Read The Lion and the Lamb Online
Authors: Jenika Snow
Tatum waved to Stan, the bouncer for the night, and made her way through the already packed club. It was barely a few hours after opening for the night
, yet the house was full. There appeared to be a bachelor party going on in the upper level and some kind of “business meeting” on the main floor. Men in suits lounged in the leather chairs surrounding a table that one of the girls danced on. She made her way toward Leo’s office.
As his door came into view it opened
, and Tatum’s steps faltered when she watched Sugar come out. Her cheeks were tinted red, and a small frown covered her made-up face. She glanced up, and her expression changed instantly. A wicked smile curved her too red lips. Sugar lifted her finger and wiped the corner of her mouth, and proceeded to adjust her breasts under the barely-there tee.
“Hey.” Tatum tried to be polite regardless of the fact the bartender had been anything but.
“He’s all yours. He should be nice and relaxed.” Tatum stopped and looked at her. Sugar licked her lips and wore a wide grin that had Tatum’s stomach doing flips. She looked at the closed door then back at the blonde. The feeling of dread settled inside of Tatum as scenario after scenario played like a movie reel in her head. They were dirty images that had her pulse racing, but not in a good way.
She watched
Sugar walk away, her hips kicking back and forth with such force Tatum was surprised she didn’t throw a hip out of alignment. Her heart slammed against her chest as she walked toward Leo’s door. What she wanted to do was push it open and catch him in the act of zipping up his pants. The thought hurt but maybe it would help her brain get in the right direction. She wanted this, but she wasn’t about to be his pussy on the side. Courtesy won out in the end, and she knocked.
“What?” That one word was a rough bark through the thick door. Tatum gripped the handle and pushed the heavy metal inward. He sat behind his desk, his arms behind his head and his eyes closed. He didn’t look at her as she shut the door, but she noticed his nostrils flared a second before his eyes snapped open and found her.
“Tatum.” The way he said her name sounded like melted chocolate, and damn did she love chocolate. He straightened and pushed up from his seat. Even from the distance she could see the smear of red lipstick on the collar of his shirt. Anger and jealousy slammed into her, and she tightened her lips. Heat consumed her, and she hated that he had this effect on her. It made her weak and vulnerable, and those feelings were no longer welcome inside of her any longer.
“You’re upset.” It wasn’t a question, and she gave him credit for picking up on her instantaneous foul mood.
Not bothering to respond, Tatum crossed her arms and thought on how she would handle this situation. Did she want to continue with the conversation she wanted to have with him, or did she say fuck it and leave? The fact his tie was loose and lipstick painted his shirt might have been a testament that maybe her feelings only went one way. Leo was surrounded by beautiful women every single day.
Did she actually think he would want anything more than a piece of ass from her? Wow, she had been a monumental fool to think otherwise. Shaking her head, she turned and gripped the handle.
“I can’t do this.” Her voice was thick with emotion, and she hated herself for feeling anything but disgust for him. Things had gone too fast between them, and she had stupidly fallen for it all. Had she been so desperate that she wanted someone to hold her and see her for
her
?
Before she could open the door and escape, a heavy hand wrapped around her wrist and stopped her from fleeing. His hot breath brushed along the back of her neck
, and she closed her eyes, thankful that he couldn’t see the reaction he caused inside if her. Even though she knew he had done something sexually with Sugar, her traitorous body lit up like a firecracker at the simplest touch from him.
“I can smell your anger and jealousy, Tatum. You’ll tell me why you feel this way.”
He was so damn pushy and perceptive that it made her wish she wasn’t so transparent. “Sometimes the things you say are so damn strange.” He hadn’t moved away from her, and his body heat felt like she stood by a furnace.
“Baby, you have no idea what strange is.” He pressed his body against hers which had her front molding into the cold, hard door. His fingers teased her nape and pushed the hair away. Teeth scraped her flesh and gently bit down. Damn but she got wet at the feel.
“Put your hands flat on the door, Tatum.” Voice low and hard, she found herself doing exactly what he said. “That’s a good girl.” His hands gripped her waist, his fingers digging into her. In one quick motion he popped out her ass so it became flush with his crotch. The hard length of him nestled between the seam of her ass, and she bit her lip to stem off the moan that threatened to spill. His hips thrust forward, further pressing his erection into her bottom. “You’re going to tell me what I want to know, baby.”
“You’re a pushy asshole.” There was no anger behind her words, just needy want that had her gritting her teeth in frustration. Tatum wanted her anger to be at the forefront, not her lust.
His deep chuckle went straight to her clit, and she curled her fingers inward.
“I’ve been called worse.” Teeth scrapped along the side of her throat
, and her heart did a little patter behind her ribs. “Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?” There was amusement in his voice, and that further irritated her.
He thought this whole situation funny. Reaching deep down inside of her, Tatum pulled at her strength and pushed back. It was like a mountain nestled behind her for how much he moved.
“Please, Leo.” What she pleaded for was up in the air at this point. A light kiss to her temple was the only response he gave her, but after a moment he did move back. She turned around on unsteady legs and stared up at him. His presence was so pronounced that if she could have taken a step back she would have. The sight of that red lipstick became a harsh reminder that she was in way over her head.
Leo followed her gaze to his collar
, and his teeth snapped shut and ground together. His eyes met hers. “Is that why you’re angry?” He didn’t need to emphasize what he meant. They both knew.
She
needed to go for it and not beat around the bush. Being honest and upfront at this point was the best course of action. At least she hoped it was.
“There is nothing, absolutely
nothing,
going on between me and any female.” His expression was fierce. “Do you understand me, Tatum? You are the only female that I want. The. Only. One.” He said it with so much conviction she felt her eyes widen and any thought on the contrary leaving her. Maybe she was a fool, but this man had gotten under her skin in the best, or maybe it was the worst, of ways.
“I want to know what you see when you look at me. Honestly.” She crossed her arms and feigned confidence she so didn’t have. His jaw worked
, and she watched the muscles jump under the skin. For several long moments neither said anything, yet she felt the tension in the room grow.
When he exhaled roughly and turned from her, she let herself breathe. It was like watching a caged animal as he paced his office. The square room seemed tiny in comparison to his massive frame. He speared a hand in his tawny hair and gave it a tug before turning back toward her. A frustrated sound came from him
, then he strode toward her. Hands on her arms, Leo led her over to the leather couch against the far wall. He gently pushed her down on it and took several steps back.
“Leo?” Looking around,
she felt the air become filled with something strange.
“You said you want to know what I see when I look at you?” She nodded. “Fuck, this is so much harder than I thought it would be.” He went back to pacing.
“Leo, can you please stop that and just tell me whatever it is you’re struggling to say?” He stopped and looked at her for several long moments. He then started to unbutton his shirt.
Holding up her hand, she felt her mouth dry at the sight of the tanned, hard flesh that was revealed. “Leo, I don’t think now is the time for this.” Her panties were uncomfortably wet, and became even more soaked when he gave her a lopsided grin.
“Baby, we aren’t going there, even though that sounds like a fantastic idea.” He rolled his shoulders and moved his neck from side-to-side. “I need you to promise me something.” He moved until he crouched on his haunches before her. Her hands in his, she stared into his eyes. “No matter what you see you will try to not freak out.” She felt her brow furrow at his words. This whole situation went from strange to fucking bizarre.
“I’m not sure I know where this is going, Leo.” He leaned in and kissed her. Tatum wanted to push him away, to get on with why she actually came here, but she knew that whatever Leo
tried to get across to her was important to him.
“I promise that everything will be answered in the end.” He tightened his hold on her hands and leaned back. “I just need you to trust me.” That was easier said than done. “
Please
, Tatum.” His voice sounded sharp like shards of glass, yet his words were smooth. She had no idea what was about to happen, but she felt herself nod in agreement.
“Okay. I trust you.”
He stood and took several steps back again. His hands went to his belt, and he deftly undid it. When he became completely nude in front of her she felt her arousal heighten. Tatum had no idea what in the hell Leo planned on doing, but whatever it was caused her insides to turn to mush.
He moved to his desk, pressed a button beneath the top, and a click sounded as the lock on the door slid shut. Leo stood in front of her again. She didn’t speak, just sat there with her hands in her lap, her heart beating wildly. Suddenly the air thickened, became charged with electricity. The hairs on her arms stood up
, and the flight or fight instinct instantly kicked into overdrive.
Whatever was about to happen had her urge to run strong.
Gripping the arm of the couch, Tatum felt her breathing increase as the man before her started to change into something that she could not wrap her mind around. The sound of bones breaking filled the room in a sickening rush. Muscles stretched, popped, grew and reshaped. Thick, caramel colored hair rippled along his massive body.
She blinked several times, not knowing if what she actually saw was real. The wild animal in front of her should have been roaming the Kalahari Desert, not pacing back and forth in front of her.
A lion. There is a fucking lion standing in front of me.
Tatum’s survival instincts told her get the hell out of there, but awe
filled her at the unbelievable situation in front of her. Familiar blue eyes stared back at her with intelligence. For that one moment she could see Leo behind those eyes, watching her, gauging her reaction. The size of him was immense, far bigger than what she knew a normal lion to be. The thick mane of hair around his face looked soft. Shaking her head, she knew none of this could be real. What she needed to do was get out of there.
Standing slowly, Tatum felt everything starting to spiral out of control.
This isn’t real. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.
Over and over Tatum said it, like a mantra meant to soothe her. As she edged closer to the door to freedom, the large beast watched her with intelligence. A low rumble sounded deep within its chest. She knew that sound, had heard it come from Leo many times before.
How could this even be possible? Every romance book she had ever read about with wolves and vampires had all helped to flame her fantasies, but this was reality. Keeping her eyes locked with the wild animal, she felt the door greet her back.
Hands reaching behind her blindly, Tatum tried to wrench the door open, but the damn thing wouldn’t budge. Her frazzled mind remembered Leo had locked it just moments before he shifted into the beast before her. She closed her eyes tight, felt sweat make a slow trail between the valley of her breasts, and prayed that she would wake up. This had to be a dream, right?
Warm breath tickled her arm, and she squeezed her eyes tighter. No, that animal was not in front of her.
No, no, no, no.
The low purring had her slowing opening her eyes and staring into blue ones. He butted his head against her hand, and she snatched it back, cradling it against her chest. The sound of her heart slamming against her chest and working its way up her throat and into her ears drowned out every other sound around her.
He sat on his hind legs, but despite his sitting position the animal’s huge head reached her chest. Tatum half expected him to bare his teeth or unsheathe his claws, but when he did nothing but sit there and stare at her she felt a miniscule amount of her fear slipping. He just sat there, watching her with those intelligent eyes, waiting for her to make a move. What she really wanted to do was run the hell out of there and never look back.
The heavy thump of the music from the club sounded dull hum compared to everything else. Whatever came over her, whatever courage suddenly spiked within her, had her lifting her hand. She could see her fingers shaking out of the corner of her eye as she moved closer to the animal. Who was this woman, the one actually reaching for some man/beast out of a book or movie?