Make Him Purr: A Paranormal BBW Werepanther Shape Shifter Mail-Order Navy SEAL Romance by Anya Nowlan Page A
Authors: Anya Nowlan
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don’t know… Moving in and settling there still feels off to me.”
He shrugged and took a sip of his water. She hadn’t seen him take a drink of alcohol yet – another big difference between him and Blade, whose blood circulation had probably been replaced by beer and whiskey.
“It would mean you’re committed to staying here. And you’re not sure if you’re ready,” Sonya said with a small voice, leaning back from the table.
Her teeth caught her lip for a moment, and she considered the big, solemn man in front of her. The look he gave her told her she’d hit the nail on the head. She wasn’t sure what his reason was, but she knew it had to have been a good one. And she could commiserate – she was reluctant to trust and put faith in anyone or anything as well after having trusted her life in someone else’s hands and got it thrown down into the dirt and trampled on.
“Why do you think that?” Diesel asked, cocking a curious brow at her.
There were plenty of people enjoying the Wednesday evening at the diner, but Sonya paid them no heed. Basking under his intense gaze was an experience in itself. He had made himself distant for the past few days, but now, she was allowed a rare glimpse into what went on behind that calm and collected surface, and she was hungry to know more.
“Well, common logic, really. But I know how it feels to think you don’t fit in. You get into this negative reinforcement loop where you keep telling yourself that you’re just like the rest of them, though on the inside you know you couldn’t be more different. For you, I bet it’s your military background. If you’ve been in active duty for the past decade, you’ve probably seen stuff most of us couldn’t even imagine, let alone relate to.
So, when you’re suddenly given the chance to try and fit in with all these happy, smiley people who seem to be making families and living their fluffy lives… Well, I can understand feeling like the odd man out.”
He smiled slightly, pushing his empty plate away. He leant towards her across the table, and it made the breath hitch in her throat. His dark eyes did that thing again where she thought that even if she wanted to tell him lies, she couldn’t.
“What’s your story then? You think you don’t fit in with the people at Shifter Grove because you’re different too? It can’t just be that you think they’ll judge you for being a thief. And I know you are, no need to deny that – I know professional tools when I see them.”
“You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine,” she laughed.
“Well, then I think we need to get some pie and pretend that we’re not both sitting on secrets. You look like a pecan kind of girl. Am I right?” Diesel asked.
Sonya breathed a bit easier. Pie sounded good. Definitely better than telling her life story to a man who still held her future in his hands – or at least in his safe. Though the idea of sharing it with him wasn’t as scary as it had been before dinner. It was good to know that there was life behind those lively eyes of his and that it hadn’t all just been a giant ruse to make her think that there were still decent men out in the world.
“As long as it has whipped cream on it, I’m definitely a pecan kind of girl.”
Though, to be honest, she had her sights set on a whole different kind of dessert.
CHAPTER NINE
Sonya
She wasn’t entirely sure how they’d got there, but the air was definitely thick with some kind of anticipation on the drive back to Diesel’s place. He’d told her that he only had a few more things for her to do the next day and then she could have her driver’s license back. Sonya wasn’t so sure if she even wanted it anymore, because that meant she would have to leave. Despite the surprising welcome, Shifter Grove felt more like a place that she could call home than any other.
If she had wanted to, she could have made a break for it ten times over by now. Sonya was fairly sure she
He shrugged and took a sip of his water. She hadn’t seen him take a drink of alcohol yet – another big difference between him and Blade, whose blood circulation had probably been replaced by beer and whiskey.
“It would mean you’re committed to staying here. And you’re not sure if you’re ready,” Sonya said with a small voice, leaning back from the table.
Her teeth caught her lip for a moment, and she considered the big, solemn man in front of her. The look he gave her told her she’d hit the nail on the head. She wasn’t sure what his reason was, but she knew it had to have been a good one. And she could commiserate – she was reluctant to trust and put faith in anyone or anything as well after having trusted her life in someone else’s hands and got it thrown down into the dirt and trampled on.
“Why do you think that?” Diesel asked, cocking a curious brow at her.
There were plenty of people enjoying the Wednesday evening at the diner, but Sonya paid them no heed. Basking under his intense gaze was an experience in itself. He had made himself distant for the past few days, but now, she was allowed a rare glimpse into what went on behind that calm and collected surface, and she was hungry to know more.
“Well, common logic, really. But I know how it feels to think you don’t fit in. You get into this negative reinforcement loop where you keep telling yourself that you’re just like the rest of them, though on the inside you know you couldn’t be more different. For you, I bet it’s your military background. If you’ve been in active duty for the past decade, you’ve probably seen stuff most of us couldn’t even imagine, let alone relate to.
So, when you’re suddenly given the chance to try and fit in with all these happy, smiley people who seem to be making families and living their fluffy lives… Well, I can understand feeling like the odd man out.”
He smiled slightly, pushing his empty plate away. He leant towards her across the table, and it made the breath hitch in her throat. His dark eyes did that thing again where she thought that even if she wanted to tell him lies, she couldn’t.
“What’s your story then? You think you don’t fit in with the people at Shifter Grove because you’re different too? It can’t just be that you think they’ll judge you for being a thief. And I know you are, no need to deny that – I know professional tools when I see them.”
“You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine,” she laughed.
“Well, then I think we need to get some pie and pretend that we’re not both sitting on secrets. You look like a pecan kind of girl. Am I right?” Diesel asked.
Sonya breathed a bit easier. Pie sounded good. Definitely better than telling her life story to a man who still held her future in his hands – or at least in his safe. Though the idea of sharing it with him wasn’t as scary as it had been before dinner. It was good to know that there was life behind those lively eyes of his and that it hadn’t all just been a giant ruse to make her think that there were still decent men out in the world.
“As long as it has whipped cream on it, I’m definitely a pecan kind of girl.”
Though, to be honest, she had her sights set on a whole different kind of dessert.
CHAPTER NINE
Sonya
She wasn’t entirely sure how they’d got there, but the air was definitely thick with some kind of anticipation on the drive back to Diesel’s place. He’d told her that he only had a few more things for her to do the next day and then she could have her driver’s license back. Sonya wasn’t so sure if she even wanted it anymore, because that meant she would have to leave. Despite the surprising welcome, Shifter Grove felt more like a place that she could call home than any other.
If she had wanted to, she could have made a break for it ten times over by now. Sonya was fairly sure she
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