Read Online Destined Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #4) by J.H. Croix - Free Book Online Page A

for a few weeks after Callen died and had spent more evenings with her friends here than she could count.
    Phoebe sifted her hands through her dark curls and tied them into a knot atop her head. Her dark eyes assessed Shana. “What’s up with you and Hayden?”
    Shana tried to hedge, panic edging her thoughts. If her feelings were so obvious, how could she protect her heart? “What do you mean?”
    Phoebe rolled her eyes. “So that’s how you’re going to play this? Whatever. I think you finally decided to talk about what your marriage to Callen was actually like because maybe meeting a man who really is interested in you made you think it wasn’t worth pretending anymore. I saw the way Hayden looked at you the other night. I’m surprised he didn’t go up in flames.”
    Phoebe had never been the friend to shy away from anything, but sometimes she was so spot on, it made Shana squirm. Shana opened her mouth to speak, but Phoebe held a hand up.
    “The look on your face confirms what I was thinking. I don’t know exactly what’s between you and Hayden, but there’s a little more there than a fun roll between the sheets. You need to know maybe none of us knew you and Callen were married in name only by the end, but I wasn’t blind. I noticed things weren’t exactly great. I just figured you were trying to make it work anyway. If you’re worried about what people think, don’t. You deserve something good after everything you’ve been through.”
    Tears pricked Shana’s eyes, and her throat felt tight. She’d cried so much this past year, it annoyed her. She took a breath, willing the tears away, and met Phoebe’s eyes. “Doesn’t everyone deserve something good?”
    Phoebe angled her head to the side and smiled ruefully. “Well, sure. But that wasn’t my point. Even if Callen hadn’t died and hadn’t betrayed you and the rest of Catamount shifters, you’d have every right to move on, to find someone who appreciates you. It helps a bit that Hayden’s hot as hell and clearly thinks you are too.” She winked at that.
    Shana blushed and absently twisted a napkin in her hands. “I’m not going to argue that point. I just…ugh. I don’t know what’s supposed to happen right now. All I wanted was…” Her words trailed off.
    She didn’t know how to explain that she’d been desperate to feel again after the numbness she’d cocooned herself inside to get through the last few years of her marriage. She held onto that numbness like a lifeline after Callen died. When Hayden showed up, he was like a candle flickering in the cold, dark night. She’d only wanted to follow the flame, to let it melt the ice around her heart. But being with him was so much more than she’d expected. She recalled his question the other night—hinting at how to handle the reality that there was clearly more between them than a fling with no expectations. She’d underestimated the fire between them. It burned so hot and fast, she was afraid she’d get singed in its heat. After the utter failure her marriage had been, it was hard to believe anything good could last. It wasn’t to say she had experienced anything with Callen remotely like what she felt with Hayden, but she’d never have known their marriage could go cold, bitter and distant in a few short years. Which made it all the harder to think beyond temporary with Hayden. To feel what she felt with him and face the possibility of it fading and withering was terrifying.
    Shana met Phoebe’s eyes again. “I don’t know what to do. For God’s sake, don’t mention it to Jake because he’ll tell Dane, but Hayden and I…well…” Flushing madly, she shrugged.
    Phoebe grinned. “Got it. No need to explain. Great news as far as I’m concerned. Why do you look so worried?”
    “Because it seemed perfect. Hayden doesn’t even live here. As you pointed out, he’s pretty easy on the eyes and definitely notices me more than Callen ever did, even before we were sleeping