Guardian Lion: BBW Lion Shifter Paranormal Romance (Cedar Hill Lions Book 2)

by Chant,Zoe

  Heath nodded, eyebrows raised. “Well, I admire you for having the courage of your convictions.”

  Daphne handed him his coffee. She took a sip of her own, before admitting, “Well, it’s easy for me. Of course, I didn’t have debt from college. And I know that if I ever was in trouble I have my trust fund, even if I don’t touch it at the moment, except to give to charity, or if one of my friends needs help.” She sighed, feeling frustrated. “That’s part of what’s so terrible about this situation with Terry. If he’d known who I was and who my parents are, I could’ve helped him. He didn’t need to borrow money from those loan sharks.”

  Heath cocked his head a little, watching her closely, his gorgeous eyes trained on her face. “Well, maybe. But even if he had, he probably wouldn’t have come to you for a loan. It might’ve been a hard thing to ask for.”

  “But what’s the point of having it if I can’t use it to help people?” Daphne asked.

  “That’s true,” Heath replied. “But you’re more than that. Terry values you – I can tell. He wouldn’t want you to think he was only interested in using you as a rainy day fund.”

  Daphne looked down into her coffee. What Heath said was true, she supposed. And wasn’t that part of why she’d wanted to strike out on her own? To find out who she was without the glitz of her parents’ names, and to learn whether people liked her for herself, rather than just her last name. But it still hurt her to know someone she considered a friend had gotten into trouble over something that she easily could have helped him with.

  “Besides,” Heath added after a moment. “He’s your boss, and he’s a man – he’d probably be embarrassed asking you for money.”

  Daphne raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing!” Heath raised the hand he wasn’t using to hold the coffee. “Only that you know how it is – men like to think they’re self-sufficient and they never need help, even when they do.”

  “Are you speaking from experience?” Daphne could hear the teasing note in her own voice.

  Stop flirting right now! she instructed herself. You can’t flirt with the bodyguard, no matter how hot he is! He’s here to do a job!

  A serious job. Much as she didn’t want to think about it, someone had made a serious attempt to kidnap her.

  It was a sobering thought.

  Heath laughed – a rich, deep sound. Despite the gravity of the situation, Daphne felt it soothing her, sending warm ripples through her stomach. She felt safer just being near him.

  “All right, you got me there,” Heath said. “But if there’s one thing being in the army for a decade will teach you, it’s to trust the people around you. You’d be dead without them. Mavericks usually don’t get that far, no matter what you see in the movies.”

  “Is that your background, then? You were in the army?” Daphne could believe it. Competence, economy of movement and discipline showed in every inch of Heath’s muscular form.

  A flicker of pride showed in his face as he nodded. “Twelve years. Six of those as Military Police.”

  Daphne was mildly surprised. Twelve years seemed like a long time, though she supposed many people spent their entire lives and careers in the army. “What made you decide to leave?”

  Heath shrugged. “I just felt like it was time for a change. There was a lot of other stuff I could have done in the army, but I guess I just wanted something completely new. That’s why I did the training and got my license to work in security. It seemed more… personal, somehow. I liked the idea of working directly with a client.” A small smile flashed across his face. “I guess you could say I’m a people person.”

  His voice was warm. Daphne felt herself going red again. She couldn’t tell if he was flirting or not.

  He called you beautiful in the bar, her inner voice unhelpfully reminded her. Which was true – but that was before she’d become his client. She didn’t know if she should bring their brief encounter up or not. He’d probably set any thought of that aside as soon as they entered into their professional arrangement, and things could get very awkward very quickly.

  Trying to distract herself, Daphne drained the last of her coffee. It was still a little too hot to be drunk so quickly, and she made a face as she felt the inside of her mouth burning, turning away quickly.

  Oh boy. Smooth moves.

  “Gyahhh.” Daphne gagged a little as she swallowed the burning hot coffee. “Oh my God. I have no idea why I did that. Seriously. Oh, that smarts.”

  “You need to put some ice on that,” Heath said. He opened her freezer, quickly pulling out an ice tray that she’d forgotten was even there. Heath didn’t waste a moment, twisting the tray to make the ice pop out. He scooped a piece up off the counter and held it out to her.

  For a second, Daphne thought he was reaching out to place the ice in her mouth himself, and heat surged in her belly. She wanted to reach out to him, part her lips further and let him slide the ice between them… but then, all at once he seemed to come back to himself, dropping his hand a little, placing the ice in her palm.

  “Just put this on your tongue for a moment,” he said. He turned away quickly as Daphne raised the ice to her mouth. She couldn’t tell what felt colder – the ice, or the stab of disappointment in her chest that he hadn’t actually put the ice in her mouth himself.

  But was it her imagination, or did Heath seem a little… flustered?

  There was a moment of silence as Daphne sucked on the ice, feeling it soothe her burn.

  “You’ve had a frightening experience today,” Heath said. “You should really be sitting down and taking some time to rest.”

  Daphne moved the melting ice around in her mouth. “I suppose so. But you know, I’m not as terrified as I thought I’d be. It wouldn’t be any kind of exaggeration to say that growing up, my dad was completely paranoid about exactly this kind of thing, so I was brought up almost to expect it, I guess.”

  Heath turned to look at her, surprise writ large over his handsome face. “Wow. That is… I mean, that’s fucking wild. If you’ll excuse my language.”

  Daphne shook her head. “I already said, you don’t need to mind your words around me. Honestly, I can take it.”

  Again, she thought she saw a mildly flustered expression cross Heath’s face.

  “Well,” he said, “I’m guessing you didn’t have time for lunch before you were interrupted. So I’m therefore also guessing you must be kind of hungry.”

  She honestly hadn’t thought about it, but now that Heath mentioned it, Daphne realized she was a little more than hungry: she was positively ravenous.

  “Hmm. Good call,” she said, before remembering the bare state of her cupboards. Tonight was usually her night for grocery shopping, so naturally she’d had no chance to do it. “I don’t really know if I have anything, though…”

  Heath shrugged, smiling. “Look, I’d be lying if I said I could cook, anyway. I mean, I have the basics. But nothing fancy. How about we get delivery? I know a place we can trust. Both for the food and the staff. The agency I work for uses them pretty often. You like Thai?”

  “I love it.” Daphne didn’t have to fake her enthusiasm. “Get me a big warm bowl of green chicken curry and I’m in heaven.”

  Heath laughed. “All right, but you have to promise to blow on it a little first this time. I can’t have you getting hurt again on my watch. Deal?”

  His laugh was infectious. Daphne broke into a grin. “Deal.”

  As Heath pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket, he said, “While I order, how about you go call your parents? They should probably know about this. You can tell them as much or as little detail as you like, but they should know something’s up. If these people have it in their heads now that your folks are a potential target…”

  Daphne swallowed. Her stomach tightened, both with fear for her family and apprehension at telling them what was going on.

  Her father would probably insist that she get on a plane immedia
tely and fly straight home, back to the safety of their mansion on the east coast.

  For a split second, Daphne was tempted. It would be safer, that was a certainty. And how easy it would be to simply waive her responsibilities, and run back to her parents’ home.

  But then the feeling was gone. Not only because she wanted to stand on her own two feet, but because she had no intention of allowing some two-bit hoodlums to scare her away from the life she was carving out for herself, on her own terms.

  “I’ll go call them right away,” Daphne said.

  Chapter Six

  Heath

  After using a delivery app on his phone to put through their food order, Heath could hear Daphne in the next room, conversing in hushed tones with her parents. He wasn’t intending to eavesdrop at all, but with his keen shifter hearing, he couldn’t help but pick up the occasional Yes, Mom, and No, Mom, and It’s not like that, Mom, please calm down.

  Heath sighed. With things the way they were, he didn’t have the first clue how to go about telling her who – or what – he really was. Or that she was his mate. It would be a lot to absorb after a day like today. He didn’t want to hit her with it so soon… but at the same time, it didn’t seem right to keep it from her.

  He hadn’t even been looking for a mate. He’d insisted he wasn’t interested in finding her right now. He should have known, he supposed, that that was exactly when he’d find her, and his attraction and overwhelming adoration for her would hit him like a ton of bricks.

  Just when he needed every wit he had to keep her safe.

  Frowning, Heath looked down at his phone. He supposed he could ask Mason, but he just knew his cousin was going to be insufferably smug about it.

  Hearing Daphne’s voice rising slightly in the other room, Heath sighed and swallowed his pride. It was more important to try to get this right. Pulling up Mason’s number, he texted:

  Hey, mason. U there?

  It only took a second for Mason to reply.

  yep. Whats up?

  Heath looked down at his phone, considering how to word things.

  When u met Charity, how did u explain the whole shifter thing to her? What abt mates and bonding?

  This time, there was a much longer gap before Mason replied.

  Why are u asking?

  Heath felt a surge of impatience. Couldn’t Mason just answer a simple question?

  Why the hell do u think?

  Heath waited impatiently for Mason to text him back, staring down at his phone as if that would hurry him up. Heath was incredulous when, instead of buzzing with a text notification, Mason’s caller ID showed up on his phone screen.

  “Mason, why are you calling me?” he hissed into the phone, hoping Daphne was too caught up in her conversation to hear him. “Can’t you just answer my damn question?”

  “It depends on why you’re asking,” Mason retorted. “Are you saying you’ve found your mate? After all the grief you gave me yesterday? Damn, Heath, I know you work quick, but –”

  “Shut up,” Heath said, not in the mood for Mason’s ribbing. They’d been friends since childhood and loved each other like brothers, and Mason only laughed at his bad temper now.

  “Fine, whatever. But you have to tell me what’s going on.”

  Heath took a deep breath, then sighed. “I think it’s her. I really do. You know how my dad and Uncle Lincoln always used to tell us that when you find your mate, you just know? I never really got it until today. But it’s true, isn’t it?”

  “It sure is,” Mason answered instantly. “The second I saw Charity my lion started acting up, but then when our hands touched, I knew for sure. There’s no turning back after that. You’re all hers.”

  Ordinarily, Heath knew he’d be rejoicing in finding his mate. It was what all shifters wanted for their lives: the mate who completed them and made them whole. But with Daphne…

  “But there’s a problem,” Heath said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s a client,” Heath said. “My first client.”

  Mason paused. “Well, that makes things a little awkward.”

  “Fuck yeah it does.”

  “Heath, mind your language,” Mason huffed. “Don’t swear in front of my cub, please.”

  “Oh my God, Mason,” Heath groaned. “Your cub isn’t even born yet. She can’t hear anything.” He paused. “Actually, is Charity there? Maybe I can get a straight answer out of her. Put her on.”

  Heath heard Mason muttering something as he passed the phone, a moment before his mate and wife, Charity, came on the line.

  “Heath,” she said, sounding cheery. “It’s good to hear from you.”

  Heath smiled. He’d helped out when Charity had been in trouble with some shifter bikers who’d been trying to extort her – of course, Mason had done most of the work, along with Charity herself, but he’d been glad to do what he could.

  “You too. Maybe you can help me, seeing as my cousin apparently won’t.”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  Heath paused. It seemed like what he was about to ask was a really personal question. “Well, you don’t have to tell me, if you’d be uncomfortable. But I wanted to know… when Mason first told you about who we are, what did you think? Did it frighten you or put you off?”

  Charity laughed lightly. “No, it didn’t. Not even for a second. Sure, if I’d thought about it, it would’ve seemed strange. But I already knew by that point that Mason was a man I could trust, who’d protect me no matter what. The rest didn’t matter. Maybe it was the mated bond, but I knew right away Mason was the only one for me. If this woman is your mate, then you have to trust she knows it too, even if she doesn’t realize exactly what it means.”

  Heath felt encouraged. It was true, Charity was a special woman, but Daphne was too – even more so, because she was his mate!

  “That’s good to hear,” he said. “So you’d say honesty and directness is the best approach?”

  “Absolutely,” Charity said instantly. “If she’s your mate, she’ll know she can trust you. The rest is easy.”

  “Thanks. You’re a gem, Charity. Tell Mason he sucks at romantic advice.”

  “You can tell him that yourself when you see him next,” Charity said diplomatically. “Until then, best of luck, Heath. I mean it.”

  Heath smiled as he hung up the phone. Charity’s advice didn’t make anything less awkward with Daphne being his client, but at least it gave him hope she wouldn’t just think he was hitting on her while they had no choice but to spend time together.

  He turned just as Daphne re-entered the room, looking more than a little frazzled. “Sorry, did I interrupt your call?” she asked.

  “No, not at all. I was just talking with family.” Heath took a moment to look at her. She seemed pale and drawn. “Things didn’t go well with your parents?”

  Daphne pressed her lips together, before shaking her head. “You could say that. They want me to come home right now.” She sighed, leaning against the cupboard. “I can see their point, but they don’t get that I’m trying to build a life for myself here. I can’t just let myself be chased away by criminals like this. I’ll never be able to stand on my own two feet if I don’t do it now.”

  Heath nodded, but he was a little torn.

  Tell her to go, and go now!

  His lion was insistent. It didn’t like the thought of its mate being anywhere near danger. But its instincts to protect had to be tempered with his human understanding of Daphne’s wishes. Even so, it was a struggle. A big part of him just wanted to toss Daphne over his shoulder and carry her away to safety.

  “Do you… do you think I’m being stupid?” Daphne’s voice was quiet, and she was looking at him almost timidly.

  “Absolutely not,” Heath said, pushing away his misgivings. “To be honest, I’d like for you to be somewhere safe, where no one can hurt you. If you said you wanted to go, I’d drive you back to your parents’ place right now myself. But it’s not what
you want. You’re planting your feet and refusing to be intimidated. And for that, I respect you. I know I can keep you safe. Stick by me, and things will be okay. I promise.”

  Daphne blinked, looking up into his eyes. For a second, Heath thought he saw surprise and a little doubt, but then it was gone, replaced with complete trust.

  “All right,” she said. “I believe you.”

  At that moment, the buzzer rang, letting them know their food had arrived.

  “Stay here,” Heath said. “Lock the door behind me. Don’t open it again unless you’re sure it’s me.”

  “How will I be sure?” Daphne asked.

  “Well… how about we have a code word? You say ‘cool’, I’ll say ‘ranch’. Then you know you can open the door.”

  Daphne laughed. “Wow, that’s slick. Very James Bond.”

  “It was the first thing that came into my head!” Heath defended himself.

  “No, it’s fine. At least I’ll remember that.”

  He hated to leave her alone even for a moment, but he felt like a good warm meal might be the best thing for her. He made it down to the security gate and back in record time.

  “Cool,” she said, when he got back to her door and knocked.

  “Ranch,” he answered, before the key turned in the lock and she let him back inside.

  “Wow, I’m really good at this cloak and dagger stuff,” she laughed as Heath unpacked their meals. “And wow, that smells amazing.”

  “Wait till you taste it,” Heath said. “Best Thai in the area, I’ve been told.”

  They settled in on the couch, Heath with his panang, and Daphne with her green curry.

  “Oh my goodness,” Daphne said as she ate. “You weren’t kidding. This is fantastic.”