“No such thing.”
“Oooooh Beast, if only you knew.”
He narrowed his eyes to blue slits. “Have you?”
“I’ve had human boyfriends. Some of them do believe in making love.”
“I don’t like talking about this.” Indeed, he was snarling pretty fiercely. The pretty blue had disappeared from his eyes and had morphed to an angry gold. Suddenly, he scented the air and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Kiera offered him an offended sound and turned around, giving him her back. “What do you mean?”
“You smell sick.”
Kiera resisted the urge to rest her hands on her belly for comfort. “It’s personal.”
“Are you dying?”
She cast him a glance over her shoulder to make sure he was being serious. “No.”
“Good,” he rumbled, gaze on the gravel.
Maybe Logan was right, and the shifters up here really hadn’t been around a pregnant woman. But…that didn’t make sense for Beast. He’d been alpha of a pride for ten years. Surely, he’d been around pregnant females before. This scent should’ve been the most familiar one to him. Male lions obsessed over the smell of pregnancy hormones. It meant they’d been successful. She couldn’t come right out and ask him, or she risked giving away the pregnancy, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet. This still felt like her secret to keep, at least for a little while longer until she made a decision either way.
Beast walked her all the way to Kane’s door, then locked one arm against the frame and looked like he wanted to say more. He got caught up staring at her lips, though, and a part of Kiera wished he would kiss her.
He was the most handsome, intriguing man she’d ever met. He’d been through hell, like she had, and he’d come out of it. Perhaps not whole, but he was still here fighting. Also like her. She never thought she would feel this way about a closed-off, damaged man like Beast, but he seemed like a kindred spirit.
He was all dominance, gruffness, and infinite rough edges, but he’d also just shown her a glimpse of his beautiful soul.
She stepped closer and gripped his sweater in her fists. He searched her eyes for a few moments more before he leaned down, pressed his forehead against hers, and rolled his eyes closed. A few heart pounding moments more and he eased away, then drifted down the porch steps. She’d never felt so thoroughly kissed in all her life, and he hadn’t even touched his lips to hers.
“You’re terrifying,” he said.
Kiera smiled at him as he walked away. “Good.”
Beast turned and came to a stop in the middle of Kane’s yard, then linked his hands behind his head, lifting his sweater just enough to show a sexy strip of his lower abs. He canted his head and dragged his gaze up and down her body, hesitating on her curves. Her breath stuttered in her chest. With just a look, he had caressed the length of her.
“Tomorrow is Saturday.” He shrugged and rolled his eyes heavenward. “We call it D-Team Sucks Saturday, and we grill out at the trailer park. If you want to come, you have the invite.”
Kiera bit her bottom lip to hide how much pleasure his invitation gave her. She leaned her elbows onto the porch railing and admitted, “I had full plans to chase you out of these mountains.”
Beast didn’t look startled like she’d expected. Instead, his wicked smile deepened. “Same.”
Kiera giggled. Fucking sexy, scar-faced lion, making her heart race with his honesty and that devilish glint in his eye. “Now you’re the terrifying one.”
Beast turned and strode away, his gait graceful like the massive predator that dwelled inside of him. A single word echoed through the clearing as he disappeared down the road. “Good.”
Chapter Six
Kiera practically floated into the open doorway of Kane’s cabin. The dark dragon had his brown eyes narrowed on her as if she’d lost her mind, but screw everyone’s opinion right now. She really, really liked Beast.
And his almost kiss? Such a delicious tease that made her want to chase him. Oh, that big brawling man knew exactly what he was doing. He was stealing her heartstrings one by one.
“You okay there?” Kane asked.
“Hmm?” Kiera asked. “Oh, yes. I’m great.”
“Really? Because the other day when I saw you for the first time, you were pretty emotionally charged.”
“Right.” Kiera frowned and cleared her throat, strove for seriousness. If only the damn grin on her lips would quit perking up.
His blond-haired mate, Rowan, was sitting at the kitchen table with a knowing smile stretching her mouth. “We watched you on the video camera,” she blurted out excitedly.
“Wait, what?”
“Roe,” Kane reprimanded her.
“I’m not sorry,” Rowan said with her eyes round as the moon. “I’ve never seen Beast be nice like that. He almost kissed you!”
“He almost kissed me!” Kiera exclaimed, excitement bubbling up in her throat as Rowan clapped and stomped her feet on the wooden floors as though she couldn’t contain her giddiness.
Kiera wiggled her butt in a victory dance that now matched Rowan’s as they both cracked up, and Kane’s black eyebrows arched up and he looked from Kiera to Rowan, and back to Kiera. “Everyone in here has lost their damn mind but me. Reminder, Beast is half-crazed and should be managed with care.”
Rowan barked a single, bellowing laugh. “Kane, you should know better than anyone that man won’t be managed. Besides, I think Kiera can handle him. She’s ex-lioness, current-badass. She looked like she was managing him just fine out there to me.”