The Great Disapurrance: BBW Shapeshifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) by Anya Nowlan, Rory Dale Page A
Authors: Anya Nowlan, Rory Dale
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urged him to find his mate before it was too late. And there was an all too delicious woman right in front of him. Biologically, it made perfect sense.
That was the curse of being a tiger shifter – once the heat took you, the clock started ticking. If you didn’t find your mate before it subsided, then that was that. There were no second chances, no trying it again at a more convenient time in your life.
It was unfair, Arlen had always thought. Most other shifters could go through life, waiting for the moment where they found their fated, the one meant for them. Sure, there was a high chance they might never find that perfect mate, but they had a lifetime to try. Tigers only got a few weeks.
It was why arranged marriages and matings were such a big thing with tiger shifters. Traditionally, they’d always had their mate chosen for them.
Arlen would rather not have a mate than have one forced on him – he’d decided on that a long time ago and he had never questioned, not until now, at least.
Since Arlen wasn’t about to involve a child in the chaos he called a life, he had made his peace with his lonely future. He’d ride out his heat and carry on living like he always had. That was the plan, anyway.
“You’re really not going to get that,” Sienna mused, sounding more like she was stating a fact rather than asking a question. “Isn’t that kind of counterintuitive to your whole mission and all?”
She clearly still had some doubts about Arlen’s motivations and he couldn’t blame her. She didn’t know him. He had to give her a reason to trust him. Their deal would never work otherwise.
Would she trust me even if she knew me? Why would she? I’m a murderer. A weapon for hire.
Sienna kept rubbing at her temples and her eyes looked tired. She could probably use some sleep, and Arlen could use some time away from her so he could stop thinking about how good it would feel to kiss those full lips of hers.
“It can wait. Holland is not going anywhere. You need some rest. The bedroom is all yours. We can talk things out and come up with a course of action when you’re rested,” he offered, gesturing toward the room in the back.
Sienna looked unsure of how to respond. Arlen stood and picked up the phone that had finally stopped buzzing, throwing it at her. She fumbled but caught it.
“So you know I’m not making any deals behind your back,” he commented.
He spotted a hint of a smile on her face as he said that. It made him feel good, seeing her like that.
“I am feeling pretty spent. I guess a little nap won’t hurt,” she replied, getting up from the couch.
He loved watching her move. A little too much, to be honest.
“Make yourself at home,” Arlen said, averting his gaze and busying himself with opening his laptop.
It was better to avoid looking at Sienna. Or thinking about her in his bed. Tangled up in the sheets he’d slept in just last night.
Soft footfalls landed on the carpet and when he looked up, she was gone and the door to his bedroom was closed. With a sigh, Arlen sat down at his kitchen table and typed up a report to send to Foster, his supervisor at the intelligence department.
He explained the situation with Sienna, saying she had inside information on Holland’s operation from her time being kept as his prisoner. He also asked that The Firm consider setting her up with a new identity if the data she provided turned out to be useful.
He knew it was a long shot. The Firm didn’t concern itself with civilians, let alone human civilians, but he had to at least try. Stranger things had happened, and with Shifter Squad Six having gone rogue a couple of times in the past, Arlen had gotten glimpses that The Firm was not as unflappable as he thought them to be originally.
Maybe he could get lucky.
And there were far too many ‘maybes’ in his thought processes lately.
Sienna’s ‘little nap’ turned out to be more than three hours long. He used that time to map up all
That was the curse of being a tiger shifter – once the heat took you, the clock started ticking. If you didn’t find your mate before it subsided, then that was that. There were no second chances, no trying it again at a more convenient time in your life.
It was unfair, Arlen had always thought. Most other shifters could go through life, waiting for the moment where they found their fated, the one meant for them. Sure, there was a high chance they might never find that perfect mate, but they had a lifetime to try. Tigers only got a few weeks.
It was why arranged marriages and matings were such a big thing with tiger shifters. Traditionally, they’d always had their mate chosen for them.
Arlen would rather not have a mate than have one forced on him – he’d decided on that a long time ago and he had never questioned, not until now, at least.
Since Arlen wasn’t about to involve a child in the chaos he called a life, he had made his peace with his lonely future. He’d ride out his heat and carry on living like he always had. That was the plan, anyway.
“You’re really not going to get that,” Sienna mused, sounding more like she was stating a fact rather than asking a question. “Isn’t that kind of counterintuitive to your whole mission and all?”
She clearly still had some doubts about Arlen’s motivations and he couldn’t blame her. She didn’t know him. He had to give her a reason to trust him. Their deal would never work otherwise.
Would she trust me even if she knew me? Why would she? I’m a murderer. A weapon for hire.
Sienna kept rubbing at her temples and her eyes looked tired. She could probably use some sleep, and Arlen could use some time away from her so he could stop thinking about how good it would feel to kiss those full lips of hers.
“It can wait. Holland is not going anywhere. You need some rest. The bedroom is all yours. We can talk things out and come up with a course of action when you’re rested,” he offered, gesturing toward the room in the back.
Sienna looked unsure of how to respond. Arlen stood and picked up the phone that had finally stopped buzzing, throwing it at her. She fumbled but caught it.
“So you know I’m not making any deals behind your back,” he commented.
He spotted a hint of a smile on her face as he said that. It made him feel good, seeing her like that.
“I am feeling pretty spent. I guess a little nap won’t hurt,” she replied, getting up from the couch.
He loved watching her move. A little too much, to be honest.
“Make yourself at home,” Arlen said, averting his gaze and busying himself with opening his laptop.
It was better to avoid looking at Sienna. Or thinking about her in his bed. Tangled up in the sheets he’d slept in just last night.
Soft footfalls landed on the carpet and when he looked up, she was gone and the door to his bedroom was closed. With a sigh, Arlen sat down at his kitchen table and typed up a report to send to Foster, his supervisor at the intelligence department.
He explained the situation with Sienna, saying she had inside information on Holland’s operation from her time being kept as his prisoner. He also asked that The Firm consider setting her up with a new identity if the data she provided turned out to be useful.
He knew it was a long shot. The Firm didn’t concern itself with civilians, let alone human civilians, but he had to at least try. Stranger things had happened, and with Shifter Squad Six having gone rogue a couple of times in the past, Arlen had gotten glimpses that The Firm was not as unflappable as he thought them to be originally.
Maybe he could get lucky.
And there were far too many ‘maybes’ in his thought processes lately.
Sienna’s ‘little nap’ turned out to be more than three hours long. He used that time to map up all
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