Lola swallowed awkwardly, a cough escaping her lips as his words landed like a punch to her throat.What on earth was wrong with these people?Mapping out her entire existence as if she had no say in the matter.“You must be joking,” she blurted.
“You obviously haven’t been around many Italian families.”Antonio released her hand and held out her backpack.Then he reached up and tucked some stray hair behind her ear.The growling was back, and it was louder.
“Okay, well.”She fumbled with her backpack and reached behind her to push on the silver bar of the door to enter her building.“Thanks for walking me home.And thanks for the offer of the date, and marriage and um, kids, I guess.”Lola cleared her throat.“But it’s going to have to be a firm no.”
Antonio ran a finger down her jaw.Her first instinct was to shudder, but a second urge to chomp down on it almost overwhelmed her.Somehow, she managed to tame her feral instincts and not maim her boss’s son.
“I won’t give up, Kitten.You were made for me.”
Lola’s last thread of dwindling patience snapped.Without uttering another word, she pivoted on her heels and practically leapt through the door into her building.Grateful she lived on the second floor, and not the seventh, she rushed to the door to the stairs and flung it open.Taking two stairs at a time, her senses acutely aware of a lingering gaze haunting her– from eyes that did not belong to Antonio.
Retrieving her key, Lola swiftly unlocked the door, a sense of urgency propelling her movements.With a forceful push, she swung the door open, threw herself into her living room, and slammed the door behind her.She leaned her back against the door, grateful for the solid wood separating her from Antonio, and whoever, or whatever, else was out there.Lola panted, her breaths escaping in rapid succession
“Rough day?”Lola’s mother, Andi, came around the corner of the small kitchen.
“Antonio.”
Andi laughed.Lola loved it when her mother laughed.It was the kind of sound that made others want to join in, even if they had no idea what she was laughing about.“He’s still at it?”
Lola tossed her pack to the side and dropped her keys on the counter as she walked past her mother.“His mom is naming our kids, and his father has picked out the wedding venue.”
Andi gasped.“Without consulting us?That’s very inconsiderate.It isn’t justtheirson that is getting married after all.”
“You’re a riot, Mom,” she deadpanned.“You should take your show on the road and do some standup.”
“It’d probably make more money than I do now.”Her mother sighed as her smile softened.“But I’d miss you and your father, so I think I’ll keep my comedy routine local for now.”
“Shame.”Lola shrugged.
Acouple of hours later, Lola heard the door to their apartment open.“You two still up?”Lola’s father, Rick Katz, stuck his head around the corner.
Lola glanced at her mom and saw that she’d fallen asleep.“Just me, apparently.Mom must’ve called it a night without letting me know.”
“I’ll get her to bed.”He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Lola’s forehead.“Looks like you two had some mother-daughter time.”
Lola grinned.“We bonded over shifters.”
He rolled his eyes.“Of course you did.”Her dad liked to tease her about her fascination almost as much as Katy did.
He nudged her mom and whispered, “Come on, Love, off to bed with you.”
“Did the bear get the girl?”her mom mumbled.
Rick looked at her with his brow raised and mouthed, “Bear?”
“Yeah, Mom,” she said softly.“She accepted him as her mate.”
“A bear and a woman?”Rick shook his head.“You two need your heads examined.Sleep good, Lo.”He helped her mom to her feet and led her to their bedroom.“Love you.”
“Love you, too, Dad.”Lola released a large yawn.As she headed to her room, Lola thought about the guys she’d met and the tattoos she’d seen on them.In the show she’d just watched with her mom, the shifters had tattoos that represented their race.Bears, lions, wolves, etc.It was ludicrous, but now she couldn’t get the idea of visiting thisWild Inkplace out of her head.No doubt, there was a logical explanation for why the tattoos she’d seen on the guys had somehow disappeared.Maybe it was a new kind of ink that disappeared under the right kind of light?But wouldn’t something like that have been talked about, especially amongst the people who came into NNP?
Nevertheless, Lola’s insatiable curiosity had already planted a seed in her mind.She was off tomorrow.She definitely didn’t want to hang out with Antonio, who would undoubtedly make an appearance at some point, so she’d just go on a mini-adventure and look into the whole tattoo thing.Who knew?Maybe she’d finally act on the itch she’d been having to get a tattoo.Although my fear of sharp, pointy objects could be a problem.Am I really going to let the fear of a tiny needle get in the way of something I’ve thought about doing for such a long time?Mind made up, she shot off a text to Maddie and Katy to meet her at their favorite coffee shop at nine the next morning.Regardless of her adventurous spirit, no heroine goes it alone.She’d need to have her trusty sidekicks with her.If nothing else, those two could help her watch for disappearing tattoos while they were inWild Ink.If her friends saw them, too, then maybe Lola wasn’t going crazy after all.
Just before she fell asleep, Lola felt again the eyes of her stalker watching her.She fought the urge to duck under her blanket.Taking a deep breath, Lola mustered her courage and crept to her bedroom window and peered out.New York was the city that never slept.Sure enough, there were people still milling about on the streets, a few homeless people and some rowdy frat boys stumbling home from a bar, but none of them seemed to be looking at her bedroom window.Lola was relieved, but she couldn’t deny feeling a hint of disappointment.
As Lola dreamed, images of the strange guys from the pizzeria, along with scenes from the show she’d watched with her mom, filled her dreams.She saw intriguing and mysterious fantastical beings.One after the other, men changed into various animals.Then Lola saw golden eyes watching her from the shadows.The creature peering at her through those eyes was unmistakable—a lion.
Chapter 5
