Her first orgasm rolled through her body hard enough to shake him. Moaning louder with each thrust against him, her muscles squeezed every inch of his length. “Come for me, Sonja.” Derrick wrapped his arms around her waist and tried to roll his hips against her.
Her mouth sealed around his, she inhaled. No doubt, she picked up the scent of cigars, of his lust and heady sex.
If he wanted to, he could overpower her, roll her on her back, and make her submissive, just what the puma wanted. But he wouldn’t. Stubborn, it’d only piss her off. There was no need to force her submission when she distracted him beyond delight by merely holding his shaft tightly.
She squeezed him and slammed down on him. With a free arm, she pushed against him and had him on his back.
The puma growled in annoyance.
Derrick could give a shit. Creamy heat enveloped his shaft and drew him closer to his own release with each pump. Each breath, every moan, brought them closer together.
It took only a few more thrusts to drive him crazy. His heart slammed in his chest, his mouth fell on her neck, and he closed his eyes. Warning bells went off in his mind as his release drew nearer.
And his emotions began to spiral out of control.
Sonja gasped and froze.
Derrick opened his eyes, saw the panic on her face, and became faintly aware of her stillness. “What, baby?”
His stiffness and the serious expression on his face showed he sensed the problem before she spoke.
“You…” She pointed at him. “My orgasm was so close. And—”
“Next orgasm.”
She frowned yet it did nothing to erase the panic-stricken look from her face. “I can read your emotions loud and clear. Why…”
Derrick realized his mistake and tried to rein in his emotions. “I’m sorry. I…”
“You’re in love with me.”
The fact that his eyes only closed partially and a loopy smile formed on his face that he quickly tried to hide confirmed her thoughts. She probed his mind, hard. He was uncertain if it was love tried and true, but it felt like it. He’d never really known and she picked up the loneliness he carried and let it swirl around her before she shut down the mental link.
“I can’t ever lie to you, can I?”
* * *
Damn her luck! She had to find the one puma that rocked her world with intense sex, who didn’t make her feel creeped out because of her witchcraft or her career. He had to be the one who steadied her emotionally when it came to her power.
And he lay beneath her, filling her cream-soaked pussy.
She ran a hand through her hair and looked down at his chest. Naked, it gave her a glimpse of a washboard stomach and pectorals that rippled with each graceful movement he made. Broad shoulders tapered down to a trim waist.
It didn’t hurt that he behaved like a gentleman.
Except that he broadcasted his emotions all over the place just after she’d agreed to play guinea pig and lure out the bad guys who kidnapped her last night.
“This is just a fling because of the danger we’re in.” She lied to herself.
Derrick coughed. He arched his hips into her, driving himself deeper into her. “I don’t think so.”
The movement sent a pleasurable tremor through her.
She bent forward and set her hands flat against his well-muscled chest. “No.” Her voice shook with apprehension. She wanted to finish herself, and get him off, too. He deserved that much. For the love of the goddess, he’d come to rescue her last night.
“It’s more than that. Or…” He turned away. “It can be.”
The sweetness in his voice hit her hard. She felt the squeeze of joy around her heart and wanted to cry. She couldn’t have a boyfriend, lover, or partner. Not with her life in constant danger. And to have it be a possessive puma? No way!
Derrick turned his head, dark curls spilling down his forehead. “This can be more. But right now…” He arced into her again, filling her and sending more tremors through her. “It’s about sex.”
She had felt the buildup of his emotions earlier. When he pressed them down again, she noticed. His ability to control his responses made her grateful since any overwhelming feelings tended to knock her off balance.
She had weakened her shields deliberately. It helped her serve her greater destiny in life. To help humanity, she had to keep her guard lowered, thus allowing a better flow of power from her to the recipients.
Her status as a singer and piece of eye candy allowed the men in the crowds to trust her more based on primal hormones.
They shared a destiny now. “How can I keep you safe?”
Derrick sat up, still buried inside of her. “You don’t have to. You only have to enjoy for now. He leaned in close, nuzzled her mouth with his.
Sonja sucked in a breath, taking in the scent of raw man, puma, and sex. Hints of tobacco hung in the air, too, but her lungs filled with the masculine power of Derrick.
That first night, she’d been so vulnerable. She had to strip off most of her clothes to rid herself of the excess baggage she took from the crowd. Derrick hadn’t been lewd, he’d been comforting.
Right now, his fingers were walking a delicate, arousing line up her spine. Goose bumps prickled her flesh. Her libido kicked into high gear. Her mind fought her heart.
Thankfully, Derrick’s mouth took that thought from her when he suckled her nipples.
Goddess, the tingles racing up her spine made her writhe against him. She wrapped her hands around his head, ran her fingers through the thick softness of jet-black, almost waist-length hair.
He continued suckling.
Her hips resumed a pace of their own, rolling, bucking against him. Taking him in and out of her, she felt the swell of his cock inside as another orgasm built and tightness centered around her stomach. Warmth spread like wildfire throughout her body when she impaled herself on his steel cock.
Derrick’s relentless sucking didn’t stop. He pulled off one breast with a pop and claimed the other, grazing the nipple with his teeth before pulling it deep into his mouth. He laved the fullness of her breast with his tongue. A free hand massaged the other breast delicately, but with enough pressure to send ripples of pleasure through her.
Emotionally, he’d stopped broadcasting anything other than sex. Pure, unadulterated lust so hot and deep it would burn miles away.
It all centered on her.
Orgasm forced her focus back to the wonderful things he did to her.
White-hot flames licked at her flesh, the heat of passion consumed her, making it impossible to hold back screams of pleasure.
Derrick bit her neck, scraped his teeth down her breast while hips pumped harder into her.
She met every thrust with one of her own.
Her grip on his shoulders tightened, nails dug into taut muscles.
She shuddered.
A hand spanked her ass.
The pain spiking through her added to her elation.
Seconds later, Derrick’s cock jerked inside her, his climax filling her deep within. Her name spilled off his tongue with abandon.
She screamed, louder and louder, her voice filled with violent sultriness similar to when she sang. Magic spilled out from her and surrounded them.
The air grew heady and filled with sex, power. Lust.
And his emotional leakage of romance singed the other raw feelings.
She clung tightly to him. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her head felt light.
Derrick’s strong arms cuddled her; large hands stroked her back, shoulders. He ran a hand through her hair, whispered in her ear. “We’ll deal with the emotional thing later. I promise. Right now, focus. Calm down.”
She hiccupped, tried to stop herself from crying. The outpouring of emotions eased as he continued to hold her.
Despite his lack of energy, he remained rock hard, amazing her. Having a powerful sex drive for a human, she’d found no normal man able to keep up with her needs.
“You’re bleeding emotionally, it’s okay. I can’t guarantee I can stop it, but I can slow it and dull the pain if you’ll let me.” His voice cut through the fog of depression in her mind.
No one could help her. Humans didn’t understand the power she wielded; shifters only wanted it for themselves. Her career wouldn’t let her remain anonymous nor would it allow her time to recharge as often as she truly needed.
She’d been on the road for so long. Her band mates asked if she needed a break after the last tour.
She’d declined.
“Let’s go into the studio,” she told them. “I have some ideas.”
They had agreed and hit the road six months later after a grueling recording session. Her body lacked energy, her soul torn apart and rebuilt during the songwriting process.
And now, Derrick offered her solace. She looked into his eyes. “How?”
Derrick brushed his lips briefly over hers, not quite kissing her, but close enough to stir her senses again. “I don’t know yet. But we sort of have more pressing matters to tend to.”
The threat on her life had reared its head and broke the comfort Derrick offered. “Yeah.”
“When Max returns…” Derrick ran a hand through her hair, carefully pushing it aside to expose her face. “We’ll have to come up with a plan. Hopefully, he’ll bring a lot of food. I’m starved.”
Her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t thought of food in a few days, which probably drained her abilities. “I could eat.”
“And we should probably shower, too. And get dressed.” He frowned.
She hated seeing him frown, but they needed food. Max would be back shortly and they should be dressed and ready with some sort of plan to lure out her enemies. Determined to keep this nonsense from Derrick and anyone else she could protect, Sonja would do whatever it took. It was her life, her mistakes, her life path.
The potential for war between humans and shifters existed, and those who would try to chain Sonja would definitely use her talents against the other party. Not all humans were aware of the existence of shifters, and hiding became a necessary burden for many in the community. The half-human, half-animal crowd wore that weight with mixed emotions. Some were proud of their heritage but smart enough to keep quiet, while others couldn’t contain themselves.
She’d seen it at the concerts, the few shifters who came to her shows to let off steam. She’d pulled the most angst and sorrow from them.
Derrick hadn’t given her angst. Not that she hadn’t tried to pull that from him. She did that by rote, oftentimes unaware because the consequences seemed nonexistent. Only others in the world weighed heavily on her. In fact, the only thing she picked up from him had been the intensity of love neither of them seemed able to explain. Even when she knocked around in his mind, the walls that remained shut didn’t hint at anything dangerous.
She sighed and dislodged herself from him slowly. Regretting the separation immediately bothered her. She wanted to remain in bed with him.
Yet they had work to do.
An hour later, Sonja sat with Max in front of her and Derrick to her side, dressed as handsomely as ever in black. She wore his trench coat, jeans, and her top from earlier. Max looked deadly, too, but his expression and persona differed from Derrick’s. Something remained in the back of both men’s heads but neither would let her in.
The overwhelming scent of aggression, dark and lightning hot filled her nostrils and came presumably from both pumas. As part of their burden of power, they would stay in touch with their feral side. She felt somewhat comforted by the fact that they were in public and the pumas couldn’t argue too heavily over her chosen fate. Derrick’s life remained entwined with hers. For now.
As the cards unfolded before her, she had no desire to put an innocent bystander such as Derrick in danger.
Her loved ones always ended up being hurt. They’d been used as bait, toys to get her to come forward and do what her kidnappers wanted. Mostly it involved petty things. When it started, the kidnappers usually convinced a local religious group to tolerate the shifters. Then things morphed into harder events like muggings and having her blank the victim’s minds.
She fought an attacker once but he threatened her brother.
Sonja complied and tried harder to make herself less accessible while still doing what she considered necessary in the world.
Rob never heard about the threat.
Sonja couldn’t bear the thought of someone else—someone she barely knew—getting involved on her behalf. Frustrated, she slammed a hand down on the table.
Both pumas looked at her, then resumed their conversation as though she didn’t exist.
“Dude.” Max took another puff of his cigar and blew a thick cloud of smoke into the air. “I have to burn those sheets. I can’t get the smell of you two out of them. How could you do this to me?”
“Quit your whining, Max. It’s not like you never did that shit to me. Besides, can you blame me?” Derrick ashed his cigar in the tray beside them and took a swig of his beer. He turned to face Sonja.
Of course, she had to remember their heightened puma senses. Even after the long shower, she still carried residual puma scent. Max picked up on that. Their eyes met and for a second, she stared into the depths of his purple eyes. He kept his emotions hidden from her.
“Hey, you two. It’s not like I’m not right here.” She leaned forward and stared angrily at Max. “Now, what are we going to do about this problem?”
Max and Derrick both cleared their throats. “Right. Well, I was talking to a buddy of mine on the police force who has some connections with the higher ups in the FBI. They’ve been trailing the guys who want you for months and have been waiting to pounce on them. But every time they make a move, it goes down like the earlier op.”
“Someone took the fall.” Derrick leaned in.
“Or died mysteriously.” Max continued.
Sonja didn’t miss the feeling behind his gaze. He bled off cautious distrust. Straight distrust held a heavier weight in one’s aura than cautious distrust. He was a spy; she had to remember that.
It didn’t stop fear from going through her.
“We have to set you up in a protected place where the two of us, and possibly a third, can keep an eye on you, get the FBI out, and surround them.”
“Do we know who is after her?” Derrick took another pull off his beer and brought his cigar to his lips.
“The Anti-Shifter League has had it in for me since they found out what I could do. We’ve had a few of them show up and hand out fliers peaceably.”
Derrick chuckled. “Yeah, with your crowd and someone threatening the hottest lead singer in death metal, I’m sure the Anti-Shifter League had the brains to maintain peaceful protest status.”
“It wasn’t them, but I’m guessing they have ties to whoever this smaller organization is that actually put the hit out on you. I will have a buddy of mine do some fact checking later, but for now, our best bet is to put you two together in a club where you’re seen as high rollers. You know how word gets around underground—”
She held up a hand, cutting Max off. “Wait a moment. I never agreed that he’d come with me.” She jerked a thumb at Derrick and tried to sound as defensive as possible. She wouldn’t risk his life for hers.
“Yeah, I never agreed to let her go alone, either.” Derrick turned his hot-blooded gaze on her.
An intense wave of concern washed over her. Even through the salt-water-and-brine-laced breeze, she could smell the jungle on him. Not the hot and muggy swamp, but the jungle, which she’d always found sexy. Dirty.
Metal.
She had to stifle a chuckle before turning back to Max. “Why?”
“Because you cannot be trusted to keep your power in check, and homeboy here seems to do a damn good job of keeping things under control.”
She scoffed.
Max pointed his cigar at her. “You need to think rationally about this, Sonja. And trust me.
I can read your face, sweetheart, and you’re not in a position to negotiate if you want to keep this all under wraps.”
She scoffed harder. The nerve of this man. But he did have a point. The world didn’t need to know that she’d been threatened or that there had been another attempt on her life. It’d cause a raucous she’d rather avoid. “Look, we have to do this another way. If Derrick gets hurt—”
Derrick pressed two fingers against her mouth. “Just hear him out.”
She bit back a curse and inhaled the scent of dirty fur, earthen cigar, and tobacco. The urge to lick his scent off his fingers reared its head but she held it back. This wasn’t the place to posture or jump Derrick’s bones. She rolled her shoulders, straightened, and huffed. “Fine. But how is this supposed to help?”
“Simple.” Max waved a hand at the waitress and ordered another round before turning back to Sonja. “If we have Derrick with you, he’ll stabilize your power so you don’t have a moment where you read everyone else’s crap and overload.”
She couldn’t deny that had happened. “He was with me before you picked us up. How can you guarantee that we won’t have a repeat incident?”
“You have a point.” Max blew a huge cloud of smoke overhead. “But I think that has more to do with the overwhelming situation and the fact that we showed up slightly later than we wanted to. Oh, and you were running, not waiting to be rescued, which we didn’t foresee.”
Sonja snorted. “If I waited for rescues, I’d have been dead a long time ago.”
“Fair enough.” Max leaned back against the chair and set his hand down near the ashtray. “But this is our best way in.”
She frowned. “Why do we need to go this route?”
Derrick reached over and gently grabbed her hand. Unable to hide the dominance from his voice, he spoke softly. “You volunteered for one. And you killed our last resource when you screamed at the Spetznaz men.”
She winced from the sting of his words. “It wasn’t my fault!”
His words reminded her of yet another failure, pissing her off. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”
“Shh.” Derrick raised his hands defensively. “No one said you did. You aren’t a weak woman.”
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