He shrugged. “Cut me some slack. I’m winging it here.” Mitch’s face turned solemn. “Bottom line is, babe, you’ll break his heart if you leave him.”
“Cats don’t mate for life.”
“Who told you that?”
“National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. The males come and go, jumping from Pride to Pride. And wolves don’t share anything but our food, but even that we tussle over.”
“All of that’s absolutely true—for cats who live to be about twelve and reside in the Serengeti. Last I looked, this was New York and me and Bren have another fifty or sixty years to fill. I know Bren wants to spend it with you. And neither of us have any intention of spending the rest of our lives being traded around by a bunch of females who can barely stand us.”
“He just wants me ’cause I stayed that night. They left and I stayed.”
“That’s not why. He’s grateful to you for staying that night. He wants you ’cause you look fierce in those shorts.” Mitch grinned when she smiled. “And he loves you because you make him happy. I’ve never seen the big butthead smile so damn much.”
“He makes me feel…” Ronnie stopped and looked back at the table.
“What, Ronnie? He makes you feel what?”
“It’s what he doesn’t make me feel that’s the problem.”
“Which is?”
She took a deep breath. “Restless. I never feel like I have to leave when I’m with him. I never wake up in the morning with one foot already out of the bed.”
“And that’s a problem because…”
“Because I always leave. Now I only want to stay, and it’s freakin’ me the hell out.”
“You’re freaking out because you know your life is changing for good. If you weren’t freaking out, I’d be worried.” He took a long sip of his hot chocolate. “How about I make you a deal?” Mitch suggested softly.
“What deal?”
“You stay…and I’ll stay. At least for a little while.”
“I shouldn’t care whether you go or stay. I shouldn’t care how it affects him at all.”
“But you do care, Ronnie. And that’s okay.”
“Fine.” Ronnie pushed her cup aside. “I’ll stay.”
“Good. Now let’s go find him before he tears the friggin’ hotel apart looking for you.”
He’d checked her room. The front lobby. Even a couple of the restaurants. She’d disappeared.
Hell. What she’d done was left him.
Now he had to stand here dealing with Sissy Mae Smith. A lesser man would have killed her by now.
“Let’s think…where could she have gone? Did she take her passport?”
“I have no idea,” he replied.
“No idea.”
That’s what annoyed him. She kept repeating everything he said back to him.
“Did she give you a hint of where she might go?”
“She said Europe.”
She tapped her fingers against the solid oak of the front desk. “Europe.”
Brendon dropped his elbows on the desk and buried his face in his hands.
“Now, now, darlin’. No use crying. We’ll find her eventually.”
“I’m not crying. I’m trying to stop myself from ripping out your vocal cords.”
Surprisingly, she laughed. “My Lord, Brendon Shaw. You are just the cutest little thing when you’re upset.”
When she pinched his cheek, all he could do was laugh.
Sissy Mae glanced over his shoulder. “And look. There she is.”
Brendon turned around. The relief hit him first, quickly followed by blinding jealousy when he saw his brother walking with her. She even had on the treacherous bastard’s leather jacket. Mitch had never let anyone else ever wear that jacket—until now.
“Hhhmm,” Sissy Mae mused. “I wonder where those two have been together for such a long time.”
A small, rational part of him knew Sissy was merely fucking with his head; based on stories from Ronnie, he knew that’s what she did for amusement, like some people knit or play video games. That didn’t stop the jealousy from coming up and choking him.
Brendon stalked over to the pair, ignoring the smile Ronnie Lee gave him that quickly turned into a dark frown.
“What the hell is going on?” He didn’t even look at Ronnie, he only focused on Mitch.
“Nothing, big bruh. Just…ya know…” Mitch placed his hands on Ronnie’s shoulders and smoothed them down her arms. “Trying to make Ronnie feel better.”
In that instant, everything melted into this one moment. The attack, the truth about Mitch, Ronnie running out on him—all of it slammed right into Brendon at that moment, leaving him filled with a rage he hadn’t experienced since his wild days running the South Philly streets with his twin.
Carefully, Brendon lifted Ronnie up and out of the way, not even hearing her warning growls or the words she said to calm him down. Then he slammed his hands into Mitch’s chest, sending the little shit back five feet.
“Maybe you’re an idiot,” Brendon snarled. “Maybe slightly brain damaged.” He shoved his brother again. “Whatever the fuck is going on with you, you need to remember she’s mine.”
Mitch lowered his head and glowered at Brendon, lips pulling back over bright, white fangs. “Then, maybe, big bruh, you should learn how to keep your female without needing me to do it for you.”
Brendon’s rage centered and narrowed to a fine, honed point and, like the lion he was, he went for his brother’s throat, not really caring about all the snarling and growling in the middle of his five-star hotel.
“What did you say to him?”
Sissy gave her that innocent look. “Me? I didn’t say anything, darlin’.”
“You’re lying to me, Sissy Mae.”
“Lying is such a strong word.”
The scent hit her first and Ronnie spun around, coming nose to chest with Rory Lee Reed.
“Baby sister,” her brother’s deep voice greeted her. “Typical. We just get into town and we find you and Sissy Mae dead center of a shit storm.”
“What’s going on anyway?” Ricky Lee Reed asked, curious as always.
“Nothin’,” Ronnie choked out, grabbing hold of Rory’s arm and trying to drag him away, hoping Ricky Lee and Reece would automatically follow like they always did. But apparently Sissy Mae had other ideas.
“Those two lions are fightin’ over Ronnie Lee.”
Slowly her brother looked at Sissy Mae. “Excuse me?” Rory asked.
“See the bigger one?” She helpfully pointed out Shaw. “That’s Brendon Shaw. He marked your sister tonight. If you take a good sniff you can catch his scent all over her. And the slightly smaller one…that’s his baby brother, Mitch.” She grinned. “I think he’s mighty cute. Now see, Brendon is all jealous because he saw Ronnie Lee and Mitch walking together. Poor baby, I don’t think he’s used to being possessive over a female.”
Ronnie Lee turned on her friend. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
Rory nudged his sister. “Watch your mouth, Ronnie Lee.”
“How long has this been going on?” Ricky asked, his big hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans.
“Just a few days. But your sister moves fast as y’all know.”
She’d kill her. She’d absolutely kill her best friend.
Reece glanced around at the growing number of observers. “Think we better deal with this. Can’t let some cats embarrass the Reed name.”
“Wait.” Ronnie jumped in front of her three brothers before they could move. “Don’t hurt him.”
“At the very least don’t hurt his face,” Sissy piped in helpfully, but she slapped her hand over her mouth when Ronnie gave her a withering glare.