Page 40 of Lion’s Den

“I don’t like it.”

David whistled. “Hate to stop a good fight, but I still have questions, and no one is leaving until those questions are answered.”

Sedona grimaced. “Really? Come on, David. Have some pity on me. My head hurts, and I want to go home, even if I have to wade through all the junk Grandfather left me.”

“Nope. I’m all out of pity today.”

Great. Not. She wasn’t joking about the headache. Not only that, but her cheek throbbed like mad and her face felt funny. If she had to guess, Sedona would say that her face was swelling and turning colors like her neck.

Cam kept his hold on her hand as he sat down to face his boss. “What questions, sir?”

“Not you, Sims. I have questions for your lady.”

Of course he did. “What do you want to know?”

“An onlooker recorded the whole incident with the lion enclosure.”

She stared. “You’re kidding.”

“Afraid not. He was recording the lions for his son, who is crazy about the big cats.”

“Wow. Lucky me.” Oh, man. She swallowed hard. “What do you want to know?”

“I saw what you did.” David rose, placed his hands on the desk and leaned toward her. “You knew exactly what to do against a deadly predator. So, tell me, Sedona, how did you know what to do to save yourself, your boyfriend, and your student?”

CHAPTER TWELVE

CAM FELT SEDONA’S slight recoil and squeezed her fingers to encourage her to spill the information. Truthfully, he was dying to know how a kindergarten teacher learned enough about lions and lion enclosures to save their lives. He doubted she had studied the subject despite her habit of having a book or eBook at hand wherever she went. So where did she learn to tame the beast?

“I don’t want to tell you,” she whispered.

David continued to stare hard at Sedona. “You don’t have a choice. Look, the Montgomery wives will have my hide if I toss you in jail, but if you hold out on me, I won’t have a choice. Are you hearing me, Sedona? Don’t make me arrest you.”

Another squeeze of her fingers from Cam. “Look at me, Sedona,” he urged. When she complied, he cupped her nape and drew her closer to him. “This was going to be part of our dinner conversation. Now, we’ll get to talk about something more fun on our date, and believe me, I have a list of things I want to know about you. But before we get to the fun questions, we need to talk. We have to finish this discussion before I can whisper sweet nothings in your ear.”

Sedona laughed. “Sweet nothings?”

He chuckled. “It made you laugh, and that’s what I was after.” Cam sobered. “Ignore David. Forget he’s in the room. Focus on me. It’s just you and me here.”

The minute she did as he asked, every muscle in her body seemed to melt into his. Thank God. Hopefully, her mind would be open to talking about these obviously painful things in her past. “Tell me how you knew what to do with the lions, Tiger.”

She started to turn her head toward David.

“No, look at me. Focus on me. You saved my life. I was planning to grab my weapon and take down that cat. You saved his life, too. To kill a beautiful animal like that would have been a real shame. So, tell me how you knew what to do.”

“I used to be part of the circus.”

Cam stared. Of all the things he’d expected her to say, being part of the circus wasn’t even on the list. “You worked for the circus?”

She nodded.

“How long?”

“Years,” she said simply. “They’re my family.”

“Your parents were circus performers?”

She shook her head.