Lion Lost & Found, Paranormal Romance (Ghost Cat Shifters Book 2) Read Free Page B

almost too much to think about what happened. There was a good chance she might run into him at Mile High. He was there as often as she was, seeing as Sophia was his sister. Just thinking about him sent flutters twirling through her belly. She could hardly believe their kiss had even happened. Normally she’d have called Sophia to babble about something like that, but she couldn’t. Not now. She’d successfully hidden her crush on Heath from Sophia way back when they were in high school together. While he’d been away in the military, she’d simply let it go. Chris had come along and sort of swept her off her feet. After that blew up, she was too busy being a mother to think of anything remotely resembling romance.
    Then, Heath came home. His first year home had been a doozy. Between his car accident, grueling recovery, falling into the trap of painkiller addiction and then brushing up against the shifter smuggling network, he’d had more than his share of troubles. Through it all, Vivi had fought against the tide of feeling welling up for him. She reached Mile High Grounds and pushed through the swinging door. The scent of coffee filled the small space. It was mid-morning and the coffee shop was in full swing. The tables were full and a line of customers waited by the counter. She glanced around and breathed a silent sigh of relief to find Heath wasn’t there. Her relief was immediately followed by a twinge of disappointment. She wanted to see him again, but she didn’t want to see him again. The silly, hopeful side of herself wanted to see if sparks flew again when she saw him. While her rational brain reminded her she couldn’t get all romantic and hopeful. Too many complications. With a shake of her head to knock Heath out of her thoughts, she went to stand in line by the counter.

    ***
    Heath swung his truck into a parking spot on Main Street. As he walked across the street, he turned around quickly, realizing he’d forgotten to lock it. He hit the button on his remote key and paused where he stood. The truck he drove now was shiny and black. It was similar to the one he’d had for years, albeit quite a few years younger. That truck had been totaled when he’d slid off the icy highway that cold night over a year ago. That truck had felt like an old friend because it had sat waiting for him after years away in the military. This one was too shiny, too new. He took a breath and savored the sharpness of his thoughts. After a year of living in the fog of pain and painkillers, he appreciated every moment he could think clearly. He’d had a good six months of clarity and was still grateful for every second. Turning on his heel, he strode down the sidewalk and pushed through the door of Mile High Grounds. Sophia had opened this coffee shop while he was away and it had become the hottest spot in town for coffee. He was damn proud of his sister.
    He took a few steps into the café and awareness prickled over his skin. He lifted his head to find Vivi standing by the counter. With her hip leaned against it, she gestured with her hand as she spoke to Sophia. Sophia’s dark hair was pulled back on one side with a barrette. She wore charcoal gray leggings with a stretchy black mini skirt over them. Her navy raincoat hung over her shoulders. A bolt of heat shot through him, and his body tightened merely at the sight of her. He was going to have to play this cool. He might have let desire get ahead of him the other night, but he had enough sense to know he had to proceed carefully.
    Vivi couldn’t just be a fling. Aside from the fact that she was Sophia’s best friend and Sophia would kill him if he treated Vivi with anything but the utmost respect, she meant too much to him. For now, he yanked on the reins of his control and walked slowly up to the counter. Tommy Dawson, one of Sophia’s employees, saw him first. “Hey man, what’ll it be today?” Tommy asked, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners with his