Cat of a Different Color

by Dana Marie Bell

  “I’ll call the cops and claim you kidnapped me!”

  “Go ahead. The sheriff is one of us and Mrs. Anderson’s grandson to boot.”

  “Ugh!”

  “Yes, dear.” He handed her the juice with a grin, and she stifled the urge to throw it in his smug face.

  She tried a different tack. “You don’t want a mate. You told me so.”

  “True, I told you that.”

  “I don’t want one either,” she growled.

  “Too bad, so sad. You’re stuck with me.”

  She bared her teeth at him as he sat down next to her, can of soda cradled in one big hand. “Not if I kill you first.”

  He reached out and took her juice out of her hand. “You know,” he said, putting his can down next her juice, “I haven’t marked you yet.”

  She jumped up just as he leaned in. “Don’t even think about it!”

  He sighed, lounging back against the cushions. “You’re my mate. I’m your mate. I’ll bite you, you’ll probably bite me-”

  “But not where you’d want me to.”

  He glared at her, finally losing some of that cheer. “Is this because I said I didn’t want a mate?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Dork.”

  “Because if you say it’s to protect me from Parker I’m really going to paddle your ass.”

  She shook her finger at him. “You’ve had as much touchy-feely on my butt as you’re going to get. Eep!” He’d pounced up from the sofa and grabbed her, both hands landing on her ass and pulling her tightly into his body. He ground his hips against hers, letting her feel the erection under his slacks. “Oh, my,” she gasped.

  He took her sunglasses off, his dark eyes flaring gold as they caught the bright red of hers. “You are so fucking beautiful, you know that?”

  “I’m not,” she muttered.

  His smile was slow and sensuous. He looked at her like she was a bowl of cream and he wanted to lap her up. “Oh yes, you are.” One hand continued to hold her against him; the other dropped her glasses on the sofa and lifted to caress her hair. “Do you know what I thought when I first saw you?”

  “Crap?”

  He huffed a laugh. “No. I thought you looked like a snow princess.”

  “Snow princess. How original,” she sneered, trying not to let his nearness (and his erection) distract her. It would have worked if her voice hadn’t been trembling.

  “I wanted to throw you down on the floor and fuck you until we both passed out.”

  Her knees wobbled.

  “Then I wanted to mark you and hide you away so no one would ever see you again, want you again. Do you know why?”

  “Pheromones?” she replied weakly. Her nipples were beading beneath her bra, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

  His hand began to caress her ass again. “Because you’re mine.”

  She frowned. If it wasn’t for his damn scent she’d be kicking him in the nuts for that one. “I belong to no one.”

  “It’s okay. Because I’m yours,” he whispered before he took her mouth in a kiss that nearly dropped her to the floor. This was no gentle persuasion, no first-date kiss. This was a warrior staking a claim to his woman, invading her mouth roughly, no quarter given, forcing her lips and teeth to part for him with all the finesse of a raging, hormonal bull. And she loved it. His hand on her ass tightened to the point of pain, and the one in her hair clenched and pulled until her mouth was exactly where he wanted it.

  He plundered her, claimed her even without his bite, and she reveled in it. In the past lovers had treated her like spun glass, with delicate care, almost as if they were afraid they’d break her. They’d ignored her strength. Adrian not only acknowledged it, he savored it. She practically climbed his body, burying both hands in his short dark hair and placing his mouth where she wanted it. He helped by cradling her ass in both hands, pulling her in tighter against him. She wrapped both legs around his waist and moaned as they continued to orally assault one another.

  When he reared back and bit her, marking her, she came so hard she saw stars. He hadn’t even bothered to push the cloth of her shirt aside. He’d bitten her right through it, the savagery of the act heightening her arousal to a peak she hadn’t even known was possible.

  “Bed. Now,” he muttered.

  “Mm-hmm.”

  He laughed huskily at her weak, breathy reply, carrying her up the stairs. Everything was a blur of burnt sienna and dark wood as he moved at top speed, practically banging them both into the wall as he banked to make the turn into his bedroom. “Naked. Naked’s good.”

  “Um,” she replied, biting down on his neck.

  He stopped dead in the middle of the room and shivered all over. He arched his neck up to give her better access, which she greedily took advantage of as she marked her mate the way he’d marked her.

  The sound of ripping cloth was her first indication that perhaps she’d pushed him just a bit too far with the bite. His claws raked her pants away from her body, their cool touch sending shivers down her spine as she felt them hook her panties and rip them off, too.

  When his claws shredded his own pants she moaned; the good, respectable doctor went commando under his chinos. She barely felt him kick them off as he entered her still standing. It was the most wonderful thing she’d ever felt in her life. He filled her almost to the point of pain.

  “Fuck,” he muttered.

  “Please do,” she gasped.

  Gold eyes gleamed at her. “Don’t make me laugh, princess.”

  She rotated her hips slowly, the sensation making his eyes close on a pleasured groan. “Spoilsport.”

  He walked them to the bed, each step driving him further into her. With gentle strength he laid her down on the edge of the bed, his cock never leaving her body. “You ready for me?”

  She stared up at him. “Nope. I thought I’d lay here and contemplate ceiling colors. Dork.”

  He pulled back and slammed into her hard, making her gasp. “You were saying?”

  “If I repeat it will you do that again?” she asked, eyes wide.

  He used his claws to shred her shirt and bra, pulling the tattered edges open and revealing her breasts to his hungry gaze. “I want to watch them move,” he whispered. His fangs had extended, his eyes gleamed gold and his hands were tipped by claws that gently kneaded her soft flesh. The slight pain only heightened her awareness of him. He gripped her hips and began fucking her, hard, fast and furious, pumping in and out of her body, his eyes glued to her breasts.

  “C’mere,” she gasped, pulling at his arms. She needed to see his face clearly, wanted to watch as the orgasm took them both.

  He allowed her to pull him down. She knew now that his Puma was stronger than hers. They were both too close to the surface as their humans made love, his strength obvious to her as he bent over her pale body. The knowledge that she could bring such a strong male to his knees heightened her arousal. Only when his forehead was flush with hers did he stop, staring directly into her bright red eyes as he pounded into her with all his strength. She knew she’d be bruised, sore from his rough handling, but damn it nothing had ever felt so good.

  His hands glided along her arms until they reached her wrists, pulling with gentle strength until they were stretched out above her head. She was literally covered by him from head to toe. His eyes remained open, glued to hers, full of possessive passion, and she groaned, coming again.

  “Mine,” he growled, spilling inside her, his teeth clamping down on his mark once more. The sight and scent of his pleasure mixed with his bite triggered her own climax once more. Her hands clenched in his hair as her orgasm robbed her of breath, her back bowing off the bed, her mouth opening in a silent scream.

  Chapter Five

  Holy shit, Adrian thought, staring down at the woman sleeping on her stomach beside him. If he’d known sex with a mate would be like that he would have gone looking for her a hell of a lot sooner. He’d never come so hard in his entire. Fucking. Li
fe. And there were so many more things he wanted to do to her luscious, creamy body. For instance, he still hadn’t sucked those peach-colored nipples, or grazed her belly with his teeth. He hadn’t lapped up her cream, something he planned to do as soon as she was conscious again. He wanted to leave the mark of his teeth on one of those perfect ass cheeks, or maybe on the inside of her thigh just before he ate her until she screamed his name. There was no way in hell she could deny the mating.

  If she left him in some misguided attempt to protect him he’d either die or go insane.

  No. He’d hunt her down and bring her back to his den where she belonged. Then he’d tie her down and fuck her until she couldn’t move.

  A thought that had some appeal even if she didn’t try to leave him.

  He’d left bruises on those pretty ass cheeks and scratches on her hips from his claws. He resisted the urge to kiss those marks better, knowing by the way she breathed that she was exhausted. That bastard who’d been chasing her would pay for making her so afraid she couldn’t sleep. He’d pay double for hurting her, leaving a mark on that perfect skin.

  He resisted the urge to throw up his head and snarl his challenge to the world as thoughts of Parker intruded on his lovely afterglow. He wondered if the bastard was in town yet, and what he’d try to do if he found out Sheri was mated.

  He thought of his Mustang out in the driveway and decided it might not be a bad idea to move it into the garage. He got up carefully, not wanting to disturb Sheri. His princess needed the sleep. He had plans for her once she was awake again. Going to his closet he pulled out a worn pair of jeans and slipped them on, then threw on his oldest sneakers and his warmest flannel shirt. He picked up his shredded pants and carried them down to the living room, pulling his keys out as quietly as he could, then went to the closet and pulled down his father’s old service revolver. He’d checked the gun carefully the day before, taking it out to the shooting range to make sure everything still worked properly. It did. He tucked it into the back of his jeans, covering it with his shirt. He went into the garage and opened the garage door.

  Fuck. Looks like Parker’s been here, he thought as he stared at the four flat, obviously shredded tires. He pulled out his gun and closed the garage door, eyes peeled to see if the bastard was still out there. When nothing happened he tucked the gun away and went back inside to call Gabriel Anderson, Max, and Simon.

  He looked up just as he hung up with Simon to see Sheri wrapped in one of his shirts standing at the top of the stairs, her pretty blue eyes full of regret.

  And that pissed him off.

  “Don’t even fucking think it,” he growled, bounding up the stairs two at a time.

  “Adrian...”

  “No.” He took her in his arms, her head resting in the cradle of his shoulder. Compared to him she was so small and delicate he felt like a caveman. The urge to protect his mate was so strong he trembled with it. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “I have no clothes,” she said, smiling softly. “I have to go and at least get those.”

  He pulled back and looked down at her. “I think you look beautiful.”

  She rolled her eyes. “What happened to your car?”

  “Someone decided to sharpen their claws on my tires.”

  Her jaw clenched, her eyes flashed red and her back stiffened in anger. He could feel her claws digging into his back.

  “That is so fucking hot.”

  She frowned. “What is?”

  “Watching you go all Xena on me. Makes me want to dress you in leather and bend you over a tree trunk.”

  She raised one brow, the regret gone from her eyes as she glared up at him. “Pig.”

  “Didn’t we already have this discussion? Oink oink, baby.”

  Her lips twitched.

  “Go on upstairs. I have a long robe you can wear. It’s hanging inside the bathroom door. You’ll have to come down and talk to Gabe and the others, but then we should be able to get some sleep.”

  “What about your car?”

  “Max and Simon can help me replace the tires first thing in the morning. Belle can walk with you to work.”

  “I repeat: in what clothes?”

  He frowned thoughtfully. “Good point. Let me call Max back. Emma can get some of your clothes from your hotel room.”

  “If Rudy knows I’m here, that might not be safe for Emma.”

  “Another good point.” He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Max’s number. “Hey, Max? I need you to bring Emma with you. Sheri needs some clothes from her hotel room.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Max replied. “If he’s already been to your place odds are he knows where she’s staying. He might have the place staked out.”

  “Yeah, she mentioned that. I was going to ask you to go with her. If Parker can take on both of you we’re in more trouble than I thought.” He tried to ignore the nagging thought that he should be there, as well. His place was beside his mate, protecting her, not his Alpha. That was Gabe’s job.

  “I can pick out stuff for her. I think I know what to grab. Shirt, pants, underwear, right?”

  “And makeup,” Sheri said, knowing Max would hear her.

  “Makeup?”

  “And Jerry’s dog food, and his bowls,” she added.

  “Anything else she needs?”

  “Probably, that’s why I said to take Emma.” He put his hand over the receiver, knowing Max would hear him anyway. “Emma’s the smart one in that relationship.”

  “Asshole,” Max grumbled.

  Adrian could hear Emma in the background. “Give me the phone, Lion-O. Hi, Adrian. Everyone okay over there?”

  “Other than my poor Mustang, everyone’s fine.”

  “Ouch. Did he scratch the paint?”

  “If he did, it just ups the level of hurt he’s gonna feel.”

  Emma snickered. “We’re on our way. I’ll find out what Sheri needs once I get there, okay?”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  He hung up the phone and tugged her into his arms, then rubbed his hands soothingly down her back. “See? All taken care of.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before stepping back. “Go grab that robe, sweetheart. Gabe should be here any minute, and he doesn’t need to see you looking so damn sexy.”

  He could see the worry was back in her eyes just before she turned away and headed back into the bedroom.

  Oh, yeah. Parker was in for a world of hurt.

  ***

  “So are you and Adrian mated?” Belinda asked as they walked to Wallflowers the next morning.

  Sheri tried not to grin smugly. Leaving him, denying the mating, no longer seemed to be an option. He’d made it clear, after everyone had gone the night before, that if she left he’d just follow her, muttering something about handcuffs and bedposts as he’d carried her back to bed. “He bit me right through my shirt.”

  Belinda whistled. “Rumor has it he carted you right out of the store, threw you in his car and took off into the sunset.”

  “Pretty much. The dork.”

  Belinda laughed. “What?”

  “It’s freezing out, and he left my coat and my purse behind.”

  “He left your purse?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Men are idiots.”

  “You said it.”

  “So whose coat are you wearing?” The laughing, knowing look on Belinda’s face said she already knew the answer.

  Sheri stroked the dark leather jacket Adrian had draped over her before kissing her goodbye, the smug smile she’d been fighting firmly fixed to her face. “His.”

  “It’s his favorite.”

  “I know. He threatened me with severe bodily harm if I let anything happen to his jacket.”

  Belinda put her hand under her elbow as they approached the intersection. Just as the two women began crossing the street a black car screeched around the corner and barreled towards them at top speed. Belinda gasped, pushing Sheri back to the sidewal
k just as Jerry began backing up, the signal for an oncoming car. She lost her balance and fell, banging her head on the pavement as the car clipped Belinda, throwing her a good ten feet.

  Sheri’s glasses flew off her face, blinding her in the harsh sunlight. Jerry was whining and licking her hand as the car, a dark sedan, hurtled down the street, narrowly missing another car before it turned another corner and was lost to sight.

  “Belle?” she slurred. She was surprised at how hard it was to speak.

  No answer. Or if there was one, she didn’t hear it. The pain in her head blossomed as she tried to lift her head to find the other woman, and the world went black.

  ***

  Adrian stared down at his mate and felt a depth of rage he’d never before experienced. He literally trembled with it. He had no doubt who was responsible for his mate’s condition.

  Rudy Parker was a dead man.

  “Belinda’s going to be okay. They’ve had to operate on her broken hip, and she has a broken arm and a concussion. The docs say she’s lucky, it could have been a lot worse. But she’ll be okay,” Simon said quietly as he entered hospital room. He sounded both shaken and furious. “Gabe interviewed the eyewitnesses, and he’ll be in to talk to Sheri as soon as she wakes up.”

  “I’m going to kill him.” The lethal softness of his voice echoed oddly in the darkened room.

  Simon looked at him strangely but nodded. “Max and I will be there.”

  Meaning that, if for some reason or another Adrian couldn’t finish off Parker, one of them would do it for him. He already knew there wouldn’t be a need for that.

  Adrian could feel his Puma growling and pacing underneath his skin. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from his mate. “I want protection here twenty-four seven until I get her home.” The command in his voice was unmistakable.

  Simon frowned. “Already taken care of, but you might want to watch your tone.”

  Adrian looked at his Beta and knew his eyes were gold with rage. He could feel himself straining against an unseen barrier as he and Simon stared each other down.