by R. E. Butler
As quickly as his shift had come on him, he released it, the cat content that Celeste had embraced the essence of what they were. She didn’t release her hold on him as he shifted, but watched the change as if it were something she’d seen a hundred times before.
“Does it hurt?”
“When I was younger it did. But I slowly got used to it, and now it doesn’t really bother me.”
“Can you just go back and forth whenever you feel like it?”
He stood, lifting her into his arms. Heading for his home, he said, “Within reason. We have rules about shifting above ground, of course. But I can shift whenever I feel like it, although if I had to shift back and forth too often I might get stuck in my shifted form and have to wait for my strength to return before I could shift back.”
He opened the front door, stepped inside, and kicked it shut. Although he wanted to rush her right to the bedroom, instead he put her on the floor and said, “Everything that’s mine is yours now, Celeste, including this house. We can figure out what to tell your family about this situation, but no one can know the truth about shifters. Do you understand how serious things would get if word got out that we were real?”
She turned in a slow circle, looking around the family room. It was simply furnished with a couch, a coffee table, and a TV. Then she faced him and planted her hands on her hips. “I understand that the public would freak out if they knew shifters were real, and I have no plans to reveal that to anyone ever. But what am I supposed to do about my parents? It’s one thing for me to show up with you as my guy. It’s another thing altogether for me to say I’ve quit my job and moved into the zoo, and they can never come visit.”
He frowned. “They absolutely can’t come here. It would be devastating to our people if the truth came out.”
She folded her arms over her chest, the corners of her mouth pulling down into a severe frown. “I can’t just disappear, Jupiter. It won’t work. I’m very close to my parents, and they will not be accepting of things if I just shut them out of my life.”
He growled softly, his mind spinning. It hadn’t occurred to him what might happen to a mate’s family with the abrupt change in living and working arrangements. He scrubbed a hand over his face, his cat snarling at him to move forward with their mating and deal with the consequences later.
Pushing the cat firmly away, he took her hands and kissed the tops. “I don’t know what we’ll do, but I swear that you won’t need to shut your family out of your life or disappear. Give me some time to figure it out, please.”
She peered up at him, the bit of wariness and worry he’d seen in her gaze slowly disappearing. “Thank you.”
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’d do anything for you, Celeste, my sweet little love. Anything.”
She hummed, her cheeks pinking. “Can I point out that you haven’t actually asked me to be your mate?”
He opened his mouth to disagree, but snapped it shut with a click when she put her hand up. “I’m not finished.” She stared at him hard for a moment, and then deliberately dropped her gaze to his erection. “Where’s the bedroom?”
He couldn’t find any words to say. All he could think was that she was staring at him, and he swore he could scent her arousal, a sweet smell that called to his beast. He pointed to the hall. She winked at him, pulled off her jacket and tossed it to him, then walked toward his room. Her hips swayed as she moved, the tight-fitting tank she wore hugging the curves he’d felt under his hands. Every masculine instinct within him, along with his cat, roared.
She. Was. His.
Chapter 6
The hallway that led to the bedrooms had four doors, and only one was open. Celeste pushed it open further and found a bedroom with a huge bed against one wall. Dark wood furniture was highlighted against cream-colored walls and carpet. She knew that she was moving fast with Jupiter, but she couldn’t imagine anything better than exploring all his sexy goodness. In the office, she’d thought he was off his rocker, but once she watched him change into a lion – once she’d been face to face with the truth of what he was – clarity had washed through her. She’d felt connected to him in a profound way. As if they were old souls. As if her whole life had led up to the moment their gazes locked through the fence.
She looked down at her hands. They were trembling, and her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest. She wasn’t scared; she was entirely certain that Jupiter would never let anything happen to her. But she was damned nervous.
She turned as Jupiter stalked into the room behind her, his eyes the golden color of his cat and his entire body tensed and hard. Without her permission, her gaze dropped to his thick erection. Her mind flitted back to telling Adriana that going on the VIP tour would be an adventure, and she now realized how very true those words had been. She was embarking on an adventure that would change her life forever. Right here, at this moment, she could stop things or she could take that first step, trusting the place deep inside her that believed everything Jupiter had said.
That she was his one. That he’d been waiting for her.
He cupped her face, and she forced herself to meet his gaze, when what she’d been enjoying doing was staring at his cock and imaging all the wicked things they could do together. He purred, and the sound tickled its way down her spine, making her belly tighten and her pussy clench.
Wrapping her hands around his forearms, she rose onto her toes and kissed him. He was at least six feet tall, dwarfing her five-and-a-half-foot frame. She was curvy, but next to his big, muscular body she felt delicate. Their lips met – softly at first, but then he tilted her head and deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Her head spun as he explored every inch of her mouth. She’d never been so thoroughly kissed in all her life, and as he lifted from her lips and his hot breath fanned her face, she opened her eyes slowly.
“This,” she whispered, “isn’t just for a night. You mean for us to be together for the rest of our lives.”
His gaze darkened to a beautiful glowing amber. “Be mine, Celeste. Be my mate and stay with me here. Build a life with me.”
Tears pricked her eyes at the earnest, emotional tone of his words. “Yes.”
He kissed her with a happy growl. “I’m never letting you go.”
She laughed and moved her hands to his waist, giving him a little tug. He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks and down her throat, leaning in for another kiss as he reached for the hem of her tank. Goosebumps rose over her skin as he leaned back and pulled her shirt over her head. She wished she had on sexy undies. Her plain beige bra and the pink-and-blue striped bikini weren’t exactly screaming ‘sex goddess.’ He hooked a finger in the center of her bra and tugged.
She opened her mouth to tell him that it didn’t open that way, when a claw emerged from his fingertip and he shredded it. Her mouth fell open at the same time as her bra.
“Hey! That was my comfiest one,” she grumbled.
Pushing aside the fabric, he chuckled as he bared her breasts. “Don’t wear them on my account.”
It was her turn to laugh, as she slid her fingers through his thick hair and drew him closer. He nuzzled her breasts, kissing the tips as he pulled the ruined bra off completely and tossed it aside. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her down and climbing up next to her. Gazing down at her for a long moment, he said, “You’re so beautiful.”
“I feel like I’m dreaming,” she said as she cupped his face.
“I promise you’re not.” He lowered his head and kissed one nipple so softly that if she hadn’t been watching she wouldn’t have felt it. He nuzzled the peak and then opened his lips and drew a slow circle around it with his tongue. Her nipple tightened, and she moaned as he sucked it slowly into his mouth. He plumped her other breast, rubbing his thumb around the tip as he licked and sucked. Lifting from her breast, he gazed at her as he flicked his tongue over the other nipple. She shivered, and he smiled before drawing it into his
mouth and tending to it in the same way, until it was throbbing and sensitive.
She let her fingers roam over his upper body, from the rows of abs that made her mouth water, to the flat discs of his nipples, to the smooth expanse of his back. She’d never seen a sexier man, with his lightly tanned skin and muscles for days. She rubbed her thumbs over his nipples, giving them a light pinch, and he growled, releasing hers.
“Like that, do ya?” she teased.
“I like your hands on me. Anywhere, everywhere.”
Kissing down the center of her body, he reached the waistband of her jeans and undid them swiftly, tugging them down her legs with a barely contained growl. When he realized that her shoes were still on, he let out a short, exasperated rumble and sat up.
“Can we make a rule about no clothes in the house?” he asked, pulling off one shoe and chucking it aside.
“Only if it applies to you, too.”
He glanced at her with a glint of humor in his eyes. “Definitely.”
She watched with a smile as he pulled her jeans and panties off after tossing her other shoe aside. It surprised her that he hadn’t just shredded them the way he had her bra, but she was thankful. She did need some clothes.
He lifted her foot and kissed the sole, then nibbled on her instep. She shrieked with laughter at the sensation, and he chuckled. “You have the sexiest laugh,” he said.
He kissed her ankle, and then her calf, pushing her legs apart as he slowly worked his way up her body, baring her inch by inch to his lips and golden gaze. Her heart pounded and her stomach fluttered as he gripped her knees with his big hands and pushed her thighs wide enough for his broad shoulders. She inhaled deeply as he lowered his head, and exhaled shakily as he lapped at her clit.
“Oh, fuck,” she whispered, fisting his hair and tugging.
He closed his lips around her clit and sucked gently, flicking his tongue across the top. His finger probed her pussy, sliding in and out as he lapped at her clit. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his. His eyes were molten gold, searing straight through her as he played with her pussy and drove her to the pinnacle of pleasure. He twisted his finger inside her, adding a second, and then a third. With each push of his fingers into her, he stroked and rubbed until she thought she’d combust.
Curling his fingers, he found a place that made her vision darken and a husky moan erupt from her throat. He purred, and the vibrations of his tongue pushed her over the edge. She released her hold on his hair and fisted the bedding with a shout, lifting her hips as he pumped his fingers into her, rubbing over and over in just the right spot as her climax twisted through her.
He climbed up her, licking his wet fingers with a growl. He settled into the cradle of her hips and nudged her pussy with his cock. She rested her hands on his sides as he rose above her, his muscles bunching as he moved.
She gazed up at him. “I want to be yours, Jupiter.”
“You are.” He growled the words, pressing into her slowly. When their bodies touched, she felt something snap into place between them, like an invisible connection. She could feel how happy his lion was to be with her, and how much he already cared for her. The depth of the emotion was so much that it made her eyes sting.
Jupiter cupped her cheek. “It’s our bond, sweetheart. It’ll grow deeper and sweeter with time, but we’re tied together now.”
She pressed her hand against his and smiled. Tilting her hips up, she took him a little deeper. He groaned and slid his hand through her hair, fisting it lightly and kissing her as he canted his hips and slid from her. A purr rumbled in his chest when he drove back in. She wrapped her legs around his waist and met his thrusts, gripping his shoulders. He nipped her bottom lip and then kissed down her neck to her shoulder, sinking his teeth into her flesh with a growl.
He moved his leg, lifting her lower body off the bed slightly as he crouched over her, fucking her harder and faster. He released his hold on her neck and groaned her name when she raked her nails down his back as pleasure swamped her. She screamed his name and he roared, his cock spasming inside her as he followed her over the edge into pleasure. He curled his arms around her and rolled to his back, carrying her with him. She splayed across him, her entire body humming with pleasure. He stroked her back with his hands as he purred in contentment.
“This was not how I pictured the day turning out,” she said.
He chuckled. “No? You didn’t think you’d mate with a lion shifter who roars when he comes?”
She tilted her head up and chuckled. “Nope. But I’m glad I’m here. I’m glad I came to the zoo and met you.” She paused for a moment, stroking her finger along his strong jaw. “My life is never going to be the same, is it?”
“It’s not such a bad thing.”
“I don’t know. Do you leave dirty dishes in the sink?”
“I will try very hard to remember to put them away.”
“And put the seat down.”
“Yes dear,” he murmured, lifting his head to kiss her. “Whatever you want.”
She laid her head over his heart, listening to the steady beat. “I think I just want you. Again.”
His purr grew louder, eclipsing the sound of his heartbeat and making her laugh. “Whenever, wherever. A lion lives for his mate’s pleasure.”
“You should put that on a pillow.”
He tweaked her side. “How about I prove it instead?”
* * *
Celeste hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but Jupiter was so warm and she was so worn out, and before she knew what was happening, he was gently rousing her.
“You make a wonderful blanket, sweetheart, but there are some things we need to discuss,” he murmured.
“Do I have to be conscious?” she asked.
He hummed. “It would probably be a good idea.”
She rolled off him and stretched. “I can’t help it that you wore me out.”
“I’m definitely not complaining,” he said, moving to his side and propping his head on his upturned palm. “But it’s our first night together, and the pride has some traditions that we need to carry out.”
She stretched a second time, smiling inwardly as his gaze dropped to her bare breasts. Glancing at the alarm clock on the dresser, she saw that it was nine. “It’s Monday morning? Or is it still Sunday?”
“It’s still Sunday.”
He rested his hand on her stomach, and she laid her hand on top of his. “Is it weird living underground?”
“At first. But it helps us to keep our shifting natures a secret. Can you imagine if we were in a human housing development and a lion suddenly appeared in the yard? People would flip out. We have the above-ground paddocks for when we’re in our shifts. We come and go through the storage buildings, which each have a hidden staircase in the floor. We’re careful to always be hidden from human eyes when we shift, and no matter what, we never let our emotions get the best of us.”
“Being emotional makes you shift?”
“It can, if we’re extremely agitated. When we’re younger it can be hard to control the shift, but it would be devastating to have our secret revealed to humans, so we work hard to make sure our young know how to protect themselves, and us, when it comes to shifting.”
She rubbed her fingers over the top of his hand as she mulled over his words. “We can’t live above ground.”
“No. But think of it this way: we have the lion paddock as our own backyard. Whenever you want to go outside, we can.”
“Unless the park is open,” she pointed out. “You couldn’t have a random woman walking around in the lion paddock with visitors in the park.”
“That’s a very good point. I don’t want you to feel like you’re a prisoner.”
She hadn’t considered all she was giving up by choosing to be with Jupiter. It had happened so quickly. One moment she was a single girl on a safari tour, and the next she was getting her world rocked by the sexiest guy she’d ever met. She knew she’d made the right choice, be
cause if she’d said no, she would have regretted it for the rest of her life. But she was worried about her parents and her best friend.
“Sweetheart?”
“I’m just concerned about my parents’ reaction. I have a job and an apartment, too, and I’m thinking about my friend.”
“I promise we’ll figure out how you can see your parents and your friend. As far as your job, you can work here in the park with me if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. You don’t need a job because the park pays for all of our expenses. Even though there are other mates in the zoo, you’re kind of the guinea pig.”
Her brows rose. “What?”
He laughed as he leaned over and kissed her nose. “I mean that the other mates have been here for years, and didn’t have the technology to be in touch with their families as much as we do. You’re the first soulmate brought here with this new program, and you’ll be the one who helps determine what happens in the future when other soulmates are found. Jobs, families, housing – these are things we were aware would need to be dealt with, but we haven’t figured out how to do that yet.”
“When do I get to meet your pride?”
“Let’s find out,” he said as he got up and walked out of the bedroom. She heard a door creak open, and then a few moments later it shut. He came back into the bedroom with his clothes under one arm and his phone to his ear. Giving her a wink, he dropped the clothes into a hamper and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Yes,” he said. “That’s fine, but for safety’s sake we should have a team of wolves walk through the park to make sure no humans were left behind. That’s fine, too. See you in an hour.”
He ended the call and turned to her. She sat up and scooted close, resting her head on his shoulder. “Why do I feel better when we’re touching?”
“Because we’re mates. When we made love, it bound us together.”
