Page 77 of Tooth and Nail

An orange haired, young man with remarkably gorgeous ginger stubble sat in the hallway. He immediately made a cat’s bellow as he scampered down the hallway on all fours, changing before he got to Eoghan’s front room into a small tabby who immediately climbed to the top of his cat tree and batted a hanging ball away. The ball banged around several times encouraged by the cat’s paws before Eoghan realized what he was seeing.

“Bear?” He walked into the room and confronted the kitty who sat in the top tier of his cat tree.

The animal turned to look at him with slitted eyes and then went back to batting at his toy, completely ignoring him.

“What the hell?” Ari’s voice came from behind him.

Eoghan pivoted to look at the man behind him and then shot him a shrug of innocence before turning back to the cat. He’d had no idea the cat who’d basically moved in and adopted him, was a shifter.

He glanced back at Ari who was gaping at the goings on, and then back at the cat as his stunned lover joined him in the front room. Bear suddenly stood and leapt off the cat tree, landed effortlessly on the couch, and then instantly shifted back to a naked ginger. Eoghan watched in amazement as the orange haired man abruptly straightened his leg and lifted it high in the air. He turned to give them a narrow-eyed stare for several long seconds before bending nearly in half and then, with an air of total defiance, began grooming his privates.

Eoghan snorted as he walked back to Ari and lifted his hand to gently shut his hanging jaw. “It’s okay, baby. Apparently, this is Bear.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Of all the crazy shit Ari had seen in his thirty-four years, this past week really took the cake. As he sat in Eoghan’s breakfast nook early the following morning, drinking coffee, he marveled at how his life had changed in just a few action-packed days. He’d come out to California because a friend had encouraged the move from Lexington, telling him that he’d be better off in a place with beautiful beaches, gorgeous mountains, and a thriving gay community. He hadn’t had a moment’s time to check out the first two things, but he was sure happy he’d taken the time to get to know the man he was falling so desperately in love with.

Yeah, Aristotle Brown was a total sap. Falling in love with a guy he’d known a few days? He needed his head examined and yet…

Eoghan Sapphire was everything he could ever want in a man. He was brave, handsome, funny, and the sexiest man Ari had ever met. Those lacy “manties,” as Eoghan called them, were driving him out of his fucking mind. Above all, though, Eoghan was kind. He had his grumpy moments but honestly, Ari hadn’t expected a partner who’d chased away several partners before him to greet him with open arms. He’d figured on much more pushback than what he’d gotten from him after joining the I.S.R. unit.

That was another thing he hadn’t counted on until he was sitting in front of Chief Deputy Arizona Priest with his partner by his side. He wondered now why he’d never thought to ask what I.S.R. stood for or why she’d recruited what Eoghancalled a “civilian” U.S. marshal. Then again, even if he had asked, he’d never have believed everything he’d seen his first week on the job in the Interspecies Response unit. The very thought of it made him want to laugh his ass off now.

“Ready for another cup?” Eoghan called from the kitchen. “Breakfast is nearly ready.”

“Sure, thank you,” he replied, looking at the top tier of the cat tree in Eoghan’s living room where Bear lay curled on a flattened cat bed.

He glanced up when Eoghan came in carrying the coffeepot in one hand and a large platter in the other. He smiled at him as he set down a steaming plate of fried eggs over easy, corned beef hash, and spicy breakfast sausage they’d picked up at a specialty shop on the way back home from Visalia. Ari smiled back as he poured a cup for Eoghan and topped up his own mug.

“Wow, this looks so amazing. You should have let me help you with breakfast.”

Eoghan bent and kissed him with his gorgeous mouth before straightening. “You have clean up duty. That’s how we’re going to divide chores as long as you’re here with me.” He turned and walked back to the kitchen with the coffeepot, returning a half minute later and taking his seat. “Have you decided whether you’re going to take the place next door?”

“I’m not sure I can afford rent in this neighborhood, Eoghan. Seriously. Rent in California is three times what it is in Lexington.” He scooped hashbrowns onto his plate to join the eggs, sausages, and hash he’d already piled on.

Eoghan reached across the table and held out his hand. “I want you close by and I know Al and Ted will make the rent affordable.” He looked down at his empty plate before looking up. “Unless you don’t want to live so close to me.”

Ari instantly took the hand he was offering, sending him a small frown as he searched his bright blue eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding. I want to be as close as I can to you.”

“Okay, then let’s eat this meal and get on the road or we’ll be late and judging by the chief’s tone, she’s anxious for our debrief.” Eoghan squeezed Ari’s hand before letting go.

Ari nodded, smiling as he dug into the delicious meal. He cleared their plates and cups after they’d polished it all off and took them to the sink to quickly wash everything, setting it in the rack as Eoghan opened cat food for Bear. Ari caught him staring into the can as the cat sauntered in and sat at his feet. “What is it?”

Eoghan looked at him and shrugged. “Now that I know he’s a shifter, I feel guilty feeding this to him.” He looked down at the cat who swished his tail several times. “Does this bother you or would you like something else?” The cat instantly shifted into the handsome, young redhead as Ari practically had a heart attack on the spot. He looked him up and down, noting the guy was otherwise muscular with only a slight paunch right where a cat’s primordial pouch would be. The fact that he was naked wasn’t lost on him, though.

“If you’re going to walk around this house as a human, would you mind putting on some shorts or something?” he asked.

Eoghan snorted, grinning widely at him and then looking at Bear. “He has a point.”

“I’m much happier in my feline form, thanks. I just wanted to give you a straight answer on the food sitch,” Bear said.

“Sitch?” Ari asked, astonished at the deep voice which came out of the cat shifter. He’d never heard him speak before, but now that he thought about it, his cat howl outside thebedroom door while they were in the middle of sex, was an obnoxiously deep bellow.

“Yes, anyway—” he said, turning back to Eoghan as he dismissed Ari completely.

Ari bit his lip to keep from laughing. This guy really was a cat.

“As I was saying with regard to the food…please don’t give the canned stuff a second thought. You buy the best and it’s fine in between feedings.”

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