When an Omega Snaps (8 page)

I can’t believe I came.
And not in the way he needed.

A sane man would have called in a security detail for the foolish lioness determined to thwart him and put herself in danger. A smart liger would steer clear of the catastrophe in the making known as Meena.

That was another Leo. A Leo not consumed by jealousy. A Leo not burning with a need to protect.

This Leo stalked into the dance club—that he usually avoided like a flea bath after a romp in the woods—his eyes lasering through the bodies in search of one person.

Given her height, made even more extraordinary by those surely-dangerous-for-her-health heels, Meena towered over the club-goers.

Towered and drew the eye.

How glorious she appeared, her blonde hair pinned atop her head with only a few fat golden curls dangling down. She wore a dress that on a shorter girl might have proved decent but, on her, with those long thighs, exposed a lot of leg. It also displayed a lot of bosom as it hugged her breasts, the neckline stretching and drawing attention to the deep shadowy cleft.

Mine.

He wasn’t sure if he thought the word or growled it. Either way, when he began to walk toward her, the crowd parted, giving him a path straight to her. Not that she noticed.

Back to him, she shook and shimmied, her boisterous laughter clear to him, even with the pulsing rhythm of the music.

Coming to a stop behind her, he waited for her to acknowledge him.

She continued to dance, ass shaking, arms waving.

He frowned and stared harder. Surely the prickling sensation set off her instincts. Predators always knew when someone eyeballed them. Except either Meena didn’t feel it or she ignored it.

Reba, Zena, and Luna, the pride girls she’d chosen to come with, saw him but didn’t let on. They did, however, smirk.

Unacceptable. And by that he meant Meena’s lack of awareness, of him. He knew when she was in a room. He could smell her in the lobby. The elevator. Even now amidst a crowd of sweating, perfumed bodies, her essence was distinct to him. Surely his scent was a recognizable flavor to her too?

It irked him that she didn’t turn around.

A part of him urged him to act, to grab her and march her sexy ass back to the condominium where he could shake her—in private, wearing fewer clothes. Then after he’d shaken her for driving him mental, he’d kiss her for causing him to lose control.

But…as much merit as that plan held, there was something about the hypnotic sway of her hips as she gyrated to the music. Something about her wanton movements that lulled him.

Instead of putting a stop to her hedonistic motions, Leo did something he never did.

Never.

Ever.

He danced.

Less danced than gave in to temptation. His hands palmed her undulating waist, and his body moved in close, close enough to touch hers. His lips hovered over the moist skin of her nape, the musk of her surrounding him in a heady perfume.

He let her body control their movements. Hip thrust left. Booty shake right. His body followed her sinuous pattern, her buttocks fitting perfectly against his groin.

Dancing proved easier, and much more erotic, than he expected. Arousing too.

And did he forget to mention aggravating? Especially when she twirled in his arms, and her eyes widened in surprise. “Pookie, you came.”

Who the hell did she think was grinding against her? A bristling liger almost rose to the surface. He definitely scowled with more teeth than was human.

“You didn’t give me much of a choice.”

She draped her arms around his neck and smiled, easing some of his irritation with the way her body rubbed against his. “I can take care of myself, you know. I’m not a delicate freaking flower in need of a hero. Although”—she leaned in close, her heels giving her the extra inches needed to have her lips at the right height for his—“I am happy you came.”

Not as happy as a certain body part of his at her proximity.

“We’re not staying. I just came to fetch you.”

She whirled in his arms, once again presenting her back, and an ass that rubbed across him most enticingly. “Leave? Already? But I’m having fun.”

Technically, so was he. However, it was time Meena learned that the pride had rules. As omega, he enforced them. Rule number one, at least where Meena was concerned, consisted of staying out of trouble. “Fun or not, we are leaving before your ex-beau appears and causes a scene.”

She laughed. “Oh, don’t worry about that. Dmitri won’t do anything in public. He might be a ruthless crime lord, but he knows better than to break the rules for our kind.” The rules that stated no shifter, of any caste, would do anything that would bring attention to them. A rule enforced by the High Council, which didn’t like to show leniency.

“How can you seriously claim he wouldn’t try anything crazy and public? He tried to kidnap you off the street.”

“Yes, that was a little naughty of him, I’ll admit.”

“The next time he tries that, you might not get so lucky. Or do you want to marry the guy after all?”

She whirled to face him, lips pursed. “Pookie, how could you say that? I told you, we’re fated to be together.”

Leo did something underhanded. Dirty. Or should he call it pleasurable? “If you’re so sure of that, then leave with me. Now. Let’s go back to my place.”

He could see by the shining in her eyes that she thought he’d finally succumbed, that he was about to debauch her and make love to her sweet, voluptuous body.

Aren’t we?
His inner feline seemed to think they would.

No. This is just so we can get her out of here before—

The cloud of scents in the place was the only reason he didn’t sense the guy before some stranger spun Meena away, daring to lay his hands on her and steal her for a dance. A slow tempo one that allowed the stranger to sway against her.

To her credit, Meena didn’t appear pleased with the change in partners. She also did nothing to move away. She kept dancing, with another man’s hands on her.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Focus on something other than the fact that the interloper’s hands lingered a little too close to the curve of her upper butt cheek. Breathe in. Breathe out. Ignore how snugly the other man held Vex against him.

Tear his face off.

He shouldn’t. He couldn’t. He was in public. She didn’t belong to him. He had no excuse for jealously. No real reason to snap.

Yada. Yada. Leo didn’t care.

His blood went into an immediate boil. A red film descended over his eyes, and his liger rose close enough to the surface to emit a less-than-human growl.

Stop touching.

With only three steps, Leo reached the dancing couple and tapped on the black silk-clad shoulder of the usurper.

The stranger, who this close smelled distinctively of tiger, turned his head and, with a brow raised in a supercilious arch, drawled, “Fuck off. The lady is taken.”

Oh, she was taken all right.
She’s mine. Mine!

Dammit. Her constant assertions even had him convinced she belonged to him. But setting that dilemma aside, he concentrated on the current problem.

“You’re Dmitri, aren’t you?” The accent when the guy spoke, and the exasperation on Meena’s face, gave it away.

“I am, and just so you know, before you act, I have the High Council’s permission to be in this territory. My business interests have brought me here.”

“Business?” Leo sneered, not a familiar shape for his lips. “I don’t think dancing counts as business.”

“Would you deny a man some
pleasure
?” The Russian prick practically purred the word as he drew Meena closer.

At least she didn’t appear happy about Dmitri’s appearance. With a sharp elbow, she loosened his grip.

“Would you stop it with the anaconda routine? Just because I didn’t break your nose when you ruined my nice dance with Pookie doesn’t mean you get to touch. This”—she gestured to her body—“belongs to one man only.” With a toss of her head, she flounced to Leo’s side. His arm automatically wound around her, possessive. Protective.

Mine.

Oops, he might have said that aloud.

“Yours?” Dmitri lifted a brow. “And yet I see no claiming marks nor a ring, which makes the fair Meena fair game.”

“She doesn’t want you.”

“For the moment. She’ll come around.” Dmitri didn’t seem perturbed at all by her lack of interest in his suit.

“Arik and the rest of the pride won’t stand back and let you kidnap her.” Although, they wouldn’t have much left to punish once Leo got through with this Russian dick.

“Are you sure about that? I did mention to your alpha my intention to make Meena my bride. He said good luck.”

“Meena isn’t leaving with you.”

“And who will stop me from taking her? She is unclaimed, and she gave her word she would marry me. You cannot watch her every second of the day. Eventually, you’ll lessen your guard. I will catch her in a weak moment. I will have her bound and gagged and on a plane to Russia, where I know a priest who isn’t picky about the words ‘I do’. That same night, I will plant my seed, and she will belong to me.”

With every word, Leo’s ire built. And built. Until he snapped. “I said she’s mine!” The declaration shot from him along with his fist.

And a second first happened that night. Calm and collected Leo started a very public and violent fight.

Rawr
!

Oh boy, am I ever going to get the blame for this.

Then again, when didn’t Meena get blamed when shit happened? Although, maybe in this one instance, she did technically start the fight. She’d thought herself very mature the way she didn’t react when Dmitri pussy-blocked her by stealing her from a dirty-dancing Leo. Meena’s first impulse was to rake her nails down his face before snagging his long hair, yanking his head down, and repeatedly slamming her knee into his smirking visage.

But Leo deserved a lady and ladies didn’t beat the hell out of ex-boyfriends for interrupting a dance. Apparently, new boyfriends had that privilege.

Meena gaped as Leo and Dmitri tussled. She’d not expected things to progress into such a public fight.

She’d predicted the men would have words. However, that was all that should have happened. That was Leo’s usual MO—which for those who hadn’t dated a cop stood for
modus operandi
or, in simple English, how a suspect perpetrated their crime. But back to Leo and his snap with serenity. She’d spent the better part of the day with the lionesses, picking their brains about her Pookie, and the one thing they all unanimously claimed was he was the most level-headed guy ever.

Sure, he sometimes knocked some heads together or stared at cubs with his rapier gaze until they promised to behave. Yet, it should be noted he did those things to keep the peace, not destroy it. Leo never condoned violence unless there was no other recourse. He was the first one to counsel calm, and counting to ten, or hitting a wall instead of a breakable face.

In this instance, she’d not heard him count. He’d not hit a wall, unless the brick-headed stubbornness of Dmitri’s face counted.

Thwack!

“Yay.” Yes, that was her cheering for her Pookie aloud. Since it seemed he hadn’t heard, she said it louder, yodeled it as a matter of fact. “You get him, Pookie. Show him who’s the biggest, baddest pussy around.”

Leo turned his head at that, narrowing his blue gaze on her. Totally annoyed. Totally adrenalized. Totally hot. “Vex!” How sexy her nickname sounded when he growled it.

She could tell he totally dug the encouragement. She waggled her fingers at him and meant to say, “You’re welcome,” but instead shouted, “Behind you!”

During that moment of inattention—which really Leo should have known better than to indulge in—Dmitri threw a mighty hook.

Had she mentioned just how sigh-worthy big her Pookie was? The perfectly aimed blow hit Leo in the jaw, and the force snapped his head to the side. But it certainly didn’t fell him. Not even close. On the contrary, the punch brought the predator in him alive.

As he rotated his jaw, Leo’s gaze flicked her way, his eyes lit with a wildness, his lip quirked, almost in amusement, and then he acted. His fist retaliated then his elbow, snapping Dmitri in the nose.

Any other man, even shifter, might have quickly succumbed, but the Russian Siberian tiger was more than a match for the hybrid lion/tiger.

Put them in a ring and they’d have brought in a fortune. They certainly put on a good show.

Blood trailed from Dmitri’s lip from where Leo’s fist struck him. However, that didn’t stop the Russian from giving as good as he got. Size-wise, Leo held a slight edge, but what Dmitri lacked in girth, he made up for in skill.

Even if Meena wasn’t interested in marrying him, it didn’t mean she couldn’t admire the grace of Dmitri’s movement and his uncanny intuition when it came to dodging blows.

Leo wasn’t too shabby either. While he’d obviously not grown up on the mean streets of Russia, he knew how to throw a punch, wrestle a man, and look totally hot in defense of his woman.

Sigh. A man coming to her rescue.
Just like one of those romance novels Teena likes to read.

Luna sidled up alongside her. “What did you do this time?”

Why did everyone assume it was her fault? “I didn’t do anything.”

Luna snorted. “Sure you didn’t. And it also wasn’t you who put Kool-Aid in Arik’s mom’s shampoo bottle and turned her hair pink at the family picnic a few years ago.”

“I thought the short spikes she sported after she got it shaved looked awesome.”

“Never said the outcome wasn’t worth it. Just like I’m totally intrigued about what’s happening here. That is Leo laying a smackdown on that Russian diplomat, right? Since I highly doubt they’re sparring over who makes the better vodka or who deserved the gold medal in hockey at the last winter Olympics, then that leaves only one other possibility.” Luna fixed her with a gaze. “This is your fault.”

Meena’s shoulders hunched. “Okay, so maybe I’m a teensy tiny bit responsible. Like maybe I made sure my ex-fiancé and current fiancé got to meet.”

“Duh. I already knew about that part. What I’m talking about is, how the hell did you get Leo to lose his shit? I mean when he gets his serious on, you couldn’t melt an ice cube in his mouth. Leo never loses control because to lose control is to lose one’s way, or some such bullshit. He’s always spouting these funny little sayings in the hopes of curbing our wild tendencies.”

Pookie had the cutest personality. “What can I say?” Meena shrugged. “I guess he got jealous. Totally normal, given we’re soul mates.”

“Whatever the reason for his snap, he’s totally broadcasting a hot vibe. I mean, he’s like a brother to me, so I don’t really see it, but you should hear the girls at the bar. Between Leo and Dmitri, they’re torn on who they think is sexiest.”

“They’re discussing what?” Meena whirled to glare in the direction of the bar. Sure enough, a gaggle of women clustered, ignoring their dates and other guys in favor of eyeballing the tussling men.

Eyeballing my man.

Grrr
.             

Time to blow this club.

Before the bouncers could tear the rollicking pair apart, Meena dove into the mess, literally throwing herself between the men. To their credit, they had reflexes honed enough to stop their punches mid thrust.

“Vex, what the hell are you doing? Can’t you see I’m busy?” Leo grumbled.

“Do not involve yourself in the matters of men,
lyubov moya
.”

She could now see why people went to jail for murder. The stubbornness of this man was enough to make her violent—intentionally instead of accidentally for once. “Would you stop it, Dmitri? Face it. You’ve lost. Lost me and this fight. I belong to Pookie now, and as you can see, he’s not into sharing.” She addressed this to Leo, who looked deliciously rumpled with his messy hair, his skin flushed, and needing a kiss to his slightly swollen lower lip.

“Yeah, Dmitri,” Leo taunted. “She’s mine. All mine. And the only thing I’m sharing is my shower with her. So fuck off.”

A shower? With Leo? Why the hell were they still talking?

“This isn’t over,” Dmitri warned.

“Bring it, you Russian furball. You know where I live. Anytime you wanna go, come pay me a visit,” Leo dared.

“Would you two stop verbally pissing?” Luna snapped as she wedged between onlookers to harangue them. “Some stupid pussy called the cops. Unless you want to spend the night in lockup, you might want to vacate the premises.”

Cops? Oh crap, Meena should get out of here. With her rap sheet, they’d probably arrest her too, just because. Time to leave, but not without Leo.

Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, Meena tugged him in the direction of the door. Given their current minor celebrity status—“Check out the size of the guy who was fighting with that other dude”—she didn’t have to argue or shove much to get them through the crowd. The sea of bodies magically parted before them.

Good, because maybe if they moved quickly enough, they could get out of here before the cops arrived and a currently manageable situation turned into a troublesome one.

Look at me, trying to stay out of trouble.
Wouldn’t her mama be proud? Right after she freaked at Meena for having caused a brawl in the first place. In her defense… Yeah, Meena had none. She’d quite enjoyed the fireworks.

Deny it all he wanted. Leo wanted her.

This time when she laced her fingers in his, he didn’t pull away. On the contrary, he clasped her digits in a tight vise. He didn’t, however, speak, even once he took over the direction of their flight.

“Where are we going?” Meena asked.

“I’m parked over here.”

Over here being a paid lot where a big honking Suburban took up two spots. Aiming his key fob at it, he pressed a button, and the taillights flashed. Meena automatically veered to the passenger side, surprised when Leo came with her.

He opened the door then palmed her waist to lift her in!

Did her astonishment show on her face? “Thank you.” It seemed the polite thing to say, even if she didn’t actually need any help.

Grunt
.

Hmm. She didn’t know what that meant so she buckled her seat belt as Leo made his way around the truck and slid into the driver side.

But he didn’t start the vehicle right away. He stared out the windshield, fingers loosely gripping the steering wheel.

She waited.
When a man is thinking, you need to leave him alone.
Or so her dad had barked on more than one occasion when her knocking interrupted his thinking time in the bathroom.

When Leo finally did speak, he had a question. “Why is Dmitri so determined?”

“Because he’s not a man who likes the word no.”

“Obviously, but I meant more, why you? The guy’s obviously got some money, he’s not bad looking, and he’s got power. He could have any woman he wanted. Why is he so obsessed with you?”

It might have miffed another woman to have her man ask what made her so awesome. Given how Leo reacted, he obviously understood her allure, but in this case, Dmitri was less obsessed about her awesomeness and more in love with her… “Hips.”

“What?”

“Dmitiri wants me because of my hips. On account of they’re wide. As in birthing wide.”

Leo blinked at her.

So she explained. “He’s a big man so it stands to reason he might make big babies. But he doesn’t like the might part. He
wants
big babies. He figures if he, as a larger-sized tiger, mates with a larger-sized lioness, then he’s pretty much guaranteed to create a giant tigon. You know, a hybrid of our species, much like you, but in reverse.”

“He wants you as a breeding machine?”

She wrinkled her nose. “More or less, which is why I refused to marry him no matter how much money he promises.”

“He tried bribing you?”

“Bribing. Threatening. Seducing.”

Ooh, that was a definite growl from her man.

She leaned over and placed a hand on his thigh as she stared him in the face. “You are so sexy when you’re jealous, Pookie.”

“I am not jealous.”

“Really? Because I thought that was why you started the fight. Although I am surprised you waited so long after he grabbed my ass to do so.”

“He grabbed your ass!”

She quelled his shock with a kiss. Ah yes, there was that sizzling fire she recalled from the last time they’d embraced.

Lips meshed and moved against each other, tasting, nibbling, arousing the senses. She leaned into him as far as she could, her damned seat belt preventing her from crawling into his lap.

Wait, what seat belt? With a click, it wound away, releasing her, and before she could take advantage of the freedom, he’d dragged her over the console.

Given their size, it wasn’t the most comfortable fit. The steering wheel dug into her back, her legs dangled over the center console, but who cared? She was in Leo’s lap, kissing him, touching him.

And he was touching her.

His hands roamed her body, branding her through the silky fabric of her dress. A big palm slid up her thigh, tunneling under her short skirt.

Fingertips brushed the fabric covering the vee between her thighs. She sucked in a breath. Anticipation tingled along all her nerves.

He rubbed two thick fingers against the wet fabric of her panties. Could he feel that quiver of excitement? Judging by his contented rumble, he had.

Again he stroked, and she mewled into his mouth, a sound he caught and—

Knock
.
Knock
.
Knock
.

“Hey, Leo, mind giving us a ride once you’re done mauling our girl Meena?”

“Go away!” Meena yelled. “I’m busy.”

“How long do we need to leave for? Two minutes? Five? I’m kind of hungry and not in the mood to wait too long.”

Good thing Leo was strong because the pride might have otherwise lost three lionesses when she dove out the door, ready to kill them.

Then they almost died again when she realized Leo wasn’t coming up to her room once they reached the condo complex to finish what they’d started.

Aching, frustrated, and miffed, she did what any self-respecting woman did in this type of situation. She got drunk with her new best friends and inhaled buckets of ice cream.