Free Her Lion Guard - The Complete Series Box Set (BBW Shifter Romance) by Amira Rain Page B

had stepped forward then, thumping a large hand against Cara’s bony shoulder. The girl did not give an inch, confirming Mary-Lou’s suspicions about her identity, “Let the girl wake up before talking her ear off.”
     
         “Sorry,” Cara offered, grin no less bright, “Got a bit excited. I am not usually this bad – haven’t slept too much the past couple of days. I always chatter when I am sleep-deprived.”
     
         “That’s okay,” Mary-Lou smiled back. It would be nice to have another girl around, she thought – someone she could talk to without the danger of unhappy pouts (Jonas, when she tried talking to Sasha alone) or inexplicable and often awkward tension (again Jonas, when they happened to be alone). She told Cara as much, omitting the part about potentially jealous blondes.
     
         “You’ve been surrounded by boys the past week?” Cara had gasped, “No wonder your clothes are all terrible! Don’t worry, I’ll help you choose something more flattering. Is there Wi-Fi up here?”
     
         Or not. Mary-Lou had watched Cara bound toward the den and the family computer housed within – pointed the way by Irma’s suspiciously helpful self – with rising apprehension. This girl might be trouble.
     
         A day and twenty rush-ordered, jam-packed boxes of clothing later, Mary-Lou was sure of the fact.
     
         “They are a present,” Cara had wobbled when Mary-Lou refused to even touch the brown cardboard, “You can’t refuse a present !”
     
         “This is a thousand dollars’ worth of clothing!” Mary-Lou had argued back. “I can’t accept a thousand-dollar present!”
     
         “Psh, that’s like, a single trip to the mall,” Cara had dismissed. “Also, three thousand, and there are some shoes in there, too.”
     
         “What mall are you shopping at,” Mary-Lou had groused, but nonetheless allowed herself to be bullied into accepting the overly-generous – and unnecessary – present.
     
         The terrible thing was, Mary-Lou actually ended up liking the damned clothes.
     
         “Hot damn ,” Cara had whistled when she got her first glimpse of Mary-Lou in a smartly-tailored, colored blouse and a bark-gray pencil skirt. “You should be ashamed of yourself! Hiding curves like those under baggy sweaters and pajama pants!” she admonished. Mary-Lou waved her comments off, but was secretly quite pleased with her look: She was not swimming in the garments, yet they did not cling unpleasantly or hang revealingly open over her admittedly large breasts. Style with just enough of sass – she approved.
     
         As did Jonas and Sasha, judging by the stunned silence that had greeted her entrance in the den later that day. Cara had whooped behind her, quirking her eyebrows up and down suggestively when Mary-Lou turned to glare her into silence.
     
         They had watched a movie after that, Mary-Lou squished between the end of the couch and Jonas’ large body, Cara leaning against her legs. Sasha was sprawled along the unoccupied length of the couch, toes just brushing against Jonas’ thighs. The two had become a bit more comfortable in each other’s presence, which eliminated quite a bit of the tension in the house.
     
         Sasha and Cara, on the other hand…
     
         Mary-Lou had noticed the hesitant glances, stuttered touches. Hell, it was hard not to notice, with Cara becoming a quiet, shy pod person every time Sasha shared her space. Yet, the one time Sasha had attempted to start a conversation with the younger woman, Cara had outright snapped at the man. With her teeth. Mary-Lou was most confused.
     
         “Are you afraid of him?” she had asked Cara after the movie was over, after Sasha had left for his room and Jonas had briefly retreated to the kitchen and the leftovers therein.
     
         “Yes,” Cara answered without asking whom , without playing dumb. Mary-Lou liked her more