Lessons in Purrsuasion: BBW Paranormal Werelion Surprise Pregnancy Mob Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) by Rory Dale, Anya Nowlan Page B
Authors: Rory Dale, Anya Nowlan
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for himself, only taking the jobs he believed in. It didn’t give him any reason to defend himself to Selina, though, and he wasn’t going to. Not really.
But having her think lowly of him… it still stung.
His response seemed to take Selina by surprise as she grew quiet.
“I guess you’re right,” she said after a while, eyes turning cold.
“Can I have some privacy?” she continued, glancing at the bathroom attached to the room.
“This place has plenty of space. The room is yours,” Stone said curtly before leaving.
Stone barely stopped himself from slamming the door as he left the room. Disappointment and anger muddled together into an indecipherable emotion within him that he would have preferred to not be feeling.
You promised that it’d end with Kate, he reminded himself. And yet here you are, like a fool again, caring what a job thinks of you. It doesn’t matter how she sees you.
Unfortunately, Stone seemed to be the only one unconvinced of that notion.
He roamed through the familiar living area, waiting for Kate to emerge from the study after she was done with her calls. It gave him something else to think about than Selina, at the very least.
“Mr. Calloway? Is that you?” a voice echoed from the direction of the kitchen.
Stone turned to see Linda rushing towards him, arms spread for a hug. She was a tiny woman, no more than 5'3", with curly chestnut hair and a pleasant, round face. The smile on her face was genuine and that was a rare enough occurrence in Stone’s life. He couldn’t help but meet it.
“It sure is, Linda.”
“I was surprised when Katie let you live, but also glad, you know?” she said, squeezing his midsection.
“I’m glad, too. How has she been doing?” Stone asked, chuckling.
Not that I ever gave her a choice, he added with a private smile.
Linda didn’t need to know that her boss wasn’t as infallible as she was made up to be, though.
“Oh, buried in her work, mostly. I don’t know what kind of miracle worker she thinks I am, always wearing white,” Linda tsked.
“She is lucky to have you.”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Linda answered with a grin.
“Hey, there’s a woman staying in the main guest bedroom, would you mind fixing her a little something to eat?” Stone asked, as his own stomach began to growl as he found himself already out of things to talk about with Linda.
He’d never been much for words.
“Of course. And you are staying as well?” she asked, giving Stone a knowing look.
“Yes, but it’s not like that. Only business for me and Katie this time.”
The last thing he wanted was to give Linda any ideas.
“Whatever you say,” she said, raising her hands before walking away, still looking like she knew more than Stone did.
Bygones, he thought, with a shake of his head.
Stone heard the heavy doors of the study creak open. Kate’s heels started clicking in his direction. A frown had burrowed into the space between her brows. She walked past Stone like he didn’t exist, sinking gracefully into one of the cream-colored sofas. She wouldn’t look at him as she spoke.
He didn’t have to know Kate as well as he did to know that this wasn’t going to be good news.
“It’s not just the Claws you’re going to have to worry about. Parker has put out a bounty. Every money-grubbing lowlife in Chicago is about to be looking for your girl,” she said, rubbing her temples.
Stone sat down next to her.
“I wouldn’t have dragged you into this if I had any other option,” he said quietly.
“Oh, it’s not me I’m worried about. I can see the way you look at her. You’re going to let your feelings dictate your actions and it’s going to get you killed.”
The look she gave him was tinted with something that resembled pity. It was more emotion than he’d seen in the ice cold assassin before. The contrast between her and Selina hit him starkly.
While Selina was bubbly and bursting with fire, Kate was as subdued
But having her think lowly of him… it still stung.
His response seemed to take Selina by surprise as she grew quiet.
“I guess you’re right,” she said after a while, eyes turning cold.
“Can I have some privacy?” she continued, glancing at the bathroom attached to the room.
“This place has plenty of space. The room is yours,” Stone said curtly before leaving.
Stone barely stopped himself from slamming the door as he left the room. Disappointment and anger muddled together into an indecipherable emotion within him that he would have preferred to not be feeling.
You promised that it’d end with Kate, he reminded himself. And yet here you are, like a fool again, caring what a job thinks of you. It doesn’t matter how she sees you.
Unfortunately, Stone seemed to be the only one unconvinced of that notion.
He roamed through the familiar living area, waiting for Kate to emerge from the study after she was done with her calls. It gave him something else to think about than Selina, at the very least.
“Mr. Calloway? Is that you?” a voice echoed from the direction of the kitchen.
Stone turned to see Linda rushing towards him, arms spread for a hug. She was a tiny woman, no more than 5'3", with curly chestnut hair and a pleasant, round face. The smile on her face was genuine and that was a rare enough occurrence in Stone’s life. He couldn’t help but meet it.
“It sure is, Linda.”
“I was surprised when Katie let you live, but also glad, you know?” she said, squeezing his midsection.
“I’m glad, too. How has she been doing?” Stone asked, chuckling.
Not that I ever gave her a choice, he added with a private smile.
Linda didn’t need to know that her boss wasn’t as infallible as she was made up to be, though.
“Oh, buried in her work, mostly. I don’t know what kind of miracle worker she thinks I am, always wearing white,” Linda tsked.
“She is lucky to have you.”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Linda answered with a grin.
“Hey, there’s a woman staying in the main guest bedroom, would you mind fixing her a little something to eat?” Stone asked, as his own stomach began to growl as he found himself already out of things to talk about with Linda.
He’d never been much for words.
“Of course. And you are staying as well?” she asked, giving Stone a knowing look.
“Yes, but it’s not like that. Only business for me and Katie this time.”
The last thing he wanted was to give Linda any ideas.
“Whatever you say,” she said, raising her hands before walking away, still looking like she knew more than Stone did.
Bygones, he thought, with a shake of his head.
Stone heard the heavy doors of the study creak open. Kate’s heels started clicking in his direction. A frown had burrowed into the space between her brows. She walked past Stone like he didn’t exist, sinking gracefully into one of the cream-colored sofas. She wouldn’t look at him as she spoke.
He didn’t have to know Kate as well as he did to know that this wasn’t going to be good news.
“It’s not just the Claws you’re going to have to worry about. Parker has put out a bounty. Every money-grubbing lowlife in Chicago is about to be looking for your girl,” she said, rubbing her temples.
Stone sat down next to her.
“I wouldn’t have dragged you into this if I had any other option,” he said quietly.
“Oh, it’s not me I’m worried about. I can see the way you look at her. You’re going to let your feelings dictate your actions and it’s going to get you killed.”
The look she gave him was tinted with something that resembled pity. It was more emotion than he’d seen in the ice cold assassin before. The contrast between her and Selina hit him starkly.
While Selina was bubbly and bursting with fire, Kate was as subdued
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