Page 17 of A Cougar's Kiss
“You don’t know how to.”
She looked away from him and Keller frowned. How could they not teach her the most basic ways in which to protect herself? Did they really think they’d be able to keep their eyes on her at all times, for the rest of her life? What about when she found a mate, joined and moved away from them? How was she supposed to function without them if they didn’t give her the necessary tools?
Now he gritted his teeth, the sound loud in the empty room.
“It’s not a big deal. Is there a kitchen where I can get something to eat before going upstairs?”
“Yeah.” He ground the word out trying like hell not to curse her parents and their friends in front of her.
He grabbed his bag off the table and they walked together toward the back of the building and through a set of double doors that lead to an elevator. When that door opened he waited while she stepped inside and then followed her. They rode up six floors in silence. She’d gone to the back of the elevator cab, standing about four feet away from him. He didn’t look back at her because he could smell the wariness mixing with her pain. The scents produced a mixture of emotion inside of him as well, but he was certain she had no clue. When they stepped out of the elevator the place looked different.
Instead of hardwood floors there was plush burgundy carpet that stretched in both directions down long hallways. Windows along the walls were tinted just like downstairs, but wider and with window seats that held plump burgundy, navy blue and pink pillows. Artificial potted plants marked measured intervals along the inside walls and recessed lighting stretched along the ceiling.
“This is nicer,” she said from beside him as he turned to the right and led them down the hallway.
“I’m not the decorator,” was all he could manage to reply. His thoughts were going in so many directions now, being a cordial host wasn’t tops on his list.
“But you paid for someone to do all of this? To build this place here and fix it up. You gave your approval.” She stopped when he did at the last painted navy-blue door.
Keller met her gaze, lifted his right hand and released his claws. She startled slightly at the clicking sound the action made but followed the motion of his hand as he inserted those claws into a circular control panel that had appeared in the wall seconds before. Turning once to the left and twice to the right, he pulled his hand out, retracted his claws and watched as the door opened slowly.
The right side of her mouth lifted slightly. “You didn’t have to prove you like to be in control. I already figured that part out.”
She walked in ahead of him and he blinked as he tried to wrap his mind around the warm jolt that shot through his chest at the sight of that small partial smile she’d just given him. When he could move again Keller entered the room. Here the walls were painted a soft beige that still complimented the deep burgundy carpet. He hadn’t selected the colors, but she was right, he had approved them. They’d been his first choice out of many and he hadn’t needed to consider the decision, simply looked at the screen with the encrypted message that had been sent to him on his private comlink and picked this one.
Shya moved deeper into the suite running her fingers over the velvet furniture that was such a dark blue it almost appeared black. After dropping his bag to the floor in the living room area, he removed the strap of her bag and set it beside his.
“The kitchen is this way.” He knew the floorplan, had studied it for weeks as he and Gold worked together to design an impenetrable security system. Nisa had offered her opinions on their plans and Keller had reluctantly taken them into consideration. While he finally managed to be happy that Decan had found his better half, he still did not fully trust Rome’s daughter. Not that he doubted Nisa’s commitment to their plan for rebellion, he simply wondered what would happen when that commitment became publicly known and the blood that she and the Assembly Leader shared was tested against her ultimate betrayal of the shifter who’d raised her.
“Do you plan to live here?” Shya asked when he led her back to the large kitchen with its dark wood cabinets and white quartz counter tops.
“Yes.” There was no use lying to her, he sensed that had been done to her for far too long.
She didn’t wait for instructions, but moved into the space, opening cabinets and taking out glasses and plates. He watched as she found utensils and then went to the refrigerator and selected ingredients from the shelves. She was about five feet six inches tall, all legs with a tight round ass and pert breasts with large nipples that he swore he could see through the material of her yellow t-shirt. Easing onto a stool at the long island in the center of the kitchen, he watched her move through this space as if it had been made specifically for her.
She removed the dark blue denim jacket she wore and dropped it onto a stool on the other side of the island. Then she bent over and selected pans from the lower cabinets, stood again and placed them on the burners of the six-burner stove. Going to the stainless-steel sink she washed her hands with green liquid soap from a clear dispenser along the back of the counter. Her fingers were small, low-clipped nails with no polish, held the knife she pulled from its holder with practiced ease as she diced the vegetables taken from the refrigerator.
He was mesmerized by the sight of her and enticed by the scent of the two fluffy vegetable and cheese-filled omelets she served on plates minutes later.
“You cook?” It was a foolish question but after sitting in dumbfounded silence for the last fifteen minutes he needed to say something.
She shrugged and slid onto a stool. “Fredo, the Topètenian who manages the kitchen at Oasis took pity on me looking so bored while everyone else was training so he taught me a few things.”
She poured them glasses of cranberry juice before picking up a napkin and placing it in her lap. Keller took a gulp from his glass, his throat was suddenly very dry.
“Let me know if you like it. I know most of the shifters prefer lots of meat in their omelets, but I’m partial to vegetables.”
Because she was different. The truth of that simple statement hit him like a boulder in seconds. Of course, he’d known Shya was not like the other shifters in Oasis the first moment he saw her, but just how deep that distinction went he hadn’t been privy to until now.
He cut into the omelet, stuffed a piece into his mouth and chewed. It tasted good so, he ate another piece and another before taking another drink of the juice.
“I can get into the vegetables,” he admitted after setting his glass down.
The smile came full force then, her lips lifting until straight white teeth were bared and a light flickered in her pretty eyes. His breath caught just a little as he realized something else—he liked her face, a lot. The perfect roundness, dark brows, small chin, all worked together and amazingly fit the big puffy hairstyle she preferred to wear.
“I’ll fix stuffed peppers tomorrow, after you tell me everything.” She kept her eyes locked on his as she spoke and Keller couldn’t help but admire her tenacity.
“I’ve never had stuffed peppers before,” was his easy reply.
They ate in silence and after placing the dishes in the dishwasher moved on to the bedroom where talk of food and admissions ended.
