Maiden and the Lion (Lions of Manhattan 2)

Bea flinched from the blinding light, but the fresh air was welcome.

“Bea.” Alex stood towering before her. Gabriel was next to him. Alex helped her out from the trunk. “Thank God you’re okay.”

Gabriel scooped his wife out. “You okay, kitten?”

“I’m fine.” Cat stood groggily. “You tracked me down?”

“Ren did,” Gabriel said.

“I thought so.”

Alex came up with a key and he unlocked Cat’s cuffs and hers. He then herded them into an SUV. Bea looked around, taking in the surroundings. She saw the two goons who had kidnapped them on the ground while Wyatt and Johnston shouted and pinned them with their weapons. She didn’t see Danielson or Angelo—the mastermind of the crime.

“Where’s Mr Danielson?” Bea enquired.

Alex didn’t answer. He only traded gazes with Gabriel.

“Get in. We’ll discuss everything at home,” Gabriel said.

“Uh-oh,” Cat commented. She didn’t look too happy.

Somehow, Bea had a feeling she and Cat were in trouble more than before.

She was right, Alex was mad.

He was mad on the drive home. He was mad at Gabriel’s apartment when he and his brother gave her and Cat an earful of their thoughts. And Alex was still mad when he took her back to his apartment.

She and Cat had been scowled at and lectured for more than an hour like guilty children about their stunt. She’d almost cried while Cat had taken it in with a bored look on her face. She didn’t know how Cat could be so brave. Gabriel and Alex were downright scary when they were angry.

After they’d finished scolding them, Alex had asked questions. Cat had explained everything. About her suspicions of Danielson and their intention to speak with him. She’d told them about Angelo. Alex and Gabriel had been surprised to hear it. Bea had learnt that Angelo was an illusionist who Gabriel had hired to make him be able to walk on fire. A few months ago, Cat had been kidnapped by Gabriel’s old enemy and taken to South Africa in the werelions gathering called Night of the Lions. Gabe’s enemy, Sophie Veron, had intended to sacrifice Cat in the bonfire. But Gabriel’s trick of walking on fire had distracted everyone until Alex’s musclemen had come in and spirited Cat away.

In the meantime, Angelo, the famous illusionist, knew the nature of the Larousse brothers. A quick background check from Ren had revealed that Angelo was deeply in debt. He had lost his contract in Vegas and most of his entourage. It hadn’t taken long to put together that Angelo had hatched a plan to blackmail the Larousse brothers through Alex’s trusted man.

Alex suspected that Angelo was the one who had shot him on the bridge. Angelo was currently at large, but the authorities had been notified and Angelo was now a fugitive. Danielson had returned to the office with no recollection about the Bronx trip. Gabriel hadn’t yet reached a decision about what he wanted to do with Danielson at the moment, but he’d said he couldn’t keep him after leaking information to Angelo.

Now she understood why he had insisted on her staying still in the apartment and being a good girl. Cat had chided her husband for not telling her this. If she’d known what Alex had been blackmailed about, she wouldn’t have taken Bea with her.

It was well past eleven when everything had cooled down and Alex had taken Bea back into his apartment. Bea felt guilty for defying his order.

r /> Bea took a shower and slipped into a comfy shirt and shorts. As she combed her hair, she noticed that the maid had changed the bedding with clean sheets. She climbed into bed. She was tired but she couldn’t sleep yet. She was restless. Alex was still mad at her. She got out of the bed and looked for him.

She found him in his home office with a bottle of whisky on the table and a shot glass in his hand. “Alex.”

He watched her come in.

“Are you still mad at me?” Bea walked to the side of his desk. “I’m sorry.”

Alex exhaled a long-suffering sigh. “You had me worried sick, Bea. I didn’t know where you were or if you were safe or not.”

“I’m really sorry, Alex. I didn’t think we were going to end up in the trunk of a car. Cat and I were just going to talk to Danielson and go straight home. I didn’t think all of this would happen.”

“Cat has a knack for getting into trouble.”

“Will you forgive me?”

Alex tugged her arm, pulling her closer. “How could I not, sweet?” He caressed her cheek. His gaze softened. “You’re precious to me.”

A flood of relief washed over her. She couldn’t stand the thought of him being mad at her. Bea sat on his lap and wound her arms around his neck. She lowered her head and kissed him. Alex tasted of whisky and spice. He smelt of his signature soap, dust, musk and gunpowder. Very masculine. Bea slid her tongue into his mouth and kissed him passionately. Her heart beat faster. She was immediately aroused. Heat stirred from her very centre. Her pussy moistened and her nipples hardened. She moaned. She kissed him with fervour.