Page 31 of Frost and Felines

"It's fine." Mallory waved off his thanks, but her eyes lit up when she saw the stew. "Though you might want to know I saw Gregory lurking outside right after. He definitely sent her here on purpose."

Kieran's jaw clenched. The tiger in him wanted to march down the street and show Gregory exactly what happened when you messed with what was his. But he made himself take a calming breath. "That snake is getting bolder. First the decorations, then the power, now this."

"Will you join me?" Mallory gestured to the chair across from her. "There's plenty here for two."

He settled into the plush armchair, watching as she took her first bite of stew. The small sound of contentment she made sent a wave of satisfaction through him.

"How are you holding up?" he asked softly. "That memory you shared at lunch seemed... personal."

Pain flickered across her face before she could hide it. "I'm okay. Just... wasn't expecting to have to dig up old memories today."

Kieran leaned forward in his chair, his tiger instincts making him hyper-aware of Mallory's every movement as she stirred her stew. "I'm sorry you had to use your memories with Eli like that. It wasn't fair to ask you to pretend they were about me."

Mallory's spoon clinked against the bowl as she set it down. "You didn't ask. I volunteered."

"Still. Could you tell me about him?" The request slipped out. His tiger growled at the thought of another man, but he pushed that possessive instinct down. "How did you meet?"

A small smile touched her lips, making something in his chest tighten. "I was at this tiny bookstore downtown. He reached for the same book I did - some pretentious poetry collection I can't even remember now."

"Let me guess - he let you have it?"

"Actually, I grabbed it first and told him to find his own copy." Her laugh was soft but genuine. "He asked me to coffee after that."

Kieran found himself grinning despite the jealousy simmering beneath his skin. "Smooth move."

"It started pouring during our date. Absolutely drenching everyone. But Eli just..." She traced patterns in the condensation on her water glass. "He didn't run for cover like everyone else. He just stood there in the rain with me, smiling like it was the most natural thing in the world."

The longing in her voice made Kieran's chest ache. He wanted to reach across the space between them, grab her hand, and chase away that sadness in her eyes. But he kept still, letting her share her story.

"He understood me in a way no one else ever had," she continued. "Never pushed me to be more social or different than I was. Just... accepted me." She looked up at Kieran. "Do you know how rare that is?"

Kieran did know. He had dated enough women to recognize how special that kind of connection was and how hard it was to find. The tiger in him recognized it too and was increasingly interested in forming that same kind of bond with the woman sitting across from him.

He shifted in his chair. "I am jealous of that," he admitted, his voice rougher than intended. "That kind of understanding. That acceptance."

He twisted his fingers in his lap, trying to find the right words. "I spent years dating socialites and party girls. Always chasing the next thrill, the next conquest. My mother used to tell me I was running from something, but I never listened."

Mallory's blue eyes met his, steady and nonjudgmental. It made something in his chest loosen.

"When Mom died last year, it hit me hard. Really hard." His fingers tightened on the armrest, his claws threatening to emerge. "She was the only one who ever called me on mybullshit, you know? Made me face who I really was versus who I was pretending to be."

The snow fell harder outside, creating a cocoon of white around the window. His tiger paced, wanting to bare everything to this woman who listened so intently.

"I took some time after that. Stopped dating completely. Started really looking at what I wanted." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "I realized I needed someone who could match me. Not just keep up with me at parties or look good on my arm, but really match me. Someone strong where I'm weak. Someone who could ground me when I get too caught up in my own head."

His voice dropped lower, more intimate. "Someone who could see past the charming act and call me out when I need it. Like you've been doing this past week."

The admission hung in the air between them, heavy with implications he hadn't meant to voice. His tiger let out a low rumble of satisfaction at finally speaking the truth, even as his human side worried he had said too much.

Mallory's fingers traced the rim of her water glass. "You're a good person, Kieran. With a good heart." Her voice was soft but firm. "You'll find your match someday. You deserve to."

Kieran's tiger rumbled in his chest, wanting to tell her she was wrong. He had already found his match. She was sitting right across from him, her platinum hair catching the warm light of the suite, and those storm-blue eyes seeing straight through his carefully constructed walls. She was everything he wanted - strength wrapped in vulnerability, sharp wit tempered with kindness, and a beauty that went far deeper than her striking features.

But the lingering sadness in her expression when she spoke about Eli told him everything he needed to know. She wasn'tready to hear that. Maybe wouldn't be for a long time. His tiger growled in frustration.

"Thank you," he managed instead, his voice rough. The urge to pull her into his arms and show her exactly how good they could be together was almost overwhelming. His tiger prowled restlessly beneath his skin, demanding action.

But Kieran had learned patience this past year. Had learned that the best things were worth waiting for. And Mallory? She was definitely worth waiting for.

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