Free Resisting the Cougar (Cascade Shifters #2) by Jessie Donovan

daughter. Before he could grill her, the door opened and Claire walked in. Her hair was smoothed, her clothes righted, and the flush gone from her cheeks. No one, apart from maybe Kian or Dani, would ever guess what had transpired across the hallway.
    A small part of him didn’t like that.
    Smiling, Claire walked over to the table and sat on the other side of Chloe, putting her opposite of Aidan. She never looked at him, but instead focused on Chloe. “So, do you have any ideas to help me?”
    Chloe sighed again. “No. I keep trying, but Daddy says they aren’t good ideas.”
    Claire glanced to him and back to Chloe. “Oh, he did, did he? Well, how about we take a break from planning and you ask me some questions while your father finds us something to eat.”
    Chloe looked to Aidan. “Oh, Daddy, can you make your specialty? It’s been so long since we had enchiladas. Claire would like them.”
    He smiled. “Oh, Claire would like them, huh?” He tickled his daughter’s side a second and she laughed. “I think you want them. If it were up to you, we’d have them every day.”
    Bright with laughter, Chloe looked to Claire. “You like them, don’t you? Daddy really does make the best.”
    Claire smiled and looked at him with amusement in her eyes. The sight made his stomach flip. “I think it sounds like a great idea. I eat almost anything, except raw meat. I’m human, after all.”
    Aidan grinned. “Too bad, because they taste best with raw meat.”
    Chloe frowned. “Stop lying, Daddy. Enchiladas need cooked meat.”
    Both he and Claire laughed at the affront in Chloe’s voice. As he met the human’s gaze, a sense of rightness settled over him. It was almost as if they were acting like a family.
    The thought made him pause. He barely knew the human, and she had important work to do. She wouldn’t give it all up to live with him and be a stepmother to his daughter.
    Claire must’ve noticed the change in his expression, because her smile disappeared, replaced with curiosity in her eyes. “Enchiladas sound great. I can look after Chloe if you need to retrieve ingredients.” Claire looked to Chloe and winked. “I have my secondary bodyguard to protect me.”
    As Chloe beamed, some of the earlier ease returned to Aidan, although he was still hesitant to leave his daughter with a near stranger.
    His cat, however, sent him thoughts of calm and trust. The human would look after their cub. If they asked one of the neighbors to keep an ear out, everything would be fine.
    Only because Aidan lived in the heart of the soldiers’ wing did he consider it.
    Claire tapped her foot against his under the table. Meeting her gaze, her voice was soft. “I’ll take good care of her, Aidan. I love working with children. However, if you would feel safer with another guard, you can send one if you like.”
    The human’s tone was sincere and he didn’t scent any deceit. He had no fucking idea what would happen between them in the future, if anything, but in this, both man and cat sensed she would do a good job.
    Looking to Chloe, he asked, “Does that sound like a good plan, Chloe? Would you like to stay with Claire while I get the ingredients?”
    She bobbed her head, her curls bouncing. “Yes. Then I can ask her most of my questions and you won’t get bored.”
    He doubted he’d be bored at anything Claire Davis had to say since he then could maybe use it to persuade the human to give him another kiss. That wouldn’t violate his declaration of her needing to ask him for more. It would still only be a kiss.
    He tried not to think about why he wanted to kiss the human again.
    Before his mind could relive the kiss from earlier, Aidan stood. “My cell number is on the fridge. We may be inside a mountain, but our techs installed something so we could use them. I’m going to have some of the neighboring soldiers listen for trouble, but call me the instant anything happens. Understood?”
    The corner of Claire’s mouth