I don’t have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Nothing like that. Usually Greg would be visiting, but obviously he can’t. He doesn’t like to leave me alone around this time.”
“Why? Oh…”
She gave a watery laugh, trying to fight back tears. “I’m fine. Really.” She wiped her eyes. “D-don’t worry about me. I promise not to be like this.” She shook her head. “I know this could get annoying.”
Before she even finished, Cathan was on his knees in front of her. He cupped her face, catching her tears with his thumbs. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s OK.” He smiled softly. “Don’t cry, OK? I’ll be here for you. Don’t worry.”
She smiled. “I believe you.” She paused before whispering what she had been thinking the entire time. “Why do I trust you so much?”
*
Cathan took a deep breath, sitting back a little on his knees. How in the hell was he supposed to explain this? “What do you know about shifters?”
