Newmar, Lola - Leo's Crown [Scarlett Rose and the Seven Longhorns 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) by Lola Newmar Page B

he could do was hold her close and curse the rude erection poking at her belly from having his mate at such close proximity. He knew he was no small guy, so he figured she was just ignoring it when she didn’t point it out.
    “Does it get any easier?” She panted the words through her sobs.
    He squeezed her delicate shoulders tighter with his left arm, his hand gripping her as he responded. “I wish I could say it does, baby girl. But according to the shifter makeup, mates feel this pain when they’re separated. Although, since you’re human, the pain you are feeling has no way to compare to what the twins and triplets feel.” He had to be honest, but he still hated the way her sobs grew a little louder at his words. “Let me take care of you today. I’ll make you whatever you want for lunch, baby. How ‘bout that?”
    He heard her take in a few more harsh gasps for breath before she released one long-drawn-out one, as if attempting to calm herself down, then nodded her head. When she looked back up at him, his heart about melted. Her cheeks had tears streaming down them, and her eyes were begging for comfort. A knife twisting in his gut wouldn’t have been as torturous as seeing her in such desperate pain. “Could you make me a grilled cheese?”
    She sounded so damn cute, so innocent. Leo smiled as he brushed a lock of hair behind Scarlett’s ear. “Grilled cheese? That’s what you want?”
    She nodded. “I just have a certain craving for it.” She looked away, her face suddenly full of thought. “Maybe someone, maybe my mother, used to make it for me, but right now it just seems like it would be really comforting. Grilled cheese and tomato soup.”
    She still didn’t remember much before the accident. She was wearing fashionable career attire when they had discovered her, the only clue that had been provided at that time. She didn’t remember any of her close relationships as of yet, but she had known she was a virgin. All that had changed last night when Leo deflowered her and his other six longhorn brothers introduced her to a plethora of other sexual carnalities.
    Leo knelt down and softly kissed his little, sad mate on her cherry-red lips. “Anything for my baby girl,” he whispered against her mouth. His heart leapt when he felt the smile form across her lips.

Chapter 2

    “Come in,” Charlie Rose called out after the soft knock at the half-open study door interrupted his Skype conference call. He conjured the lanky, dark-haired man entering with a wave of his hand. Charlie then turned back to the laptop screen to continue to speak to the account manager of his public relations firm.
    “Well, you’ll have to excuse me, Mr. Finez,” he spoke to his computer screen. “My nurse, Todd Leach, has arrived, and it seems I am due for another home visit.”
    “No problem, Mr. Rose. Like we discussed earlier, I’ll have those signed documents faxed to you by the end of the day. Once you approve, we can get started right away on Lil’ Payne’s public relations campaign. He should be getting out of prison in three days, and then his new album is hitting the shelves two days later, so we need to move fast while his name is still in the headlines. Talk about great timing to get arrested a fifteenth time for marijuana possession.”
    Charlie chuckled and nodded his head at his employee through their webcam. “Sounds good. Keep me posted on your progress. It shouldn’t be too complicated. You know how the young folks are these days—the more arrests the better in the rap music business.”
    Mr. Finez gave a final nod. “Yes, sir. Enjoy the rest of the day.”
    With that, Charlie shut his laptop and turned his attention back to Todd. “Thank you for your patience, Todd. Working from home has been a lot tougher than I had thought.”
    Todd smiled at him before waving his hand dismissively. “It takes some getting used to, I could imagine. You are a very dedicated, busy CEO, sir. A workaholic, if I