Page 11 of Wrong Number, Right Lion

“I said, how dare you!” He took another step forward, my personal space now depleted. “Taking advantage of Arlo like this!”

Take advantage? How the heck did he get to that conclusion?

“I don’t know who you think I am, but I assure you, I haven’t taken advantage of him.” What the eff was going on? He came barrelling in here and practically had flames coming out of his ears.

I inhaled deeply—yep, definitely human. Crap. I couldn’t even let my lion closer to show I wasn’t to be messed around with. I needed to deal with this like an average person with no animal inside.

“Listen, you must have the wrong person. I’m the handyman.”

“Yeah? And did you give him an estimate?”

And it was finally starting to make sense. He, like Arlo, was worried about the final number. In hindsight, I should’ve made up a figure. But I didn’t and now this guy was up my ass. But also, why was he so invested?

“No, we’re waiting for the insurance company to let us know what they will pay out.” That sounded reasonable, right? I wouldn’t take the money, of course. Arlo should keep it for any upgrades he might need in the future. But it was a way to push the entire conversation back a bit.

“Likely story.” He folded his arms. “If you think you can just come in here, do work, and then put a lien on this house so that you get it, you’ve got another thing coming. No one is going to mess with my Arlo.”

Not Arlo. My Arlo.

Mine.

Yes, ours. Behave.Not that I wanted to.

“Listen, dude, I promise you, I am not here to con him. He called. I came. I’m working. Done.” I figured the fewer details the better, but the way he was glaring at me, maybe I miscalculated that.

“Yeah, okay.” He scowled. “So riddle me this, if you’re not here to con him, then why exactly are you here?”

Because he’s my mate, the one fate put on this planet just for me. Because my job is to make his life better, to take care of him, to be there when things went wrong.

“Because he called and needed the help.”

Why was this so confusing to him? I had done nothing to indicate I was here to steal from him in any capacity, and still?—

Ours.My lion growled, and it nearly escaped my chest. Shit. My lion was saying that—he thought—he thought that Arlo and this guy were together.

Fuck. This was worst-case scenario playing out in real time. Arlo had someone in his life, someone that wasn’t me, someone that was protective enough that they hadn’t even sensed the danger they were in by poking a lion, someone who was… human.

“Listen, I am not trying to get between you two. I promise. I’m just helping him. He needed the help.”

Before any conversation could go further, the man stomped off into the house.

What I wanted to do was follow him and fight for Arlo, but I couldn’t. If that was who Arlo wanted to be with, then that was that. He didn’t need someone coming into his life and adding drama. He had enough stressors with the house situation.

But knowing this was the right thing to do and that I was giving my mate what he needed didn’t make my heart hurt any less.

It didn’t make my lion any calmer.

It didn’t make any of this any better.

I took a few cleansing breaths and then went back to work, picking up nails—this time, counting each one as I did so as a distraction. Because if I allowed myself to, my mind would wander into that house where I imagined the two of them kissing, telling each other sweet nothings or—or more.

And I was not okay with that.

But I’d have to be.

Because if I was going to be a good mate, I had to be one in the way Arlo needed me to be—which might mean giving him up before he was ever truly mine.

7

---