Taze (Rise of the Pride #11) - Theresa Hissong Page 0,40
up,” she said, tucking a strand of her short, blonde hair behind her ear.
“You could’ve knocked,” he scolded. “I would’ve woken up.”
“I wanted you to get your sleep…” She paused and looked up into his eyes. “Can I come in, Taze?”
“Yes, sure,” he stammered, moving out of the way so she could enter. “Come in. I’m making coffee and need to build a fire. Wrap up and take a seat on the couch.”
My gods, how long had she been sitting out there? The tip of her nose and the tops of her cheeks were pink.
He hurried through getting a fire started and grabbed a cup of coffee after she declined one of her own. Taking a seat in his recliner, he blew across the top of the cup and took his first sip. “How long have you been waiting for me to wake up?”
“For about an hour.”
“Don’t ever do that again,” he scolded. “Call me or knock on my door. I’ll wake up.”
“I just wanted…I just wanted to see you,” she confessed. His panther prowled in his mind, and he noticed when she caught his mating scent. “Your scent is stronger.”
“It is,” he admitted. “Is there something you want to talk about?”
“I’ve had a lot of time to think,” she replied, but paused once again. The female was having a hard time getting her words out, and he wanted to show her patience. He wanted Calla to feel safe at his home and with him. The fact she’d been waiting for him to wake made him hopeful she was feeling more content with him.
“Take your time, Calla,” he urged. “I have hours before I have to go into work.”
“I’ve been so confused all day,” she began. “It was weird not knowing what my panther was doing while we were on our run today. When I finally got home and you’d left, I realized how much you helped me, and then my panther kept pushing at me to come find you.”
“If I’d known…” He paused when she held her hand up for him to be quiet.
“You told me that I had to come to you and initiate any physical contact,” she reminded him.
His heart stopped, then galloped. “Um, wait, what are you saying?”
“I don’t know if I can,” she replied, twisting her hands around each other. Her eyes cast down to the floor, and she froze for several minutes. He couldn’t figure out what she was saying. Did she want to touch? Tonight? “I don’t think I’m the female for you, and it’s not fair to you if I stay around.”
“Are you planning on leaving?” he asked, trying his hardest to keep his beast at bay. They were not official mates, but if she was leaving, he would have something to say about it.
“I really don’t know, Taze,” she replied. “To be honest, I really don’t want to leave.”
“Do you want to tell me why?” he asked, hoping she would feel comfortable enough to talk to him.
“I do,” she sighed, “but I’m afraid it’ll scare you away.” Taze watched as her body relaxed after scenting the air. Her panther responded with a burst of her own mating scent, and he had to clamp down on his desire.
“Then let me be your friend, Calla,” he urged. “Tell me what’s been bothering you, and start from the beginning.”
“Do you have something stronger than coffee?”
“I have whiskey,” he replied, standing when she nodded. He poured her enough to hopefully give her the courage to speak what was on her mind. Glancing at the clock, he made a mental note that he had seven hours before his shift. He had a feeling they were going to need all of it to get through whatever was on her mind.
“My brother knows I’m here,” she stated as she took a healthy sip of the drink.
“Okay,” he drawled. Malaki was a problem, and if he knew she was here, Taze was going on alert, because that male might burst through his door at any moment. Only this time, if he stepped into his domain, Taze wouldn’t let the male get away with sucker punching him as he’d done the last time they squared up.
“First, I want to tell you why I left for ten days,” she began. “I went to see Harold because I wasn’t feeling well. It turns out that I was going into heat.”
“You went through that alone?” he gasped. A female in heat was miserable until she was sedated or filled with her mate’s seed.