A Game of Cat & Mouse

by Astrid Cielo

  “Sweetheart, fear is a good thing. It keeps you vigilant, and the fact that you’re afraid you won’t do a good job just shows how much you care. You’ll do fine.”

  “But how do you know?”

  “Because I felt the same way when I took over the pride after my parents’

  funeral, and though I’m not the best alpha, I’ve tried.”

  Miranda pulled herself out of Caleb’s embrace and crouched between his legs, looking into golden brown eyes that she’d come to love. Her hands framed his beautiful face, and she brushed her fingers across his stubble-roughened jaw.

  “Caleb, I’ve seen the way your pride turns to you. I haven’t known you for very long, but their faith in you is limitless. You are a far better alpha than you give yourself credit for.”

  Miranda leaned in and gave him a small kiss on his lips, meant for support and affection. Caleb returned the gesture and allowed her to pull away from him.

  “So, do you want to help me decorate my classroom?” Caleb laughed, his golden brown eyes lighting with amusement.

  Standing and helping Miranda to her feet, he placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

  “Of course, sweetheart.”

  Chapter 11

  “My parents are coming to visit

  tomorrow,” Miranda said nonchalantly as she added another construction paper limb to one of her trees. Caleb’s hand slipped, and he cut his finger with the scissors he was currently using to cut out leaves to decorate Miranda’s trees.

  “Shit!”

  The blood welled out of the small cut, and Miranda was there with a paper towel, applying pressure, her face a mask of concern. Caleb lifted his non-injured hand and placed a few of her unruly curls behind her ear. Miranda glanced up, and he found himself trapped in her big brown eyes.

  “I’m okay, Miranda. It was just a little scratch. I think I’m more worried about meeting your parents.”

  Miranda’s lips turned up into a sweet smile. “You should be. They’ve already asked if you needed to be beaten up.”

  Miranda released his hand and walked to her desk to pillage through her purse. She walked back to him, the sexy sway of her hips mesmerizing him.

  “And what did you say to that,

  sweetheart?” Miranda grabbed his hand again and discarded the paper towel. She placed an adhesive bandage over the cut then kissed it, and hot damn if it didn’t make the cut feel better. Miranda turned to go back to decorating her tree, but he needed answers. Grabbing her by the arm, he twirled her back into his embrace, her giggle food for his soul.

  “Now, sweetheart, I’ve got you so you have to tell me what you said to your family.”

  “I said that if there was any spanking done, it would be me spanking you.”

  Miranda’s pale freckled cheeks suffused with color at her bold teasing.

  Caleb’s cock hardened with her words, but despite her words, he envisioned an image of Miranda’s body over his legs, her pert pale buttocks lifted for him to pepper her bottom, turning it a rosy-red color.

  Caleb never considered himself a kinky man, but with Miranda, he found himself wanting things he had never imagined before – not just the kinky things but also the home-and-kids thing. The thought of Miranda carrying his kitten made him want to rip her clothes off at this exact moment and bury himself within her until she was pregnant.

  “Spanking, huh? And what makes you think it would be you doing the spanking?”

  Miranda’s mouth formed an O, and her eyes widened. He wasn’t sure whether it was surprise that he’d said it or surprise that she found herself aroused by the thought of him spanking her. Caleb bent down and gave her a chaste kiss on her nose before turning her around and

  slapping her teasingly on the butt.

  Miranda turned to smile, her hair framing her cherub face.

  “Later,” she mouthed, turning to finish her tree.

  “Tell me about your parents,” he said, a longing for his own parents coursing through him.

  “Well, there’s my mom. She is quite outspoken. People say that I look just like her, but I’m nicer.”

  “Nicer?” Miranda laughed at his

  question, her eyes sparkling with

  amusement.

  “One thing you have to know about

  Emma Sullivan is that she always speaks her mind, and some people take that as bitchy.”

  Miranda shrugged and reached up, trying to staple something above her head.

  Caleb shook his head and walked over, taking the stapler out of her hand to finish the job. She was just a tad too short to reach her goal.

  Miranda beamed at him before

  continuing. “Now my dad is a very quiet man, possibly to balance out my mother.

  His name is Blake. He runs the editing department at the paper in my hometown.

  He used to read to me when I was little.

  Everyone says I got my temperament from him. He’s possibly the most patient person I know.” The way Miranda spoke of her father told Caleb she loved him greatly.

  Caleb wished his father were around to meet the man who Miranda held in such high regards. “Now the triplets, they all took after my mother almost completely.”

  “Did you say triplets?”

  Miranda nodded. “Yep, triplets. I am the youngest of four siblings. Mother had the triplets about six years before me.

  There is Cassie, Brice, and Andrew.

  Andrew is a doctor who rarely visits now.

  Cassie is married to her mate, and they both manage a restaurant together back home. You’ll probably get to meet her too. Last, but not least is Brice. He is in the military and due to come back home this Christmas.”

  “So, do triplets run in your family?”

  Miranda looked up at him with a funny look. “Sometimes I forget that you’re not a mouse. Mouse shifters usually give birth to twins or triplets. I’m actually the odd ball because I was a single birth. Mother was a twin, and Dad was a triplet.”

  “Forget I’m not a mouse! I’m wounded.

  Am I not ferocious enough?” Caleb

  cornered her against the wall and placed both hands beside her head, trapping her within his arms. Caleb peered down into the amused countenance of his mate. His cougar loved playing with its mate.

  Miranda lifter her hand and patted him on the cheek. “Oh, my big bad kitty cat, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

  “What are you going to do to make it up to me?”

  “What do you want?”

  What could he possibly want from his little mate? Truth was he wanted

  everything, but they could start with a kiss. So, thinking, Caleb bent his head and took her lips. Miranda responded

  immediately, parting her lips to duel with his tongue. She wrapped her hands

  around his neck and pulling herself farther into his embrace. Moments later, and far too soon for his tastes, she eased from his kiss, her lips swollen from their brief make-out session, and he only wanted to taste them again.

  “Let’s hurry up and finish, Caleb. I suddenly want to go home with my big bad kitty cat.”

  On their way home, Caleb adjusted his sun visor against the afternoon sun. He needed to stop at Miranda’s house for her to get some things. Miranda sat in the passenger seat scribbling furiously at her teaching plan. He couldn’t help but wonder where he’d be if he had never met her. On the other hand, what if fate had not chosen her for him? Would he have chosen her had fate not stepped in? The more he got to know Miranda, the more he liked her, but in all honesty, despite her beauty, she was not the type he normally went for. Not that he’d had an enormous amount of time to date, but usually the tall and lean blonde-haired woman caught his eye. Not that Miranda’s curly brown hair and big brown eyes didn’t make him hard in less than a second, but the mating urge only ensured that the two were attracted to one another. It didn’t guarantee love, despite the increased success of it with true-mated pairs.

  Caleb knew that Miranda stil
l had

  reservations about actually becoming mated. He understood her reticence, and if he’d stopped for a moment to analyze his own feeling about their whirlwind

  relationship, he’d have probably felt the same way. Did that mean he was going to give Miranda up? Just the mere thought of losing her brought out his claws. Caleb took a deep breath and looked over at Miranda again. Her presence completed him like nothing else. Did he love her?

  Without a doubt, each moment spent with his mate only ensured her permanent residence within his heart.

  Miranda stirred in the passenger seat her work placed to the side forgotten.

  “Is something burning?” Caleb took in a deep sample of the air, and his nose finally picked up small traces of smoke. They were still quite a ways from her house, but Caleb realized the smell of smoke

  intensified with each mile that they got closer.

  Miranda’s gasp stole his attention back to her, and he looked up above the

  treetops to see an ominous cloud of black smoke pillowing in the late afternoon sky.

  Caleb whipped out his cellphone and called the fire department. He quickly told them the general direction of the fire, but that he was not entirely sure of the exact location. Caleb floored the truck, intent on getting wherever the fire was and quickly.

  Caleb guts tightened when the smoke got closer along with the distance to Miranda’s house, and judging by how pale Miranda’s face was, she was worried too.

  ***

  Miranda stared in horror at the flames lapping greedily at her house. The wail of the sirens in the distance didn’t send a rush of relief like she always assumed the sound would. The devastation of losing her house and belongings superseded any sense of relief she might have felt.

  “Son of a bitch!” Caleb’s yell pulled her from her misery as she realized the fire at her small cottage-like house in the woods caused another problem. The woods

  surrounding her home were slowly, but surely, catching fire as well.

  Caleb whipped out his cellphone again and explained the situation to ensure the firefighters knew the right place to come.

  He hung up the phone and pulled her into his embrace. Miranda allowed him to comfort her.

  “It’s all gone,” she said.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you.”

  Isn’t that what it all added up to? Them being there for each other through the good and the bad? She couldn’t believe how readily she trusted Caleb to do just that.

  “I know you will.”

  Caleb released her when the fire trucks pulled up, their sirens making Miranda wince. Caleb helped them contain the fire and finally put out the flames. Two hours later, the sun was setting, and her little blue cottage lay in ashes.

  “Everything is gone.” Miranda couldn’t keep the desperation out of her voice, though she tried. The situation could be worse. She could have been a pile of bones and ash had she stayed home

  today.

  “Don’t worry, Miranda. We’ll go to the store tomorrow and get a few things. It may not be what you want to hear, but we both knew you’d end up living with me.

  It’ll be okay.”

  Miranda turned from the remnants of her first attempt at independence. Deep down she knew that Caleb was right. She would end up moving in with him eventually, so in a way, maybe this was a sign that everything in her life was meant to be with Caleb. Caleb opened the passenger door and helped her inside. Miranda offered him a smile, even if it probably wasn’t the happiest.

  Miranda took a deep breath and allowed her worry to dissipate with her exhaled breath. If Caleb said it would be all right, then it would. Caleb climbed into his truck and started down the road back to his home. Her home now she supposed.

  Miranda reached out and took Caleb’s hand, his presence comforting to her.

  “Thank you, Caleb.” Caleb gave her a grin and squeezed her hand gently before bringing it to his mouth for a kiss.

  When they arrived home, Miranda was itching for a bath. She smelled just like an ashtray, and her eyes were already running from the irritation.

  “I’m going to take a bath, Caleb. I’ll cook when I’m out, okay?” Miranda said, stepping on her tiptoes and placing a brief kiss on his lips. Caleb grabbed her by the waist and held her to him while he

  plundered her mouth.

  “You don’t have to cook for me, you know.”

  Miranda patted Caleb on the chest, and he released her. “I know, but I enjoy cooking.”

  “Whatever makes you happy,

  sweetheart.” Caleb turned her toward the bathroom and patted her on the butt.

  “Take your bath, sweetheart. "She filled the tub with steaming hot water and bubble bath grateful that Caleb had the insight to add such a large and beautiful tub. She sank into the tub and sighed as her muscles relaxed. The tension she’d experienced since her home burned down melted away a bit.

  The next thing Miranda knew, strong arms lifted her and wrapped her in a towel.

  “I’m sorry.” Miranda attempted to get down. She had to fix Caleb something to eat. Caleb clasped her tighter as he walked back into his bedroom.

  “Shh, sweetheart, I’ve got you.”

  “I need to fix you something to eat,” she mumbled almost incoherently as the need for sleep fought for dominance. She didn’t understand why she wanted to sleep so much lately, but she’d never been through a mating heat before either.

  “Miranda, I can fix a sandwich, baby.

  I’ve done it many times before.” After a quick drying with the towel, Caleb set her on the bed and covered her. He placed a kiss on her forehead and turned to leave.

  I love you, Caleb. Miranda thought the words, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them, doubt creeping in to stop her. Then sleep took her to a place where Caleb whispered lovingly in her ear, “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  ***

  Miranda woke feeling refreshed, dreams of Caleb loving her for years to come making her smile. She allowed her fingers to trace Caleb’s sleeping brow, her heart swelling with love for this man. Kissing him gently on the cheek, she climbed out of bed.

  Small shards of daylight peeked through the closed curtains of the window. Looking at the clock, Miranda confirmed that it was early morning, 7:36 a.m. to be exact. She covered her nude body with one of Caleb’s T-shirts, its large size enveloping her smaller one whole.

  Miranda felt the edge of despair at losing everything creep into her mind, but she squashed it down with the realization that she was still alive. She still had Caleb, and things were replaceable. Stepping into his kitchen, she stood for a moment and took in the space. She had been here before, but between the hot sex and search for Gunner, Miranda didn’t have the time to really take in Caleb’s house.

  His kitchen was modern with all the gizmos and gadgets one could hope to have. The stove was part of the island in the center. A smooth black-surface electric cooktop was perfectly offset with the beautiful black marble countertop of the island. Directly behind the island, along the wall, a large rectangular window showed off the back yard while a double electric oven, finished in matching black, stood beside the lovely view.

  Counter space ran around most of the perimeter with a sink and dishwasher toward the entrance she’d come through.

  Straight across from her was the

  refrigerator, yet again in black. The large entrance straight across led to a dining room, which was mostly bare except for a dining room table and chairs in dark wood.

  It was apparent the dining room was not completely finished because of the paint buckets and ladder littering the otherwise immaculate space.

  Miranda never dreamed a male would

  have so many pretty things, and she could not think of any other word but pretty to describe the beauty that surrounded her.

  Shrugging, Miranda made use of the

  generous space in the kitchen by making breakfast. In the refrigerator, she easily found most of th
e ingredients for a large breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

  The other items she found in the pantry that was as large as a walk-in closet.

  Miranda loved this kitchen!

  Miranda allowed herself to zone out, enjoying the mixing and cooking she was doing. Even as a teenager, she’d loved to cook. Living by herself these past few months, and when she’d been in college, she’d not had the opportunity to cook as much. She missed it. Miranda began to sing a tune, one of her favorites from a movie. Soon before she knew it, she was shaking her hips to the catchy rhythm.

  Picking a clean spoon from the drawer, she used it as a microphone. She turned, her free arm shooting into the air as she sang her heart out into the spoon. Miranda stopped abruptly and could feel her face heating with embarrassment when she noticed Caleb standing in the doorway, his arms folded across his muscular chest and a broad smile pasted across his face. She was speechless. What did someone say in a moment like this?

  ***

  The smell of bacon drifted across his

  nose, rousing him from his latest dream featuring Miranda and her beautiful mouth doing wicked things to his body. He’d rolled over to make sweet love to his beautiful mate and met only empty space.

  Disappointed at not finding his mate, he sat up and took a deep whiff of the smells emanating from his kitchen. The sound of singing had him confused, but finally his sleep-addled mind put together that it was Miranda.

  Getting out of bed and sliding on some of his lounging pants, he stepped into the kitchen to find Miranda’s hips swaying to a song she’d just started belting at the top of her lungs. The countertops were full of various foodstuffs, and bacon sizzled in the pan on the stove. Pancakes were cooking beside that, and it appeared eggs would also be on the menu.

  Miranda turned, her hand held in the air while the other held a wooden spoon to her mouth like a microphone. Her curly hair was a frenzied mess around her head, and she wore his T-shirt that swallowed her entirely. Miranda stopped mid-note when she realized he was watching, her face turning bright red with