Chapter 4 #2
Heat flushed her body and her mouth went dry.
Oh, bitch, she was in real trouble.
Flustered, Lucky pushed down on her panther.
Yes, he was their mate, but damn, she needed to get herself together.
Shaking off her lust, she walked over to a pair of dangling diamond earrings, eyed him, and decided to push her luck.
She wrote down a price well over the last bid and he didn’t even flinch, just pulled out a small stamp, pressing it on the card next to her number.
“Interesting,” she murmured.
She saw an antique gold chain with a pendant on the end, filigree gold surrounding a tiger carved out of jade.
It was beautiful. Smiling to herself, she wrote another exorbitant number on it.
And still, Kaine sipped at his drink, not stopping her.
His smirk as he put his mark next to her bid was indulgent… amused.
She narrowed her eyes. “It’s no fun if you’re not panicking.”
He shrugged. “I knew from the very moment I heard your laugh that telling you no would be impossible. That was only reinforced when my tiger caught your scent for the first time.”
Her heart was thundering, but to play it off, she turned to look at the pendant again. “You spend money like a drug dealer.”
He busted out laughing. “My mate gets a pretty bauble and the bills at the local hospital get covered for the quarter. A win for everyone.”
She would need to be careful around this man. He watched her the whole time she sauntered around the ballroom, his eyes intense, his heavy gaze making her panther react.
His eyes weren’t the only ones on her. Ezra’s hand rested on the small of her back and that seemed to catch the attention of more than one person in the room.
The whispers and stares started as polite, but the more he touched her, the louder the buzz got.
It should make her feel self-conscious, but there was never a room she would walk in and feel small. It did beg the question, though.
Who was he?
Who was Ezra Kaine that him simply showing interest in a woman would attract so much attention?
That should give her pause.
But caution had never been her strong suit.
Her recklessness was one of the reasons Sincere kept a close eye on his only daughter.
Bored with making Mr. Kaine drop some money, Lucky turned around to him and studied his face.
He was handsome—beyond that, actually. His dark brown skin shone beneath the lights of the room, full lips and a Nubian nose the perfect complement to the full beard and mustache on his face.
His eyes were large, dark, and topped with heavy lashes, making him look intimidating.
Hell, not just his looks. His whole aura gave off domineering and…
alpha. It was highly appealing and something Lucky wouldn’t have been able to resist, even without her panther prodding her.
She’d always been drawn to strong men and her attraction to Ezra Kaine would only grow stronger the longer they were together.
“So, Kaine?—”
“Ezra,” he corrected. “Not too many people outside of my circle know and use my first name. I don’t like you using the same name as everyone else,” he murmured, pulling her into his body.
She closed her eyes for a second, working to compose herself. “This feels entirely reckless.”
“Which part?” he said lowly, lightly nuzzling against her cheek.
“You’re a stranger to me, yet I’ve let you pay for my room, and here you are, leaving your scent on me in public.”
“I’m not exactly a stranger,” he bandied back. “You’re safe with me.”
“Well, I don’t know you,” she reminded him. “It’s a little arrogant to assume I would be sa?—”
He growled softly, lifting his head. He let his animal off the leash and his eyes lit, a striking blue color that caught her off guard.
She couldn’t help the gasp that left her lips.
Had she ever seen a tiger shifter in person?
They were rare enough that she only knew them through reputation.
Of all the feline shifters they were the deadliest, that much she knew.
Another warning Lucky should heed. Instead, in this room full of people, all she could think about was answering his animal’s call.
That would be dangerous.
“You wanna try that again, princess? Tell your panther that you don’t feel safe with me and let’s see her answer.”
Her body shuddered as her cat battled with her, the animal lengthening her teeth as fur rose on the back of her neck. Lucky cleared her throat and fought to push the stubborn panther back into place. He chuckled, having proved his point.
Ezra cupped her chin, his thumb moving along her skin. “You’re one of three people on this planet who are completely safe from me, princess.”
She felt the assurance in his words and knew that he meant it. Nodding, she stepped back, if only to get some air.
“Is there a restroom around here?” Lucky looked around, avoiding his gaze.
“Right outside the doors,” he told her, walking her in that direction.
He stepped out of the ballroom with her and she rushed inside. Instead of going into a stall, she checked to make sure the place was empty before whipping out her phone.
“What’s wrong?” Keisha answered with sleep in her voice.
“I didn’t mean to wake you. I forget that my godbaby be kicking your ass.”
“Girl, I been sleep since the sun went down. What’s up?”
“I’m about to do something reckless,” Lucky informed her cousin.
Keisha snorted. “Am I encouraging you or talking you out of it?”
Lucky couldn’t help the smile that covered her face, and this was why Keisha was her favorite cousin. “Shit, I don’t know.”
“That means you want to do it. Your location is on, so we’re good there. If I don’t hear from you iiiin…” Keisha paused, waiting on Lucky to fill in the sentence.
She sighed, giving up pretense. “Four…no, five hours.”
Her cousin groaned. “Bitch, that’s like three in the morning.”
“Go to sleep, then. You know Devon will hear your phone go off and check it.”
“You ain’t never lied. Okay, then. Be safe.”
“Always,” she told her cousin and hung up.
Going to the sink, she washed her hands and took a deep breath. Meeting her mate was a big deal, and if she were smart, she would slow all this down and get to know him.
But her panties were soaked and everything in her wanted to see if Kaine could back up all that energy he toted around.
She adjusted the thin sleeves of her tight dress, making sure her titties were sitting up in the bodice.
Skimming her hands down her waist, pleased with the way the sapphire color looked against her skin, Lucky took a deep breath.
“The universe works in my favor,” she whispered, praying that her reckless actions wouldn’t come back to bite her in the ass.