Page 19 of A Hunter Found
She didn’t do great. Nor did she fire off a single round. While the protein shake she had drunk had helped her recover somewhat while Morgan had demonstrated proper stance and grip, the Born had taken one look at the quiver in Sophia’s arms when she’d raised the gun, and promptly plucked the Glock from Sophia’s hand with an, “Okay, maybe we’ll call it a day and save this for tomorrow.”
Sophia nearly collapsed with relief. She needed a nap, was about to say as much when Morgan suggested, “Why don’t we drive out to Kane’s and jump in his hot tub? They’re the best for sore muscles and I’m sure he won’t mind.”
Sophia just barely held back the urge to jump up and down and yell, ‘Oh, yes, please, and thank you!’ her body’s need for a nap suddenly banished with the thought of seeing Kane. Good Lord, she had it bad, and if she didn’t manage to tamp down her enthusiasm, she was going to give herself away. The last thing she needed was Travis doing the over-protective brother thing, thinking he needed to warn her off the idea of Kane. She already knew it was probably a bad idea.
While they’d been at the salon, Kane had been one of the topics of conversation between Jamie and Morgan, and while Sophia had listened eagerly, she’d gotten the impression that while women came easily to Kane, a fact which hadn’t surprised her, he rarely took them seriously. And she would have taken that to heart, would have steeled herself against this blooming attraction had the very sensible Morgan not shrugged and said, “That was when he was a Hunter, when he couldn’t put down roots. Who knows what will happen now that he’s permanently based here?”
Those words had practically sent Sophia’s heart fluttering right out of her chest with hope, and no amount of stern mental lectures had been able to talk her down since.
Rushing back to the house to find a bathing suit, or at least a pair of shorts and a tank top to use for her dip in the hot tub, Sophia stopped short once she’d burst through the door. There on the coffee table was a huge basket wrapped in green cellophane and topped with a big gold bow.
Biting her bottom lip, her heart thudding like it wanted to burst from her chest, she reminded herself that she wasn’t the only one who lived here, that the basket might not be for her. Approaching slowly, her eyes zeroed in on the little card just beneath the bow. Only the H, I, and A were visible, but that was all she needed for a blinding grin to break out on her face and have her practically skipping the rest of the way over.
Even before she tore off the wrapping, she could see that the basket was filled with food. Her short bark of laughter echoed around her. A bouquet of Slim Jims tied with ribbon, jars of nuts, a party-sized bag of M&M’s, Twizzlers, and more.
Her hands were shaking with excitement as she pulled the card free. Her name was on the front, but scrawled on the back in a masculine hand were the words:To replenish your snack bag, and signed with the letter K.
Still grinning, Sophia tapped the card against her bottom lip and took in the assortment of food as hope exploded in her chest. Was Kane courting her? If he were a shifter, she would say yes. While dragon shifters tended to give offerings of shiny baubles that could be hoarded as treasure, she knew many other shifter species tended to show their regard with food, a tasty treat to help sweeten the object of their affection up. Perhaps the Born were the same.
Clutching the card to her chest, Sophia bounced in place with a little happy dance before running to her room in search of a bathing suit, now even more excited to see Kane.
∞∞∞
Kane was in a great mood. Last night, after the tacos had been consumed and the hilarity over his loss had died down, he’d managed to corner Archer, and the pack alpha had agreed to a sit-down with him and Destin Jourdain. Now, he’d just gotten off the phone with the latter, having hammered out a date and location, only to see a familiar vehicle pull into his drive. His mood went from great straight to spectacular when he saw Sophia St. John emerge from the back. Had she received his gift?
Feeling like an excited puppy, Kane tried to tell himself to be cool, but he still burst through the front door and ran to greet her like a love-sick dork. That beautiful mane of hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and her body was shown off to great effect thanks to a tank top emblazoned with what looked like a sports team mascot, and a pair of cut-off denim shorts. Her feet were in flip-flops, revealing cute little toes, the nails painted a glossy red. But it was that bright, eager smile of greeting on her face that left Kane wanting to scoop her up in his arms and kiss her until they were both insensible. It was only the annoying fact that they weren’t alone that stopped him.
“We came to mooch off you and take a dip in your hot tub,” Morgan told him with a grin as she strode past him, while Travis eyed him with suspicion. Not that he could blame the dragon, Kane hadn’t exactly done a stellar job of masking his excitement, and considering his eyes had barely left the man’s sister for more than a heartbeat, it wouldn’t take a genius to assume the reason behind that excitement.
Ignoring the death glare being aimed at him, Kane went straight to Sophia, his happiness to see her morphing into a frown of concern as he reassessed what she was wearing. “You must be freezing. Let’s get you inside.”
Wrapping his arm around her, he urged her toward the door while her brother let out a scoffing snort. “She’s a dragon, Kane. She can make fire. She can also walk perfectly fine by herself.”
Sophia glared at her brother, but Kane barely noticed, too absorbed in the feeling of Sophia’s warm, smooth skin under his palm. “Did you get the basket I sent you?”
Her smile was glorious, lit with happiness and Kane felt his heartbeat accelerate. God, he wanted to kiss her so badly. If her brother would just go away…
“I did, thank you. That was so thoughtful.” Her head cocked slightly to indicate the hobo bag hanging from her shoulder. “I brought some with me,” she said, her eyelashes flicking down before she glanced up at him with a melting softness in those brown eyes that held promises which knocked the breath straight out of Kane’s chest as she finished with, “In case you get hungry later.”
Later? He was hungry now, and for once in his life, not for food. Mentally cursing the fact that they weren’t alone, he ushered Sophia through the door Morgan had left open. A hand landed firmly on his shoulder, halting his forward momentum. “So, Kane. Why don’t you tell me about this alliance you’re trying to establish?”
He almost flashed his fangs and snarled at Travis, but somehow managed to bite back his annoyance as Sophia slipped out from under his arm. “I’m going to jump in the hot tub.” And then, pointedly at Kane, “I’ll see you in a few minutes?”
Pasting a smile on his face when he’d rather growl at his woman’s annoying brother, Kane nodded. Once Sophia was out of sight, he turned to face Travis, about to launch into the details of his plan when he was shoved into a wall with enough force to crack the plaster, a forearm jammed against his neck.
Dragon eyes were glaring at him, those pupils constricted to reptilian slits, and the scent of sulfur thick in Kane’s nose as Travis snarled, “She’s my sister.”
Kane’s “I know,” was a pained whisper as he forced it past the restriction at his throat.
“I’m bigger than you, meaner than you, and if you hurt her, Iwillkill you.”
He could barely nod, thanks to that forearm, but Travis saw, stepped back enough so Kane could draw in a much-needed breath. The dragon’s next words were quiet, a whispered hiss as a finger was jammed in Kane’s face. “Don’t fuck this up, vampire.”
As far as blessings go, Kane supposed it could have been worse.
Chapter Fourteen
Sophia arrived on the patio to find Morgan had already uncovered the hot tub, though the other woman was nowhere to be seen. Inviting curls of steam rose into the air, and Sophia quickly shucked off the shorts and tank she had worn over her mint green bikini, to climb in. A sigh of contentment had just left her lips as she settled into the soothing heat when her brother’s mate appeared. Dressed in a vivid blue, high-necked one-piece that zipped up the front, Morgan was carrying an ice bucket packed with Coronas.
