Page 23 of Furry Equations
“Oh God,” she whispered to her empty kitchen. Her phone buzzed again:
I can hear you, you know.
GET OUT OF MY BUILDING, MARCUS.
His response was immediate:Not a chance. Get some sleep, Dr. Grant. I’ll see you in the morning.
Despite her protests, warmth spread through her chest at his protectiveness. She moved to her bedroom window and peeked through the curtains. Sure enough, a black SUV was parked across the street, its occupant clearly visible in the streetlight.
She fired off one last text:Stalking is illegal in all 50 states.
So is hacking security systems. Sweet dreams, troublemaker.
Shaking her head, Natalie changed into her favorite oversized MIT T-shirt and sleep shorts. As she went through her nighttime routine, her mother’s weird behavior kept nagging at her. Eleanor Grant had never, in Natalie’s entire adult life, passed up an opportunity to meddle in her love life. The fact that she wasn’t pushing some eligible bachelor’s resume at her now was... concerning.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Lillian:So did tall, dark & growly kiss you goodnight?
No. And thanks for telling Mom about dinner.
Someone had to! And don’t change the subject. No kiss?
Natalie hesitated, then replied:He kissed my forehead.
Three dots appeared immediately, followed by:OMG THAT’S EVEN BETTER. That’s some serious shifter-claiming behavior.
What? No it’s not. Is it?
Girl, you’re supposed to be the genius. Figure it out.
I hate you.
No you don’t. You love me enough to name your first shifter baby after me.
I’m blocking your number.
Worth it! Sweet dreams, sis. Don’t forget to thank me at your wedding.
Natalie groaned and flopped onto her bed. Between her mother’s suspicious behavior, Chelsea and Lillian’s relentless teasing, and Marcus’s... everything, her mind was too wired to sleep. She could still feel the ghost of his touch on her skin, still smell his woodsy cologne...
Her phone lit up one final time:I can still hear your heartbeat. Sleep, Natalie. I’ve got you.
And somehow, despite everything, that was exactly what she needed to hear. Curling up under her covers, Natalie drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face, knowing that a very protective, very attractive alpha was keeping watch.
Her last conscious thought was that maybe, just maybe, her mother’s sudden hands-off approach made sense. After all, how could any setup compare to a brooding billionaire shifter who rented out restaurants and kissed foreheads like it was a religious experience?
But she was still going to kill Lillian in the morning.
FOURTEEN
In the SUV across the street, Marcus Vale sat perfectly still, his enhanced senses focused on the steady rhythm of Natalie’s heartbeat as she fell asleep. His wolf prowled restlessly beneath his skin, wanting to be closer, to protect what was his.
His phone buzzed with a text from Jax:You know normal CEOs don’t spend their nights guarding scientists’ apartments, right?
Marcus smiled in the darkness.When have I ever been normal?
Fair point. Your mother called, by the way. Something about dinner with Eleanor Grant and a matchmaking club?
Marcus’s eyes narrowed.What matchmaking club?