Pulling back, Lana fought to regain both her composure and her breath. Not to mention that smartass waitress I was channeling earlier.
Finally, she said, “Okay, I have an idea.”
“What’s that?” He smiled, but his breath came a little faster than usual, too.
Despite her sudden anxiety, Lana managed the keys and unlocked the door to the dark, cool apartment. An artificial breeze escaped through the door, brushing past her sensitized skin. Rosie kept the AC cranked low and had forgotten to turn it back up before she left that morning. Lana had mostly learned to live with it. Turning on the hallway light, she led Roman into the small living room, directing him to a couch that was really only slightly larger than a love seat. She headed for the kitchenette. “We’ve got tons of alcohol if you want. I need water, though.”
Curling tighter into her ball, Lana whimpered.“What is it?” Roman whispered again, his hand soft as he stroked down her arm. “Talk to me, Lana.”Instead, she took a deep breath, curling her upper lip to move the air molecules into her nose and over her half-shifted Jacobsen’s organ in the roof of her mouth. This flehmen response was a clear shifter move, but it was the only way she could think of to truly sense his intentions. Maybe he wouldn&rsquo
When Lana awoke the next morning, Roman was gone. Although she could still feel him inside of her and had loved everything about the night before—especially the way he had soothed away her terror—she was actually grateful that he’d left. She loved how he’d made her feel and that she’d been able to completely abandon any inhibitions with him. Somehow, it seemed right that her first time with anyone other than Ian had been with a man like Roman.But
Roman walked through downtown San Antonio, passing tall hotels and historic brick buildings. One of the many things he liked about San Antonio was the mix of the modern with the old. The town was alive, and it aged, like a person or a shifter.Despite being the alpha, he was accompanied by two other shifters in human form—his second-in-command, Jackson, and his newly chosen personal guard, Drake Torres. Although the Losoyas were close to being wiped out, they couldn’t be too careful. Who knows how vengeful they might be? After all, Roman did escape from them. And Roman was all too aware of the fact t
A week later, Roman sat in the outside waiting area at La Encanto, watching the tourists and the mild waters of the San Antonio River, wishing he was drinking a frozen margarita while he waited for Lana. He hadn’t been sure how she would react to seeing him again, but he certainly hadn’t expected the reaction he got.He could have accepted anger that he’d left without saying goodbye and then stayed gone for a week. Her being happy and excited might seem less p
An odd thought crossed Roman’s mind—the kind of thought he’d never have had before he became alpha. “I want to protect you. I want to have you in my life. My streak can protect you.” He bit his lip. “In fact, I suspect my entire streak would want to take care of you. Watch over you. Love you.”Her eyes softened and then the tears did start to build but didn’t pour forth. He knew he was going down the right path.
“Of course.” Excitement began to flutter in Roman’s chest. She was going to say yes. It was just a beginning but having an Alpha Mate could bring other female tigers to his streak. They could survive, even thrive. And he could make sure Lana was protected. “You won’t be our concubine.” He grinned. “I’ll make it clear to anyone who wants to court you that the reality will be closer to the opposite.”She nodded solemnly, but a glimmer of amusement flickered in her eyes.
Lana thoroughly enjoyed the next day and was delighted to discover that Roman was pretty good at moving heavy things.The big surprise, however, was re-learning how funny Roman was, how their senses of humor meshed. Despite the intimidating task of packing up her apartment and completing the furnishings of her new suite—one that Jackson had arranged to have cleared out for her—they had a lot of fun that day, laughing together almost the entire time.That night, as sh