10. Leonardo #2
I shrugged. “I know you’re not really ready to claim me, despite everything that happened this morning,” I said. “You got some blood, I got an amazing orgasm, and I say we call it even.” I understood that he was hesitant and why. It was a perfectly valid reason.
“It’s not even at all. Are you now saying you no longer wish to be claimed?” Sandro asked.
I shrugged in response. I wasn’t going to voice out loud that I wanted that more than anything. He was the sire. I was the omega. And I was being realistic. I had nothing. I was bringing nothing to the relationship but trouble.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I’m almost certain you’re wrong,” Sandro said.
“Am I though? You don’t know what I’m thinking about. Maybe I’m considering going for a hike in the mountains.”
“I don’t advise doing that,” Sandro said. “I need to talk to you about something that is very important, and it can’t wait. Rio brought it up, and I really need to hear me out before you make any final decisions about anything.”
“What’s wrong? That’s it, right? Something is wrong?”
Sandro shook his head. “You spent the night with me last night,” he said.
“At least in part. And you spent a good deal of it in your leopard form. But I’ve been told that despite being on suppressors, there is a very real chance that you’ll get thrown into heat anyway.
I fed from you. That will also trigger it.
And Rio said that depending on when you had your last shot, it was going to have an impact on things as well. ”
I felt myself getting lightheaded. Oh no.
I was due to get my shot in another week.
I had thought that I’d be able to find somewhere to get it still.
And if I’d gone into heat, then I’d just deal with it in a hotel room or something.
The dizziness seemed to be getting stronger, and then suddenly, I felt strong arms wrapped around me.
I looked up at Sandro, but when I opened my mouth to talk, nothing came out.
“Nothing has to be decided right this moment, kitten.”
I fell into Sandro’s chest and closed my eyes before taking a deep breath. After standing there for several minutes, I finally started feeling better. “Sandro, I was supposed to get another shot in about a week. Do you think that Rio can come back and give me another one?”
He suddenly picked me up, and I held on as Sandro carried me to the sofa. He sat, but instead of letting me go to move to the side, he held me close to his chest.
“I could, but I don’t want him to,” Sandro said.
“It most likely wouldn’t work anyway. You spent last night in your shifted form with my face buried in your neck.
You’re going to go into heat, and we won’t be able to stop it.
Even though things have supposedly been changed, many haven’t seen much of a difference.
Mazzi was able to hold his off, but he used suppressors, and from what I’ve heard, he used a lot of suppressors. I don’t want that for you, mio amato.”
I moved enough to look up at him. “I like that one more than kitten.” I didn’t necessarily mind being called that. It was kind of cute. But I wasn’t really a kitten. Sure, I was a leopard shifter, but still.
Sandro smiled. “I’ll remember that,” he told me. He cupped my face gently. “I’ll take care of you, Leo. You will never need to worry about your pride, nor anything else. I want to build a life with you.”
I sighed. “I’m scared, Sandro. What if something happens again, like last night?” That was part of it. But also, I truly had nothing to offer but trouble. Nobody wanted to inherit a bunch of drama when they got mated.
“I’ll take care of you, just as I know you will me. You’ve already done so last night. You came to investigate, and then you took care of me. You let me hold you close, and you stayed with me when you didn’t have to.”
“I came to you last night because I was pissed because I thought you were down here masturbating.”
Sandro chuckled. “Trust me, the thought had occurred to me many times yesterday evening, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I desired you, not my hand.”
“Then why did you insist on sleeping on the sofa?” I blinked at it. “When did it get folded back up?”
“Rio folded it up while we were talking. Once he knew you had spent the night with me, or part of it, while shifted, he let me know that you would most likely go into heat. I need to know what you want me to do. Would you like me to claim you before that happens? During?” Sandro shook his head.
“There is no getting around things at this point. We’ve spent time together.
I’ve already fed from you, and although I haven’t claimed you yet, I will most likely struggle to feed from others now.
It can be done, but my body is going to be unhappy about it. ”
I scowled. “Then why did you feed from me this morning if that was going to be the case? Especially since you didn’t follow through and claim me.” Now I was really irritated. I was already falling for the man, and that didn’t surprise me even a little, but he was frustrating.
“I was trying to do the right thing,” Sandro told me.
“Or what I thought was right. I have demons, ugly ones, and I didn’t want you to be stuck with me if that wasn’t something you could accept.
I made a mistake in taking that decision away from you.
I truly thought I was doing what was best, but I know I should have given you that choice, and I apologize. ”
I didn’t know if I should be happy or even more irritated.
Maybe that showed on my face because Sandro suddenly looked concerned.
“I’m not sure how to respond, Sandro. I was willing this morning.
But my brain doesn’t really just switch like that.
A whole lot has happened in the last day, and I was excited about meeting my mate, but since I have, you’ve been saying I need to understand what I’m signing up for, and I know I was obvious this morning—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish my tirade because Sandro pulled me close and kissed me.
At first, it was just his lips touching mine, but when his hand slid behind my neck and then up into my hair and gently tugged, I moaned.
That was all Sandro seemed to need to take the kiss deeper, and I suddenly found myself hanging on to his shoulders as his tongue pushed into my mouth and somehow coaxed mine back into his.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the sharp prick on my tongue wasn’t it.
I flinched at the sudden pain, but that quickly turned to a long moan when a wave of need unexpectedly swept through my body.
That moan turned to another whimper when I felt Sandro’s hands start down my back, and then I was moving.
He broke the kiss, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself looking up into the red-tinted ones of my mate.
“Unless you tell me no, I’m going to use all of the ways of seduction that I know to get you naked and then claim you. Tell me now, Leo, or you’re not going to know what hit you. That much, I can promise you.”
He made it sound like it was a bad thing to be claimed by him. I might not have anything to offer the guy but myself, but I wasn’t stupid. He was sexy, and if this morning had been any indication of what life was going to be like being Sandro’s, I definitely wanted more of that!
“I want you. Us. I want you to claim me. I’m not saying no to anything.”
Sandro stared intently at me a moment before he nodded. “And your heat. It’s going to happen sometime, but we don’t know when. Do you want me to wear condoms and hope for the best or not to worry about it?”
That…surprised me. “Do you want a baby? I’ve always said I wanted a family one day, but if you’re not ready, I’m good either way.
” I understood the reasoning of waiting.
It gave couples time to get to know each other better and, in cases like mine, to get their life together to prepare for a baby.
But Sandro was older. He’d already mentioned he was in a position to take care of me and any family we had. But was that what he truly wanted?
“Then we’ll take no precautions and let things happen if they’re supposed to,” he said just before he leaned down and kissed me again.
Apparently, he did. But any thoughts I had of heats and babies left when he moved from my lips to my neck.