Rory watched her like a hawk, his body braced for action.
As her stomach settled, the bites and sips became larger. The warmth of the liquid spread through her. She finished the toast and drained the cup with a relieved sigh. Shay balled up the paper and handed her trash and the cup to Rory.
“Feel better?” he asked, his concern evident in his furrowed brow.
“Yes.” She snuggled down under the covers and closed her eyes.
“Well enough to ride with me to pick up your SUV? Riley texted and said the red Tahoe was best. It needs new tires and a tune-up, but otherwise is in excellent condition. It also had the best price and a bit of warranty left.”
At that moment Shay couldn’t care less about the details. She wasn’t up to another two-hour ride, another hour of price haggling, and waiting while Rory had the car serviced before heading home. She had no doubts he’d handle everything today. That was his nature.
She opened one eye and met his gaze. “Can you take someone else with you to drive mine here? I do feel better, but I’m not up for another long ride. I’d rather stay home and chill.”
He sat on the bed beside her and took her hand. “I can wait until you feel like riding with me. I’d rather not leave you home alone, knowing you don’t feel well.”
Shay opened the other eye and squeezed his hand. “My stomach is fine. A short nap and I’ll be good as new. Go, don’t wait. You return to work tomorrow,” she reminded him. “I’m sure you’ll have to work overtime to catch up since you’ve been out. That means it will be next weekend at the earliest before we can go get it.”
“You won’t be without transportation, Shay, if that’s your concern.”
She shook her head. “I know you’ll leave me the truck. But the dealer will only hold the SUV for three days. You get it today, and we’ll be done with the whole purchasing process.”
He sighed. “Can I call someone to sit with you? If not one of the pack, then Shannon?”
Now she smiled. “No, I’m okay. I’ll bother Kian if I feel the need for company.”
Both his eyebrows shot up. “If you’ve got the ability to tease, then you’re obviously feeling much better than you look.”
Actually she’d been serious, but if it made him happier to think she was joking, who was she to disillusion him?
“Let me call Riley and see if he’s free. If not, I’ll give Caleb a call.” He rose from the bed and left the room.
Shay eased out of bed and went to use the restroom. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she could better understand Rory’s concern. She did look pale, and her eyes appeared sick. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, deciding there was no sense combing her matted hair when she was climbing right back into bed for it to flatten.
Rory returned to the bedroom as she was exiting the bathroom. “One of my crew is riding with me. I told Caleb to keep his phone handy. I’ll program his number into your cell phone. You call him if you run into any trouble, and he’ll come running.” He gave her a look that enforced his command.
“Okay.” Though Shay doubted she’d run into any problems.
Appearing relieved that she wasn’t going to give him any argument, he went into the bathroom to shower. Twenty minutes later he was gone.
Shay dozed while Rory dressed, but the minute the door closed behind him, she was wide-awake. In the strange manner of pregnant women, she’d gone from wanting to barf at the mere thought of food to feeling like she’d die of hunger if she didn’t get something inside her in the next instant.
Pausing only long enough to slip on a pair of shorts and an oversize T-shirt, Shay trotted down the stairs to the kitchen. A jumbo glass of orange juice, a banana, a muffin, and a container of yogurt later, she was still hungry.
She glanced down at her belly in disgust. “You’re not even here yet, and already you’re as demanding as your father.”
Sighing in resignation, she pulled out a flat of eggs, a pack of sausage, and a bag of cheese in preparation for making an omelet. Shay could tell which one of them this little one took after.
She started the entire container of meat cooking and, as an afterthought, grabbed the bacon as well. If she was going to pig out, might as well do a thorough job of it. After turning the oven on to four hundred degrees, Shay lined a cookie sheet with wax paper and almost an entire pack of bacon strips—the thick, meaty kind. What else would a shifter buy?
As the aroma of cooking pork rose in the air, Shay eyed the basement door. In the short time she’d been here, she’d gotten used to sharing meals with another. She gave the mountain of food she prepared another glance, then looked back at the door. Inviting Kian to share a meal would be the nice, friendly, family thing to do, wouldn’t it? It wouldn’t constitute bothering him, would it?
Certain Rory would agree and approve, Shay had the door open and was walking down the stairs before her conscience could kick in and talk her out of it.
“Kian,” she called as she cracked the second door open. “It’s me, Shay—Rory’s mate? I’ve come to invite you to breakfast. Thought maybe we could get to know each other since, you know, we live in the same house and all.” She nudged the opening wider and peeped around the wood.
“I know already we have one thing in common. We both dislike the pack. I know I shouldn’t say this, but having met them, I don’t blame you for not wanting anything to do with them. That’s the reason I had Rory put a stop to them walking into this house anytime they got good and ready. From now on the doors are locked and they have to call first before coming over. I even had him change the locks.” Shay paused. She couldn’t hear any sound of movement. If Kian was there, he wasn’t interested in making nice.
“Anyway,” she said, her spirit drooping, “Rory left for Fort Knox this morning to go pick up a vehicle for me. I realized, after I started, I cooked way too much food for one person and thought I’d see if you wanted to join me. If not, I understand.” She waited another moment for Kian to show himself, then, shoulders slumped, turned and went back up the stairs.
The sausage was ready to be flipped. After doing so, she got busy cracking eggs. Since Kian wouldn’t be joining her, Shay cracked three eggs into a medium-sized bowl and tossed the shells into the trash. The timer on the oven went off. She checked the bacon to see how it was progressing, and set the timer for another three minutes. It was slightly golden, but Shay liked her bacon crispy. By then the sausage patties were ready to come out of the pan. She scooped them up and onto a paper-towel-lined plate. Running out of countertop space, Shay grabbed the eggs and turned to place them in the fridge and almost dropped the container.
Kian sat, not three feet away, quiet as midnight, watching her with those eerie blue eyes.
Chapter Fourteen
“Make some noise, will you? You scared the bejeebers out of me,” Shay snapped, fear giving way to anger. She put the eggs on the counter before she crushed them and then closed her eyes for a moment, trying to catch her breath.
His ears flicked forward, and his head tilted to the side. Very deliberately he lifted his right front paw and then the left. His claws made a miniscule scraping sound when they landed on the wood floor.
“A jokester. Great,” Shay said with heavy sarcasm.
His eyes laughed at her.
Shay studied him, her gaze narrowed. “Does this mean you’ve decided to join me for breakfast?”
He looked toward the stove, then back at her and nodded. The action looked so strange, for a moment Shay was taken aback. Reminding herself there was a man inside the wolf, she literally shook off her disconcertment, shaking her head so that wisps of hair flew into her face. She really needed to get a haircut, she mused.