Page 48 of Fierce-Zander

“Which it is and that is why I was frustrated. I told all of this to my mother and then my father called saying the same exact thing. I asked if he wanted my professional opinion and I gave it to him. He said he believed me, but hoped I wasn’t wrong.”

“Ouch,” he said.

“And there you go. Now, can we talk about lions and tigers and hot PIs...oh my?”

He just about choked on her joke. “Damn. You are going to be a handful.”

“Are you up for it?”

“I believe I am.”

14

LIBERATING EXPERIENCE

Regan had no idea where her boldness came from, but she had to admit it was a liberating experience to have those words come out of her mouth.

She’d been more open with Zander than any other man she’d dated or even been in a relationship with.

It didn’t even bother her to say what she had about her parents, but it felt good to know she wasn’t alone in her thoughts about her parents’ marriage and the fact they remarried clones.

The appalled look on his face was almost comical.

“What are you the most excited to see?” she asked when they were walking in and waiting for their tour to start.

“You,” he said.

She laughed. “I meant here.”

“Oh. Well, you did say lions, tigers and hot PIs. So what are you most excited to see?”

He called her out on that.

She was tapping her finger to her chin. “Here, I’d say the lemurs. I remember them as a kid. Outside of here...has to be the hot PI.”

He leaned down and got close to her ear. “Did you think of me last night?”

She gulped and was positive he noticed. “Did you?”

“Kind of like the wardrobe game we are playing,” he said.

Which answered both of their questions without really doing it.

No way she was going to admit that she was so turned on over his kiss that there was part of her that almost let her hand slide down under the sheets and take care of business.

She didn’t. For a reason.

That reason was she liked the build up. She wanted the tension.

Then when the release came it’d be all the more spectacular.

“Could be,” she said, grinning. “You didn’t tell me what you wanted to see the most here.”

“The lions,” he said. “I love watching these fierce animals lying around watching us. They are deadly when backed into a corner, but beautiful when left to their own devices.”

Regan angled her head. “Now I’m going to pay more attention to them when we get there.”

“You should,” he said. “I think you’re a lion.”

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