Rough It Up Read Online Free Page B

under her weight as a lioness emerged.
    “God, she’s beautiful.” His brother echoed his own thoughts.
    Jay stared at the woman he’d mated with. He could have left her there and walked away at some point over the past few days. He hadn’t thought once about the fact she was a mixie, hadn’t cared either. But she wasn’t. She was a pure…and she was magnificent.
    He smiled. “Hello, Alexa.”
    The lioness’ tail swished in welcome.
    He forced his lion back, deep inside him, not wanting to risk frightening her so soon. Instead, he held out his hand and waited for her to come to him. She stepped down from the bed, grace in all of her movements as she completely ignored his brother and walked toward him. That made him smile, that faint twitch of his lips the first sign things were improving. “You’re so beautiful, darlin’,” he crooned as she head-butted his open palm.
    He knelt down in front of her and caressed her soft fur, rejoicing in the feel of her, in how amazingly perfect she felt. She turned her face to the side, but he grabbed her by the ears and forced her to look at him. “Mine,” he growled, using the voice he knew she wouldn’t be able to ignore. He wasn’t his brother, as gifted as he was. He was the Alpha’s first-born. Their Pride’s future Alpha. “You are mine, Alexa. Human, lioness, you’re both mine. Forever.” And with that, he leaned down and dropped a kiss on her snout.
    The lioness shook her head but didn’t move. She looked at him as if weighing his words carefully. Seconds later, she leaned her weight against his legs. She’d accepted him. Relief flooded him, and it was only when his brother clasped his shoulder and said, “Well done, bro,” that he finally believed everything would be all right.
    He stood up and watched as she pranced around the room, her too-big body bumping into every piece of furniture. She seemed content enough, though, as she got used to her new form, sniffing every corner, looking at him every so often just to check he was still there. He smiled, but it didn’t last long. Trust his brother to ruin his good mood.
    “You’re gonna have your hands full. She’s clearly a dominant.” Nathan’s voice was huskier than usual, his lion more apparent in his gaze too.
    “I know. I’ll be fine. What’s wrong with you?”
    “She’s still in heat. You might have mated, but she’s still sending out pheromones like crazy. You need to get her to shift so I can examine her. Once that’s done and I’m convinced she’s all right, you can take her to bed. Oh, and Jay? Keep her there for the next few days, all right? She needs to get all those years out of her system before you can even think of bringing her back home. ”
    Jay nodded. “Thanks, Nate.”
    His brother grinned. “I wouldn’t have missed that for the world. Our dear Alpha-to-be, shackled! The Pride women are gonna be so upset you won’t be there to help them the next time they’re in heat.”
    “They’ll have you.”
    Nathan laughed out loud this time. “Oh yeah. I hadn’t thought about that.” He rubbed his hands in glee. “More for me!”
    Shaking his head, Jay took a few steps toward the lioness and grabbed the skin at the back of her neck. She hissed, but one growl from him and she stopped. “You need to shift now, Alexa.” She stared back at him and showed him her fangs. “Don’t make me force you, darlin’. We both know who’s the strongest. Come on, baby, shift. I’ll be here to catch you.”
    He worried she wouldn’t take heed, but he shouldn’t have. He had to stop forgetting she was already his mate. The mating call might still be upon them, but to their animals, they were now irrevocably linked. He inched away from her and watched her transition, his body tense until she appeared. The woman who’d captured his interest from the get-go, her lush curves bare, tempting, teasing…
    “Shit,” his brother muttered under his breath.
    And yet, he heard him. “Leave