by Bianca D’Arc
Tracy might still be confused about his role in his Clan, but there was no denying his dominance. In a battle of wills, she would be hard pressed to pick a winner between the two of them. She hoped he never put her in that kind of position, because more and more, she was realizing it would hurt something deep inside to have to fight him.
That’s why she was hoping to keep this as civilized as possible between them. She knew she’d done wrong in not telling him about Emma, but she wasn’t going to back down if he tried to take her baby away. There had to be some kind of compromise they could reach, that would leave them both happy and Emma safe with the love and caring of both her parents. Tracy just didn’t know what that compromise might look like yet.
She knew she had to talk to Hank to hammer out an agreement. Hence, her bold move in sitting down at his table uninvited. He didn’t seem at all displeased by her presence, though, so she took heart. Maybe this would all work out, somehow.
“Would you like to join me for lunch?” Hank asked politely.
“I’ve already eaten, thanks,” she told him, then forged ahead. “We need to iron a few things out regarding Emma, and I think we should try to work on that tonight. Join us for dinner, and we can talk after Em goes to bed.” She gave him a stern look. “Just talk.”
“If that’s what you want,” Hank said, not looking entirely happy but committed nonetheless. “Can I come early again, to spend a little time with Emma?”
“If you wish,” she told him, standing as the young waitress returned with his food. Tracy left the table without saying more.
It was hard to see him after what they’d shared the night before. She had a definite weak spot for him and had regretted giving in to her need for him as soon as her passion had cooled.
He’d been so good to her. So solicitous of her. He was such a charmer. But it wasn’t just charm. No, he really cared. She could feel it in his every touch, his every kiss.
It was incredibly seductive. She could easily come to believe in the fairytale and start thinking about things that she really couldn’t have. Better to set ground rules now, and not violate them again.
She had to be strong and resist his devastating charm.
Hank had a plan. He was going to lay siege to his lady’s heart and convince her—seduce her—into agreeing to visit Jaguar Island. He was reasonably certain that once she saw all the advantages Emma would have there, Tracy would agree to some kind of joint parenting. More than that, though, he wanted desperately to convince her to live with him and be his mate in truth.
He wanted that more than he wanted his next breath. She was so incredibly special to him. How could she not see that already? Hank’s deepest fear was that Tracy didn’t feel the same way about him as he felt about her. But that went against everything he’d ever heard about true mates.
He wanted so desperately to believe that she was his true mate. He felt it. He couldn’t ascribe the feelings inside him to anything else. Yet, if he was feeling it, she should be too, right?
But what if she didn’t? What if he was—impossibly—wrong? What if he was deluding himself because he wanted a mate of his own so badly?
No. He couldn’t let doubt cripple him. He had a plan, and he was going to stick to it.
Tracy wouldn’t know what hit her.
That’s why, later, when they’d put Emma to bed, Hank didn’t give her a chance to talk. He knew she might see his seduction as a bit of a betrayal. After all, he’d come here under the pretense of having some kind of serious talk about Emma’s future, but he was a cat. They were known to be sneaky. Tracy knew that as well as anyone.
When he turned on the charm and made a move, she didn’t do much protesting. In fact, she didn’t do any protesting at all. She melted into his arms as if that’s where she wanted to be for always and ever.
Hank didn’t hesitate. He made love to his mate, trying to show her without words how good they could be together. How perfect.
He caressed her every curve with hands, lips and tongue. He made her pant. He made her sweat. He made her bite and growl softly, knowing she didn’t dare make too much noise while Emma was asleep in the house.
This time, he carried Tracy up to her bedroom, shutting them behind the locked door, just in case the little one woke up. If Emma did wake up and climb out of her bed, they’d hear it on the baby monitor Tracy kept at her bedside.
He laid Tracy on the bed and set about proving his undying affection for his mate. He worshipped her body, showing her in practical terms how much he valued her spirit. He’d been a fool for too long. Now that he had Tracy in his arms again, he wasn’t going to waste any more time trying to convince her that he really did care for her. That she really was his mate.
Tracy was having a hard time catching her breath as Hank kept her off balance both physically and mentally. He knew just where and how to touch her to send her senses into orbit, and it wasn’t long before she was tearing at his clothing, wanting to touch his skin.
Hank obliged, undressing them both with quiet efficiency, all the while keeping up his unrelenting assault on her senses, touching, licking and caressing her into a frenzy of need. Damn. He was good. Better than good. He was fantastic!
When he flipped her to lay face down on the bed, she wanted to howl in delight but didn’t dare make a sound. He was appealing to her inner animal, this time, lifting her ass in the air and moving behind her. Doggy style, they called it. She wouldn’t have expected it so easily from a cat, and the silly thought made her smile, even as Hank’s hard cock sank into her from behind.
Oh, yeah. That’s what she wanted. Right…there.
He started slow then began to increase his pace as she shut her eyes and just enjoyed. Damn. That felt good.
He’d used a condom again. Thoughtful kitty. Just for that, she’d lick him later. As her thoughts turned slightly scandalous, Hank began to move faster. The pressure built until it exploded outward in a geyser of ecstasy that stole her breath and made her want to howl.
She didn’t. Ever conscious of the little person sleeping next door, Tracy growled into the pillow beneath her head as pleasure racked her willing body. She felt Hank stiffen and heard a low, feline growl escape his throat. Sexy.
He let her down slowly and then lay at her side in the aftermath, holding her close. When his chest started vibrating with a purring sound, she smiled and placed her hand over his heart. She’d never been with a man who purred before…except Hank. Only Hank had ever shown her how sexy a cat could be.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“You know, I really thought I meant what I said when I invited you over here just to talk,” Tracy mused as she lay spooned against Hank’s warm body deep in the night, after their third round of lovemaking.
“You think differently now?” he asked, his voice dropping into that purring growl that made her insides tremble with desire. Her pussy cat was just too damned sexy.
“Apparently, I was lying to myself as much as you.” She turned so she could face him but stayed close. “I’m sorry, Hank. I’ve been very confused since you came back. I know that’s not really an excuse, but it’s the truth.”
He stroked her hair back from her face with one hand. “That’s okay. This is a confusing situation. I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were…” He stopped talking, his expression growing shuttered.
“Were what?” she asked, suspicious about what he had been going to say.
Hank seemed to come to a decision. “I’ve been kicking myself ten ways to Sunday about this, sweetheart. Somehow, I didn’t realize you were my true, Goddess-given mate.”
“Mate,” she tested the word as if weighing how it felt in her mouth. “You seriously think so?”
Hank nodded solemnly. “I know it’s a lot to take in. It was for me, too. But I truly believe that’s what we’ve been fighting. We were always meant to be together. Emma is proof of that, if we need any more.”
“But you’re a cat!” She hadn’t meant to say it. It just ca
me out.
Hank chuckled. “I know. Terrible of me, isn’t it? Ruining all your preconceived ideas about the wolf you’d end up with. If it makes any difference, you blew up all my expectations too.”
Her first instinct was to bite him. How dare he laugh about something so serious? Then, she stopped to think about what he’d said and realized he was right—about her expectations, at least. She still wasn’t buying into the true mate hypothesis.
“I’m not so sure about the mate thing, but I will admit I’m more attracted to you than I’ve ever been to anyone else. If that means mating…” She thought about it for a moment more and was glad he didn’t rush her. “I’m not prepared to go that far…yet. I always thought there would be sparkling lights and fairies singing or something,” she admitted, laughing at her own childish ideas. “I’m going to have to think about this.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less of my pensive…” He placed a quick kiss on her forehead. “Pedantic…” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Passionate…” This time, he kissed her lips and lingered. “Pretty, pretty mate,” he whispered after he let her up for air.
She let the claim slide this time. She liked the way he complimented her. He knew just how to stroke her inner wolf, and her human sensibilities, as well.
“Will you come to the island to visit?” he asked after a short lull where they just held each other quietly. “I can fly you back with me and then bring you back here whenever you want.”
Tracy sighed. “Was that what this was all about? You were seducing me into agreeing to visit the island?”
He shrugged. “Did it work?”
“You’re incorrigible,” she told him, smiling despite herself. He really was a charming rogue.
She’d already given the idea of visiting the island a lot of thought and realized it wouldn’t be fair to Emma if she didn’t at least try to see how the jaguars lived. She’d already half-decided to go back with him when he left—just for a short stay. Did she let him think he’d seduced her into it, or did she make it clear she had already mostly decided to go anyway?
What difference did it really make? It seemed petty now, to try to belabor the point, so she just smiled at him.
“We’ll go with you,” she told him, gratified when his face lit up with happiness. He was devastating when he was serious, but he was incredible when he smiled. Her tummy lurched with the attraction that never seemed to fade. “Just for a short visit, though,” she qualified, trying to be stern.
His joy didn’t dim with her harsher tone. He leaned in and kissed her soundly, then drew back, meeting her gaze. “Thank you, Tracy. I can’t wait to show you my home.”
When they arrived the next day—for Hank hadn’t wasted any time getting Tracy and Emma on his plane once she’d agreed to go—Jaguar Island was like nothing Tracy could have imagined. An island paradise, for sure, but it still looked so wild and untamed. Yet, she was sure she’d heard the jaguars all lived there.
“There’s only one house,” she mused as they got off the plane and she had her first good look around. “Does everyone live in that mansion? I mean, everybody knows the jaguars suffered greatly and were diminished in numbers, but I really thought there were more of you than that.”
Hank chuckled as he picked up Emma and carried her down the short staircase that led from the cabin of the plane to the tarmac. He kissed her on the cheek before setting her back on her little feet.
“Cats are really good at stealth,” he told her. “The mansion was here when Mark bought the place. It serves its purpose as camouflage, and a place to bring the occasional non-Clan guest.”
“Will we be staying there?” Tracy bent down to pick up Emma while Pax and Ari handled the bags for them. The two giant jaguars had turned out to be nice guys and had kept both Tracy and Emma entertained on the long plane ride.
“If you want to,” Hank said as they began walking up the winding shell-lined path that led to the mansion. “But I’d hoped you’d stay at my place. There’s plenty of room.”
Tracy wondered if he expected her to share his bed if she stayed with him. If possible, she’d try to see the accommodations offered by both choices before making a decision. She had to choose what was best for Em, even if Tracy’s hormones wanted to share sexy Hank’s bed again. And again. And again.
Down, girl.
Hank was nervous introducing Tracy to Mark and the rest of his people. Would she like them? Would they like her? It was strange to be introducing a werewolf onto the island—a place designed for cats. Even now, Hank spotted a few of his Clan mates in the trees, watching the path. They were holding back, for now, not sure what to make of the mother and child.
For, it was obvious to anyone who scented them that Tracy was Emma’s mother, yet their inner animals were completely different. It happened, but not often, that mates were of different species. Cats had been known to mate bear shifters in the past—both species liked to roam alone, so that sort of made sense—but Hank didn’t know of any other wolf-jaguar matches. Wolves wanted to constantly be surrounded by Pack. Jaguars? Not so much.
In fact, that was one of the potential problems in asking Pax and Ari here. They were protectors of their own small Clan in Arizona, but here, they would be surrounded by a lot more jaguars with a lot less real estate. Clashes could happen.
Hank didn’t flinch when a very large jaguar jumped out of a tree on the path in front of them. Tracy reflexively held Emma tighter, Hank noted, but he knew the male cat that had just put on a display, and Hank suspected it was more for Pax and Ari’s benefit than Tracy’s.
“Knock it off, Mario. You’re scaring my daughter,” Hank said, figuring little Emma would forgive him for the face-saving falsehood.
Emma was far from frightened by the big cat’s appearance. In fact, she was peering with wide eyes from her mother’s hold, noting everything about the new feline. It was Tracy that was apprehensive, as any protective mother should be in new and unknown situation. Hank moved closer to her and put one hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t mind him. He’s probably here to check out our other guests,” Hank murmured to Tracy as Mario paused, nodded once, then moved past them with a swish of his tail. Sure enough, he walked right up to Pax and growled.
Pax growled back, but Hank knew they were growls of greeting. Friendly sounds. Apparently, Mario knew these guys.
“Don’t let ol’ Mario spook you, Miss Tracy,” Ari offered from the rear of the small party. “We worked with him a few years back. He just came to say hello, now that we’re in his home territory.”
Hank resumed walking, escorting Tracy and Emma while Pax, Ari and Mario spaced themselves a few yards behind. It felt good to walk on the island with Tracy beside him. Having her here was something he’d never expected but had started to want with all his heart. He hoped she liked the place enough to consider visiting with Emma from time to time, but he was concerned her inner wolf would be driven up the wall being surrounded by cats.
“I’m sorry about the long walk. We left it this way deliberately,” Hank told Tracy. “Another layer of security. We get to see everyone who comes up this path from multiple angles.”
“And of course you have people in the trees,” she said, nodding toward where another jaguar lounged in the crook of a forked tree trunk.
“Well spotted,” he complimented her skill in seeing the golden jaguar against the dappled sunlight in the trees.
Tracy tapped her nose and smiled softly. “The nose always knows,” she told him.
“We should have a smell-off sometime,” he mused aloud.
“A what?” She looked at him, humor dancing in her eyes.
“You heard me. I’ve always wondered if wolves had more sensitive noses than jaguars. We could test it.” They rounded the final bend, at that point, and the house was before them.
Tracy didn’t answer as little Emma demanded to be put down, only so she could run straight for the porch of the mansion where a young couple was sitti
ng in the shade, tall glasses of lemonade on a table between them. Hank held his breath. Mark and his mate were waiting for them.
And like all good little jaguars, Emma recognized the Alpha and wanted to be near him. Damn. That just about choked Hank up, realizing his daughter—his daughter—was about to meet their Clan leader. Hank had never really thought this day would come, and yet, somehow, the Mother of All had been smiling down on him.
She was probably chuckling right now, as a matter of fact. If the Goddess had put Hank and Tracy together in the first place, which he now believed had been the case, then She was no doubt frustrated at how stupid he’d been not to recognize his mate for so very long.
Hank vowed to make up for the lost time. He’d figure a way.
Tracy hesitated, and Hank put his hand on her arm. “She’ll be fine. Her jaguar recognizes its Alpha, that’s all. Mark would sooner bite off his own hand than hurt a baby.”
Hank murmured the comforting words near Tracy’s ear as they continued toward the house, Emma racing ahead on her chubby little legs. She was wearing the cutest sundress today, with a colorful cartoon lion’s head on the front. She made it to the stairs that led up to where Mark and Shelly were sitting, and that slowed her down, but Emma was determined. On hands and knees, she made her way up the three wide steps and then made a beeline for Mark.
By the time Emma reached the Alpha jaguar, Hank and Tracy were mounting the steps. Mark caught Emma and lifted her to sit on his lap.
“And who’s this?” he asked the child, who giggled, content in the Alpha’s protective presence.
“Mark.” Hank cleared his suddenly tight throat and tried again. “Alpha. This is Emma. My daughter.” Hank felt pride swell in his chest as he presented his offspring to the Alpha, but he had another duty—equally special—to perform. “And this is her mother, Tracy Villalobos.”
