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I was moving across the country to be the nanny and companion, not probably mate, of two panda males and their toddler panda cub.
Rejection had really done a number on me.
Eventually, I had to put my head between my knees just to stop myself from passing out.
Sloan had sent me a selfie once he arrived at the airport. The plane had already landed but we were in a holding pattern.
Gods, he was gorgeous. Deep brown eyes that beckoned me. The unbuttoned collar of his shirt revealed what I assumed was a very large birthmark on his chest. His smile made my core quiver.
Jason had never made anything of mine quiver.
And now, the one person who did wanted nothing to do with love.
My luck improved by the second, it seemed.
Sloan’s text said he would meet me at the baggage claim. My stomach was a mess. My heart thumped so hard, I was sure it would register on the Richter scale.
“Sloan? It’s you, isn’t it?”
“Livvy?” I heard my name called by a cashmere voice. It caressed my skin and left me shuddering.
I turned and had to look up to meet those brown eyes. Gods, Sloan was tall. We got my bags and he insisted on carrying them through the airport and then to the parking garage. He asked if I needed to use the bathroom or get something to eat.
Yes. And no way I could eat when I was this nervous.
The ride home was plugged with silence; the only sound was soft rock coming from the radio.
“Justice is home with Koby. We thought the airport and a toddler was a recipe for chaos.”
I laughed. He wasn’t wrong. “My brothers were wild. I understand. Shifters at that age can be a handful and that’s putting it nicely. I was six when the triplets were born. I took one look at them and knew, even at that age, that my life would be a circus.”
“Triplets? I can barely handle one. Koby’s mother kept him on a strict schedule, but things still got out of hand.”
He missed her. I could hear it in his voice. His oak-and-cedar scent faded a bit as he spoke of her.
I bet she was a great mother and mate.
But a strict schedule? A toddler? That was about as useful as trying to collect water in a colander, at least in my experience.
“I see. Are you expecting him to keep that schedule?”
He nodded. “As much as possible. We’ve written everything down.”
Suddenly, I felt as though it was my first day of college, and I had a syllabus waiting for me, my doom.
When we arrived at the house, I looked around, waiting on the catch. Their home was bigger than the pride’s alpha house. Twice as big, maybe. “This is your home?” I asked, in awe. It was modern, with more windows than I’d ever seen in my life. But there was nothing visible on the inside. They must’ve had some kind of film on the windows that protected their privacy while giving them a view. Smart.
The landscaping was perfect. Perfectly placed flowers and bushes, creating a scene right out of an anime movie.
“Yes. Our home. Your home now, too. Let’s go in. We’ll get your stuff in a bit.”
We walked into the place, and immediately I was hit by the scents of the two males who lived here, plus a fainter smell, Koby, I assumed.
Cedar and oak belonged to Sloan, I already knew that, and the other one, Justice, smelled of blackberries and vanilla. All of my favorite things wrapped into one.
The cub was another smell altogether. He was all grass and bamboo. Interesting. Especially for a panda. I thought the days of pandas eating bamboo was over.
“You, uh, you must be Livvy.” The voice came from the left where the living area opened up into a kitchen with granite and marble everywhere. The place was clean and tidy, a lot tidier than a place with a toddler and two hurried fathers. Rather, as if it had been hurriedly cleaned to within an inch of its life. If a home could have a life.
