Page 34 of The Cat's Dom

Macy pulled her into his arms and held her. “Baby, please listen to me and trust that I know what I’m talking about. These women are very nice and fun to be around, and they’re going to love you.”

“But what if they find out what happened to me?”

He hated hearing her voice shaky with anxiety. “For one thing, you had no control over what happened to you, and you should never feel ashamed. I won’t tell them, and your new brothers won’t either. It’s up to you to decide if you’d like them to know any of it.”

“But what do I say when they ask me where I came from?” she asked.

He thought about it for a moment. “Tell them you’re from Texas, which is true. Tell them you worked in a club, which is also true. If they ask why you moved here, tell them you wanted to try something new, and a friend set you up with the sheriff to help you get an apartment and job. All of that is the truth. You don’t have to get deeper than that.”

She exhaled and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you. I’m so happy to be with you.”

He tightened his grip on her. “I’m happy to be with you, too. I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

“But…”

“There are no buts. Everything about you is perfect, and if I hear you talk like this again, your ass will feel the flat of my hand.”

She snorted and took the hand he held out.

The drive to Nick’s was going to give him gray hair. Every mile that passed, her anxiety rose no matter what he said. Now, he was wondering if this was the best thing to do. They could go back home. No one would think anything of it, and then maybe he’d try again down the road.

No, as much as it hurt him to see her afraid, he had to push her a little, or she’d never grow into the woman she was supposed to be. He also wanted her to have the friends she needed so badly. He didn’t say anything else when they parked. He came around, lifted her out of the truck, and then gripped her cold shaky hand.

There was a good crowd already, and he didn’t know if that would make her more nervous or not.

Janessa caught sight of them and came straight for them. Macy could tell she saw the anxiety on Cat’s face, and her smile softened. Janessa enfolded Cat in her arms.

“I’m so glad you could make it. The girls are driving me crazy because they want to meet you.”

“Really?” Cat asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Janessa leaned toward her ear. “We need all the women we can get. Look around. Arrogant male Doms surround us. We’re totally outnumbered.”

Macy bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling because he knew Janessa meant for him to hear her. He could have kissed the woman if he didn’t think Nick would break his face, which might upset Cat.

Janessa curled her arms through Cat’s. “We’re at the picnic table with the desserts and the puppy.”

“Puppy?”

“Yes, I have a German shepherd, and I got Nick a puppy because he’d never had one before.”

“I haven’t either,” Cat said. “I don’t think I’ve even touched one before in my life.”

“This is the right place to come. We also have horses and cats.”

Cat’s face brightened some more. “Can I touch the horses, too?”

“Heck, yeah, You could even take one home with you.”

Cat turned and looked up at him.

He shook his head. “Baby, we don’t have anywhere to put a horse. Our living room isn’t big enough. Maybe down the road, we can get a kitten.”

Cat clapped. “I would love that.”

“And the horses will always be here, so you’ll be able to see them,” Janessa said. “Let’s go.”

Cat turned back to me, and I could see her anxiety start to rise again. “I’ll be right there. No more than five feet from you. Come right to me when you need me or just a hug.”

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