Page 41 of Rock Hard
“I will, thanks. Have fun.”
Chuck apparently decided he would rather be somewhere else, too, leaving Alice alone in the suite with Rex.
She had spent untold hours with the lion over the years, but this felt different. Awkward. Tense. Thingshadchanged. Alice didn’t work for him anymore, and he knew the truth about what she was. This was new, uncharted territory, and she didn’t have a clue how to navigate her way through it. The only thing she could do was take it one step at a time and adjust course where necessary.
Unable to sit still and wanting to feel as prepared as possible, she used the time to shower, change, and steel herself for the inevitable confrontation.
When she returned to the living room, Rex was waiting for her. Coffee in hand, he looked gloriously sexy and rumpled as he leaned back against the counter. He stared at her, his eyes glowing, reminding her that a big, powerful male lion lurked just below the surface of that handsome human form.
“Start talking, Alice.”
“Well, good morning to you, too, Rex.”
She avoided the kitchenette, choosing instead to place herself as far away from him as the space would allow, hoping to lessen the effect of his nearness.
Rex was like a powerful magnet, always exerting his pull, drawing her toward him. Resisting the temptation required constant effort.
“Carly is fine. She’s downstairs with Johnny.”
He growled when she mentioned Johnny’s name. “What’s that fucking panther doing with my cub?”
“Being there for her,” Alice shot back. “Something herfathershould be doing.”
Rex ground his teeth together. “I’ll deal with him later. Let’s talk aboutyou.”
She stood up as tall as she could and lifted her chin. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
He stalked across the room, each stride a graceful, predatory step. Alice backed up until she had nowhere else to go, trapped as Rex boldly entered her personal space, placing his hands on the wall on either side of her head and effectively caging her in.
“I disagree,” he growled deep in his throat. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re a lioness?” Rex lowered his head, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply.
“Because.” Alice ducked and slipped out from under his arm, placing herself on the other side of the room once again. And once again, Rex turned and pursued her with lazy, feline grace. They both knew she could not escape, not unless he allowed it.
“Because why, Alice?”
She scooted to the left. “Because it doesn’t matter!”
“The fuck it doesn’t!”
One powerful leap and he was there in her space again, so close his body heat became hers. His scent wrapped around her, the pheromones urging her to stop fighting and submit.
“It doesn’t.”
He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers.
“No ... please.” She had whispered the desperate plea, but it was too late. Rex was already moving forward to deepen the kiss, pulling her body against his.
The effect was powerful and instant. Her mind went blank, and her body began to prepare itself for him in a dozen different ways. Her blood heated, her nerves tingled, her nipples hardened, and her sex grew slick. Deep in her core, her womb ached for what only he could provide.
He was heat. He was strength. He was virility. He was everything.
And then, just when she thought she couldn’t hold out a moment more, he just ... stopped.
When the room ceased spinning and Alice opened her eyes again, Rex was the one on the other side of the room, eyes wild and looking at her as if he had never seen her before.
“What the fuck, Alice?”
It took several thundering heartbeats to register the look of pure horror on his face. No matter what he was feeling, however, it couldn’t compare to the pain of her heart shattering into a thousand pieces. Deep inside, her lioness wailed in torment.
