Page 31 of So I Won a Werelion

Having the Scepter could get her killed. All of us were in danger by association.

The legends had been passed down from our elders as bedtime stories. Tales told around campfires. We went to human schools and had been forbidden from sharing our secrets. And I broke all the rules for her.

She leaned in closer, smelling like citrus and sunshine, which had my animal on point. But then she backed away. “Never mind.”

“You can’t tell me you want to do outrageous things to me and expect me to forget about it.” I grinned. “Who knows…maybe I want to do some of the same things to you.”

“I want to do things that I told myself I’d never get to do to you, because I thought I’d forever be stuck in the friend zone.”

“We’re starting fresh tonight,” I reminded her.

She closed her eyes for a long blink. I wanted to kiss those eyelids. Maybe having the Scepter this close was making me a little crazy too.

“We are, but we can’t erase the past just like that.”

I sighed. “You’re never gonna let me live this down, are you?”

“It’s not that.” She moved the flowers out of the way and scooted closer. I might have had her beat in the verbal flirting department, but the way she moved…

I could be reading too much into it.

“I don’t want the past to totally go away,” she continued. “You’re my best friend, Gabe. You’ve been my rock. This terrifies me. I’ve never had anything romantic work out. Everything’s great for a little while, then I get attached, and think, this time it will be different. The next thing I know, it’s over.”

“It’s not gonna be over this time.”

She nodded, pressing her lips together. “I always wonder what it is about me that no one wants.”

I tipped her chin up so she met my gaze. So much emotion brimmed on the surface. “I want you. I’ve always wanted you. Now I’m brave enough to do something about it.”

Her lips wobbled into a smile. “That’s because you’re a M-A-N now. More like a L-I-O-N.”

I made a noise that was a cross between a growl and a purr.

And she made a noise that was like a moan that made my cock twitch. “I like that noise a little too much.”

“I think you like it just the right amount.” I did it again. “I can do that for you any time you want.”

I leaned in to kiss her. But she put her hands on my shoulders. Damn it.

“I hated what happened on stage the other night. Those words…that wasn’t what I wanted to say.”

“What did you want to say?”

“That I’m afraid of losing you. You’re the only one who’s always believed in me.” She took a shaky breath. “After the show I wanted to call you and fix everything, but I was afraid I couldn’t. And I wanted to call you and ask you how to fix it, but I couldn’t. Basically, I just wanted to call you.”

“You can always talk to me. About anything. Anytime.” I reached forward and pushed a lock of hair away from her face. “I wanted to call you after Cindy’s mating ceremony. But I didn’t know how to put all the things I was feeling into words. Everything changed once I came home.”

The corner of her mouth turned up in a grin. “I was so pissed you didn’t kiss me that night.”

I raised a brow. “You want me to kiss you?”

She wouldn’t have to ask me twice. She looked fucking gorgeous tonight. That top accentuated her curves and showed off a delicious swell of cleavage. Her hair had been curled, and those dark eyes were rimmed with liner.

Wendy had always been beautiful, but she’d become a simply stunning woman.

“I do. But not right now. Talking about this is good. It feels kinda normal.” She laughed. “I was even more pissed I didn’t hear from you. I wanted to call you out on it, but how could I tell you I was pissed you didn’t put the moves on me?”

“Just like that.” She wanted me. She was scared out of her mind, but I could work with this. “I can’t get better at this stuff if you don’t tell me what I’m doing wrong.”

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