by Sarah Marsh
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2017 Sarah Marsh
ISBN: 978-1-77339-306-3
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
I’d like to dedicate this book to my readers. I can’t thank you enough for your interest and your support. It really does mean the world to me.
Also, a huge thank you to Evernight Publishing and all those of you who make it such a special company to work with.
CATCHING HIS CAT
Romance on the Go ®
Sarah Marsh
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
Bella cast a gaze over the patrons in the quiet bar as she stepped through the door. Her cougar was pacing inside of her, betraying the nerves she tried to control. She needed something to take the edge off tonight—something more than just a drink.
Nearly all of the men in here were shifters, her nose told her that much, and there were more than a few interested looks thrown her way as she took a seat at the beat-up wooden bar.
“What can I get ya, darling?” the handsome bear of a man behind the counter asked with a smile.
“Just a draft beer, thanks, anything in a wheat ale if you’ve got it.”
She took another scan around the room as she waited for her drink until her eyes locked with a set of deep emerald green. The man had just stood from his stool on the other side of the bar, throwing down a couple of bills—no doubt getting ready to leave before his gaze caught hers. The intensity in his expression would have frightened most women, but she wasn’t most women. He slowly walked towards her, never releasing her from his stare just as a true predator would. He also pushed to the limits of her personal space, stopping close enough that she could feel the heat from his body and she could smell the spicy musk of his scent.
He was lucky that his particular scent was causing her inner cat to sit up and purr—if it hadn’t, this man wouldn’t have been the first Bella had taught a lesson in manners to.
“Hi,” was all he said in a low, deliciously rough voice.
“Hello,” she smiled, blatantly taking his measure. Bella didn’t like to play games, and she wasn’t interested in talking tonight. He was a tall drink of water, well over six and a half feet, not to mention the sheer muscle mass of him. She guessed that his beast was a feline species of some sort. He moved way too gracefully to be anything else. His dark blond hair fell in thick waves to his shoulders, and those deadly green eyes were surrounded by long dark lashes that would have made any woman envious. His face wasn’t classically handsome—it was a little too angular for that, but it was arresting all the same. He had a wildness about him that seemed to eclipse the norm, even for a shifter, and it called to her deep inside.
Bella had an instinct that this man would give her the ride of a lifetime, and that was exactly what she needed right now to distract her from what she would face tomorrow. She needed a male who could make her forget everything for a few stolen hours. Just enough time to satisfy needs that she’d been avoiding for far too long, and then she’d go back to her life—putting the needs of those she loved above her own. It was the price she had to pay for being who and what she was. Bella had always known what her purpose in life was, and she had always had to fight harder than anyone else to make it a reality.
“You have a room?” She leaned in close enough so that her lips were brushing his ear, and she could hear the deep breath he took, drawing her scent in.
“I do, little cat.” His nose brushed against her neck, sending a shiver along her spine, “Join me?”
Bella didn’t answer him with words. Instead, she boldly followed her cat’s instincts and ran her tongue lightly along his neck, tasting him.
He growled low in response before grabbing her hand in his and heading straight for the hotel lobby entrance on the other side of the bar with her in tow. Seconds later they were in the elevator. He pushed the button for the top floor, and then he turned back to her, his eyes lighting up with a desire that was ferocious. He stalked her until her back was flat against the mirrored wall, and then he leaned in closer, his lips hovering over hers, barely brushing the sensitive skin. His hands caught hers and slowly raised them to above her head.
“Stay.”
Her first instinct was to snap at him—she wasn’t one for following the orders of others—but when his large hands began to trail back down her arms, brushing along the sensitive sides of her breasts, she quickly lost track of her agitation. Her nipples were now hard points under the material of her shirt, and she almost held her breath in anticipation of his warm hands making full contact. He dipped down and nuzzled along her jaw and neck, and finally, when his strong hands covered her breasts a small groan escaped them both. What was it about this male? Bella was just as comfortable with her sexual needs as any other grown shifter was, and she knew how to satisfy lust. But the feel of this man’s skin against her own was more than mere lust—it was a revelation.
She couldn’t hold still any longer. It was time to take what she needed. Her hand came down to tangle in his soft, thick hair, pulling him up so that she could taste his mouth. She knew from the low rumble that came from his chest that his cat wasn’t too pleased with her trying to take control, but when she licked his lips his mouth finally descended upon hers with a vengeance. His kiss was deep, and aggressive and overwhelming. Bella absently noticed the “ding” of the elevator doors opening, and then his hands were on her ass, lifting her up, her legs wrapping around his trim hips as he turned and carried her down the hall.
Bella could feel the hot, hard length of his cock pressed against the core of her, and she shamelessly ground herself closer, chasing the pleasure. Her aggression only made his kisses more desperate, but when he pulled his mouth away she growled in displeasure, which seemed to amuse him.
“Grab the key card out of my back pocket.” His hands on her ass pulled her tighter to him, his shaft hitting her clit just right, causing a moan to escape her lips.
She reached around and grabbed the card from his pocket, and he turned so she could slide it in and turn the handle. He pushed them through the door and let it slam behind them, and her back was up against the wall once more. Only this time his hips were the ones grinding against hers as his hands burrowed under her shirt and tore it off over her head, letting it drop to the ground. His mouth was back against hers, licking and sucking as both their hands fumbled at the buttons on his shirt. She was aching to feel his hot skin against hers, almost desperate for it, really. Her cougar was yowling in her head for her to rip the material, and finally, when his chest was bare, one quick slice with his shifted nail and her bra fell open.
Clearly, he must be a breast man, because he paused for a moment to take them in before his hands closed back over them, squeezing and teasing the taut nipples with his thumbs. Her legs fell away from his ass as she struggled to stand. They were both panting hard as she opened the button on his jeans, carefully lowering the zipper until she revealed the thick root of his cock. Bella ran her hands around to his perfectly rounded ass and pushed the thick material down until it was at his thighs. She bit he
r lip when his long, hard, shaft was freed, bouncing against her covered leg, the plump head already wet with pre-cum. Her hand reached out and wrapped around his thickness, causing him to moan, his hips jerking as she tightened her grip on the silky-smooth skin and slowly stroked up to the tip before working back down.
His hands quickly found the opening on her own jeans, but instead of pushing them off, he simply freed them enough so that those long fingers of his reached down and slid in between her soaked folds.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he growled before rubbing the pad of one finger in circles around her aching clit.
Her hand was still stroking up and down his cock, and when his fingers dipped lower, finding her entrance, Bella groaned, biting down on his shoulder. Fuck, she needed his cock inside of her.
“Pants off,” she panted and released him.
In seconds, he had her jeans and panties stripped and his own thrown across the room as he knelt in front of her. The intensity in his eyes was enthralling as he growled again and then lunged at her. She wasn’t frightened, though. On the contrary, she knew she was about to get fucked and fucked good.
His arms scooped her up, and then they were both bouncing on the large king sized bed. Immediately he moved down her body, his hands pushing her legs wide open and up as he settled himself in between them. She didn’t even have a second to anticipate what he was about to do before his mouth descended upon her pussy, licking and nibbling over every single inch. Two thick fingers plunged into her core, thrusting in and out as he sucked her throbbing clit in between his lips. It was a full-on assault of sensations, and before she even knew it, her entire body was coiled in preparation to come, her hands tightening their grip in his hair as she pressed her hips harder into his mouth, and when he bit down on her clit she screamed as the orgasm echoed through her core. The waves of pleasure ebbed over and over again until his mouth finally released her.
“Holy fuck,” she whispered as her eyes closed and she struggled to catch her breath.
“Nah, we’re just getting to that part,” was his cheeky answer as she felt him kiss his way back up her torso until his weight settled in between her thighs.
Bella could feel the throbbing heat of his cock pressed against her pussy. She was so wet now that it easily slid through the swollen lower lips, causing small tremors to pulse through her womb in aftershocks. His arms were on each side of her waist, holding him above her, and she rested her hands at the top of his ass.
“Look at me, little cat.” His voice was still rough with his desire. “I want to see your golden eyes as I take you.”
She slowly opened her eyes, and her lips broke into a lazy smile, her hand coming up to rest against his cheek. She loved the thick stubble she felt there—it had felt even more amazing against the inside of her thighs. His deep green eyes seared her with their gaze, and it felt like he was looking right into her soul as he pulled his hips back and found her entrance. She sighed as he slid his thickness into her slowly as if he was savoring the feel of her around him. It seemed an oddly sentimental moment for such a sexually aggressive male, and not normally one she would appreciate from a bed partner—but something was different with this one.
Once he had pushed himself all the way inside of her, a low rumble had once again begun to come from deep inside his chest as he lifted her legs to slide his arms underneath them. Her breath caught as he pulled her closer, his balls nudging up against her ass, and then he began to move. He pulled all the way out of her snug heat, and then slammed back in, his gaze never leaving hers. Bella’s hands held onto his forearms, grasping at the only part of him she could reach as he began to thrust in and out of her, over and over again. She could feel her fangs dropping as her cougar snarled inside, encouraging the male to move faster, to fuck them harder. His own teeth were now visible as well, and sweat rolled down his face and chest as he worked her. His wide, thick cock didn’t miss a single nerve inside of her, and her body lit up with pleasure. Every stroke seemed to take her higher and the harder he took her, the more she needed.
“Harder, more…” she groaned out, her claws unsheathing from her fingertips to grab into the flesh of his arms.
Suddenly he growled and released her, slipping out of her sheath abruptly, but before she could complain, he had flipped her over onto her hands and knees. He pushed her legs apart and slid back inside, his hands now over her shoulders, using the leverage to pull her back onto his cock at a furious pace. Well, she’d asked for harder, and boy, did she get it.
The intensity of his fucking made her inner animal go crazy, wanting to claw at him, to mark this partner in her fury of lust. Over and over again, his shaft thrust inside of her, and she would have done anything to feel the release of his seed into her waiting center. When one of his talented hands finally moved back down, around her hip and pinched her swollen clit, her pussy spasmed around him, trying with everything it had to take him with her.
With a furious roar, he followed her into bliss, the hot jets of his seed coating her insides. At the same time, she felt his teeth bite deep into her shoulder, and her cat roared as well inside her head, telling her to sink her own teeth into this male—to bite him and mark him as theirs for the entire world to see.
Wait—what the hell did my inner cat just say? Mark him?
Fuck!
“Mine…” he moaned, his cock pushing deep inside of her once more. “You’re mine now, little cat. My mate.”
Double fuck!
Bella’s brain finally kicked in at his words, and she full on panicked. He slowly pulled out of her and fell to his stomach on the bed beside her, his arm tightening possessively already around her waist. She didn’t even think. She just grabbed the nearest thing on the bedside table—which happened to be the lamp and swung it at the back of his head.
The “thump” noise it made as she connected wasn’t too bad, but his eyes turned towards her for a second in confusion before they closed and he collapsed face first on the pillow. She needed to get out of here fast.
It was too bad for Mr. Tall, Dark, and fuckable—but she couldn’t afford the risk of taking a mate. Not if she wanted to keep all that she’d worked so hard for. She battled with herself as she took one more lingering look back at this male who’d slipped under her radar and gotten so dangerously close. But there were too many people counting on her, too much at stake for her to stay. So, she quickly dressed and ran as fast as she could back to her own room … making sure to take a small trip back through the bar and then outside first to make sure he couldn’t track her scent. Bella had to make sure she never saw this particular cat ever again.
Chapter Two
The loud banging woke Laird from a deep sleep. His head was pounding, and that damned noise wasn’t helping one fucking bit. Finally, it stopped, but then he heard the beep of the electric lock being released.
“Laird?” His Beta’s voice rang out from the doorway. “Are you okay? I’ve been knocking for like fifteen minutes. You missed breakfast.”
He tried to take stock as to why his head hurt so badly … and why he was lying face down on the bed, buck-ass naked. Laird remembered going for a late dinner at the bar after their meeting the night before and then seeing—her.
His gaze raced about the room trying to find her, and Jackson’s head whipped around as well, but when no one was there he came back to Laird with a curious look.
“What? What are you looking for?”
Laird took a deep breath close to the sheets, and sure enough, there it was, the unmistakable sweet scent of his mate.
“I found her, Jackson.” His voice betrayed his own surprise. “Last night, I found my mate.”
“You certainly found some female. It reeks of sex in here.” Jackson went to open the patio doors. “Are you hungover? You look like hell.”
Laird’s hand went up to touch the bump that was still aching at the back of his head—and then it all came crashing back to him.
“Fuck,” he growled. “
She knocked me out.”
“What the hell do you mean?”
“We had sex—the most un-fucking-believably hot, amazing sex—and then she hit me over the head with the lamp.” He growled, his beast wanting to run right out of the room and find his mate.
Why would she have run from me? Well, she wouldn’t get far. He would find her and show her exactly where she belonged.
Jackson just stood there and stared at him, an almost bemused expression on his face, which only pissed him off more.
“Umm, so you had sex with your mate—and then she knocked you out with a lamp and fled?”
“I marked her, too.” He nodded to himself as the memory of the last few monumental moments of pleasure came back to him.
Still more silence in response.
“What?” he snapped finally.
“Well, I guess she sounds kind of…”
“Careful…” Laird’s growl echoed through the room. No one, not even his second, would be insulting his mate.
“Perfect for you, that’s all.” Jackson laughed, his hands thrown up in surrender.
“Fuck off, Jackson.” Laird sat up on the edge of the bed and grabbed for his pants. “I’m going after her.”
“Wait, you can’t.”
“Of course I can, and I’m going to.”
“No, Laird, the Alpha Council meeting starts in an hour.” Jackson shook his head. “I can send some of the guys to look for her, but you have to be there as Ruling Alpha. You know you have to.”
Fuck, Jackson was right. But mark his words, when he tracked down his little cat, her backside was going to get worn out for running away from him, not to mention the lamp thing.
“No one hunts her except for me.” Laird threw on his clothes, his rage only growing when he could still scent her on them. “Let's go get this damned meeting over with so I can attend to more important things.”