Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,22

made sense. If she was a Cain, Poppy was a shifter like the rest of her family. He knew that she was a shifter, she had made the comments to prove it. But now Shaw knew she was a panther, like the rest of her family.

“You’re not going to judge me for being a Cain?”

“Why would I?” he answered immediately. “It’s just your last name. Your family. Unless you pull my pants down in front of a crowded gym during fifth period, I don’t think we’re going to have an issue because of your last name.”

There was more to it than that, but Shaw couldn’t quite find the words.

How was he supposed to go about it? Just casually drop it into the conversation that he had used his gifts as a hacker to empty all of the Cain bank accounts? Did I happen to completely steal all of your money, too?

That wasn’t exactly conducive to romance. Or trust. And though Shaw was pretty dense about all things relationship, he was smart enough to know that trust was a crucial part of it all.

He knew, down to his very soul, that he should tell her who he was and what he had done. But before the revelation that she was indeed related to his mortal enemies, he had been very much into her. He could keep seeing her and slyly fix her money issues. If he had emptied her bank accounts as well. There was no way of knowing for sure until he could get his hands on a computer to check his dirty work.

He had to find a way to turn this date around, back to what it had been moments before. He wasn’t willing to let go of Poppy.

“If you’re a Cain, doesn’t that mean you’re a panther like your cousins?” It was a dangerous conversation, but it was the only thing he had been able to blurt thanks to his nerves and lack of experience.

Poppy’s eyes could have popped out of her head, she was so shocked. “How do you know about that?” she hissed, now back to fully being suspicious of him.

“I went to school with the terrible trio. They made sure everyone at school knew their superpower. They weren’t exactly discreet about being able to shift into panthers. There was actually a couple of times school was let out early because a teacher had spotted a panther on school property. It was usually when we had a big math test.”

“That would be Curtis. He’s shit at math, which is not something you want in one of the heirs to the real estate empire in town.”

“No,” Shaw gave a tight laugh.

“I am a panther shifter. Like my cousins. Though, I never used my powers for evil. Not like them. I use mine for good. It comes in handy with my job. I can tell when my patients’ heart rates are dipping too low. I can even detect when they need more meds. Or a diaper change, but that’s something else entirely.”

It was only when Shaw spotted her uneasy smile that he realized Poppy was embarrassed about her history, her family. He reached over the table and locked their fingers together.

She wasn’t just hiding from them; she had spent her life trying to distance herself from them. He could tell. It was written all over her face.

“Can we make a deal?” He knew that he had to pick his words carefully, and so he proceeded with caution. “I won’t judge you for your family and their actions. And you won’t judge me for being a hacker prodigy who has broken a few laws here and there.” Ha. That was an understatement.

But the words served their purpose. He knew it wasn’t fair. He was all but entrapping Poppy into a deal where she didn’t know who he was. Not really.

He had stolen her family’s fortune.

He had stolen the shifter serum.

He was way more than just the gray hat hacker now. He was just as bad as her uncle and cousins.

Only, that wasn’t strictly true.

He had only stolen the money to give it back to those that had been misused while the Cains built their empire. And he had only stolen the serum to make sure that he wouldn’t be killed by the panthers once they realized what he had done.

Though he had done illegal things, it had all been done with a pure heart and good intentions. That had to count for something. Right?

“Deal,” Poppy finally said, and she