Movement caught her eye. Josh leaned against the doorjamb with a cup of coffee in his hand. He wore a loose gray tee and sleep shorts, but it didn’t appear as if he’d slept much. Red, blurry eyes met hers. He waved her over. Her gaze strayed to the big, furry bodies separating them. Josh cocked a brow, as if asking her what she was waiting for.
He was right. She was being silly for hesitating. Her kids hadn’t known better when they’d scratched her, and she didn’t fear Rafe hurting her, not in his human form or as a big cat. His friends and brothers wouldn’t either.
She made her way around the sofas but suddenly stopped. Josh had looked tired, but not as if he’d just been dragged through the gutter. He should’ve after his fight with Devin. She flicked her gaze back to Josh.
No swollen eye or bruises, and in the place of the raw open wounds on his cheek, four scars remained. He turned, then disappeared down the hallway.
She rushed forward and tripped over something furry. She fell, but human arms banded around her and saved her from face planting onto the floor. The man holding her yanked her against his chest. His warm breath bathed her neck. A scream crawled up her throat, but he clamped his hand over her mouth before the sound escaped.
She froze.
“Settle down. I won’t hurt you,” Xander’s voice drifted to her.
Eyes closed, she concentrated on slowing her heartbeat. Once she calmed, he dropped his hand but didn’t release her. He pulled her closer.
The growing erection pressing against her back threatened to speed her pulse again, but she forced the fear deep. Rafe wouldn’t leave her in a situation where she might get hurt.
“Let me go.”
“In a minute.” He hissed out a breath. “You woke me, and now I have a beautiful woman’s body in my arms. You’ll embarrass us both if you turn around. Shifters don’t magically retain our clothes, you know, and there’s no way I can hide my stiff shaft. If your male finds out you aroused me, he’ll beat me.”
“Don’t be silly. Rafe wouldn’t do that.”
“Sure he would. He likes to fight just as much as the rest of us. Maybe more so. He’s got a lot of anger built up inside him. He’s only putting on a good face for you so he doesn’t frighten you away.” Xander gave a half-shrug she felt against her back. “Can’t blame the guy. He was unfortunate enough to be stuck with a human as a true mate.”
She tilted her head to meet Xander’s gaze. His long hair hung in disarray around him, giving him a roguish appearance. He probably relied on his good looks to pick up dates. Or maybe that kilt he’d worn the day before did the trick. She didn’t know of any woman who wouldn’t do a double take at the sight of a shirtless man in a kilt. Because his attitude certainly wouldn’t score him many points—gorgeous or not.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Humans can’t handle the realities of shifter life or what it means to mate one of us. It puts a lot of pressure on him.”
“He seemed quite happy about it last night. He even said I bridged him and brought him peace.”
“Sure, I’d imagine it’d be nice not to have to fight with the animals we’re stuck with all the time, but that’s all he’ll get from you. It’s not like you’ll ever give him kids. But he’s old. Rafe might not care about breeding anymore.”
She stared, wide-eyed, at him. “We won’t be able to have kids?”
“No.” He sighed. “Rafe hasn’t discussed mating you yet, has he?”
She shook her head. No words would form. Xander’s confession cut her heart open. She’d never have Rafe’s kids.
Never be pregnant.
Xander cursed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been the one to tell you that.”
“But you did. Explain it to me. Please.”
“Genetics. You’re a different species.”
“Oh.” She swallowed hard.
“Like I said. Rafe’s old. If he still cared about passing on his genes, he wouldn’t be with you.” Xander awkwardly patted her arm, then turned away.
She stood there a moment more and debated whether or not to ask him more about what mating Rafe meant, but he was right. Rafe should be the one who told her. And maybe that was why he didn’t bring it up last night. He didn’t want to upset her by telling her she wouldn’t carry his kids.
Jazz pivoted and ran the rest of the way to the kitchen before her doubts could consume her. She would trust in Rafe. He’d said nothing was more important than her and her boys. Nothing.
The kitchen door banged shut behind her.
Josh stood at the counter, his fingers flying over her laptop, and a toasted bagel on a dish next to him. No sign of stiffness and no evidence of his injuries except for the scar.
“What happened to you?”
Josh raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
She crossed the room and propped a hip against the counter next to him. “Last night you looked as if you were lucky to have survived the fight. Today you’re no worse for wear.”
“Mira took care of me.” Josh continued typing on the computer.
“How?”
“It’s not important.” He ran a hand through his hair and made the ends stand in spikes. “So I guess you and I are over, huh?”
“We haven’t been an item since college.”
He captured a lock of her hair and twirled it around his finger. “But you were thinking about getting back with me.”
She pulled the strands free and smoothed a hand down the length of her hair.
