Protector of the Pride (Lions of Pride Island Book 3) (2 page)

So this might be the only way to get a taste of him.

She bit her lip. It was a risk. “I might have an idea.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What? I’m open to anything.”

She wasn’t surprised by that. When it came to doing his duty, there was really nothing he wouldn’t consider. Which made her feel dirty for what she was about to suggest.

But really, it would help both of them. It would help him get into the swing of romance and help her get him out of her system.

“You could practice with me,” she said.

He scoffed. Then his eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean practice? Like sex?”

She frowned. “No. Romance.”

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why would you want me to do that? Isn’t that just promising to be a disaster for both of us?”

She shrugged. “You never know. But I could at least teach you about winning over a woman. I have more experience than you, you know.”

“About dating?”

She folded her arms. “About what women want. You want to win over the country, don’t you? And you need to be able to go after your mate for that. And you need to be able to convince her you’ve got the goods.”

“I’m the king,” he sputtered, gripping the arms of his chair.

He might be tall and rich and powerful, but right now, he looked like a terrified schoolboy. Scared of
her
.

Was it possible he felt the same effect around her that she did? Possible that they had good chemistry? Lucy never planned to settle down, but she knew she wouldn’t mind a fling with this man.

After all, settling down was never in the plan. Not for her.

But she did wonder what it would be like to be held by him. And for that, she’d put up with being wooed by him.

And then, when he took a mate and she took a new job, she could take those memories of loving the handsomest man on the planet, and he could go back to ruling the world.

“What would this entail?” he asked, leaning back in the chair and appraising her shrewdly. “I think we should set ground rules before either of us agrees to this.”

“Anything a relationship would entail,” she said. “And no one has to know.”

“Is that really fair to you, though?” he asked. “What if you develop feelings? I hear that’s a thing for women, and I don’t want you to—”

She bit back a bitter laugh. “It’s a thing for both genders. But no, it won’t be a problem. I already know what you’re destined for, Axel. And it doesn’t involve me.”

His face twitched at that, but she ignored it.

“I won’t be working for you forever, so I’m just giving you a chance to improve your nonexistent skills,” she said.

“I don’t get what’s in it for you,” he said. “You’re confusing me.”

She walked forward, eyeing him lustily, letting her gaze roam over him as he squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. “If you don’t, you don’t understand lionesses at all.”

“So it’s about sex, then,” he surmised, frowning.

She sighed and shook her head. “No. Though if it goes there, I won’t mind. No, what it’s about is you’re a good-looking guy, and I wouldn’t mind being wooed by you. I’ve been stuck in this castle for months, and I think it’d be a fun adventure. And hey, I can go the rest of my life saying I’ve dated a king.”

“If I’m successful,” he said darkly.

She shrugged.

“I don’t know about this,” he said. “I’ll have to think.”

She gave him another shrug and walked to to the office door. “Fine by me. But just remember. The oracle could walk in tomorrow and tell you who your future mate is. And then where would you be?”

She heard him let out a little growl as she exited the office to go in search of lunch. She laughed.

Hopefully he’d decide to go along with it, and things could get a little more exciting in this big, empty house.

A
fake relationship
for the sake of practice. Axel couldn’t believe he was actually considering it as he sat across from Lucy at a long, otherwise empty table while they ate dinner in relative quiet.

Lucy had set up a TV in the corner she could watch, which meant he probably wasn’t great dinner conversation.

He had a propensity for disappearing into his thoughts, so that was no great surprise.

Tonight, however, the TV was off, and she was studying him curiously, her hair tucked into a side ponytail that brought her curls cascading over her shoulder. She was wearing a soft sweater with a scoop neck that showed cleavage and soft black lounge pants that skimmed her curves.

She knew exactly what she was doing.

Oh sure, she often liked to change into more comfortable clothes after a long day at the office. But this was different. Her shirt was lower. She was wearing something glossy and sticky on her lips. Something that made them more red. And she was looking at him like particularly succulent prey.

He had to admit her plan had merits. She was right; he was rusty and needed practice if he was going to win his mate. He’d been so busy worrying about when it would happen that he’d forgotten he would have to try hard once it did. In a way, everything in life had come easily.

Even the things he’d never asked for or wanted.

But that was different than having to work for something. He hadn’t had to really do that. Wooing her would do that for him.

And maybe it would be a bit fun. It’d been a while since he’d relaxed. With her helping with his workload and his younger brother Cain in the country doing diplomatic work, he finally had a little bit of time for something like that.

“So wooing you,” he said. “What would it entail? How long would it last?”

She shrugged her pretty, rounded shoulders. “However long it takes.” She licked her lips. “I’m not easy, you know.”

He swallowed. “Right.”

“Or I guess until your mate gets picked. That’s kind of the end of that.”

“Wouldn’t that be like cheating on her, even if it’s before I know who she is?” he asked.

She raised a dark eyebrow. “That’s admirably loyal. But even humans don’t expect to never date before marrying. It’s okay to get to know other partners before mating.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Even when you’re dating someone?”

“We’ve covered this. I haven’t had time to date someone,” he retorted tersely.

“Even if you were dating me?”

He pursed his lips together against the vision that came to mind. All of the sensual things they could do together.

What she was suggesting was all the more dangerous because it was tempting. Because he would love to do all of that with her. But it scared him that it could all end badly.

“I don’t know,” he repeated.

Obviously, he would want to. And it was tempting to take her word that it would help when he did take a mate.

But it seemed like playing with fire in order to learn how to not to be burned. Counterintuitive.

He always kept his mind clear, his thoughts logical. Nothing about what he wanted to do to or with Lucy was logical.

He did want to woo her. Show her just how well he could court a woman. Get her into bed and show her how capable he was there as well.

But…

“What’s the big hesitation?” she asked, folding her arms, making her soft breasts press together in a way that made his mouth dry. “You worried I’m going to get my heart broken? You worried I’m going to get feelings and not be able to tell make believe from real life?”

“I couldn’t do it with make believe,” he said. “If I’m going to do this, you have to understand that I’ll be actually getting feelings. That’s a dangerous game. One I’ve stayed away from because of my future responsibilities.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy for you to fall, Axel,” she said doubtfully. “After all, you’re the man who thought he wouldn’t even have to date his future wife. I think I’ll be fine.” She slid her tongue along her lower lip, teasing him. “On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind being swept off my feet.”

“I still don’t get what you get out of this,” he said.

She leveled a glance at him. “You, Axel. For a short time, I get you.” Then she put her napkin down, winked at him, and started to exit the room.

“What’s so great about that?” he called.

She turned on her heel. “You’re hot. You’re funny. And the way you stress out is entertaining. And I’m bored in this damn castle. And it would help you, which, as your friend, I would enjoy doing. It’s win-win-win all around. If you can just stop being a scaredy-lion.”

“I’m not a scaredy-lion,” he said, feeling embarrassed by the juvenile phrase as it left his mouth. He scowled.

“Prove it,” she said, leaning against the wall with folded arms. “Kiss me.”

He raised an eyebrow, his heart hammering against his chest. “What?”

“You heard me,” she said, her emerald eyes glowing in the warm low light. “That can be your first attempt. You can really win a woman over with just a kiss.”

He bit his lower lip. Kissing Lucy. That was risky. His blood felt like it was burning. His lion felt too close to the surface, his animal instincts threatening to overwhelm all the logic he held dear.

“You really think you don’t need my help? That you can win your mate over with no problems?” she asked, putting up her hands. “Then prove it, and I’ll drop it. One kiss, please.”

This is ludicrous,
he thought, standing up and placing his napkin beneath him on the seat. Kissing his secretary. No, kissing Lucy, the curvy woman he’d been secretly lusting after for days. The only one to make him lose sight of all of his goals. And now she was here, offering to help him.

Giving him the perfect excuse to just give in to everything he wanted.

He strode toward her, a serious, intent expression on his face, watching each tic of her body, each movement of her eyes, her chest as she breathed. The predator in him was alive and awake.

He’d kiss her all right, but not for any of her stupid reasons.

He’d kiss her because he just damn well couldn’t resist.

* * *

T
here was
a glow in Axel’s eyes that Lucy had never seen as he came around his side of the table and walked toward her.

She barely had time to stand up before he was right in front of her, backing her into the nearest wall, putting a hand on either side of her, trapping her.

“One kiss?” he asked, his voice calm, his golden eyes glowing. During the day, shaded by long lashes, she hadn’t been able to make out the color. A light hazel maybe. But here in the low light, the way he was looking at her, an unmistakable gold, like a lion’s mane in the sunlight.

“Sure,” she said, trying to sound calmer than she felt. “One.”

He leaned in closer. She could feel the heat from his body, his closeness. His largeness. A masculine scent. Spicy and clean. Cinnamon. Pine. Icy water.

She looked up into his eyes and saw him hesitating. She could practically hear his heart echoing hers, going crazy in her chest.

“Go ahead, then.”

He leaned in until his lips were a hair’s breadth from hers, so close she was aching to taste them.

He hesitated again.

Did this man have no ability to just let go?

She reached up, grabbed him by his collar, and pulled him in. His heavy weight came into her as he braced on his arms, and his lips were velvet soft over hers. Their breaths mingled as their bodies came together, easily entwining as her hands went around his waist and he leaned into her.

The kiss felt like something that should have happened ages ago. A release of pent-up tension that felt oh so good.

She groaned against his mouth and felt him tense, then relax as he deepened the kiss. He was taking control now, though his hands were still firmly planted on the wall behind her. But his tongue was weaving into her mouth, entwining with hers in a hot dance of power as he tilted his mouth to capture her further.

She felt heat between her legs, felt them weakening from the onslaught. Felt one of his arms leave the wall to snake around her, holding her up as she gave herself to the kiss.

It was wet, hot, seductive, promising. She could feel his hard chest and arm muscles against her and surrounding her, keeping her safe and warm. His tongue knew exactly what it was doing, thrusting expertly against her in a way that made her wetter the longer it went on.

“Axel,” she groaned against his mouth, and he pulled back, leaving her aching and wanting. She slumped back against the wall and looked up at him.

He looked confused. His beautiful lips swollen by the kiss, his eyes thoughtful and heated with some unknown emotion.

They darted back down to her lips, and she saw a twitch at the corner of his mouth, like he was trying to hold himself back.

Then he pushed off the wall and away from her, sitting on the long dining table behind him with a huff.

She was expecting some kind of snarky remark. Something like, “There, one kiss, see? No problem.”

Instead, he just stared at her, confused, as if she were some kind of foreign object and he was trying to decide what she was.

She bit her lip, and it drew his attention immediately. His masculine scent filled the room, and she could feel the presence of his very powerful lion.

It drove the lioness in her wild.

Could he scent her arousal? Scent how much she was aching for him to take it further?

She didn’t care about making a point anymore or her promise of fake dating. She just wanted the gorgeous man in front of her and didn’t care how it happened.

As long as he got inside her right fucking now.

She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself, and noticed he was doing the same.

How could a freaking kiss mean so much? Was it really just the effect of so much unbroken tension?

“Axel,” she said.

But then he launched forward, off the table, making it rock in response, and pinned her up against the wall again.

This time the kiss was heated, frenzied, no hesitation. Like their bodies were made for each other. He opened her wide and dove in, owning her mouth with a ferocity she’d never known he possessed. She sank into his hold as he plundered her lips, feeling close to going already, which was unbelievable. One hand held her waist easily up against him as if she weighed nothing, and the other stroked down the side of her neck, making her gasp and open her lips more, which he took advantage of.

She was kind of regretting ever challenging him on being good at kissing, because it was very plain he was. Then again, she was benefitting from it, so there was that.

She dug her nails into his back, clinging onto his shirt as the kiss softened, but his hand found her breast, squeezing lightly. Light waved through her, shocking her, but the pleasure was too great to resist, and she pressed her breast eagerly into his hand, wanting more. He felt her nipple through her soft bra and tweaked it, and she squeaked against his mouth and felt him grin in response.

I’m being ravished by the king,
she thought helplessly.
And I’m loving it.

His hand left her breast and moved down to the apex of her legs, which were clenched together. Everything was moving too fast, but she had no desire to stop it. The second he touched her there, electricity jolted through her, making her jump. Then she settled into the liquid touch and the pleasure melting through her, promising to ease her ache.

She pressed against his hand, holding on to him as he stroked against her. He pressed his body close, his hand between them, owning her whole body with his.

She felt totally enclosed, totally safe, and while she knew it wasn’t a feeling she should just get used to, it was a feeling she definitely would enjoy while it lasted.

She could feel the heat building inside her as his lips left hers to kiss gently at the sensitive skin of her neck, biting and sucking as his hand worked feverishly.

This man she’d just mocked for being inexperienced was about to bring her to orgasm faster than anyone else had. Faster than she ever had herself.

He was king of his people, completely adept at everything he did. Why had she thought this would be any different?

She moaned as he increased the speed, making the tension wind inside her unbearably. She had to go. Now. She bit into his neck as he pressed against her, letting out a growl of satisfaction.

Then his finger flicked and she felt everything kick over, cascading through her as she threw her head back and squirmed, trapped between him and the wall, forced to feel every powerful sensation as it ran through her.

“Axel,” she cried out. “Axel.”

His response was a low growl as his mouth covered hers, capturing her cries as his hand stayed where it was, stroking and enhancing her orgasm with almost too much feeling. His other arm still supported her now-sagging body. As she came down from the high, his kiss gentled. Softly stroking, pressing his lips to hers silently. Then pulling back, looking down with bated breath.

She looked up at him. Aroused. Relieved. Embarrassed.