Brendon shook his head. He didn’t know. Everything was so fuzzy. But he’d been in those tunnels for a reason, and probably when the fever finished with him, he’d remember why. Now, however, all he wanted was more time with that She-wolf. Fabulous kisser that one. Amazing. Lust inducing.
She wouldn’t leave him.
Even though his body burned with fever, he couldn’t see the harm in checking out the rest of the house. Maybe he could find She of the Wonderful Lips. Besides, he could explore a bit, couldn’t he? That wouldn’t be such a big deal, would it?
Ronnie smiled at the man sitting in the enormous SUV at the curb, waiting for her aunt.
“My hot date.” Annie Jo Lucas winked at Ronnie.
“Very cute.”
The older woman grinned. “Polar bear. I love bears.”
Ronnie laughed. She’d completely forgotten how entertaining her aunt could be. And her momma had been right. Family was family. Her aunt didn’t blink an eye when Ronnie knocked on her door holding on to a man only wearing a hospital gown. Annie Jo let them in, got Shaw settled, and even handed Ronnie a Christmas present she would have mailed to her after the holidays, like she’d done for fifteen years. True, Annie still had nothing good to say about Ronnie’s mother but that went both ways.
Her aunt even talked about canceling her date, but Ronnie had no intention of getting between a wolf and a “proper layin.” That would be plain wrong.
“What about you and that cat?” One dark brown eyebrow peaked up as her aunt smirked at her. “Hhhhmm?”
“I’m just doing my Alpha a favor.”
“Oh. Is that all?”
“What does that mean?”
“Well I just find it surprising you haven’t called in the Pack yet. Let them take care of Mr. I’m Gorgeous.”
“Why should I ruin their Christmas?” The way hers had been ruined.
“Because when you’re Pack, you’re never alone.”
“I’ll call them in the morning. I promise.”
Annie headed toward the SUV, Ronnie trailing behind. “You know, Ronnie, I really can stay. Help you with that boy. He is a big one.”
“We’ll be fine. Go! Have a great Christmas date.”
“You have my cell number if you need me.” Annie opened the door and blew a kiss at her date.
“I won’t need you. I can handle him.”
“Really?” Annie didn’t sound like she believed that for one second.
“Yes. He’s one man. I can handle one man.”
Annie’s date leaned down to look at Ronnie through the open passenger door. “Is that your lion?”
Ronnie spun around and watched Brendon Shaw—all seven feet and five hundred pounds of him now that he’d shifted to lion—trot down the nice quiet streets of Long Island, New York.
“Oh Lord!”
Laughing, her aunt waved at her. “Have fun, darlin’.”
Ronnie didn’t wait to see her aunt drive off with her date. Instead, she took off running after the big idiot.
Thankfully he wasn’t really trying to get away. Instead he seemed to be just wandering…and romping.
She caught up to him nearly three blocks away, rolling around on some poor person’s lawn.
“Shaw,” she called out softly. He ignored her.
“Brendon!” she tried this time, whispering as loud as she dare, hearing music and the people inside the house laughing and having a wonderful holiday. “Come here!”
Shaw, on his back with big paws in the air, stared at her, his tongue hanging out. Lord, what was he doing?
“You heard me, mister. Come here!”
Scrambling to his feet, Shaw gave a low growl. If he started roaring, she was so screwed. But instead of roaring, he…he…
It was the calypso Christmas music coming from inside the house that set him off. Eyes wide, Ronnie watched the King of the Jungle shimmy his lion ass around on some poor human’s lawn. They’d never understand those paw prints come morning.
Ronnie’s head tilted to the side. Is he…? Yup. He was doing the mambo. Paws crossing over paws. Head bopping to the beat. Thick, regal mane waving in the cold December air. He actually wasn’t too bad. For a big cat doing the mambo.
Rubbing her eyes, Ronnie realized she had to focus.
“Get over here!” she commanded again, still whispering.
Shaw looked up at her, then he lowered his head toward his front paws, his big lion butt in the air.
Oh my Lord in heaven, he’s in a play bow.
She hadn’t done one of those since her first couple of years of being able to shift fully when she’d still been a pup. And she’d never heard of cats doing them ever.
Ronnie walked toward him, and he literally jumped back away from her.
Keep away. The big idiot wanted to play keep away.
She didn’t have time for this. She had to get his crazy cat ass back in the house before someone saw him.
“Brendon, please come on.”
Another step toward him, and another step back. Dammit!
He watched her, his gold eyes examining her from head to toe. Then his gaze locked on her tits…and stayed there.
Ronnie Lee rolled her eyes. No matter what breed they may be, all males were pigs.
However, she’d learned over the years that males could be controlled. With the right bait.
Looking around to make sure they were still undetected, Ronnie did what she’d promised she would never do again since that Motörhead concert when she was eighteen. She lifted her shirt and bra, flashing him.
Shaw charged her head-on, and Ronnie barely had time to pull her clothes back into place before she gave a surprised squeal and tore off back to her aunt’s house. Lifting her legs, she cleared the eight-foot fence that cordoned off her aunt’s yard from her neighbor’s. Ronnie made it up the back porch stairs when she heard Shaw right on her ass. She got inside, throwing the door closed behind her, hoping to slow him down, but he rammed right into it, knocking it off its hinges. She winced, realizing she’d have to fix that before her aunt got home.
Ronnie squealed again as humongous paws slapped against her hips, forcing her to the living room floor. She scrambled onto her back, only to realize she had a naked man on top of her with his head under her T-shirt.
“God, your breasts are beautiful,” he rasped. “Can I play with them for a little while?” He planted a small kiss against the side of her lace-covered nipple.
“No, you cannot. Now get off me!” She slapped at his head, trying to get him to let her go. The snoring, however, suggested he wasn’t going anywhere until she moved him herself.
“Lord!” she snarled. “I am gonna kick Sissy’s ass when I see her.”
Panting, Ronnie scrambled out from under Shaw. She intended to think her breathing problem merely an outcome of the outrageous situation she currently found herself in and not because the cat had the softest lips known to man or God.
She stood up and cracked her neck to the side. Grabbing Shaw’s hand, she dragged him across the floor and up the stairs back to the bedroom.
And the entire time she cursed Sissy Mae Smith’s name.
Okay. She had to stop feeling sorry for herself. True, this wasn’t how she’d wanted to spend her Christmas—fixing doors and chasing after lions—but she was here and she just had to deal with it. Like her momma would so eloquently put it, “Oh, get the fuck over it, Rhonda Lee.”
Sitting at her aunt’s kitchen table with her head in her hands, Ronnie stared down at the rapidly chilling cup of hot chocolate she’d made herself. She hadn’t even bothered to put in the marshmallows.
How, exactly, did she get herself into these kinds of situations? First off, she knew better than to trust Sissy Mae. Second…oh hell. There was no second.