Page 32 of Stray Cat

She’d never have guessed her reason for sticking around was a human man with a velvety laugh and touch that drove her wild.

Xav’s chest rose and fell evenly, he sleeping in deep relaxation. Lindsay was restless, wanting to go for a run or a hard hike in the mountains, or better still, have more sex with Xav.

He didn’t look as though he’d be waking anytime soon, though. Lindsay decided to let him sleep—he needed the rest after their almost nonstop night. She wanted him ready for the next night, and the one after that.

Gray light was already peeking through the windows. Lindsay slid quietly from the bed, surprised that her muscles were a little sore, but then, some of the positions they’d tried …

She shook herself, threw on a few garments from a pile on a chair, and made her way out to the kitchen.

Her folks probably guessed where she was—they’d seen Xav kiss Lindsay in the truck and then drive off with her. The windows of the SUV were darkened, but Shifter eyesight was keen.

She’d call them when it got lighter. Leah and Martin liked to sleep in on winter mornings, snuggled together, their mate bond wrapped around them. Without Lindsay in the house, they’d likely have felt the freedom to get caught up in a little mating frenzy of their own. She’d wait before disturbing them.

Lindsay retrieved the clothes they’d dropped to the kitchen floor, along with the tattered remains of Xav’s sweatshirt and T-shirt. She laughed to herself, recalling how her impatient cat had shredded them to get to the man inside.

To her surprise, Lindsay heard the shower go on as she started the coffee maker. Xav must not have been as heavily asleep as she thought.

She considered hurrying back down the hall and jumping into the shower with him, but maybe he’d welcome a moment alone.

Or maybe Lindsay was too afraid to face what she felt for him. She wasn’t certain anymore.

She took two cups out of the cupboard and glared at the coffee maker, willing it to hurry up. Shifters brewed in old-fashioned coffee pots on the stove, which were far less complicated to use. Xav had taught Lindsay about coffee makers, but she found she preferred stovetop pots, which had actually become trendy again with some humans.

The coffee maker’s burbling sounds and the distant pattering of the shower were interrupted by someone knocking firmly on the kitchen’s back door.

Lindsay didn’t hesitate to answer it. It might be Diego or a DX man with news, or it might be a neighbor, who’d need something important to come over this early.

The scent she caught wasn’t Diego’s, though it was familiar. Lindsay realized why when she flung open the door.

A black woman stood on the threshold, one in her thirties as humans counted years, with a perfect face, sleek hair drawn into a bun, and a lithe, athletic body. She wore a pink sweatshirt and gray leggings for running, and stared at Lindsay in surprise before she gave her a wide smile.

“Hello, Lindsay,” Emma Shields said jovially. “Is Xav at home? I’m thinking he is, or else you wouldn’t be here. Can I come in?”

CHAPTERTEN

After a moment of staring, all Lindsay could do was step back and allow Emma inside.

Emma headed into the kitchen as though she knew the exact layout of Xav’s home. “That him in the shower?” she asked. “Ooh, coffee. Mind if I have some?”

Lindsay expected her to simply grab one of the two cups, but Emma politely waited for Lindsay to rummage around and produce another mug. The machine kept gurgling, emitting warm-smelling coffee, and Lindsay set the mug on the counter next to the others to wait.

“Kind of early for a visit.” Lindsay’s cat hackles were rising, her possessiveness too high. She needed to cool it.

The Shifter cat inside her wasn’t listening.Mymate.Mine.Rowwwl.

“I’m always up early,” Emma said breezily. “I don’t sleep much. Love a good run in the morning.”

Her movements were as restless as Lindsay’s. Lindsay’s guard, which she’d let down to enjoy her time with Xav, rose high now that Emma, a woman Xav greatly admired, had zipped in, eager to see him.

“I know what you mean,” Lindsay made herself say calmly.

I’m a cat, bitch. I can strike lightning fast, so watch out.

Emma gave Lindsay an assessing onceover. Lindsay had grabbed one of Xav’s T-shirts, which hung past her hips, and wore nothing but her underwear she’d retrieved beneath it. She’d put on socks, because the floors were cold. She must look ridiculous.

Emma’s smile became admiring. “Good for you, sweetie. He’s been mooning over you too long. I bet you both needed that.”

Lindsay felt herself blushing. She never blushed about sex. She was a Shifter, and Shifters had mating needs. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

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