Leo texted me a couple times during the day when he had some spare time. He told me that they were still dealing with the outfall of the accident the previous night. That didn’t surprise me with the amount of gossip that seemed to be flying around the waiting room.
He came around to visit me after he finished his shift at seven o’clock that night.
I did what I knew to be the right thing and told him about the texts I had received from Mike the night before. I even showed the exchange to him.
I knew that he was going to be pissed and Leo did not disappoint.
He had been so irate that he had looked like he was either going to shift and rip something—or someone—apart, or steam was going to come out of his nose and ears as if he were a dragon.
Leo had got himself under control before he spoke to me.
“Thank you for telling me, Kit. You must understand though that my lion cannot stand that you’ve been put in this position. I know that if I stay tonight I will claim you.” Leo took a deep breath. “I know you want to be claimed, but I hope that you understand that I do not want our claiming to be tainted by this situation.”
“I understand, Leo. And I’m glad that you don’t want to make our mating ugly by claiming me under the influence of your beast’s need to mark me as your own.”
Leo looked very relieved when I said that to him. “My Kit, you are perfect. Thank you.”
“I happen to think that you are also perfect, Leo.”
“Promise to tell me if Mike tries to communicate with you more.”
“I promise.”
Leo gave me a quick peck on the forehead before he turned around and left my house.
Chapter Seven
Leo Pard
My lion hated walking away from my mate.
My lion hated that my mate did not bear my mark yet.
My lion hated that I would not claim my mate.
However, I knew that staying with my mate was not the right thing to do. I was already jealous and totally stewing on the fact that Kit’s ex-boyfriend had sent him a series of texts. If I stayed with my mate I was afraid I would lose control. I couldn’t legally do any investigation into the ex. After all, Kit wasn’t being harassed. Kit was just a man with a magnificent heart and a hot body. I felt an immense sense of pleasure that Kit felt able to approach me and tell me about his ex, even though we had known each other for so little time.
My lion’s irritation at not claiming my mate would be difficult to overcome, and I feared that I would make our mating ugly. That, I knew, would be a disaster, especially since I have been so intent on making our claiming a memorable and beautiful experience.
So for the next few days I managed to stay away from my mate, which had to be one of the most painful experiences of my life. We did speak on the phone every night, and we sent each other texts during the day. When I asked Kit, he said that he hadn’t heard from his ex, Mike. I felt my lion calm down, although I felt my beast pacing inside my head, impatient still to claim and hold my mate.
The days passed and those few days stretched out into a week and then a second. Kit and I kept with our phone calls and texts—we even indulged in a number of thoroughly pleasurable phone sex sessions. As soon as I knew I was under control enough that I wouldn’t hurt my mate or make a mess of the claiming, we made our plans to go through the claiming. Yes, I know it was just a bite during sex, but I wanted to continue with the romance and make it so much more than what will undoubtedly be the most mind-blowing sex I will have had to date.
We made a date and booked our table at a nice restaurant.
We would head back to either one of our places after dinner.
Kit was very firm on the fact from the moment we met that he was more than ready to be claimed. He also pointed out that, more importantly, being that our date was a Friday night we would also have the rest of the weekend to spend in bed.
I pointed out that the moment I claimed him I will want to live under the same roof. So we would probably be moving someone’s belongings to other’s place. Thankfully, Kit knowing as much as he did about shifters was happy about that. In fact, his approach was rather pragmatic. He asked me if I owned my home. He hadn’t seen my house yet, so he had also wanted to know what it looked like, probably gauging if it was big enough for us. Kit said that he wanted pets, too. By the end of the conversation we had not only planned our date, we had also planned our claiming and decided that we live together at my house. Mostly because I owned my place and Kit was renting. I made it clear that in addition to all that, if Kit was not comfortable at my place, we could always buy another home together in the future.
The night of our date had arrived. The anticipation about claiming my mate was eating me alive. I had shifted and gone for a run in lion form on pack lands every night to take the edge off the intense emotions. Above all else, though, I was secretly scared shitless about hurting my mate when I claimed him.
I had worked an early shift, finishing work at four in the afternoon. I had enough time to shower and dress. I also double checked that everything was perfect for Kit at my place. By this time, it had been decided since he would move in with me, we might as well go to my home. In the last couple days, I had cleared closet space for Kit. I had brought a chest of drawers and blanket trunk from my cousin’s handmade furniture store for Kit to use. I cleared space in the bathroom for him, too. Everything else, I figured would fall into place in time as we got used to our living arrangements and, like all mates did, fucked on every flat surface available to us.
It was weird. It was like I was nesting or something. Actually, it wasn’t weird and probably wasn’t nesting since Kit and I hadn’t any plans to adopt children or whatever. That was not something I wanted to think about at the moment anyway. In fact, it was like I was a teenager again, not the forty-year-old with over fifteen years’ experience as our pride enforcer that I was.
In reality, I was just as nervous as anyone else would be on such an important occasion. I needed to burn off all my nervous energy and since we were going out to a restaurant, I couldn’t use cooking as an outlet.
Time just dragged.
When Kit called me to say he was heading back to his place to shower and change, I flopped myself on my leather lounge suite.
I flipped through the stations, finding absolutely nothing to watch and settle me. So I switched to Netflix and scrolled through the “Suggested for You” menu. I started watching three different television shows, making it through the first ten minutes only before going back to the menu for something else. Nothing could catch my attention. I fidgeted, rubbing my arms in my hopeless restlessness.
I couldn’t believe it. I was acting like a nervous virgin waiting for his first date.
Who would think that I was an enforcer for my pride?
In the entire time since I met my mate, I doubt anyone would have believed it. I hadn’t been acting like any enforcer should.
I was really now starting to regret waiting now over two weeks to claim my mate. My lion had been pissy with me for not claiming my mate the first night. But I was both human and lion, so I did not let my beast control my decisions. I allowed human rationality take precedence over my animal instinct.
As I said, I was really starting to regret not claiming Kit though. Part of me wondered if I would have been a nervous wreck if I had waited. But I wanted everything perfect and I felt as though it was all paying off.
I suppose this is the price that I paid for wanting to be romantic with my mate.
* * * *
Kit Pryde
Friday at work seemed endless. It felt like every old lady for a couple hundred miles decided to bring in their cat or lap dog for everything from anxiety, to shots, to allergies and, as in the last case of the day, swallowing a plastic whistle. I called Leo and told him I was going home to shower, shave, and generally make sure I look irresistible for my mate. I wanted to tease him at the restaurant while we ate before we went back to his place.
<
br /> I took forty minutes to get ready. The last thing I did before heading out the door was grab the small suitcase I had packed the night before. It was actually a carry-on travel case made of light-weight plastic depicting various comic heroes. I know it was probably intended for a child but what the heck, I’m a twenty-nine-year-old kid who makes his own money and can buy whatever travel luggage he wanted. Though, it had new meaning because now it reminded me of the date to the movies I went on with Leo.
I knew that once I was claimed I would be moving in with my mate, there would be no question of us living apart, particularly in the days following my being claimed. I had known it since I had seen it happen in my coyote pack. Yet, ever since meeting Leo there had been a part of me that had been constantly pulling toward the big strong lion and, frankly, there were times when it was quite tiring.
The way I see it, if I couldn’t get Leo to help me move some belongings over the weekend then I could always seduce him into doing it. I fairly much doubted any seduction would be required. Any excuse for sex, really, that’s how it was between mates, and despite being human I felt some of those feelings already.
The drive a few blocks over to Leo’s place seemed to take hours.
A happy sort of anxiety was now well and truly formed in the pit of my stomach. It was as though it did a happy little flip when I turned into Leo’s driveway.
His house was a charming, two-storey four bedroom brick home. It had a small patio and backyard with a pool and a lovely small garden out front.
Leo had sheepishly admitted to me the first time I had seen his place that he, with the help of his father, tended the small patch of lawn and the handful of potted flowers that decorated the cement path to the front veranda. There was also a plum tree, a pear tree, and an apricot tree. The best part was the plums were fruiting—and very delicious, the apricots were just about ready to flow any week now, and I had just missed out on the pears by weeks, but I could live with that. I had a definite weak spot for stone fruit.
Now instead of just going to knock on Leo’s door, I’m standing around like an idiot staring at my mate’s fruit trees instead of being claimed by him.
That was when Leo opened the front door, revealing himself in all his casual splendor. He was clad in a pair of old blue jeans, on his feet were his black work boots, and most tantalizing was the black t-shirt that hugged at the right places and made me take notice of his nipples.
“Finally made it.” Leo drawled the words with a smug smile. However, I could feel the strong energy rolling from him. It was intense, but in a totally good way. He was not as calm as he tried to appear to be.
I grinned at my mate. “Yeah. Finally. Damn work. Unfortunately, I don’t have much choice but to work from eight a.m to five p.m.”
“And you’re involved with a cop. I sometimes will have to work ridiculous hours.”
I shrugged. I walked slowly to Leo and circled my hands around his neck. With my forehead and nose pressed again Leo’s forehead and nose, I smirked and whispered to him, “Good thing you are more than your job. You’re my mate.”
“Almost mates. First, I will claim you and then we’ll spend the next couple of days fucking like there’s no tomorrow. I don’t think I would want to leave bed, even for food.”
I felt myself blush at his husky words. Leo only gave a sexy smile and kissed me gently.
“If I were a woman I’d probably be pregnant by the end of the weekend.” I managed to make that awful joke while my brain seemed to be short circuiting from the closeness of my mate.
Leo laughed again, nuzzling my neck. “Well, I suppose so. Thankfully, you are not a woman or else I think I would be in big trouble.” He took on a thoughtful look before he added, “Well, that or you’re lucky your mate didn’t end up being one of the bears. Alpha black bear shifters can impregnate their male mates. Not sure if that applies to humans.” His tone was soft, as though he were puzzling through his train of thought.
I slapped his chest. “Well, I for one am glad you’re not a black bear. We can think about adoption or something in a few years though. I want to enjoy time with my man for a while.”
Leo grinned. “I would love to have a family with you, Kit.”
“First you better concentrate on claiming me or your kids won’t have two daddies.” I poked his chest, summoning all the sass I could muster.
Cleary amused, Leo kissed me sweetly on the lips before pulling away. “You are so fucking sexy, Kit.”
He combed his fingers through my hair and I shivered at his touch. He was just teasing now, I was sure. I gasped, attempting to bite off the moan that was ready to escape my mouth and failed miserably.
“We better have some dinner before I claim you here on the porch.”
The lust that buzzed about my head didn’t stop. “Keep touching me like that and I won’t object to the latter.”
“We should go, don’t want to be late for our reservations.”
I licked my lips. Thinking about food suddenly reminded me that I hadn’t had anything to eat since lunchtime. I nipped at Leo’s bottom lip. “And the sooner we eat the sooner we get home.”
Leo let out a huff. “Then we better leave now.”
I patted his chest. “We can take my car. I still have my weekend bag in the back seat, I’ll bring it in after.”
He merely nodded. Leo patted his pants pockets. “Got my wallet, just let me grab my keys.”
“I’ll be waiting in the car.”
I could have sworn everyone in the restaurant was staring at us. Seriously, the sexual tension that was zapping around us and in a restaurant where the patrons were mostly shifters was probably making them go bonkers, if not horny. Most of the local shifter population, whether they were from the local pride, clan or pack, knew about Leo and me. It was a small town and there was no doubt a heap of gossip going around about our courtship. After Independence Day practically all of the shifters found out that I knew of their existence, and some even spoke openly when they brought their pets in to see me.
I remember that I ordered a mushroom and chicken risotto. Leo, being the predictable predator that he was, ordered a twelve ounce rib eye steak with mashed potato and peas. I couldn’t help but wonder if he tasted anything as he demolished his dinner. We drank red wine to complement our meal. I couldn’t taste a bite of what I ate. I could have been eating sawdust for all I knew. I was too busy staring at my mate, my nerves building more and more.
The conversation between us was…well, I don’t actually remember the entirety of what we spoke about either. We spoke about our day at work and even a few things we hadn’t mentioned that had happened during the week. We had both spoken to our respective parents and mentioned those conversations. I do remember warning Leo that my parents were making a visit the following weekend for a week. Leo looked forward to meeting them and I tried to scare him with stories from my childhood. Leo also looked forward to meeting my brother, Eli, but Eli had problems at work and couldn’t make the time to visit yet.
Oh, and Leo explained that he had his pantry and fridge stocked up so that we would not have to leave the house all weekend. He explained that his parents had decided to do so the night before for them. Leo’s parents, Devin and Marie, were really very sweet and I was happy to have such fantastic in-laws.
By the time we finished eating, we decided to forgo dessert and drive back to Leo’s home.
I’m fairly sure the restaurant breathed a collective sigh of relief as soon as we paid our bill, left a generous tip, and left.
“Finally, we’re home.”
Leo practically growled the words out when I parked in his driveway and turned off the car.
I waggled my eyebrows playfully. “Ready to go inside, Mr. Pard?”
Leo leaned over and kissed me savagely, leaving my lips swollen after mere seconds. He grunted. “My sexy Mr. Pryde. I need to make you mine.”
“This is probably not the time to remind you that I wasn’t the one holding bac
k.” I was half serious, half teasing. “Open the door and let me get my bag.”
Leo pulled away reluctantly but did as I asked him. After all, the quicker he did that and I got my bag, the quicker we could make it to his bedroom.
I got out of my car as quickly as I could, grabbed my bag and dashed to Leo’s front porch. I could see the lust burning in his eyes when I walked past him in the doorway. It was a little uncomfortable because I’d been horny for so long and my cock would probably go from soft to hard and then exploding all in a matter of seconds. The way Leo looked at me did nothing to help my raging hormones. Leo gave my ass a gentle slap and let out another sexy growl. The man was hanging on by a thread and it was turning me on beyond anything that I could have imagined.
Unceremoniously, I dumped my bag on the sofa in the lounge room. Leo touched my shoulder and turned into his bright green eyes, which showed flecks of gold, indicating that his beast was close to the surface.
“Time for bed, my beautiful mate.” Leo’s words were husky as he cupped my face. “From tonight, it will be our bed, Kit. Everything I have will be yours, as well.”
“And what’s mine is yours, too.”
“I love you, Kit.”
I choked on my words. “I love you, Leo.”
This was the first we had shared those words with each other. Sure, it had only been a couple weeks, but it felt as though we had been together for months and months.
I tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. It was like I had eaten too much and drank too much. Maybe I had, but it was definitely the nerves trying to get the best of me.
This was what mating was all about. It was like marriage but it was more than a marriage. It was more than just fantastic sex. I had seen it for myself many times over back home in San Diego.
Now I was about to get my very own happily ever after.
The Vet's Big Cat [Furnas and Gosper Shifters 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 6
