Free Freeing A Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shape Shifter Romance (Sleeping Lions - Shifters Prime Book 2) by Harmony Raines Page B

Daphne was two dress sizes bigger than Lottie, and her clothes hung on her, making her feel like a real vagabond.
    “Want to know what my lion is saying?” he asked. She was enjoying seeing him so relaxed and so happy; the weight had lifted and they might be any two people in the whole world, flirting and laughing on a first date. But they weren’t.
    They were lion shifters. And any time now she was going to have to learn to control her lion, or it would control her.
    “Don’t worry,” he said, coming closer.
    “I’m not,” she said, tilting her chin, trying to look brave. This man, this lion shifter, deserved a mate who was brave and tough. But she felt small and vulnerable.
    “I will be with you every step of the way,” he said, his body so close to hers she could feel the heat emanating from him. Stopping, he looked her up and down, making her stomach clench and her sex ache for him. Sex was as much a mystery as being a lion; boyfriends had been too dangerous for Lottie. She was always frightened she would give herself away, confide in the wrong man about her past, and then end up with her cover blown.
    She smiled and shook her head. The irony was startling.
    “Tell me what you are thinking?” he asked, leaning forward so that his breath caressed her skin.
    “I was thinking that I avoided intimate relationships to protect my privacy, and now here I am, in a strange new world, with my cover blown ... because of a man.”
    “I will always be eternally sorry,” he said, blowing on the skin that curved above her bra.
    “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said bravely, and her lioness agreed.
    “I want you, Lottie, so much it hurts like a physical pain.” His hand stroked her cheek, leaving heat in its wake. Leaning in further, his lips touched hers, softly, questioning her. Her reply was instant.
    Lottie kissed him back, her lips parting slightly, a sigh escaping them, and then his tongue slipped inside, stroking her lower lip, igniting a fire in her body that instantly raged out of control. Deep emotions woke within her, and she had to wrap her hands around his neck, holding on to him when her knees threatened to give way.
    Daniel caught her in his strong embrace, pulling her tightly against him, stroking her back with his right hand, comforting her as a tremor of desire passed through her body. It was all so intense; after being bitten, her life seemed to be one emotional roller coaster after another. The pain of the change had brought her to her knees, but now Daniel promised to take her by the hand and they would soar high above the Prime together.
    She nipped his lip, her teeth grazing his, and her lioness purred, wanting her to draw blood, to taste him properly. “Yuck.”
    He pulled back. “Sorry, I thought this was what you wanted.”
    “It is. It’s ... I didn't mean to say that out loud. My lioness puts thoughts in my head and I need to learn to process those in my head before I speak.”
    He smiled. “I can imagine how weird it is. Only because I spent too long without being able to hear my lion. That was the strangest period of my life, and not just because I was in a cage. It was so lonely.” He stroked her hair back from her face and then kissed her lips lightly. “You will get used to it. Now, let’s get on with today’s lesson.”
    “Yes sir,” she said, and then looked down at herself. “Do I really have to take all of my clothes off?”
    “If you ever want to wear them again,” he said. “I can turn around, but then it’s going to be difficult for me to help you change.”
    “Can I see you first,” she said, thinking that might give her courage.
    “Sure,” he said, “My lion is always anxious to show off.”
    Daniel moved back away from her, and stood still, he kind of had this faraway look in his eyes, and then he began to move, to change, and she could see why it was called shifting, because his body shifted from one thing to another, fur sprouting out of his