The Lion’s Forbidden Mate

“Thanks,” Lucy said smiling.

She’d rather go throw up, but she wasn’t about to share that little tidbit of information. She nervously waited as Becca gave her one last strange look before walking away, heading over to where she was going to be of more use to her people. Lucy watched her go and wondered just how much she had blown it. Had she given everything away? Did Becca know that she was madly jealous of what Violet had and that she wanted James more than she wanted anything else in the world? She trembled to think that she was so stupid.

One by one, the various groups started to pack up and call it a night. First wardrobe and make up ended their jobs, then those in charge of loading the musical instruments. Striking the sets wasn’t that long either and Lucy found herself swept up into all of it. She was checking to make sure that truck after truck was loaded and sent on its way when they were done loading up all of the materials. Eventually, it was just her and the last group loading up the materials of the actual stage. They gave her a nod and told her that she should stop by the after party, but she knew that the smart thing to do would be to refrain from going to anything other than the after party that Lynn was at.

When she found Lynn at the suite in the hotel where they were staying, completely hammered and overly excited to be partying with the rock stars that she had helped launch on the first successful night of the tour that was going to make all of them millionaires, she felt like she’d seen it all. She’d been in the heart of a party where she didn’t belong and she ended up giving Lynn the list that she was waiting for.

Lynn looked at her and gave her a stern warning that everything they needed was on this list and that it was of the utmost importance that her job go smoothly and successfully for the whole tour to work. After Lucy assured her that everything was on board or was locked away safely, Lynn handed her a drink and told her that it was time to celebrate. There was something jumbled up in her voice about them setting sail for something great on the horizon or distant shores. She wasn’t sure what any of it meant, but she smiled and took the drink from Lynn and gratefully downed a gulp or two before her eyes started to scan the room.

“Hey,” James said to her, eventually ending up next to her in a dizzying speed and suddenness that caught her off guard.

She looked at his handsome features and wondered what she was doing even standing next to him. If she had half a brain, she would bolt from this position and she would not stop until she was back in her hotel room with the door locked.

“Hey,” she said despite herself, a breathy exhale escaping from her lips.

God, he was beautiful. No, she wasn’t going to get caught off guard or distracted by a very handsome man. He had taken advantage of her and now he was casually leaning against the bar, looking at her like he actually cared about her. What a load of crap. She wasn’t going to look into those smoky blue eyes and see anything other than the lies that he had stuffed away in there for her. No way, she wasn’t some stupid bimbo.

She wanted to give him the right hook that he deserved. “Shouldn’t you be hanging out with your fiancé?” she asked him, cutting straight through to the heart. She watched as he smiled at the outing of his secret and he offered her nothing more than a little shrug and a smirk on his lips. “Why would you even bother sleeping with me last night when you could go home to Violet White?” she asked him with a frown on her face, replacing the soft smile that she’d had previously.

“Because I didn’t choose her,” he said with a shrug. He turned and looked at her, seeing the steely expression on Lucy’s face.

That clearly bothered him and he stood up straight, pouring himself another drink from the very open bar.

“Don’t act like you don’t know what it’s like to have an arranged marriage. You’re lucky enough that you can go out and wander around, looking for a guy that suits you. Me, I was matched to her because she’s also a Shifter and because she sold twenty million copies of her last album. There’s no more love between us than there is between cats and dogs. But, if we don’t look like we’re happily engaged and in love, then we risk offending one of our families and that’s not what we want.”

“She seems to really like you,” Lucy said with a disappointed voice, even though she tried her hardest to keep it from popping up. He looked at her with a smile in his eyes but faded on his lips. “She can’t get enough of you.”

“You’re jealous,” he chuckled. “After a one night stand, you’re jealous.”

“That’s all I am to you?” she asked him with a lifted eyebrow. “Just another one night stand.”

“I don’t sleep around,” he said bluntly. “In fact, you’re the first person I’ve had s*x with in what feels like a lifetime. And I have to say, I could really get used to it.”

“Are you really trying to flirt with me?” she asked him with a disappointed tone in her voice. “You literally just cheated on your fiancé with me last night. You think that I’m going to fall for that?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged with a smile. “But I really do like you, Lucy. I like you a lot. I don’t want you to think that I’m some kind of deviant or that I’m not worth your time. You have a quality that I’ve never seen before and I really would like to get the chance to know you better.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Lucy poured another glass of champagne and walked away from him, heading toward the balcony that looked out over the cool, spring night of New York City. The world was so alive beyond the window, even if it was late in the night. She didn’t know how a place could be so alive for so long. As she stood there alone, she knew that it wouldn’t stay that way for long and sure enough, like a shadow, James joined her.