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He scheduled plans to take Zara with him to see Kirsten. Sure, it was a bit of a cheap shot to bring the baby to persuade her to be with him, but he thought it was worth it. She had confessed her love for both of them, so they both needed to be present in order to make her completely understand.
They sped off the next day, early in the morning, with the sunrise blinking before them with promise.
THIRTY-ONE
KIRSTEN
Kirsten had driven as far as she could out of the snowy mountains before she pulled into a local gas station. She needed to get out of there fast before her body changed her mind for her, like a possession taking over and turning the car around. She researched bed and breakfasts in the Seattle area, and when she found one that was both affordable and available, she ripped out of the parking lot and slammed on the gas pedal.
It was a quaint little place calledCozy Up BNB.It was a good distance away from Henry and Zara, which was all she really needed. She was emotionally and physically exhausted from the day of travel, so she decided to stay at the BNB for a few days to gather her bearings.
It was chilly in Seattle, raining just as it was when she left the snowy mountains. She spent her time by the fire, thinking but also trying to let go of fantasizing. She couldn’t live in her head any more than she could live with Henry.
It was a done deal.
Or so she thought.
On the third day at the BNB, as darkness cast over the roads beyond, Kirsten finished her dinner in the dining area and was heading back to her room. She was still tired from the day she’d left Henry and was feeling dreary for many reasons, and the constant spatter of rain didn’t help. So when she saw the mountainous man with a baby, she thought she was hallucinating.
Kirsten stood in the hallway, frozen, catching the scent of the tiger in her nostrils like a welcoming sandalwood fragranced candle. It immediately altered her mood like a spell, turning the bleak darkness of a rainy night into a romantic tale of ominous intrigue.
It wasn’t anything she had any control over, and that irritated and thrilled her beyond comprehension.
She thought about darting out of the BNB, abandoning her things, and fleeing like a fugitive. But what would happen then, really? He was obviously able to track her and would track her down once again. It was pointless until she heard him out.
Even the sight of his back while he was facing the manager entranced her, generating lust in her loins and longing in her heart. The fact that he had come all that way for her was also appealing, making her feel more enamored than annoyed.
Kirsten stood in the hallway, her heart clamoring in her chest like pleading hands once more.
“Henry?”
When he turned, his purr vibrated through the entirety of the lobby, moving up her feet like waves crashing up against a shoreline. The manager behind him frowned, gazing around his feet to find the elusive cat.
“Kirsten,” he crooned, his pupils dilated and as large as a black moon. “We have to talk to you.”
She couldn’t help but smile. She cocked an eyebrow, looking down at her feet, trying to avoid the gaze she knew Henry was casting on her.
“What are you doing here?” she said, feigning frustration.
“I think you know,” Henry snapped back.
He went to her and took her by the wrist. He must have known where her room was because he led her right to it. Kirsten let him because her heart was calling the shots, despite the logic that was attempting to poke its head out like a gopher.
Henry sat on the bed roughly and set Zara’s carrier next to him, making the old springs of the mattress squawk like a crushed bird. He didn’t seem to notice, though. His eyes were on her like the blazing suns of Saturn.
“Kirsten, I’m going to be straightforward about all this because you didn’t let me do it the first time,” he said, voice steady. “I am in love with you. I’m not in love with Sher. And you know what that means with shifters.”
Kirsten gulped, unable to keep her true desires and feelings hushed. She blinked, trying to keep her thoughts still and her words confident.
“I know how it works,” she replied, eyes still closed. “But Sher is still around. She obviously wants to be a part of Zara’s life, somehow.”
When Kirsten opened her eyes, Henry looked like a boiling kettle about to blow.
“What does any of that have to do with us?” Henry huffed.
Kirsten took a step closer, folding her arms over her chest. Despite how luscious her breasts looked, Henry’s eyes did not waver. She knew he was that serious.
“She is the mother of your child, Henry. She has everything to do with this. Plus, I’m not a shifter. She will always have more of a connection to you and Zara than I do.”
