Page 7 of Lion's Crossing

“Excuse me.”

I glanced up beside me to see if I was the person being addressed. Though I hoped not. I needed a chance to recover on my own.

The omega on the diet stood to my left, once again revealing his fake white smile. “I wanted to thank you again for handing out snacks. That was so kind of you.”

I nodded. “You’re welcome.” Expecting the omega to leave, I returned my attention to my phone.

Instead, he placed his hand on my shoulder and attempted to sit on my lap. With nowhere else to go, I scooted over to Knox’s seat, not wanting the omega on me in any way. I crossed my left knee over my right leg to be sure he couldn’t get any closer.

“My name is Darren.” He turned in my seat to face me, batting his eyelashes as if that would make up for him invading my space. “I’m a huge fan of FNL, even though you’re not making music together as a group anymore. I’m still following all of you on social media and stream your music faithfully everyday. Even the music you produce because I know you make royalties on that, too.”

“Thank you.” He was following too closely for my liking, but I had an image to portray and a reputation to protect no matter how many times fans crossed lines. “That means a lot.”

He reached toward me as if to touch my knee, but I placed my hand there first. As if burned, he pulled his hand into his chest. “I knew that was you. You told me you were a doppelganger of Linc, but I knew it was you.”

“Yes, well, I’m just trying to get to Saramto, like everyone else.” Meaning, I didn’t want to be bothered, but the omega beside me didn’t seem to get the message.

“And you handed out food to everyone.” He placed his hands over his heart. “That’s like the sweetest thing ever. I always knew you were the kindest member of the group.”

At least he hadn’t tried to touch me again. “I know every member of my group would have done the same thing.” Some might even welcome this omega’s attention, but not me. Definitely not on the hot and sticky train we’d been stuck on for hours.

He inched closer. “Do you see the other members often? What about Yash? He was always my favorite.”

I chuckle at the omega’s brashness, flirting with me one moment then asking about one of my closest friends. “We’re all really busy now but do make time to see each other on occasion.” Never mind the fact that we were all in the same group chat where we talked almost daily, and most of us lived on the same floor of our condo building.

Suddenly, a hand reached forward. “Excuse me. This belongs to me.”

“Oh, you’re back.” I’d thought it was Darren reaching for Knox’s bag at first but was relieved when I realized my neighbor was finally back.

Knox’s nose twitched and his eyes looked glassy. “Yeah, and I guess I have to find a new seat.”

“No!” I nudged Darren out of the seat, hoping he’d get the message and go back to where he came from. “I’m glad you’re back.”

With my attention on Knox, Darren caught me off guard, running his hand down my chest. “Why don’t you give me your number so we can continue our conversation without an audience?”

When would he figure out that I wasn’t interested and never would be? I clutched his wrist, trying not to hurt him. “It was nice meeting you, but it’s time for you to return to your seat.”

Darren huffed then shrugged. “Your loss. I could have helped inspire your next album, but I guess you’re just a washed-up star now, not allowed to do anything other than produce anymore.”

If anyone had brought inspiration, it was Knox. When he’d left, I was glad for the space, but I liked it better with him beside me so no one else could take his place.

Moving into the aisle, I let Knox pass me to get to his seat. His scent was stronger than ever. My heart thudded as I yearned to nuzzle into his neck or hold him close again just to get a bigger whiff. What on Earth was my lion doing to me?

“I’m sorry.” For some reason, I felt the need to apologize for Darren’s behavior. “He just appeared out of nowhere and cornered me.”

Knox shrugged. “Whatever. You can flirt with whomever you want.”

I immediately tensed then tried to calm my lion urging me to maul Knox with kisses to show him exactly whom I wanted to flirt with. “I don’t flirt with fans,” I mumbled, but if he heard me, he never responded.

Suddenly, the train jerked forward. I put my hands out to my side to brace myself on instinct. That’s when I felt Knox’s touch. His hand on mine. A spark of electricity passed between us. Not a shock but something else. Something more. He immediately pulled away and rubbed his palms across his pants, but I left my hand on the seat, not wanting to forget the feeling of his touch.

The rest of the passengers cheered as the train moved faster and faster, speeding toward Saramto. At the beginning of the journey, I couldn’t wait to arrive home, but after hours getting to know Knox, reaching the metropolis meant leaving him. I wasn’t ready to do that. Not when I was convinced something serendipitous existed between us. I just needed more time to figure out what. But how could I convince him to spend more time with me once we reached our destination? I had less than an hour to figure it out.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I quickly glanced at it, somehow hoping I held the answer I needed. Instead, it was the head of production asking whether I expected to make it to the company that evening.

Train just started moving again,I replied.Probably not tonight as I need a shower and time away from people.

Okay, see you tomorrow,he replied.

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