When an Omega Snaps (5 page)

So perhaps lifting his mattress and sending Meena tumbling to the floor wasn’t the calmest decision, or the nicest, but dammit, Leo had to do something.

Bad enough when he’d woken with her perched atop him. Smelling so delicious. Feeling so delectable. Tempting him to roll her onto her back and give her the morning sex they both craved.

The darned woman was right about one thing. He did want her. Craved her bad.

He’d lied about having to pee. He lied about a lot of things it seemed since he’d met her. The biggest was the one where he kept telling himself he didn’t want her.

I want her. Want her too bloody much.

Hence why he tipped her off the bed. It was that or pounce on the delectable Meena and kiss her chattering lips, plunge his erection between her plump and perfect thighs, and lose himself in the splendor she promised.

Madness.

He needed to focus, and to do that, he needed to rid himself of temptation. Despite the urge to offer her a hand to help her off the floor, he turned—ignoring the voice in his head that screamed, “Where are your manners?”—and, instead, headed for his kitchen. In that direction he’d score a much-needed morning coffee. Then again, was that really the brightest choice? Perhaps he should keep his nerves caffeine free, especially around her.

He didn’t quite make it to his destination. A body tackled him from behind and yelled, “Gotcha!”

Taken off guard, he staggered but soon regained his footing, even as Meena’s legs wrapped around him and her arms looped around his shoulders.

“What the hell are you doing, Vex?”

“Vex? Is that your nickname for me?”

“Yes, because you seemed determined to vex me to death.”

Any other woman would have probably taken offense. Hit him possibly too. The one clinging to his back with anaconda strength? “I like it. It’s cute. So when are you getting it tattooed with a heart on your body?”

How the hell did her mind work? “I don’t do tattoos.”

“I don’t blame you. Your body is already an awesome work of art. How about I get one instead? Right on my left ass cheek, maybe something that looks like a brand. Property of Leo. Or how about Pookie’s Delight?”

Yes and yes.
“No! No tattoos. At all.”

“Spoilsport.”

He didn’t reply, just continued his journey to the kitchen, with one determined lioness on his back.

“So what’s for breakfast?” she asked.

Her, on the counter, with a drizzle of syrup that needed licking from the plump breasts pressing against his back. “If I say nothing, will you leave?”

“Nope. But if you don’t get us some food, then I’ll be forced to cook, and I’m going to tell you right now, you really, really don’t want me to do that,” she confided in a low whisper. “The last time the firemen came to the house, they said the only thing I was allowed to cook from here on out was cereal with milk.”

Nothing could have stopped his chuckle. “Well then, I guess you’d better leave if you’re expecting sustenance.”

“I’m sure I could find something else to eat.” She practically purred the words in his ear.

Surely that unmanly “eep” didn’t come from him?

It took him only a second to slip his shoes on, grab his wallet, and snare her shoes by the door before he had them both in the elevator. She slid down his back, but given her height, she could still whisper hotly in his ear, “You do know that the longer you fight it, the more explosive it’s going to be. Foreplay, Pookie. This whole denial thing is like a long, extended foreplay session. And when you finally can’t say no anymore, watch out. I am going to make you see stars.”

Stars. Fireworks. More like the inside of a jail cell because, if he wasn’t careful, he would end up taking her in public and getting arrested for an indecent act.

Some of his ardor managed to cool when they entered the lobby. Hard to maintain an erection when a half-dozen pair of eyes fixed on him and Meena.

Speculative looks bounced between them. If he were a callow youth, he might have blushed as they came to the wrong assumption. If he were Hayder, he would have strutted with feigned prowess. Leo settled for something between a scowl and placid disinterest. He disliked rumors, especially ones about him.

Meena had no such shame. Smiling wide, she strutted to the group. “Morning, peeps. Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

She didn’t say anything untoward. She didn’t have to. The implication was blatant—if false.

Since she seemed distracted, he used that moment to escape. It failed.

He had no sooner hit the sidewalk than she was bouncing alongside him. “So where are you taking me to breakfast?”

“I’m not. I’m going to a coffee house to grab a Danish.” A half-dozen with about three of their breakfast wraps and a large banana smoothie.

“Ooh, are those the ones with the icing? Can I lick yours?” She batted her lashes at him innocently. The dare in her eyes was anything but.

He didn’t reply. He didn’t have to. The brat already knew how she affected him.

Just before they reached the coffee shop, her cell phone rang. Peeking at the display caused a frown to crease her brow.

What, finally something to mar her happy mien?  He wondered what it was—so he could get rid of it. He didn’t like her less than smiling.

Whoa. Where did that thought come from? Whatever perturbed her had nothing to do with him.
Don’t care. None of my business.
His curious cat could keep its speculations to itself.

Leaving her on the sidewalk, he entered the coffee shop. After ordering his usual, plus a few extra—because she looked like the type to ask for a bite—he turned and leaned against a pillar. If he wanted to lie, he’d claim he did it so the staff wouldn’t get nervous. Not everyone could handle a guy his size keeping an eye on them. Except the folks here knew him and weren’t intimidated one bit. So why did he really stare out the window? Because a certain lioness still stood there and a part of him couldn’t help but keep an eye and wonder what mischief she planned.

Through the coffee shop’s large plate glass window, he saw her pacing on the sidewalk, her face a study in animation as she talked, one arm tucked to her side holding the phone to her ear, the other flailing and gesticulating.

What a dilemma she presented. She seemed determined to drive him insane—with lust. On a mission to muddle his emotions—with her quirky personality. On a path to change his future—with determination.

She was also being accosted!

Rawr
.

“Get in the car.” The unmistakable Russian accent had Meena rolling her eyes.

“I gotta go, Teena.” Hanging up on her sister, Meena turned and took in the sight of the long black sedan, a Lincoln Town Car, of course, because Dmitri liked to travel in style. “I am not getting in, Dmitri.”

The crack of space afforded by the tinted window wasn’t enough for her to see his handsome mug, but she could imagine it, dark-haired, blue-eyed, and arrogant beyond belief. Wouldn’t it figure her reason for leaving home would show up?

“How did you find me?”

“I am a man of many resources, as you should know.”

Yeah, she knew, which was why when she ran out on him she caught the first plane ride back from Russia. Once home, she figured she could expect a few calls demanding her return. What she didn’t expect was for him to follow.

Dmitri was also very old-school in that, apparently, no wasn’t an answer. Not one a woman could use at any rate. And in case anyone thought there was a certain irony in her thinking Leo’s no’s were playing hard to get while hers were emphatic, it should be noted Leo was her mate. Dmitri was a vacation fling, one that had never even made it to the bedroom.

Totally different.

With Leo, she had sparks. Tingles. With Dmitri, meh, he was cute, but he didn’t make her heart race like a certain liger.

“You need to let me go, Dmitri, and move on. I am not going to marry you.”

“I will have you.” Such conviction, and he’d brought some muscle to try and prove his statement. A pair of brutes exited the car. Dmitri’s order of, “Don’t hurt her,” made her tsk aloud.

Please. If he thought to subdue her, he should have brought more guys. As the one gorilla—and seriously, despite his obvious humanity, she had to wonder at his ancestry—grabbed for her arm, she sidestepped, causing him to snare only air. She, on the other hand, didn’t miss.

Her foot swung out and cracked goon number one in the knee. He let out a yelp of pain, but before she could take him out fully, the second guy lunged for her. She ducked under his grasping hands and thrust, her fist connecting with his diaphragm. He gasped for breath. She took no mercy and kneed him in the groin, just as goon number one made his next move.

With a tinkle of bells, the door to the coffee shop opened, and a very calm-sounding Leo said, “Lay a finger on her, and I will rip your arm off and beat you with it.”

As threats went, it was adorable. Especially since, given his size and mien, Leo probably could.

The idiot didn’t listen. The thug went to grab Meena’s arm, and curiosity made her let him instead of breaking his fingers.

Why exert herself when Pookie seemed determined to come to her rescue?

While outwardly he appeared cool and composed, a wild storm brewed in his eyes as Leo growled, “I said don’t touch.”

Crack. Yup. There was one guy who wouldn’t be touching anything with that arm for a while, and he’d probably end up hoarse with the way he was screaming.

Pussy.

In the distance, sirens wailed to life, and it didn’t take Dmitri’s barked, “Get in the car, you idiots,” for the thugs to realize their attempt at a coerced kidnapping had failed.

Meena didn’t bother watching the car speed off, not when she had something much more important to attend to. Like a man who thought she needed saving. How her dad would laugh when he heard about it. Her sister, Teena, would sigh about how romantic it was. Her mom, on the other hand, would chastise Meena for causing chaos once again.

Turning to Leo, who wore a formidable glower, she threw herself at him. Apparently, he half expected it because his arms opened wide, and he caught her—without even a tiny stagger!

She latched her legs around his waist, draped her arms around his neck, and exclaimed, “Pookie, you were awesome. You saved me from those big, bad men. You’re like a knight in Under Armour.” Not entirely true. He wore a plain black Fruit of the Loom T-shirt. But she could totally picture him in one of those form-fitting tees that Under Armour specialized in that would mold his perfect chest.

On second thought, given how it would show off his impressive musculature, perhaps she should leave his wardrobe alone. No use taunting the female public with what they couldn’t have. It would also mean less blood for her to rinse if they dared to touch.

“I’d hardly say I saved you. You seemed to be doing all right on your own.”

She planted a big smooch on his lips and declared him, “My hero.”

Most men might have puffed in pride at being compared to a hero—or sank to the ground crushed under her weight. Leo just stood there, frowning at her and then off into the distance where the car had fled.

“Who were those guys?”

“Oh, those were just Dmitri’s men.”

“And who is Dmitri?”

“The guy I was supposed to marry.”

Of all the answers Leo expected, that wasn’t one of them.

A pimp looking for vulnerable girls, it happened more often than it should.

An organ seller on the prowl for healthy organs also possible, especially since he’d actually come across it in the past—before he put an end to it. In an ironic twist, the seller saved five lives with his healthy offerings. Good thing he had his donor card signed.

Even a recruiter for the underground shifter fights would have made more sense than Meena’s reply.

“He’s your fiancé?” he blurted out. Just the very word fiancé had his body tensing, his liger growling, and his temperature rising.

“Not exactly.”

Tension built behind his brow as he anticipated a convoluted explanation. “Is he, or isn’t he?”

“Can’t we eat first? I’m
starving
.” She purred the word and stared at his lips. It was enough to make him want to roar. Instead, one hand cupping her lovely butt, he opened the door to the coffee shop and went to the counter, where Joe raised a brow, but he didn’t say anything. As a shifter, Joe knew better, of course, than to get involved. Each member of his staff was shifter related as well, and on purpose, given their proximity to the condominium complex housing a fair number of the pride.

As a bear, Joe tended to keep to himself. He managed the coffee shop with his family, which was comprised of three daughters, all married, and a wife. He wasn’t just their local baker and coffee maker. He also knew the value of discretion, but Leo still had to ask.

“Did anyone call the cops?” In other words, should he and Meena skedaddle before some uniforms appeared asking questions?

Joe shook his head just as the police car, with its wailing sirens, screamed past, on route to another crime.

“Here’s your order, Leo,” Rosalie announced, plopping the big bag of goodies on the counter, along with a pair of yellow and creamy-looking smoothies.

“That smells so good,” Meena murmured against his ear. She also nipped it before she slid down his body, and by slide he meant he felt every inch of her curvy frame rub against him.

Joe inclined his head in her direction, silently asking,
Who is she?

“Joe and Rosalie, meet Vex, also known as Meena. She’s visiting the pride for a while.”

A giggle left Meena as she tucked against him, wrapping an arm around his waist. “More than visiting. Pookie and I are engaged to be mated. So you’ll be seeing a lot more of me.”

There went that tic again. He heard Joe’s snicker. He saw Rosalie’s wide smile. He sensed the jaws of the trap surrounding him, ready to snap shut.

But he didn’t run. He couldn’t. She wouldn’t let go even when he gestured for Meena to grab her drink.

Before she did, she peeked into the bag of goodies. “Ooh. Aah. Yummy. Are we eating it here or taking it home, Pookie?”

By home, he assumed she meant his place, which boasted privacy and a bed. Since the type of eating that reasoning evoked had nothing to do with actual food, he chose the table farthest from the door.

He plopped the bag of breakfast treats on the table along with his drink before sinking onto a seat that squeaked alarmingly.

Seated across from him, Meena pursed her lips and sucked from the straw, the hollow in her cheeks distracting but not enough for him to forget what had just happened.

A fiancé? It wasn’t just his curious cat with questions. The man wanted to know what the hell as well.

But it took two Danishes and one breakfast wrap—stuffed with fluffy eggs, bacon, green peppers and sharp cheddar—before she would deign to reply to any of his queries.

As she licked her lips—the tip of her pink tongue a tempting tease—he launched his interrogation. “Exactly who where those guys, and why were they trying to force you into that car?”

“Those were Dmitri’s goons, and like I said, they were trying to get me to go with them so that Dmitri could haul my butt in front of a priest and have him marry us.”

“By your use of haul, I am going to assume you’re not keen on marrying the guy.”

Her nose wrinkled, and she shook her head. “Nope. I’ve been trying to avoid him.”

The pieces of part of the puzzle fell into place. “This Dmitri fellow is why you’re here, isn’t he? That’s why Arik let you come back. You’re hiding.”

“Me, hide? Of course not. My parents just thought it was time I came for a visit now that Arik’s in charge.” Once again, she failed the whole guileless thing.

“Thought or insisted?”

Her lips jutted in a pout, the lower succulent lip begging for a nibble. He refrained. “Talk.”

“Fine. They banished me. It was deemed best if I laid low and out of sight for a while, given the problems I incurred whilst in Russia.”

“You were in Russia? Doing what?”

“Flower hunting.”

He blinked. “Flower hunting? Is that even a thing?”

“Well, yeah. Rare seeds fetch a pretty price, as do hybrids of select species. My mom runs a very successful flower shop, and part of the reason she’s in such high demand is because I travel for her and snag interesting seeds and samples.”

“So help me out here, how does flower picking get you in trouble?”

“Well, as it turns out, the blooms I was seeking, the
Symplocarpus renifolius
, were in a garden.”

“A public garden?”

“Not exactly. More like a private one. Which really is kind of rude given how rare they are. Flowers should be shared.”

He leaned back in his seat, ignored the ominous groan of metal, and prepared for a convoluted story. And yeah, he knew Meena well enough by now that he could think this with certainty. “So you knocked on this guy or gal’s door and asked to see them?”

She squirmed in her seat and took a second to suck a long pull from her straw. Cheeks in. Lips pursed. Excellent suction.

He tore his gaze away. “Did you trespass?”

“Kind of. But I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to see if they were there before I bothered anyone. So I kind of climbed the big stone wall he had running around the place.”

“It didn’t occur to you that he had the wall to keep people out?”

“Well, once I encountered the barbed wire, I did, but by then, I was curious.”

The failing of many a feline, a need to see what hid on the other side. Not a failing Leo suffered. He usually was tall enough to note the other side had the same color grass.

“So you hopped the fence. You snuck into the garden—”

“After giving some cute Rottweilers that came to say hello some belly rubs.”

The pulse behind his forehead intensified. “You do realize they could have torn you to pieces?”

Again, she fluttered her lashes in an innocent look he didn’t buy for a moment. “Why would they do that? I give really good rubs. Want me to prove it?”

Yes!
“No.”

“You’re right. Now isn’t the time. We should wait until we’re back home so I can
rub
you properly.”

No point in correcting her that rubs would not happen.

Why not?

His liger really didn’t understand why he was so adamant about keeping her at arm’s length—especially since up close felt so much better.

Keep the conversation—and mind—on track. He wondered if it was a ploy on her part to distract him from what he really wanted to know. Judging by the way her foot tried to inch its way up his leg, probably. He trapped the sneaky foot between his knees. He needed the rest of the story, especially the part where she wound up engaged to a Russian fiancé. “So you evaded all the security measures, found the rare flower thingies, got caught and arrested.” Had she been blackmailed by a police officer or government official into agreeing to marriage in order to avoid charges? Green card marriages happened all the time.

“Not exactly. I did get caught. Dmitri saw me on camera and came out in person to ask me what I was doing. When I told him I needed his flowers, he said he’d give me one if we went on a date. He proposed that night.”

“Hold on. A guy catches you trespassing in his garden and looking to steal some rare flower, and then he takes you to dinner and asks you to marry him?”

She nodded.

“And you said yes?”

“Of course not. I’m not easy. Beside, while handsome—”

He couldn’t help but growl at the compliment.

“Dmitri never really got my kitten purring.”

“Lions don’t purr.”

“I wasn’t talking about that pussy.” She smirked, probably because her frank correction had him squirming.

Good to know she wasn’t attracted to the guy, but it still didn’t explain the biggest question. “If you weren’t interested in him, then how the hell did you end up engaged?”

“Oh, did I forget to mention Dmitri is head of the shifter mob in Russia? After my third refusal, he locked me up and went ahead with plans for the wedding anyhow.”

“Except the wedding didn’t happen. You are still single.”
Not for long.
His liger had very definite ideas of the future.

“Single and a good thing too otherwise I might have never met you and we wouldn’t be about to plan our future together. And don’t worry, even if Dmitri had managed to slide a ring on my finger, once I met my true mate, which is you, I’m sure between me and daddy, we could have arranged for a divorce or an accident. But, fate was on my side. I’m all yours, Pookie.” She beamed at him.

Bang
. That was the sound his head made as it hit the table.
Bang
.
Bang
.
Bang
.

“Pookie, what are you doing? Is this some kind of seizure? Do you need me to put something in your mouth so you don’t choke?”

He was suffering from some kind of malaise all right. He rested his head on the table, eyes closed, trying to find the serenity that had fled the moment he met her. “How did you escape if he had you locked up?” Because that information might come in handy if he ever needed to corral her so he could get a head start.

“Let’s just say I pulled a Houdini slash runaway bride. Like literally. I escaped the day before the wedding using my mad climbing skills. Since his place is out in like the middle of nowhere, I hotwired this sweet crotch rocket he had sitting out front.”

He raised a brow.

“Okay, so I didn’t twist any wires. I used the key. But, you do realize that sounds way less exciting.”

“Only you would think that.”

“Why thank you, Pookie, you already understand me so well. Anyhow, I drove like my daddy was chasing me, which he did a few times when I was a teenager and I snuck out of the house, and made it to the airport. I stowed away on a plane, which looks a lot more fun in the movies by the way, and made it back home. Most guys would have stopped at that point but Dmitri, being stubborn, called a few times spouting off, so I had my number changed.”

“But?”

“But, he got my family’s number and started calling them. Which was fine. My aunts and stuff blocked him, but thing is, he showed up on my parents’ doorstep while I was out shopping. My parents are vacationing in Mexico, and so Aunt Cecily had to deal with him.”

“They scared her.”

She laughed. “Scare my Aunt Cecily? Not in this lifetime. She wields a mean right hook. Daddy’s sister is the one who taught me to fight dirty.”

“Something had to have happened to get you banished.”

“Well, she was kind of worried about me, on account of me being delicate and stuff.”

He couldn’t help but snort.

“Yeah, that was my reaction too, but that’s what I get for being the youngest in the family. Teena beat me into the world by like ten seconds. Anyhow, Aunt Cecily would have kept me around, except the goons trampled Mama’s flower garden during one of their kidnapping attempts.”

“You got banished over flowers?”

“No, I got banished before the goons did any more damage to Mama’s stuff. When my mother cries, Daddy gets a little upset, and when Daddy gets upset, things happen. Dealing with the disposal of bodies is always a pain, and law enforcement really frowns upon murder. And Daddy’s been trying so hard to stay out of jail. Anyhow, for the good of the family, it was strongly suggested I take an extended vacation in the hopes my absence would see Dmitri call off his paid thugs and give up on the whole marriage business.”

“Except he realized you took off and followed you here.”

A frown creased her brow. “Yeah, which is weird because I was certain I didn’t have a tail.”

“Well, you’re going to have one now, twenty-four-seven, until I locate this Dmitri fellow and tell him to get the hell out of pride territory.”

“You’d do that for me?” She shot him a pleased smile.

“I’d do that for anyone being forced to marry an ass who can’t take no for an answer.”

Most women would have shown disappointment at being lumped into a generic group. Not her. She smiled even wider. “Pookie, you are a true hero, saving damsels in distress. You are going to make such a good husband.”