After mere hours apart, it was crazy how happy he was to see Cameron.Franklin shook his head in an effort to clear it.“We were discussing the traditions that—”
“No!”
Franklin stared up at Cameron in confusion.He could feel Kefir and Ellery’s gazes on them and was pretty sure they were also trying to work out what the hell was going on too.
“No?”Franklin asked his, for want of a better word, master.To his relief, the word sounded calm.
“No!”Cameron snarled again.Turning away from the fireside, he strode across to the other side of the meeting room, dragging Franklin along behind him.Habits developed since his father first threw him into the deep end of the boardroom and demanded he learn how to swim with the sharks made Franklin try to dig in his heels.
It did him no good.Cameron didn’t even seem to notice.All Franklin got for his trouble was sore feet as his bare soles suffered against the carpet.
“What the hell has—?”Franklin began, as they finally came to a halt.
“I don’t want you talking to them.”
“Bloody hell!I wasn’t exactly flirting,” Franklin protested, not sure if he should find Cameron’s apparent jealousy outrageous or just a little bit flattering.“Surely, you can’t object to my talking to them about how things are arranged between lions and—”
“I don’t want you talking to them aboutanything,” Cameron bit out.“Especially, not about that!”
Franklin frowned slightly.He looked over Cameron’s shoulder, toward Kefir and Ellery.He’d have thought Cameron would be pleased with him for wanting to learn how to best get on with his pride.“Why not?”
Cameron barely let him get both words out before he pushed him roughly back against the wall next to the door leading out of the meeting room.One of his hands came to rest in the centre of Franklin’s chest, holding him there, pressing so hard against his ribs it was impossible for him to take a deep breath.
“I’m your master.You don’t question me.”
Franklin tried to hold Cameron’s gaze.He managed to maintain eye contact for all of several seconds before he had to look away.In an effort to keep some sort of dignity, he didn’t look down.He glanced over Cameron’s shoulder instead.His attention went to where Kefir and Ellery stood on the other side of the room, watching them with both concern and suspicion—to where a feline pet stood with his human master.
By the time he looked back to Cameron, Franklin was reasonably sure why Cameron didn’t want him talking to those particular men about the traditions that existed within the pride.Theirs weren’t the traditions he wanted them to follow, and Franklin couldn’t blame him for that.
“Okay,” Franklin finally murmured.
What else could he say?Don’t accuse me of being the kind of man who’d try to make a lion his pet?Don’t accuse me of being the sort of man who’d treat him like dirt if he did?He wasn’t sure he had any room to say any of it.
Cameron met his gaze unblinkingly when Franklin managed to look up at him again.
“Okay,” Franklin repeated.
It wasn’t that unreasonable a request.Right then, with guilt rushing through his veins and almost, but not quite, overpowering his pleasure at seeing Cameron again, it didn’t seem like there wasanythingthat would be too much for Cameron to ask of him.
Cameron silently nodded his acceptance, but any hope Franklin might have harboured that Cameron would be completely mollified by his easy acquiescence was short lived.When Cameron pulled him closer and brought their lips together; the kiss was a statement of control rather than desire.
His tongue thrust past Franklin’s lips, obviously not prepared to wait the milliseconds it would have taken for him to part them willingly.His teeth scraped against Franklin’s bottom lip, and he nipped at the sensitive flesh there.Franklin pulled away a fraction, more in shock than pain.
Cameron snarled his displeasure.
Franklin immediately fell still.Instinct gave him no option other than to freeze, but it was his choice to part his lips and offer his mouth to Cameron the very instant he regained control of his muscles and managed to stop acting like some small furry animal trapped by the sound of a top predator.
Cameron caught hold of Franklin’s wrists and dragged his arms roughly behind his back, pinning them between his spine and the wall.
There was no room for negotiation here.Franklin had no choice but to comply with Cameron’s demands or…or Franklin wasn’t exactly sure what would happen.
A touch of fear snuck into his veins.
A punishment?He didn’t relish the idea.Still, even that would be better than Cameron simply giving up on him and walking away.The possibility of Cameron leaving him made Franklin try to pull his hands out of the lion’s grip, just so he could reach out and hold onto him.
Cameron’s fists tightened around Franklin’s wrists in response.Sharp points pierced his skin.Franklin gasped into the kiss as he felt claws head toward his veins.
Suddenly, a door slammed right next to them.Franklin jumped, his body jerking against Cameron’s taller frame.The noise seemed to catch the lion’s attention, too.He broke the kiss and looked to his right, but he didn’t relax his hold on Franklin in the slightest.
