Page 28 of Tiger's Little Waif
“Tell Emory to come see me when we get home and I’ll be happy to talk to her about it,” Shaw replied. “In fact, giving the trainees the experience of a fancy tea party might be something to discuss adding to the course curriculum.”
Thoughts of what to bake and whether the Littles of Bratburg would like some of the fancier sandwiches and desserts kept Shaw from panicking as they climbed into a cab and rode across town to the park near where Dan worked as an insurance adjuster.
She pushed the planning to the back of her mind when the cab stopped, and they climbed out. While Kodiak paid the driver, Marshall shifted her to look at him. He looked fierce as he stared down at her. “What your rules for the next few minutes?”
“I hold your hand no matter what, I don’t speak to RBX, and if you say leave, I go find one of the others and stay with them.”
Marshall nodded, though his fierce expression did not ease as he leaned down to brush a kiss on her lips. “Good girl. I love you, my sweet mate.”
“I love you, too, Papa,” she whispered back. “Let’s do this and then can we go shopping for kitchen supplies after I buy you guys lunch?”
“Yes, waif, we’ll go to your fancy cooking store, but you won’t be buying lunch. Littles don’t worry about money and bills and such. That’s a Papa’s job.”
Shaw sighed and then giggled. “Yes, Papa. Whatever you say, Papa.”
Marshall was thankful that Kodiak stayed with them as they walked through the park. The presence of another shifter would hopefully keep him from shifting and scaring anyone who saw him in his alternate form. The last thing Bratburg needed was a reputation for harboring shifters who could not maintain control in “polite society”. This was one of the reasons Lonergan began Bratburg to begin with, to give shifters a place they could live as fully as they could.
Keeping his fingers laced with Shaw’s, he forced himself to maintain a slow, steady pace. As they walked along, he saw Sailor and Harrigan lounging along the route, but did not see Sullivan. This wasn’t concerning. The big centaur shifter had a knack for blending in and not be seen wherever he was.
Shaw’s fingers tightened in his as they entered a fairly secluded area surrounded by a heavy growth of trees and bushes.
“His office is in that building,” she said, pointing to their left at a tall building that looked like so many others in the area. “Early in our marriage I would meet him just ahead and we would have a picnic lunch.”
Marshall grunted in response. His tiger was too close to the surface to speak comfortably. He wanted to growl and snarl, but knew that would scare his mate and the last thing he wanted was her to be afraid of him. His job was to protect her, and he could not do that if she was scared of him.
“Give me your phone, Shaw,” Kodiak said, sounding a bit growly and fierce himself.
Shaw unlocked her phone and handed it to the polar bear shifter. Marshall watched as the other man tapped out a message before hitting send. A moment later, the phone buzzed with a response. Kodiak read it and then looked at him.
“He’s on his way.”
Marshall nodded and took a deep breath. He really needed to calm down before he shifted and shredded the other man before finding out what he wanted from Shaw.
The other man then handed the phone back to his mate. “Remember your rules, sweetie?”
“Yes, Sir. Keep hold of Papa’s hand, don’t speak to RBX, and find one of you if he lets go of my hand and tells me to go.”
Kodiak nodded solemnly. “Good girl.”
“And what happens if you break the rules?” Marshall managed to say.
“I get a hot ass every night for a month.”
They had reached a spot where there was a bench on one side of the path and a picnic table on the other. Kodiak moved and settled on the bench while Marshall guided Shaw to the picnic table. They sat on the far side, facing the path. He hoped to keep the table between them and her ex in hopes of keeping Shaw safe.
“There he is.” Shaw nodded toward the path to the left.
Marshall nodded. “I’m going to let go of your hand. Do not stand up, speak to him, or move from this spot unless I say so.”
“Yes, Papa,” Shaw said, sounding scared.
Chapter Sixteen
Shaw watched as Dan strolled down the path as if he were headed to one of the picnics they had shared early in their marriage. He did not appear as if his few days in jail had hurt him. Today, he was perfectly groomed in the grey suit that cost more than he let her spend in a year for her clothing.
The jacket pulled, showing that he had gained some weight, but as instructed, she would not say a word to him. Especially since such a comment would only provoke him into criticizing her about anything he could think of. He’d probably go off again about how she needed to dress her age. In jeans and a bright red sweater with sneakers, she did look more like a teenager than a woman on the cusp of her thirties, but she didn’t care. She was comfortable and to her, that was more important than looking like a fashion plate.
Marshall had already talked about adding to her wardrobe, not only her work clothes, but also building her a Little wardrobe for when they were not in the kitchen. Her mate was determined she have everything she ever wanted, and she loved him even more for it.