Page 2 of Enforcer’s Little Warrior (Little Paws Haven #3)

Bash

Not everything is a threat.

Not everything is a threat.

His heart still hammered in his ears as he turned and headed back up the hall to do as Romy asked, humiliation flooding him as he realized how clumsy and inept he must have appeared, charging down the hall that way.

He was the wrong rhino for this assignment, and yet, this was his mate, so who else could he expect to take it on?

Fucking hell, they’d taught him to access the threat and then react, not pull his gun and go stomping through the house looking to shoot the first thing that moved. He needed to get it together.

They needed him to keep it together and not add more trauma to the upset the baby rhinos had already suffered.

As carefully as he could, he loaded the food for the little ones and Romy onto a tray and carried it back into the room where Romy was still cuddling the pair, who’d settled down considerably. Of course, the moment he sat down and placed the tray on the rug between them, the pair caught a whiff of their lunch and clamored out of Romy’s arms, causing a mini stampede as they rushed for it.

He managed to move Romy’s bowl out of the way before the thundering little ones got their snouts into theirs, a little side nudging and snorting ensuing as they tucked into their meal.

“I’m sorry I upset them,” Bash said as he passed Romy a bowl of the vegetable stir-fry he’d made, super diced, so the little ones wouldn’t choke on any of the pieces. He’d made sure it was balanced too, not too much of any one vegetable, so they’d get all the vitamins they needed, just the way Sasha, his friend, had shown him on the video when she’d explained to him how to make it.

Of course she’d been snickering too, getting a good laugh at the badass rhino enforcer with a leather apron around his waist, poised with a cleaver like he’d been able to stab someone as he’d squared off with the cutting board full of vegetables.

“Do not hack at them like you’re dismembering a body,” she instructed. “Chop evenly, and slow down before you take off a finger.”

He’d managed to keep his digits intact, though he had nicked his hide a time or two. Thankfully, it was thick and used to being abused, so he’d healed instantly. His pride, however, might take a while to recover from the mess he was constantly making of things.

“I’m a poor choice for this,” Bash admitted, making a conscientious effort to keep his booming voice low and his eyes everywhere but on his mate. “I know next to nothing about little ones and have even less experience spending time with them. If you’d like, I can try to find you someone better to help from among the crash. Maybe someone who isn’t going to startle them every other time they’re in the same room.”

“Or you could slow down, sit with us, and practice instead of pacing around the living room,” Romy suggested, this time with an element of patience that gave Bash’s heart a little nudge against his ribs.

“How’d you know that’s what I was doing?”

Romy just raised an eyebrow at him. “Um, hello, you do not exactly tread softly. If these floors weren’t retrofitted for rhino hooves, you’d have been rattling the windows with how hard you tread.”

“Shit, sorry, I…” Bash stammered, feeling his cheeks heat. “I’d better go clean up the kitchen.”

He fled back to the kitchen before it dawned on him that he was probably making as much of a commotion doing that as he had when he’d sprinted into the room thinking the trio was in danger.

Damnit all.

He rested his hands on the edge of the sink and hung his head. He took a few deep breaths and berated himself for his awkwardness and apparent lack of home training, which was likely making Romy wish the fates had sent anyone else to him as his mate.

Bash wasn’t even mate material.

How many enforcers did he know that were mated?

In a word, none.

Everyone knew you couldn’t be both. You couldn’t divide your loyalty and focus between the crash and an individual rhino, or family of them, in this case. There was always the risk of choosing wrong in a chaos situation. Head or heart. Biggest threat. When shit hit the fan, Bash already knew which way he’d turn.

Straight to Romy and those little ones, even if he was the worst thing for them. It made his heart shudder in his chest at choosing any other option.

If only they’d gotten the blessing of a third mate. One who knew what the hell they were doing on the domestic side of things. Then maybe he wouldn’t feel so useless.

Okay, who did he think he was fooling… someone else touching Romy… no way. As for the rest, he was positive he’d still feel this way. But he supposed if Romy had someone else, they’d make up for his ineptitude.

His shoulders drooped. Get it together, dammit!

Do what I can and clean up the mess I made.

With his inner voice hollering at him, he cleaned up the vegetable scraps and wiped down the counter, rinsed out the sink, then swept the floor to remove any scattered bits from his less than gentle chopping methods. It wasn’t a lot, but there was still enough to remind him to take it easier next time with the knife.

When his phone vibrated in his pocket, he welcomed the interruption, checking it to see that he’d gotten another text from Cosmo, who’d been checking in on the little rhinos repeatedly.

Hey, how’s everything going?

Bash typed a quick reply . I suck at this.

Don’t feel bad, so did I. The level of broken glass was epic.

Romy is amazing with them though. They are so lucky to have him.

You should let him teach you so you can be amazing with him and them, too.

Bash considered how Romy was with him and sighed. I doubt it will be that easy.

Since when do you do easy?

Okay, so Cosmo may have had a point there. They were both known for taking on some of the toughest assignments because they had a hard time trusting in others to get things done. Then it struck, he knew someone who was mated—Cosmo. He had been lucky enough to find mates he could share that burden with. Ones with the same level of dedication and attention to detail as he had. While Bash…

He stared at the phone and contemplated whether being all maudlin and grumpy wasn’t his problem. The two cats mated to Cosmo, Bash had watched, hadn’t had an easy ride with the little fireball that was Cosmo, but they never gave up.

He nodded to himself. He’d yet to figure out what kind of mate he had in Romy, but hiding would not change that.

Just think about it , Cosmo texted. I’ve gotta run. My playroom wall is calling to me.

And just like that, Bash remained alone with his thoughts again. He glanced at the doorway which lead to the trio of rhinos in the other room, waiting for him to get his head out of his ass.

Maybe it was time to change tactics.

Romy

Romy stood just behind the edge of the curtain, staring out the window at Bash. Sunlight glinted off Bash’s dark silver speckled hair. His bare upper torso had a coat of sweat as he swung the spade, throwing the big clumps of dirt into a large wheelbarrow. The hole he was digging in the front garden was massive after the hours he’d been at it.

He stopped now and swiped the back of his hand over his face, his bicep bulging and giving Romy a nice little buzz in his belly. The expanse of chest and back was a sight to behold. Clothed, it was impressive. Unclothed, it was a minor miracle. Romy blew out a hefty breath, feeling much hotter than he had a minute ago.

What was he doing?

Since Bash’s mad dash into the room the day before, something about the rhino had changed. What and why, Romy couldn’t quite fathom.

First off, he’d been quieter, that Romy got, he supposed it was to do with the conversation they’d had. He’d also spent a lot more time in the same room as Romy and the babies, not something he’d expected. So much so, that the youngest rhino had eventually, last evening, gone over to investigate Bash, finally they’d nudged their way under Bash’s arm to snuggle in and fall asleep.

The huge ass smile Bash had given the rhino and then him made it really hard not to go and join them and create a snuggle pile.

Romy rubbed a hand over his hot cheek, his eyes roaming over all the bare flesh on show and snuggling was the last thing on his mind. It had been some time since anyone had touched him. When his world had gotten turned upside down by the council, it left him with too many trust issues to get close to others, though he had tried.

Shoving aside the past was getting harder when he’d had no time to be Little, to have some time to sink away and be free. It felt selfish to think about it when he got the trauma the two little ones must have gone through. They both needed Romy, and his own needs weren’t a priority. He was used to it. The important thing was keeping both rhinos safe until they discovered where and who they belonged to.

Bash had explained last night they were none the wiser about how they’d found their way to Cookietown. How they had learned the exact spot where everyone had gathered—to discuss what the next steps were after everyone heard about the evidence in the owl's eyes, that revealed just what the council was up to—remained a mystery.

They had more questions than answers about the two babies and Romy felt Bash’s frustration at every hour that passed and still they’d found no answers.

A sound coming from the nursery had Romy glancing back over his shoulder, listening out. He’d left the two rhinos sleeping. When he heard nothing, he returned his attention to the window, only to meet Bash’s gaze.

A slow smile spread over his mate's face and Romy’s chest expanded as he sucked in a breath to calm his pulse, that hammered hard enough it almost knocked him into the window.

Bash lifted a dirty hand in a beckoning motion, then pointed at the hole.

Romy hesitated, then went to the front door, going out into the sunshine. The house they were staying in was separate from others. Its position meant no one overlooked the place, but the openness at the front meant they could see a threat coming. The rear had protection from a fully enclosed twenty-foot wall that surrounded the big back garden.

“What you doin’?” Romy enquired, walking to where Bash was now leaning on the spade.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he answered, his grin growing wider.

Romy stared at the hole. “Should you be digging up someone else's garden?”

“I… it’s like this… I checked with Constance… the house… I bought it… you know… like as a place… for our family … a family,” he stuttered, blushed and wiped at his sweaty face no less than four times.

Dirt streaked his forehead and brow, and he looked anywhere but Romy as he processed the stuttered information. “You bought the house for us?” His pulse fluttered at the fact this man had bought a house— for them .

“I did…” he frowned. “That’s alright… isn’t it?”

The color disappeared from his cheeks and the stark contrast of pale skin and streaked dirt made it obvious.

Jeez, he’s a sweetheart.