The Turtle and the Hare (Furry United Coalition)

by Amanda Kimberley

  He had never had this need with any other woman before. All the women of Skyros were like sisters to him. And he did have a need of wanting to protect them, but Harriet was different. Unlike his sister of Skyros, he wanted to rip Harriet’s clothes off. He needed to ravage every inch of her glorious curves. To kiss and suck on the lips of her folds and to plunge his rock-hard sex inside of her and make her bud sing glorious praises all evening long.

  “I care about you too, Lear. And that’s why I want you in my room tonight. You are a prince, and your father, the king, hired me to protect you. That means Zagan has to come through me first. I’m not going to let anything happen to you on my watch. Now please, let me show you to my room so you can get some sleep.”

  He nodded, not knowing what else to say, and followed her into her bedroom, where she turned down the bed.

  She should be naked and inside those sheets!

  “The bathroom is through there in case you want to freshen up. Let me just grab my PJs and a pillow and blanket, and I’ll be out of your way,” Harriet said with a smile.

  “Who said anything about you being in my way?”

  “I just meant it as a figure of speech.” She smirked this time. The gesture sent heat to his core again.

  “I get it. But the thing is I’m not tired. And I never did get my dance with you yet.” He inched closer to her. “Our date was cut short.”

  “But we don’t have any music,” Harriet said in retort. His lips were now a breath from hers.

  “We don’t need any music to dance.” He pulled her to his waist and started to sway.

  “Prince Lear…” Her voice trailed into silence as he interrupted her.

  “Please call me Lear. I hate the formalities, especially with a woman that I want to be intimate with.” His hands skimmed down to her backside as his hips ground into her waist. His lips claimed hers once more before gliding down her chin and then took refuge at the crux of her neck. “I want you, Harriet. Please stay with me tonight?”

  She found her legs walking in unison with his toward the edge of the bed. His lips crashed onto her mouth again as his tongue parted her lips. She tugged at his shirt until it was free from his Dockers. Harriet palmed the smooth skin of his back. He tucked her into his arms and laid her out on the bed.

  “Please, Harriet? I want to kiss you.”

  Harriet let out a chuckle. “I thought we were already doing that.”

  His index finger touched her lips. “Not here.” His finger traveled down her chest and past her waist until it rested on the zipper of her jeans. He cupped her sex before continuing, “I want to kiss you here.”

  He unhooked the button on her jeans and slid the zipper down. “I want to suck on that beautiful womanhood of yours and taste your sweet essence.” His thumbs hooked onto the waist of her jeans, and he tugged them off of her. She lay clad in her purple lace panties while he slid his palm over her bud.

  “God, you are so wet,” he said as slipped a sliver of the lace to the right and slicked his tongue over her inner lips. “Mmm. Just as I figured. You taste so sweet.”

  He slipped the panties off of her and flung them over to her jeans, which were in the middle of the floor. She parted her thighs for him, and he slid two fingers into her wet folds.

  “I’m going to kiss you until you come,” he said as he flicked his tongue over her once more.

  His fingers and tongue worshiped her core as she writhed and moaned with pleasure beneath him. “That’s it, baby. Come for me!”

  Her sounds became more intense, until finally she let out a low moan as she arched her back. Her core pulsated around his fingers. “Yes! Oh, God!” she growled out before she let out a long, guttural sigh.

  Lear inched up the length of her body to kiss her forehead, knowing she was spent. “You’re beautiful,” he said before slipping his fingers out of her. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” she said softly in response.

  He walked into the bathroom and turned on the light to wash his hands. Once he was out, he saw her fully clothed.

  She cupped his cheek. “It’s getting late, and we should both get some sleep before we head back to the office and discuss what will now be your heightened security detail.”

  Lear’s mouth went dry, and he swallowed hard. “Any chance that Stan will keep you on my detail?”

  “I don’t know. Probably not. I’m still too inexperienced for something like this.”

  “Didn’t look like that to me.”

  Harriet swallowed hard, and her eyes darted from his gaze. “Look, Prince Lear—”

  “Lear, just call me Lear. Especially after…” His voice trailed.

  “Lear, I like you. A lot. But my job is to protect you right now, and I think taking things any further will cloud my mind too much and I won’t perform my duties to the best of my abilities. And if Stan keeps me on your detail,” she said as she gestured a hand between the both of them, “this can’t happen again. Not while we are working together, anyway.”

  Lear nodded.

  “I understand. Guess that means I’ll have to get used to the other FUC agents on my detail, then, because I want this one in my bedroom.” He pulled her to his waist and kissed her forehead.

  “I meant what I said. I want you, Harriet. All of you. From the top of your head”—he skimmed her hair with his index finger and trailed it down the length of her body before he palmed her waist—“to your toes. I want every inch of you, Harriet. I want you to be mine and mine only.”

  She buried her face in his chest. “I want you too. But I have to do this. I have to prove to myself that I’m better than they think I am. Please?”

  “You don’t have to ask. I want nothing more than to please you, Harriet, and if you need to prove to yourself that you are just as good of a FUC agent as anyone else, then I’m happy to have you try with me.”

  7

  Harriet headed out of the bedroom and slowly closed the door behind her. She palmed the wood of the doorframe before turning on her heel to make a beeline for the sofa. She wouldn’t sleep tonight, and not because she felt a need to stand guard but because he’d left her all hot and bothered.

  Why didn’t I take a shower before I ran out of there? The cold water would have done me some good.

  Because you’d want him joining you, she replied to herself.

  Fair point. She sprawled out on the couch and started to channel surf. “God, I hope there’s something good on so I don’t have to try to fall asleep this frustrated.”

  Her channel surfing stopped on a detective show. “Nothing like getting into the mind of an unsub to get my mind off of things,” Harriet said as she blew out a long breath. “Just wish he wasn’t my client because I’d love to ride him into tomorrow.”

  She closed her eyes, reminiscing on how warm his hands were caressing her and how soft and inviting his lips were kissing each and every curve. Since she was spent from the evening, sleep took her over within a few minutes.

  Lear found it impossible to sleep. He ached to have Harriet beside him, wrapped in his arms. He fantasized about making love to her all night and waking up holding her in the morning. Lear let out a low growl as he stroked his growing erection. An image of her thighs wrapped around him and her pulsating with pleasure came to him as he finally had release. Lear let out a low growl before he hopped out of the bed and headed into the bathroom to wash off.

  A rustling from outside the window filled the bathroom when Lear entered. He glanced at the window as a large shadow walked by it, casting a darkness over the tiny frame. Lear got up to the side of the window frame to get a better view of the unwelcomed figure. The mass formed a shadow in the shape of a bull with wings and looked big enough to be the tall gentleman at the bar they all called Zagan.

  He followed us here? Impossible! We were very careful! There must be a leak on campus. It’s the only logical explanation for all of this.

  Lear moved as close to the wall as possible for a better vant
age to view the large mass. When he peered out the window from the corner part of the curtain closest to the wall, he saw the shadow pacing next to another figure. Voices began to fill the air.

  “We’ll get him, Zagan. He’ll be as easy as the father. We just need to storm this proverbial castle and take them by surprise, as the boss wanted.”

  Lear sucked in a breath. They have Father?

  “The king wasn’t all that easy to take on. I couldn’t get the upper hand on him until you disabled Stan. Plus, we had Pete’s help back there.”

  “Well, thanks to you, I had no choice but to knock him out. They can’t know who our mole is. It’s bad enough we have to wipe Stan’s memory clean. We can’t risk having to do that with the others because the boss is running out of potions. That’s why I’m the only one here to help you. The prince’s and the king’s blood will be perfect for the new potion Pete wants to concoct. I can’t wait to see what the blood of a leatherback will do when mixed with my crested gecko. I’ll be huge! All the ladies will love that, I’m sure!”

  “Ash, let’s focus on getting him first before we decide on the potions and experiments we want to do. You aren’t the only one with an enhancing potion on his mind.”

  Lear didn’t need to hear any more from them. All that mattered was getting his cousin and Harriet out of the condo safely so they could go rescue his father.

  Suddenly, the sound of a window breaking filled the place.

  Oh, no! Harriet!

  Lear rushed toward the sound, expecting to find them getting one-up on an unsuspecting Harriet.

  Instead, in the seconds it took for Lear to leave the bathroom and get to the living room, Harriet had subdued them both. Damn!

  “Harriet! You okay?” Lear asked as Treasure stepped beside him.

  Harriet didn’t respond, she was barking orders into her phone. “Backup, now!”

  “On it.” Lear thought the voice that responded to Harriet sounded like Carol.

  She was moving so fast, Lear could barely keep up with Harriet’s movement. Between hanging up her phone and hauling the men over to her couch, she’d also managed to secure them both with plastic zip ties. Lear watched in awe.

  When she finished, she turned to Lear with a proud smirk. “Yup, I’m fine. I told you I could take care of you.”

  “I never doubted that for a second.” He glanced at Treasure, who stood next to him, looking sleepy and surprised at the commotion.

  “How about you, are you okay?” He asked his cousin.

  Treasure nodded. “Can we do anything to help her?”

  Lear looked back to Harriet, who was slapping the cheek of one of the men and urging him to wake up. “I think she’s got control of this.”

  “Who sent you?” Harriet hissed at the two men.

  “We don’t have to answer you.”

  It wasn’t long before a knock came from the door, and Harriet quickly hopped over to it, checking out the peephole before opening it up. “Carol! Mom, Dad?” As the three people entered, Lear thought Harriet looked surprised to see her parents.

  “Carol said you needed backup.”

  “Yes, I did. I didn’t realize they were going to task you, in fact, I didn’t even know you were in town.” Harriet shook her head and regained her composure. “I have some miscreants here, a Mr. Zagan and Mr. Ash, who appear to have kidnapped King Gregor and Stan and had planned on attempting to do the same to Prince Lear and Princess Treasure.”

  The three FUC agents looked wide-eyed at the cuffed men, and then at Lear and Treasure, who were unharmed.

  “You detained them yourself?” her father asked.

  “Yes, she did. And all by herself, I might add. I’m Prince Lear of Skyros,” Lear said as he extended his hand to the couple. “I’m pleased to meet you and your wife.”

  “We are pleased to meet you, too, Prince Lear. I just wish it was under better circumstances,” Mrs. Hopper said as she clasped Lear’s hand.

  “Yes, me too. I overheard them saying they’ve captured my father. We need to find him.”

  “We won’t know anything, such as where they might have your father, until we bring them in for questioning,” Mr. Hopper said.

  “Harriet, why don’t you come with us? You haven’t had any interrogation training yet, and I think now is a good of a time as any,” Carol suggested.

  “But Stan’s not here to okay any of that.”

  “Exactly, Stan’s not here, so the next highest ranking agent calls the shots. That’s me.”

  “But—"

  “Harriet, you single-handedly took down both of these guys. This is exactly what you’ve been waiting for, a chance to get undeniable proof that you’re worthy of becoming a field agent. Now, let’s get going!”

  “Okay! Let me just change out of my PJs, and we will be on our way.”

  “How about we take them in and you can meet us at the academy?” Carol asked.

  Harriet looked at Carol and then at the two assailants on her couch.

  “Yeah, that probably is a good idea. See you in a few.”

  Harriet was so energized from her bust and from the excitement of being allowed in on an interrogation that she almost split her pants trying to pull them on.

  On top of that, she felt like a new hare. She’d finally started to understand why she was treated the way she was. When she saw the terrified look on Lear’s face as he rushed to help her with the intruders, she knew that people weren’t treating her differently because of hare-itage. They treated her differently because they loved her.

  The expression on Lear’s face was one she’d seen before. Emma, her mother, had the same one when they all thought that Dustin, her father, might not return home one particular night while out in the field. Emma had vowed to never again listen to the police scanner after that night. The announcement of multiple casualties at the location Dustin was raiding with other FUC agents almost shattered Emma Hopper.

  At the time, Harriet was too young to understand what it all meant, but now that she was older, now that she had fallen for someone, it all made more sense.

  Treasure rapped on the door and opened it a crack. “Harriet, are you almost done? My driver is waiting for us.”

  “Yeah. I’m ready,” Harriet said as she reached for her purse.

  They were all at the academy offices within a few minutes. The Hoppers were already in the process of questioning the two intruders when Harriet entered the room.

  “I’m not talking if she’s in here,” Zagan said. “That bitch must be on batteries or something because she isn’t a normal hare shifter.”

  Harriet sneered at Zagan and crossed her arms.

  “Harriet, do you mind giving us a few minutes?” her father asked.

  Harriet didn’t want to hear those words. She had hoped she’d get to further impress her parents that night by showing off her interrogation skills, but she understood she had to leave if the suspect refused to talk to her. She wouldn’t put her ego over what was really important: learning the location of the king.

  “Sure. I’ve got to get started on my report, anyway.”

  Harriet went back out into the conference room where Lear and Treasure sat with Carol and a few other agents. She pulled out her tablet and started jotting down all the details she could remember then let out a sigh. “Will I ever be known for anything more than a tech?” she found herself asking out loud.

  “I know you are more than just a tech to me,” Lear said as he put his hands on her shoulders.

  “Any trained cadet could have taken on those guys. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, Lear. I did my job.”

  “You made a promise to Stan and to my father that you’d look after me and Treasure, and you did.” He lowered his voice and moved closer to speak in her ear. “And might I add that you looked sexy as hell doing it. Harriet, if none of them see your talents, they aren’t worth your time and effort to try to impress. I see your talents and your beauty. And one day I hope that you can come with
me to Skyros. Because I’d love to put your talents to good use there.”

  “I’d like that,” she murmured. The more times he mentioned his home, the more enticing it sounded. But that was for later. Now, they had a job to do. “Let’s focus on getting your father and my boss back. My guess is that there must be a leak somewhere on campus because very few people knew that you’d be coming here. Even I was left in the dark, and I brought in the coffee.”

  “I tend to agree with you there, Harriet,” Emma said, coming from the interrogation room and approaching Harriet’s desk.

  “So where are they now?” Carol asked. “The last known rumored lab was near a trail on the outskirts of campus. They were taking as many as they could. And for a while, it was one botched experiment after another. Damn scientists are just plain mad!”

  “We will find them. Is Dad okay with babysitting while we go out there and try to find the king and Stan?” Harriet gestured to Lear and Treasure, to indicate she meant they were the ones who needed babysitting.

  “I’m coming with you,” Lear said.

  “No, Lear,” Harriet said as she patted his shoulder. “You should stay here. It’s the best way of keeping you and your royal blood safe.”

  “Harriet, with all due respect, that’s my father out there. I can’t sit this one out. Besides, you haven’t seen me in action yet. Perhaps my skills would be of some use.”

  “I think Lear is right, Harriet,” Emma said as she pulled up a map on her tablet. “You’ve clearly proven you can keep him safe, so the two of you together will be fine. Start scouting these locations I’m sending you, and we’ll have backup join you. Carol and I will help your father and stay with Treasure, and we’ll send you any new intel if we get any.”

  8

  Harriet and Lear headed out in search of King Gregor and Stan. When they got to the wooded area that Emma had directed them to, Harriet parked her car. “We’ll get farther and be less conspicuous if we shift.”