Species Interaction (2 page)

"So she's human?" his mother inquired after clearing her throat.

Meat bobbed his head in agreement. I wriggled harder for release, earning a smidgen of freedom. "I can poof!"

He slapped his hand back, quelling any more words that might escape.

Micah's eyebrows shot up. "She can teleport? How is that possible if she's human?"

Meat snorted, giving me a small shake when I nipped his fingers. "Yes, she can teleport, but she stinks at it. As far as how, I'm not sure. Let's just say it's not an efficient mode of transportation."

I yanked hard on his wrist.
One had to defend oneself after all
. "Hey! I got us back from the realm of the white slavery bad guys." He frowned. "Okay. Yeah, so we had to make a boo-boo appearance in the men's bathroom at a rest home, which I happen to know you thoroughly enjoyed. It was poor Ducky who nearly fainted at the ancient man performing self gratification with his wrinkled peanut penis in front of us all. You, big pervert, were too busy watching and laughing like a hyena."
So there…

I heard his low groan followed by a sigh.

Uh oh. I guess he really didn't want to discuss his kinky side in front of his parents.
My bad.
Although, at some level, it only seemed fair as he bore responsibility for the nun's habit and my chagrin the last time they were there.
Paybacks.

The corner of his father's mouth twitched. "Let me see if I get this right. You're an exotic dancer, have a 'thing' for dead people, and spend your free time visiting the bathrooms of rest homes in hopes of watching old men jerk off?"

Meat shook his head, a bit tense, but seemed to take the inquiry in stride. No telltale pink flush covered his tanned cheeks. "Not exactly."

He shot me a warning glance then whispered in my ear, "One more word out of you and I'll spank your bare ass until you can't sit comfortably for a whole week."

"Oh, boy. Does that mean you're a sadist, too?"

I didn't realize that I had spoken that question aloud until Meat growled in my face. "Your father should have grounded you after all."

Daphne picked up on those words. "Who is your father, dear?"

Meat's eyelid began to twitch. I bit my lip, but decided to answer and avoid appearing rude. "Victor."

She pursed her lips then tried again. "Maybe the better question is: what is your father?"

How did I answer this one? I didn't want to spill the beans on Dad's former career, but I wasn't sure what to say. In all reality, Dad retired as a famed Enforcer from the PPD a couple of years ago. His feats were legendary and mystical, like the basic question of what genetics he actually carried. He possessed fangs, didn't flame into a burnt crisp in the sun, and as far as I know, couldn't shift into an animal's body.

"He's… well… special."
There, that worked.
Besides, it was the simple truth. After Wills died, Victor took me under his wing, officially adopting me a couple years later. Despite having no DNA in common, he couldn't have been a better father.

"Special?" Micah asked, looking more perplexed than ever.

I nodded. "He… well… used to be… ummm… employed, but now he's not. He writes err… self-help books and is involved."

They blinked at me.

"Is he a shifter?" Daphne persisted.

"No," Meat replied.

My cell phone rang, rescuing me temporarily from the grilling. I didn't even glance at the number, recognizing the ring tone of "Born Free". "Hello, Andrew." Andrew carried mountain lion shifter genes, and had hung around my house enough visiting Bas that he finally decided to unofficially adopt me as a sister as well. He was also my father's mate.

"What are you up to?" Andrew's tone carried curiosity with a healthy mix of suspiciousness.

I sighed heavily. "I'm having lunch with Meat and his parents and…"

Laughter rolled from the other end and cut me off.

"It's not funny."

He snorted. "Oh, yeah it is. Let me guess. You tried teleporting somewhere and ended up in shower again? Have they developed a nervous twitch yet?"

"Not quite, I don't think."

He chuckled. "Won't take much longer, I bet. Go on giving someone else gray hair for a bit. I'll catch you later." He clicked off.

"Everything okay?" Meat gestured to the cell phone in my hand.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Who's Andrew?" Daphne's face turned serious. Her expression alone could scare second graders into perfect behavior for an entire week.

Without thinking, I answered, "He's my brother. And, he's mated to my father. They have a new baby together, too."

Meat's forehead thunked on the dining table as Micah started coughing. I could have sworn Daphne's eyes actually crossed.

Chapter 2

A jiggling of the door knob woke me from my sleep. Opening my eyes, I discovered three things. First, I snuggled under the blankets with Meat, both of us naked as the day we were born. Second, hushed voices in the hallway carried through my bedroom door. Third, Meat grinned down at me like a Cheshire cat for some unknown reason. Probably a carryover from the naughty activities we participated in during the night.

"The boys are awake." Meat kissed the tip of my nose.

"What time is it?" I stretched, immediately grabbing the sagging sheet before my nude bits could be exposed.

"Breakfast time, according to the little voices."

"Then clothes are in order." I started to roll out of bed when the door creaked open. In a split second, I found myself covered in an old fashioned nightgown, buttoned up to my chin. Feeling something tugging on my hair, I found a sleeping cap bulging from the weight of my hair. I rolled my eyes at Meat. Yes, I had on clothes, and they sure beat a nun's habit. Yet, they left a lot to be desired in my book.

"Meat!" the boys exclaimed at once and made a mad dash for the bed. Both climbed up, then jumped up and down excitedly. The springs squeaked in protest as shockwave after shockwave made my side feel like a fishing boat on a blustery lake.

"Good morning." Meat, now dressed in a loose t-shirt, grinned at the twins. Whatever covered the bottom half, I couldn't see for the covers.

"Are you going to spend the day with us?" Sasha fell to his knees between Meat and me.

"Maybe."

Chance looked from me to my boyfriend, his brow furrowing in concentration. "Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to marry Meat?"

I choked on my own spit. Meat reached out and whapped me on the back, helping to clear the blockage. Sucking in a deep breath, I debated how to answer. One glance to the side found the overgrown tomcat smiling wide, staring at me in the same anticipation as the boys. Nothing like being put on the spot bright and early in the morning.

"Umm"—I cleared my throat—"we haven't actually discussed that yet, so I can't answer your question."

"When will you know?" Sasha chimed in, this time focusing on Meat.

I could almost feel Meat squirming under the pressure.
Turnabout is fair play.

"Why don't you two head down to the kitchen. Your mother and I will be down shortly." He tapped Sasha on the nose. "If you're good, I'll take you guys to the park today."

"Yay!" Off they dashed, leaving the door wide open in their wake.

"Nice distraction." I sat up and met Meat's gaze.

He shrugged. "Seemed like a prudent idea at the time."

Marriage? Meat and I? What about matehood? My mind whirled with deep thoughts and emotions, concerns and wishes. How could I broach a subject when I had absolutely no idea how he felt? We loved one another, I held confidence and faith in our bond. However, marriage was something else. We'd briefly discussed how one determined if they were mates. Well, Ducian and I discussed. He led me astray until Meat cleared up the confusion. Apparently, I needed to become pregnant in order to absolutely prove the liger shifter and I belonged together as deemed by some higher power, animalistic instincts, and in the eyes of his pride.

He still wore condoms, I shied away from tempting fate, and we'd never brought up the subject of marriage.

My gaze landed on his comfortable blue shirt. "Why didn't I get to wear that instead of this Victorian chastity belt called a nightgown?" I plucked at the snug neckline.

He scooted over to nuzzle my cheek. "Because. Anything less and I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off you."

I arched an eyebrow at him, a small grin tugging at my lips. "I'm a temptation?"

"Big time." His lips settled over mine.

"Mom! We're hungry!"

With a regretful sigh, I pulled back. "Duty calls."

Appearing unbothered by the interruption, Meat climbed out of bed, stretched, and tossed my covers back. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty."

"Only if you put me in something more comfortable." Shifters had a marvelous magical ability to either create or remove clothing with merely a thought. Meat, carrying liger genetics, had this particular skill down to a "T".

By the time I looked down, I wore basic fleece pajamas, mint green and fluffy. "Much better, thank you."

"I'll be taking them off later. Piece by piece." His eyes twinkled with sensual promise.

"Oh my." My heart picked up speed as my stomach did a slow, delicious flip.

"Mom!"

"Later. Much later." With a final peck to my cheek, he grabbed my hand and dragged me downstairs.

Chapter 3

I sneezed then blew my nose loudly in the tissue. Two days ago, I'd chatted with Meat's parents. After they left, we had spent glorious hours in my bed, reacquainting our naked parts and discovering his stamina could outlast that damned pink bunny.

Today, I felt like crap.

Meat glanced over at me as he pulled his Jaguar into a parking space in front of our destination. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't already promised to cover Jeff's shift at work…"

I waved at him and coughed a couple of times before answering. "It's okay. I understand. Besides, I told you I'd be perfectly fine by myself."

His brows tightened as his mouth turned down. "Not with you being this sick."

Yeah, I could see his point, but never would I admit such a thing.
Honestly, I didn't argue when he suggested I stay with someone while he had to work, too relieved and tired to declare my independence over such a moot issue. The tricky part of the equation was who that someone would be.

It sucked to be human and have the flu. As bad as I felt, I certainly didn't want to pass it on to the boys or Jessica. Thus, staying at home didn't pan out as a good option. For the very same reason, with the addition of having a small baby in the house, I couldn't stay with Dad or Andrew, which wouldn't be fair or worth the risk to little Spencer. That left the one person who wouldn't run in fear of my germs, and as a bonus, he lived alone.

I opened the door, automatically pulling my heavy robe around me to ward off the brisk late January chill. "Brrrr."

Meat came up beside me, large trash bag in hand. "Let's get you inside."

I nodded, heading to the front door. Before I could push the doorbell, Meat grabbed my hand. "You know he's not going to answer the door at this hour. And, if you wake him, he'll be as cranky as a groundhog with a thorn in his butt."
Interesting analogy. Never thought of him as a groundhog
.

"So what's the plan, Sherlock?"

No sooner had the words left my mouth than we appeared in the living room.

Blinking, I looked around, found the nearby oversized couch, and immediately plopped down when a woozy sensation hit out of the blue. Poofing must be contraindicated when one's head pounded with stored up crud. I bracketed my temples with my hands, trying to even out the pressure.

Meat dropped the large trash bag at my feet, untied the strings, and began pulling items of necessity out.

Quiet footsteps announced our host's arrival. "What the hell?"

I glanced up to find a familiar scowl.
Oh, goody. Mr Groundhog was awake
. Black denim jeans covered his lower body as his chest remained bare. A lethal appearing sword hung from his right hand. He looked like he just climbed out of bed, donned the bare necessities in clothing, and prepared to face an evil knight attempting to storm his castle.

I wondered if he could whap me upside the head with his choice of weapon, put me to sleep, and when I woke up feel like I could actually survive this crap.

"She's sick," Meat explained.

I waved at Cannibal in the midst of another coughing fit.

Cannibal fell under the category of speak softly and carry a big stick. He possessed more than human genetics, but no one knew which mixture or variety. No information on his background existed that an average person could get their hands on, and no one had enough gumption to ask him to his face how he came by his name. His attitude and serious crankiness intimidated most people, and I had a feeling he liked it that way. I seemed to be the single exception. We bonded over a bizarre night of confessions and torn g-strings, which ended with my face planted in his lap and my panties soaked. Since then, I became his sole gopher and intermediary between him and the day to day runnings of PPD.

He shook his head as he raked his gaze over me.

My braid sprouted hairs going every which way. The robe hung loosely off my shoulders, revealing my bright pink over-sized pajamas. Pink socks and my bunny slippers finished off my outfit.
So I wasn't ready for the red carpet. I had the flu, sue me.

"Yeah, I can see that," the Enforcer grumbled. "So why is she here?"

Meat's expression turned to one of concern. He reached out to touch my forehead with his hand. "She's sick."

Cannibal rested his sword on a nearby table. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at Meat. "Again, Einstein. I got that. But why is she
here
?"

I swallowed and croaked. "I've got the flu and am contagious. To humans, that is."

"She can't stay at home and infect her boys. Her father has a small child. That leaves you and me." Meat dug through the bag, pulling out a bottle of medication.

Cannibal's eyebrow arched. "Why you and me instead of just you?"