Page 24 of Loving the Lion

“And neither would you, big softy.” She bumped her shoulder against his, secure in the knowledge that he would keep her from falling.

“You are correct.” He glanced down at her, a smile hovering on the edges of his mouth. Keair’s features might draw the eyes of more women, but those were not the type of women Tarek needed. Well, neither did the tiger, but at least the tiger knew not to let his heart be broken by a pretty face.

No. Tarek needed a woman who could look past the silent and slightly abrasive exterior to the heart of gold beneath the massive chest of muscles. She thought of the female shifters she had met over the last few weeks and realized there wasn’t one that she deemed good enough for this wolf. Besides, as Bachar had explained many times, a mate was a gift. Not the result of overzealous matchmakers.

But still…

As they neared the place where Bachar sunned himself, the lion turned, letting out a small tuft of sound at the sight of Tarek’s hand on her elbow. Even though the other man was helping her, keeping her safe, Bachar still had issues with any male touching her. And she felt the same. She’d gotten into more than one verbal match with the females of the pride who overstepped the bounds when greeting her husband. Didn’t matter that he was their alpha. He was hers.

She picked up her pace, eager to get to her mate. “Thank you,” she called over her shoulder as she pulled away from Tarek and covered the last few yards on her own.

She climbed onto the boulder, ignoring the small growl the lion gave. He didn’t like her exerting herself if she didn’t have to. “You should have thought of that before you climbed up here, big boy.” She grabbed a handful of his fur to steady herself as she made her way over the warm surface of the rock. In seconds, she was beside him, resting against his side, her fingers buried deep in his golden mane. He laid his head down and stretched back out. When she didn’t immediately start to scratch him, he bumped his head against her thigh.

“You big overgrown house cat.” She smiled at him and did what he wanted, running her fingers through his fur until her nails could glide over his skin. Instantly, his loud purr filled the air around them. She continued to stroke him even as her eyelids grew heavy. “I love you,” she murmured as sleep overtook her. “I’ll love you forever.”

She didn’t know how long they stayed there, the golden lion lying quietly beneath her touch. When she woke, the lion was gone and in its place was the man she loved. She loved the animal, knew it would give its life for her. But the man held her heart, held her soul within the very palm of his hand.

“Hello, beautiful.” Bachar smiled up at her. Somehow, he’d managed to maneuver them until she was sprawled across him, his body protecting her from the unforgiving surface of the granite rock.

“Hello.” She covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her. “How long have we been asleep?”

“You’ve been asleep for about an hour.”

She punched him playfully in the chest before sitting up, thrusting her arms above her to stretch out the kinks that had developed during her short nap. “Don’t give me that, buster, you were sleeping too. I heard you snoring.”

“That was you. Cats do not snore.” He sat up too, and she started to avert her eyes when she realized he was naked. She’d learned over the last few weeks how unselfconscious the shifter community really was. She’d walked up on more than one of them naked after a shift.

She allowed her gaze to travel over his body. She had more than a right to look at him. All over. She was one lucky girl because her lion was golden and delicious all over. As she looked, his eyes sparked gold, and his cock grew.

“And don’t give me that look either,” she laughed. Before she even finished her sentence, he had her wrapped in his arms and lying flat on her back, his body bowed over hers.

“And what look would that be, albi?”

My heart. The word he had repeated over and over again when she had been shot. A flash of fear at what had almost happened filled her when she remembered that she could have lost him that day. She could have lost her heart.

“The one that says you’d like to eat me right now.”

His smile grew sexy as his eyelids grew heavy. She knew the smoldering look was only the beginning of the fire that was about to burn out of control.

“You are my favorite meal, habib albi.”

“You say the nicest things.” Another giggle escaped her.

“I will show you nice.” He wiggled his brows, and she wondered at the change in him. Either he’d been hanging out with Keair more, or her husband was indeed growing less rigid.

Well, maybe less rigid wasn’t exactly correct as he pressed himself against her thigh. He was definitely rigid today.

“Come.” He sprung off the boulder showing the gracefulness of a cat even as a man. He reached for her, and she grimaced, knowing her descent from the boulder would be anything but graceful. In fact, she probably reminded him of a small rock rolling downhill.

He didn’t even allow her feet to touch the ground. Instead, he lifted her straight off the boulder into his arms, managing her bulk with ease. She wrapped her arms around his neck. During the first days of their being together, she had protested vehemently each time he had carried her. Soon, he convinced her how lucky she was that he was indeed a big strong lion shifter more than capable of taking care of his woman. And taken care of her he had.

She’d never felt so loved and well-cared for in her entire life. He had insisted on being there for each of her follow-up appointments. He’d even had a specialist flown in before she’d been released from the hospital. Thankfully, the wound to her shoulder hadn’t been life-threatening. It had been somewhat slow to heal, but she was fully recovered now. In fact, she’d been given a clean bill of health over a week ago.

To celebrate, they had made love in front of the fire that night. The first time they’d been intimate since she had gotten out of the hospital. It had been so slow and so sensual that she’d had tears in her eyes before it was over. He had kissed them away and started all over again.

But he hadn’t shown her the passion they’d shared that first night together. She tried not to let her mind go where it shouldn’t, but it was difficult. Was she really his mate? He hadn’t marked her which was one of the first things she thought happened. She was afraid to ask Keair or even Tarek in case that would somehow show disrespect for Bachar.

“Where are we going?” The both knew she would follow him to the ends of the earth and back. And she knew he would never break her heart, never lead her astray. Always protect her. Always love her.