“Look. All I want is to talk. And wouldn’t you like that too?”

“Personally, I could care less.” Another tug, she turned and gave an immediate nod of approval. At least one of them had some taste.

“What about your friend? The one about to breed? You’d like her to be safe, wouldn’t you?”

Angie froze, “Are you threatening me?” If she had to, she’d kill every cat in the Continental United States if it kept Miki and her future niece or nephew safe.

“No. But we want our kids safe too. See what I’m saying? This could be a benefit for all of us.”

Angie pried a dress several sizes too small out of another female’s hands. “Don’t be ashamed. There’s nothing wrong with the ‘X’ in front of that ‘L’.” She gave the woman something more her size.

“I’ll try and talk to her. But I’m not promising anything.”

“Fair enough.”

Angie waved away a bad pair of sandals as she closed the phone, handing it back to one of the females.

“Should I be concerned that you people found me here?”

The one holding the phone shook her head. “No. We weren’t looking for you. We just happened to see you walking around town. Everyone knows Victoria is trying to get a truce going. We thought we might be able to help.”

“And how did you know who I was?”

“Are you kidding,” she laughed. “Everybody in town knows the Vorislav boys took you. Those tigers. They’re crazy.”

“Besides,” another added. “You don’t smell like you’re from around here.”

Angie let that freaky and disturbing statement pass as Nik stormed into the store. “Where the hell did you go?”

The lionesses all smiled. “Hey, Nik,” they all said as one.

Nik’s face dissolved into a delicious grin. “Well, hey, ladies. How y’all doin’?”

Angie rolled her eyes in disgust. Christ, is there any woman in this town the man hasn’t stuck his cock into?

Angie grabbed her bag from the sports store and the clerk handed her a bag holding her new skirt. She walked up to Nik, but he seemed much more interested in the lion females.

But she knew exactly how to get a man’s attention. Any man’s attention.

“Look at what I got, Hillbilly.” She took off the watch she’d purchased when he’d gone to the bathroom nearly an hour before. She held it up in front of his face. “A Tag Heuer. The lovely gentlemen at the jewelry store said he’d be happy to put it on your account.” Angie backed up, dangling the shiny new watch. “Isn’t it pretty and shiny, little kitty? And expensive?”

Laughing at the expression on his face, she walked out of the store and knew, withoutlooking, Nik would be right behind her.

***

He thought for sure she’d make him take her to one of the many expensive restaurants in town, to really solidify the afternoon of overindulgence, but instead she grabbed a cheeseburger, fries, and a cola from the local diner. She took her food and headed into the park. He followed, with a separate bag just for her ketchup. Seemed she couldn’t tolerate her fries without loads of ketchup.

Now, as they sat across from each other at a picnic table, Nik couldn’t help but wonder if she were always like this or if she’d simply gone off her meds.

She silently ate her burger and fries, staring out at the park. For a human, she really was mighty feline. She liked watching other people, her shrewd eyes taking in everything. And she loved to flirt. Not with him, but with everyone else. On their way to the diner, they passed a small group of Pride breeding males. In typical lion fashion, the males checked her out like prime rib at a steak house. But she didn’t return their appraisal with any shy glances or beguiling smiles. Instead, she watched them walk past her, turning and walking backward on those four-inch heels like she was born with them on her feet. And then, she nailed them with a killer grin that stopped them all in their big lion tracks. He knew that smile. He’d used it himself. It was the smile that said “I’ll fuck you and no one will ever be good enough for you again.”

Unfortunately, she didn’t smile at him like that. She mostly glared, smirked, or mocked. And she seemed to be a real big fan of pissing him off.

“So there’s a cat nation?”

“Of course there is. The dogs breed like rabbits. They kind of outnumber us. But being the biggest cats, my kind don’t worry too much.”

She grinned around her burger, “And a humble breed, I see.”

“What can I say? Not a lot of breeds are like us. Last I weighed in I was damn-near seven hundred pounds.”

“Too many carbs?”

“Funny.”

“I am…and I look fabulous in my new shoes.”

Again with those damn shoes, “Do you goad everybody this much?”

“Me? Goad? Of course not. I bring joy and life to all. I’m sweet, charming, have a great sense of style…and if you wanna keep that hand, you’ll get it away from my fries.”

Busted. “Come on. Little gal like you can’t pack all this away by yourself.”

She stared at him for several long moments. Then, with a shrug, she slapped his hand away when he came in for a second pass at her fries.

“Aren’t you a little worried about staying here under my protection? You don’t know me from Adam.”

She chewed on her food thoughtfully, “No. I’m not worried.”