Free To Tempt A Tiger by Kat Simons Page B

able to forgive him and trust him again?
    He savored helping her put Zoe to bed, his chest tight with emotions too powerful to name as they tucked her in with her favorite blankie in hand and kissed her goodnight. When Rose said, “I love you, Zoe,” and Zoe answered, “I love you, Mommy,” Vlad thought his heart would break completely.
    He followed Rose to the living room after, and then…waited. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for. Her to kick him out. Her to ask him to stay.
    When she motioned to the couch, he sat, a little jump of his pulse betraying his hope. If she were a tiger, she’d scent a lot of his emotions in that moment, probably be able to detect the desire and longing easily enough. He could hide his feelings from his family. But with Rose, he was an open book. He was lucky her human senses weren’t strong enough to read him. He’d be in real trouble then.
    She settled on the opposite side of the couch from him and faced the fire, her expression pensive. He opened his mouth to start the conversation then thought better of it. He was treading a very delicate line here. He needed to let her take the lead.
    “Zoe can still hear us,” she said quietly, her voice soft against the gentle crackling of the fire.
    “She’s almost asleep,” he assured. “We can wait to talk until she’s drifted off.”
    Rose faced him. “How can you tell?”
    “I can hear her breathing when I concentrate.”
    “Your hearing is that sensitive? Doesn’t that make being in cities difficult? All the noise doesn’t hurt?”
    “Since my hearing has always been like this, I’ve spent my life learning how to…adjust what I take in. I’m used to it. Does living in the city bother Zoe?”
    “Doesn’t seem to. Sudden loud noises make her cover her ears. But I’ve seen other kids her age do that. It’s possible with all the other pain episodes, she’s never noticed her hearing as causing her discomfort.”
    “She likely won’t. To her, hearing well is normal and she’ll naturally learn how to adjust to her surroundings.”
    “You said the other thing is natural to her, too. Why hasn’t she just…done what you do?”
    “She doesn’t know it’s possible. She’s never seen it. Our children grow up with that all around them. It’s normal.”
    “When do your kids start this part?”
    “It varies, depending on the child, but sometime around two they start…flipping shapes.”
    “Flipping?”
    He chuckled. “Once they start, it can be hard to keep them in one form for very long. They hop back and forth for fun. Usually with lots of kid giggles. It’s both cute and frustrating for parents—so I’m told.”
    She smiled, but a furrow formed between her brows. “Doesn’t that hurt them? Can they just keep changing without, I don’t know, wearing out?”
    “It’s like anything kids do. Eventually, they do get tired and have to stop, but they’ve got a lot more energy at two than you and I do at our ages.”
    “True. When she’s not in pain, Zoe can play well past the point when I wear out.”
    “She’s a really good kid, Rose. You’ve done a good job with her.” He swallowed back his guilt and said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you two. I should have been.”
    She shook her head. “How could you have believed me when you thought it was impossible?”
    But he heard the hesitance and distrust in her voice. “I still should have known. I can…scent a lot. Emotions have different signatures, flavors I guess you could say. My senses told me you weren’t lying, that you were excited about being pregnant. I should have realized you didn’t cheat.”
    “Yeah, you should have,” she said, the comment barely audible, even to him.
    He watched her swallow visibly as she focused on the fire, not meeting his gaze.
    “What’s done is done, Vlad. We can’t change the past. All I care about now is making sure Zoe is okay.” She glanced behind her, toward the hallway and the bedrooms beyond. “Is