Feral Escape (Catnip and Cauldrons 3)

Molly had a lot of pride. He'd told her in the beginning he didn't want a relationship. Before they'd been run off the road, she'd tried to warn him that she was falling for him. Had she only brushed him off because she thought he was giving her the brush-off? To avoid getting hurt? He could certainly relate to that.

Why did he always have to screw things up so bad?

“I take it you're up, brother?” Aspen's voice slid through the closed bedroom door.

Whoops, he'd momentarily forgotten about his houseguest. “Yeah, come in.”

The door swung open, Aspen leaned one shoulder against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Everything okay?”

No, everything was not okay. Everything was fucked, and Ivan wasn't sure how to fix it.

“This about the cat?” Aspen persisted.

“Yeah,” he admitted reluctantly. Ivan gave the ex-enforcer a brief rundown of the situation.

“Fuck, man you didn't have to come back with me. You shoulda stayed with your girl.”

“You stuck your neck out to help us, this is the least I can do.”

Aspen shook his head in a way that conveyed just how much of an idiot he thought Ivan was. “I appreciate it, but I could have found somewhere to hang out until you could get away. You shouldn't have left her after everything that went down yesterday.”

Shit.

“Where was this brilliant piece of advice yesterday?”

Aspen shrugged. “What am I—your relationship expert?”

“You going to be okay up here for a few days?”

Aspen hesitated.

“You got a girl stashed somewhere?” Ivan asked.

Aspen dropped his gaze to the floor. “Something like that.”

Unease pricked Ivan at his friend's reaction. “Is she safe? Not that I want to open this place up as a bed and breakfast, but you can bring her here if you need to.”

Keeping his gaze down, he only muttered, “It's complicated.”

“Huh. Why doesn't that excuse work when I use it?”

That finally got a reaction out of his friend. Aspen snapped his head up and laughed. He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out his keys. “Take my truck and go see Molly.”

He tossed the jangle of metal his way. Ivan plucked them out of the air to avoid getting whacked in the head with them. He turned the keys over in his hand studying the metal instead of looking at Aspen. Something about his friend's demeanor unnerved Ivan. He'd never known Aspen to have “complicated” feelings over a female before. Although he didn't want to leave his friend, his need to make things right with Molly won out.

“I've got a few things I need to take care of first,” he finally said raising his eyes to meet Aspen's.

Another solemn headshake. “Don't fuck this up man. She's a good girl. Unless you don't want her, then maybe I'll go back and see if she needs some cheering up.” Aspen finished the threat with a leer.

Ivan growled. All the concerns his friend's puzzling answers raised disappeared. The idea of Aspen or any other male putting their grubby paws on Molly flooded him with mindless, hot fury.

Molly hung the phone up clapping her hands in joy. For five dollars, she could have a copy of her college transcript faxed to Cole's office by this afternoon. Onyx drove her to campus to pick up the transcript and fill out paperwork. The admissions office was more than happy to accept her application. They'd even consider her for the fall term. She spent the morning working on her application in the library. In the afternoon, she headed to the nursing department for a tour. She found the building way on the opposite side of campus from Cole's office.

Through all the confusion and excitement one thing nagged at her no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. Ivan. At the end of the day, she flopped onto a bench outside the bookstore to review the list of forms she still needed to fill out. Housing. Financial Aid.

“Hey there, kitten.”

Startled, she raised her gaze to find Ivan standing over her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Mind if I sit down?”

She shoved over, not sure what surprised her more. His casual attitude or the fact that he was here.

“I'm sorry about the way we left things. We still have so much to talk about and—”

She rested her hands flat against the wooden slats of the bench, curling her fingers around the edge, and fought to keep her voice casual. “There's nothing to talk about, Ivan. I still want to be friends.”

“I don't want to be friends.”

Well, that silenced her. Waves of nausea bubbled up, and she battled to keep calm. Why the hell had he come back just to tell her he didn't even want her friendship? Her heart pounded so hard that she heard the roaring in her ears. As if sensing her distress, he turned and took her hand.

“I want to be more than friends. I just don't know how.”

Oh. Oh. Some of the tightness in her chest loosened. “Well hell, Ivan, I don't know anything about it either.”

“You deserve all the normal things a couple does. Date nights, dancing. I don't know if I'm right for that.”

Molly laughed. “Late night hunting trips in the rain?”

He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her into the shelter of his body, peering into her eyes. His warm, woodsy scent drifted over her, and she nuzzled against him.

He tipped her chin up to stare in her eyes. “I don't want to be in your way, Molly. You have such a bright future. You're going to do great things. I don't want to get in the way of any of that.”

“I know how much you hate shifter politics—”

He put a finger over her lips to silence her. “I've been running from that stuff for too long. I have to accept my dual nature and all the extra stuff that comes with it. Besides, if you're going to be in a position of power, you're going to need a damn good bodyguard.”

“Are you applying for the job?”

“Yup.”

She threw her arms up around his neck, pressing tight against his body, the papers in her hand falling to the ground. Deep rumbling laughter sounded against her ear. Ivan kissed her cheek, her nose, and finally her lips.

He pulled back, staring into her eyes. “I love you, Molly.”

Air. Oh, God, she needed air. She sucked in a deep breath, the blurted out, “I love you too.”

A growl tore out of his throat and he pulled her against him for another kiss. When they parted, he bent down to pick up her discarded applications. “Residential housing?” He regarded her with a raised eyebrow.

“I always had this dream of living on campus, going to parties, having a roommate that I got along with...” She trailed off realizing how trivial that all sounded compared to the other things she'd been through recently.

A deep purr rumbled out of him. “I always wanted to date a sexy sorority girl. Think you'll join one?”

She giggled “Maybe. How will we do this? You live so far away. You barely want a relationship as it is. Long distance is so hard.”

“Hey, look at me. I want everything with you. I worry I'm not good enough for you, though.”

“Because of Allison?”

He glanced down without answering her.

“You have to forgive yourself. It wasn't your fault.”

She watched his fists clench and unclench, his hands finally sliding over to cover hers. “I put my house on the market.”

“What?”

“I want to be wherever you are.” He paused and pinned her with a searching stare. “If you want me here.”

“Yes! That's perfect.” This was all too wonderful to be true, and Molly had the insane urge to pinch herself. Their eyes met and held. For a moment, neither of them seemed to breathe.

Some of the tension left his expression. “Cole told me campus security is in need of a night time guard, so I plan to apply. Will you be all right with me working here?” The corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smirk. “Or will I be smothering you?”

“Smother away.” She couldn’t imagine a better scenario. She’d take classes here, while Ivan did what he did best—keep people safe.

This was the man she wanted for the rest of her life.

She placed her hand on his leg and leaned in closer. He took the hint and brushed his lips against hers. Soft at first, then harder. She opened her mouth, welcoming him inside. His hand threaded into her hair, holding her still while he turned any remaining doubts to dust with a kiss.

The End