Rye made it downstairs right then, a phone in hand, smoothly speaking about the stock exchange or something equally boring. His cold blue eyes twinkled as he took in his mate, and a lazy smile settled on his lips. He bent to touch her extended tummy with one hand, and pressed his lips on her shoulder. Clari felt almost voyeuristic, but couldn’t avert her eyes because that was so damn cute she wanted to bottle it.

“Coffee?” she mouthed, desperate for something to do.

The Alpha male smiled at her gratefully, acquiescing, and Ace glared. Coffee was one of the many life necessities she’d had to forgo for the good of her unborn baby.

“Decaf vanilla latte,” Ace growled, visibly resenting each word.

She walked out of the entryway and into the open plan lounge, where most of the Pride members normally gathered in their down time. Right now, there only was Ian on the sofa, which meant Coveney was probably patrolling, and as the rest of house seemed quiet, someone had taken the kids out - Ola, or Jas.

“Hey, Ian. Coffee?”

“Please.”

Their kitchen had the very latest tech, producing the very best drinks in town. Which, come to think of it, may be another reason why she was here so damn often.

Rubbing her hands together like the average cartoon villain, she got the coffee maker started and prepared four cups.

“Hello, Beastie,” she greeted the lynx who’d strolled in the kitchen area and come to rub against her leg.

Beastie didn’t acknowledge the presence of any of the shifters except Ace, but he tolerated Niamh and Clari when he wanted food or a scratch. She got a pouch of wet food out and served His Furry Highness at her feet. The animal consented to eat without clawing her tights first, this time.

Beastie and their coffee maker were just a couple of the many things that make Clari love hanging out at the Pride House.

“You still need to explain why your coffee is so much better than when anyone else makes it,” Ian called from the lounge.

And there was also that; the fact that most of them liked to make her feel welcome.

“Secret,” she lied.

Her reason wasn’t exactly glamorous. She’d worked as a barista during her four years away at college; her family had always been very generous with their wallets, but Clari hated asking for money. It had helped pay for anything extracurricular, like her impressive collection of shoes currently collecting dust in her cupboard. Lakesides wasn’t exactly the sort of place where one wore Louboutin.

In all honesty, she wasn’t one hundred percent sure why she’d come back to her home town. Or rather, she’d known why she’d come back – but it had been meant to be a quick visit. The reason why she stayed was a mystery, though. She’d left as quickly as she could, and she’d loved it in the city, but here she was. She’d told herself it was temporary at first – a break until she knew where she wanted to land for good, but that became more of a lie every day. She felt comfortable here.

And it might have something to do with the pride of young feline shifters who made it feel like a fun version of home.

“Where’s everyone?”

“Water park. The lucky buggers managed to rope Jas and Christine into taking them, so Ace and Rye said they could go.”

Ian sounded grumpy, and she guessed it was because he’d been left behind; unlike their domestic counterparts, most big cats loved water, and well, anyone living in Lakesides in the summer could appreciate the benefits of an afternoon playing in a pool.

“Well, more Bakewell tart for you, then.”

That seemed to cheer him up; he got up, looked in the box she carried and gave her a goofy smile as he piled three pieces in one of his hands.

“You’re a beautiful creature, Clarissa,” he told her, pointing right to her face, before stuffing a tart in his mouth.

Men and their stomachs.

She was rolling her eyes when she caught something at the corner of her eyes, and stiffened.

Daunte had put a shirt back on, although his hair was still wet and undulating a little like Superman’s. He stood close to the door and glared like it was going out of fashion.

Any other day, she would just have pretended to ignore him, or glared right back, but something Ace had said made her want to push him. Cats circling each other, waiting to pounce? That seemed accurate enough. And she had every intention of being the one on top.

“Coffee?”