Primal Song (12 page)

But she wouldn’t use it. Dammit, in this moment Monk reminded her of why she’d considered him one of her best friends.

She sighed and slumped against Ram, needing his strength for the moment. “You do realize Kitty’s a grizzly?” she asked in a bored tone.

Monk frowned at her. “Of course.”

She rolled her eyes. “Do you honestly think a grizzly bear would let anyone harm her cubs? Even her own mate?”

The dawning realization in his eyes was gratifying. Even better than clawing his paint job. He looked equal parts stunned and disgusted with himself. She nodded. “You’re a moron.”

“I was eighteen, Daisy Lynn, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead,” he muttered as he flopped into the chair again. “
Cher bon Dieu
, I really did fuck everything up, didn’t I?” He groaned and threw an arm over his face.

Daisy opened her mouth to agree, but Ram squeezed her ribs hard enough to compress all the air out of them. He shook his head. “Could I get something to drink?” he asked when she stared at him.

She frowned and shot a look between him and the still grimacing Monk. He was trying to get rid of her. She shook her head, but Ram nodded firmly. She growled and he snapped his teeth at her in warning.

“Fine!” she huffed and flounced off the sofa. Let them have their little male-bonding moment. The minute Monk left, she’d let Ram have it.

Ram waited until Daisy was in the kitchen before he looked at the pathetic excuse for a cougar across the room, groaning and grimacing as if he were dying. “God, get over yourself,” he said in disgust.

Monk dropped his arm to glare at him. “You didn’t destroy a young girl’s heart because you were trying to protect her.”

“Yeah, because I’m not an asshole in love with some fragile female,” Ram shot back.

“Kitty isn’t fragile.” The words came out a challenge as Monk sat forward. “She’s strong and independent. She went to New York with nothing but a dream and made something of herself. Don’t ever talk that way about her.”

Ram sat back, satisfied. “If she’s all that, then why are you treating her like she needs to be protected like some goddamn fragile flower?” He shook his head when Monk gaped at him. “Look at you, man. You gave up your mate because you didn’t think she was strong enough to deal with your problems. You didn’t give her any choice—you just let her go without giving her options.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, well, I’m starting to realize that thinking when it comes to a mate is overrated. That’s Daisy’s problem, she keeps thinking things to death and it isn’t something you decide to do. You just do it, you know?”

Monk said nothing. He stared at Ram for several seconds with the sound of Daisy slamming things around in the kitchen in the background. “What do I do now? She won’t want to see me and even though Daisy knows, I don’t think she’s going to help me with Kitty.”

Ram shook his head. “You’re thinking about it all wrong. Is she your mate? Did you mark her?”

The cougar hung his head. “Yeah.”

“Then she’s your mate. You either go get her, or you wait for her to come to you.” Ram glanced over his shoulder to make sure Daisy wasn’t behind him. He leaned forward. “In fact, wait for her to come to you.”

Monk sighed impatiently. “She isn’t coming back here. She swore she wouldn’t.”

“She’d come back if Daisy got married,” Ram countered smoothly.

Monk blinked as though Ram had lost his mind. “Daisy’s getting married? To…you?”

“Well yeah, she’s my mate.”

“Does she know this yet? I mean, have you actually asked her?” Monk asked with a dubious look on his face.

Ram didn’t like the doubt one bit. He crossed his arms. “She’ll accept.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She will. She’s just being stubborn right now because she thinks I’m here to start a pride or some crazy shit like that. I’m not and once she realizes that, everything will work out.” He leaned back again. “That means Kitty will come home if they’re anywhere as close as Ms. Claudette suggested.”

Monk looked intrigued. “They’re as close as sisters and tell each other everything so yeah, she’d come home for that.”

Ram smiled. “And when she does, you fix it. Simple as that.”

“I don’t know, man, that seems…pretty simplistic. Does that work for you? The whole doing what you want and having them just give in?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

Monk snorted. “That won’t work with Daisy. She’s not like one of your groupies, you know. She doesn’t give a shit if you’re famous or not, she won’t give in just because of who you are.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle her.”

“Oh you will, huh?” a silky voice said behind him.

He glared at the cat across the room. “You couldn’t have told me she was standing there? Where’s the fucking loyalty?”

Monk shrugged as he got to his feet, keeping plenty of distance between Daisy and himself. “I’ve known her longer and while you’d probably just kill me, she’d torture me. Sorry, man.”

“And on that note, you can carry your happy ass home,” Daisy told Monk, coming around the sofa with a glass of something in her hand. “I’ll stop by your office some time this week so we can talk about this some more without Dr. Phil over there to referee.”

Monk shot her a startled look, but the warmth in his eyes was unmistakable. “Sure thing, Daisy Lynn,” he said with a slow smile.

“And stop fucking calling me Daisy Lynn!” she shouted at the cougar as he opened the door.

Monk laughed, the door slamming shut behind him. Seconds later, they heard the contented purr of a fine-tuned engine. Daisy sighed. “I’m gonna have to pay for a new paint job, huh?”

“Probably.”

She rounded on him, her dark eyes narrowed. The scent of her anger peppered the air around them. “And you’re going to handle me, huh? How exactly are you planning to do that?”

Ram gently removed the glass of whatever it was from her hand and peered at it curiously. “What is this?”

“Your drink.”

He sniffed it, his stomach turning at the combination of scents. “Are you trying to poison me?” he demanded.

“It was a thought, especially after the way you acted with Monk.” Her frown deepened. “What the fuck are you doing here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be at my parents’ house kissing ass?”

Ah, no wonder she was so pissed off. “Did Monk tell you I was there?” Because he’d have to hurt the cougar for ratting him out.

Daisy snorted and moved away to sprawl in the recliner. “As if I’d have believed anything he said.” Her face twisted. “Well, before tonight.” She ran a hand over her face. “
Cher bon Dieu
, I can’t believe he didn’t tell us about his mama,” she whispered. “I’m still pissed about how he went about breaking things off with Kitty, but…he’s right. She would’ve stuck by his side anyway. God, what a mess. How do I tell her?”

Ram plopped down on the sofa, idly noting it was new. “You don’t.” Her glare should’ve killed him, but he wasn’t worried. “It isn’t your business. It’s between Monk and Kitty. If it works out, it works out, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. You can’t be involved.”

“She’s my cousin! My best friend,” she argued. “He almost killed her with that stunt.”

“And you,” Ram inserted softly.

“What?”

He stretched out his legs and folded his hands over his stomach. “His actions meant he wasn’t your best friend anymore either. He didn’t just hurt her. You trusted him. He hurt you too.”

She stiffened. “I had no idea you were such an expert psychologist. Tell me, did you get your degree between fucking groupies?”

Daisy knew it was a bitchy thing to say, but she was so stunned by his words, his perception, she went on the defense. Because he was right. Monk hadn’t just broken Kitty’s heart—he’d broken hers as well. She’d never been romantically interested in Monk, but she’d loved him as a close friend, as a brother. His betrayal had hurt her as deeply as it had Kitty. But that didn’t mean she wanted Ram Reinhardt analyzing her. It scared her that he could see her so clearly, she reacted, lashing out at him in a bid to protect herself.

It didn’t help that he looked so smug sitting there, as if he had her all figured out. And he probably did. Daisy knew she wasn’t the most complicated female on the planet. Hell, most of the time she didn’t understand other females because they confused her. She liked to keep things simple. If someone pissed her off, she was pissed off. If someone hurt her, she hurt them back. Simple, effective and direct. Everything with Ram left her mind fluttering all over the place as if she was…well, like other women. It was so annoying.

“I’m a musician,” he said easily. “I spend a lot of my time people watching. Always have.”

“Why am I not surprised to find out a lion shifter likes to sit on his ass and watch everyone else?”

“You also go on the attack when you’re feeling uncomfortable,” he replied with a smile she wanted to wipe off his face with her fist.

“What are you doing here?” she muttered.

“I’m here to be with my mate after I had an interesting meal with her family.”

Daisy fought to stay in place. She knew it! She’d known her parents wouldn’t be able to keep the Kyle incident quiet. Not when they were looking at adding a lion to their family. No, her mama would’ve wanted to smooth over Daisy’s rough spots by explaining why she’d become abrasive. God. The last thing she’d wanted was for Ram to find out about Kyle and how she hadn’t been enough for him. He’d pity her.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” he asked, his amber eyes gleaming with satisfaction and something else she couldn’t identify.

She squirmed and folded her arms over her chest. It was a defensive position but fuck it. She felt defensive. “I was hoping you wouldn’t,” she mumbled.

“Oh yeah, they told me and all the pieces came together,” he continued as he glanced around the room, his gaze lighting on her entertainment center. “And the proof is right there for me to see. I didn’t notice it that first night because, well, I was more worried about diving into your pussy, but I see it now.”

Daisy frowned. Proof? Of Kyle? She peered over her shoulder. She was almost positive she hadn’t left any pictures out, not that she had many of the bastard. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, just her stereo system and music and movie collection. She turned back with a scowl.

“What proof?”

He nodded. “I can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t find out.”

He was driving her fucking insane! “Find out what?” she almost shrieked at him.

Ram’s lips curled into a sly smile. “You’re a groupie.”

Chapter Seven

Daisy blinked at the smug lion. “What?” she squeaked.

“I saw the pictures of you and your cousin hanging out at rock concerts and then I saw Saber CDs on your shelf over there. I’ve got you all figured out, honey. You found out we were playing at the festival and managed to plant yourself in front of the stage to seduce me.” He shrugged. “It worked. You drove me nuts and next thing I knew, I had to have you.”

Her jaw had to be somewhere on the floor. Of all accusations Ram could have made, this one hadn’t appeared anywhere on her radar. “Are you crazy?”

“I’m crazy about you, yeah. You made sure of it.”

“I was
working
!”

He snorted. “Yeah, you were working that uniform all right. Do you always wear it so tight?” he asked in a disapproving tone. “I like looking at you in it but you’ll have to get a different size when you’re on duty. I don’t want males staring at you and thinking about what they’d like to do with your handcuffs.”

Daisy surged off the sofa, not sure if she was pissed off, flattered or going crazy. “You—I—no, you can’t tell me how to dress,” she stammered, unable to concentrate. Ram had completely thrown her for a loop and it was taking a while to regain her balance. “I had no idea you were playing that night. And I’m not a fucking groupie.”

He lifted his hands in a calming gesture. “There’s nothing wrong with showing your love for your favorite musicians, baby. You just happened to catch one on a permanent basis. You don’t have to hide it anymore.”

She gaped at him, flummoxed. “I’m not a goddamn groupie!” she screamed when she found her voice.

Eyebrows raised in blatant disbelief, he muttered, “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.’”

Daisy attacked. She couldn’t help herself. He looked so smug, so sure he was irresistible. She lunged at him, hands reaching for his throat. She wasn’t expecting him to be prepared for her attack. Every conversation she had with him turned her brain into a murky marsh of confusion—she couldn’t be expected to think rationally around him.

Before she even touched him, Ram caught her around the waist and flipped her onto her back on the sofa. The sudden change in direction punched the air out of her lungs and he had his body wedged between her legs before she could blink or breathe. His heavy weight came down on top of her, his heat burning her through both their clothing.

She blinked up at him and saw amusement in his amber eyes. If she’d had her wits about her, she might have taken offense knowing he’d taunted her into this position, but his hard cock pressing against her core finished off what few brain cells she had left.

The purr rumbling out of his chest vibrated through her. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?” he murmured against the side of her neck.

Given the size of the lead pipe pressing against her, Daisy had a very good idea how much he wanted her. “Why?” she blurted when he seemed content to sniff her.

He lifted his head, his nose inches from hers. “Why what? Why do I want you?”

Way to look insecure there, Daisy Lynn. Why don’t you just start sniffling and crying about how you were never asked to prom?
She stiffened her spine. She refused to let him intimidate her but she couldn’t let it go. “Yes. I’m not like the females you’re probably used to.”

Ram’s eyes softened, his pupils expanding.

“No, you’re not like the females I’m used to.” She felt his gaze like a stroke over her skin. His hips started up a slow churn, bumping and rubbing his cock against her. “You call to my lion. He doesn’t know what to do with himself when you’re out of sight. He wants to pounce on you, mark you for his. He’s never given a shit about anyone or anything before.”