The Golden Griffin's Baby (Shifter Dads, #3)

by Chant, Zoe

  “—look at the town from above—yes?”

  “Yes,” Lila repeated. “Yes, I would love to go flying. Thank you. Yes.”

  Yes, his griffin exulted, with a rush of joy that startled Flynn with its intensity.

  He cleared his throat, keeping the feeling tamped down. He was just doing her a favor because she was upset. That was all. “Let's get outside, then. I can make it through the front door when I'm shifted, but it's a squeeze.”

  And he hadn't tried it in years, since he'd been a teenager, and skinnier than he was now. He wouldn't want to risk the doorframe.

  Lila got her coat and followed him outside, and when Flynn took up position in the yard, stepped back and watched him, looking excited.

  Flynn wanted to show off for her. Shift and leap into the air at the same time, rear back, show her how strong and fast he was. He tamped that down too; he didn't need to make an idiot of himself. Instead, he just closed his eyes and shifted.

  When he was fully in griffin form, he looked over at Lila. Her eyes were wide, her hand over her mouth. Her chest heaved with a deep breath, and then she took her hand away and said tentatively, “Can I—”

  Flynn walked slowly over to her, making sure not to startle her with any sudden movements or flashes of teeth. When she reached out a hand, he leaned into her touch.

  She stroked her hand down his flank, leaving a tingling sensation behind everywhere her fingers parted his fur. When was the last time he'd let anyone touch him while he was shifted? Lachlan occasionally convinced him to let Aidan ride on his back around the yard, but that was it. It was more affecting than he'd realized it would be.

  Lila's exploring fingers moved to his wings, touching the feathers lightly, wonderingly. Flynn closed his eyes, wanting to just sink into her touch.

  She moved to the delicate wing joint, and he twitched involuntarily. She snatched her hand back, laughing a little. Flynn wanted to tell her to put it back, but he couldn't talk as a griffin, and anyway, that would probably be weird. So instead, he knelt down, offering his back to her.

  Tentatively, she climbed up. The feeling of her weight on him, the knowledge that he was supporting her, that she was holding on to him and no one could get to her without going through him first—it calmed him in a way he hadn't even realized he needed. Quieted an anxiety that he hadn't even been conscious off.

  Slowly, carefully, he stood up. Lila got a good grip on his shoulders, and when he took a few steps, she didn't wobble or seem unsteady at all.

  So he crouched down, and as smoothly as possible, took off into the air.

  Chapter 7: Lila

  Flynn’s wings beat powerfully and steadily, his muscles moving underneath her hands. If Lila had thought about it beforehand, she might have worried that her seat would be too unsteady, that she could fall off in midair. But he was rock-solid underneath her, no wobbling or jerky movements.

  Like he was designed for this, she thought. Because he had been, of course. Flying was part of his intrinsic nature.

  They were far above the treetops now, circling in the cold upper air. Lila felt like the whip-strong wind was cleansing her, blowing right through her and drawing out all of the dark, heavy thoughts that had been weighing her down. She inhaled, feeling the air sluice through her lungs, sharp and brilliant.

  Flynn circled up and up, and Lila kept breathing in deep, clean breaths. Then, Flynn apparently decided they were high enough, and spread his wings wide and locked them in. They steadied out into a long, smooth glide. Lila closed her eyes and felt her whole body relax as they sailed through the air as though they were on a glacier-calm lake.

  Her hands were still clutching at his shoulders, right at the point where the fur and the feathers met; when she closed her eyes, she became more aware of how warm and alive he felt beneath her, under her hands, between her thighs. She felt herself blush, glad he couldn’t see her. But still, she reveled in the feeling of him, a living contrast to the cleansing wind.

  When she opened her eyes, her breath fell out of her in a long sigh, because they were coming right up to a mountain peak. Tall and craggy, it stood out among the forested hills around it, and Flynn took them sailing towards it, until Lila almost felt like they were going to run right into it.

  But no, he banked and took them around, just yards from the stark rocks, snow dusting them at the very top. Lila looked down the slope, saw the rock and the trees falling away, down towards the valley where Oak Ridge was tucked, and felt like she’d stepped out of reality somehow, like she was in some heaven, looking down on the earth.

  They circled the mountaintop, Lila drinking in the expanse of beauty below, and came back around, losing altitude until they skimmed along the treetops.

  It seemed like they spent hours up there, soaring over the forest, coming close to the mountain’s rugged peak. The air was cold and clean, the sun distant but bright, the sky an endless pool of blue, enveloping them both. Flynn’s wings beat without any sign of tiring. Lila couldn’t feel her cheeks or her fingers, but she didn’t care.

  After a long, long time, Flynn took them slowly back down the slope, over the trees, slow and steady. Lila’s heart clenched when she saw the first rooftops of the town appearing. She never wanted this to end.

  But it had to. Soon enough, they were past the town proper and out into the edges of the forest, and she saw the familiar yard appear, the roof of the house that wasn’t actually hers. Flynn circled the rooftop just like he’d circled the mountaintop, and set them down in the yard, landing so gently that Lila didn’t even feel an impact.

  Slowly, she unclenched her fingers from his fur. Slowly, she brought her leg over and slid down his side. Her legs almost buckled when she hit the ground, and she had to lean against his flank and catch her breath.

  Then she had to take a moment to look at him again, now that she was on the ground and could see his whole body.

  He was bright gold all over. In pictures like the ones in Sophia's book, griffins were tawny yellow, with white-and-brown eagle feathers. But Flynn was entirely golden, with a hint of warm, brindled brown along his flanks. His feathers were sleek and glossy, almost pure gold. His wings were magnificent.

  She still had a hand on his flank, feeling the warm velvety-softness of his fur under her hand. So much softer than she'd thought it would be, although she could feel the solid muscle underneath.

  He stood steady until she was able to get her legs solid underneath her, taking her hand away to stand on her own two feet. Then his own form blurred and melted like wax, and he was standing in front of her as Flynn the man again.

  “Are you okay?” he asked immediately. “I’m sorry, I should’ve—figured out a way to check in with you while we were up there.”

  Lila shook her head, struggling to get her voice back from wherever she’d lost it up in the sky. “No, no, that was—that was wonderful.” The words caught in her throat. She cleared it, and took a long breath of regular, down-on-the-ground air. When she spoke again, it was steadier. “That was exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” His voice was soft. “You’re cold, though. You want to get inside?”

  No, she wanted to stay out in the cold forever, letting it leach all the anger and frustration out of her.

  But when she thought about it, going inside did seem like a good idea. Her hands could use it, for one thing.

  “Probably best,” she admitted. “You want some tea?”

  “Love some.”

  He really was the only man she’d ever met who got at all enthusiastic about tea, Lila reflected as she went inside, heading to the kitchen to get the water started with stiff fingers.

  “Thank you for that,” she said a second time as she stared at the kettle. He was standing behind her, she knew, although she hadn’t turned around to look. He had this—presence, somehow. She could tell he was there. “I’ve never—experienced anything like that. It was like magic.”

  And it had been all for her. She
wrapped up that knowledge and held it close inside her, feeling indulgent. All for her.

  “Good,” he said quietly. “That was what I wanted.”

  She watched the kettle as it started to heat up. “What kind of tea do you want?”

  “The kind we had last night was good,” he said tentatively.

  She went to get it out. As she was looking at the tea bags in her hands, she suddenly said, “What are you doing here, Flynn?”

  A startled pause. “What do you mean?” he asked cautiously.

  “I mean—” What did she mean? “Why don’t you have a family of your own that you’re protecting?”

  This was rude. God, this was rude. But she was desperate to know what had left this gorgeous, perfect man apparently all alone, without any obligations keeping him from basically moving into her house, taking care of her kids, cooking her dinner, and taking her on magical flights through the mountains for days at a time.

  “I do have a family,” he said.

  Lila’s heart sank.

  “My mother and Lachlan and Aidan. And now Cam, I guess.”

  Despite how serious Lila’s heart felt right now, she had to smile a little, internally, at the dubiousness in his voice at that last. Flynn didn’t seem like the kind of man who accepted people into his inner circle very easily.

  Which made how he was treating her even more mystifying.

  “So you came home from the Marines,” she said, remembering what he’d told her about serving, “and you became a deputy sheriff, and dedicated yourself to protecting this town and taking care of your brother and your mom and your nephew. Nothing for yourself? Nothing at all?”

  It was almost frustrating. He’d just given her this incredible gift. This experience outside anything she’d ever expected for herself, ever. And she had no idea what on Earth he could want in return. So far, he hadn’t seemed to have anything for himself. Or want anything.

  The kettle boiled, and she poured the water for both of them, then turned around to look at him. He looked...uncomfortable.

  “I’m sorry,” she said belatedly. “That was—invasive. Personal. I apologize.”

  “No,” he said, still looking uncomfortable, but sounding sincere. “No, you’re right. You’re absolutely right. I don’t really have much of a life, outside of my brother’s family and my job. I even—I resented Cam, when she showed up. Because it’s my job to take care of Lachlan and Aidan, and now that she’s here, she’s learning how to be Aidan’s stepmom, and they don’t need me as much.”

  Abruptly, he turned around, looking out the window as though he’d seen something there. But it was clear that the conversation was just too much for him.

  Lila was struck by the difference in how he was moving, abrupt and jerky, compared to the smooth grace of the flight. The difficulty of talking about his feelings was visible in every inch of his body.

  “I didn’t mean to criticize you,” she said awkwardly. “I just wanted to get to know you a bit better. I don’t think there’s anything at all wrong with taking care of your brother and his son after his wife died. I think that’s incredibly admirable.”

  Flynn shrugged, still looking out the window. “I don’t know how admirable it is. I didn’t have a family of my own—didn’t want one—so that was the only option, really.”

  Lila felt a strange shock go through her at didn’t want one. The words almost hurt.

  “Why didn’t you want one?” She managed to keep her voice even. Mostly even.

  A long silence.

  Lila was just about to backpedal for a second time, apologize and say it was none of her business—because it truly, honestly wasn’t, and she didn’t know why she was so desperately curious—when Flynn spoke up.

  “My dad wasn’t a good man.” His voice was so soft as to be almost inaudible. “He was a lion shifter, too, back under Victor’s grandfather. My mom had to leave him because he was abusive.”

  “Oh,” Lila said, the syllable a silent puff of air.

  “She came here and met Lachlan’s dad, married him and settled down. Lachlan’s dad was this wonderful, loving guy. A little goofy, but really solid. Tried his best to be a good father to me, even though I wasn’t his kid.”

  Flynn shook his head. “But I was old enough to know who my real dad was, and I remembered the sorts of things he did. It made me—wary. Of having kids.”

  Lila’s immediate instinct was to object. Say, You’d be an amazing father!

  Because she knew it was true. Just watching him with Sophia had shown her that.

  But she couldn’t argue with his feelings. Of course having an abusive father would make someone hesitate to have kids of their own. The whole idea must bring up a lot of—stuff.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, heartfelt. “For you and for your mom. That must have been so hard.”

  “She was incredibly brave,” he said. “For leaving him, for coming here with nothing, a single mom—I think about her sometimes when I look at you.”

  Lila flushed with embarrassed pleasure. “You do?”

  He nodded. “I can see how hard it must have been. Not just now, but before. The way you’ve been raising your kids alone the last year—in a hostile environment, no less—”

  “I—” Lila thought about the way the pack women had withdrawn, not rallied around her the way she’d been half-expecting. The way the men in the pack had gone distant, leaving her to assume that they must have been Michael’s friends only, and maybe they just didn’t like her.

  Well, that was thrown into a new perspective after this morning’s news, wasn’t it?

  “I wanted to leave for a long time before you guys offered me a place,” she said. “But I couldn’t make it happen on my own. No heroism here.”

  “I disagree,” he said. “Being a single mother? That’s heroism all by itself.”

  Half of Lila wanted to say, Stop it, while the other half wanted to say, Tell me more, please, keep talking.

  “Not like being in the Marines,” she deflected.

  Flynn shook his head. “Better than being in the Marines. Every moment I see you dealing with all of this—the fear, the danger, the uncertainty—while still being such a rock-solid mom for the kids, still keeping your sense of humor, making them feel happy and safe while all this is going on—it’s more than impressive. It’s amazing.”

  Lila was blushing, she could tell; her face was on fire. “I—” She shook her head.

  Slowly, Flynn reached out and cupped her face with his hand.

  All of the embarrassment and twisted-up sensations fled. Lila was suddenly hyperaware of her entire body, but especially her cheek where his hand was touching her, the line of her jaw where his thumb was stroking down.

  “I’ve been wanting to do this pretty much since I shifted back to human after fighting off the lions yesterday,” he said. “Tell me no if you don’t want it, I won’t be upset, but I just—”

  He leaned in.

  Lila felt her eyes fluttering closed, her chin tilting up, and then his lips were on hers. She could feel his stubble, oh God.

  She hadn’t kissed a man in over a year, and she’d honestly thought she didn’t miss it—didn’t have time to miss it, with the kids and the everything.

  But it was like her body was a parched desert and Flynn’s mouth was sweet, sweet water, because she could feel it drinking him in, coming to life, sending out little green shoots and fragile desert flowers. Waking up.

  Lila’s lips parted, her arms sliding around his chest, her body pressing inward to meet his. Oh, wow, he was big. But so incredibly gentle, his hand so soft on her face, his lips tasting her slowly and without any urgency.

  He pulled back just as slowly, and then he was looking at her with those dark eyes, a rising heat behind the softness she was used to. “Okay?”

  She nodded. Still blushing, ugh. “More than okay.”

  “Good.”

  He kissed her again, and this time, it wasn’t soft and light.

&nbs
p; Still slow and gentle, though. He opened her mouth with his tongue as she clutched him, exploring, tasting her, deep and thorough. The blooming-desert feeling intensified. Lila could feel her muscles relaxing, her spine melting, the first stirrings of something deep in her stomach.

  She kissed him back, remembering how to do this, where to put her hands, what to do with her tongue. Oh. It felt so good. Decadent, taking this pleasure for herself like this, alone in the house with no kids and a gorgeous man.

  His hands tightened on her as their kiss deepened, getting less and less gentle. One of them slid down her back, that broad palm cupping her hip. Lila moaned softly, pressing forward, even though she was already about as close to him as she could get.

  But then she found herself pressed against his thigh, with him kissing her, and kissing her—and then somehow his knee slipped between her legs, and she was really pressed up against his thigh.

  Then it was like someone had taken the bloom desert and set it on fire.

  Her clit throbbed as she moved a little, rubbing it just the tiniest bit against him—oh God—and then his hand left her face, traveling down her shoulder and around to tentatively brush against her breast, tracing the curve of it.

  Lila moaned, and Flynn jerked back like he’d been burned.

  “Wow,” he said, and laughed a little. “That was—more than I meant to do, just there. Are you okay?”

  Lila gestured to herself. “What about all of this made you think I wasn’t okay?” Her voice sounded breathless.

  “I guess you’re right. I just—I don’t want you to think that I expect anything—we can do whatever you want.”

  Lila felt a strange, dangerous feeling rising in her chest.

  She never took risks, never made impulsive decisions—not anymore. She couldn’t afford to, not with the kids.

  But the kids weren’t here, and she’d been—she had to admit it—lusting after this man since she’d first laid eyes on him. And if he’d been doing the same with her—

  Well, why not? No, really, why not?

  “I want you,” she said deliberately, “to take me upstairs, get our clothes off, and let me touch you all over.”