Loved by the Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shifter BWWM Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

questions were swirling around in her head, Kira didn’t have the words to ask them. Her mind went utterly blank.
    Cole’s hand cupped the back of her head, large and firm but gentle at the same time. It was like he had done this a hundred times. “You’re okay,” he repeated, over and over.
    When she thought she had caught her breath, she pulled away, her mind clearing and her instinctive trust of Cole fading. Plus, she realized for the first time, she was completely naked.
    “What the hell?” she demanded, staring up at him. She almost covered herself, but then remembered he’d seen it all anyway.
    “I hope you brought more than one change of clothes,” he said with a strained half-smile, but his joking tone fell flat as a board.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Cole
     
    He was well and truly screwed.
    That was Cole’s first thought as he looked down at Kira, sprawled on the floor, obviously in shock.
    His second thought was even less admirable. Ours , purred his lion, deep in his chest. Our mate . His lion sounded very satisfied – and after the morning he’d had with Kira, why not?
    As Cole retrieved a sheet from the bed to wrap her in, he let himself think about the hours before: Kira in his arms, kissing and touching and licking her, listening to the beautiful sounds she made. Being inside her was like nothing he’d ever felt before. They fit together so well.
    And then this happened! Cole tried not to groan aloud. Or bang his head against the wall.
    “Marlene told me about –" Kira began, her voice shaky. She took a deep breath to steady herself. “About how something like this happened to her.”
    Cole found himself pathetically grateful for that fact. At least he wasn’t starting his explanation from scratch. “It’s not very common, but yes.”
    Her expression was starting to move from “shocked” to “angry.” “Did you know this would happen?” she asked, eyes searching his face. There was an undercurrent to her voice that said danger, danger to Cole.
    “No,” he replied firmly. “It’s never happened since my . . . Since I’ve been alpha of this pride. And I haven’t exactly been celibate the last ten years.”
    As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Kira gave a huff and pulled the sheet tighter around herself. This was not going Cole’s way.
    “Then why me and not one of the other . . . dozens of women you’ve been with?” she shot back hotly, holding herself proudly.
    Cole held back a sigh. This was going to be the worst part, at least for her. She might know about lion shifters, but she wasn’t one of them, hadn’t been raised among them, and wasn’t used to the customs among the pride that might be a little more . . . strange to average human ears.
    “It happens when two people, two lions, are mates,” he said reluctantly, knowing how it sounded. Not that internally his own lion wasn’t purring and bathing himself with an aura of self-satisfaction. “Not always. You can have a human mate. But sometimes.”
    “Mates,” she repeated in a faint voice, cradling her forehead in one hand. “Like, as in some kind of National Geographic nature documentary special. Mates. Mated .”
    “I know how it sounds -“ he began.
    “I really don’t think you do!”
    “- But we’re here for you. The whole pride is.” They would have a pretty good laugh at him first, when they heard the news, but he knew they would welcome Kira with open arms. After all, they already had.
    “But I’m not a lion. Lioness. Whatever.”
    Cole didn’t want to push her, but denial was going to get her nowhere fast. “You are now.”
    She stood up suddenly, clutching the sheet tight, and began to pace; he was reminded of how she had done that just minutes before in her lioness form. ( Your lioness. Shut up .)
    “And I don’t get a choice in this?” Her voice was sharp but with a brittle edge of fear.
    “There are things you can choose,” Cole said carefully,