Remy winced at the distaste and self-loathing in her voice. He glanced at her. “Ouch. You could at least pretend you think I’m so overwhelmin’ly sexy that you can’t possibly resist me.” He let out his breath trying to concentrate on the narrow road to get them to safety. “Take off your panties, Blue.”
Bijou could barely use her hands. Her knuckles felt inflamed. Her mouth hurt. Even her scalp hurt. There wasn’t a joint in her body that wasn’t sore. Most of all, her body was on fire. She felt desperate for sex.
She hooked her thumbs in the lace and drew them down, balling them in her fist and holding them almost protectively against her. She had no idea how that tiny scrap of sheer lace was going to protect her against the man she craved like a drug, but if he didn’t pull over soon and let her out of the car, she wasn’t going to be responsible for what happened.
“Now, what?” Her breasts ached, felt swollen and needy. She took a deep breath, utterly aware of her naked body and the way she was affecting Remy. She could feel the heat pouring off him.
She didn’t like the spotlight unless she was performing. Maybe she turned into someone else when she sang, but she liked feeling as if she could fade into the background, quiet and observant rather than being the center of attention—until tonight in the club when all those men had surrounded her so protectively. She’d been aware of every one of them—just as she was aware of her bare skin, the heat and Remy right now. She detested herself for that.
Her attraction had at least been reserved to Remy exclusively. It had been humiliating enough to be so crazy for him that she’d done things she hadn’t even known possible. Now, to think that even for a moment she’d been so insane, feeling sensual and alluring surrounded by the men. She’d smelled them, the various scents so acute, in some way affecting her, and that shamed her. Now what was she doing? She was riding in a car totally naked, doing exactly what Remy wanted of her so she could have wild uninhibited, ferocious sex with him. It was all she could think about.
“Take off my jacket.” He’d worn the dress jacket as a concession to her elegant club. Jacket, white shirt and his jeans. It was the best he could do when he had known clothes would be coming off fast.
She didn’t argue with him but pulled at his sleeve as he lifted one hand off the steering wheel. She jerked his sleeve off and as he leaned forward, took off his jacket for him. It went sailing into the backseat to land over the top of her gown.
When she started to settle back down, he shook his head. “Now my shirt,” Remy ordered. “Hurry, Blue. It’s goin’ to be too late in another few minutes.”
She didn’t know what he meant by too late, but she leaned into him to unbutton the immaculate white dress shirt. He’d looked so handsome when he’d walked into the club. Her heart had nearly stopped, and then began pounding hard. She loved the way he walked with such confidence. The moment she saw him again, she knew she was lost. Remy was her hero, and he always would be. She had no idea she would have such a physical reaction to him, especially when as a teenager and during her college years she had never once been tempted to give herself to a man.
Her hands were clumsy on the buttons, her knuckles aching, the tips of her fingers on fire. She could barely breathe as she slipped the buttons free of the openings. Her hands kept brushing his bare skin, sending little electrical shocks racing over her own. She swallowed hard, trying to clear what felt like an obstruction in her throat. Her skin itched in waves, over and over, and her skull felt too tight as if it didn’t quite fit. She tugged on the shirt and managed to get it off of him, sending it flying into the backseat along with everything else.
“Now my jeans.”
His voice was husky, a velvet brush of sensuality that sent more electrical charges streaking through her bloodstream. She gasped, licked her lips and reached for the band of his low-riding jeans. He wore button-up denim rather than a zipper and again she found she had even more of a difficult time releasing his straining cock. Her breath came in ragged, desperate puffs, her lungs burning for air as she slowly managed to get the buttons undone.
Remy lifted his buttocks so she could wiggle the material down his hips to the strong column of his thighs. Her hands felt clumsy. Burning. Too big. Her fingers didn’t want to work. Her body felt as if it had burst into flames, so hot she could barely stand it. She turned to roll down the window.
“Get my jeans all the way off. Hurry.”
His voice had gone raspy, but the urgency in his tone caught at her. The car turned onto the drive leading to the Inn. She could smell the lake, the swamp, individual grasses and plants.
“I’m burnin’ up,” she admitted. “I can barely breathe.” With wanting him. The moment she could see his heavy erection, long and thick and so very hard for her, the burning between her legs became a firestorm, slick and hot until craving turned to desperate need.
“I know, chere, I am too.” He gritted his teeth. “Just get my jeans down.”
To do that, she had to shift in her seat, lean down, her bare breasts brushing his strong muscular thighs with all those intriguing roped muscles. She nearly sobbed with wanting him. His masculine scent enveloped her, went deep into her lungs so she didn’t know where his sexual need started and hers left off. Heat radiated off his body, and his eyes were dark green, almost glowing with his hunger for her.
To her utter horror, he had become an obsession. Her only consolation was that judging from his heavy erection, the heat pouring off his skin and the dark hunger in his eyes, he was just as obsessed with her. One hand fisted in her hair, as if he was going to push her face toward his jerking cock. She could see his stomach muscles rippling, his hips bucking a little as she shoved his jeans farther down his legs.
She felt the bump as he steered the car onto the grass, blowing past the Inn, around to the back. The Inn was dark and she was glad Saria wasn’t there. She was stark-naked, nearly sobbing and so close to losing every shred of common sense and dignity she’d ever had. She’d do anything to have him, and that was just insanity. She’d have to wake up some time and face herself and her foolish actions. Right at that moment, nothing else mattered but to feel him, all that silky heat, in her mouth.
She leaned closer, her nipples so hard they scraped along his thigh. His fist tightened in her hair, guiding her to his pulsing erection. Her fingers stroked while she inhaled his wild, almost feral scent. She glanced up at his face, so intent, so dark with desire.
He slammed the brakes on before the car rolled into the lake, turning off the ignition. She wanted to sob in frustration as he shoved open the door and yanked her out through the driver’s side door, one hand still in her hair, using that too to get her out of the car. He jerked her into his arms, the hand in her hair, pulling her head back, his mouth coming down on hers hard.
Even the pain in her scalp sent more flames pulsing through her body. His kiss made her weak, knees shaking, his taste making her feel almost intoxicated. His free hand swept down her back to her buttocks, pressing her close to him.
“Remy.” She broke the kiss, panting, near tears. “I need you in me. Please. Right now. I’m burnin’ up and I need you now.” She felt empty. Incomplete. And so hot she was afraid she might just go up like a stick of dynamite.
Remy pushed her against the car, half lifting her. “Legs around my waist.” His voice was nothing but gravel now, a growl really. A command.
He was feeling a little desperate himself. He knew the emerging could be any moment, but he had to be inside of her. He had no choice. He had to feel that impossibly tight silken sheath surrounding him, that sweet friction taking him to paradise.
Her tongue frantically tasted his skin, driving him nearly insane with his need to have her, to claim her as his own. He felt as if he’d waited a lifetime for this woman—maybe more. She moaned softly, her teeth sinking into his shoulder as she complied, her legs wrapping him in a soft, firm tangle. She hooked her ankles and lowered herself over him, all that slick fire engulfing his cock.
He threw his head back, feeling as if he were burning alive, catching flame from her, leaning her back against the car for better leverage before he began to move. She rode him, setting the pace at first, a little frantic, but such a hot tight glove gripping him that her body sent waves of pleasure coursing through him.
Her panting little cries only added to the need building in him so rapidly. He took over, his hands on her hips, guiding her into a stronger, steadier rhythm, one that robbed him of breath and sanity and took him into a world of feeling. They rocketed toward the precipice, coming apart at the same time, the world around him going red, thunder rolling in his ears.
Still, she didn’t stop moving, gasping, panting, her cries even more frantic.
“Don’ stop, Remy. I’m burnin’ up. You can’t stop.” She nearly sobbed her plea.
Remy brought himself up short. He wanted to stay locked inside of her more than anything, but he knew he was being a selfish ass, letting go of all control when she needed him most. He took a few deep calming breaths and went motionless, still buried deep. She squirmed, her muscles clamping down hard on him, hot as fiery hell, so tight she was practically strangling him. He could hear the roaring in his head and felt his leopard pushing and raking, snarling to be let free.
“You have to listen to me, Blue. This is important. I can’t keep gettin’ distracted when you need this information. My leopard is rakin’ at me, desperate to get at yours. She’ll be emergin’ any moment and we have to allow them to be with one another. In fact, there’s not goin’ to be any real way to stop them. Mine chose you, chose your leopard. He’s so crazy for her, and I’m just as driven for you.”
Bijou went still. Very still. Her breath caught in her throat as she repeated his words in her mind. He really believed what he said about the leopard.
“I should have explained more to you. The shiftin’. How it’s done. It’s just that every time I get near you I can’t resist havin’ you.”
She moistened suddenly dry lips, slowly lifting her head from Remy’s shoulder to look into his eyes. They glowed a piercing green, much like a cat’s in the dark. Her vision was strange, banded with color, as if she was seeing through heat binoculars. “What do you mean, your leopard is crazy for mine? You’re with me because you think your leopard wants mine?”
Her heart pounded hard in her chest. Of course it was all too good to be true. Remy didn’t love her. He barely knew her. What had she been thinking? The fairy tale? Happily ever after? He was talking about pure sex, not love. She was an adult and she knew better.
“Of course,” Remy said. He frowned as she slowly dropped her legs so that her feet touched the ground. He grinned at her, holding her to him by her buttocks. “The added bonus is the crazy sex.”
She couldn’t even blame the whole thing on him. She’d been a willing participant. More, she’d practically torn her clothes off and then his. She would have done anything at all for him and to have him. She stepped away from him, allowing him to slip out of her. He was still hard, leaving her feeling empty and lost.
Before she could say anything more, her belly cramped and she doubled over, clutching her stomach. Sweat poured out of her skin. She scented something wild and feral. Deep inside something came alive, moving under her skin like a parasite. She gasped and dropped to her knees, her body nearly convulsing.
“Don’ fight, Blue. Let her take you over. You’ll still be there, just let go.”
Dimly she heard Remy talking to her, but what he was saying made no sense, unless he really was telling the truth. An impossibility, but her face contorted. Her teeth felt sharp and too full for her mouth. She wanted to scream. What kind of monster was she?
“Breathe, chere. Breathe deep and try to relax. This is an amazing moment. Not all females emerge.” Remy sounded hoarse, but eager. “Your cycle has to coincide with hers, and some females wait a lifetime for that.”
What was he saying? That she could get pregnant? Carry a leopard? Every horror movie she’d ever watched played through her mind. She tried to wipe the beads of sweat dripping down her face off, only to find that her hands were no longer human. She stared at the misshapen, fur-covered claws, the long curved nails springing from them. It couldn’t be happening, not for real. What kind of monster had her mother been? She knew her father was one, but all this time she’d clung to the idea that she could be like her mother. Terrified, she twisted away from Remy when he reached to touch her, in an attempt to reassure her.
Those other men in her club, had they been leopards? All waiting for her to emerge, and then what? What was expected of her? Was she supposed to accept all of them? Did leopards have more than one mate? She didn’t even know the answer. A sob escaped, but it came out a strange mewing sound. None of this was about her at all. Remy wasn’t attracted to her and neither were those men. It was about whatever was inside her struggling to come out.
Her body contorted again, joints popping and cracking. Pain burst through her. Out of self-preservation she tried to listen to Remy’s distant voice. Her lungs burned, and her body felt as if it was turning inside out. The itching was horrendous, as fur began to burst through her skin. Her jaw lengthened.
She tried to crawl away, a silly, desperate move, trying to flee, to get away from her own body. Most of all, she wanted away from Remy. She didn’t want him witnessing what was happening to her, and worse, she didn’t want her leopard, if that was what she was, to mate with his. She felt like she was living a nightmare, a horror movie and there was no way out.
“Blue.” Remy’s voice penetrated the roaring in her ears and the sheer terror of her body becoming something else. “Look at me. See me. I can get you through this. You’re afraid and it’s my fault. Instead of havin’ sex with you every time I saw you, I should have been preparin’ you for this. Please, chere, just let me do this for you.”
Her body twisted, rolled, so that she came up on her hands and knees, only they weren’t her hands or her knees any longer. She turned her head slowly, anger burning through her belly and raging in her heart. She swiped at him.
Remy leapt back. It was only his leopard’s reflexes that saved him from a nasty rake across his face. His lady was really, really angry with him. There was something in her eyes that alarmed him. She was definitely distancing herself from him, and that was terribly dangerous, especially now.
One more roll and a silent scream and Blue was fully leopard. She came to her feet gingerly, regarding him warily, wild and feral and all female. Before he could move, she whirled around and sprinted toward the swamp. He changed on the run, using more speed than he ever had. He wasn’t going to lose her, not now, not when he was so close to making her his.
His leopard charged after Bijou, leaping over a fallen log and easily following her scent. The swamp closed around him, giving him the sense of freedom and wild he craved. This was his real world, one he understood and needed. That was part of the danger of being leopard, especially in shifting for the first time. There was no real way to explain to someone else the absolute freedom of being cat, and the temptation to stay in that form was always present.
Bijou was frightened and he’d clearly handled things wrong with her, so the lure of staying in the large cat’s form would be doubly so. He tried to stay rational, to use logic as he followed her trail, reasoning when his brain wanted to go feral on him. Usually, the first hour or so, when he ran free, he didn’t allow his human side to feel anything at all. He stayed fully animal, but he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
Bijou’s leopard was small, very sleek with luxurious light buff, almost white fur with darker rosettes scattered everywhere. He was large for a leopard, even a male leopard, his coat a rare black with darker rosettes set into the fur so that they were barely discernible. He was powerful and enormously strong, thanks to the roped muscles covering his body. He had plenty of scars from numerous fights, and he’d always come away the victor. None of the males wanted to tangle with him—but over a fem
ale in heat—that could change. He didn’t want to kill a friend because he’d handled things with Bijou badly.
He was aware he was extremely dangerous in leopard form. His leopard was aggressive and cunning, a predator high up in the food chain, often surly and bad-tempered. With his female running from him, he was even more difficult and Remy sent up a silent prayer that no fisherman or local would be hunting in the swamp.
He spotted the female running along the embankment, splashing at the puddles with a delicate paw and jumping over small downed branches of cypress trees. Bijou had allowed the leopard to take over and was obviously enjoying her freedom, dropping low to slink under some branches and leaping effortlessly over others. She displayed agility and grace, easily making jumps to low branches and climbing the trunks of trees.
Every movement was sinuous and filled with grace. She twisted and turned, this way and that, showing off her flexible spine, clearly getting used to her new form, arching her back in a half circle and then leaping straight up to change direction in midair through a quick rotation of her hips. She looked beautiful as she moved with effortless elegance. She seemed to be playing, even as she exhibited the behavior of a female in heat.
She called out occasionally, and her voice would carry on the night, luring any males within hearing to her. She rubbed along the tree trunks, leaving a tantalizing scent behind. Seductively she rolled and stretched along the ground, among leaves and vegetation, just as quickly coming to her feet and moving deeper into the interior of the swamp.
He came up behind her as stealthily as possible, getting close enough to protect her and warn any other males off, without putting himself in danger. A female rebuffing a male could be very dangerous. He chuffed at her, calling out a soft hello, letting her know she wasn’t alone and he was answering her call.
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