Page 47 of Covert Affections (Shadow Agents/PSI-Ops #5)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Lindy

“I’m no animal expert but you don’t seem, well, like a normal mountain lion.

Then again, I’ve never met one before you,” Lindy said softly, trying but failing to get free from Fluffy’s tail.

The appendage was wrapped around her thighs like a warm, fuzzy belt with a hell of a grip.

It was surprisingly gentle yet unyielding.

They were at something of a standstill on her stone covered driveway, the rain still beating down on them. Fat droplets pelted the ground, scattering against the gravel. The house was so close yet seemed to be a million miles away with all the progress she was currently making with Fluffy.

Thunder rolled overhead, and Lindy shivered. Goosebumps raised along her arms as cold drops of water fell from her long, wet hair.

Fluffy chose that moment to release his tail from her thighs. The sudden absence of his warm grip left her shivering even more.

Lindy used the moment of freedom to close the back hatch of her car.

She turned toward the house, her boots squishing in the puddle of water beneath her feet.

Colorado had gone from having drought like conditions to a wetland in a day.

At the rate the water was coming, areas had to already be flooded.

The temperature had dropped with the arrival of the storms, and darkness wasn’t helping matters any.

Getting her keys from her pocket proved challenging with how badly her hands were shaking. The combination of using her newfound healing ability and looking like a drowned rat left her trembling. She nearly dropped her keys twice before managing to get them in a solid grip.

Fluffy watched her fumbling attempts with what resembled concern. His green gaze tracked her movements intently, his ears perking, his tail wagging. The rain beaded up on his fur coat adding to the majestic image he presented.

Fluffy was definitely not like other cats. There was an intelligence in his gaze that went far beyond the norm. He reminded her greatly of Robert while he was in wolf form. That certain level of intelligence that was extra.

Robert would lose his mind if he found out what she’d done.

That she’d not only approached an injured wild animal but somehow managed to heal it before loading it into her car and bringing it home with her.

At the rate she was going, she’d have Fluffy in a hand-knit sweater and be in the drive-thru line at Starbucks putting in an order for a pup cup with her latte.

Fluffy eased closer and nudged her lightly, still looking concerned.

“I’m fine,” she said even though she wasn’t sure she actually believed that. She was far colder than she should be, and she couldn’t remember a time she’d ever been this tired or drained. “Okay, probably fine.”

She went for the front porch, and Fluffy stayed close enough that his fur brushed against her leg.

Any fear she had of him ebbed away, and she found herself reaching down with her free hand to stroke his back as they took the stairs two at a time.

When they reached the front door, it took Lindy three tries to get the key in the lock, her hands were shaking that much.

The lock finally gave way with a grinding sound that made her cringe.

She really needed to get that fixed before it seized up completely like the back door lock had years ago.

Maybe she should give in and let Robert take a look at it.

He’d done a great job on the back door and the window locks last night.

She had to kick the bottom of the door to get it to open.

When it did, she stepped inside and fumbled for the light switch, praying the power was still on despite the storm.

Warm light flooded the entry, and she turned to Fluffy.

"Okay, big guy. I'm going to grab some blankets and make you a bed on the porch. You'll be dry and warm?—”

Fluffy shot inside before she could so much as blink. Before she could stop him, he was up and, on the sofa, lying there looking at her like he paid rent or something.

“Dude, that was so not the plan,” she said, unamused. She pointed toward the open door. “Porch. Now.”

Fluffy stretched out lazily on the sofa and yawned, ignoring her command.

Lindy huffed. “Bad kitty!”

Fluffy didn’t budge.

She grunted and pointed at him. “Fine, no pup cups for you and you can forget about getting a handknit sweater.”

An odd expression slid over the cat’s face. It reminded her a little of when Robert would make sexual innuendos.

“Dude, you’re giving off deviant cat vibes,” she said before laughing uneasily. “Guess that is better than murder vibes.”

Lindy closed the front door and locked it, shaking her head as she did.

“Great. I’m now mentally comparing a wild animal’s facial expressions to my ex-boyfriend’s.

Yes. No reason to panic or think I’ve lost my mind at all.

I only brought home a giant predator. I have the survival skills of a panda. ”

She gasped and twisted around fast to face Fluffy.

“Ohmygod, remind me to tell Charley that those stupid animal documentaries she always wanted to watch while we were in college together just paid off. Wait. Was it panda bears with crappy survival skills, or was it sloths? I can’t remember. Maybe it was both of them.”

Fluffy closed his eyes and was asleep in seconds.

“Wonderful, I just bored a mountain lion to the point of sleep.”

Lindy was exhausted too, but she was also freezing.

She walked by Fluffy on the sofa and then down the hallway to the bathroom.

She went straight for the bathtub and turned on the water, letting it get good and hot before she began the arduous task of trying to get off her wet boots, socks, and jeans.

Four near falls to the side later, after hopping on one foot and yanking with all her might, she was down to nothing more than her panties and bra—both of which were soaked through.

Steam filled the bathroom, and Lindy rejoiced in the warmth of it.

She glanced over her shoulder toward the living room and found Fluffy had moved on the sofa so that his head was now facing her direction.

And wasn’t sleeping. He was staring directly at her.

She couldn’t be sure but his gaze seemed hungry and she got the sense it wasn’t for food.

There was something about him that kept making her think of Robert and his wolfish, animal behaviors. She’d seen him shift into wolf form more than once and each time he did, he acted randy.

“Fluffy, I’m not sure how to tell you this, but you totally are a perv,” she said with a half-laugh before shutting off the water and putting her back to the open bathroom door.

She reached back and undid her bra. It made a wet slapping sound when it fell to the floor.

As Lindy went to slide her wet panties down, she paused, the weight of being watched coming over her.

With another glance over her shoulder, Lindy found Fluffy there, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, his approach silent.

“Fluffy-the-Pervy-Kitty,” she said with a roll of her eyes and a partial laugh, unsure when it was that she’d become comfortable with the idea of hanging out with a dangerous predator in her home.

Lindy stilled and laughed more the harder she thought about it all.

“Ohmygod, my ex-boyfriend totally prepared me for this—for you.”

She shot Fluffy another look.

He growled.

“I get you don’t understand what I’m saying but trust me when I tell you he’s the reason why I did something as stupid as help an injured animal like you and bring you home with me,” she said, removing her panties fully, her back still to Fluffy.

Lindy stepped into the large claw-foot tub and sank into the hot water, instantly feeling as it was giving her a giant warm hug.

She glanced over at Fluffy who hadn’t moved from the doorway.

“He’s a guy most of the time. But sometimes—he’s a huge wolf.

And when I say huge, I mean huge. Not like normal wolves. ”

Fluffy’s lips drew back, showing off his teeth. It didn’t look like a smile. The expression looked a bit too murderous for her liking.

She tensed.

Fluffy stopped showing his teeth and lowered his head, as if to make her feel more at ease with his presence.

Once she was fairly positive that he wasn’t going to leap on her and tear her throat out, she put her head back against the edge of the tub.

The water came to just above her breasts.

It was pure heaven and why she loved taking a nightly soak after work.

“You know, outside of my friend Teresa, I don’t talk about what Robert is and what he can do with anyone.

Humans wouldn’t understand. They’d fear him and probably try to dissect him or something.

I’m only telling you because it’s not like you can tell anyone else.

Shit. The goldfish totally tattled to Charley. ”

She sat up in the tub and her breasts lifted out of the water.

She stared over at Fluffy, lifting her hand to him without thinking too hard about it.

All she knew was that she wanted to touch the beautiful beast. “Do me a favor. If my bestie shows up at any point and you meet her, don’t tell her about the wolf-shifter thing.

She doesn’t know shifters are real and I don’t want to be the one to break it to her.

Knowing the truth about what’s really out there won’t help her sleep at night. Trust me, I know.”

Fluffy came toward her slowly, as if he was afraid of scaring her. He nudged her hand with his head and then licked her palm, his tongue like sandpaper.

She laughed. “Charley can talk to animals. That’s cool and weird. But not as weird as being able to turn into an animal.” Her gaze lowered as guilt consumed her. “She doesn’t know the whole truth about me either. I don’t know how to tell her. I’m a monster.”