Lioness shifter Scarlett Milan hates that she wants her boss more than her next breath. All she thinks about is how his black-rimmed glasses and bow tie are sexier on him than any other man. But since he’s human, she’s afraid she could break him, even kill him if she gave into what she wants.

She doesn't care he's her brother's best friend. She doesn't even care that they are supposed to be working together. Not when he says things like "Look at me" when she's on her knees for him or "This is only the beginning" when he's making her scream. 

No, all she can think about is how possessive, aggressive, and demanding he is. And it makes her dizzy with desire. 

But it also makes her blind. And when someone comes for Knox's life, she can't protect him. She thinks she's going to lose him. 

Instead what she gets is so much better. 

When his eyes open, she can see the animal beneath, one begging to be let out. Especially when he growls, "Mine." Because she already is his, just waiting to be claimed. And she is ready to spend a long time letting him do just that...

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Scarlett Milan was going to kill her boss. She would watch his life drain from the slashes she’d leave on his neck. Then, she’d lick her paws and finally get some peace.

“Scarlett?” Knox Daniels’ voice made the lioness want to purr. Damn, stupid animal. What the fuck was wrong with her?

“Yes, Knox?” She turned to face him, swiveling in her chair. He wore those black-rimmed glasses he needed or he’d never see his own hand in front of his face. A blue dress shirt and a bow tie. Yeah, a bow tie. Not even a regular tie. For an investment banker, he was such a geek. He even had a frickin’ pocket protector. 

Did her annoying lioness care he was a geek? No, she did not. Her bitch of a lioness wanted her boss. She cared he had eyes a softer brown than milk chocolate. Except Scarlett didn’t like her boss. She couldn’t. She’d probably break him in bed. Fucking hell.

Why the hell was she thinking of herself and Knox in bed? Why?

“I…I was hoping…” 

She raised her brows and watched him tug at his bow tie. Dammit. Once again she had to suppress a purr from her feline and shut the animal up. “You were hoping?”

He cleared his throat. She stared deeply into his beautiful brown eyes and squeezed her legs together. Goddamn, he was so sexy. 

He glanced down at her chest. The scent of his own arousal made it damn hard for her to push her lioness back. The bitch wanted to strip him to just the bow tie and the glasses while she fucked him.

He visibly gulped and glanced away from her low-cut neckline. She could say she hadn’t chosen that dress to purposely taunt him, but that was a lie. She knew he wanted her and hated that he was her boss. Hated that he was oblivious to her desires and hated that he disliked wanting her. More than anything, she hated that he was human and she could never truly go wild with him.  

Not to mention how boring he was. He never did anything. Spent days and nights in the office and the only reason she knew he liked women was because she smelled how he wanted her.

Even with all that, the man had a girlfriend. It boggled the mind. Okay, it really didn’t. Those gorgeous eyes behind those black-rimmed spectacles. That clean-shaven look and his hair always in place did things to her that no naked man ever had. Fucking hormones! He never crossed the line when it came to Scarlett. No. It was all work with him. All about making sure she was busy doing the most boring job on the planet. 

She really needed to find a new job. 

No, you don’t. Mate. Mate. Mate. Argh! If her lioness weren’t so hard-headed, she’d have been able to leave this job, but no. The fact that she liked being near Knox kept Scarlett from quitting. She didn’t know why her stupid cat kept thinking of him as her mate, but no man she could break in bed could be her mate. No fucking way.

“Knox?” she repeated, pulling him out of whatever daydream he was having with his work. “What were you hoping?”

“That you would come to the company party this weekend.”

She saw desire in his eyes. Her pussy went slick. Thank god, he couldn’t smell her or things would get real fucking awkward. “I’m not sure if I can, but I’ll do my best.”

He smiled and her nipples tightened. She had to be going into heat. It was the only explanation to how suddenly she couldn’t get enough of his voice or the way his dark eyes roamed her face until he stopped at her lips. She licked her lips and was rewarded with him clearing his throat. Her cat purred and she had to cough to hide the sound. 

“I’m going to have dinner with Lisa,” he said, tugging his bow tie again. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the party.”

If he mentioned his girlfriend one more time, she might hiss. She’d yet to meet the woman, but her lioness hated her guts as it was. Not to mention she’d seen a photo of him and her in the paper at some swanky charity thing. 

“Have you talked to her father about those deposits?” she asked. 

“I left him a message. Once I hear back from him, I’ll know where to go from there.”

“Hopefully, he can tell you where all that money came from since you’re supposed to be the one handling his accounts. I don’t get how someone can buy a company with capital that wasn’t there. Where did it come from?”

“Don’t worry about that stuff, I’ll figure it out.”

She waved him out of the office, hating that he was leaving, but she took a breath and slipped her heels off. Time to relax.

She picked up the phone and dialed her sister-in-law, Shani. Her brother’s wife had invited her for dinner and she was taking her up on it. First, because Scarlett loved Shani’s cooking. Second, because she was dying to hold her newest nephew, Max. 

“Hello, darling!” Shani answered. The sound of kids laughing in the background made it hard to hear her.

“I’m coming. Be there in half an hour.”

“Wonderful. I made your favorite. Nick is off protecting some movie star so we won’t be eating with him tonight.”

Scarlett’s brother owned a security company. Thankfully, Shani was incredibly understanding that her husband was constantly protecting some rich guy or another. Scarlett was happy to help Shani with the kids when Nick wasn’t around.

She went into Knox’s office to put a file on his desk and the scent of him made her lioness crazy. 

She went around his desk and sat on his chair. Pressing her body into the cushion, she inhaled hard. Fuck, it smelled just like him. He’d left a handkerchief on his desk. It was folded neatly into a square with his initials embroidered on a corner.

Her body throbbed and she couldn’t get the image of him in the fucking bow tie and his sexy eyes looking at her out of her mind. She needed to get laid. Fast.