Drake laughed. “I’ll be with you, sweetheart. Let’s tell them as soon as Roman gets here.”
When Roman walked in, he frowned, immediately sensing the tension in the room. “What is it?” he asked, worried. “Have the Losoyas shown back up?”
“Nothing like that,” Drake assured him.
“But I have something to tell you,” Lana said. “All of you,” she added as Jackson came into his living room from the kitchen.
“Let’s sit down, then,” Jackson said, a frown on his face.
Lana took a deep breath before she spoke. “I’m going to get right to the point. I found out today that I’m pregnant.”
Roman looked at her blankly for a long moment, as if he were wondering if maybe she was teasing him.
“I’m pregnant,” she repeated.
Jackson was the first to speak. “How do you feel about it?
Roman Velazquez stood alone in the dark Hall of Alphas. Although he was in the center, his attention focused on the images of the two alphas on either end: Garcia, the first and most long-lived alpha of their streak, and Antonio, the most recent, now-deceased, alpha of their streak of tigers.Garcia, with his long, silver hair, was the founder of the first San Antonio tiger streak. His reputation was as a fierce warrior and a wise leader, the standard all the streaks’ later alphas strived to emulate. Antonio had been charismatic and had died far too young. The Losoya Pack, from the southwest part of town, had waged an unprovoked war aga
Christmas carols. On November first.What a travesty. As far as Lana Sparks—now Freeman, she reminded herself—was concerned, the holiday season shouldn’t begin until after Thanksgiving. Then again, everything about this holiday season was ticking her off—starting with her employer&rsqu
Oh, no. She froze, checking out the quickest routes to the exits. Still… I don’t sense any danger.“I’m hoping I sat down at a table in your section,” he said, winking at her.Oh, that smile is so sexy. This has to be a coincidence.
“A confession to make? Oh, do tell.” Lana smiled back at the gorgeous man, enjoying the banter for the first time in as long as she could remember.“I wasn’t really looking at the menu. I was thinking how glad I am that I chose to come back here and that this restaurant is still open.”“Why wouldn’t it be open?”
Roman was almost done with the first margarita as Lana returned to his table. “Lightweight, my ass,” she said.“I’m hoping large amounts of alcohol will help me come up with the right line to sweep you off your feet.”“Oh, you already found it. When you told me you had tons of cash and I could have my way with you, it was a done deal. I’m kind of a gold digger that way.” She feigned a serious expression.
The night flew by, not only because her section was busy, but because she kept fixating on Roman. He was certainly good-looking by almost any woman’s standards, not to mention full of confidence—but his overtures toward her were almost boyish and definitely clumsy. Also cute and disarming, she admitted to herself. She was less intimidated by him than she might otherwise be. I have to be careful about that. It might be his way of getting past my guard.
It’s time for a change, Lana decided. Two years was long enough to mourn her father and her mate. And she might be on the run, but that didn’t mean she had to go without companionship. So she’d already made some decisions about this beautiful tiger-shifter. If the night continued to go well, he would be the first tiger-shifter she’d been intimate with since Ian’s death. It was good that Roman was so different from Ian. For one thing, he was a bit older than she—he’d be the first older
Pulling back, Lana fought to regain both her composure and her breath. Not to mention that smartass waitress I was channeling earlier. Finally, she said, “Okay, I have an idea.”“What’s that?” He smiled, but his breath came a little faster than usual, too.