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He didn’t reply, and she finished the last of her sandwich before wiping her mouth with a napkin and drinking some Dr. Pepper. She reached into her jacket pocket and produced a package of beef jerky. “Here, I bought this when you weren’t looking. This will stop you from passing out from hunger, and I’m pretty sure beef jerky never goes bad.”
He grinned and opened the package, his stomach rumbling. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She pulled out of the gas station and back onto the highway. They drove in silence for a while. His lion made a low whine that Wes ignored. Eleanor had been quiet all morning which wasn’t like her at all, but she’d just lost her father, and someone had tried to kill her. He couldn’t and shouldn’t expect her to be her usual self. Still, he missed the sound of her sweet voice, and the thought of driving another four hours with nothing but the radio made him and his lion miserable.
“Exactly how much does your company charge clients per hour anyway?” Eleanor said.
His lion purred happily, and Wes swallowed down the sound before saying, “You’re not being charged for this.”
“So, Cooper’s just giving away his company services for free? Pimping you out like you’re some kind of security gigolo?”
She laughed at her own joke, and he rolled his eyes, but he was happy to hear her silliness and her laughter. The last forty-eight hours had been terrible for her, and he was beyond relieved that maybe she was bouncing back to her usual self.
“I took a few days off,” he said.
She glanced at him, and he wanted to smooth the little lines that appeared between her eyebrows. “So, now you’re losing out on pay because of me?”
“I took a few vacation days,” he said.
“Right. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have the option of getting paid for days off.”
“Running your own company is a lot of work,” he said.
“It is, and yeah, I miss paid vacation days and health insurance that didn’t cost me as much as a car every month, but the good still outweighs the bad. I like being in charge of my own destiny.” She laughed. “That sounds stupid. Anyway, I worked for Uber for a few years before branching out on my own. And, for the most part, it’s been great. Most of my clients are people like you. I mean, you book me the most out of all my clients by far, but -”
“Sorry,” he said.
She frowned at him. “Don’t be. Half the time, I can only afford groceries because of you and your daily bookings.”
“Christ,” he said, “are you deliberately trying to worry me, Eleanor?”
She just shrugged. Wes wanted to keep questioning her on exactly how often she went without eating, but afraid of sounding like a fucking father, he kept his mouth shut.
If she lived with us, she’d have more money. Like Cooper’s mate, his lion said.
She’s not moving in with us. Don’t be ridiculous.
His lion growled and retreated, but not very far. Wes could feel him right at the surface, listening intently to every word Eleanor said. He didn’t mind. In fact, it filled him with a deep sense of relief. He hadn’t realized just how disengaged his lion had become until he’d suddenly become fascinated with Eleanor. His lion was attracted to Eleanor, just like Wes, but not to the same depth and obsession. At least, he hadn’t been. But ever since Wes had kissed Eleanor, ever since he’d heard her moan and smelled her sweet arousal for him, his lion’s interest had skyrocketed.
That in itself wasn’t surprising. Their cats were led by the most basics of needs – food, shelter, and fucking. Breeding too, but that wasn’t a possibility for Wes, so his lion showed no interest in it.
Still, his lion hadn’t shown this much interest in a woman since Wes left the military and joined Cooper’s security firm. Not that there’d been many women to show interest in. He’d slept with three women in the last four years, and all of them had been a casual one-night-only thing.
And he hadn’t slept with a single woman since the day he’d climbed into Eleanor’s car and seen her for the first time.
He studied her, hoping she’d be distracted by driving enough not to notice his stare. She wore a pink t-shirt with a faded graphic of ‘Free Britney’ and a pair of jeans. Her dark hair was in a ponytail, and he could just make out the tattoo on the back of her neck. A vine of white daisies that disappeared under her t-shirt. He’d give his right arm to know precisely where that vine of daisies ended on her body.
He swallowed hard as he continued to stare at her. Her skin was soft, her hair like silk, and her lips were sweet. He knew that now. Knew it because she’d kissed him. She’d kissed him, and he’d almost lost control and fucked her right there in the damn hallway. Would have fucked her if they hadn’t been interrupted.
His cock swelled at just the memory of touching Eleanor. He could deny it, but he wanted her even more now. He masturbated nearly every fucking night to that moment in the hallway. In his fantasies, he took what he wanted. He stripped Eleanor naked and mated with her… claimed her.
His lion purred with pleasure and need. Wes had a fucking semi, and if Eleanor looked over, if she glanced at his crotch, she’d see exactly what she did to him. How much he truly wanted her.
Would that be such a bad thing?
“Why are you staring at me? Do I have mustard on my face or something?” Eleanor didn’t look away from the road.
He studied the passing landscape out his window. “I wasn’t staring at you.”
