Night of the Lions

by Lizzie Lynn Lee

  Gabriel was fully awake by now. He cursed again. Mostly about how he hadn’t guessed she would be this good. Cat was proud of some of her girlie skills. His shaft turned impossibly rigid. His balls were drawn tight. A strangled moan escaped from his throat when she tried to deep throat him. She arranged her breath, fought off the gag reflex and gave him a deep, passionate suck. She clenched the base of his shaft, stroking him in shallow motions as the suckling continued. She savoured him slowly, wanting to sample everything he had to offer.

  He became tense. Seemed like he was preventing himself from coming. Cat didn’t like that. She wanted to feel him come.

  She sucked harder, pumping faster.

  “Cat!” His deep throaty voice sounded even throatier.

  When she ignored him, Gabriel grabbed her. A hard yank and a few squirms and Cat found herself under him. Again.

  “What exactly are you doing?” Gabriel said it with a half-laugh.

  “I was curious.”

  “Don’t you know curiosity killed the cat?”

  “I’m not an ordinary cat.”

  “Hmm.” Gabriel leaned to his side and urged her to mount him like a cowgirl.

  She crawled up and swung her leg over his body, straddling him. Her pussy rested on the base of his cock, pressing against his balls. She clasped his cock with both hands and stroked him gently.

  Gabriel caught her wrists. “Don’t do that.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Kiss me. With your pussy. Like this…” Gabriel grabbed her waist and dragged her forward, showing her what he wanted her to do, dragging her wet pussy lips along the length of his shaft.

  Twinges of aches fluttered in her sex. Jesus. That felt so good.

  Cat followed his rhythm. She mashed her sex against the base of his cock and dragged herself from his balls up, letting her pussy lips wet his hard shaft.

  “Fuck, babe. That feels so fucking good.” His chest heaved. His jaw tightened. “Slower. I want to feel you.”

  Cat did what he asked. God. He was right. She could feel the texture of his shaft, smooth yet bumpy from the blood vessels. And the coarseness of his hair that prickled and tickled.

  “Now, take me.”

  She took his shaft and pressed his crown on her opening. The curvy head slid into her heat. Cat sighed. The familiar stretching sensation returned. She eased down another inch, feeling stuffed already. Gabriel looked impatient. He grabbed her hips and yanked her down, impaling her on his cock. Cat yelped. Gabriel groaned. His cock pulsated inside her. Hot. Throbbing. Unbelievably good.

  “Stay still,” he whispered.

  Gabriel fucked her in several short thrusts, then paused as if he didn’t like the arrangement. He pulled her onto his chest and pushed her onto her back. He moved on top of her, bracing himself, then continued pounding. Slow at first, then it became incessantly fast.

  Cat moaned. The assault made her head spin. The flood of his jack-hammering fucks made her breathless. Gabriel was an animal in bed. She gasped, an orgasm hovering nearby. When he slammed into her savagely, a blinding pleasure seared through her at high voltage. She came. She drowned in an unforgiving tide of pleasure.

  Gabriel hadn’t come. He rolled her on to her stomach and nibbled on the back of her ear again. She was alarmed when Gabriel spread her ass cheeks and brushed his thumb over her anus.

  “Gabe…”

  “Have you been fucked in the ass before?”

  “Yes. No. Nothing bigger than a finger,” she confessed. Her ex-boyfriend in college, James, had been feeling adventurous one day and decided to give anal play a try. She hadn’t been too enthusiastic about it and the attempt had fizzled out midway.

  “Really?” Gabe sounded excited.

  Cat looked over her shoulder. “You don’t think—”

  “I’m going to fuck your ass.”

  She gasped for air. With a cock his size, he was going…

  “You’re mine. I’ll take everything that’s meant to be mine.” Gabriel rubbed her puckered hole and perineum with the tip of his finger, smothering her juice and making her slick.

  Oh, damn. That felt so fucking good.

  “Now, relax,” Gabriel ordered. He pushed a finger inside her.

  The tight ring of her anal passage tightened from the intrusion. “Gabe!”

  “Relax, babe. I won’t hurt you.”

  She tried to relax, but she was still too wired about what he was going to do. She had only ever had vanilla sex, but this would put her in the ballpark of kinky. By her standards, anyway. The exploratory attempt with James didn’t count.

  Gabriel finger-fucked her, slowly but surely. He inserted a second finger. She felt stuffed and violated. In a good way. A wicked thrill rolled through her. Why had she not enjoyed this before? Could it be that Gabriel knew what he was doing? Her anus clenched hard.

  “How is it, babe? Good?”

  Her words evaporated in her throat, so she nodded instead.

  “Good.” Gabriel sounded pleased. He made a scissoring motion as if he was preparing her to accept a bigger object.

  Cat shivered at the thought. Could she really take him?

  Gabriel withdrew his fingers and replaced it with his cock. His blunt tip kissed her anus. Her heart lurched. He pushed.

  Jesus. Cat mewled. A new pain singed her. Gabe worked inside in short thrusts, burying inch by inch of his fat cock into her almost virgin ass. Stretching her open. Filling her. Her anal muscles contracted in desperation, but he kept pushing in until he was able to sheathe himself all the way in. Cat felt so full, she was afraid she would burst.

  The pain vanished when he started to fuck her with long thrusts. His veined shaft ground against the smoothness of her forbidden passage. Gabriel kissed and licked her neck, sucking her flesh so hard that she was sure he was going to leave some hickies. But she was beyond caring. Her attention was fixed on the pleasure he was giving her.

  The slow thrusts became short, hard pounds. She was burning from the inside out. She began rearing her ass to meet his thrusts. All of a sudden, she needed more of him. All of him.

  “Harder,” she croaked.

  “I don’t want—”

  “Harder!”

  “Shit!” Gabriel slammed into her savagely. He nailed her to the bed, one brutal slam after another.

  She was delirious with need. “Yes, please…”

  The storm of pleasure gathered, threatening to erupt. Every fibre of her being screamed with manic need. Gabriel fucked her harder. Cat exploded. The world darkened for a long moment.

  New pain burst on her shoulder. She didn’t realise until later that Gabriel had bitten her at the height of his rapture.

  But Cat was too exhausted to make a big deal of it. As soon as she drifted back to reality, she was spent. Sleep overcame her.

  Cat emerged from the shower as Gabriel finished dressing. Her hair was damp, and she was only wrapped in a towel. He had a sudden urge to yank that towel off and ride her for a couple more rounds in bed. Gabriel shook it off. He thought last night might have been a bit too much for her. She looked pale.

  “You okay?” he asked, concerned.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re walking kind of funny.”

  She threw him a scowl. “Try having a cock your size and shoving it into your ass. You’d be walking funny too, mister.”

  “Hey.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’m just worried, okay? I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “What about not lying to me?”

  “About?”

  “Werelions and stuff.”

  “That. I was thinking of taking you to see Oliver Duval.”

  “Duval? Where are you keeping him?”

  “Two floors down. In my guard’s quarters.”

  “And his pit bull bartender too?”

  “His name’s Ramon Ramirez. He worked as Duval’s muscleman.” Gabriel grabbed the basket of freshly laundered clothes and placed it on the bed. “My housekeeper has washed this for
you. It would be more comfortable than wearing my shirt.”

  “My clothes.” Her eyes lit up. “You know, being bare-ass sucked.” Cat took her panties and slipped them on. “Why did you detain Oliver Duval, instead of reporting him to the police?”

  “It’s what I call damage control. I’d like to take care of the problem quietly first, if it’s manageable by me. I want to see if he’s connected to your client, Judith Rossi.”

  “Is he?”

  “Duval denied he knows anybody named Judith Rossi.”

  Cat put on her bra. “He told me that. Why did he kidnap me? First I thought you were somehow connected to my kidnapping. But then you wouldn’t have taken me to the ER if you’re really my kidnapper.”

  “Duval was going to blackmail you.”

  “Blackmail? Why the hell would he blackmail me? I’m broke.”

  “Not for money. He was going to videotape you naked so you would work for him.”

  “In his titty bar? The nerve of that son of a bitch.”

  “I will give you the pleasure of kicking him around a bit later.”

  “Thank you. You’re cooler than I thought. But I’m not happy you bit me last night. Did you see the bruise?”

  Gabriel halted her as she was about to put on her blazer. He inspected her shoulder. His eyes narrowed. “Just bruises. Minor puncture wounds. No big laceration. You’ll be fine.”

  “Sure. Not to mention the hickies.”

  “I like the hickies. It tells people you’re out of circulation. You’re mine.”

  Cat sniffed. “I don’t see your name on me.”

  “Shall I put it on you?”

  She pouted.

  Gabriel couldn’t resist kissing her. She hit his shoulder at first, but then she went limp in his arms. She gasped for breath when he released her.

  “Don’t distract me with kisses.”

  “Can I distract you with sex?”

  Her eyes widened. “Jesus Christ. You’re going to kill me, Gabriel Larousse. You’re like that bunny battery that doesn’t have an off button.”

  “I thought women liked men with no off button.”

  “Horny women, maybe.”

  “Horny,” he chided. “This comes from someone who woke me up at midnight for nookie.”

  “I didn’t. I was just helping myself. It’s not my fault that your cock is attached to you and that wakes you up.”

  Gabe laughed. This woman was funnier than he had thought.

  Cat slipped on her pants. “Do you have proof that you’re a shifter?”

  “In due time.”

  “If you and Duval don’t know my client, I’m beginning to wonder why my client claims to know you.”

  “That’s because your client sent you on a wild goose chase. The history is just to throw you off.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “My best guess, she wants my dirt. My secrets. Without you knowing why.”

  “You don’t know Judith Rossi?”

  “No. But I have a good idea who she is.”

  “You mean Judith Rossi is a fake identity?”

  Gabriel pondered on how much he should divulge to her. Ren and Alex were investigating Rossi at this very moment. Also connecting her to the death of Cat’s brother, Jonathan Kovac. “Her real name is Sophie-Marie Veron.”

  “I’ve heard that name before.”

  “Veron Industries. They own several banks and financial firms.”

  “Why does she have a grudge against you?”

  “My dear Catherine, that is a trade secret that I’m not ready to divulge to you.”

  The man’s name was Danielson. First name, unknown. Cat preferred to call him The Terminator because he had the bulk of Schwarzenegger in his glory days, minus the accent. Danielson was a man of few words. He didn’t talk to her unless he absolutely had to. And, despite his appearance, he moved like a ghost and seemed very knowledgeable about his firearms. Cat guessed he must be ex-military. He looked highly trained to kill in a thousand different ways. Danielson was Gabriel’s head of security and the person in charge of keeping her ass in one piece, unspoiled.

  Cat thought the personal detail was overkill.

  Sure, that slime bag Oliver Duval had drugged and wanted to take advantage of her, but it wasn’t like her life was being threatened by terrorists or assassins or anything like that. She’d just had an unfortunate run-in with some sleazy smut peddler. No biggie. The risk came with the job as a private investigator.

  Gabriel had taken her to see Duval, but it hadn’t been much use. Duval wouldn’t talk to her. Then Gabriel had done something crazy, like giving Duval a high-voltage Taser zap. And suddenly Duval had morphed into a big, scruffy lion, snarling. His clothes had torn apart when he’d shifted. Just like the Incredible Hulk’s, only Duval was a lion. And not a very good-looking one, at that. But Cat had almost fainted when she’d seen the transformation. It had been freaky, yet awesome. God, she’d still been shaking with the revelation as Gabriel had taken her back to his penthouse. He’d repeatedly asked if she was okay. She was okay. Now she got why Gabriel wouldn’t show her proof that he was a werelion. He hadn’t wanted to spook her. She knew he liked her very much and he probably thought the sight of him turning into a lion would freak her out.

  Maybe a normal woman would be freaked out.

  But she wasn’t a normal woman.

  And, after a series of threats, Gabriel finally allowed Cat to go to her apartment to get some clothes, check her mails and feed her fish. To her dismay, Gabriel ordered Danielson and Alexandre to come with her as bodyguards. Which meant she couldn’t continue sleuthing. Gabriel wanted her to drop the investigation and let him handle everything. She was in too deep. There was no way in hell she would let Judith Rossi—or whatever that bitch’s name was—go free without Cat giving Judith a piece of her mind. No, sir. Not after the way she had tricked her into taking a fake case because Judith had a beef with something Gabriel had done in the past.

  Danielson drove her to her apartment. Alex rode shotgun. Neither of them spoke. Danielson took his job overly seriously, while Alex seemed to think she was amusing. Each time she stole a glance in the rear-view mirror, she saw a faint smile curling the corners of his lips. Alex was watching her through his dark-tinted sunglasses. Maybe Gabriel had ordered him to pay close attention to her, and that was exactly what he was doing.

  Danielson didn’t allow her to open her own door. He did it, treating it as if the apartment had been booby trapped with an IED. Cat wanted to crack a joke so Danielson wouldn’t be so highly strung, but the head bodyguard looked like a humourless man. She bit her tongue to refrain from commenting.

  Danielson went in first, checking everything. When he’d judged it safe, he nodded to Alex to let her in. She flounced through the door. A sense of relief surged through her. Gabriel’s house was nice, but there was no place like home.

  Alex helped himself to her sofa, sitting with one leg crossed and his body relaxed, looking as if he owned her place. “Pack a week’s worth,” he told her.

  “Why?”

  “So we don’t have to go back and forth between Manhattan and Newark just for clothes.”

  “It’s only a temporary arrangement. I’m not moving into your brother’s house.”

  “You think so?”

  “I’ve started regretting I didn’t take your cheque.”

  “Hmm. You should have.”

  Cat went to feed the goldfish in the aquarium, then checked her voicemail. The answering machine on her nightstand blinked red. There were five messages waiting for her. Three from Judith Rossi—that bitch—wanting to know how the investigation was progressing. One from her landlord about the leaky sink she had complained about last week. The other was from the credit card company. She had missed a payment. Cat sighed and deleted all the messages. It seemed she’d have to get a real job after she’d sorted out the problem with Rossi. Just to tide her over until she’d settled the agency’s bills. Jon would be disappointed
in her if he knew she had driven the agency into the crapper. She wasn’t much of a private investigator. Took a case from a fake client. Got drugged by a pervert. What was up with that?

  “Need help?”

  Cat jumped. Alex was leaning in her bedroom doorway. His arms were suavely folded across his chest. She hadn’t heard him sneaking about. The man was as silent as a cat. “Jesus. You gave me a heart attack,” she said, after she’d let out a hearty squeal.

  “Here I thought private investigators possessed nerves of steel.”

  “Quit making fun of me. I’m just a rookie, okay?” Cat dragged a wheeled suitcase from under the bed. She dusted it off as best she could and hoisted it on the bed. She went through her drawers and closet, packing some clothes and necessities.

  Alex studied her with interest. “What did you do before this?”

  “I was a secretary.”

  “Before that?”

  “I was also a secretary—for a lawyer. He was a real dickweed and couldn’t keep his hands to himself.”

  “So you quit and worked for Jon.”

  “How do you know about Jon?”

  “Background check.”

  “Of course,” Cat said bitterly. She pulled two pairs of jeans from the clean hamper and decided to take only one pair. The other one had a hole in the butt that she hadn’t had time to patch.

  “Why do you keep the agency running even though it’s losing money? Wouldn’t it make better sense if you got another secretarial job?”

  “Gee. You know about that, too?”

  “We did a thorough background check.”

  Cat sighed. “The agency is Jon’s legacy. I want to keep it running in his memory.”

  “You two were close,” he stated, drawing a conclusion.

  “He was the only one I had in this world. Now, he’s gone and I haven’t got a clue what the hell I am doing.” Cat tried to sound neutral, but a shard of bitterness found its way into her tone.