The Great Disapurrance: BBW Shapeshifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) by Anya Nowlan, Rory Dale

man control her life. Holland had already violated her free will. Was it going to be more of the same with Arlen?
    “And if you had found out he was a decent guy? Would you still be on this mission?”
    “I don’t kill innocents. But I guess innocence is subjective, isn’t it?”
    Arlen shrugged, making Sienna frown. She didn’t quite know what to make of that. Her body, however, appeared all too sure about the next course of action, as she caught herself edging closer to Arlen by imperceptible amounts.
    Are my instincts telling me I can trust him or am I just losing control over my motor functions?
    “That still leaves my fate dangling in the breeze. You won’t kill me, but you won’t let me go. Where does that leave us?”
    Arlen’s features hardened immediately. He sat up straighter and angled his body towards her.
    “I’m not going to hand you back over to Holland, there’s no use in that. You’ve spent time with him, at his house. You may have information you don’t even know is important. You won’t be safe out there. Holland knows you’re a loose end and he’s a powerful man with many connections.”
    It almost sounded like he was trying to sell her on the idea instead of telling her how it was going to be. She had to appreciate that, at least a little.
    Sienna rubbed at her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She was tired of being thrust from one perilous situation to the next. But the truth was, she really had no other option than to take what Arlen said at face value.
    Trust didn’t come easily for her, but that wasn’t the most important thing right now. She was low on options and Arlen felt like a better choice than Holland, at least.
    “What do you propose?” she asked.
    God, why does he have to be so cute? she thought, watching him run his hand through his hair again and catching herself wanting to do the same.
    “You help me finish my mission by providing me with information and I keep you alive and away from the Crimson Claws.”
    It seemed pretty straightforward when he put it like that. And it had the added bonus of taking down Holland. And staying around Arlen for a while.
    Because he’s the only guy who could protect me from Arlen’s men, she hastened to add to herself.
    “Okay,” was all that Sienna managed to get out before the phone rang again.

Nine

Arlen
    T hey sat on the couch , eyeing the phone. Holland was actually calling him. Just hours ago, Arlen wouldn’t have hesitated even for a second before taking the call. Now, things seemed so different.
    The mission should always come first, but he couldn’t just ignore Sienna’s part in all of it. His tiger certainly wasn’t. She didn’t ask to get dragged into this mess. Not to mention, all of his instincts were telling him he needed to keep her safe and close.
    The primal side of him had taken a strong, if irrational liking to Sienna the moment he laid eyes on her. He could admit it to himself now. A very big part of the reason he’d been focusing on her in the beginning was because he got a feeling about her.
    Maybe it was because she stood out in the crowd of professional criminals flocking to and from Holland’s house. They were either stern-faced and stiff or cocky and swaggering, while the mere way Sienna walked exuded a carefree self-assuredness.
    Like she knew what she was worth, and didn’t need anyone else’s approval.
    But even if these were different circumstances, she could never be his. It wouldn’t be fair. He was a soldier of The Firm, which meant his life was filled with danger and violence. It left no room for a relationship or a family.
    In his line of work, any close connections were just liabilities. Liabilities he didn’t need or want. Right?
    He thought he knew all of this with absolute certainty, but he didn’t sound quite as resolute to himself as he wished he did. The only reasonable thing to do was to assume that it was the heat, clouding his judgment.
    A deep burning from within