End of Night, page 14
Go to Boone. Please.
She sighed and rubbed her forehead again. She’d lost her temper with Boone, cried in front of him, and refused to let him help her. Expecting he would comfort her was laughable. Hell, she’d be lucky if he didn’t fire her.
She left the bathroom, staggering to a stop and a soft noise of surprise escaping her throat when she saw Boone in her bed. “Boone, what are you doing?”
He pulled back the covers and patted her side of the bed. “You shouldn’t be alone tonight, little lamb.”
Tears threatened again, and she swallowed hard. “I’m fine,” she lied.
“No, you’re not,” he said simply.
She swiped at the stupid tears that were leaking down her cheeks. “Boone, I…”
“We both know I’ll just show up in my tiger form the minute I fall asleep anyway,” he said.
She gaped at him. “You knew you were sleepwalking?”
He shook his head. “Didn’t have a fucking clue. Nan told me today when we were driving home. Get into bed, little lamb.”
She crossed the room and climbed into bed, turning on her side so Boone could be the big spoon. He shut off the lamp on the nightstand and tucked the covers around them before sliding his arm around her waist. He wore just a pair of shorts, and his naked chest was hard and warm against her back. She rested her hand on his forearm as he kissed the back of her shoulder.
“Do I show up every damn night?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “You’ve only done it a few times.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be. I didn’t mind.”
His big hand rested comfortably against her belly, and he pulled her a bit closer until her ass was snug in his lap. “It couldn’t have been all that enjoyable to share your bed with a full grown tiger.”
She smiled in the darkness. “The purring was the perfect white noise machine.”
He chuckled and made a few soft purrs before kissing her throat. “I’m sorry for upsetting you tonight.”
“I’m sorry for coming across as ungrateful,” she said. “I’m not. I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I can’t give you what you want when it comes to this. I just…”
Her voice hitched, and Boone purred louder, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her stomach. “Shh, baby. It’s okay. Don’t cry.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Truly, Boone.”
“I understand,” he said.
“Do you?” she asked.
“No,” he said. The bluntness of his tone made her giggle a little, and he purred again to her.
“I’d feel a lot better if you’d let me assign someone to keep an eye on you when you leave the house.”
“I can’t afford a personal security detail,” she said.
“I’ll cover the cost.”
“Boone, that’s not -”
He nipped her neck gently. “Compromise with me, please, Hedra.”
“This compromise is costing you a lot of money,” she said.
He nuzzled her neck but didn’t say anything. She sighed. “Even if I say no to this, you’ll still do it, won’t you?”
“Yes,” he said. “I’ve already spoken to Cooper about it, and he’s agreed to assign Max to you.”
“But only when I leave the house, right?” she said.
“Yes. For now. Unless he escalates again, and then we’ll reassess,” Boone said. He cupped her cheek and turned her face toward his, placing a soft kiss against her mouth. “You’ve had a long day, little lamb. Time to get some sleep.”
She nodded and snuggled into him. “Good night, Boone.”
“Good night, Hedra.”
CHAPTER 16
Hedra put the last of her clean clothes from the laundry basket into the dresser and grabbed the lip balm on top of her nightstand. She swiped some on her lips as she stared at her unmade bed.
She’d spent the entire night tucked up against Boone’s body, and despite her usual preference to have personal space while she slept, she’d probably gotten the best damn sleep of her life last night. His warm body curled around hers had comforted rather than annoyed. Even in his human form, Boone purred in his sleep, and just like with his tiger, it was the perfect white noise for her.
She looked away from her bed. Boone was already in the shower when she’d woken up this morning, and she’d told herself repeatedly that it was for the best. She might not have been in the mood for sex last night, but today? Today was an entirely different story.
Her urge to bang Boone like a screen door was at an all-time high. Hedra knew the minute she and Boone were alone tonight, she’d pounce on him like an overexcited kitten. Which, depending on who you asked, was a real problem.
There’s no problem.
Of course inner Hedra wouldn’t see an issue with it. She was a horny little tart.
But sensible Hedra knew what a mistake it was to sleep with her employer. She’d dated one of the ER doctors at the hospital, and while he wasn’t her direct boss, it had made things supremely awkward between them when he’d dumped her after a few months. He’d been uncomfortable around her to the point where it had affected his ability to do his job. Hedra had a feeling he would have gone to the higher uppers and asked for her to be transferred out of the ER if he hadn’t gotten an opportunity to work at a hospital overseas.
She’d thought she’d learned her lesson about keeping her work and personal life separate, but here she was, lusting after her boss. And if things got awkward afterwards, how fucking horrible would that be?
Why are you assuming it would be awkward? You like Boone, and he likes you. Why can’t you date?
She headed down the hallway. She could hear Boone and Althea talking in the kitchen, and the delicious smell of roast beef drifted into the hallway. She’d accepted Boone’s invitation to join them for dinner again. She liked spending time with them. Liked feeling as if she was a part of their family.
The doorbell rang, and she hollered, “I’ll get it,” and walked past the kitchen to the front door.
She checked the peephole and made a soft sound of surprise before yanking open the door. “Anthony, what -”
Her brother growled happily and slammed into her with the enthusiasm of a football player. She squealed loudly when he picked her up like she was a sack of flour and squeezed her so hard her back cracked.
“Can’t breathe,” she gasped out.
Anthony laughed and dropped her to her feet before putting her in a headlock and giving her a noogie. “You miss me, butthead?”
“Let me go, you ass!” She slapped at his flat abdomen.
“Christ, you stink,” Anthony said, giving her a sniff. “When did you start dating a tiger?”
Both of them froze when they heard the low growling behind them.
Anthony released her, and she straightened, spinning around to stare at the large tiger in the hallway outside the kitchen. He was crouched to attack, his tail flicking back and forth, his jade eyes arrowed in on Hedra’s brother.
“That’s one pissed off kitty cat,” Anthony said.
Boone roared with anger, and Hedra stepped in front of Anthony. “Boone, stop. He’s my brother.”
The tiger tilted his head, looking past her and growling deep in his throat. She looked over her shoulder at Jack and Everett standing in the doorway before turning back to Boone. “They’re all my brothers.”
She walked toward him, rubbing his big head when he purred and rubbed against her, pushing her into the wall and marking her stomach with a couple of swipes of his face before he stared at her brothers again.
“Shift back, Boone,” she said.
He shifted to his human form as Hedra’s sister pushed past their brothers. “Hedra, are you so surprised to - oh… hello, naked man.”
She gave Boone’s body an appreciative look before purring softly. Hedra rolled her eyes and stepped in front of Boone, blocking his body from her sister’s view. “Keep it in your pants, Nora.”
“I’ll be right back,” Boone said.
He headed toward his bedroom, and Nora glanced around Hedra at his naked ass before grabbing Hedra in a tight hug. “Hi, honey.”
“Hi, love.” Hedra hugged her hard before hugging Jack and then Everett.
Her oldest brother, Everett, studied her before pressing a kiss against her forehead. “You look tired.”
“No, I don’t,” she said.
“How long have you been dating your boss?” Jack sniffed her, his nose wrinkling.
“Why are you dating your boss?” Everett asked.
“Do you not remember what happened when you dated the doc?” Anthony asked.
Nora rolled her eyes before growling at her brothers. “Leave Hedra alone. She’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions.”
“Thank you, Nora,” Hedra said.
“You’re welcome. But why are you dating your boss?” Nora asked.
Before Hedra could reply, Althea shuffled out of the kitchen, cane in one hand, Boone’s ruined clothes in the other, and Alfie at her feet. She studied Hedra’s family. “Four cheetahs in the house… ugh.”
Hedra bit back her grin as Anthony joined Althea and gave her his most charming smile. “Well, hello, beautiful. I’m Anthony Miller.”
Althea rolled her eyes. “I’m Althea Jameson, and your charm won’t work on me.”
“Are you sure?” Anthony said with another grin. “I can be very charming.”
To Hedra’s surprise, a rare smile crossed Althea’s face. “In my youth, I would have taken you for a ride you’d never forget.”
“Mrs. Jameson, you’re making me blush,” Anthony said.
“Althea, these are my siblings. You’ve met Anthony, and this is Nora, Jack, and Everett.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Jameson,” Nora said politely.
“Ayuh,” Althea said. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a call to make.”
She thumped her way down the hallway. Alfie lingered near the kitchen doorway and growled at Nora when she bent to pet him. She growled back, and he made a soft yelp before hurrying after Althea.
Nora giggled and put her arm around Hedra’s shoulders. “Honey, are you so surprised?”
“I am,” Hedra said. “Why are you here?”
“Uh, it’s your birthday, butthead?” Anthony said.
“It’s your birthday today?” Boone had returned and stared at Hedra with what looked like hurt crossing his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s not today,” she said. “It’s tomorrow.”
Feeling weirdly nervous, she said, “Boone, these are my siblings. Jack, Everett, Anthony, Nora, this is… Boone.”
“Nice to meet you.” Boone shook Jack and Everett’s hands before shaking Anthony’s. “Sorry about earlier.”
“No problem,” Anthony said, giving Boone’s hand a firm shake.
Boone smiled at Nora and shook her hand. “Hi, Nora.”
“Hey. You’re so handsome. How long have you and my sister been dating?” Nora asked.
“Nora,” Hedra said sharply. “Enough.”
“What?” she said innocently.
Hedra turned to Everett. “Why are you here?”
“We came for your birthday,” Everett said. “We’re throwing you an impromptu birthday party.”
“You’re what?” Hedra said.
“It was Chase’s idea,” Jack said. “He’s invited a bunch of your friends here, and he knows some celebrity who said we could use her grandmother’s mansion for the party.”
Hedra blinked at him. “Are you talking about Ryan Shepherd?”
Jack shrugged. “Maybe. I can’t remember. The party is tomorrow night - surprise! - but we got in tonight and decided to do our family birthday dinner. Get your shoes on.”
“Oh, I, uh, I told Boone I would have dinner with him and Althea tonight,” Hedra said with a quick look at Boone.
He shook his head. “It’s fine. Enjoy your family dinner.”
Hedra hesitated, and Nora hooked her arm around Hedra’s. “Girl, seriously? We took time off work and drove all the way here to see you. You can’t ditch on family birthday dinner. It’s a tradition, even if Mom and Dad can’t be at this one.”
“I know.” With another glance at Boone, Hedra said, “Give me five minutes, and I’ll be ready to go.”
“This Italian place isn’t half-bad.” Jack ate another bite of spaghetti before wiping his mouth. “It’s no Bella Italia, but Henry would love this place.”
“How is Henry?” Hedra asked. “Is he still training for the decathlon?”
"He is,” Jack said. “It’s going well. He said to say sorry for missing your birthday, but he has a huge work deadline tomorrow he can’t miss.”
Everett poured Hedra a little more wine. “Sara wanted to be here as well, but her morning sickness has been awful and traveling in the car makes it worse.”
“Poor Sara,” Hedra said. “Oh, hey, Mom Facetimed me the other day and showed me the outfits she’d bought for the baby. You didn’t tell me you were having a girl.”
Nora laughed. “Because Everett and Skylar don’t know if they’re having a girl or a boy. Mom is buying an equal amount of outfits for both a boy and a girl.”
Hedra sipped at her wine. “That’s so Mom.”
“Isn’t it?” Nora poked Anthony. “Pass me your garlic bread if you’re not going to eat it.”
He handed her his garlic bread, and she bit into it as Anthony said, “So, are we going to talk about the fact that you’re dating your boss or just keep pretending you don’t stink so bad of tiger that my eyes are watering.”
“We’re not dating,” Hedra said.
“He’s marking you,” Everett said.
“Um, he can mark her without dating her,” Nora said. “It’s called no commitment sex.”
“Ew,” Everett said.
“Just because you’ve been with Skylar since high school doesn’t mean your siblings don’t enjoy banging a variety of shifters,” Nora said. “Don’t be so judgmental, Ev.”
“I’m not being judgmental,” Everett said. “I’m grossed out by the thought of any of my siblings having sex. Especially when I’m eating.”
“We’re not having sex,” Hedra said.
“Bullshit,” Jack said cheerfully. “He was gonna disembowel Anthony just for touching you. No guy is that possessive about a woman without getting some vaginal sex from her.”
Anthony laughed so hard he spit wine all over his plate of pasta.
“Jesus, Jack,” Everett said. “We’re in a restaurant.”
“Vaginal sex?” Nora rolled her eyes. “Dude, I get that you’re gay, and va-jay-jay’s gross you out, but just say pussy like the rest of us.”
“Nora,” Everett ground out before smiling at their server who had joined them.
Her face bright red, she said, “How is everything tasting?”
“Delicious, thanks,” Everett said.
Still blushing, she left as Anthony said, “So, Hedra? Is what Jack says true - are you giving your boss vaginal sex?”
Everett sighed loudly. “Fuck, this is gonna be a thing now, isn’t it?”
“What?” Anthony said innocently. “You don’t like talking about vaginal sex, big brother?”
“I, for one, enjoy vaginal sex,” Nora said.
“The next person who says vaginal sex is getting their ass kicked,” Everett said.
Hedra couldn’t help but laugh. Her siblings drove her crazy, but she loved them intensely and couldn’t imagine her life without them.
“But seriously, honey, you’re not even having sex with that delicious drink of water?” Nora asked. “Because if not, you have so much more willpower than me. Boone is gorgeous.”
“We’re not,” Hedra said. It wasn’t exactly a lie. Pussy eating and one single thrust of Boone’s magnificent cock wasn’t considered sex.
“Then why is he marking you?” Jack asked.
“He has an ex-girlfriend who works for one of his clients, and she’s been… enthusiastic about trying to rekindle their romance. Boone told her he had a girlfriend. She invited his girlfriend to a party Boone had to attend, and Boone asked me to pretend to be the girlfriend.”
“Oh my God, it’s a fake dating romance story!” Nora squealed excitedly. “I’m reading one of those right now.”
Hedra laughed as Everett frowned. “So, this Boone guy is too much of a coward to be straight with a woman?”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Hedra said. “Just believe me when I say that this was the best choice Boone could have made. He is about as far from a coward as a person can get.”
“Again, considering he was about to turn Anthony into Swiss cheese just for touching you, I don’t think any of us actually believe he might be a coward,” Jack said.
“Boone is a great guy,” Hedra said.
Nora studied her. “Ooh, you like him.”
“Sure. He’s a good boss and -”
“Don’t even, Heds,” Nora said. “You like like him. You want to be his real girlfriend.” She made kissy faces until Hedra punched her in the arm.
Nora rubbed her arm and said, “Don’t try to deny it. You can’t hide anything from us.”
Hedra didn’t reply, and Everett cocked his head, staring intently at her. “Is there something we should know, Hedra?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you do look tired and,” he sniffed in her direction, “under the overpowering scent of tiger, I can smell your anxiety.”
She made herself smile at Everett. “I’m perfectly fine.”
Everett glanced at Jack, that familiar look passing between them. Hedra sighed. “Stop doing that silent communication thing the two of you do. I’m only anxious because Boone’s grandmother is doing better, which is great, but it also means I need to start looking for another job and a place to live. It’s stressing me out a bit.”
“You could move back to Rosehaven,” Jack said.
“No,” she said. “You know I can’t.”
Her voice gentle, Nora said, “He doesn’t live there anymore, honey.”
“And even if he did, he wouldn’t contact you again or say shit about you,” Everett said. His pupils turned to slits briefly before rounding out again. “We made sure of that.”
