Lion's Love And Honor: The Pride of Sierra Leandra (Paranormal Romance) by Meg Ripley

has taken me so long, and while I know you cannot possibly understand, I have come here for a reason, Charlotte. And it turns out, that reason is you . And I’m more glad than you can possibly imagine,” he explained cryptically.
    “I don't understand,” Charlotte replied, completely at a loss. She had no idea what to make of the stranger's ramblings. This had to be the weirdest conversation she'd ever had. Weirder still was the fact that she was still sitting there. She really should have taken a hike when the guy started repeating her thoughts.
    “And I see that all I'm doing is confusing you right now. I will be back,” he assured her before standing, settling up his bill and strolling out of the sports bar. Charlotte was left to stare after him, wondering if perhaps she'd just imagined the exchange between them. She remained still for a moment after he'd left before sweeping up the money on the table to cover the stranger's bill.
    She shook her head, trying to clear it of the confusion from her bizarre conversation with the stranger. It was a difficult task, but her five minutes was up and it was time to get back to work. Fortunately, the rest of the night passed quickly and much less disturbing than she had expected. Strangely, the immature grabbers at the bachelor party table had calmed down immensely since her last trip to their table. She stopped by to refill glasses two more times during the evening and her entire body remained untouched the entire time. “Jeez, I gotta find out what's ended up in their drinks and stash some for the next raucous group of males,” Charlotte thought to herself.
    She swept the floors and washed down the tables after the last customer cleared out of the bar and then headed out quickly, never terribly enthusiastic about the long walk home after dark. She looked around for the stranger that had confused her earlier, but he was nowhere to be found. So, she started out down the sidewalk, moving quickly while her low heels kept a staccato beat to spur her onward.

****
     
    The next day passed in a whirlwind of errands, housework and too many loads of laundry to count. She'd fallen behind, picking up so many extra shifts. But, at twenty-four, she'd been saving for college for nearly five years now, and she almost had enough to cover her tuition and basic living expenses so she could afford to dedicate herself to her studies rather than divide it between school and work. By late afternoon, Charlotte was dressed in her naughty-looking work uniform and strolling to work at a casual pace and enjoying the rare feel of being early for work today.
    She looked around the sports bar when she arrived, half expecting to see the stranger from the previous night lurking at one of the dark tables. But a quick survey revealed the entire darkened area of the bar was empty. Charlotte turned to hang up her coat in the staff area. There was no chill in the early summer evening's air, but since having to resort to walking to work, she'd learned that her silly school girl uniform garnered far more catcalls and whistles than she cared to receive. She tied her waitress apron around her slim waist and headed out onto the floor to work.
    The evening was just as busy as the night before, but at least there were no drunken bachelors grabbing at her today. She didn't have a moment to spare, and it came as no surprise that Michael did not feel inclined to relieve her for a break the entire time. It wasn't until the end of her shift was nearing that she surveyed the room once again, looking intently around the darkened corner of the bar. She didn't find the stranger, but instead, resting on the table he had occupied the evening prior was a single, perfect red rose.
    She walked over to it slowly and she ran her fingers over the silken softness of the petals before picking up the flower. She couldn't resist inhaling its sweet scent. She inhaled deeply but what she smelled was a combination of the rose and a unique,