“Pilar?” he asked, his voice tiny and strangled in his throat.
She turned back to the goons and sprang. They didn’t even have time to turn before she tackled them to the ground. She held both of them against the concrete easily, slashing at them with her claws.
Maverick couldn’t see what was happening. The guys were screaming, and there was blood on the ground. He could hear their voices pleading and swearing that they would run if she just let them go. They wouldn’t hurt him … they just wanted to live. The only response to their pitiful cries was the roar of the lioness as she ravaged the two men.
Maverick tried to stagger away, and this time, he did fall on his ass. His chest was tight, and blood roared in his ears. He had heard about shifters. He knew that Pilar was one … but he hadn’t expected her to be a huge, lethal lioness.
He also hadn’t expected her to attack with such deadly purpose and rage. The savagery of her animal was overwhelming, and his closeted upbringing had not prepared him for so much violence. He was absolutely sure that he was about to watch her murder the two men right before his eyes.
What happens next? Does she know me, or is she all wild animal now?
Once she’s done with them … will she turn on me?
CHAPTERFIVE
PILAR
Pilar could feel her sleek golden hair rise and stand on end at all of the testosterone that filled the air around her. The tension rose behind her until suddenly Maverick grabbed her by the tail, seemingly in an attempt to stop her as he begged her to just let the men go.
She turned and gave him a deep growl, not to scare him but to let him know to let go of her tail. She would never dream of hurting him. He was too precious to her to ever do such a thing.
She could see the desperation in his eyes when they met her deep pools of blue. He clearly and understandably didn’t want to see two men brutally murdered right in front of him. Plus, she really didn’t want to call in a cleanup crew to take care of the mess this would create.
So, she decided to step off the two men. As soon as they were free of her, they made a mad dash to their car, gravel and dirt flying from under the tires as they raced away.
When Pilar no longer sensed a threat, she changed back into her human form, right in front of Maverick again. As she stood there changed, naked, in front of him, she felt that his eyes never left her. She loved what that meant, the attention he had given to her nakedness. The thought of his eyes on her body as they scoped out every inch of her made her imagine the things he would do to her if he ever got the chance.
All she wanted to do was give in to those thoughts, let them please each other right then and there, but her mind brought her back to the fact that they were outside in a public place and by a dumpster of all places.
“Well, are you just going to stare at me all night, or are you going to help me find something to wear so we can go back inside?” she asked as she tried to get her mind off her dirty thoughts.
Luckily, Maverick had on a T-shirt under his button-up and pointed to it. When he recognized what she was pointing to, he started to undo his buttons. As he reached the last of the buttons, he slid it down his shoulders, off his arms, and handed it to her.
As she grabbed it from his hands, she slid it slowly up her arms sleeve by sleeve, wanting to have caught his attention again.Maybe she could drive him as wild as he was making her.
She did up the buttons one by one, just as slowly, making sure to start at the bottom. She wanted to leave her chest out for his view as long as she could. Her eyes never broke contact with his. When she had finished the last button, she noticed that the bottom of his shirt fell almost to her knees. This made her slightly embarrassed, but she could tell by the look on his face that he thought she looked absolutely adorable in it.
Maverick looked around and walked over to her pile of shredded clothes that lay on the ground where she had shifted.
“What would you like done with these exactly?” he asked jokingly.
“Oh, just toss those in the dumpster here. They’re a business write-off anyway. As you can probably assume now that you’ve seen me, we go through a lot of clothes.” She laughed in response to his question.
“Oh, I’m sure you do.” He smiled and threw the clothes in the dumpster.
That smile of his absolutely killed her. All she could think about was how she wanted to jump his bones.Nothing beats a good fuck after a good fight.
But instead, she made her thoughts shift, and they walked inside. They entered the elevator and clicked the button to his condo floor. As the elevator passed each floor, she kept looking at him. She could sense his mind racing as it processed what he had just witnessed.
He must have been able to sense her eyes as she gazed at him. “I have never seen a shifter in person before. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really amazing. But also … pretty scary. You’re like a real lioness, one who could do real damage,” he said, amazed.
Those words rang in her ears. They made her feel powerful. She basked in them for a few moments before she responded. “Oh, I promise you that I can do real damage. That is why Nick’s agency is the very best.”
They smiled at each other for a few seconds when the elevator button dinged finally, and the doors opened. They stepped out, and he gestured for her to go first.Always the perfect gentleman.They walked down the hall to the door, and he unlocked it for them.
“Let me go first. I’ll make sure the coast is clear, and then you can follow,” she said as she stepped around him across the threshold.
She walked from room to room, scoping out every possible hiding place as she went. She wanted to make sure no one was hiding in a closet or under a bed. Finally, when she had made sure it was all safe, she walked over and told him it was okay to come in.