Free The Billionaire Jaguar's Curvy Journalist: BBW Panther Shifter Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant Page B

shifters, at least the cats—we see our mate, and we know. No questions, no doubts. Mom said it was different for women, they had to guess just like humans do.”
    “Really?”
    He nodded. “Mom thought it was maybe something way back in our history, from the cat side of things. Like, male lions will kill the alpha males and take over the pride. Can you imagine what it’d be like? Losing the guy you knew, for sure, was your mate, and having to be with the man who killed him? But—but I don’t know. I wasn’t even sure it happened like that, until—” He stopped, almost swallowing the end of the sentence.
    “...until you saw me?”
    “Yeah,” he said, very softly. “Sensed you. I’m sorry—this sounds so creepy.”
    “It’s okay,” she said. “Thank you. Thank you for telling me. It means a lot.”
    “I...I have to be honest with you,” he confessed. “And I want to, anyway.”
    “Even to a reporter?” she teased, bumping his foot with her own.
    “Yes,” he said. “Because it’s you.” He put his hand on hers. “So, Bringing Up Baby?”
    “Sure.”
    Abby got up and checked Paul’s clothes a few times, letting them dry slowly so hopefully they wouldn’t shrink. They’d watched most of the movie by the time it was done. It was a good movie. They both laughed a lot.
    It was getting late by the time it finished. “Your things should be dry,” she said. “Or—you can stay if you want.”
    “You’re sure?” He stood up, putting a hand on her waist. “I don’t want to pressure you.”
    “No,” she said. “It’s...it’s all right.”
    He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I want it to be more than ‘all right,” he said. “Can you come to dinner with me tomorrow? Somewhere nice.”
    “Yes,” she said. “I mean, as long as you like the article—”
    He laughed and pulled her closer for another kiss. “I’ll love it. I know it.”
    His clothes were dry enough to wear, so she drove him over to his car. He gave her one more long, passionate kiss before he disappeared.
    When she got back home, she checked her phone again.
    She had another text from Tina: How did it go?!
    She also had two texts from Sam, who was the typesetter at Salem Beach Now. Both of them were just two words: Call me.
    Well, it was close to eleven now, and Sam was one of the old guard. She probably went to bed at nine. She’d call her at home in the morning. Sam always took the day off after putting the issue to bed.
    She did text Abby back. He’s super cute. Super nice. Dinner tomorrow.
    Yay!!! Does he have a brother?
    Abby’s eyes went wide. I don’t know, she said, which was a little bit a lie, but really just the easiest way of saying I don’t know if his brother will ever speak to him again or not.
    Find out. We could double date. ;-)
    Abby smiled. OK.
    By then she might have figured out what to tell Tina about Paul’s brother.
     

12
     
    “We have a problem,” Chris announced, tossing a copy of Salem Beach Now on Paul’s desk. “Two problems, technically, but I think they share the same name.”
    The headline, in big black letters, read W ho Is the Mystery Jaguar?
    Paul sighed. “Well, I’d expected that.”
    “Oh,” Chris said. “We haven’t even gotten started. Your profile’s below the fold, and you’ll never guess whose byline’s on it.”
    Paul flipped the paper over. “It’s not Abby?”
    “My guess is it’s mostly Abby’s work, but it’s got Laura Moore’s byline. And her greasy fingers all over it.” Chris leaned over Paul’s desk and tapped a paragraph.
    More than capable, Mr. Paul Larson’s smooth manner and joie de vivre— ”Joie de vivre? I don’t have any joie de vivre. She wasn’t around me long enough to see any joie de anything anyway.”
    “And then, like two paragraphs later, the article snaps into a completely different voice, who knows what they’re actually talking about. That’s Abby. You can tell from reading her other articles.”
    “What about the