Purr-Fect Mates: Shapeshifter Romance

by Ally Summers

  “You two are very close aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “Yes, and probably now more since the accident.”

  I had wanted to ask, but never knew when was the right time. “What happened?”

  Tessa’s eyes softened with sadness. “It’s hard to talk about.”

  “You don’t have to.” I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.

  “I want to tell you. I want you to know about my life. My family.” She paused while the waitress poured our wine and walked away from the table.

  “So, it was raining and I was on my way home from the shop. I had closed up and left later than I was supposed to. I still lived at the house with my mom then. And I guess since you’ve been there you know how windy the roads are.”

  “Right, I’ve seen them.”

  She continued, “And it was so strange, but on the way home my lights started flickering and then the radio turned off and the car completely stalled out. I was stuck on the side of the road with no tools. Nothing.” She took a sip of wine. “So, I called Mom. I thought she could drop me off at the shop and then I’d tow the car back.”

  I was following along, feeling apprehension the further she got into the story.

  “I guess Mom was worried about me being alone. We still don’t know if it was speed or all the rain, but she hydroplaned into a tree. It cracked her back in three places. She survived, but she probably won’t walk again.”

  Tessa looked up at me. “She hasn’t given up though. She does physical therapy. She does everything on her own.”

  “You feel responsible don’t you?” I asked softly. Things made sense now. The way Tessa threw herself into her work. The way she saved every extra penny to help her mother have new technology or access to treatment.

  “I know it’s not logical, but yes. Of course I do. I think I always will, no matter how many times she tells me it wasn’t my fault.”

  “She’s right. It wasn’t. It could have happened if she was going out for milk, or on her way home from a friend’s house. This isn’t your burden, sweetheart.”

  She looked at me with innocent eyes. I could see the pain and the overwhelming guilt brimming behind tears.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saying that.”

  “I mean it.” I picked up my glass of wine.

  Tessa sat back in her chair. “Let’s talk about something a little lighter. I don’t want our first date to be about the past.”

  I ran my thumb over the inside of her thumb and smiled when she shivered. I loved how I could affect her body. She was right. Our first date should be special.

  “Today was fun.”

  “You like working in the shop?” she asked.

  “I do. It’s great. And you are amazing. I don’t know if I’ll ever get as fast as you.”

  She laughed. “It’s not a competition.”

  “It’s not. But since you brought up work, there is something I think we need to talk about.”

  I saw the glow in her eyes, dim. “What is there to talk about?”

  “I don’t know how this works exactly because we haven’t exactly followed the laws properly, but I’m going to need to register your business with the Tribe.”

  Her eyes flared. “It’s ours. Yours and mine. Not theirs.”

  “You know how it’s supposed to work. Your territory becomes my territory.”

  She interrupted me. “And I understand that now. I don’t have a problem sharing with you.”

  “Let me finish, Tessa.” I held up my hand. “But I’m part of the Tribe. Case is my king. He’s your king. And I have to register the territory which is mine so that he knows what part of his kingdom has expanded. He will be a part of all business decisions regarding the garage.”

  She folded her arms. “I am your mate. We’ve established that. And I would do anything for you, but don’t ask for this.”

  I lowered my eyes, studying the flame. “It’s not my decree. It’s Case’s.”

  “Then defy his damn decree. We defied the council’s didn’t we?”

  “And there will be a price. I keep reminding you. They aren’t going to be ok with this, Tessa.”

  She stood, throwing her napkin in the chair.

  I looked up at her. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m not hungry any more.”

  “Tessa, wait.” I tried to pull her back into her seat without causing a scene.

  “I thought there was something different,” she said through clenched teeth. “I thought we were in this together.”

  I still had a strong hold on her wrist. “We are.”

  “Then why are you insisting on this?”

  “I’m trying to figure it out. We can’t break every fucking law in the world.”

  She wrangled herself free. “Maybe you can’t. But I can.”

  She marched out of the restaurant. I smiled meekly at the waitress when she returned with our dinner.

  “Can you make these to go?”

  I closed the apartment door behind me. Tessa was sitting on the couch flipping through channels.

  “Hey.” I dropped the carry out bag on the kitchen table.

  “Hey,” she muttered over her shoulder.

  “I brought dinner home with me.”

  “Thanks.”

  I sighed. “We need to talk.”

  “I know.”

  I sat next to her on the couch. “Then why did you storm out of the restaurant? You know we have things to decide. Things to plan.”

  “Because I wanted this to be different than the fairy tales.”

  “It’s not a fairy tale?” I let my fingers glide over her shoulder.

  “No. I wanted it to be better.” She turned off the TV. “In all those stories I heard growing up, the ones about the beautiful she-panthers who waited for their jaguars to show up I never once heard about the jaguar who stayed and stuck it out with his mate. The stories always ended before that part.”

  I was confused. I didn’t know what in the hell she was talking about.

  “What’s going on?”

  “What’s going on is you came here with a purpose and you got your purpose. I thought we decided together to change the system. I thought we were in this together.”

  “We are in it together. I swore that to you.” I wanted to pull her into my arms and drown her with my kisses.

  “Registering the garage to Case isn’t ‘in it together’. And neither is declaring our territory to the king.”

  “So you just want to upend everything? Part of you in there wants to be a panther.” I touched her chest. “The part that begged me to take you the other night. The part that wanted to be my mate and evoked the bond. You are a she-panther, Tessa. Don’t act like you’re not a shifter. We have heritage to be proud of. We have lines and generations of history that matter. Don’t keep asking me to throw it all away because of some damn garage.”

  Her eyes glimmered, but it wasn’t lust I saw. It was rage. “Some damn garage? It’s not the shop. It’s what it symbolizes. It’s my mom. It’s about doing what’s right. It’s about doing what we want and not taking orders.” She sucked in a breath of air. “Of course I’m a panther. She wanted you. She still wants you. I’m so in love with you I can’t even think like myself anymore, but I know enough to know you and I can do whatever we want. My land doesn’t have to belong to the Tribe. It’s ours.”

  “Are you done?” I asked.

  She was out of breath from her tirade.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then shut up and listen to me.”

  I grabbed her by the neck and pressed my lips against hers. She pushed against me, but my tongue strummed hers and she unleashed her panther as I peeled the dress from her body. I nudged her knee to the side as I planted kisses on her thigh. The kisses grew closer together until my tongue was against her center. I growled between her legs.

  “Ohh,” she whimpered.

  I didn’t let up. I kissed and sucked. I lapped and
flicked my tongue until she came with violent thrusts, jolting her hips toward me.

  I lowered her waist to the couch, crawling toward her. “Did you hear any of that?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No, what did you say?” She was breathless.

  “I said okay. I said we’re in this together.”

  She smiled. “Really?”

  “Case might hire a witch to throw me in a parallel universe, or maybe the Tribe will rip the limbs from my body. I don’t know, maybe the council will lock me in shifter prison. But I’m in this with you.”

  “None of those things will happen, Josh.”

  She didn’t know that. Neither of us knew the consequences for what we had started, but what I did know was there was merit in her words.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I brushed the hair from her face. “What matters is that we are a team. Partners. You’re my panther.”

  “Yes, I am.” She grinned. “And the list of mates?”

  It was the real reason I wanted to have dinner tonight. I had planned on giving her a grand speech about how I wanted to tear up the list and only have one mate. As long as she would have me. But I was an idiot and started with business first.

  “Gone. No list. No other mates.” I nuzzled against her neck.

  “I was wrong.”

  “About which thing?”

  “There is something better than a fairy tale. There is this.”

  “That’s me. Handing out fairy tales when I drive into town.”

  She giggled. “Yeah, about your carriage and white horses. We need to do something about that piece of junk you are driving.”

  “Hey, I love that Jeep.”

  “Love it all you want. I need to fix it.”

  I sat up and unbuttoned my shirt. Her eyes flared and she worked the long sleeves off my arms. I loved how her palms flattened against my chest. I closed my eyes as she made a trail to my belt.

  “You can do whatever you want with it, baby.” I groaned as she lowered herself on me.

  She whispered in my ear, “I love you, Josh.”

  The growl was automatic. My mate was everything to me and more.

  16

  Tessa

  I wasn’t used to waking up with someone. And I wasn’t used to waking up blissfully happy. Lying next to Josh I’d never felt so much peace and love all at once. It had been two weeks since we bonded, and each day felt more powerful than the one before.

  Our bond was only getting stronger.

  I made a pot of coffee while he showered. There was one in my office, but we liked having breakfast upstairs together before starting work.

  Sometimes we didn’t make it through breakfast. Josh wanted me all the time. And I loved every fucking second of it. Although, cleaning up dishes off the floor because he had to have me on the kitchen table wasn’t my favorite thing. But I wouldn’t trade it. I wouldn’t trade his passion or desire for me.

  I could feel it each time he held me. There was a sense of protection and strength in his body I couldn’t find anywhere else. And denying him was impossible. It didn’t matter if I was finishing up numbers in my office at night. It didn’t matter if I was trying to put on makeup to go to dinner. If he wanted me, I was his. One glimpse of his eyes and the sound of his growl made my knees weak and my core quiver with want for him.

  Shifter sex was like a constant wave of erotic pleasure and neither one of us wanted that wave to stop. We could give ourselves to each other and still find new ways to make it hot and exciting. This was by far the best sex of my life.

  “Good morning.” He appeared in the kitchen with wet hair.

  I rustled it through my fingers. “Good morning.” I reached up to kiss him.

  “So I was thinking maybe we could take a trip. Get out of town or something.”

  I almost dropped my hot cup of coffee. “What are you talking about?”

  “Again, we’re not you’re standard couple. So why not honeymoon even though we didn’t have a wedding?”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “What? I thought you’d be happy? Don’t girls like romantic trips?”

  I realized he was trying to be sweet, not draw my claws out. “Of course we do, but I have responsibilities here.”

  “If the shop is closed for two weeks it won’t go under. I have money.”

  I shook my head. “Oh no. No way.”

  “What? You said we’re partners. What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours. So let’s use the money. Let’s take a trip and go do something fun together. When is the last time you left Four Corners?”

  I was silent.

  “Thought so.”

  “And what about my mom?”

  “I already talked to her.”

  “What?” Now I felt the betrayal. They had conspired against me.

  “She and I both agree you deserve some time off and she is going to have your aunt come stay with her. All settled.”

  “All settled?” I stared at him in disbelief.

  “She needs me. What if something happens?”

  He grabbed me by the shoulders. “If something happens your aunt will be at the house and she will call you.”

  “I’ve never closed the shop. Never.”

  He smiled. “I know. That’s why this is important.”

  “Can I at least think about it?”

  “Sure. Think about it. But not too long because we have a flight in the morning.” He ducked out of the kitchen before I had a chance to grab him.

  “Josh!” I called, but he was running down the apartment stairs.

  I’d call Mom today. There was no way I was leaving town without knowing for sure this was okay with her.

  Ever since her accident she had done everything she could to prove to me she was independent and didn’t need me. But I would carry the guilt with me no matter how well she managed on her own. If it had been up to me I’d be living in the house with her, not above the shop, but it was part of her proving her independence. She thought we needed our own places.

  I refilled my coffee and walked down the stairs. I’d call her from the office. I needed to make sure she was completely on board with this trip before I went anywhere with Josh. I was starting to think they had formed a little club and had forgotten to invite me in.

  I reached the last step and looked up.

  Josh’s back was to me and facing us was four men I’d never seen before. They were shifters. One whiff of the air and I could tell they were jaguars like him.

  “Josh…” I eked out.

  “Tessa, these are my friends from the Tribe. My brothers really.”

  I took the last step to the concrete floor. They might be brothers, but nothing looked brotherly about the glares they were casting at us.

  “Hi.” I waved.

  Not a single one of them cracked a smile. They were tall, broad-shouldered, and built like walls. If I didn’t have a pit of fear in my stomach, I’d also add sexy, but that didn’t seem appropriate as they stared us down.

  “We need to talk Josh.” One of the jaguars stepped forward.

  Josh moved in front of me slightly, and I felt his protection wrap around me.

  “Sure. You guys want some coffee? And I need to do full introductions.”

  “We can do that later.” They cut him off.

  “Come on, Noah. Just because Case sent you here doesn’t mean you have to be a dick. We can talk.”

  “C-Case? As in the king?” I stammered. Holy shit. And then it hit me. I knew why they were here. And I knew why the guys Josh had called best friends his entire life had the look of murder in their eyes.

  They were here because of me.

  17

  Josh

  If I could have kept Tessa upstairs I would have. Or just found a way to sneak her out the back door. But it was too late. She was facing the same lineup I was.

  I had to act casual, like nothing was wrong. At this point I didn’t know what Case knew. Maybe he sent the guys for an updated rep
ort.

  “Tessa, what about getting the guys some coffee?”

  She looked at me, her eyes narrowing. I had seen that look before. It was her warrior stance. She didn’t want to leave me alone with them.

  “Please.” I nudged her.

  “Sure. Any of you take cream and sugar?”

  “Oh yeah, I do.” Trev raised his hand.

  Noah hissed in his direction. “Shut up, Trev.”

  Tessa was in the office working on a new pot of coffee. “Why don’t we walk outside?” I nodded in her direction. They had to know she could hear every word we spoke unless we put a barrier between us.

  They followed me out to my Jeep.

  Ronan kicked at my back tire. “The king is pissed.”

  “About what?” I snapped back.

  “We know the bond was evoked,” Noah answered. “And no one has gotten a wedding invitation. What’s holding things up?”

  I tried not to let my shoulders sag with relief too much. I puffed out my chest. “You came down here for wedding invites? Wow.”

  “It’s serious, Josh. The council is coming down on this kind of thing,” Eli spoke for the first time.

  “And do I have an invitation to the king’s wedding?” I eyed them.

  Ronan growled and started for my throat, but the others held him back. “Don’t talk about him like that. We’re facing a rebellion in Sullen’s Grove. You are not.” His finger almost touched my nose. He was seething with anger.

  “I don’t know what your problem is Ronan, but you can tell Case that I’m doing fine. My mate is fine. And yes, she has evoked the bond, so when we set the date for the wedding we’ll have it sent by a beautiful white dove with gold tipped feathers right to his doorstep.”

  “There’s nothing funny about this.” Eli’s eyes hardened. “We know you’re living here. You’re playing house with this girl.”

  “So?” I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Tell us you have someone on the side because that’s the only way this makes sense.”

  I glared at Noah. “Excuse me?”

  “Yeah, a girl on the side so you’re not screwing this one.”