“You weren’t trying.You were comparing situations.It worked.”
He smiled at her matter-of-fact tone.There was something to be said for a female who didn’t overact or get prissy when she wasn’t happy about something.
Lion females were usually overwrought and prone to umbrage.Panthers… well, he didn’t know much about them, truth be told.
He only knew the basics, and even then, could still be surprised by them—case in point with her very feline growl.
“Anyway, back to your friends...Yeah, I’d love to meet them.”
She smiled.“I have one really good one, and a few I call friends but they’re more acquaintances.”Her shoulders wriggled at that confession.“I know that sounds mean but…”
“No, it sounds honest, and you should always be honest with me.Just as I will be with you.”
Her beaming smile about lit up the dark places in his soul.There weren’t all that many.He’d led a good life.A relatively happy one.But what few memories he had that were deeper than he’d care to remember, she illuminated and took away the shadows with not only her heart, but her light.
“Can we go now?”
He blinked.“Now?As in, right this moment?”
She snorted.“You know of another definition of the word ‘now’?”
Clearing his throat, he called out to his Triad brothers, “Guys, El wants to stop off somewhere.”
Shawn immediately answered, “El, you know that isn’t how it works.”
This time, her growl was less outraged and more angered.“I’m a fucking Panther, Shawn.They’d have to get through my teeth and my claws before they get to me now.”
“Bullshit.Panthers get felled down every damn day of the week by bullets.”
She snarled, and Trip knew he wasn’t alone when all the hairs on the back of his neck jerked to attention.
“Where do you want to go, anyway?”Shawn demanded, his voice deeper.The change in tone was curious, but when his nose soon picked up on Shawn’s arousal, it made more sense.
Rolling his eyes at Shawn’s response, but unable to truly chide him when his own cock was interested by her dominance too, he murmured, “She wants to visit her friend.”
“Persia?”Shawn asked, peering back in the rearview mirror to look at their woman.
“Yeah.Her bakery.She should be there, and she wants to meet Ryan.She won’t understand either of you being there, but if I introduce you as new friends when I break what you really are to me, it will come as less of a shock.”
Trip coughed.“You intend on telling her we share you?”
She shrugged.“Not now, maybe not in five years, but at some point, yeah.”
“You know you can’t tell her about being a Panther, El.You know that, don’t you, sweetheart?”
She rolled her eyes at Ryan’s gentle words.“Yeah.I figured as much.”
Marc’s lips twitched as he turned back to look at them.He was in the central aisle of the SUV and had the whole seat to himself.
“You think she’ll be able to deal with you having four men?”
“Probably not.She’ll freak out at first, but she’s cool.Persia will threaten to castrate you if you hurt me, and she won’t care if she’s outnumbered or not, but she’ll just say I’m a horny bitch or something like that.”The words had her smirking at her own joke.
Trip let his lips trace a line across her temple.“I’d like to meet her.Anyone who wants to protect you is a friend of mine.”
“Well, apparently, you can’t meet her unless that jerk up front agrees to it.”
“Hey!”
