by Marie Cole
She bit her lip, shaking her head. “Not a lot, honestly. I know you can turn into animals.” She smiled and the wistful look on her face stole his breath. “I knew a girl when I was younger that could turn into a cute little bunny.”
He laughed quietly. “Oh really?”
She nodded, her curls bobbing. She’d taken her hair out of that bun and he couldn’t be happier to see the hair loose. “Yep. She looked like a rabbit, honestly. I can’t explain how, but…” She grinned. “That’s how I totally believe you’re a panther. You have all that feline grace.” She blushed, looking away. “Forget I said that.”
Oh he’d get back to that comment later, but now he needed to focus. “What else do you know?”
She shrugged. “Nothing else, really. Greg knew a few, and I got to talk to them from time to time. I guess now that I think about it, it makes sense. I’m guessing they were like you. So his buddies were colleagues, huh?” She laughed quietly. “Anyway, they didn’t really talk about a lot of stuff, but they were always nice to me.”
He wanted to growl. They damn well better have been. Besides, shifters tended to have a soft spot for kids. He’d never met one that didn’t like them, honestly. “I’m guessing you were still young.”
She nodded, looking confused. “Yeah. Why?”
“No reason. So the bottom line is you don’t know much.”
“Not really.”
He blew out a breath. “OK. I…” He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t…”
She waved a hand for him to hurry up. “Some time before I die of old age.”
He laughed. “Shut it. It’s hard to get this out.” He leaned forward, placing his hands on her knees. “OK, so…shifters…have mates.”
She tilted her head as she stared at him, those brown eyes lighting with interest. “And?”
Hell. “And you’re mine.”
She was silent for a bit before laughing, but the sound was broken. “Are you serious?”
He watched her carefully. The look of disbelief on her face hurt a little, but he couldn’t blame her. So he simply nodded his head slowly. “Yeah. I am.” He rubbed her leg gently, just needing to touch her. “I’m yours and you’re mine.”
She shook her head quickly. “Did Greg tell you to say this? Because I’ll kill him, I swear.”
That had him growling. “Hell no, he didn’t! I wouldn’t say this to just anybody.”
“But why me?”
She whispered it so quietly he might not have heard it if he weren’t so close. She sounded so broken he had to soothe her. He couldn’t let her think he didn’t want her.
He cupped her face, making her look at him. “Why you? Because you smell like everything I’ve ever wanted. Like love and cookies and warmth and home.”
She tried to shake her head, but he held her still. “I’m nothing special. I’m just…” She waved a hand over herself with a sad look. Oh he couldn’t have that look on her face.
He growled slightly. “Josie, you’re gorgeous. I would’ve wanted you even if you weren’t my mate, I can promise that.” He traced her lower lip with his thumb. “I know we don’t really know each other, but this kind of thing happens fast with shifters. We don’t always find our mates, so we want to mate fast. But I can wait. I want this to be good for you.”
She bit her lip, worrying it with her teeth. “What does it…involve?”
He chuckled, his voice suddenly raspy. “Well, first off there’s sex.”
Her face darkened adorably. “S-sex?”
“Mmm-hmm. Lots of it.”
She gulped and he watched her throat move. “That doesn’t sound too bad. What…what else is there?”
He couldn’t stop the purr that came out of his throat. He looked up at her, his gaze narrowing on her neck. “I bite you. It bonds us and…”
Her breathing had picked up. Hell, he could smell her arousal and it was going to kill him. “And?”
“And it…might turn you into a shifter.”
“Might?”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. There’s a chance you’ll end up a shifter. I don’t know why it happens with some and with others it doesn’t, but there’s a chance.”
Her eyes widened. “Will I…will I be a panther?”
He shook his head. “No idea. It’s kind of random with cat shifters.” He gave a shrug at her startled look. “No idea why. There are theories about some ancient god blessing us, but most of us just kinda go with it now, ya know?” He laughed. “When my parents mated, my dad turned into a lion, actually. Mom was a panther.”
“So I could end up as…”
“Any mammal you can think of? Yeah.”
“Even a dolphin?”
He laughed. She was so cute. “Think more furry mammals. And land-based, so no otters.”
“That’s…incredible.” She smiled softly before sobering. “Will it hurt?”
“The bite?” At her small nod, he continued. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t.” He made sure the purr was in his voice when he spoke. He could tell it soothed her. “I’ll bite you during sex. You’ll be too busy to notice any pain.”
She let out a light giggle and he smiled. “You’re purring.”
He nodded. “Cats do that, you know.”
“I know. I know. I just… You’re so…” She flapped her hands wide. He guessed that was a way to call him huge, which he couldn’t argue with. “I just didn’t expect it.”
“Hmm, do you like it, kitten?”
She blushed. “I do. But…” Her gaze sobered as she looked at him. “Are you sure about this? That I’m… I’m your mate?”
“I’ve never been surer of anything. My cat is practically growling at me to just get on with it and he’s usually pretty quiet.” Practically was an understatement, but she didn’t need to know how possessive the cat was getting. He didn’t think his fangs had left since he’d scented her hours ago.
She blew out a breath. “Can we… I need time to think about this, Cathan. This is a lot to taken in, you know?”
Cathan nodded eagerly. He’d give her all the time she needed.
CHAPTER SIX
True to his word, Cathan gave her time. Which she desperately needed. How was she supposed to react to being someone’s mate? Should she be happy? She supposed she was.
Mostly.
She admitted to herself that even though they’d just met, she trusted Cathan more than she thought possible. And he wasn’t bad to look at either. That helped.
She leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. The object of her thoughts was currently pacing from room to room. Well, not pacing. When she’d used that word, he’d irritatingly enough told her that bodyguards did not pace. They observed.
Same thing to her, but who was she to comment.
She shook off the thoughts, her mind going back and forth about the mating. She’d be safer, which Greg would appreciate. She would like it too, honestly. As much as she knew she could protect herself, at the end of the day, she was a human. Being a shifter of some kind would probably make her stronger, right? Not to mention she’d have a giant of a mate around her.
She tilted her head. There was the issue of the whole forever thing, though. There was no going back if she became a shifter. As for being a mate, could she see being with him for the rest of her life?
Glancing up, she spotted him leaning against the window, a quiet smile on his face as he watched her, and she decided that she just might be able to.
“Tell me about yourself,” she whispered.
The quiet smile spread into a giant grin and warmed her heart a little more.
Two hours later, Josie knew more about Cathan than she thought possible. Once he got going, he was surprisingly talkative. He talked about his family (Seven siblings? She could barely handle the one). He got a big smile on his face when he mentioned his mom and how she would’ve loved Josie.
“She loved Christmas and baking and all that kind of stu
ff,” he said, pulling Josie close so that she rested under his large arm. He rubbed her shoulder gently, as if he couldn’t help touching her. He got a mischievous look on his face. “How’d you even get that tree in here, by the way? Thing’s twice your size.”
“Well, it’s fake for one. I’m allergic to real ones.”
He grinned. “I’ll remember that.”
She smiled back. “Thanks,” she responded quietly. “Anyway, the point is that I had it delivered. A nice old man put it up for me.”
“What about the decorations?”
She stared at him and arched one eyebrow. “I did that myself. Ladders are a thing, you know.”
“Couldn’t you have waited for Greg? I mean…” He bit his lip, looking so worried she had to pat his hand. His grip on her tightened. “You could fall and…”
She almost wanted to laugh. The big bad shifter was worried for her. It was kind of cute and irritating at the same time. “I’m fine. I’ve been doing it myself for years.” She smirked. “I’m perfectly capable of decorating a tree.”
He laughed quietly. “I never said you weren’t, kitten.”
She glared at him. “Why do you call me that, by the way? It better not be because I’m small.”
“No. It just…fits.” He leaned down, nuzzling her neck. “I bet if you change, you’ll be a cat.” He nibbled at her neck until she bent it to give him a better angle, earning herself a purr. “Ah, kitten, you don’t know what you’re doing to me.”
His voice had gone so deep and raspy that she could guess, but she wanted to tease a little bit. “Wh-What’s that?”
He growled, biting her flesh with blunt human teeth. “Offering your neck to a shifter is a sign of trust. For your mate, it’s…” He shuddered, and she felt his body tremble. He pulled away, and she whimpered. “I promised I’d take it slow, kitten.”
“Can we…” She licked her lips. “Can we do something?”
“Hmm?”
She mewled. “We just… We can’t have sex, right? What about…anything else?”
He groaned, his hand on her arm tightening. “Kitten, you’re trying to kill me, right? That’s the only explanation.”
She blushed brightly, trying to squirm away from his grip, but he held fast. “Sorry. I didn’t…”
He snarled before his mouth slammed on hers. She moaned, her hand gripping his arm. He licked at her lips and demanded entrance. She opened her mouth, and his tongue snaked inside and he groaned. He moved his hands to her hips, pulling her into his lap. She moaned again, louder, moving her hips against his clothed cock.
God, he felt huge. What would it be like to feel that inside her? She hadn’t been with anyone in a long time. The idea that Cathan would be her first since then excited and terrified her at the same time, but it felt right.
He finally pulled away, panting as he rested his forehead on hers. He licked at her lips gently before grinning.
“Don’t you apologize, kitten. I never want you to be sorry for what you want.” He ground his hips against hers and groaned. “And I think you can feel how bad I want the same.”
She bit her lip, uncertainty still clouding her mind. He wanted her that bad? “But…”
“No buts.” He moved his hand to cup her cheek. She looked up at him, surprised to see the golden color seeping into his eyes. “I want you more than I can describe.” He blew out a breath. “But I know this is fast for humans. Shifters tend to pounce, mate, and ask questions later.” He shook his head. “But I don’t wanna do that with you.”
“I know. And thank you for that, really.” She smiled. “But we can at least do something, right? Because I feel like I’m going to go nuts here.”
He chuckled, the sound rough and raspy. “I think I can handle that.”
*
Holy hell, his tiny mate was gonna kill him. She was gonna kill him dead.
They had made it to her room. He was in her room and her scent surrounded him like a gentle caress. Same dark red walls as the rest of the house. Her bed was made up with a cream-colored cover. White wooden furniture decorated the room.
But all he could concentrate on was his tiny mate nibbling her bottom lip as she padded around the room. Her arousal waned under the scent of worry and embarrassment. His cat was yowling in his mind, terrified she didn’t want them. He finally grabbed her arm, needing to touch her and get her attention.
“Hey, kitten. What’s wrong?” He gently rubbed her wrist, trying to calm her. “We don’t have to do anything, all right? I can just go to the guest room and—”
She turned around, rapidly shaking her head before he’d even finished. “N-No. That’s not it. I just haven’t…” She sighed and her shoulders slumped. “I haven’t really…had anyone…in my room.”
Cathan was not a possessive man. He swore it up and down. He’d never get growly over other people looking at his mate. Hell, he understood it. She was gorgeous.
His cat, however, had different feelings. The idea that no one else had ever been in here with her like that? That had a loud purr growing in his chest as he pulled her close. This room would be theirs. No one else’s.
He tilted her face up to look at him. He knew his eyes were golden with his cat when he heard her breath hitch. “No one else?”
Her cheeks darkened, and she bit her lip again. “I mentioned the overly protective brother, right?”
He chuckled. “Yes, I believe so.”
“Well, he has a tendency to show up in the middle of the night to make sure I’m OK. So, yeah, I couldn’t exactly have anyone spend the night.” She shrugged. “And I couldn’t spend the night anywhere else.”
Another purr rumbled in his chest. “Are you telling me you’re…”
“I’m…not a virgin, but…” She blew out a breath. “It’s been a long time. Probably ten years or so. And it was only the once.”
“Ah hell, kitten, you’re gonna kill me.” His buried his face in her hair, taking in her sweet scent. “I’m trying to be calm, but…”
“You… You do want me, right?” She looked up at him with those big eyes, and he was a damn goner.
“Fuck yeah, I want you,” he growled before kissing her. He grabbed her head, pulling her closer as he pushed his tongue past her lips. Hell, she tasted like everything he’d ever wanted. He’d always assumed his parents and older siblings were exaggerating when they talked about their mates, but now he got it. She was everything. He’d do anything for her.
But for now, he wanted to give her pleasure.
He pulled away from the kiss with a grin, knowing his fangs were showing. He couldn’t help it. The cat wanted his presence known. “Now, strip for me, kitten.”
He caught the look of hesitation and worry before she shook it away with a smile. Did she think he wouldn’t like what he saw? Hell, he’d lick her from head to goddamn toe if it would soothe her. He’d do anything for…
Aw, fuck, she’d taken off that loose sweater. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Her breasts bounced as she slipped the sweater over her head and he saw a glimmer of metal.
“Fuck, kitten, you’re pierced?”
Two little silver hoops with rubies decorated her nipples. She blushed, bringing a hand to her chest.
She licked her lips. “Do you like them?”
He growled as he stalked toward her. He pushed her to the bed, his hands going to her sweats. “Hell yeah, I like them.”
She smiled and melted his heart a little more. “I’m glad. It was a random idea I had.”
“Get more random ideas, kitten. I approve.” He licked his lips as he pulled off her pants, slipping the cute little red boy shorts off with them. She was bared to him, and he groaned. “Hell, you’re gorgeous.”
And she was. All lush curves and soft tan skin. Her body had a sprinkling of freckles all over it, and he wanted to kiss every one. One day he would. He would lick her from head to toe. Find out all her hotspots so he could make her scream.
She grinned. “Well, thank you, bu
t I think it’s your turn.”
He shook his head. “If I get naked, I’ll—”
She cut him off with a laugh, and the husky sound went straight to his cock. Hell, like he wasn’t already hard enough. “You’ll what? You won’t be able to control yourself?” He gave a jerky nod and she smiled. “You will, Cathan. I know it. I trust you.”
He blew out a shaky breath. “You have more trust than I do then, kitten.”
“Please? I need to see you.”
Ah Hell, she should never have to beg him for anything. He stood up and slipped off his T-shirt. He heard her breath hitch and grinned. He knew what had caused her reaction.
“Like the tattoo, kitten?”
She gave a subtle nod, biting her lip. “It’s beautiful.”
He chuckled. He knew the ink was stunning. A large black panther on his chest, clawing at the muscles on his stomach. The tail was wrapped around his arm. There was a special detail about it though. “It’s me.”
She blinked, looking up at him. “Wh-What?”
“The panther. That’s what I look like shifted.”
“Holy…” Her gaze flicked between his face and chest. “You’re gorgeous.”
He smiled as his hand moved to his belt. “Well thank ya, ma’am.”
She giggled. “Not like you don’t know it, but you’re welcome.”
He hummed and then kept silent. No need to make her think she was wrong. He knew he wasn’t the best-looking guy. He had scars from things he’d rather not think about. But if she liked what she saw, then he wouldn’t argue.
After another minute of teasing, he was finally nude in front of her. He watched her cheeks heat but the smell of arousal never waned. He let out a little of his inner tease, moving his hand down to his cock. Her breath hitched as she watched him slowly stroke.
“See something you want, kitten?”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah. I just… I don’t…” She bit her lip, avoiding his eyes. “The only time I did this I didn’t really get to do much…”
She was embarrassed about that? Oh that wouldn’t do. He quickly got on the bed on his knees in front of her, cupping her face. He forced her to look at him.
