Page 24 of Frost and Felines

"Me?" Mallory's eyes sparkled in the hallway light. "You're the one who kept everyone calm and turned it into an adventure instead of a disaster."

His inner beast preened at her praise. "We do make quite the team."

"We do." She twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "Though I still say I'm the brains of the operation."

"As long as I can be the brawn." He flexed playfully, drawing another of those rare laughs from her.

"Goodnight, Kieran." She slipped into her room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Kieran stood there longer than necessary, his enhanced hearing picking up her soft footsteps as she moved around her suite. Finally, he forced himself to enter his own room, though every instinct screamed to follow her.

He sprawled across his king-sized bed, not bothering with the lights. The ceiling fan spun lazy circles above him, but he couldn't focus on its movement. All he could see was Mallory's face illuminated by candlelight as she led the caroling, the way her eyes had lit up when she won at trivia, and how naturally she fit against him when he'd guided her through the crowd.

His tiger rumbled in agreement. She was perfect - sharp-witted enough to match him, strong enough to stand up to Gregory, yet carrying a gentleness that made him want to shelter her from the world. The way she handled both guests and staff, firm but fair, showed the natural leadership his mate should have.

Mate. The word echoed in his mind, and he groaned, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. He couldn't think of her that way. She was still grieving her husband and still raw from that loss. She didn't need him pursuing her, no matter how much his tiger insisted she belonged with them.

But damn if he wasn't falling for her anyway.

11

MALLORY

Mallory stood at the front desk sorting through guest requests when Kieran's deep laugh echoed through the lobby. The sound sent an unexpected warmth through her chest, and she caught herself smiling. Again.

"Earth to Mallory." Charlotte waved a hand in front of her face. "You were staring."

"I wasn't staring. I was... thinking about the Christmas Eve dance preparations."

"Mhmm." Charlotte's knowing look made Mallory's cheeks burn. "That's why your eyes haven't left our handsome innkeeper since he walked in?"

Mallory busied herself with the papers. "I don't know what you mean."

"You're allowed to like him, you know." Charlotte's voice softened. "Being alone isn't some kind of penance you have to serve."

Before Mallory could respond, Kieran strode over, his presence filling the space between them. "Ladies, what's the secret conversation about?"

"Nothing," Mallory said quickly.

"Really?" He leaned close, his breath warming her ear. "Because you're blushing."

Her heart skipped. When had that started happening? When had his teasing started affecting her this way?

"I'm going to check on the kitchen," Charlotte said, retreating with a smile.

"How about some lunch?" Kieran's hand found the small of her back, the touch sending tingles up her spine. "I got that soup you liked yesterday."

"You remembered that?"

"I remember everything about you." His blue eyes held hers, intense yet sincere. "Like how you scrunch your nose when you're annoyed, or how you tap your fingers when you're thinking."

The lobby suddenly felt too warm. "Kieran..."

"And how you're trying not to smile right now." His thumb traced circles on her back. "But failing miserably."

She was smiling, damn him. These past few days, he had been doing that more and more - making her forget why she had built her walls so high in the first place.

"Fine. Lunch. But only because I'm hungry."

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