Page 12 of Lion's Little Scamp

“Uh-huh, but it’s a good sound. Reminded me of Sailor’s snoring. It made me feel not so alone.”

Harrigan fought back a possessive snarl and instead said, as gently as he could, “Who is Sailor?”

“Sailor was kind of the leader of the homeless camp where I’ve been living the past couple of weeks. He had been in the Navy but got discharged for some reason. Everyone just called him Sailor. I don’t know what his real name is.”

Harrigan softened his tone and expression as soon as he learned he did not have competition for her affections. “Where is Sailor now?”

Irish blinked and looked sad. “I’m not sure. I think he might have been shot the night the police raided the camp. He said he was going to cause a distraction so the rest of us could get away. I heard a gunshot just before the police caught me. I hope he’s okay.”

Harrigan reached out and brushed hair out of his mate’s face. “If you’d like, I can ask Lonergan to look into what happened to him.”

“You would do that for me?”

“Scamp, I’d do anything for you. But right now, we’re going to get a couple more hours sleep. Do you need to pee?”

Irish paused a moment before blinking and shaking her head. “I’m good.”

Unwrapping her from the blanket was more difficult than he expected, but finally he had her free. Lifting her easily, he carried her to his bed and set her on the side of the mattress he didn’t sleep on. She rolled over so she faced the middle of the bed and watched as he stalked around to his side.

“I can sleep in here? With you?”

“Yes, scamp, you and Fluffy are going to sleep in here, with me. Now close your eyes and hush before I decide you need another spanking.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

Harrigan slid into bed and closed his eyes but returning to sleep was difficult. Smelling his mate’s scent and knowing just a few inches separated them kept him wide awake and thinking of all the things he wanted to do with her. Their mating was just the beginning.

He tensed when Irish rolled toward the center of the bed and then wiggled backward so her back was pressed into his front. Their bodies fit together like two puzzles pieces. He held very still until he heard her breathing evened out again.

Sliding one arm under her neck, he eased the other over top of her body and held her much as she was holding her stuffie. Taking a deep breath, he tried to ignore his hard cock as he tried to return to sleep.

But sleep remained out of his reach, so he simply lay in bed, holding his mate-to-be and thinking of their future.

Chapter Eight

“Why do you call me scamp?” Irish asked as he set her breakfast in front of her the next morning.

She had slept the rest of the night without any dreams, waking with a gasp when Harrigan’s alarm clock started crowing at them. He explained that his clock made animal sounds instead of beeping.

Now she was dressed in her Bratburg trainee uniform and Harrigan wore a pair of coveralls similar to the ones he had worn the day before. Was he flying again today?

He pointed at her plate where two fried eggs, a piece of toast, and three slices of bacon waited to be consumed.

When she picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite, he nodded. “I call you scamp because I think that once you’re rested and relaxed and have a couple of good meals in you, you’ll come to understand that you’re going to turn into a mischievous Little who will keep me on my toes trying to keep up with you.”

Irish had to swallow quickly before she choked on the bite of toast she had just taken. “Nuh-uh. I’m a good girl,” she protested before giggling some more when Harrigan simply raised on eyebrow in disbelief.

When he turned his attention to his own breakfast, she said softly, “Well, I am.”

“I’m sure you will be. Now eat your breakfast. We’ve got about ten minutes before we have to get you to class.”

Irish nodded and turned her full attention to her breakfast. Since being homeless, she never turned down food, even if she preferred her eggs scrambled and not fried.

Once she finished eating, she drank the rest of the glass of orange juice Harrigan had set in front of her. Slipping off the stool she had claimed for breakfast, she hurried to the bathroom to brush her teeth and make sure she looked appropriate for class.

“I’m ready,” she said as she stepped out of the bathroom, running a hand down the sides of her pants to smooth them.

“Give me two minutes and we’ll be off,” Harrigan said as he stepped past her into the bathroom and closed the door.

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