I stopped and stared at Sebastian. “Did you just call yourself half-decent? What happened to your lion ego and pride? That is not egoistical lion commentary. That was almost self-deprecating. And I should know. When it comes to my face, I’m the queen of making such commentary, and that’s the kind of commentary I would make. Well, about my scars, at least. The rest of me is feline perfection.”
“We’re going to have to work on how often you get injured taking on a bounty. That rate is not perfect, Miss Murder Mittens. I’m expecting actual perfection out of you in the future.”
I heard the challenge in his tone, and as always, I bristled. “Or what?”
“I’ll be too busy tending to your injuries to be able to worship your body and make you purr to my satisfaction.”
As far as threats went, his hit dead center, and my virus roused, aware of the risk to her pleasure and general happiness. And mine, too. Somehow, I’d become involved with an utterly ruthless, wicked lion. Sometimes, only telling the truth sufficed. “You are a ruthless lion,” I declared.
Most flinched when I glared at them, but all I did was make Sebastian grin. “I can be. I’ll be exceptionally ruthless about safeguarding your life. Yes, you’re a bounty hunter. I’m not expecting or even asking you to stop doing that work. It’s important, and you’re good at it. I just want you to come out on the other side of each job less likely to need transfusions in some damned hospital because you took on how many males twice your size at one time?”
“It was only six.”
Sebastian roared at me. “That’s five too many.”
Sure enough, I purred at the evidence of his frustration and displeasure. My eyes widened, and he glowered in my general direction.
I, idiot that I was, kept on purring.
He waited for me to silence my enjoyment of his roaring, which took several minutes longer than sensible or dignified. His glower eased to a smirk. “I win, Wells.”
Damn it. “That was a good roar, and I deserve to purr after frustrating you into doing it.”
“You deserve to purr daily for a variety of reasons. I hope to be responsible for most of your purrs. Now, march, Wells. Don’t ladies get agendas for these spa events? I wouldn’t want you to miss any of your planned activities. And I need to go buy clothes while you’re being pampered.”
In reality, I delayed dealing with the next few minutes of my life, which happened relentlessly each and every day. I sighed. “They’re going to flinch when they see my scars.”
“That’s a reflection of them and not you. Just remind yourself I don’t flinch. Keep a count of flinches, grimaces, gasps, and anything else others do that hurt your feelings, and I’ll reward you for enduring them. I’m sure I can come up with many ways I can reward you. Just be aware I do enjoy when you’re tamed and quiet, as you’re anything but tamed or quiet most of the time.”
I grinned at him. “I’m really not, and I can’t begrudge you wanting some quiet after I’ve spent all day frustrating you for the sake of my purrs and happiness.”
“And it will be one of my goals to make you purr daily. I can’t purr, but I’m sure you can think of something in exchange.”
“Roar, obviously. Daily. For my enjoyment.”
“How about you making me roar for my enjoyment?” In what had to be a first in the lion’s entire life, he pouted. “What about me, Harri Wells? Don’t I deserve daily satisfaction?”
“You roaring because I frustrated you is satisfying for you. And I want to make you roar from frustration daily.”
“How is that satisfying for me?”
“Well, you’re the one who said my purring makes you happy. That’s a trap of your own making, Sumners. But don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.”
“You’re something else.”
“You’re the one who wanted me as much as I wanted you and that roar of yours. You only have yourself to blame for how this turned out. I refuse to feel any shame in this. For once in my adult life, everything has gone right for me, and I will enjoy this while it lasts.”
He smiled. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. As long as I have something to say about it, you’re going to be enjoying a lot about life, but especially the evenings. I have many plans for our evenings.”
“That better be a promise, Sebastian, or I will show you the power of a lynx’s utter disappointment. And any sane woman, lynx or otherwise, would be completely heartbroken following that level of disappointment.”
“How scary. A lynx’s disappointment. Do you know what is far scarier than a lynx’s disappointment?”
I regarded him with interest. “What could possibly be scarier?”
“A crying lion, which is what will happen if I don’t get to indulge in my plans for this evening.”
The woman at the counter, young, spry, and with perfect pale skin, stared at me with wide eyes. Like the rest of her face, her makeup was pristine, and she’d gone with a dark, smokey eyeshadow, partnered with black mascara to bring out the blue of her eyes. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t gasp. She didn’t do anything other than meet my gaze.
Then, as though she was utterly blind, she smiled. “Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”
I glanced at Sebastian, who chuckled, pressed his hand to my back, and pushed me forward, fiddling with his phone in his free hand. Taking that as a cue to stop acting as though my last brain cell had fainted, I set my purse on the counter. “I do, it’s under Harri Wells. I have a week-long package. I wanted to know if it was possible to add Sebastian to my room and package.”
I’d gotten the best the hotel had to offer, but I’d gotten confused about how the packages worked. I’d purchased the most expensive one, and somewhere in the marketing material had been something about add-on guests, but her smile fried what was left of my brain.
The wide eyes bothered me a hell of a lot less than her smile. Was it real? Was it fake? How had she not flinched? Did the spa give their employees copious amounts of pixie dust to ensure perfect professionalism?
Was she an angel hiding with some remarkably human and female disguise? A succubus on the prowl?
No, that didn’t make sense. Incubus? No, that also didn’t make sense.
What was even going on?
“That is absolutely no problem, Miss Wells. Will your companion be joining you at the spa?”
Sebastian’s answering and equally bright smile stunned me almost as much as the woman’s behavior. While I lost the base ability to function, he took over, nodded, and said, “If at all possible, yes. I do have one errand to run tonight that should take me about two hours, but if it’s possible to join her for the rest of her sessions to as much as can be accommodated, that would be appreciated.”
“Miss Wells purchased one of our complete packages, which gives her the option to be accompanied by a companion as she sees fit. Give me a moment, and I will print a copy of her schedule.” With a smile the match of Sebastian’s, the woman input something into the computer, turned, and headed to a cubby, where a printer dutifully went to work. She returned with several sheets of paper. “It is not unusual for guests to bring companions to get to know them better in a soothing environment, and we have found men enjoy their time at our spa as much as women. Circle the sessions you wish to attend, sir, and I will have you added to her reservation.”