pack of cigarettes. “Here.”
Sissy shook her head. “I quit.” About twelve years ago, in fact.
“Do you want to get through the rest of the night without killing your own mother?”
Realizing she was right, Sissy took a cigarette from the pack and let Roxy light it up for her with her gold lighter.
As Sissy sat back and smoked her cigarette, she looked closely at Mitch’s mother. Like all lionesses, she was sort of gold all over. But her hair had lighter blond streaks and was combed out so it looked like a sexy wild mane. She wore a tight gold dress that may have been a few years too young for her and gold designer shoes that probably cost a fortune. Although Sissy wouldn’t know much about that since she was a boot girl. Work boots, cowboy boots, biker boots, whatever. If they were boots, Sissy wore them.
Mitch’s momma was beautiful, but there was a wildness to her that made Sissy take to her instantly. None of that stuck-up lioness shit she’d seen from the Llewellyns and the other East Coast Prides attending the wedding. This woman was classless and tasteless, and Sissy knew in that instant that she adored her.
“I gotta say, baby-girl, my boy talks about you all the time. But the conversation is definitely weird.” She turned a bit and looked at Sissy. “Did he really give you a wedgie the other day?”
Sissy laughed, remembering their tussle during the rehearsal dinner. She thought her momma was going to have a stroke she was so embarrassed. “Uh ... yeah. But I kind of deserved it.”
“So you and my boy ... uh ...” She wiggled perfectly waxed eyebrows, and Sissy laughed harder.
“God, no.”
Now the lioness looked insulted. “Why the hell not? Is my boy not good enough for you?”
“Miss O’Neill—”
“Roxy.”
“Roxy, trust me when I say that there are few Smiths who can accuse anyone of not being good enough for them. But we’re buddies. Friends.”
“Let me tell you something, baby-girl. My Mitchy—”
Mitchy?
“—I love him more than any woman can love her son. But me and his daddy, well ... let’s just say that was more about obligation to the Pride than any great love affair. But my pretty little Gwen ... me and her daddy ...” Then she purred. Seriously. Purred.
“Let’s just say I’ve never gotten it like that before and not since. Gwenie is my love child. And that’s what you want. Someone who makes you feel that way.”
“What happened with Gwen’s father?” Sissy knew something must have happened because Roxy spoke of him in the past tense. And she had no idea how Mitch made her “feel,” and Sissy was okay with that. No use analyzing everything. That had never been her style.
Roxy shrugged shoulders that looked strong and powerful. Typical swamp cat and probably why Roxy didn’t look scared of anybody. Why would you be when you’re built like a tank?
“I screwed that up. He had obligations to his family in Hong Kong and I was too scared to leave my Pride or Philly.” Gold eyes locked on her. “You weren’t afraid to leave your Pack, though, huh? Mitch says you’ve been damn near everywhere.”
“Smithtown has too many Alphas and not enough territory.”
“Plus, you didn’t want to have to take down your own mother so you could be in charge.”
“Like I could.”
“Oh, you could. And she knows it.” Roxy moved a little closer. “Take it from someone who does it to her own sisters, baby-girl. She does what she does to keep you off balance.”
“But I’m not in Smithtown anymore.”
“But until you settle down, until you have a mate and your mate is some place other than Smithtown, she’ll always worry you might move back. For good. When you meet someone as strong as you, you’ve gotta find other ways to keep control.”
She took another drag from her cigarette before carelessly tossing it. Sissy’s had already burned down, nearly singeing her fingers. “So when you gonna tell her you don’t want kids?”
Sissy froze.
Sissy shook her head. “I quit.” About twelve years ago, in fact.
“Do you want to get through the rest of the night without killing your own mother?”
Realizing she was right, Sissy took a cigarette from the pack and let Roxy light it up for her with her gold lighter.
As Sissy sat back and smoked her cigarette, she looked closely at Mitch’s mother. Like all lionesses, she was sort of gold all over. But her hair had lighter blond streaks and was combed out so it looked like a sexy wild mane. She wore a tight gold dress that may have been a few years too young for her and gold designer shoes that probably cost a fortune. Although Sissy wouldn’t know much about that since she was a boot girl. Work boots, cowboy boots, biker boots, whatever. If they were boots, Sissy wore them.
Mitch’s momma was beautiful, but there was a wildness to her that made Sissy take to her instantly. None of that stuck-up lioness shit she’d seen from the Llewellyns and the other East Coast Prides attending the wedding. This woman was classless and tasteless, and Sissy knew in that instant that she adored her.
“I gotta say, baby-girl, my boy talks about you all the time. But the conversation is definitely weird.” She turned a bit and looked at Sissy. “Did he really give you a wedgie the other day?”
Sissy laughed, remembering their tussle during the rehearsal dinner. She thought her momma was going to have a stroke she was so embarrassed. “Uh ... yeah. But I kind of deserved it.”
“So you and my boy ... uh ...” She wiggled perfectly waxed eyebrows, and Sissy laughed harder.
“God, no.”
Now the lioness looked insulted. “Why the hell not? Is my boy not good enough for you?”
“Miss O’Neill—”
“Roxy.”
“Roxy, trust me when I say that there are few Smiths who can accuse anyone of not being good enough for them. But we’re buddies. Friends.”
“Let me tell you something, baby-girl. My Mitchy—”
Mitchy?
“—I love him more than any woman can love her son. But me and his daddy, well ... let’s just say that was more about obligation to the Pride than any great love affair. But my pretty little Gwen ... me and her daddy ...” Then she purred. Seriously. Purred.
“Let’s just say I’ve never gotten it like that before and not since. Gwenie is my love child. And that’s what you want. Someone who makes you feel that way.”
“What happened with Gwen’s father?” Sissy knew something must have happened because Roxy spoke of him in the past tense. And she had no idea how Mitch made her “feel,” and Sissy was okay with that. No use analyzing everything. That had never been her style.
Roxy shrugged shoulders that looked strong and powerful. Typical swamp cat and probably why Roxy didn’t look scared of anybody. Why would you be when you’re built like a tank?
“I screwed that up. He had obligations to his family in Hong Kong and I was too scared to leave my Pride or Philly.” Gold eyes locked on her. “You weren’t afraid to leave your Pack, though, huh? Mitch says you’ve been damn near everywhere.”
“Smithtown has too many Alphas and not enough territory.”
“Plus, you didn’t want to have to take down your own mother so you could be in charge.”
“Like I could.”
“Oh, you could. And she knows it.” Roxy moved a little closer. “Take it from someone who does it to her own sisters, baby-girl. She does what she does to keep you off balance.”
“But I’m not in Smithtown anymore.”
“But until you settle down, until you have a mate and your mate is some place other than Smithtown, she’ll always worry you might move back. For good. When you meet someone as strong as you, you’ve gotta find other ways to keep control.”
She took another drag from her cigarette before carelessly tossing it. Sissy’s had already burned down, nearly singeing her fingers. “So when you gonna tell her you don’t want kids?”
Sissy froze.
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