The sheets rustled on the bed behind him, but Franklin didn’t take his eyes off the view through the window.He just stared fixedly at the sunrise as if his life depended on it.
“Okay,” he said.To his immense relief, the word came out calm and steady
Franklin felt the lion’s eyes scanning over his body.He obviously had Cameron’s full attention.
Taking a deep breath, Franklin pushed the last of his reservations aside and marched on.“You want to be in control of what happens between us?Okay—I’ll go along with that.”
Cameron’s hand came to rest on his shoulder.
Franklin jumped.As stealthy as a bloody cat was right.He hadn’t even heard the man leave the damn bed!
Taking a deep breath, he tried to pretend he hadn’t made a fool of himself and continued to stare out of the window he’d been gazing through for the last half an hour.
“You’re offering to submit to me?”Cameron asked, very slowly as if choosing each word with great care.“To be my pet?”His other hand snaked around Franklin’s waist and pulled Franklin back to rest against him.
“Pet?”Franklin said.Every muscle in his body tensed at the idea.
“That’s what lions call the humans who submit to them, who belong to them,” Cameron informed him, his tone of voice just slightly wary.
“Oh…” Franklin stared at the tree visible from the window.
“Is that what you’re saying you want?”Cameron pushed.
Cameron’s hands moved.There was no nudging, no polite little request for Franklin to face him.Cameron simply turned him around bodily until Franklin was where he wanted him to be.
“This isn’t a game,” Cameron snarled, annoyance suddenly filling his words.“When a lion becomes a human’s master, it means something.If you’re going to run away every time you want to play the rich boy then—”
“I’m not going anywhere.”It wasn’t until the words hit the air that Franklin realised just how serious he was about them.
A light came into Cameron’s eyes, as if he was pleased by Franklin’s decision.But he didn’t seem to have any idea how to show that.A curt nod was his only response.
A tiny feeling of acceptance shot through Franklin, but he quickly pushed it aside.
“Last night, at the restaurant,” he began.
Cameron’s eyes narrowed.
“Whatever happened between you and Charles, I had no idea what he intended.I would never have made you part of any deal.”
Cameron seemed to stare at him for a long time, as if judging his sincerity.Finally, Franklin received another abrupt little nod.
Swallowing down his nerves, Franklin forced himself to keep going.“Did he hurt you?”
Cameron blinked at him.He stared again, this time in obvious confusion, as if he didn’t understand the question.He only looked away when Franklin’s words finally seemed to sink in.“I’m fine.”
Striding quickly away from the window, Cameron headed into the bathroom.Franklin trailed slowly along behind him but paused on the threshold, not entirely sure of his welcome.
Cameron looked over his shoulder and glared at him, one eyebrow raised in query as he approached the hand basin.“Why are you still out there?”
Franklin stepped obediently inside the bathroom and closed the door behind him.Even if he wasn’t sure about everything else, there were certain things that had always been easy between them.
As Cameron’s lips covered his, and he lifted Franklin up so his arse rested on the very edge of the countertop by the sink, everything became very simple, and very, very perfect.
Chapter Six
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Franklin barely kept his balance as Cameron caught hold of his arm and spun him around.
