Her Lion Billionaire(8)

Charlotte fell into silence. "Then I'm going to ask you to respect my boundaries. You're taking this too fast-it's scary."

Daniel thought for a second. "Understood."

"Don't do stuff without asking my permission."

"Hmm?"

"What does that mean-hmm?"

"If you mean chickennapping your pet, it was done. It had to be done."

"What do you mean by it had to be done?"

"I have an important business meeting tomorrow in Seattle. You will  accompany me there. We'll depart early, six A.M., so it will be easier  on our schedule if you sleep here tonight and have everything already  prepared. Since we'll be travelling in my personal Gulfstream, we can  bring Silkie on board without having to go through all those  restrictions about animals and carriers."   





 

"Wait a minute. This doesn't make sense. I have to go to work tomorrow."

"That won't be necessary. As of today, Addington Enterprises became  Graynor's biggest client. Your company will supply sixty percent of our  paper needs. Think about the spike of revenue Graynor will see in the  next quarter. Your boss couldn't be more pleased, and it's all thanks to  you. Naturally, missing a few days of work won't be a problem for you."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "In other words, if I decline coming with you, you'll cancel the account at Graynor?"

The smile on his face widened. "There's no reason to do such a thing,  don't you think? My company looks forward to a long partnership with  Graynor."

"This is blackmail!" She was enraged. "What gives you the right to mess around with my life?"

"Simple-because I'm your mate."

There was a finality in his tone that made her pause. No amount of  protest would make him change his mind. Mate. It was like that status  changed the hierarchy of people she should give shit about in her life.  He was more important than her family, her boss, or the President of the  United States of America. Before she could think of something to say in  rebuke, someone rapped on the drawing room door.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Addington. The London office is on  line three. It's an emergency," said a middle-aged woman in a  conservative fashion. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. Black rimmed  glasses. Severe black skirt suit that screamed she lived and died for  bureaucracy.

Addington didn't look happy. "Excuse me. Let me handle this so we can  have an uninterrupted conversation afterward," he said to Charlotte. He  got up and snatched the receiver from the counter.

The woman acknowledged Charlotte with a nod and left.

Just how many people live in this apartment? Charlotte wondered. It  seems Daniel's daily life isn't just fun and games. But, whatever. I  don't want to sign up for this.

She grabbed Silkie and plotted her escape. If she couldn't reason with  him, she'd just avoid him. Avoiding people was what she did best.

Charlotte saw her chicken had left a dropping on Daniel's expensive  sofa, and somehow it delighted her. Hah. That's what you get for  kidnapping my pet. Good girl, Silkie!

She went to the room and put Silkie in her cage. She grabbed her purse  and sneaked toward the foyer. Daniel must have bought more than one unit  in this posh building, and the layout of the place rather confused her.  She managed to find the way to the front door, but to her surprise, it  was locked. There was no key in sight. Daniel had employed a  sophisticated security system that required no actual key. She had to  swipe a card and enter a password on the keypad, which she didn't have.

Just peachy.

Charlotte looked around but there was no one in sight. Not even Daniel's  sister was around. Had Anika left while they were having dinner?

Suddenly, she heard a low growl.

Big animal. Beastly.

Lion?

She paused. Crap. She walked fast toward the foyer again, and before  long, she was faced with the big beast himself. Lion. Male lion. Huge.  And he didn't seem very happy.

Somehow, she knew who he was. The very same lion she had seen in her vision.

Daniel.

She half-expected she'd get scared because she was facing a ferocious  beast which was twice the size of a regular lion. She did get scared,  but it was because he'd caught her sneaking out, not because he was a  carnivorous six-hundred-pound animal.

Without thinking, she turned around and raced towards the guestroom.  Lion Daniel was at her heels. He pawed at the door before she could slam  it on him. She absentmindedly dropped Silkie's cage, and it hit the  floor with a loud clank. The bantam chicken shrieked and thrashed her  wings on the bars. The cage door opened and Silkie jumped out, hopping  over the lion and scampering out of the room.

Charlotte stepped backward and tripped over an ottoman. She fell, butt  first, and sprawled on the floor. The lion stalked closer. Remembering  something, she crammed her hand into her purse and yanked out a plastic  bag. It contained fresh catnip that she had got for the landlord's cat.  She ripped the bag and scattered it in front of the lion's face.

She'd seen Miss Muffin, the landlord's pet cat, go nuts from it. Since a  lion was in the feline family, she thought the herb would have an  effect on Daniel.

The lion sniffed it and sneezed. He gave her a look as if to say, "What  the hell?" He sneezed again, followed by a sound as if he was  laughing-if a lion was capable of laughter.

The big beast before her began transforming into a human. Face, body, and the tail was the last to vanish.   





 

Good lord, he was naked!

She knew good manners, but for some strange reason, she couldn't look away.

"What do you think you're doing, throwing catnip on me?" Daniel yanked her legs toward him.

Charlotte found herself pinned under his muscular body.

"Nothing to say?" egged Daniel.

"I thought catnip was cat's weed," she said quietly.

"You think I'd be affected by it?" he chortled. "Silly girl. Who do you  think I am? A common cat?" He stroked her hair and cheek. "Why would I  be distracted by a silly thing like catnip when I have a more delectable  treat in front of me?"

Charlotte couldn't tear her gaze from him. His eyes were so mesmerizing she couldn't think about anything else.

"You tried to leave me again. How can I make you understand that you  belong to me?" Daniel said ruefully. He brushed his thumb over her lips.  "Maybe I should claim you right here, right now."

Her heart beat quickened-racing. She was still in a daze from the sudden turn of events.

Daniel kissed her on the lips.

It was warm, sweet, gentle and comforting. This time, no vision or  flashback accompanied the body contact, only the mellowing aftereffect  of the kiss. She felt drunk.

He let out a low growl from his throat, a delighted growl of a beast conquering his prey. He deepened his kiss.

Charlotte wanted to melt instantly into his arms. The impact of his kiss  caught her by surprise. Fevered heat rushed through her veins. For the  first time in her life, she was consumed by full-blown arousal. Her body  felt hot all over. Her nipples went hard. Her pussy contracted.

This man was wicked. Very, very wicked …

Daniel palmed her face and pried open her mouth with his tongue. He slid  in. He kissed like he meant it. Body and soul. Demanding. He wouldn't  let go until he got what he wanted. He wanted her to surrender-a  complete submission.

He paused to let her catch her breath. Then he kissed her again and again. And again.

Her whole body felt as if it had been engulfed by brimstone. All her  fear and objection disappeared to be replaced by an insane need that  she'd never indulged in her life.

She moistened. Her panties were damped by her arousal.

Daniel kissed her neck. She shivered.

"What's wrong with me?" she muttered under her breath. "I feel so hot."

"It's a sign. Your body is ready to mate." Daniel kissed her again,  sealing her fate. "Because we are meant to be together." He groped her  all over. "You're so addictive. Your scent is driving me mad." His hand  slid over her ass, kneading, groping her as if it would kill him if he  didn't.

He kissed her as he ripped her clothes off one by one. Charlotte  couldn't stop him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to. The insane need had  overridden all her logic.

Daniel tightened his hand on her breast as he marked her flesh with his  teeth. The sensation muddied her mind. It wasn't pain. It was …   justified. She belonged to him-there was no use denying it. He pinched  her nipple, rolling and tugging so each friction jolted an exquisite  pleasure straight to her pussy.

She blinked. What he did to her reeled her into a deeper ecstasy.

A happy sigh escaped Daniel's throat. Without a word, he pushed her on  her stomach and mounted her from behind. He trailed butterfly kisses  behind her ear, the side of her jaw, her neck. Every stroke of his  tongue felt like a firebrand, searing her skin.

Charlotte closed her eyes. All could she think about was the strange  feeling of his cock on her sex. Daniel had parted her thighs and  situated himself between them. The blunt tip of his erection nudged her  entrance. Waiting.