Lion Lost & Found, Paranormal Romance (Ghost Cat Shifters Book 2) (11 page)

“Hey Heath!” Sophia called out, her voice carrying across the room.

“Hey Soph,” he replied as he approached the counter where she waited. “How’s it going?”

“Good. Daniel just called and said you guys got the windows all done.” Sophia grinned and clapped her hands together softly. “Thank you so much for helping him with that. I don’t think we could have moved in this year if you didn’t. You made everything happen twice as fast.”

Heath shrugged. “No problem. The work’s kept me busy while I’ve been getting a few jobs up and running. Plus, anything for you.”

Sophia’s grin stretched wider. “It’s so awesome your business is actually happening. You know Daniel will help with any projects you need. If you ever get your own house, that is.”

“Someday.” Vivi immediately came to mind because she was the one and only woman who made him hanker for domesticity. He mentally shook himself. “For now, how about a coffee?”

“Of course, what’ll it be today?”

“I’ll take a mocha latte today. I could use the caffeine and the sugar.”

“Coming right up,” Tommy called out from his position behind the espresso machine.

“Do you ever give him a day off?” Heath asked, his eyes bouncing between Tommy and Sophia.

Sophia glared at him. “Of course I do! He only works five days a week. It just so happens you don’t bother to show up when he’s not here.”

“Nah. She works me like a dog,” Tommy countered with a grin.

Heath chuckled and leaned against the counter. Sophia turned away and grabbed a towel to wipe down the counter. When she looked back, her eyes had sobered. “Daniel told me about Chris. Have you had a chance to talk to Vivi?”

“Told her last night. She was upset, but she handled it okay. She’s mostly upset about how it will affect Julianna.”

Sophia twirled the towel between her hands. “It sucks. It’s bad enough Julianna barely has a father, but if it turns out Chris is involved with the smuggling network, eventually Vivi will have to explain that to Julianna.”

“I know. I wish…”

“Wish what?”

“I just wish Chris wasn’t the way he was. Vivi deserves better and Julianna deserves a father who can bother to be around. Has Chris done anything to help since Julianna was born?” Heath thought he knew the answer to this, but he had to know.

Sophia shook her head quickly. “Nothing. He visited a few times for the first couple of years, but that’s it. He’s never helped take care of her. No child support. Nothing.”

A flash of anger rose inside Heath.
 
Every time he thought about Chris, he wanted to pound him in the face and make him pay for what he’d done. This information made him want to use a sledgehammer. “Damn asshole.”

Sophia nodded. “Oh yeah. You’ll get no argument on that from me. Vivi tries not to dwell, but it’s hard with Julianna getting old enough to ask questions.”

Tommy stepped to the counter and slid Heath’s coffee across. “Here you go. Light on the mocha, just how you like it.”

Heath took a taste. “Perfect. Here you go.” He tugged his wallet out and a few bills from it before stuffing them in the tip jar.

Tommy grinned, while Sophia rolled her eyes. After Tommy stepped to the back, Sophia caught Heath’s eyes again. She appeared to be considering something. Just when Heath was about to ask her what she was thinking, she spoke. “How’s it going with Vivi?”

Heath considered last night—another experience with Vivi that nearly brought him to his knees and held her so tight and fast in his heart that he didn’t know where to go from here. There were a lot of details he didn’t feel comfortable sharing with his sister, but he could use her perspective. “Good, I think. I’m a little worried about what’s going on with Chris. For all the obvious reasons, but also because I’m worried she’s just gonna get more skittish than she already is.”

Sophia picked up a pen on the counter and flipped it back and forth between her fingers. “Probably,” she finally said.

“Probably? What does that mean?” Tension coiled within him. He wanted to wipe away the past that marred Vivi’s trust, but changing the past was out of his hands.

Sophia grinned. “Exactly that.”

“What’s so funny?” A slight thread of irritation rose within him. He knew Sophia was only teasing, but Vivi meant too much to him to take anything lightly when it came to her.

Sophia angled her head to the side. “You know, it doesn’t surprise me at all to see you fall for Vivi. I guess I didn’t realize how impatient you might be.”

Heath shook his head and took a gulp of coffee, buying himself a moment to tamp down his annoyance. “I’m not impatient. I just know what I want. Plus, I’d think you’d want me to care how she felt.”

“Of course I care!” Her grin faded, and she stopped flipping the pen back and forth. “Julianna is her number one priority. Vivi is going to be skittish about any man because of that. Casual dating isn’t exactly easy for single parents. You know and I know you’re not going anywhere, but give Vivi a little time to see that for herself.”

Heath took another swallow of coffee, savoring the bittersweet flavor, and sighed. “Right. I’ll try to be patient. With Chris showing up in the mix around the investigation, I’m just worried, that’s all.”

***

A while later, Heath walked up the porch steps at Vivi’s house. She’d texted and invited him to stop by for dinner. He took that as a remarkably good sign for now. When he reached the door, it flew open and Julianna dashed through it, flinging herself against him in a hug around his legs.

“Heath! Mom said you were coming for dinner again, so I asked her to make crunchy mac and cheese again.” Julianna’s head was to the side of his hip as she looked up, her brown eyes wide. Her dark hair hung in two long braids down her back. He rested a hand on her back. Her shoulder blades felt like tiny wings when he stroked up and down quickly and leaned over to drop a kiss on her head.

“Really? Well, you know how much I liked it last time. Can’t go wrong with that. How are you today?” he asked, giving one of her braids a quick flip as she released his legs and scampered to the porch railing to swing Jax into her arms. Jax wiggled around and settled against her shoulder, instantly starting up his purr.

Julianna spoke over her shoulder as she headed back into the kitchen. “I’m good. I have to finish my homework before dinner though.”

Heath followed her inside, a swirl of cool autumn air coming in with them. He closed the door, but not before a leaf skittered across the floor. Jax immediately leapt from Julianna’s arms and batted at the leaf. Julianna giggled as Jax subdued the leaf. Vivi caught Heath’s eyes with a grin from where she stood by the counter. His heart clenched and heat rolled through him. His lion nearly purred at the sight of her. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail with wisps curling around her face. She wore a pair of cotton pants that hugged her hips and flared to swing around her ankles. As usual, she wore a fitted t-shirt that outlined her breasts. All he had to do was look at her and he was hard. Lust simmered inside. Yet, now was not the time and place to do what he wanted, which was turn her around, bend her over the counter and yank those pants down to plunge inside of her.
Definitely not the time and place, dude. Julianna is about to start her homework. You cannot be thinking like this around her.

Heath almost laughed aloud when he considered that perhaps he could manage his thoughts, but his body had a mind of its own. When Vivi’s eyes met his, it was as if a flame lit the air between them and his body was instantly taut with anticipation. He batted back against those urges and slipped out of his jacket to hang it up on the coatrack by the door before walking over to the kitchen table where Julianna was pulling out a folder. When Vivi’s voice reached him, he realized he was so entranced with her, he hadn’t even bothered to say hello.

“Hey there, glad you could make it for dinner.”

He sat down in the chair facing Vivi and glanced up, feeling foolish. “Wouldn’t have missed it. Thanks for having me. How was your day?”

Vivi lifted one shoulder in a soft shrug. “Busy with work. How about you?”

“Daniel and I finished up the window replacements at the farmhouse today. Nothing else new.”

Vivi nodded and turned away to fill a pot with water. When she moved to set it one the stove, he noticed her favoring one side. Julianna distracted him at that moment when she slipped into the chair beside him. “Heath, can you help me with this?”

He glanced over to see a math worksheet. He looked back to Vivi, uncertain if she’d want him to help Julianna with her homework. Vivi glanced over her shoulder and nodded. “Help all you want.” She turned back and pulled out the baking tray and started grating cheese.

Heath pulled his chair over beside Julianna and looked down at her worksheet. Not much later, after Julianna agonized over several division problems, she carefully returned her homework to its folder and put her backpack away on the bench by the door. Heath leaned back in his chair and looked up to find Vivi’s eyes on him. She was standing by the stove. Her eyes reached in and grabbed ahold of his heart.
This
is what he wanted every night—to feel like their lives were entwined together.

When Julianna raced out of the kitchen and into the bathroom, Heath stood from the table and walked to Vivi’s side. He quickly dipped his head and dropped a kiss in the curve of her neck. Her breath drew in sharply, and his cock hardened instantly. “Nice to see you,” he mumbled into her neck.

He lifted his head and stepped back, knowing he couldn’t trust himself if he stayed that close. The mere scent of her pulled on the leash of his control. Her eyes were on his the moment he lifted his head. “Nice to see you too,” she said softly. The oven beeped, breaking through the moment. Vivi lifted the tray of macaroni and cheese. “Can you get the oven for me?” she asked, glancing to him.

He quickly reached over to open it. She slid the tray in, and he closed the oven door. The sound of Julianna’s footsteps reached them. She came skidding back into the kitchen, dragging a loose string of yarn behind her on the floor. Jax was at her heels, pouncing and batting at the yarn.

***

Vivi closed the dishwasher and snagged a towel to wipe down the counter. Heath had helped Julianna put the dishes in the dishwasher and tidy the table. Julianna had picked up Jax’s favorite piece of yarn again and was seated on the floor, dragging it in slow circles while he chased it.

“Time to get ready for bed,” Vivi called out to Julianna.

Julianna glanced up, her mouth tightening. “But Mom, Heath’s here! Can’t I stay up a little late?”

Vivi shook her head firmly. “It’s a school night, and we already talked about this. The deal was Heath could come to dinner as long as you still went to bed on time. We started dinner late as it is, so you need to hop to it. Bed by eight-fifteen.”

Julianna gave a drawn out sigh, but she climbed to her feet and slowly walked to the bathroom. Heath glanced over from where he was sitting at the table and grinned. “I always hated bedtime.”

Vivi laughed softly. “Didn’t we all? Most of the time, she’s pretty good about it. She’s never thrilled, but she goes along. If anyone’s over though, she tends to whine a bit. I’ve gotten better about reminding her beforehand. Honestly, I can’t complain.” She gestured toward the bathroom door where they could hear water running. “She’s already in there brushing her teeth. She’ll probably look pretty pathetic when she comes out to say goodnight though, so be prepared.”

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “You’re a damn good mother.”

She flushed. Ever since the day she’d held Julianna in her arms, she felt like she was flying blind half the time. She worried she was too easygoing some days and too strict on others. When Julianna butted heads with her teacher last year, she’d felt so small when she went in to talk to the school. Her tendency to bluster her way through things didn’t seem like the smart approach to dealing with the school, so she’d had to find a way to make it work. Now that Julianna was getting older, Vivi felt like she must’ve done some things right because Julianna was a pretty good kid for the most part. When she glanced over at Heath, she felt like she could see the wheels turning in his head.

“What?” she asked, feeling self-conscious.

He was quiet for a few beats and drummed his fingertips on the table. “Seems like this probably hasn’t been the easiest thing for you. Raising Julianna on your own, I mean.”

Vivi hung the towel over the oven door handle and leaned against the counter. “Well…no. I wouldn’t trade it for a second, but I had no idea how hard it could be.”

He nodded slowly and the tapping of his fingertips stopped. “I’m sorry you had to do it alone.”

His words were gruff. She wasn’t sure how to respond, but she felt she should say something. “It is what it is.” She started to push away from the counter, moving a little too quickly, and flinched at the soreness from the deep scratch on her shoulder.

Heath’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she replied quickly.

Just then, the bathroom door opened and Julianna came out. “All done!” She hurried through the living room into the kitchen and ran to Vivi’s side. “Can I please stay up a little bit longer?” She tugged on Vivi’s arm, causing another shot of pain to zip through Vivi’s shoulder.

Before Vivi had a chance to answer, Heath spoke. “Remember what your mom said?”

Julianna loosened her hold on Vivi’s arm. Vivi breathed a sigh of relief. The scratch from her fight with Chris was deep and happened to land on the curve of her shoulder, so the wrong motion sent pain shooting through the torn skin.

Julianna took a few steps to the center of the kitchen, idly twisting the edge of her t-shirt in her fingers. She chewed her lip. “She said we had a deal,” Julianna said in her singsong voice.

Vivi could see Heath was fighting a smile. He kept his expression carefully controlled. “What was the deal?”

“That if you came to dinner, I’d go to bed on time,” Julianna answered softly.

Heath nodded slowly. “So?”

Julianna sighed and dropped the edge of her t-shirt. “Okay. I’ll go to bed.”