Hester gave him another eye roll as he placed a hand on her back and led her into the main office of the timber mill.
“They’ll get stuck if you’re not careful.”
That earned him a double eye roll. Antonio shook his head, laughing at her. Grumpiness should not be this sexy. But then, he’d never considered eating pancakes to be sexy until that morning, but damn, seeing her go Godzilla on those pancakes had him harder than he’d ever been.
He suspected he might have been able to take things a little further that morning. Hell, he knew he could of - he wasn’t blind and noseless. He could scent her arousal, could see the dull flush over her skin, and he tried not to stare at her hardening nipples pushing out of that deliriously thin t-shirt she wore to bed.
Just one flick of the claw and it could have been toast rumbled his beast mournfully.
But no, as hard as it had been – really fucking hard – he made the right call. If he rushed her, she’d only hate him for it later. Hate him more than she already did. He wasn’t dicking around. He freaking kidnapped her to become his mate and live with him for the rest of his life. He had to do this right. There were no do-overs.
Hester sighed as she looked around the messy office. Stacks of paper teetered everywhere. Admittedly, the prime wasn’t exactly good at that kind of stuff. Technically it was the domain of his second, Daniel but that male was a lazy pain in the ass. Rather than making any effort, he pushed his jobs onto others and spent most of his time in the local human town.
“Oh boy, paperwork,” purred Hester, “you sure know how to spoil a girl.”
Aaron, another leap mate chuckled, and she preened. Antonio glowered at the male until he left.
On the way over, he admitted the prime was his uncle. She seemed a little surprised, but overall it didn’t make her like him any less. It didn’t make her like him anymore, but he couldn’t have everything.
“My uncle was kind of annoyed when he heard you were a lawyer, but he’s come around to see maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”
Antonio kind of suspected that was down to his mother. Mama wanted him to be happy, and she was trying to make his uncle see how much of an asset Hester would be.
“Ah, gee, I’m thrilled,” she said as she fingered a leaning tower of documents.
“Maybe you could check over the wording on the contracts for selling off some of our land.”
His uncle didn’t like bringing in outside help, so yeah, having an actual lawyer within the leap would be a boon.
“I’m not a contract lawyer, but I’ll give it a go. So, you work here at the mill?”
“Yep, most of the leap mates do.”
Hester gave him a wry smile. “You mean most of the male leap mates do. From what I can see, the females don’t do much of anything.”
Antonio tried not to wince. “I wouldn’t let them hear you say that.”
Her cheeks colored. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know what you meant,” he said gently. “Our leap is old-fashioned in many ways, and women generally don’t have paying jobs.” In fact, the only ones who did were Marta and Valentina. For some reason, Daniel employed both of them in running the timber mill office. Not with much success if the mess they found was anything to go by. Or at least, he used to. Valentina spent more time at the leap daycare these days.
Hester pursed her lips in disapproval.
“But, you know, maybe things will change.” His jaguar chuffed in encouragement. “Maybe with the right females in the leap, maybe that will inspire other females.”
*
He was giving her such a hopeful, expectant look that Hester almost didn’t want to quash it. Almost. It had already been a long, frustrating morning, and it was barely nine. He plied her with delicious pancakes, got her motor running and then ran out on her, leaving her very much gagging for more. She’d been all ready to kiss him, and perhaps more, and he left her high and dry. It was making her wonder whether he really did want her.
Her cheetah harrumphed. He must want her – why else kidnap her? Not that it mattered she kept reminding herself.
Hester gave Antonio a withering look and would have followed that up with a few withering words were it not for the interruption of the entrance of two large males and one svelte female. All jaguars including the female surprisingly. Hester hadn’t met any female jaguars in the leap, and judging by the sour expression on this one, that was probably a good thing.
“Antonio,” rumbled the largest male.
He was slightly larger than Antonio, with similar features and silver at his temples. His face was rugged and weather-beaten, but he was sexy in spite of it. Obviously the prime. The other guy was about Antonio’s size, but as old as the prime, and had an expression surlier than a box of frogs. The female, well, she appeared to be in her forties, but concerning sheer malevolence, she was probably aged in the hundreds.
Antonio stilled and nodded at the large male. Prime nodded back, and his gaze fell on Hester.
“You his mate?” he rumbled.
“I’m Hester,” she said curtly.
His eyebrow twitched. “I’m the prime – Roberto. This is my second.”
Hester held her chin up and nodded at them both, not exactly in submission, but then neither was Antonio’s nod.
The sour female coughed, trying to get the prime’s attention. Pointedly, he ignored her.
“My nephew says you’re a lawyer.”
“I am,” replied Hester.
Prime grunted. “You’re willing to look over some contracts.”
It sounded like a statement, but she took it as a question. She was hardly a wilting flower, but antagonizing the prime hardly seemed like a good plan… at that moment.
“Sure.”
He nodded and then looked at the female jaguar. “You’re not needed today, Marta.”
Marta’s face turned a ruddy, angry color and she looked like she was about to argue, but prime snarled before she could even let out an eep. She shot Hester a furious look and then stomped out of there at breakneck speed.
Hester tensed as Antonio squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll see you later,” he murmured. “Have fun.”
He winked and left the office before she could register how warm and reassuring his touch was.
Damnit, he wasn’t making this hating him thing easy.