Just Bob (Assassins Inc. #1)(10)

“I’m an accountant.”

“Yes, I know.”

“That’s right. You’re my stalker.”

Yes! The smile was back.

“I am.”

“Cool.” I felt practically giddy.

I had a stalker.

“How much bacon do you want?” I asked as I went back to cooking.

“Can I ask you a question, Bob?”

I sent Shade a quick smile. “Of course.”

“How did you end up with a thirty-pound Maine Coon?”

“A what?”

“Your cat.”

Huh. “He’s a Maine Coon?”

Shade’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t know?”

I shook my head. “No, I had no idea.”

I wasn’t even sure what a Maine Coon was.

“I found Mustachio in the alley when he was a baby,” I explained. “He was just a little thing, cold and starving. I had no idea he’d grow so big.”

“Maine Coons are one of the largest of the domesticated cats,” Shade said. “It’s not unusual for them to grow pretty large, although I’m not sure I’ve seen one as big as Mustachio.”

I grinned. “Yeah, he’s special.”

Shade chuckled, which was a good thing. I liked making him laugh.

I just didn’t understand why. Yes, the sex was great. Flipping fantastic. That did not mean I should care so much. I didn’t even know the guy. Well, I sort of knew him, but sleeping with Shade didn’t mean we were bosom buddies or anything.

I could only wish.

I slid the cooked bacon onto a plate covered with a paper towel and started on the pancakes. They shouldn’t take more than a few minutes so I started the eggs.

“You’re very good at that,” Shade said.

I glanced up. “Good at what?”

Shade nodded toward the stove top. “Cooking.”

“Oh.” I smiled again. “Eating out is fun, but it costs too much to do more than occasionally. It also gets kind of boring after a while. I mean, you can only eat so many burgers before you start to moo.”

Shade chuckled again before speaking. “I’m not very good in the kitchen. You’ll have to cook for the both of us.”

I kind of thought that was what I was already doing, but what seemed obvious to me wasn’t to other people, so I could be wrong. “I can do that.”

I really hoped this meant I would see Shade again.

“So, how did you get a name like Shade?”

The man’s massive shoulders when he shrugged. I wouldn’t normally have noticed, because yeah, shoulders moved when people shrugged. That’s what a shrug was. But no shoulders I had ever seen moved the way Shade’s did. It was almost erotic.

“I don’t rightly remember who gave the name to me, but it stuck. In my business, I’m one of the best because I can blend into the shadows. Hence, the name.”

I wasn’t sure what to address first, the fact that he was considered one of the best at killing people, or the man’s belief that he could fade into anything.

“I don’t see how it’s possible.”

“What?” Shade asked.

“For you to fade into the shadows.”

Shade shrugged again. “Most people don’t remember me once I’m gone. I blend in.”

“Yeah, right.” I snorted. “I don’t know who filled your head with that ridiculous idea, but they’re wrong. You couldn’t blend in if you tried.”

Shade jerked back, almost as if he was startled by my statement. I didn’t know why. The man was gorgeous. He couldn’t blend in if it was pitch dark out.

“I don’t understand that,” Shade said. “You seem to be the only one who can see me.”

This time, I was the one to shrug. “I don’t know what to tell you, Shade. You may not understand how I could think you don’t blend in. I don’t understand how you could think you do”—I waved my hand in his direction, and then down his body—“I mean, just look at you.”

Shade glanced down. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing, and that’s the point. You’re gorgeous. I seriously doubt blending in is even in your DNA.”

I, on the other hand, would blend in if I was dressed all in black in a white room.

Shade’s grin was huge. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

Duh.

“Um, yeah.” I smirked at the man. “But just a little bit.”

I didn’t realize Shade would take my words seriously until the smile fell from his face. His fingers went to the scar over his eye, stroking it. “Is it the scar? I know humans don’t like scars.”

“No, of course not. If anything, that scar makes you look more rakish. I was joking when I said—” I stilled, blinking fast. A weird vibe rode up my spine. “Did you say human?”





Chapter Four


Shade



“Yeah.” The fear sliding across Bob’s face confused me. “What did you think I said?”

“You…you…” Bob’s eyes were saucer wide. “You’re not human?”

I cocked my head slightly, confused by the growing fear in my mate. “No, I’m a panther.”