Chloe’s flower might look like a ball of crumpled paper, but if she were as stubborn at her father, she would get it right eventually.
Still, Claire wanted to help her finish the flowers on time, so she focused on folding and creasing the paper in just the right way. The rhythm and concentration helped her forget about Aidan and Chloe’s tragic past.
They had six decent flowers made by the time Aidan returned. As soon he stepped inside, Chloe raced to her dad and jumped up and down in front of him. “Come see, Daddy. Me and Claire made you a surprise.”
Aidan raised an eyebrow. “A surprise, eh?”
He met her eyes and Claire was careful not to let her features reflect her thoughts. “Yes, a surprise. Chloe, tell him to close his eyes and you can give it to him.”
Chloe looked up at her dad. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands, Daddy, and hurry.”
Setting down his bag of groceries, he smiled and closed his eyes. “Okay, what’s my surprise?”
Racing back to the table, Chloe scooped up the flowers and went back to her dad. Gingerly, she placed the origami flowers into his hand. “Okay, open them!”
Aidan looked down at the paper flowers in his hand. “What are these?”
Chloe answered, “Paper flowers. Claire said we should have flowers every day not just once a year, so we made some.”
Aidan met her eyes, but his expression was unreadable. He knew she knew about the death of his mate and unborn children.
Part of her want to demand more information, but she wouldn’t do that to him or Chloe. At least, not at this time.
Still, Chloe was looking expectantly at her father, who was still silent. Claire raised her brows. “What do you think of the flowers, Aidan? Your daughter worked really hard on them.”
Looking at his daughter, he crouched down and gave her a half-hug. “I love them, Chloe. You should teach me how to make them later.”
Chloe nodded. “Of course.” She pointed to the groceries. “But now you need to make dinner. I’m hungry and Claire wants your enchiladas, too.”
Smiling, Claire added, “Chloe, dear, how about we make some more flowers while your dad makes dinner? Then we can decorate the table for dinner and make it special.”
Aidan’s daughter ran back to the table and sat next to Claire. Taking a sheet of paper, she asked sheepishly, “Can you help me again?”
After giving Aidan one last glance, she nodded at Chloe. As they made more origami flowers and Aidan started dinner, Claire decided she would ask Aidan about his mate and children the following day when Chloe was at school. Since she had a breakfast meeting with Kian, she’d have to do it beforehand. Bringing up the topic would be the hard part, but Claire needed to know the truth. Poachers had never been the focus of her organization, but if she could help raise awareness, she needed knowledge. Aidan could give it to her.
~~~
Thankfully, Chloe occupied Claire while Aidan made his open enchiladas. He was in no mood to laugh or smile.
Judging by the flowers Chloe had made him and her comment about needing them every day, Claire knew about how Aidan brought home flowers on the anniversary of his mate and unborn children’s death.
It wasn’t as if he could blame Chloe. The cub was a child, and for whatever reason, had taken a shine to Claire and didn’t hold back.
Still, Claire knowing the full extent of his loss irked him. Emily’s death was private and he rarely shared it with anyone.
The only saving grace was that the human hadn’t looked at him with pity or sadness. Actually, her look of understanding had been much worse. She didn’t know shit, but thought she did.
Chopping the tomatoes briskly eased some of his irritation. He at least had something to cool his cock if it started getting ideas again. To avoid Claire asking him questions, he was going to put distance back between them.
His cat didn’t like that idea and pressed him to reconsider, but Aidan was the one in charge. The cougar would just have to deal with it.
A snarl reverberated inside his head. The female could help their pain. Telling her the truth would help them to heal. Maybe then she would allow them to kiss her again.
No more kissing, cougar.
“Look, Daddy. I made one all by myself.”
Aidan turned toward his daughter, who held up a slightly crumpled flower. Her grin was infectious and all thoughts of putting distance between him and Claire vanished for the moment. “How many flowers do you have now?”
Chloe counted. “Seven.”
“You have about thirty minutes until dinner is ready. Let’s see how many you can make, okay?”
Nodding, Chloe reached for another piece of paper. Claire tried to catch his eye, but Aidan turned back around to finish making dinner.
Once the enchiladas were in the oven, he picked up his cell phone. “I’m going to check on Claire’s clothes. I’ll be in the bedroom if you need me.”
Before either of the females could say a word, Aidan rushed into the bedroom and shut the door. Since Claire had yet to sleep in the room, it smelled only of laundry detergent and a little dust.
Dialing Dani’s number, he let it ring. His sentry partner answered. “Hey Aidan, is something wrong?”
“No, but do you have a second?”
“Make it quick.”
“Okay, I need to check on the status of clothes for Claire.”
Dani paused before replying, “That anxious to get her out of yours, Aidan?”
He growled. “I still don’t appreciate you doing that behind my back.”
“Hey, it worked out for the best. You got to kiss her, after all.”
Pushing aside the memory of Claire’s soft lips, he answered, “It’s not going to happen again, Dani, so just drop the teasing and stay out of my business.”
“Listen, Aidan—”
Even though Dani couldn’t see him, Aidan shook his head. “No, don’t ‘Listen, Aidan’ me, Danika.”
Dani growled, “Shut up, Aidan, and listen. It’s about much more than you and you know it. Chloe needs a mother and she already adores Claire. That should convince you to at least give her a chance.”
“Do I want to fuck Claire? Yes. Do I want to mate her? No. Chloe is happy and doesn’t need to grow attached only to have someone else ripped from her side. She’s been through enough.”
“As have you. Think about it, Aidan. Claire will be safe on DarkStalker’s land for a month, without the prying eyes of human law enforcement to try to arrest either one of you. That’s plenty of time to see if she’s maybe your second chance.”
For a long time, Aidan had believed he would never have a second chance. Yet just hearing one of his clan members mentioning it put the idea into his head. While he’d never search out a mate just for himself, Dani had a point about Chloe needing a mother. Surely, Emily would’ve wanted him to find another for their daughter.
Aidan had no hopes of ever falling in love again. Lust was easy enough; hell, one whiff of Claire’s female and lavender scent and he went hard as stone. But would lust be enough for someone like Claire?
Without realizing it, he said aloud, “I can’t give any female love, Dani.”
His friend was quiet for a second before she answered, “We all miss Emily, but she’s gone, Aidan. She, more than anyone, would’ve told you to go after something you want. It’s okay to want another female. Your heart is big enough for more than one shot at love.”
Maybe, but he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Instead, he changed the subject. “I need to go, so just tell me when Claire will have some new clothes? She has a meeting with Kian tomorrow morning and she probably doesn’t want to show up in my sweatpants.”
“Someone is driving back from the nearest town with a few things and more will be delivered tomorrow. I’ll have things sent as soon as they arrive. I need to go, but just think about it, Aidan. Claire has dedicated most of her adult life to helping shifters. She’s nothing like the human poachers. She won’t betra
y you.”
The phone went dead and Aidan stared at the screen, hoping his dead mate would magically appear and tell him what to do.
His cougar knew what he wanted, though. A new mate wasn’t a betrayal. A new mate would be a fresh start.
With a million thoughts racing through his head, a sudden knock on the door startled him. “Yes?”
“The kitchen timer beeped.”
It was Claire. Exactly how long had she been standing there? Even with her paltry human hearing, the doors weren’t soundproofed.
Since he wasn’t about to drill her through the door, or at all about his phone conversation with Dani, Aidan crossed the room and opened the door. As Claire searched his eyes, he waited to see what she’d say. A small part of him was ashamed to think she heard about him wanting to fuck her but not mate her.
Why the hell am I worrying about it? All I’ve done is kiss her. With all the doubting and questioning, Aidan was starting to feel like a goddamn teenager again. He missed the days of knowing exactly where he stood with regards to females.
Claire raised an eyebrow. “Are you just going to stand here, stare at me, and let dinner burn? Some women may dance around the issue, but I’m hungry. I want the enchiladas I’ve heard so much about.”
The human acting the same as before eased his worries. “If you would move out of the way, I could check on them.”
Raising her chin, Claire moved aside and flourished her arm. “Excuse my human non-slenderness for blocking your path.”
He moved his head toward her ear and whispered, “I don’t mind your non-slenderness. I rather like it, but I was merely keeping my promise not to touch you unless you asked.”
Claire blinked and his ego ticked up a notch. Quickly regaining her wits, she pointed toward the kitchen. “Just go check on dinner. I’m too hungry to keep arguing with you.”
Grinning at his small win, Aidan moved past the human and went to check on the enchiladas. His doubts with Dani on the phone were nearly forgotten. He had no idea what the next day would bring, but for now, he was going to enjoy dinner with his daughter and a human who was fun to tease.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, Claire sipped her second cup of coffee and willed the fog to lift from her brain.
Even though dinner had been uneventful and Aidan and Chloe had left fairly early, she’d barely slept more than an hour or two. Every time she closed her eyes, either her kiss with Aidan or a reimagining of his mate’s death played inside her mind. Since the man had been close-lipped during dinner, it’d been up to her and Chloe to keep the conversation going. Or, rather, up to Chloe.
Remembering the little girl jumping from one topic to another made Claire smile. The girl was about as different from her father as could be. She must take after her mother.
Yet Chloe didn’t even remember her mother. Even though Claire’s parents had died a few years ago in a boating accident, she’d had twenty-eight years with them. She only hoped Chloe would have a mother some day and make new memories.
A small part of her wanted to be that person, but as much as she’d fallen in love with Chloe Scott, Claire had six more months of putting her work and the rights of others above her desires and wants. She’d worked too hard for too long to just give it all up.
Of course, by November, Aidan would probably have found someone else. At the thought of a tall, muscled shifter female hanging on his arm, she clenched her coffee mug in her fingers.
Before she could dwell too much on her reaction, a knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. Moving to the door, she asked, “Who is it?”
“Aidan.”
Opening the door, she put on an unassuming smile. “Good morning, enchilada master.”
“I was hoping without Chloe, that name wouldn’t stick.”
She motioned with her head for him to come in. “You should wear it with pride. If your head sentry gig doesn’t work out, you can always fall back on your culinary skills. I’m sure you could open a seasonal restaurant for the tourists who hike the nearby trails.” Grunting, Aidan walked past her and she noticed the box. “What’s inside there? Did my clothes finally get here?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Stop calling me enchilada master and I’ll tell you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. If it means I can wear clothes my own size again, then I think I can manage that.”
After placing it on the table, he moved to the couch and sat down. “Your meeting with Kian starts in twenty minutes. I’d hurry if I were you.”
So, that was the way it was going to be then, as if they hadn’t teased and even kissed the night before.
Since her meeting was too important to fuck up, Claire picked up the box and stopped at the entrance to the bathroom. Still, she could resist teasing the shifter male. “I’m locking the door, so don’t try to peek.”
Aidan merely waved a hand in dismissal. Irritated, Claire left him alone to get ready. Why his actions stung, she had no idea, but she refused to dwell on the feeling. Once she was done with her meeting and could touch base with her people at the SEA, she could focus back on her work and forget about Aidan Scott, his sexy kisses, and his adorable daughter. He clearly was no longer interested in her.
~~~
Aidan settled down to Claire’s right, across from Kian and his mate, Trinity. While his and Claire’s walk to the meeting spot had been in silence, the damn female had teased him the whole way here with her body.
No doubt, Dani had played a part in picking out the tight jeans and sweater that kept falling off Claire’s shoulder. More than once, he’d peeked at her shapely ass. The real restraint had come when another male had stared at the exposed skin of her shoulder. Aidan’s nails had dug hard enough into his palm to draw blood.
However, the meeting should distract him. Once Kian gave Claire her list of tasks, she would be too busy to tease him with either her words or her body. She clearly hadn’t taken his hint of silence the night before. It seemed the female was determined to treat him as if she’d never heard about his past or possibly his comments on the phone with Dani.
He was about to frown in Claire’s direction for the havoc she was bringing to his life when Trinity spoke up. “Enjoying your assignment, Aidan?”
If Dani had said anything to Trinity, then Aidan would hunt down his friend and kill her. “Chloe’s helping me, so it’s been fun.” His cat urged him to look in Claire’s direction, but Aidan resisted. “But my assignment isn’t the purpose of this meeting, as you know, Trinity. Stop stalling and give Claire something to do.”
Claire’s voice was light. “Oh, I don’t know, making origami flowers with Chloe is pretty fun. We could make enough to decorate the whole soldier’s wing.”
He did look at her then, with a deep frown. “I don’t think so.”
Claire raised her brows. “Have you asked all the soldiers if they’d mind?”
His frown deepened. “That’s not the point. It’s not going to happen, end of story.”
Kian cleared his throat. If not for his training, Aidan’s cheeks would’ve flushed.
Once both he and Claire looked in Kian’s direction, Kian said, “While I wish I could spare Claire to make flowers with your daughter, Aidan, I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait.” Kian looked to Claire. “A secure internet connection has been set-up, but before I allow you to contact your people, I want to know more of what you expect from me. After that, I’ll assign your first set of tasks with DarkStalker.”
Claire would’ve made a comment for sure about the word ‘allow’ if Aidan had said it, but she didn’t so much as blink an eye when Kian used it. Instead, she merely jumped right into business. “While my end goal is to record ads for TV and radio to use in the final two months leading up to the vote on the ballot, I think we should start small. The first statement from you and your clan will be the most important. It will set the tone for the entire campaign.”
Kian merely leaned back in his chair. “Go on.”
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“I think you should issue a press release through my organization, stating your support. Nothing too exact, but enough to catch the public and media’s notice. You can draft it yourself or I can do it, but either way, I want to tweak it before it goes live. Of course, once it does go live, there’s no turning back. I know you’ve had trouble with Human Purity in recent months. Their attacks might grow bolder after this.”
Kian shrugged. “They’re always waiting to attack, but I won’t live in fear of them. The second I do, they’ve won. I trust Aidan and Dani to protect the clan.”
Claire added, “I expected as much. If possible, I’d like the draft by this afternoon. With only six months to go, I don’t want to waste another day.”
Kian nodded. “I’ll start on it straight away, but I think we should stagger GreyFire’s support. That will give us more coverage on the news.”
Claire smiled. “You claim not to know much about organizing with humans, but I think you’re savvier than you realize.”
Kian waved a hand. “Being clan leader for more than a decade has taught me a few things. Dealing with other clans is not as easy as you might expect.”
As Kian studied Claire, Aidan’s inner cougar growled. The male had a mate. He shouldn’t be looking at their female.
Before Aidan could tell his cat that Claire didn’t belong to them, Kian’s voice filled the small conference room again. “Now, it’s time to talk about your assignment. I want near-daily meetings with me and my staff, starting in three days’ time. Until then, I will give you time to reshuffle events and meetings with your own people, provided you spent a portion of each day typing up tips, contacts, and lessons learned that I can use.”
Claire leaned on her elbows on the table. “If you expect me to give up all of my contacts, then you’re crazy.”
Resisting the Cougar (Cascade Shifters #2) Page 7
