Meow Or Never: BBW SEAL Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) Read online

  Everything about this seemed backwards, but Hailey didn’t mind. Sometimes life surprised you in a good way, and you just had to go with the flow. She tamped down on the instincts that always made her overthink everything.

  The evening had been great, a more than welcome distraction of the shitshow her life was turning into. With Troy, everything was easy and effortless. Her troubles seemed to melt away in his presence, replaced by excitement and the warm, fuzzy feelings that every woman experiences when they meet a guy worth their while.

  She stopped by her red Volkswagen Golf, nervously swaying on the balls of her feet before looking up at Troy. Even in her teetering high heels, she barely reached up to his shoulders. It made her feel small in the best of ways.

  I mean, I definitely think it went well, but maybe he was secretly bored out of his skull the entire time? she thought, self-doubt creeping in.

  “I had a great time,” he said, stepping closer, eyes boring into hers.

  Hailey got trapped in his baby blues, her body drawn to the warmth rolling off him.

  Troy edged even closer, until they were only inches apart and Hailey’s back was pressed against her car.

  “Me, too,” she finally got out, voice breathy.

  Troy reached out, his hand sliding into her hair. There was a hint of possessiveness to the move, but not too much. It made her feel wanted rather than controlled. Hailey’s lips parted expectantly as he brought his face close to hers, his warm breath tickling her face.

  Could it be as amazing as I remember?

  He proved immediately that it was even better than she remembered. Starting out with small, cautious kisses, he pressed his lips softly against hers. The chemistry between them sizzled, heightening all of Hailey’s senses. Troy’s body pushed against hers as he deepened the kiss, his tongue snaking into her mouth.

  Hailey’s hands went to his chest, pressing against it, desire swelling in her gut. Troy’s tongue ravaged her mouth, claiming it with sensual force. They made out like hormonal teenagers, a tangle of lips, tongues and hands, until they both ran out of breath in the chill of the Chicago evening.

  Hailey pulled away, gasping slightly.

  There is definitely going to be a second date.

  She slipped a hand into Troy’s pocket, earning a playful gasp from him.

  “Very forward of you,” he commented with a sly smirk.

  Hailey just rolled her eyes at him and pulled out his cell phone.

  “So you don’t have to stalk me,” she explained, typing in her number.

  After handing Troy his phone back, Hailey quickly got in her car and closed the door after her. If he kissed her again, she might just jump his bones right there in the parking lot. As it were, she still had some research waiting for her at home that really couldn’t wait. Not even for the likes of Troy Sellen.

  “Goodbye to you, too,” Troy grinned, leaning closer to the car window, his voice muffled by the glass.

  Hailey blew him a quick kiss before taking off. She would much rather be spending her time getting to know Troy than poring through court documents, but she couldn’t bury her head in the sand.

  If she had any shot at getting out from under the Crimson Claws’ thumb, she had to act fast, before they really sunk their teeth in her and got her involved in something she couldn’t come back from. The mere thought made her stomach sink.

  They won’t be done with me after this case. I just know it.

  But she had to cling to something and with Troy not there with her, hope was all she had.

  Seven

  Troy

  Troy woke up the next morning with Hailey’s scent still on his skin. It was something he was growing very used to, probably more than was appropriate.

  Getting soft, Sellen. Foster wouldn’t allow that.

  After showering and brushing his teeth, he was just about ready to go and hit the gym. A knock on the door interrupted him just as he was shoving his sneakers into a duffel bag. Troy’s training kicked in. As a Navy SEAL, he knew any unexpected situation should be treated like a potentially dangerous one.

  As a member of the Crimson Claws, he knew that to be doubly true.

  He crept up to the door, grabbing his gun on the way over. The tension left his body and the weapon moved to hang slackly at his side as soon as he could smell the man on the other side. He pulled the door open, staring suspiciously at the wiry guy fidgeting with his cell phone.

  “Jay, what are you doing here?” Troy asked, not a fan of surprise visits. “You know shit like this can get you killed, right?”

  “The boss sent me. You going to let me in or what?” Jay answered, already nudging past him.

  Troy knew immediately which boss the man was talking about. Jay was as close to River as Troy had ever gotten. The man in charge was very reclusive and rarely dealt with people face to face, and only when he deemed them important enough for his presence. Few made the cut.

  The fact that Jay had bothered to track him down to his apartment wasn’t only something worthy of being mentioned in his latest report, it also gave him hope his time with the Crimson Claws would come to an end sooner than previously expected.

  Jay was one of the guys River used to relay sensitive messages. He didn’t look like much, but Troy knew the trust he’d earned with the big boss was soaked in blood.

  “By all means,” Troy muttered as Jay made himself at home on his couch.

  “I have an assignment for you,” the man said, typing away on his phone like Troy was barely even in the room with him.

  “Dempsy already told me I had work coming my way. That doesn’t explain what you’re doing at my house. Dempsy’s my direct superior, why isn’t he the one giving me this information?”

  Troy sounded annoyed, but he was secretly glad. Jay being here meant whatever the mission was, it was important and River had chosen him specifically for it. Troy had already risen up the ranks with great speed, this only cemented his position as someone to look out for.

  Besides, there was no love lost between him and Dempsy. The less he had to deal with that guy, the better for both of them.

  Maybe an audience with River himself isn’t as far off as I’ve thought.

  “Usually, that would be the case. But seeing as Dempsy is the target, that might be a little awkward,” Jay said, finally looking up from his screen to study Troy’s reaction.

  “Okay,” Troy responded immediately, before the thought had really even sunk in.

  That took Troy by surprise. Despite the rumors about the man, which may or may not have been true, Troy thought Dempsy was doing a good job managing the casino and his crew. Then again, if business had been going bad lately Dempsy sure as hell wasn’t going to confide in Troy about it.

  He didn’t like the guy – that was not news to anyone – but that didn’t mean he had it out for Dempsy.

  Troy had to tread carefully here. He couldn’t be too enthusiastic, in the unlikely but possible case this was some sort of test of loyalty. But he also had to show strength and willingness to do what had to be done.

  Good thing I’ve been trained for this stuff, he thought absently, considering Jay thoughtfully.

  It was one thing he had over the rest of these jokers, and something he had no qualms about using to his advantage.

  “Dempsy, eh? Got to admit, didn’t see that one coming,” he commented neutrally.

  Deep down, he was even a little disappointed. He wasn’t friendly with Dempsy by any stretch of the imagination, but at least the man didn’t outright despise him, like Culliver seemed to for some reason.

  Seeing as Culliver was next in line for Dempsy’s job, that was going to complicate things. Dempsy had let some valuable information slip in Troy’s presence and he had a feeling Culliver was not going to make the same mistake.

  “He has a tendency to get chatty with his favorite escort after he’s had a few. And we think his crew could be stronger under different leadership,” Jay shrugged, shoving his phone in hi
s pocket.

  “We need this done sooner rather than later. The messier the better. We need to send a message here. Oh, and avoid taking out too much of the crew, if possible. We might need them later,” he added before standing.

  “You do know he’s recently doubled his security, right?”

  “That’s your problem now, isn’t it?” Jay replied with an unpleasant smile.

  I guess it is.

  Troy waited until nightfall to go to the casino. He knew it would be bustling with people, drinking and talking loudly, the slot machines clinking and jingling.

  He walked right past both the security guys at the entrance and those milling about on the floor, giving them slight nods of recognition. He’d been in there often enough that his presence didn’t surprise anyone, even though Dempsy hadn’t called on him for the evening.

  Unlike the rest of Dempsy’s crew, Troy wasn’t one of the ‘regulars’. He was a member of the organization, but because of his particular skillset, he only came in when there was a job to be talked over. Still, with everything going on lately, there had been a lot more reason for him to mill about.

  Strolling through the packed building, jostled by drunk and greedy bodies, all he could find himself thinking about was Hailey.

  I saw her last night. There is no need to pine after her like a lovesick teenager, he chided himself as he made it to the entrance of Dempsy’s office.

  It was far enough away from the bustle that he could talk to the guys posted at the door without having to raise his voice too much. There were four of them, just like last time.

  She gave me her number. Is it too early to call her if I do it tonight?

  “Hey boys, here to see the boss,” he greeted the men casually.

  These guys were more cautious than the others and probably had a better grasp of Dempsy’s schedule. They weren’t as easy to twist around his finger as the previous crowd – especially when the casino was hopping like it was tonight.

  “You’re not supposed to be here tonight,” one of them commented, looking him up and down.

  “What? He just called me and demanded I get here as soon as possible,” Troy protested, feigning annoyance.

  “He didn’t say anything to us about it,” the tallest of them said, crossing his arms.

  Troy knew all of them. The wordiest one was called Lucky, and it had nothing to do with his luck. Then there was Drew, who constantly looked like he had a stick up his ass; Bo, a real mid-south caricature of a man; and finally Grit, who made Troy think that he spent most of his time breaking rocks apart for fun.

  “He called me like ten minutes ago. Lucky for him I happened to be in the neighborhood and not home in bed or I would have told him to fuck off,” Troy said, really getting into his performance.

  He threw in a grin for Lucky just to round it off.

  Do people even call each other these days or do they just text? Should I have gotten her Skype or WhatsApp user? Maybe she’s on SassyDate…

  “Dempsy probably didn’t figure he’d get here so fast,” Drew sighed, turning to his buddy.

  “Okay, fine, go on in,” Lucky told Troy as they all got out of his way with obvious reluctance.

  Troy strolled in to Dempsy’s office, complaining loudly as he did.

  “You better make it short, I don’t have all night,” he called out, closing the door behind him as quickly as he could without it looking suspicious.

  He used his body to hide the fact he also locked it from Dempsy, who was sitting at his desk with a laptop in front of him. He pushed the lid down as soon as he saw Troy walk in.

  “Sellen? What the fuck are you doing here?” he demanded, looking confused and immediately on edge.

  “We had a meeting tonight, or have you forgotten?” Troy asked, shoving his hands in his pockets as he strolled towards Dempsy, biding his time until he got close enough to the desk.

  “What are you talking about? We…”

  Dempsy’s argument was cut off as Troy came to a stop in front of the desk and launched into action. His hand shot out and his fingers tightened around the man’s larynx. Dempsy’s eyes bulged as he gasped for air, face contorting in anger and surprise.

  I should text her first thing tomorrow, so she doesn’t think I’ve lost interest.

  Troy dragged his boss out from behind the desk with the man clawing at his hands. Dempsy’s chair tipped over and his body brushed the paperwork and laptop off his workspace and onto the floor.

  “Sorry, nothing personal. It just turned out that the weak link was you,” Troy said.

  Not that Dempsy required an explanation. Or that it would do him any good to know exactly why he was going to die.

  Realization flashed across Dempsy’s face as he punched Troy in the ribs. Troy uncurled his fingers from around Dempsy’s throat as pain stabbed through his side. His opponent drew in a sharp breath before attempting another punch, a roar growing in his chest, letting Troy know Dempsy’s tiger wanted to come out and play.

  Troy’s lion was ready to pounce as well, gnashing his teeth just below the surface.

  Catching Dempsy’s fist, he twisted it in one swift and savage move. His boss howled in pain, the snarl on his face intensifying. His skin started to ripple and morph, giving way to his animal form.

  But Troy was faster.

  The lion burst out of his skin with practiced speed, roaring, teeth at the ready. Pressing onto the balls of his back paws, Troy lunged, claws sinking into Dempsy’s shoulders as the man went down with a loud thud. His head smacked against one of the bookcases by the wall, knocking a couple of volumes out of their shelves.

  Someone knocked tentatively at the office door, but Troy ignored it. Those jokers wouldn’t dare come into Dempsy’s room without invitation or thinking something was seriously wrong. It helped that the room was decently soundproofed to keep the noise of the casino out.

  Troy’s teeth buried into Dempsy’s trachea and he pulled away with half of Dempsy’s throat in his mouth. Blood poured everywhere, covering his mouth and the floor surrounding him. The lion roared victoriously, its bloodlust satisfied.

  Soft knocks turned to fists slamming on the door as the guards outside shouted their boss’ name. They were too late and they knew it.

  Troy licked around his muzzle, the taste of metal swirling in his mouth. He shifted back, grabbing some Kleenex off of Dempsy’s desk to clean as much of the blood off his face as he could. The carpet around his former boss’ lifeless body was growing soggy with crimson.

  The job wasn’t as clean as Troy would have liked, but he hadn’t come in here expecting anything better. He’d come in to put on a performance and that was exactly what he was going to do.

  That’s going to be tough to get out once it dries, Troy mused as the door flew off its hinges.

  Eight

  Hailey

  Stalking up the stairs of Forrest & Williams, Hailey started feeling a little lightheaded.

  Damn, I really should start getting some exercise in if climbing a couple of flights of stairs is giving me trouble.

  Or the issue could lie in the fact she’d been up most of the night looking up case files and slept in, making her skip breakfast. Well, it was part that, and part the fact that her stomach had been twisting and gurgling since she opened her eyes, making her want to hear nothing about food.

  She checked her phone to see exactly how late she was, only to be greeted by a text message from Troy.

  Fight any fires yet? it read.

  A smile spread across Hailey’s face.

  It faded quickly as she moved her suitcase under her arm so she could grab for the door handle, causing her to remember the two tigers she’d represented for the Crimson Claws were out on bail. They were probably out causing who knows what kind of mayhem and already shaking down innocent business owners.

  Laura, the receptionist, started grinning from ear to ear when Hailey finally made it upstairs, dizzy and slightly sweaty.

  Why does the elevator
have to be out of order today of all days?

  “Seems you’ve been holding out on us,” Laura said in a sing-song voice, throwing Hailey a playfully accusatory look.

  Hailey stopped short, confused.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  Laura reached under her desk to pull out a huge vase full of flowers. They were gorgeous, white roses mixed with pink ones, all long-stem and beautifully in bloom.

  “This came for you this morning. Who is he?” Laura inquired, hand on her hip expectantly.

  Hailey stared at the flowers, feeling her excitement grow and her sour thoughts dissipate. They had to be from Troy. She hadn’t had a date in months and it definitely wasn’t her birthday. She snatched up the tiny card in the middle of the bouquet, holding her breath.

  He must have looked me up to see where I worked, because I’m pretty sure I didn’t mention it at dinner, she reasoned before reading the message.

  You are a very impressive woman. I would like to get to know you better. – Culliver

  Hailey let go of the card as if it had bitten her.

  No way. That creep? Like I don’t have enough things to worry about.

  Laura frowned at her reaction.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, looking from the flowers to Hailey and back.

  “Toss them. This is one admirer I’d rather not have,” Hailey said, turning on her heel and marching into her office.

  Laura’s mouth hung open but she didn’t say anything before Hailey slammed the door to her office shut behind her.

  Already in a seriously bad mood, Hailey’s day only got worse once she found two new files on her desk that definitely hadn’t been there when she left the night before. It didn’t take a psychic to tell her this was the Crimson Claws’ way of informing her that her caseload just got bigger.

  Hailey sat down in her office chair and let her head fall into her hands, staring at the manila covers of the files.

  She wanted to shove them into a paper shredder and it was driving her insane that she couldn’t.