Suck It Up (2 page)

“No. Nothing! Forget I said anything.” She rolled her chair back and started to stand.

I don’t think so
, he thought. “Sit down!” he barked.

Her butt met the chair two seconds later.

He really had to stop using his Alpha voice, but in the meantime he had her right where he wanted her. “You had a question, I believe.”

“I don’t…”

“Kellie, what did I say earlier about lying?”

She fidgeted on her seat, her hands clenching and unclenching on the armrests.

“It can’t be that bad, surely,” he said, his voice as soft as he could make it.

“If I tell you something, can it be under doctor-patient privileges?”

He straightened. “Does that mean you want me to be your doctor? We work together. I can’t do that. You know that, Kellie.”

“I can’t ask anyone else. Please, Doctor?”

“Call me Nate,” he replied absentmindedly. As one of the Alpha’s sons, it was his role to help other Pride members. As a doctor however, he shouldn’t even be contemplating telling her yes.
Damn it.
He could never say no to a woman. Sighing, he nodded. “Shoot.”

“I have a problem. With my lioness. She’s…very strong.”

“And?” he asked when she didn’t continue.

She took a deep breath. “I… What I said before isn’t exactly true. I’m bisexual but only because of my animal.”

“What does that mean?” Because for the hell of him, he had no idea.

“I like men. My lioness likes women.”

He blinked. “Are you… I mean, what?”

She smiled, an ironic kind of smile that twisted his insides. “I know. It sounds weird, but I can’t explain it any other way.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “It’s driving me crazy. The duality, the fact she’s stronger than me. I’m worried I’ll snap, you know. I’ve been living with her ever since I hit puberty. I know her. I know how she thinks. She’s so strong that, if I don’t do something she wants, she hurts me.”

“Hurts you?”
What the hell?

“It feels as if she slashes her nails into my insides, my gut. I…I don’t know how to explain it, but it hurts.”

It sounded so much like what Alexa, his sister-in-law, had gone through it threw him for a little while. “So,” he cleared his throat, “what was your question?”

“Can you help me get rid of it?”

“Your lioness?” he gasped.

She nodded.

“You’re a pure, right?”

“Yes. My father’s not a lion though; he’s a jaguar.”

That explained her dark coloring.
Never mind that!
“You’re a shifter, hon. Your lioness is there to stay.”

“Oh.” She sighed, her head lowering as if she’d given up all hope.

Damn it!
He hated seeing her so sad. He might not like her much, but she was still his only staff member. Okay, so he hated seeing women cry, too. It was one of his weaknesses. “Maybe we can try to control her?” he heard himself say. He could have slapped himself he would have.
Why the fuck did I say that?

“Really? How?” Kellie moved to the edge of her seat, clasping his desk between tense fingers.

“I’m not sure. I need to read up on it. Maybe do a little scientific experiment or two.” He had no idea what he was talking about, but she didn’t appear to notice.

She bounded out of her chair and hurried to him, stumbling and nearly falling into his lap while she was at it. Her hair flying in every direction, she bent down and hugged him. That’s when he smelled it again. That alluring scent that emanated from her, the one that had been driving him crazy all day long. He was so screwed, he acknowledged as he returned her embrace.

Chapter Three

Who’d have thought McDreamy could be nice? No, scratch that. Who’d have thought he could be nice to
her
?

Kellie tugged on the hooded sweater she’d pulled over her scrubs. He’d said they could start straight away, and so here she was, standing in front of his apartment as she waited for him to let her in. She had no idea what he’d do, but just the fact he’d listened to her and hadn’t made fun of her, hadn’t called her insane too, that had to count for something.

She loved her animal, really she did. She just didn’t like her. She hated the way she made her feel, as if she were the weak point in the ensemble that comprised Kellie. Hell, she didn’t even mind that her lioness preferred women. She’d gotten used to it, had even had a few relationships over the years, first to appease her lioness then because she’d actually liked the women she’d picked. They’d all been amazingly beautiful, with soft, soft skin and nice little breasts.

She sighed as the animal purred inside her at the memories.

“I know,” Kellie muttered, wondering how long it would take Nate to realize she was here. Her fist lifted, but before she could knock again, the door jerked open. She gasped. “Oh.”

He’d obviously been taking a shower. He stood there, only inches from her, with just a towel wrapped around his lean hips. Dark curls nearly hung into his eyes, droplets of water falling from his hair to his shoulders, his chest…

Her gaze focused on those taut muscles covered by smooth, golden skin. She felt her mouth dry out, knew she was becoming aroused just because her lioness started grumbling inside her.

It’s my turn
, she reminded her.

And it was. They had a truce of sorts, the two of them. They alternated whenever they dated. The last time it’d been a very nice woman called Cathy. It’d just been a one-night stand, or rather a weekend-stand. They’d spent two days and nights in bed, learning each other’s bodies until they’d been hoarse from screaming. It’d been fun, sure, but she missed the harder touch of a man’s hands.

“Kellie? Are you gonna come in or what? I’m cold here.”

She blinked back to the present and followed him inside.

“I’ll just go get changed,” he called out over his shoulder.

She watched his ass clad in white cotton for as long as she could then focused on her surroundings. His apartment was big, probably because it covered the whole penthouse level. It was also the only high-rise in town, a wide, metallic tower that stood out amidst everyone else’s small houses. She knew the Alpha had offices in the building, but it was only now that she was inside for the first time that she really understood who Nate was.

Gulping, she took in the luxurious interior, sparkling clean surfaces everywhere. Leather and dark wood were omnipresent, giving the condo a specifically male touch. She sniffed, loving the way she smelled him in every corner.

Her lioness growled, reminding her she wasn’t too happy about her newfound liking for her boss. And she’d hated him so much at first. He’d kept telling her how to do her job. Seriously! Like she was five and needed directions, even though she’d been a nurse for the better part of the past decade.

Snorting at the memories, she didn’t hear him step into the room. When his body nearly brushed her back however, she jumped so high that she nearly fell. “Ahh!”

“Did I scare you? Sorry, Kellie. I thought you’d heard me.”

She whirled around and nearly gasped aloud once again. He wore jeans that were so soft they looked molded to his thighs. They hung down a little, showing just a brief glimpse of his taut stomach when he started rubbing his hair with another towel. He’d put on a simple black tee, and it too clung to his muscled chest. She would have never thought he had such a killer body under the usual baggy scrubs he wore at work.

“Have you eaten?” he asked, eyes peeking from underneath the cotton. He gave one final swipe over his wet curls and threw the towel to a corner of the sofa.

She shook her head no, unable to remember how to talk. Lust had crept inside her and was now holding her captive. It had been a long, long time she’d reacted to a man in such a way.

Fur brushed inside her, seconds before nails bit into her. She clasped her mouth shut, letting her body take the pain, knowing it would be worse if she reacted.

“Kellie? Are you okay? You haven’t said anything.”

“I’m fine,” she replied through gritted teeth.

“Yes to dinner then? I’m starved.”

She blinked, understanding she’d missed part of the conversation while she’d been trying not to cry out in pain. “Huh, sure.”

He motioned her to follow him, so she did and found herself in the largest kitchen she’d ever seen. If everything in the lounge sparkled, everything in here shined. She blinked, taken aback when she saw him take ingredients out of the fridge. Moments later, she was sitting on a high stool as instructed while he cooked them dinner.
Un-freaking-believable
, she thought.
Who is this man?

While he waited for the griddle pan to heat up, he turned around and cocked his head, his eyes assessing her. She braced herself then, but his next question shocked her so much she nearly fell off her seat. “Are you still aroused because of this morning?”

“What?” she mouthed.

“I can smell you from here, Kellie.”

He could?
Crap! She licked her lips, trying to buy time, wondering how on earth she’d respond to that. “Hmm…” Yeah, nothing hit her.

“I need to know. Think of me as your doctor if you want; just answer the question.”

Oh. Okay. She could do that, right? “No.”

He frowned. “No what?”

“It’s not because of this morning.”

“So, your lioness isn’t aroused right now.”

She shook her head and saw the moment the truth hit him.

“If it’s not her, it’s you.”

“Ye-yes.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” Two could play that game, she reasoned as she wiped suddenly sweaty palms up and down her thighs.

“Don’t, Kellie. If we’re going to do this, if you really want the situation to get better, you’re gonna have to play according to my rules.”

“Fine.” She gulped. “It’s you.”

“Me?”

Nodding, she continued, “You opened the door half-naked! It’s not my fault I reacted.”

His eyes darkened, his fingers clenching around the pan’s handle. “Are you telling me you like me?”

“No. Yes. Argh!” She grabbed her head in both hands and lowered her face until her brow pressed against the counter’s cold tiles. “I should go,” she finally said aloud, turning to the right so she could slide off the stool.

“Don’t.” He was beside her a second later, his palm clasping her arm to hold her still. “That’s good to know, Kellie. It’s one step in the right direction anyway.”

“It is?”

“Sure.” He hurried back to the stove and laid two steaks in the pan.

The smell of fresh meat and butter rose in the air, and she found herself stepping closer. God, that sure smelled good. Maybe, she could stay and eat with him. After all, she’d just told him she’d gotten horny at the sight of his bare body, and he hadn’t even been repulsed!

“Sit back down, babe. We’ll talk more once the food’s cooked.”

She could do that. And so, she obeyed him and sat back down on her stool, her eyes nearly leaving him. She even ignored the way her lioness growled inside her, knowing it was better in the long run to let it go. It wouldn’t matter what her animal did anyway.

It was her turn, damn it!

Chapter Four

“Has anyone else tried to help you with this before?” Nate asked, wondering how she’d managed to survive all those years with such a duality. She obviously had a strong personality to battle daily with her lioness like that.

He watched her twirl a piece of meat in the blood left on her plate and bring it up to her mouth. Her tongue peeked out and licked a drop that clung stubbornly to the beef. Feeling himself harden, he forced his gaze away and waited for her to answer his question. What she said next wiped all thoughts of his erection from his mind.

“Our Alpha did. Well, he tried to exorcise me, but it didn’t really work.”

His mouth gaped open.
They’d tried to exorcise her? What the hell?
“What?”

She shrugged, apparently not realizing what she’d just said. She just kept on eating, her face only showing her enjoyment of the meal he’d cooked for her. “He’s really religious. He couldn’t understand how I could be bisexual, so he called a priest and had me exorcised. He still hasn’t understood my lioness is the problem, not me. No one really…” She let her voice trail off and looked up. “Are you okay?”

She was asking
him
if he was okay? “What—” He took a deep breath and tried again. “What was involved in this so-called exorcism?”

Her gaze grew distant, almost as if she were reliving those events. “They tried quite a few things. Nothing worked.”

“Like what?” he bit out, feeling his lion push forward.