The Snow Leopard's Mate: BBW Snow Leopard Shifter Paranormal Romance Read Free Page B

voice. “Seeing as how she was running away from you.”
    “She needs to pay for what she said to me,” Scraggly whined.
    The grey-eyed man stepped forward. “Excuse me,” he said to Ali.
    Suddenly, with a graceful twist, he was between her and Scraggly. He stared down at Scraggly’s trucker hat. Scraggly tilted his head back and looked a little less sure of himself.
    “Seems to me that you need to pay for what you did to her .” His voice was almost a growl. “We can do that here or outside.”
    “No! Uh, no, no thanks.” Scraggly backed away abruptly. He had to shoulder a few guys aside to do it. Then his whiny voice rose again as he started making new friends a few yards away.
    Ali let out a breath that she felt like she’d been holding for an hour.
    “Thank you,” she said to the man.
    Now that she had a chance to take in more than his height and his eyes, he was even more striking. His skin was weather-beaten and tanned a pale, pale gold, and his hair was white-blond, getting a little too long and falling into his eyes. He had broad shoulders and muscular arms, but still managed to give the impression of leanness, a rangy grace that she had just witnessed in motion.
    “No need to thank me.” No longer a rumbling growl, his voice was husky, deep but quiet enough that it seemed like she shouldn’t be able to hear it over the noise of the bar.
    “It was just what any man should’ve done.” His eyes flickered over the crowd of men around them, none of whom had done anything, but most of whom would’ve followed in Scraggly’s footsteps if they’d noticed her. “Any decent man,” he corrected himself.
    “Well, you’re the one who did it, so my thanks are going to you.” She couldn’t help looking him up and down again. Wow, he was a tall, cool glass of water. “Do you have a name?”
    “Grey,” he said. “Grey Landin. You?”
    She opened her mouth to say Ali , like she’d introduced herself a thousand times before, but for some reason what slipped out instead was, “Alethia. Alethia Parker.”
    “Alethia,” he repeated.
    In his husky voice, it didn’t sound weird or stupid or old-fashioned, like she usually thought. It sounded exotic and beautiful.
    “Are you okay, Alethia?” he was asking. She made herself pay attention. It wasn’t hard. His voice seemed to curl up next to her ears, somehow drowning out the crowd without being loud at all. “Did he do anything to you?”
    She shook her head. It was tempting to mention Ted feeling her up earlier, just to see what Grey Landin would do to a man like that.
    But just the sight and sound of Grey pushed Ted—and Molly, and Paul, and Scraggly, and even Matt—out of her mind. She didn’t want to bring any of that up with him. “I’m okay. I got his foot with my heel before he did anything.”
    Grey’s eyes flickered downward, and he smiled faintly. “Always wondered why women wore those things. Now I understand.”
    “We’re never without a weapon.” She held up her hand, showing her long nails. They were sparkly rose-pink this week. “These too.”
    “Those, I already guessed about. I’ve seen a woman use ’em a time or two. Works a treat.” He took her hand in one of his. His hands were big and warm, with long, graceful fingers, and when he touched her, a wave of desire ran through her body. “That’s a pretty color.”
    She felt herself blush. When was the last time a man had noticed her nails ? Let alone complimented her on them. “Thanks.” She looked down, suddenly uncertain. This guy was too nice and way too attractive. Surely he had a wife or a girlfriend somewhere.
    But his hand was still holding hers, and it didn’t have a ring on it.
    As if the same thought had flashed through his head, he looked around the bar. “Are you here with somebody? Can I find them for you?”
    “I came with my friend.” She almost stopped there, but honesty compelled her to continue. Ted was coming back to haunt the evening after all.