Chapter Three
The alarm blaring through the room had Aeslyn groping in the dark for the offending noise. She pictured herself taking a hammer to the alarm clock, getting a little satisfaction that it would be in a million pieces and unable to disturb her again.
She blinked slowly trying to clear her vision. She had been having an orgasmic dream about the military man and was disappointed to be interrupted before their climax. The fact that he hadn’t left her thoughts since the moment she laid eyes on him was somewhat disturbing, distraction is what gets people killed.
It had been a few months since she slept with someone and she had a high libido, maybe it was simply a matter of being sexually needy and not something more. Not that she would mind his fine ass being her mate but she wasn’t sure she was ready to be a mom right away.
With a huff of frustration at getting up with the sun, she showered quickly and drove to Sebastian’s house. She didn’t know his schedule so she needed to be ready to follow him if he left the house.
Sebastian living on a quiet street had its pros and cons for Aeslyn. On the one hand, there was very little traffic so seeing a threat should be easy. On the other hand, she didn’t know how long she would be able to sit outside his house before someone became suspicious.
As she took the last bite of her donut the front door opened, a tingle went down her spine. Sebastian had a duffle bag slung behind his back and a boy on each hip. Domestication never looked so sexy before, the ropes of muscle in his forearms and calves had her biting her lower lip. For a human, he was well built. Images of their lovemaking from her dream popped into her head. With a growl, she shook her head to clear her mind, even if he was her mate like she was starting to believe she still had to focus on their safety first.
She stayed back as he pulled out and turned the corner. A short drive later she followed him into a parking lot. On the other side of the fence, water was spraying in the air. Kids were running through the spray park; their innocent laughter made her smile.
She watched Sebastian unload the boys and go inside. Lucky for her the picnic bench closest to her was empty. He stood each boy on the seat and sprayed them down with sunscreen. She could feel her heartbeat speed up as he took his shirt off. His bathing suit rode low on his hips, the v lines on his stomach disappeared into his shorts. She suddenly understood exactly why people loved living in Florida so much. With the weather always warm people were half naked more often than bundled up.
For the next hour, they played hard, Sebastian never running out of energy chasing the boys. Her biological clock that she didn’t even think she had was suddenly pulsing through her body. She’d seen plenty of kids before, she had to assume the overwhelming feeling of desire to be with the whole family had to do with him being her potential mate. She wasn’t ready yet to say he was her mate, she wasn’t sure she could handle the disappointment if he wasn’t.
A movement in the trees to the right of the park caught her attention. A shadow was standing alone watching the families too. Her senses went on full alert, he could be there for Sebastian, or he could be a pervert.
The need to protect everyone inside the park was overwhelming. As unassuming as possible she got out and circled the park. She didn’t want to spook the shadow or the families.
By the time she made it around, the watcher was gone. Frustration coursed through her, she didn’t want to risk shifting and being seen so she sniffed around the best she could and hoped it was enough to track the person. She chuckled imagining the mayhem that would ensue if someone glanced over and saw a Liger standing in the trees.
She didn’t know what would shock them more, seeing a large cat or that she was different, not really a lion or a tiger. People tended to fear what they didn’t understand but she didn’t let it bother her. She came to terms a long time ago with her uniqueness, she was a liger. Her father was a lion and her mother was a tiger. They were the Romeo and Juliet of their time, neither pack wanted them together because their offspring would be a mix like she was. It took time but eventually, both packs accepted her, they couldn’t refute the love that was obvious between her parents.
She circled back the way she came and got in her car unnoticed by anyone. A few minutes later both boys were yawning and struggling to stay awake. She watched as Sebastian dried them off and changed them. She couldn't imagine how he was doing it all on his own. She imagined being a single parent was hard enough let alone having twins.
She followed him back to his house and watched him staring in at the boys fast asleep in the backseat. It was obvious he was unsure how to get them both in at the same time. Against her better judgment, she jumped out and started walking casually down the street.
Butterflies tingled in her belly as she got closer to his driveway, she could smell his scent and it had her animal clawing to get out. “Excuse me,” she couldn’t help but pause when their eyes met, how is it fair he was even more beautiful up close. “I, um, uh, my cat got out, I was wondering if you saw him? He’s all white and fluffy.” She was eager to hear if his voice was as sexy as he was.
“I’m sorry, I just got home but I haven’t seen any cats in the area. The trees are thick behind my house, if you want to look back there you can go around.” He smiled sweetly then turned back to his dilemma.
“It looks like you could use some help too. I can stand here while you take one in then come back for the other?” She could see the indecision in his eyes, she was a stranger after all. “You can hold my cell phone while you go, I would never leave that behind.” She gave him the most reassuring smile she could. Now that she was so close to him her animal was sure he was her mate and it wanted to play. She struggled to look sweet and innocent while her hormones were running rampant.
He gave her a guilty smile, “I don’t need your phone but I appreciate the assistance. It will only take me a minute to put him in his bed and come back.” He grabbed the first boy and rushed into the house, even if he did seem guilty for not trusting her he obviously didn’t if his speed were any indication.
“Thank you again, you can head back and look for your cat. If you are still out there when I get everyone settled I’ll come help.” He slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and carried the other boy inside.
Her excuse about the cat was actually perfect, now she had a reason to scope the perimeter of the house. The house and lawn were tidy and well taken care of, she shouldn’t be surprised, the military probably trained them to be perfectionists.
She went around back and whistled, he wasn’t kidding about thick trees. Someone could be standing just inside the tree line and she isn’t sure they would be seen. She walked around making it look like she was searching for her cat but she was really checking out the doors and windows.
The back door swung open, Sebastian strolled out with a baby monitor in hand. “Thank you again for your help, I hate when they both fall asleep in the car. I tried keeping them awake but no matter how bad my singing was they still passed out.” He set the monitor on the patio table and joined her near the trees. “My name is Sebastian if your cat is around here I assume that means you are a neighbor?”
Aeslyn reached out and grasped his outstretched hand. The warmth of his skin heated her down to her toes, she couldn’t hide the slight shiver that ran down her back. She had no doubt now this was her mate. It would have been so much easier if he were a shifter too, if he were they could acknowledge it and get their freak on but being a human, he would think she was throwing herself at him, a virtual stranger.
She cleared her throat, “I’m Aeslyn, I moved to the area a couple of weeks ago. I live one street over.” She pointed over his shoulder nonchalantly.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” she was disappointed to break contact with him as he pulled his hand back. “So, what’s your cat’s name?”
For a brief second, she stared at him blankly, she hadn’t thought the lie all the way through. “His name is Ash.”
She felt guilty as Sebastian turned towards the woods and started calling Ash’s name, if only he knew the real cat named Ash is a six-foot four behemoth. She chuckled at the idea of Sebastian finding the other man sitting in a tree in his backyard.
She followed the kissy sounds Sebastian was making inside the woods. She had to stop this, he would be so humiliated to know it was all a lie. She grabbed her phone out of her back pocket and gave an excited gasp at the blank screen. “One of my neighbors found him, she’s holding him for me.” Sebastian walked out smiling. “Thank you so much for helping me look, sorry to bother you when he wasn’t even here.”
“No worries, I’m glad he’s safe.” He came out of the tree line brushing his knees off, he really had gone above and beyond to help her.
“Thank you again for looking for my pussy...” His head snapped up, surprised by her words, “cat.” She knew her intentional pause would get a reaction, her animal wanted to play dirty, she would have to focus hard if she didn’t want to scare him off. “I’m so glad he’s safe, I can’t help it, I love to hear a kitty purr.” So much for restraint.
Sebastian’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times, she could see the shock in his eyes but she could also smell the desire that coursed through him.
“Well, I guess I’ll get out of your way now. Thanks again for helping.” She knew she had him intrigued, she gave her sauciest smile before turning and walking away. As hoped he called her back.
“Aeslyn, wait,” She spun back innocently, trying not to be obvious she was excited. “I know you are new to the area and I’m sure you have a lot of friends but if you’d like to meet some other locals I am hanging out with a group of friends tonight?” He dug his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, he was adorable when he was nervous. She couldn’t hide the indecision on her face though, it was bad enough she broke her own rules by talking to him right now, hanging out with him would be even worse. “There will be guys and girls there and it’s a public place, I promise I’m not a creep.”
She smiled at the dimples that popped up with his smile. She didn’t know why she needed to think about it, he was her mate and she needed to help him realize it before need and desire overtook her higher senses.
“That sounds like fun, what time should I pick you up?” She could see the surprise in his eyes turn to intrigue. Clearly, he wasn’t used to women taking the lead.
“Okay, I’ll go out with you but I warn you now I don’t put out on the first date.” His deep, sexy laugh sent shivers all the way down to her toes. “My mother will be here at seven to babysit.”
“Seven it is, see you tonight.” She gave a small wave before turning and trying to walk away as nonchalantly as possible. The excitement tingling in her belly was mildly tamped down thinking what Ash would say about her getting too close to her mark. She shrugged off her worries, she had a hot date tonight, the first one in a while and besides what better way to keep an eye on him than being underneath him.