Having her Jaguar's Baby (Shifter Special Forces Book 5)

by Summer Donnelly

  Melody massaged the space over her heart’s center. The low-grade tightness in her chest was gone, and she wondered why. Had something changed through the night?

  Rafe padded into the room, fresh from the shower. Damp tendrils, usually obeying his command to lay flat against his scalp, curled charmingly across his forehead. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

  “It can’t be that late. It’s not even dawn,” Melody protested. She reached for her cellphone. “I have clients today.”

  Rafe sighed and looked at his feet.

  “What?”

  “Do you think you should be on your feet so much? Especially with twins?” He sat down on the bed and framed her growing belly with his hands.

  Melody wanted to be annoyed. But he did ask. He hadn’t just assumed she would stop working. Maybe she was too used to being on her own, answering to no one but her own idea of right and wrong.

  “Tell you what,” she said, rising to her knees. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders while his hands settled on her hips. “I have a full schedule for the next few weeks.” She kissed his neck, brushing her lips back and forth against the freshly-shaved skin. “After that, I will cut back to part-time.”

  “And after the babies come?” His brown eyes were somber. They reminded her more than anything of his own complicated relationship with his deceased mother.

  “I still want to stay in the game, Rafe. I love what I do. Maybe we can set up a little shop for me, and I can do hair for friends and family a few days a week?”

  Rafe nodded, once. “I can understand that.” He patted her bottom. “Now, let’s go. What’s your schedule like?”

  Melody pulled up her schedule. “Unless someone cancels, looks like my first appointment is at eight. I finish up at three.”

  “Can you meet me at the Leopard after your last appointment?”

  Melody smiled and wondered what he was up to. “What’s going on at the Leopard? They’re not even open that early on a Monday.”

  “I didn’t ask you for their schedule. I asked for yours,” Rafe said, something mischievous glowing in his eyes.

  “Is this something to do with last night? After you left?”

  Rafe frowned and stared off into the distance. “Maybe.” He winked at her. “Guess you’ll have to show up to find out, won’t you?”

  Melody nodded slowly, beginning to frown as she wondered what he was up to.

  <<<>>>

  By eleven, her concern became an irritation. And by one, her irritation was turning into a full-blown panic.

  “Calm down, sheesh,” Lacey muttered as Melody washed her hair. “I want a scalp massage, not a massacre.”

  “Oh, sorry,” Melody said, slowing down. “it’s just he’s usually so in control, Lace. He doesn’t plan surprises.”

  Lacey snorted. “You’ve known the man all of three months, and you can tell he doesn’t like to plan surprises?”

  Melody narrowed her eyes. “They were a pretty intense three months.”

  Lacey rolled her eyes. “It was one night, chicklet. By the look of you, a fantastic night. But still. Just one.”

  Melody led Lacey back to her workstation. “Now, what are we doing today?” she asked, gently removing the towel from around her damp hair.

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s really on your mind?”

  “Rafe asked me to marry him. Like, legit, legally marry him.”

  “Can he do that?” Lacey asked with a frown.

  Melody shrugged as she combed out Lacey’s hair. “Rafe said let them try and stop us. Their contract only applies while they’re on active duty. He’s been retired for years. I mean, we’re already getting that blogger chick involved. Why not deal with the marriage thing, too?”

  “True.” Lacey was uncharacteristically quiet. “Do you trust Luna?”

  “She hasn’t given us a reason not to.” Yet.

  “Ookay. But I don’t get why Rafe’s proposal would have you this worked up?”

  To soothe her nerves, Melody began sectioning off Lacey’s hair. “Because it’s human marriage. Not, you know. What you and Quinn have.”

  “Honey,” Lacey started.

  “No.” Melody held up one hand to stop her friend’s comments. She began cutting her hair, not noticing that she hadn’t waited for instruction from her client. “I don’t need platitudes. What I need is to figure out what I’m going to do if or when Rafe meets his actual mate?”

  “How do you know you aren’t? Yes, I love Quinn. And we are mates. But you have a baby on the way. A man who is obsessive about your health and is getting you a new car.” Lacey lifted a hand out of the cape to point to a pile of new car brochures. “That seems pretty serious to me.”

  Once more, Melody wanted to curse the hormones flying through her cells. “Obligation. Necessity. Not love.” She met Lacey’s eyes in the mirror in front of her chair. “Is it too much to ask for just one person in this world to love me?” Lacey pouted, but before she could say anything, Melody shook her head. “And don’t tell me you love me. I know we’re like sisters. But, you know. I want. More.”

  “I know. But for what it’s worth, that man is as serious as a heart attack.”

  “And let his true mate never know his love?” Melody’s tone grew serious. She couldn’t imagine standing between true mates.

  “Do you love him?” Lacey asked.

  Melody closed her eyes. “I didn’t want to.”

  “You didn’t, huh? What happened?” Lacey smirked, but Melody refused to give her the satisfaction of acknowledging it.

  “He’s giving it his all, Lace. I shocked him. I get that. And he wasn’t so great that first day. But he got his will changed. We’re getting married. He got me on his health insurance plan. He dealt with that awful doctor at the clinic.”

  “Sounds like love to me,” Lacey said as Melody turned on the hairdryer and began blowing out the cut. “Wait. I cut your hair.”

  “Uh huh,” Lacey said with a smile.

  “Do you like it? I’m sorry, I was so caught up in my own drama. And talking! Oh, I’m the worst friend ever let alone a stylist!”

  “You aren’t the worst friend ever. I actually thought it was kinda funny. We’re good, Mel. Just finish me off so we can get over to the Leopard.”

  Melody nodded and turned on the hair dryer. “Wait. What? You’re going to be there, too?”

  But Lacey, the brat, only zipped her lip and mimed tossing away the key.

  Rafael

  Everything was set. The special guest was in the back flirting with Jason Fox, the bartender at the Lusty Leopard. A couple of shifter friends of Quinn’s were playing guitar on the stage. It was perfect.

  “Chamorro.”

  Rafe closed his eyes and amended his thought. Was perfect. “Mayor,” he greeted, turning to shake the man’s hand. What could the hijo de puta want now? The son of a bitch!

  “About that land for the bobcats.”

  Rafe’s shoulders tensed. This was supposed to be a special time for him and Melody. And as much as he worried about the bobcats, he’d already put the animals ahead of his future wife once. He refused to do it again.

  “There’s been a few spotted by the elementary school. I can’t let the population get too high. If I we need to open up trapping season on them again, I will.”

  “That’s what the land is for,” Rafe argued. His muttered curses had Holt looking decidedly afraid. Good. How dare the man not listen to him when he tried to help? And now acting like he could fix it in a minute?

  “Look, none of us want the kids to be hurt. I can probably rough up a few trees around the school. Scent it up, so the bobcats stay away. I want us to co-exist with the animals. Not fight them.”

  Holt nodded. “My granddaughter goes to that school, Chamorro. I understand your point, but I have a duty to keep the kids safe, too.”

  “And the water upgrades for the town?”

  “We’ve got an engineer coming in next month to do an assessment.”


  “Dale pues,” Rafe said. Good. It was past time, but Rafe didn’t rub the salt into that particular wound. He got what he wanted, and he would make sure the bobcats would avoid the school.

  “We’ll keep an eye on the population,” Holt said. “If we have a problem, we can authorize a small hunting season.”

  Rafe gave the man props. Holt met his eyes and didn’t waver. “If we have a problem,” he agreed, stressing the word if. It was a small enough bone to throw the mayor. Rafe didn’t plan on there being any problems.

  His cellphone chirped. A quick glance told him Melody and Lacey were on their way. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, we have a party to pull off.”

  The door behind Rafe opened, and he turned around to see Melody enter. She was dressed in the same comfortable clothes she’d worn to work that day, but he was sure he’d never seen a more beautiful woman.

  Lacey made a jerking motion with her hands, but Rafe didn’t have time to figure out what was going on. Melody slipped her hands into his and began crying.

  “What’s wrong?” His eyes darted from Lacey to Melody, but Lacey’s gesticulations conveniently stopped. “Chelita? What’s wrong?”

  “I think I love you,” Melody announced with a strange, strangled hiccup.

  Rafe opened his mouth to say something. Anything. But then Melody continued. “And I don’t think I can stand it if you find your mate.”

  Find his what?

  “Baby,” he began, only to have her rush at him and grab him around the waist and burrow into him like a sand crab. Rafe stroked her hair, his fingers getting tangled in the long silken strands. He looked helplessly at Lacey.

  Lacey only shrugged in response.

  “Why is my granddaughter crying?”

  Melody stilled in his arms, barely breathing. She looked up. “Gram?”

  Her grandmother advanced on them, fire in her green eyes. “If he makes you cry before the proposal, he’s not worth it, dear. Come on, let’s go.”

  “Lauren, I’m not making her cry,” Rafe said, feeling the urge to defend himself against the advancing army of a woman.

  “Why is Gram here?” Melody said, tears suddenly forgotten in her shock.

  Against his better judgment, Rafe backed up. He knew better. Damned if he didn’t. But somehow, the sight of two green-eyed women marching towards him with menace in their gaze, his instincts told him to jump for high ground.

  Melody turned to her grandmother. “How did you know where to find me? Are Mother and Father here?”

  Lauren Sanders stopped glaring at Rafe long enough to speak to her granddaughter. “Those two? They wouldn’t step foot off their island if the gates of hell suddenly opened in the Caribbean.” She pointed a bony finger in Rafe’s general direction. “This bounder over here invited me up to see you. Is that what you did, young man? Get my sweet Melody pregnant and plan to leave her?”

  Holt took this time to pipe up. “You know, Chamorro, we could really use your help over by the school. Just think how fast I can sign all that paperwork for your Bobcat Alley.”

  Rafe stared at the man, cursing his ill-timing. “Not now, Mayor.”

  “SURPRISE!!!” From behind the stage came Jason and Murray, two bear shifters who worked for the Lusty Leopard. They held a banner with the unlikely heading of “Happy Anniversary.”

  “Anniversary?” Melody looked at him in confusion.

  “Seriously? Anniversary?” Rafe said, glaring at the two men.

  Jason backhanded Murray. “I told you it was a bad idea.”

  “Did you marry my granddaughter and not tell anyone?”

  “Chamorro? Think of the children.”

  Suddenly, Rafe had had enough. His whistle cut through the dissonance of chatter. “Enough,” he roared, his voice growing thick and heavy.

  “You,” he pointed a finger at Melody. “This was supposed to be a surprise party for you.”

  She sniffed but looked chagrined. “Well, I’m definitely surprised.”

  “This isn’t at all how I planned.”

  “Welcome to life,” Lauren Sanders commented.

  Rafe sighed and dropped to his knee in front of Melody. He pulled a small blue ring box out of his pocket. “Chelita, will you marry me?” he asked.

  “Don’t do it,” Lauren said, pounding the floor with her cane. “The Lothario doesn’t even know your first name!”

  Tears trembled on her lashes, and for a moment Rafe worried he had said the wrong thing. Again. But then she giggled, and he knew.

  “There is no one but you,” he vowed. “You, Melody Strauss. You’re my it. My alpha and omega. The sun and moon. There will be no one else but you and the family we create together. The same one we are going to use to defeat the ones who don’t want us to have it.”

  “But what if you find,” she began.

  “You. You’re it, princess. You are my mate. I knew it. My cat knew it.” He shrugged. “We just needed to run a bit to figure it all out.”

  “Speaking of cats,” Holt interrupted.

  “Not now! Can’t you see he’s in the middle of a proposal to my granddaughter,” Lauren yelled.

  The humor of the situation struck Rafe, and he was happy to see a glimmer of laughter in Melody’s eyes, too. “You’re my mate, Mel. Please. Let me make it proud and legal.” He waved to one corner where Quinn and the pastor were eating the pigs in blanket Cree had put out as hors d’oeuvre.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Oh honey, he’s sure. He even asked for my permission for your hand.”

  “You did?”

  Oh, Rafe hoped the trembling of her lips were poignant emotions and not annoyed. “I love you,” he said, playing his last Ace. “Marry me, princess. Make me the happiest son of a bitch in the world.”

  “Yes,” she cried, flinging herself into his arms.

  He caught her with ease before turning back to Jason and Murray. “And you two chuckleheads. The sign was supposed to say ‘Congratulations’ not whatever the fuck that is.”

  “Told you,” Murray said, reaching around to smack Jason on the back of the head.

  “You want to take this outside,” Jason demanded.

  “Cats, Mr. Chamorro. If you please,” Mayor Holt reminded him.

  “What’s he talking about Rafe?” Melody asked.

  “There are some bobcats sightings around the elementary school. I promised I’d scare them away and the mayor said he would sign the petition to have Bobcat Alley.”

  “Aren’t you going to go?” Melody looked at him expectedly.

  “Can I at least get my ring on my girl’s finger?” Rafe asked with a grin.

  Melody looked coyly out from between her bangs and held out her left hand. “Give it your best shot, Simba,” she teased.

  Rafe dropped to one knee again, the band around his chest loosening for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. After all these years, he found his home. “Melody Strauss, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  He peeled back the hinge of the ring box to reveal an exquisite princess cut diamond ring. “For my princess,” he said.

  “Oh, Rafe. I love you. Yes!” she said, and he slid the ring home.

  He stood to kiss her, and she smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Go do your alpha thing over at the school. If I’m getting married in a bar called the Lusty Leopard, I need to do my hair.”

  “Does my heart good,” Lauren said, wiping at a tear on her cheek.

  With a shimmer of black hair turning into black fur, Rafe shifted into his jaguar. Black on black he was a sight to behold.

  “You’re beautiful,” Melody whispered as she helped untangle him from his clothes. “I’ll have them waiting for you in the back room.”

  Rafe nuzzled her and took her scent. Jag growled. “Mine.”

  Ours, dickhead, Rafe corrected. And then was off. He had some small kids to protect.

  Epilogue

  “Another one married,” Lacey said. She glared at her husband. �
�That man better make a missus out of me one of these days.”

  Melody shrugged. “Hopefully, we all are making some changes.” She turned this way and that in the rusty mirror in the bathroom. “How do I look?”

  “Beautiful,” Lacey said. “Now, come on. We have a wedding to get you to.”

  Just as Melody was about to walk down the aisle, the door to the bar opened. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’re having a private party,” Jason said.

  “Oh, I know. I was invited.”

  Melody turned and recognition made her smile. She waved excitedly. “Luna! I’m so glad you’re here!”

  And if only Lacey noticed the smitten look in Jason Fox’s eyes, that was okay. Because Lacey already had Little Yellow set up for yet another romance.

  Author’s notes: Thank you so much for following me on this journey with the Shifter Special Forces. Your continued support has meant the world to me.

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  Other Books by Summer Donnelly

  Shifter Special Forces

  An all new shifter romance series!

  Her Lonely Mastiff

  Her Broken Bear

  Her Mountain Lion’s Mate

  A Home for her Hawk

  Having her Jaguar’s Baby (Coming soon!)

  An Interview with her Bear (Coming soon!)

  Witches of Warren County books

  Where magical realism meets happily ever after

  (in suggested reading order, but each book is a standalone in the series)

  Cupid’s Bow Anthology – Dear Kitty

  Hummingbird Dreams