Free Lion Lost & Found, Paranormal Romance (Ghost Cat Shifters Book 2) by J.H. Croix

reply right away, his hand stilled and he leaned up on his elbow. “Okay, spill it. What the hell are you thinking? I’m not a mind reader, but I can tell you’re worried.”
    “I, um, I don’t know. I’m not sure what we’re doing and I don’t know if it’s a good idea…” She stumbled over her words and gulped in air. She had no idea how to contain her feelings for him and every little thing they shared only tightened the grip he had on her heart.
    He held up a hand, and she quieted, somewhat relieved because she didn’t know what the hell she meant to say.
    “We blew way past breakfast last night. Maybe you’re not sure what we’re doing, but I am.”
    He sat up a little further, the sheet sliding down to his waist. He just had to go and do that. One look at him and her mouth went dry and longing coiled within her. His muscled chest and abs flexed as he slid up until he was leaning against the headboard. She pushed up on her elbow and sat up beside him, tucking the sheet up over her breasts.  
    When he spoke again, his voice was low and clear. “Back when I first kissed you, I meant what I said. I waited too damn long. I’m not after a fling. I’m after a lot more than that. I just didn’t want to push too far or too fast.”
    Vivi thought her heart might pound its way out of her chest. Hope spun in circles inside, but she batted it back. She might have had a silly crush on Heath once upon a time, he might call to her like no other, but she wasn’t a silly girl anymore. She didn’t quite trust herself to know when she’d find the right mate for her. Because she’d been so wrong about Chris. She’d truly thought she’d found her mate in him—that shifter fantasy of another shifter who called to her like no other. In hindsight, what had blinded her were her own hopes and dreams and the need to prove to herself she could find another shifter who attracted her the way Heath did. Even though she’d tried to convince herself Chris did, it had never been the same.
    To have Heath sitting here beside her now telling her he wanted a lot more than a fling, well, it flat out terrified her. Because what if she was wrong about him too? Oh, she trusted him to be good to her and not blow in and out of her life. She knew him to be a man and shifter of honor, but what if she didn’t turn out to be what he hoped for? What if this was just a passing blip of pure lust?
    “Vivi?”
    Heath’s voice nudged her out of her thoughts. She glanced over at him. His eyes never broke away. She couldn’t quite find her words.
    He reached over and curled his hand around hers. The warmth and strength of his grip anchored her and soothed the unsettled feeling inside. “I’m not going to take off on you like Chris did. You have to know that,” he said, his words firm.
    Her throat was tight. She swallowed against the feeling and took in a gulp of air. “I know you wouldn’t do that, but what if this doesn’t work out? I can’t really avoid you if things go wrong—it’ll be weird. It’s not simple being a single mother either. I have to think about Julianna. I don’t want to confuse her, or…” She paused and forced herself to take another breath. She didn’t quite know how to tell him she just couldn’t take it if it turned out he didn’t want to stay with her. She didn’t do casual, she never had.
    “I know we have to think about Julianna. Even if I know precisely what I want, I have enough sense to know we have to take it one step at a time. Can you just try to trust me that I know what we have here?”
    Tears pressed at the back of her eyes, but she held the feeling inside. She wasn’t going to fall apart right now. It would be far too mortifying for Heath to see just how vulnerable she felt with him. She glanced over. “Is this one of those things where you think you found your mate?” Her question was tinged with sarcasm.
    Heath didn’t flinch. He nodded firmly. “Don’t make light of it. You didn’t