Free MoonlightDrifter by Jessica Coulter Smith Page A

shoulder. “I’m just
worried about you and the baby. I told you how hard it is for a tiger cub to go
full-term. You need to be careful, Allie. This isn’t your average pregnancy.”
    “And what if the baby is a wolf?”
    “I don’t care what we have.
Tiger, wolf. Girl, boy. I just want the baby to get here safely with all its fingers
and toes. It would just make me feel better if you were extra careful, at least
these first few months. I think if you can make it to four months, we’ll be in
the clear.”
    She sighed. “The doc didn’t seem
worried.”
    “Probably figured I’d worry
enough for the both of us.”
    She shook her head and rolled out
of bed. “I need to shower and get dressed if we’re going out for breakfast. The
remote is on the coffee table if you want to make yourself comfortable. Or do
you plan to hold my hand in the shower, in case I fall?”
    “Do you have to those gripper
things in the bottom of the tub?”
    She growled. “Cain, out! Get out!
Get out! Get out! You can wait on the couch. If I even hear you near the
bathroom, I’ll throw your ass out of the apartment.”
    It seemed his mate was testy
without her caffeine. He hated to be the one to tell her that caffeine wasn’t
good for the baby. As he studied her irate face, he realized now was not the
time for that conversation. Maybe he’d wait until she’d showered and dressed, and
then see if her mood had improved any. Getting upset wasn’t good for the baby
either. He’d have to figure out how to protect her without pissing her off.
Something told him that was easier said than done.
    With a sigh, he turned and headed
for the couch, where it seemed he would spend the next half hour or so while
she got ready. He really hoped she wasn’t one of those women who took an hour
to get ready. His stomach had been growling for the past hour, but the stop
he’d made on the way to Allie’s had been very important. Cain just hoped she
agreed.
    He picked up the remote, turned
on the TV, and began flipping through stations. There wasn’t much on at this
time of morning so he left it on one of those morning shows. It wasn’t like he
was paying much attention to it anyway. If he listened carefully, he could hear
the shower running and he knew if she cried out, he would go running to her.
Even if she did hate him for it. He’d never met a woman so determined to do everything
on her own, in her own way. Usually women loved it when he did things for them.
Not that he’d ever cared that much about them. They hadn’t been his mate and
had merely been there to scratch an itch. Might sound crass, but it was the
truth. No matter how many women his mother had paraded under his nose over the
years, none of them had been the right one. And he’d refused to settle for
second best.
    When the shower shut off a few
minutes later, he was surprised. He’d thought she’d be in there at least twenty
minutes, not ten. Maybe she was as hungry as he was. The women he’d known had
always loved their showers and baths and had taken for fucking ever to get
ready. Was he lucky enough for Allie to be the exception to the rule?
    Five minutes later, she stepped
out of her room in a pair of super short denim shorts and a tank that left
little to the imagination. Now that she was his, at least he hoped she’d agree
to be his; he wasn’t sure how he felt about her flaunting her body like that.
It wasn’t like she was trying to pick up a man. Or was she? The sooner they had
things settled between them the better he’d feel. Not knowing where he stood
was about to drive him insane.
    “That was fast,” he said, rising
to his feet.
    She shrugged. “I didn’t bother
with make-up or drying my hair. You seemed to be in a hurry.”
    “Allie, if you need more time to
get ready, I’m happy to wait for you.”
    “Are you saying I look bad?” she
asked, one eyebrow arched.
    “No! I just… I know women like to
wear make-up and fix their hair and all that crap. I