Those were feelings that normally wouldn’t occur after such a short acquaintance. And while she was deep into introspection, she needed to plug in the way her heart and soul welcomed him. Even her feminist side purred with satisfaction at the thought of Rome.
Which brought to mind the sound he’d made after they’d torn up the sheets. The deep rumbling in his chest had vibrated against her own, like a soft engine, shocking her at first, and then filling her with a little feminine smugness. Purring. Rome had been purring. Just another check mark on the list of shifter attributes. As was the tendency to be dominate, aggressive and sexual. Triple check marks there.
Their relationship wouldn’t be easy, him with his dominate nature and her with her need for control. They would each have to learn how to bend to avoid the pitfalls of two colliding strong wills. She already knew Rome would go out of his way to keep her safe, even to the detriment of his own. That sense of protection was built into his DNA, along with his code of honor. He’d grown up seeing the tight bond between his parents and she imagined he would emulate that same level of trust and love with his mate. Her. Gwen Coultier. And she couldn’t deny she wanted it. Wanted to be the recipient of all he had to give, and give back the same. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She knew she was falling for him, and the prospect scared her as much as it excited her. Her life had suddenly shifted into hyper-drive, but she was making the consciences decision right now to keep her eyes wide open and not let go. She would seize what they had together with both hands and fight for it. Fight for a future with Rome.
But first things first. When he returned, they would talk.
Lost in though, she swiveled on her heel and stepped back into her bedroom. Only to whirl around again at the soft thud that came from behind her.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
Her mouth went slack as she gaped at the wet vampire grinning at her from the balcony. Too late she reached for the handle on the sliding door and with terrifying ease, the blonde shoved his way in to stand on the threshold, forcing Gwen to stumble back on the bed. “I was just leaving when I saw you standing outside, and I thought, what perfect timing. Oh, and don’t even think about screaming for help.
Not only will I kill you, I’ll kill anyone who walks into this room.”
He didn’t have to worry on that account. She couldn’t even find her voice. After getting past the inane myth that a vampire couldn’t enter a house unless invited was thoroughly busted, she managed to ask in an unsteady voice, “What do you want?”
He raised a hand in the air with an elegant flick of his wrist. “The treasure of course. Where is it?
She dragged the edge of the sheet over the front of her body. “There is no treasure.”
Rage flashed across his face, turning his blue eyes completely black and making her almost sick with fear. “It was in the tunnel and it’s not there any more because I just checked. So where is it?”
Bile rose in the back of her throat. Floundering for something to say, mentally pleading for Rome to hurry back with a desperation bordering on panic, she recalled something Santos had said. “There was treasure once, but how do you think this place was bought and built?”
He tilted his head, as if considering the conviction behind her words. “Maybe some of it, but not all. Not when a gold coin was found out by the cabin, pinpointing its location. So, for the last time, tell me where it is.”
Gold coin? What gold coin? “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The bones on his face seemed to elongate, his nostrils flaring as he drew in a deep breath. Then suddenly he stilled. “What is that?” He sniffed again, his eyes darting quickly around the dim room before coming to rest on her neck. “There’s a shifter here? You’ve mated with a shifter?”
The vamp hadn’t known?
“A jaguar to be precise.” A reassuringly familiar voice said from behind her. Gwen twisted to see Rome just in the doorway, his gaze level on the intruder. Though his face revealed nothing, he somehow seemed bigger, more intimidating, the yellow-green of his glowing eyes the only hint at his heightened emotional state.
“Shifter bastard,” The vampire hissed, crouching low in an attack stance. Gwen hastened to the head of the bed, not wanting to be caught between the two males as a physical battle seemed imminent.
Without any warning, Rome leapt onto the bed, one second wearing nothing but his jeans and the next covered in the thick, black fur of a three hundred pound jaguar. It all happened in the blink of her eye and a bright spark of colors. She knew she was gawking, but believing and actually seeing were two very different things, and seeing Rome standing on four legs instead of two had her heart dancing a jig in her chest.
Her hands flew to her ears when he let out an enraged roar, the sound reverberating in the small room, his razorsharp teeth flashing blindingly white against the darkness of his fur. And though she knew him, knew he wouldn’t hurt her, the sight was intimidating as hell. A gasp escaped her lips before she could clamp her mouth shut.
The vampire was evidently intimidated as well because he suddenly whirled around and jumped over the balcony railing.
Rome let out another roar, the heavy muscles in his hind-quarters bunching as he prepared to jump from the bed.
“Rome.”
He barely spared her a glance, but the order in them was clear. Stay. Then he ran out the slider, across the short balcony and, with a powerful push of those rear muscles, cleared the railing.
Gwen swore a blue streak as she threw off the sheet and raced to the railing, expecting – and terrified – to see Rome laying hurt or motionless all those feet below her.
She didn’t think he’d had enough room to make the leap, but as she peered anxiously at the grass below, she saw his dark shape gathering sped as he chased the vamp toward the water.
Gwen did some sped gathering of her own, sprinting out the front door of her suite and toward the stairs. All the noise must have woken Scott because he met her at the top, his hands still buttoning the front of his jeans. He did a double take at her lack of attire, but when she said, “Vampire out front,” he edged past her down the stairs. She caught up to him as he had to pause in his flight to unlock the front door, and just as he swung it open, a third roar echoed from the kitchen. They turned as one to see a huge jaguar, more massive than Rome with distinctive vibrant orange, black and yellow fur, bounding toward them at break-neck speed. Flattening themselves against the foyer wall rather than be run over, the cat flew by without a glance, clearing the front steps in a mighty leap to follow the direction Rome had taken.
Eyes like saucers, Gwen stared up at Scott. He shrugged. “I’m a wolf,” and headed out into the dark night.
Great. Now she could add werewolves to her growing list of living myths. Gwen shook her head and followed him out, moving much slower, the cloud cover and falling rain blocking out the stars and moon. She made it to the grass at the edge of the parking lot and looked up at her room.
Situated at the corner of the house, her balcony actually faced the side, giving her a nice view of the ocean without the parking lot. It also made Rome’s landing that much softer as the grass would have cushioned his feet. Paws.
Whatever.
From the back of the house a dark, sleek shape streaked across the lawn. Another jaguar. She didn’t know if it was Santos or Porter, but admired it from afar just the same. It too headed in the direction of the mighty feline roars from somewhere in the distance. Not wanting to get in the way, and because she couldn’t see a damn thing and didn’t relish the idea of stepping barefoot on anything that might be meandering through the wet grass, she stayed put, wrapping her arms around her middle, blinking as the warm rain continued to fall in a soft drizzle.
She heard the sound of an engine only seconds before headlights flashed across her, the beams jerking briefly as if the driver was startled at the sight of a half-naked female standing alone in the rain. In the dark. She wasn’t even concerned as the vehicle
slowly approached. Probably numb from the shock. Luckily it was only Porter.
“So, what’s going on?” He sauntered up to her side, his tone calmly inquisitive, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
“They’re out chasing the vampire.” She responded just as nonchalantly.
“Well damn. I miss all the fun.”
Gwen looked up at him with a frown. “Where were you?”
“A date.”
“Not with Beth?”
When he didn’t answer she said, “One day you’re going to sleep with the wrong guest.”
He scratched his chin. “I don’t do it while they’re an actual guest. Besides, I agreed to meet with Beth only to make sure she understood it was over between us. But, well.”
“But one thing led to another?” She shot him an amused look, the normalcy of the conversation in the midst of such bizarre circumstances not lost on her.
His eyes flashed to her neck, lighting with what might be male approval. “Guys don’t say no to sex.”
“It’s spelled en oh. No.” Melinda’s voice came from his other side. Unlike Gwen, she was actually dressed. She wore a light weight lounge set, cute baby blue flip-flops with little white flowers and carried an umbrella over her head.
She bypassed her son and moved next to Gwen, raising her arm to accommodate Gwen’s additional height under the umbrella’s covering “So?”
Thinking the older woman wanted an explanation, Gwen summed up the last ten minutes.
“Ah. Actually, I was more concerned about what you think.” Gwen turned quizzical eyes on Melinda. “Huh?”
Waving a hand delicately in the air in front of them, Melinda said, “About Rome. You. Us.”
Gwen was still confused and repeated, “Huh?”
Melinda heaved out a sigh. “Oh dear. Rome never did tell you, did he?”
“Hmm.” Gwen turned back to stare out over the lawn.
Dark shapes took form as the men returned. “Not a single word.”
For some reason Porter seemed to find that hilarious.
After a moment of stunned silence he began to laugh. And laugh. “I knew you were made of awesome,” he managed to say when he drew in a breath. Wiping tears from eyes once again lingering on Rome’s bite mark, he added, “Welcome to the zoo, sis.”
Gwen would have rolled her eyes, but they were riveted on the single black jaguar stalking towards her. Her heart kicked into high gear as he neared, her breath catching in her throat when he came to a halt right in front of her. Then he opened his enormous mouth, showing off those deadly sharp teeth, and let out a rumbling growl.
“What?” She asked. “What I do?”
“He got away,” Scott groused. “He had a boat waiting in that far cove, behind some rocks. They were already moving off when the vamp made the jump. Rome would have jumped too, except Andreas swiped at him. Probably would’ve gotten chewed up by the propeller if he hadn’t.”
Gwen’s gut clenched at that gruesome thought. She looked over at Andreas, figuring the jaguar sitting at Melinda’s side rather then the one sprawled on the grass was the head of the family. Then she glared at Rome.
“Idiot.” He butted his wet, furry head against her leg, hard and let out a sub-vocal roar.
“He wants you back in the house, dear.” Melinda told her kindly, then ruined it with a snicker. “He doesn’t approve of your attire.”
Gwen looked down at herself. Both the panties and tank were dark-colored and the rain hadn’t been strong enough to mold them to her body. “Can he understand what I say?” She asked of no one in particular.
“Yes,” Porter’s reply held amused anticipation.
“Well then,” Gwen scowled down at the black jaguar who was looking up at her through slitted eyes full of predatory possession. “I’m as covered as I was in my bathing suit. So chill.”
Dismissing Rome, Gwen turned her attention to Scott.
“Do you think they’ll try again, knowing who, or what I guess I should say, lives here?”
Scott shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, the gesture causing the muscles in his arms bunch, the ripples of supple strength to pull across his chest. The sight made Gwen wonder if all shifters were built for power and endurance. “Greed, either real or misguided, will outweigh any trepidation. They’ll just come up with another plan of attack.”
“So we’ll have to be ready for anything,” Porter commented dryly, his mirth dissolving under the weight of an uncertain future. “Maybe it’s time to get Del back home.”
“Why not just make some public statement that Morgan’s treasure doesn’t exist? We’ll stop talking about it to the guests and after awhile, it will all go away.” Gwen suggested.
“No.” Melinda’s tone was firm. “This is my home and I will not pander to a bunch of hooligans, and I definitely won’t stop encouraging the dreams of the children that come here.” Well. That nipped that idea in the bud.
Gwen felt sharp teeth surround her thigh, not with any real pressure to hurt or puncture, but it definitely got her attention. She looked down at a three-hundred plus pound feline who was through being ignored. “Fine, I’ll go in. But this time we are going to talk.”
Chapter Twenty-One
As Gwen padded up the steps she glanced over her shoulder to see Rome at the base of the stairs, watching her every move through a predator’s eyes, narrowed into slits of concentration. His big, black, fur-covered face lowered, a strange long, hungry growl emerged from his closed mouth. At that moment, he was a dangerous hunter, and she his prey.
Daunted at the sudden shift in his demeanor, her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide with uncertainty. She told herself not to run, that it would only spur him on, but then that mouth opened to reveal razor edged teeth that could easily rip her flesh from her bones. He let out a low roar and bounded for the stairs.
Her feet grew wings.
Heart playing a staccato beat in her head, she raced up the remaining steps and flew down the hall to her room.
She hadn’t closed her door all the way and now only needed to push it open instead of utilizing the key card, which would have done no good as it was still on her dresser.
Even as she went to slam the door closed, Rome’s body thudded against it, and she took off toward the next possible place of safety. She reached out to shut the bedroom door as she crossed the threshold, only to feel his heavy paws land on her shoulders. She let out a squeak of alarm and fell forward, to land half on, half off the bed. When his weight didn’t follow her down, she flipped over on the mattress, feeling the air thicken behind her.
By the time she twisted into a sitting position, Rome had changed back to human form. A sexually aroused one at that. His erection stood out from the nest of dark hair at his groin, straight and proud. A single vein throbbed along its entire length, the engorged tip pointed right at her. Even the spurt of fear wasn’t enough to stop her from licking her lips at the sight.
When she forced her gaze up, it was to see Rome still watching her with dangerous intent. Only there was a smug glint in his eye that made her instantly suspicious. “You were playing with me?”
His lips curved in a wicked grin at the indignant remark. “You were moving too slow.”
Her eyes narrowed as he took a purposeful step toward her. “I’ll show you moving too slow.” She crossed one ankle behind the other over the side of the bed, effectively preventing him from slipping between her thighs.
At his frown she sent him her own smug smile. “Talk first.”
His expression was noticeably unhappy as he came to a halt, lacing his hands on top of his head. Biceps bulged, making her body quiver in feminine appreciation and rising hunger. Desire curled in long flickering flames low in her belly. “First of all, where were you?”
A slight tinge of red colored his cheeks. Fascinating.
“Upstairs to get more condoms.” He looked at his jeans, shredded into tiny bits on the floor of her bedroom. “Which are
toast now.”
Condoms? As in plural? They’d never be able to walk again. Ignoring the heat engulfing her at the thought, she moved on to the elephant in the room, asking with calm inquisitiveness, “What are you?”
His eyes were twin beams of caution as he finally formed the words to what she already knew.“My father, brothers and I are shifters. Cat shifters.”
Well duh. Though she did find it interesting how wary he seemed, as if fearful of her reaction to the truth. With each breath he took, his chest expanded, highlighting the strength and agility under all that smooth skin. The muscles in his thighs twitched as he kept himself in check, the blatant display of his arousal unashamedly bare for her viewing pleasure.
It made her feel deliciously wanted. “I could see that for myself.”
He shut his eyes and kept them closed, as if seeing her was too much of a temptation to resist. “I know I should have told you.”
“Yes, you should have.” She reached out to touch him, but he was too far away. She licked her lips as a naughty thought rose.
“My only excuse is that I was sc-shee-it.” His reasoning ended on a drawn-out curse as she wrapped her hand around his erection and slid it along his hard shaft. Dark eyes popped open and he stared down at Gwen who was now on her knees in front of him. “Babe.” He ground out between clenched teeth. “You said you wanted to talk. I’m trying my best here, but you keep that up and there won’t be any talking.”
“There’s nothing preventing you from talking.” She slid her tongue along his hot length.
His whole body shuddered. “Except your lips on my cock.”
“You mean like this?” Opening her mouth, she took the tip of him inside, tasting and loving the richness of his flavor as she swirled her tongue around the plump head.
“Oh, fuck yeah.” He groaned. “Just like that. But deeper. Take more of me in that sweet mouth.”
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