Panther

Chapter Twenty Three-Ike's POV

By the time I came back with a clean towel for Cleo, she was asleep. She was sprawled out on my bed, covering every possible inch she could it seemed. Her head was lolled to the side, mouth slightly open as she breathed, her cheeks rosy from the alcohol she had been drinking all night. I snorted to myself. She looked like a little kid when she slept.

I threw the towel on my dresser and turned off the lights. I pulled off my shirt and pants but left my boxer briefs on.

I struggled a bit getting Cleo to one side of the bed, especially since I was trying not to wake her up.

But when I finally did get her covered up and was comfortable beside her, I felt really happy. We had slept together before, but it felt different this time. Honestly, I had kind of half suspected she would leave last time. But not tonight. Well yeah, she didn't drive here. Just let me be happy.

I just wanted to be happy with Cleo, forever.

I just wanted her to always be by my side.

"Ike..." I stirred. Who was saying my name? Cleo. This made me sit straight up, my eyes searching around wildly. "Whoa, chill. My bad. I didn't know you were such a jumpy sleeper." I look down to where Cleo is laying. She took off her leggings and hoodie sometime during the night and was just in her bra and underwear. She threw the blanket I put on her off and is staring up at me. I rub my eyes, and flop back down, letting out a breath.

"Did you need something?" I finally ask.

"Well... it's already eleven o'clock." Huh. I haven't slept this late since I was a teenager. "And I gotta be honest with you, I'm really hungry." She flips over and buries her face in my pillow. That pillow would smell like her now. "I only got a few hot dogs yesterday and my panther is dying." I chuckle.

"I'll get something going." I say, throwing the blanket off and sitting up again. I sit on the edge of the bed and look over my shoulder at her. She's rolled over again and is watching me." When do you want to go home?"

She blushes and looks away. "Well, I was just going to keep hanging out, if that's okay." She says quietly, refusing to look at me. I smile.

"Don't pretend to be stupid. You know damn well I want you to stay." I say standing up. "I'm going to make breakfast, then we'll take a shower... I'm going to have to get you some clean clothes to wear. Okay?" I look back at her, half standing in the doorway. She nods, and smiles, still not moving from the bed. I hesitate, before deciding to risk my life.

I give her a look that makes her brow furrow in confusion and close the distance between us.

"What are you-" I scoop her up in my arms and throw her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "You know I am capable of walking." She says as she sits up to watch where we're going over her shoulder.

"And I am capable of carrying you." I sit her down on the kitchen counter and start looking through my food for something to make for her.

"What are you looking for?" She asks for a moment of me staring into the fridge hopelessly.

"Sustenance." She jumps down from the counter and comes to stand beside me.

She looks for a moment before saying, "Eggs with cheese and bacon. That's what I want." She smiles up at me before skipping back to her spot on the counter and leaping up. "This is cold on my ass." She says, wiggling said ass around.

"You could put on pants." I say, pulling a pan out of my cabinet and setting it on the stovetop. "Not that I'm complaining."

We're quiet for a moment as I put together our breakfast and she watches me like she's never seen someone cook before.

"You know I can't remember the last time someone has made food for me. I mean, apart from fast food drive-thrus." I hand her a plate of food and set a cup of coffee next to her on the counter. I sit my plate and coffee down too and jump onto the counter next to her. She's right, it is cold on your ass.

She scoops her eggs with cheese into her mouth, looking as if she's analyzing every bite.

"Is it good?" I ask after a moment of watching her. I couldn't possibly have fucked eggs up, right?

She looks at me and shakes her head. Wow, you are a failure. "Sorry, I wasn't even thinking about the food to be honest. I was thinking about something else. But yes, it is good." I let out a breath before responding.

"What were you thinking about?"

She hesitates, ripping off a bite of bacon. "I was thinking of Willow and Levi, to be honest."

"What about them?"
"I wish I could help them..." she says quietly. I feel a tug at my heart. I know how she's feeling. Such a complicated situation. A situation that was hard to offer advice on or even talk about really. I couldn't imagine how it would feel to not kiss Cleo. Levi had more self-control than anyone I've ever met, including myself.

"Unfortunately, this is their problem. It involves a very powerful family. While them being royalty doesn't carry as much weight as it used to, they still have their fingers in plenty of business, both American and Japanese. It's wise to leave this be, as hard as that may seem." I watch her face for a reaction. Please just leave this alone.

"I won't do anything stupid." She says finally. She hops off the counter and sets her dishes in the sink before heading back towards my room. "I'm going to take a shower now. You should work on those clothes."

Why didn't I believe her when she said she wouldn't do anything stupid?

I end up borrowing some leggings from one of my guards, Angie. She was about the same height and build as Cleo. Though the leggings were a powder blue color. I noticed Cleo typically stuck to dark and bland colors. I also got a sports bra from her. I don't think bras are like underwear where you shouldn't share, right? I just knew that Cleo wore these in the past and the one she was in now had left red marks on her shoulders from where it was digging in.

"Thank fucking god." Cleo says when I get back and give her the leggings and bra. She was wrapped up in a towel, sitting on the edge of the bed scrolling through her phone.

She immediately stands up and drops her towel, making me freeze. Yeah, I had seen her naked before. But right now, she was still wet from the shower, hair slicked back and face clean and soft looking. She stretched her arms up to pull the bra over her head and it made her stomach muscles look amazing. She pulled the leggings on with no underwear. Knowing that would drive me crazy all day. You're so simple.

"Can I just wear one of your black sweatshirts or something? And some socks maybe?" She grins up at me, like a puppy begging for an extra treat. Silly girl. I would give you anything without hesitation, there is no need to beg.

"Of course. I'm going to take a shower. You can pick through my stuff."

I realized something the second I shut the bathroom and turned around.

Cleo. Was messy.

She had left her underwear on the floor in front of the toilet, I'm assuming she peed before she took a shower and just abandoned them where they fell. Her bra was in the sink. The shower curtain was half in and half out of the tub, water was all over the floor, all my soap caps were off.

I turned to face the mirror, irritation bubbling in my chest. I should make her get her ass in here and clean my bathroom.

But then my eyes fell on the drawing she had done on the foggy mirror with her fingertip.

It was a very bad drawing of a wolf surrounded by hearts. I only knew it was that because she had drawn an arrow with the words, "you."

How immature.

And yet, you will remember this day as the day you truly fell in love with your mate.