“I am not a superhero. I’m merely a panther shifter.”
“You may not realize this, but both of those things are equally impossible, stud.” Alexa gave him an assessing look. “Although, with those muscles and that body, it might be easier to believe you’re a superhero.”
“You are being ridiculous,” Beau chided her impatiently, the muscle in his jaw flexing and releasing as he reminded himself that the fates had deemed this woman his perfect compliment. Strangling her would be like spitting in destiny’s eye. But maybe he could seduce her into submission. One look at her curvy little body and he knew he’d definitely enjoy that challenge.
Unfortunately, his little mate didn’t particularly like being judged by him.
Coming up on her knees, she reached eye level with Beau and poked a finger into his hard chest. “You have the balls to call me ridiculous? Pot, you need to meet the fucking kettle,” she hissed.
Eyebrow’s lifting in surprise, Beau canted his head to the side. “What does that even mean, chère?” he asked, his deep voice confused and perplexed.
“It means you’re an asshole! Seriously, you can sprout four legs and a tail on a whim and if the rumors are to be believed, you’ve got nine lives to live, but I’m the ridiculous one here? I don’t THINK so, bucko!” she continued, jabbing him in the sternum again with a pointed fingernail.
Eyeing the Hello Kitty nightshirt that had ridden up his mate’s thighs and her matching fuzzy socks, Beau’s lips twitched. “Well,” he drawled, “It’s not as if you aren’t a fan of cats, chère.”
Looking down at her nightgown, Alexa growled low in her throat. “But you’re a panther, remember?” she mocked, her skin flushing as Beau took a step nearer until his bare chest brushed against her. “W-what are you doing?” she asked quickly as his dark head began to descend toward her.
“I find that as much as I want to continue this banter with you, I want to kiss my mate more,” he murmured as his body hardened against hers. God, even now he could taste how sweet her lips would taste. “There’ll be time for more talking later, sugar. For now, come closer and get to know your alpha,” he urged silkily, wrapping his arm around her middle and pulling her until her body molded to his from shoulder to knee. Bending his head, he claimed her mouth, groaning as his tongue slipped between her lips and into her mouth.
Twining his tongue around hers, he moaned as her flavor coated his tongue, her taste burning itself on his memory. Sweet Christ, but he was a lucky man. Her kiss was sweet as toffee. And one sip from her lips confirmed to him that she was meant to be his and no others. He’d shred any male, human or shifter, that thought to ever step between him and what was his – such was the strength of the mating bond that formed as soon as his lips touched hers.
Yeah, he was a lucky bastard.
He could already tell his fierce little mate possessed a quick and bright mind. She’d proven herself to be spirited, but kind. And based on the way she was kissing him back, rubbing that succulent little tongue of hers along his, she definitely felt this chemistry between them, too. Yes, she was everything his agile mind never thought he wanted, but exactly what his heart knew he needed.
Sliding his hand down her neck to curl around one firm breast, he growled as her body bucked against his, her covered mound humping against the hardness shrouded behind his towel-covered waist. It appeared his sweet human was feeling the mating pull just as deeply as he was. Even now, he yearned to pull the towel from between them and sink into the tight, virgin heat he knew waited for him. He could literally smell her innocence. It was like a drug, goading him to strip her down and take her, hard, deep and fast. Hs human side knew, however, that his Alexa would despise him forever if he took advantage of the need that had flared between them. And while he was usually prone to giving his panther what it wanted, this time, he had to let his human half win the battle being waged within him.
Because first and foremost, he wanted his mate to be happy.
That didn’t mean, however, that he couldn’t let his panther play just a little, he thought devilishly. Since felines were creatures that loved their sense of touch, perhaps, he could feed that urge. Tightening his hand around her breast, he used his thumb as an instrument of erotic torture, sweeping it back and forth over her swollen nipple until she keened against his mouth, pushing her flesh more heavily into his hand, wordlessly begging him for more. “You like that, don’t you, little one?” he murmured against her damp lips as he plucked her peak gently with his fingers.
“Yes,” she breathed shakily as she rubbed herself against him. “Feels so good.”
Smiling at her pleasure, Beau dropped another warm, wet kiss against her lips, sucking her tongue into his mouth as he dropped his other hand, slithering it up the back of her bare thigh beneath her nightshirt. He enjoyed the way her smooth, hairless flesh felt beneath his palm, so soft and touchable. “Let’s see what I can do to make you feel even better, chère,” he offered against her ear, his hot breath gusting against the curve of her neck and pulling a delicate shudder from her body. “Will you let me do that, sweet? Will you let your alpha pet your pretty pussy and get you off?” He knew it was too soon for his female to allow him to eat what he knew would be the tastiest cunt he’d ever had, but he prayed that she’d allow this intimacy. “Let me give you the release your gorgeous body craves,” he urged, using his blunt teeth to nip the sleek line of her neck.
“Y-yes,” she stammered as her body bowed against his while her arms wrapped around his neck.
Turning her carefully, Beau laid his mate down on the bed behind her, keeping her distracted with his lips on hers. Kissing her deeply, he wound his tongue around hers while his hands ran over her body, learning her curves and what made her moan and sigh. Finally allowing his hand to drift down her body to the hem of her nightshirt, he eased the cotton up her legs as he sucked greedily at her tongue.
Sweet God, the fates had blessed him beyond measure when they’d linked her future to his. While he’d known the moment he caught her scent months ago that his human mate would intoxicate him, nothing could have ever prepared him for the wave of desire that had crashed into him when he’d wrapped her in his arms. He’d been in hell for months, his panther screaming at him to claim their mate they’d both known was his, but he’d insisted they wait and bide their time. Alexa was human and different from him in many ways. He had to handle her carefully and introduce her to their world slowly. That’s why he’d stepped up his visits to her work, ordering coffee he didn’t like and rarely drank so that he could spend time with her and get to know what made her smile and laugh. His entire plan had been blown to hell tonight, however, when the mating pull between them had grown too great for him to resist. He’d caught her now mature scent on the wind and been helpless to resist the lure of her. Both he and his beast had been in agreement the moment that delicious odor had reached them.
Alexa’s time was up. She was theirs.
So, he’d shifted and followed the smell of his mate.
Hours later, here they were -- his lush mate spread out before him as his hand crept beneath the thin satin panties she wore to caress her swollen folds.
“Beau!” Alexa gasped as she felt his firm finger skate across her clit. “Oh, Beau! Right there,” she whimpered as her hips lifted against his hand and her thighs parted eagerly.
Smiling as his fingers encountered the slick, wet heat of her, Beau growled against her lips as his panther howled in victory. They had their prize, and now they’d claim it. Circling the hard little bud at the apex of her thighs, he wanted to cry out in triumph himself as he was rewarded with a gush of her female juices soaking his hand. There was no doubt about what his woman’s body wanted from him. “Shhh, chère, I’ll take care of you,” he promised, dropping a kiss to her pink lips as he flicked his thumb against her clit and slowly sank a long finger into her tight, untried body. “Yeah,” he whispered as she arched against him, her walls clamping around his finger to drag him deeper.
“You like that, don’t you, sugar?”
“Holy fuck,” Lexie gasped, her light brown eyes nearly rolling back in her head as his finger filled her aching pussy. “That feels incredible,” she moaned as her back twisted on the bed and her hips lifted to receive him. “More, please! Give me more Beau,” she whimpered as his finger withdrew only to fill her again a breath later.
His cock throbbed as he watched her face tighten with pleasure. “You want more, my mate? I’ll give you more,” he acquiesced, adding another finger to her snug pussy as her fucked her with his hand. Curling his fingers, he searched that elusive spot that he knew would make his tame little human positively feral with want.
“Oh, shit,” Lexie wailed when his fingers found that magical spot.
Mission accomplished, he thought with masculine pride as he curled his fingers and caressed that rough patch of nerves deep inside her again. Levering his body over hers to better see her face while he pleasured her, his smile was purely predatory when her eyes met his. “C’mon, my mate. Come for your alpha. Cream for me,” he demanded sensually.
Gripping his shoulders tightly as her body arched to his, Alexa breathed hard as her body searched for its pleasure. Unfortunately, her mind chose this moment to switch back on. “Wait,” Alexa panted even as her hips lifted to meet the fingers that fucked into her. “Beau, wait!”
Pausing for a moment with his fingers buried deep inside her contracting pussy, Beau’s head lifted from where he sucked her nipple through her nightshirt. “What is it, bébé?”” he asked, his voice thick with passion.
“Y-you’re not gonna shift in the middle of everything, are you? I mean, I don’t think I’m ready to cross that line into bestiality yet no matter how wet my pussy is. It lies!” she insisted. “Pussycat sex would not be for me!”
Stunned, Beau could only stare into her anxious caramel eyes for a second before he threw back his head and boomed with laughter. Finally gaining control, he focused on his nervous mate and grinned. “I promise, Lexie, I am in full control of my panther and there will be no shift mid-fuck. I swear,” he promised her gently, dropping an affectionate kiss to her upturned nose.
“You’re sure?” she asked, her eyes suspicious even though her needy pussy was more than ready to continue.
“Positive, sugar. Your alpha is very hungry, and all I want to eat is your sweet cream, Lexie,” he purred. “I am more than ready to lap it up, my sweet,” he shared huskily as his lips captured hers and his fingers sank deep.
Short minutes later, he grinned wickedly as he felt her cunt convulse around his digits, soaking his hand in her essence as he watched release claim his Alexa. Beautiful and vibrant, she was gorgeous as wave after wave of release cascaded over her. It was the single most satisfying thing he’d ever seen in his life.
That was until he watched her face again, second later, as he kept his word and lapped every drop of her cream from his fingers.
Yes, Beau believed he truly was one very lucky panther indeed!
Chapter Three
Alexa
Oh, holy crap on a cracker! She’d just had sex with a cat. Well, a panther.
Kinda.
Sorta.
Not really?
Ughhhh! Why did this all have to be so confusing, she asked herself silently as she struggled to catch her breath as she laid back against her overstuffed pillows? Since she’d never really been good at wondering and worrying in silence, she turned on her side to look at the person responsible for her current dilemma. “I need to ask you a question,” she began boldly, propping her chin in her hand as she stared at him. “Did I just have sex with a man or a panther?”
Chuckling, Beau levered himself up on one elbow and met her gaze head-on. “Neither,” he answered succinctly.
“Neither?” she echoed skeptically.
“That’s right. Neither. We didn’t have sex, chère. You merely fooled around with your mate. But, if we had gone further, you would have been doing it with a man. I don’t find bestiality particularly attractive either.”
“But, you shift into a panther. Would you ever want to…you know,” she said meaningfully, “… in your panther form?”
“Ah, no. Fate has decreed my mate to be entirely human, Lexie. Mating you as a panther would be impossible because you are not a shifter, too. And once mated, a shifter will only ever seek his other half to couple. It’s not just nobility that keeps us faithful to our mates, but biology as well.”
“So you’ll never want another woman? Or cat?” she asked, feeling both unsure and slightly optimistic. Knowing your man would never stray would go a long way toward adding some value to this whole having-a-shifter-mate thing.
Beau’s smiled widened. “Would that make you happy, chère? Does the idea of another female finding me favorable make you jealous?” he teased lightly.
“Just answer the question,” she snapped, blushing. Gah, why did this guy have to be so freaking insufferable? Arrogance did NOT look good on him.
“There will be no other for me but you, Lexie. Ever. Don’t you see? You are the missing piece to a complicated puzzle that I’ve been trying to solve for years, chère. You complete me in a way I never expected, and I’ll die before I willingly let you or that feeling go.”
“What if I decide this whole “mating” thing isn’t for me? What then?”
“It will still only ever be you for me. Allowing you to leave me isn’t something I’ll even contemplate. Did you not feel what just happened between us? And I only had my fingers inside you. Believe me, this bond between us will strengthen a little more each day until we feel each other’s hearts beating from miles away. You can’t turn your back on a link that strong, Lexie.”
“So I’m just supposed to do what here? Mindlessly accept that my fate is entwined with yours?” Alexa questioned as her heart began to pound. Mostly because he was right. She did fill the connection he spoke of. It throbbed between them, linking her heart to his.
“Tell me, what does your heart say?”
“My heart?” she scoffed. “My heart has misled me before, Beau. Or were you not listening to my sad little life story earlier?”
Beau laughed. “No, pretty girl, your hormones might have misguided you to some shitty boys, but your heart would never lead you astray. What does it say now, sweet?”
“It says this is all happening at warp speed. I feel like the world I know has been turned upside down in the space of a night,” she replied honestly.
“That’s because it has. You learned that something you always assumed was either myth or science fiction is entirely real. That’s a lot to take in,” he admitted. “I’m sorry you weren’t prepared for this. When I caught your scent months ago and learned you were intended for me, I knew this would be hard for you,” he mused aloud.
Her eyes dilated at that. “Wait a second. You’ve known about this… this thing between us for months? And you never said anything?” she asked, jerking up in the bed as she turned to glare fully at him.
“Well, yes,” he answered slowly, sitting up slowly. “I also knew you were human, Lexie. Fully human.”
“You know, my friends call me Lexie, Beau,” she pointed out grouchily. “The only ones that really call me by my full name are my parents and as you’ve probably figured out, I don’t like them very much either.”
Beau nodded. “Then Lexie it is,” he agreed instantly. “Though, we aren’t friends, love. We’re mates. It’s different. Deeper.”
“Yeah, well, I haven’t agreed to that yet,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “Especially since my mate kept his existence a secret from me.”
“So I could get to know you, young Lexie. I wanted you to see me as a man before I explained my dual nature to you. Honestly, can you deny that you were attracted to me? Remember, I saw the way you looked at me when I stood before you naked.”
“Yeah, well, so you’re hot! You’ve got a cute ass and a big dick! Any girl is gonna look at all that,” she said, w
aving her hand at him. “That still doesn’t mean that I like you,” she blurted. “I don’t know you. Not really, anyway!”
“Then you’ll get to know me as we explore our mate bond,” he returned easily. “It’s what most pairs do. Although, in fairness, you are the first human mate there’s been in over a century. Etiquette for this kind of thing is sort of the make-it-up-as-you-go-along variety.”
“Oh, goody,” she declared snarkily, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I love being a guinea pig for you shifter folk.”
Beau smiled at her again and she couldn’t help feeling warm and gooey inside. “Don’t look at me like that,” she warned. “I haven’t said I’ll be your mate.”
“What do you need to say that you will at least try, Lexie? Name it and it’s yours,” Beau offered.
Licking her lips, Lexie considered his offer. “First, I want an explanation.”
“For what?” Beau asked readily.
“Uhmmm, let’s try everything,” Alexa replied tartly. “Start with shifters in general. How many of you are there? How did this come about in general and for you specifically? And what is this alpha crap you keep mentioning?”
Sighing heavily, Beau stuffed one of her pillows behind his head and leaned back. “Get comfortable, chère. This might take a while.”
Moving to stretch out beside him, Lexie nodded. “Okay,” she said when she’d maneuvered a pillow underneath her chest. “Lay it on me.”
“Let’s start with the fact that I am a panther shifter. Or to be more exact, I’m the Alpha to the Pantare Nouveau pack shifter community of Louisiana. I oversee approximately 800 shifters give or take a few for recent births and deaths. I replaced my father when he died three years ago of a heart attack. If something happens to me before we have a son in his majority, my twin brother Marcel will take over.
“Marcel?”
“My identical twin. Though, unless you fancy him holding a grudge against you, you should probably just call him Marc. He despises his Christian name. He thinks it sounds weak, but our mother loved it. She claims it was a family name.”
Cat Scratch Fever Page 3
