When A Lioness Snarls (A Lion's Pride Book 5) by Eve Langlais Page A

with her claws for that.”
    Fine with him. Jeoff wouldn’t mind a little scratching action, with her. Wrong thought. He really needed to keep his distance from the temptation she posed, which was why he couldn’t understand why he didn’t take up Arik on his offer.
    “You can go home if you like. I’ll sit with her or get Hayder and Arabella to come over.”
    “Nope. Let them rest. I’ve got this.”
    Crazy talk , Jeoff thought as he shut the door behind Arik and secured it with a chair under the knob. The condo’s fancy lock systems were all well and good, but electronics could be hacked. Old-fashioned methods, such as a wedge, never failed. Unless someone used a pickup truck and rammed at the blocked doorway. But that case was years ago, and he didn’t see a truck being able to make it to her floor. Still, though, precautions should be taken.
    Most likely, the flying dude had swooped down and entered through an unlocked balcony. Jeoff couldn’t be one hundred percent sure because of the lack of scent for tracking. With nothing to smell, he relied on logic, especially knowing how hard it would be for a stranger, especially one with, oddly, no scent, to infiltrate the building and get in through the door. So he assumed the dude had come through the balcony, which was why he thumbed the latch. It wouldn’t stop anyone determined to get in, but the snapping of it would give audible warning.
    The sliding door wasn’t the only point of entry. There was another window in the bedroom. I should check it.
    Totally check it , his wolf too eagerly agreed.
    No need to ask why. His shaggy other side liked being around Luna. Liked her smell. The touch of her hands on him. The taste of her lips. As a matter of fact, his wolf liked just about everything about her.
    And so do I. It galled him to admit, but at the same time, hadn’t this always been true? How many years since he’d first noticed Luna? Lusted after her, but done his best to ignore her? Now, circumstance had thrown them together, forced him to get close. Vey close. Problem was he now couldn’t seem to get away.
    Don’t want to go away. His inner beast said it succinctly.
    That attitude was a problem. But he’d have to suck it up and remind himself that he had promised Arik to watch over Luna. That meant going into that bedroom and checking on that damned window.
    So why did he hesitate? He’d put her to bed all big and furry. Nothing to tempt him. Nothing to make him do something stupid.
    The door opened quietly, and he poked his head in. Sucked in a hard breath. In her sleep, Luna had shifted, her tawny lioness pulled back to leave bared skin.
    Stop staring!
    He really shouldn’t ogle, especially given her condition. The window still needed checking, though, which meant he had to go in.
    Be brave.
    He walked into the bedroom, keeping his gaze averted from the bed, skirting the foot of it to get to the other side to check on the window. It showed no signs of tampering, and the lock was firmly engaged.
    He made to circle around the bed again, his intent being to escape to the living room, where he could fight the allure of her scent. Instead, he found himself stopping by the head of the bed and staring down at Luna. She lay splayed on her stomach again. Face angled to the side, lips parted and snoring softly. In the dim light, he could barely see the pattern of freckles across the bridge of her nose. The skin of her cheeks appeared smooth, alabaster perfection. He ran the backs of his knuckles against it, drawn to touch.
    A soft sigh left her lips. So sweet.
    Walk away. Don’t stay in here. There was no reason to stay in here. He could make himself a spot on the couch.
    Stay. She’s vulnerable. No matter what Arik said, or she thought, Luna was currently defenseless. I shouldn’t go far.
    Also, that couch wasn’t exactly built for a guy his size, and her bed was awfully big. The justifications convinced him to stay with her. The door proved easy to secure