I blinked up at him.“Are you negotiating with me?What wouldyouget out of this deal?”
“Deal?”He scoffed.“I fucking love you.”
My tiger roared beneath my skin.
Lucian was pragmatic and didn’t seem like a guy who could make a woman swoon, but there it was—an offer laid out on the table like a buffet.
Lucian kissed my neck.“I love you, female.I want to court you.”Then he raised his head.“I was an idiot and didn’t realize I knew all along.I’ve always felt it, even when I was growing my hair out.”
I touched his black locks.
“So?Do I have a shot?”he pressed.
“What does courting mean to you as a Chitah?”
“It means I’ll prove my worth as a mate even if it takes years for you to decide.I won’t cut my hair until you make up your mind.It’s part of our custom, and I’m a superstitious guy.To cut our hair is to cut our chances.”
“Even when it reaches your feet?”
An impish grin touched his lips.“I doubt it’ll take that long.I already know you love me.”
I arched my eyebrows at his brazen remark.“How?”
“Because when I said it, your emotions put out that scent.Iknowthat scent.”He drew in a deep breath.“I’ve never had anyone smell like that because of me.”
I eased forward, forcing him to sit up.Leaning against the cabinet, I tried to assemble my thoughts into something cohesive.“Lucian, it might be the sex talking.I don’t think it’s a good idea if you let desire rule your heart.”
“It’s not the sex.Although… that’s pretty nice.”
I stared down at my black dress, which had flecks of pink frosting on it.
Is this a good idea?He’s a Chitah.How is that going to work between us?What will my father think?Are we even compatible?Where would he expect us to live?
“Are you thinking about leaving your pack?”I asked, wondering if his intentions were to move in with me.
Lucian leaned against the opposite cabinets.“I don’t want to leave them.It hasn’t been easy, but being around people is good for me.If you wanted to stay here in your home, I guess that’s what we’d do, but if you want safety, a pack’s a better place.”He ran his fingers through his hair.“I didn’t think everything through.Lakota told me a person knows when they’re in love because they do crazy shit, and here I am, courting you on the kitchen floor in the most unromantic way without having figured out all the important stuff first.And I’m detail oriented.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in love.”
He crossed his arms.“I didn’t.”
“Why?”
His face flushed, making his swollen eye deepen in color.
“Tell me.”
“You’ll judge me.”
“No, I won’t.”
He stared at the floor.“Yes, you will.If I’m close enough, I can scent original emotions before people have a chance to change their minds.You can’t hide your true feelings.”
I opened the cabinet next to me, reached in a bag, and pulled out a clothespin.Then I crawled toward him and clipped it onto his nose.“Does that help?”
He removed it and looked down at the wooden clip between his fingers.
I leaned on my left arm, which rested between his legs.“One thing I’ve always loved about us is our honesty with each other.If you want to court me, Lucian Cross, you need to be honest.It’s not fair that you can scent truth and lies out of me but you won’t open up.Who hurt you?”
