Shadowing the Teacher (Perfect Pairs Book 3) Read online

  “Didn’t you say you were going to see Laura?” Kane asked, stepping forward slowly, carefully.

  “Yeah. I am.” Her brain was still not functioning properly, and her legs were wobbling. “I have to sit down.”

  Kane held out his hand, and she took it numbly, letting him guide her back to the cushion. She fell onto the couch with a soft bounce, shock still rendering her practically mute.

  “Seeing Laura might be a good idea. It might help put this into perspective.”

  She should have questions, she knew she should. But nothing was coming to mind.

  “Ok.”

  Laura could explain this better surely. Humans that turned into animals? When had fiction become reality?

  “Should we drive you over to Laura’s maybe? You don’t look like driving’s a good idea.”

  She could probably walk it was so close, but that probably wasn’t a good idea either. “Yeah, sure. Let me just get my bag.”

  Reid helped her up, and she stumbled into her room. For some strange reason she could barely feel her arms and legs. She grabbed her phone with numb fingers and managed to tap in a quick message to Laura about coming over to dinner.

  By the time she’d gone to the toilet and grabbed her keys, Laura had messaged back an affirmative. Relief flooded through her, bringing with it a more relaxed state. She stood in her room and stared at herself in the mirror. She was completely numb. She barely recognized the face she saw.

  Keep moving. Laura will help.

  She forced herself back into the hallway and let the boys lead her to the car and shepherd her over to her cousin’s house. It would all make sense soon.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Are you serious, Laura? Your husbands turn into wild animals and you are totally fine with that?”

  Her cousin’s laughter confused her even more. How could she take this so lightly? What was with all these people down here? Was there something in the water than made them totally complacent to the strange intricacies of these men?

  She was grateful that Kane and Reid had managed to get her into Brandon and Tyler’s house, and especially happy when Laura had given her a big glass of white wine. It had worked wonders, and they now sat in the lounge room, comfortable and alone. Her face was burning from the alcohol, and her tongue was on fire. She had a million questions, and since all the men seemed to have disappeared, her cousin had to answer them.

  “Laura, I’m serious!”

  Her pregnant cousin took a drink of her non-alcoholic bubbles and continued to giggle. “Oh, I know you are. I just about lost my mind the first time Tyler shifted in front of me, but you get used to it pretty quickly. It’s just a part of them, like Reid having blue eyes and Kane having brown.”

  Sam stilled and blinked. Why would Laura know that? “How did you remember that so well?”

  Laura grinned at her. Did her cousin read the slight envy in her tone? Damn. She hadn’t meant to sound jealous. That made no sense at all.

  “All the Perfect Pairs are the same, Sam. Reid, Brandon and Jack are all the bigger, brawnier boys, and they have blue eyes. Kane, Tyler and Scott are the more intelligent, serious ones, and they have the brown eyes. It’s part of the formula.”

  Sam took another drink, trying to find the comfort in what her cousin was saying. Obviously the Perfect Pairs had similarities, and they made brilliant husbands, if Ash and Laura were to be believed.

  “But … they turn into mountain lions, Laura. How am I meant to get used to that?”

  She put her glass down and fell back into her armchair with a huff. This was way too hard. “I am so confused. When they first told me I thought I’d humor them, because obviously they were insane, but now I feel like I’m the crazy one!”

  Laura just smiled and continued to rub her belly.

  “Does that mean the baby will be a cat, too? I mean, will it be able to shift as well?”

  Laura nodded. “I assume so. We just found out that we’re having twins, both boys, so I’m assuming I’m growing another Perfect Pair for the family.”

  “Oh wow. Laura, that’s amazing.” Sam stared at her cousin, tears tickling her nose. How beautiful would that be? “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thank you, and that’s probably the best test to see how comfortable you are with this. If you got pregnant, would you be scared to have a Perfect Pair yourself? Would you hate their ability to shift into fast, strong, lethal animals?”

  Don’t be ridiculous.

  “Of course not. I could never hate a child that…”

  Laura smiled at her. “Had no choice about it? Well, neither do our men. They were born with this amazing gift that they have to hide from the world. But being animal shifters is part of them, and since I’m always around if they get hurt or shot, or any of the horrible things that can happen to them in their lion form, they’ll hopefully always be healthy.”

  Sam gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “Shot? Who got shot?” She hadn’t even thought about the dangers to them.

  Laura grimaced, frowning as she rubbed her hands faster over her belly as though she were agitated now. “Tyler, just after we first got together. We had a fight, and he went for a run to cool off, I think. Either way, a poacher shot him, and thankfully Brandon brought him to me to operate on. Most of the time, they can heal really fast in their cat form, but he was too badly hurt, and I had to help him.”

  “Laura, that must have been terrible.”

  “It was. Horrible actually. After that I decided to get over all my insecurities and just love them as they are, and it was the best decision of my life. They are the most loyal, beautiful husbands I could ever have.”

  Sam let her hand fall, and she stood up again, pacing the long room. It made her feel better, and her brain seemed to process things faster when she was moving. “So you’re telling me that if I want them, this is just one of the things you have to accept about a Perfect Pair?”

  “Yes. And it is well worth it. But seriously, what’s the problem, other than the fact it’s unusual? Some husbands play golf on weekends. Our husbands go for a run on the mountain. No big deal really.”

  Sam stopped her pacing and stared at her cousin. Was she serious? How could she not see the difference between those two? “Is it really that simple?”

  “Yes.”

  Sam took a slow, deep breath, then let it out. Technically this wasn’t something that would really affect her. She could tell Kane and Reid that she didn’t want to see them in their lion form, and then she wouldn’t have to think about it. It wasn’t like a drug problem, or gambling that would come back to bite her big time. Like Laura said, this was just a part of them that would need a run once in a while.

  “Ok. I think I’m all right now.”

  “Good. Dinner should be ready. So let’s go eat and then one of my men can drive you home. A good night’s sleep is what you need, and hopefully you’ll see it’s no big deal in the morning.”

  She let a chuckle escape her lips. “Ha, fat chance of that, but I appreciate the chat, Laura, honestly I do. It’s really helped.”

  Laura put out both hands, and Sam grabbed them, hauling her cousin up from the couch where she was obviously stuck.

  “Good. Now, let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

  ****

  Brandon drove her home after dinner, and Sam could barely keep her eyes open. She’d had one of the biggest days of her life, and her brain was not coping.

  She said goodbye to the younger version of Reid and let herself into Ashleigh’s house. No time for a bath tonight. She fell into bed and had hot dreams of Kane and Reid devouring every inch of her. Over and over again.

  ****

  Sam slept in the next morning, waking only when her body demanded the need for the toilet. She stretched and hauled herself out of bed, her body rested and her mind clear.

  “Whoa, what a day.”

  The kitchen tiles were cold as she made herself some toast and curled up on the couch with her pho
ne.

  Kane had been messaging her all night and morning, but she’d had her phone on silent and hadn’t even thought to check it last night.

  They wanted to see her today, and her heart leapt at the idea. It had been too long since she’d touched them, and despite all her fears, she needed to follow her instincts on this one.

  She typed in a few quick messages and invited them over to Ash’s house in the afternoon. She needed a few hours to wake up, shower, and eat. But as the minutes ticked past her body got more antsy. She missed them, wanted them here as soon as possible. Despite everything she’d worried about, today everything just seemed fine.

  Her family and friends may freak out about their ménage, but more than likely they’d spend lots of time with Laura and Ashleigh anyway, so she’d gain more family down here.

  The lion thing was still very strange, but even that was fading into the background the more she thought about it. Did it really affect her? The way a rude, arrogant, or selfish partner would? The answer was no.

  Plus, her immense attraction to them made more sense now. It had felt like it was out of her control, and it probably had been. There was a magic to them that she couldn’t just explain away. If she was their fated mate, and they were hers, why would she run from them? Them calling her their “mate” made so much more sense now, too.

  By the time 2 PM had come around she’d changed her outfit three times and danced around the front sitting room for half an hour, just waiting for them to arrive.

  When she saw their car pull up her throat tightened and a shot of adrenaline had her legs running for the front door, her arm pulling it open as fast as possible. Her men jumped out of their car and swaggered up the walkway, their identical grins and shining faces enough to make arousal burn in her belly and her legs weak.

  “Hey.”

  Reid stepped up first, swinging her up in to his big arms and giving her a beautiful kiss. Kane was less athletic, but still gave her a passionate kiss on the lips before drawing her inside.

  “I missed you,” she couldn’t help admitting as Kane drew her into the sitting room.

  “Both of us, I hope,” Reid growled, grabbing her about the waist and pulling her down onto the couch with him.

  She laughed and slid her arms around his neck. “Yes, of course.”

  She couldn’t believe the difference in Reid compared to yesterday morning.

  “Hey, you never really explained what happened yesterday. Why did you run off after we made love, and then came back a few hours later happy and relaxed?”

  Kane cringed and glanced away, his chiseled features flushing a deep, dark red. “I’m sorry about that. It was beyond rude of me.”

  She cupped his face, so amazingly grateful that she hadn’t given up on him yesterday. Imagine if she had? She would have missed out on all of this. “We all make mistakes. I just wanna know what happened.”

  Kane flopped down onto the couch with them, pulling her into the middle.

  “We called up our cousins and went for a run, in lion form. Something we haven’t done in almost twelve months.”

  Oh, that made sense. After they’d proven to themselves that they could shift still, they came back to tell her about it. Which was so thoughtful she couldn’t even put it into words. They wanted to be honest, and how rare was that?

  She looked from one brother to the other, twisting around so that she could see Kane’s face. Both of their eyes were clearer and brighter today. Their smiles were happy and relaxed. It was pretty obvious that making that change was good for them.

  “Why have you waited so long when you look so healthy from it? Is it something you need all the time?”

  Of course they’d put off doing something that would make them feel good. They’d put themselves in a self-induced hell since their wife had died. Even if she couldn’t handle them shifting in front of her, she’d still encourage them to go for runs often. Anything they needed to be healthy was fine by her.

  “Yes, it’s great for us. But we hadn’t been able to shift since Amanda died. We tried before, but failed.”

  Her mouth dropped open. Really? She looked into Reid’s eyes and asked the question that was highlighted bold in her head. “What’s changed then?”

  He grinned at her and cupped her chin in his hand, warm happiness flowing through her like a wave at his touch. “You, you beautiful girl. You’ve changed everything.”

  Then he kissed her.

  This kiss was one that she would always remember. It was slow, and soft, full of love and tenderness. Nothing like anything she had felt before, and she hoped the start of many more to come. In his kiss she could feel the warmth of his feelings for her curling down inside her body and wrapping themselves around her heart. Changing her forever.

  When he pulled back she could barely keep her eyes open. To have such a big man touch her with such reverence was a heady feeling indeed.

  She forced her eyes open and sat back. “Wow.”

  Kane turned her towards him, kissing her gently on the lips, too. He obviously didn’t like being left out.

  She smiled as she sat back. “So, what are we going to do now?”

  Reid slid his hand over her leg. “What do you want to do? We’d prefer to stay here of course. All our family is here and your cousins too, but if you need to go back to where you live, we will follow.”

  She was getting a strained neck trying to look at them both, so she jumped up and slid on to the couch opposite them. “Sorry, but it’s too hard to see you both like that … plus, you’re too distracting.”

  She got identical twin grins for that, and she looked away with a smile. Typical.

  “Ok—so what do you mean? You mean next week? Or are you talking long term?”

  It felt so strange asking the question after so short an amount of time, but it was what they were talking about, she was sure.

  Kane slid to the edge of the couch. “We mean long term of course. We can work anywhere, so it’s really up to you. You have more permanent roots than we do.”

  “But we barely know each other and you…” She lifted her hand and gestured towards Reid, her throat clogging with unexpected tears. “You…” She didn’t know how to finish the sentence because suddenly it seemed like everything had happened too fast. It had only been yesterday that she’d been thinking she could never overcome their connection to Amanda, or each other, and now they were here vowing to move anywhere to be with her.

  “I … what?” Reid asked, gesturing to himself, his jaw tight.

  “You left. I didn’t think you wanted me, and I was just getting myself prepared to go home, and…” The sadness she’d been pushing down since yesterday started to overwhelm her like a rising tide. She’d thought she was past it, so she shouldn’t be bringing it up now.

  A sob rose, and she stifled it with her hand on her mouth.

  Damn. Pull yourself together.

  The men jumped up, but she put her hand up. “No, please. I need to get this out, or I never will.” She took a few deeps breaths and pressed forward. This was it. Say it, or forever hold her peace. “I’m so scared that I’ll never be able to live up to the memory of Amanda, your perfect wife. I know that sounds so mean, and I don’t want to sound like a bitch but…” Her voice broke as the threat of rejection tore into her. She hated saying this, but it had to be done. “I don’t want to fall in love with you guys, only to find out you can never love anyone but her.”

  Her chest was too tight, hot tears spilling from her eyes, and mucus clogged up her nose. She reached for the box of tissues, blowing her nose and wiping at her tears. This was all too much.

  Kane smiled at her kindly and reached over the coffee table to take her hand.

  Kane pulled her towards him and she went, while Reid silently slipped into the armchair closest to her. She hoped that was so he didn’t overwhelm her, not that she’d just pushed him into running away again.

  Reid swallowed obviously, his throat working before he spoke.
“You don’t have to worry about such a thing, Sam. You are our true mate, the woman made just for us. We can’t compare the two of you.”

  Sam took deep breaths in through her nose and concentrated on not bursting into tears again. “So, does that mean, you ha-ave to love me?”

  She sniffed as hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Damn it!

  She wiped them away as quickly as possible and focused on Reid’s smiling face.

  “No, not at all. But the bond between us is there for a reason, I see that now. It’s to show us with undeniable certainty that you are meant for us. So we don’t do anything as stupid as ignoring it. We have a choice, and we know you are the one. Amanda was the past. You are our future.”

  His words were perfect, and his eyes seemed to show he was being honest, but there was a lingering doubt fluttering inside her.

  “Are you really sure? I mean, you left me only yesterday after we…”

  Reid slipped back on to the couch with them and pulled her into his lap. He wrapped his huge arms around her, and she settled into him, sighing as the tension began to leave her body.

  “Sam, I am so, very sorry about yesterday. I don’t know how to say it any other way. Not sorry about the amazing sex of course, but my response afterwards. It was selfish and stupid, and I want to make it up to you.”

  She slid her arms up to his neck, digging her fingers into the huge, corded muscles there. “I do have another five days of holidays before I have to decide anything.” And she hoped that was enough time for all her jitteriness to go away.

  “Perfect.” The word rolled out of him on a growl as he scooped her up into his arms and stood up.

  Sam squealed and held tight to his neck. “Put me down. I’m too heavy!” She tried to push her legs against his arms, wanting to put her feet back on the solid floor. But he just laughed and tossed her up in the air as though she were a weightless baby. She properly screamed then and clung tight to his body.

  “Sam. You are perfect, but I know the words are not enough. Let us show you just how perfect you are.”

  They turned and walked her back to her bedroom, pushing her bag to the side as they lay her on the bed. Together they proved just how much they wanted her to stay, and what lengths they’d go to, to make sure she felt desired and loved.