by Bianca D'Arc
Licking her lips, she attempted to reach for his waistband, but he stopped her.
“Not so fast.” He maneuvered them both until she was lying on the bed, him sitting at her side.
She giggled as he did away with his socks with little fanfare. One golden eyebrow rose as he watched her, but he didn’t ask. Maybe he understood. They’d seemed so in tune with each other up to this point, it wouldn’t be stretching her imagination to think he might intuitively get why she’d laughed.
“One of us is definitely overdressed.” His words were a teasing growl that rubbed over her senses, making her shiver.
“So what are you going to do about it?” she challenged him, loving the way his magic flared. She was beginning to be able to read his mood by the flares of his animal magic. It was so different from what she was used to—and so much easier to deal with. At least for her. It seemed natural. Perfect.
“How about this?” His hands dropped to the buttons on her blouse as his lips claimed hers.
His big body bracketed hers on the bed as he undressed her. The buttons flew apart under his hands and he broke the kiss, only to follow the progress of his clever fingers, kissing his way down her body. The bra had a front closure and he undid it with his teeth. A growl and a nip later and her aching breasts were bared to his gaze, and his hungry mouth.
She whimpered and squirmed as the dual forces of Keith’s mouth and the magic that arose so naturally between them lit fires inside that she never wanted doused. Her skin was alive with the magic only he could bring and her body needed—desperately needed—him. Only him.
She grew too impatient to wait. Her fingers fumbled with the closure of her skirt and the pantyhose she’d worn beneath. He let her do as she wished as long as she allowed him freedom to kiss her wherever and whenever he felt like it. He helped occasionally, tugging the fabric away when she got stuck. Between them, they managed to get her mostly naked except for her panties.
She was breathless and more than ready. All he’d done was kiss and fondle her and she was panting for him. She needed to be filled. Never before had she been so attuned to a lover and she feared she never would be again.
“Keith,” she pleaded with him to get a move on but he wouldn’t be rushed.
He took his time kissing her breasts, nibbling her nipples and arousing her with the brush of his shifter magic over every inch of her body. He worked his way downward, pausing only to push her panties down over her hips.
Finally. She lifted to assist him in removing the fabric. She wanted it gone. She didn’t want anything between her skin and his. She wanted him with a desperation unlike anything she’d ever felt before.
“Give it to me now, Keith,” she begged. “I don’t want to wait.” Her voice sounded ragged to her own ears.
“You will wait, kitten.” The denial was voiced in a gentle tone that felt a stroke of velvet over her senses. “I need to know what you taste like. Remember?” He paused to send her a devilish wink and she suddenly recalled the conversation they’d had at dinner about how cat shifters identified their perfect mates.
He’d said they tasted it. What she hadn’t connected at the time that he meant this particular kind of tasting. She didn’t argue as he spread her legs and took a seat between them. Moving downward over the slight swell of her belly, he placed nibbling kisses over her skin. His fingers parted her as his mouth zeroed in on the most sensitive spot on her body.
The first swipe of his tongue over her clit sent her into orbit. He held her through the small orgasm and it wasn’t long before the steady pressure and rhythm of his tongue had her climbing the peak once again. But he didn’t let her climax again. He held her on the edge as his velvety tongue moved lower, into the cream that waited, already gushing for him.
He pushed inward, mimicking what he would do later with his cock and she nearly wept as the magic sparked again, this time inside her core. It was unbearable and addictive. She wanted the feeling to go on and on and on.
But he left her empty a moment later.
“Shifters don’t carry STDs but I’ll wear a condom if you want me to. Of course, I’ll have to find one first.” He gave her a rueful grin as he moved up her body so that he could meet her gaze.
She thought about it for a moment. “I can’t get pregnant right now. Mages have ways to control that.”
She felt her cheeks flush with heat, discussing such intimate matters with a man she’d only just met. But it felt like she’d been waiting for Keith all her life. He was something special. And if the magic continued to flow between their skin when they touched, she didn’t want anything separating them. Not even a condom.
“Then we’re good to go?” He seemed as eager as she was.
“As soon as we get rid of those boxers.”
“Oh.” Incredibly, his cheeks flushed. “I almost forgot.” He shucked his boxers as she watched. “I got so caught up in you…” He trailed off as the white cotton floated to the floor and she got her first look at him in the flesh, so to speak.
He was even more magnificent, taken as a whole, than she had expected. More than a rival to Michelangelo’s David, he was as close to perfect as she’d ever seen. Perfect to her, at least. The kind of man she’d always dreamed of finding. And keeping. But if there was one thing she’d learned about cats, it was that they only stayed as long as they wanted to.
“You’re gorgeous, Valerie. And you taste like ambrosia.” His words teased her senses as he came back down over her. His warmth enveloped her as his magic sparked off hers, warming her senses in a different, more tantalizing way.
“I like the way you make me feel, Keith. I like the way our magic twines.” Her breath was short as her excitement rose again. All it took was the brush of their skin to ignite the flame of desire and magic that seemed inseparable around Keith Redstone. Only he had ever provoked such a reaction in her. She liked it.
“It’s the damndest thing I ever saw.” His eyes flared again as he concentrated on the spinning, whirling energies that built up between them. “Do you think it could be dangerous?”
“Not to you or me,” she whispered. “Maybe an outsider, if it gets too much for us to handle, but this house is shielded. As are all the others in the development. It’s really the safest place to experiment.” She shivered as he rubbed his hard, muscled skin along hers in a full-body caress.
“Experiment, huh?” He paused to grin and meet her gaze. “I like the sound of that. How adventurous are you, kitten?”
She scrunched up her face and smiled back. “Up until now I would have said not very. But you bring out the wild woman in me, Redstone. Do your worst. I’ll tell you if it’s too much.”
He leaned in to place a smacking kiss on her lips. “I think I love you, Val.” He’d probably meant it to sound like a joke, but both of them went breathless as the words hung in the air between them. Something important was going on here. Something that involved magic and mating and emotions too deep to name on such short acquaintance.
“Then make love to me, Keith. Don’t make me wait.” She brought him back to the most important thing at that moment—their shared passion.
She wanted to know what it would feel like to be possessed by this man. And she wanted to know how it felt to possess him in return. She’d get her chance. This first time, she’d let him take the lead.
She spread her legs and wrapped them around his narrow hips, drawing his closer. She was open, wet and ready for him, eager to know the secrets of his possession and if their shared magic would continue to tingle through her core. He complied, positioning himself so that the hard bar of his cock slid along her folds first, brushing along her distended clit, making her squirm with desire. He rubbed her, coating himself in her cream so that when he finally sought entry, he slid inside easily, though he went slow so her body could adjust to his girth and length.
The magic sparked and concentrated along his shaft, sliding inside her. It grew and pulsed, zinging along nerve endings she hadn
’t even known she possessed. Damn, that felt good. Better than good.
“Oh, yeah,” he gasped as he pushed all the way home. He rested there a moment, allowing her to take in the outrageous sensations. He was breathing hard, his forehead bowed against hers as they shared the moment of total union.
“Sweet Mother of All,” she whispered. “Do you feel that?”
He nodded slowly. “Like nothing I’ve ever felt before. You?”
“Never,” she confirmed. “It feels so—” She gasped as he began to move, pulsing a slow rhythm, in and out. She whimpered as he increased the speed of his thrusts.
“That’s it, kitten,” he rasped above her, the strain in his shoulders telling her without words how deeply this was affecting him.
She stroked his skin, raising ripples of tingling magic wherever she touched. That gave her an idea. Her fingers went to his nipples, touching, circling, squeezing. He growled and nipped her neck. She felt the sharp little points of his teeth, so different from regular human teeth. It was as if parts of him were shifting independent of the rest of his body. His eyes glowed and flickered between slitted cat eyes and round human pupils. His teeth seemed sharper than they should, but other than that, he was completely human.
And thank the Goddess for that. She loved the way he fit inside her. The way he moved. The way he anticipated what would make her shiver and squirm.
Goddess help her, she thought…maybe…she loved him.
That thought, along with his increasing pace sent her over the edge into an abyss of pleasure so deep, she thought she’d never find her way out again. Not that she really wanted to. This felt too darn good.
Keith rode her through the climax and right into the next one, bringing her to multiple peaks before taking his own pleasure. He joined her with a shout as she clung to him, nearly mindless with pleasure.
At the last moment, he bit down on her neck, breaking the skin, mingling the momentary pain with an orgasm so devastating that she didn’t know where she left off and he began. They were no longer two separate people in two separate bodies with two separate forms of magic. Instead they were entwined and reformed into one. One heart beating in two chests. One magic unifying them with its twin flavors. One soul, finally reunited in this world.
Dear Goddess, Keith was her perfect match in every way. As she came down from the highest peak she’d ever reached, she saw the way their magics flowed and twined, strengthening each other. They were stronger together than either had ever been apart.
He collapsed over her, breathing hard. His weight was welcome, but he rolled after only a moment, cuddling her in his embrace as he lay by her side.
She would have said something, but sleep overcame her in a wave that carried her off to dreamland, where all things were possible.
Chapter Six
Keith woke the next morning alone. A quick prowl through the house told him he was indeed, alone. Except for the cat and kittens, of course.
Dammit. She’d run.
Matilda was meowing pitifully, her limited house kitty mind not understanding why her mistress had left without filling the food bowl. Or even why her mistress had left at all. Some of Valerie’s distress must’ve rubbed off on her feline companion before she left. Keith spared a moment to calm the cat, locating the cat food and opening one of the fancier cans for the distressed kitty.
Matilda began eating and her kittens came out from hiding to paw at Keith’s ankles while he sat at the kitchen table, pondering his next move. He lifted them up, onto his lap, taking some small comfort from the little fuzzballs and their open affection. They were so uncomplicated. Very unlike the situation in which he now found himself.
Being in love was a complication with a capital C. Being in love with his perfect mate was something he’d never expected but always dreamed of. It was worth any problem he had to solve, any complication he had to overcome. Being in love with Valerie was worth anything he had to do to make it work for her. It was just that simple.
He needed her in his life. He needed her. Period.
Matilda finished eating and hopped up onto the adjacent kitchen chair, watching him with sad eyes. Her stance challenged him. As if she were wondering what he intended to do to bring her mistress back.
“Where did she go, Matilda?” he asked absently, not expecting much of a reply if any.
What he got was way more than he bargained for. An image of a blonde woman with similar features to Valerie appeared in his mind. It was a simple image and it came from the cat. Keith recognized the woman. He’d met her only once before, in passing. She was Suzy, Bill’s girlfriend. And according to what Valerie had told him the night before, she lived a few doors down in this development. But where?
“Do you know where Suzy lives, Matilda?” he asked.
The cat nodded, then looked significantly at the kittens on Keith’s lap. He took that to mean she wouldn’t leave her babies alone and they were too little to go prowling through the neighborhood.
“If I carry them, will you lead me to Suzy’s house?”
A little meow of agreement preceded Matilda’s jump down from the chair. She went straight to the front door and waited for Keith to catch up. She looked over her shoulder at him, showing kitty impatience until he had the kittens held securely cradled between his left hand and his side. They seemed to enjoy the ride and kept trying to climb up his shirt. Their little claws tickled more than hurt and if he hadn’t been so concerned about finding Valerie he would have laughed at their antics.
He opened the door and followed the cat out into the early morning air. Dew covered the grass but Matilda was not distracted from her mission. She stuck to the sidewalk, waiting every few yards for him to catch up. He juggled the squirming kittens who’d probably never been outdoors before if their wide eyes were anything to judge by.
They must’ve made an interesting tableau, a man following a cat down the sidewalk, juggling two frisky kittens. If anybody cared to look out their windows, they’d see just how far he would go to find the woman he would love for the rest of their lives.
Last night cinched it. Valerie was his mate in every way. He already loved her but he knew the foundation they built last night would only grow stronger through the years. He only had to convince her of that. She’d run off before he could tell her what was on his mind.
To be honest, he’d been afraid of her reaction. She wasn’t were. She didn’t know about mating or what it meant among his people. Fear had stopped him from declaring his love while he’d had her in his arms and he regretted it now. He’d been to hesitant about scaring her off and his silence had probably driven her away anyway.
Dammit. Why did he have to go falling in love with a human? A magical human at that? Her society had its own rules that he knew nothing about. No doubt, if they did manage to get together, this wouldn’t be the last time he’d do something wrong. They’d have to work hard to make this partnership work.
Matilda meowed and turned up a path leading to another house. Keith swore, seeing a familiar truck in the driveway. Sure enough, Matilda sat in front of the front door, waiting for him to catch up. Tucking the kittens against his middle, he leaned in to punch the doorbell button. A few minutes later, Suzy herself came to the door, her hair a little disheveled.
“Keith, right?” A big smile lit her face as she opened the door. Matilda dashed inside and Suzy shook her head in wonder. “What’s she doing here?”
“Sorry about this. Matilda showed me where you lived. Is Valerie here?”
Confusion filled her expression. “No, she’s not. You’d better come in. Bill and I were just making some breakfast.”
Keith accepted her invitation, feeling the little shiver of magic as he passed through the door. The kittens squirmed in his arms as he followed Suzy into the kitchen. Sure enough, his cousin Bill was there, frying bacon in a pan. When he saw Keith, he wordlessly added another few strips to the pan, tunelessly whistling in a way that meant he was more than curious, but willin
g to let the Alpha talk in his own good time.
Keith took the chair Suzy pulled out for him and Matilda sat at his feet.
“Is it okay to let these little guys run loose around here?” Keith asked, holding up the kittens.
Suzy smiled and nodded. “I’ll get some cream and put it in a saucer for them. I keep it on hand for when Val comes over. Matilda usually isn’t far behind.”
Suzy went to the fridge and Matilda’s tail twitched. When the saucer had been put down in a far corner, Keith put the kittens down next to their mother.
Keith wasn’t looking forward to this conversation. He wanted to keep his relationship with Valerie—so special and new—as private as possible. But he needed Suzy’s help.
“So what brings you to my door at this hour, Mr. Redstone?” Suzy asked as she placed another place setting in front of him without asking.
Suzy was a homey sort of woman who liked to take care of people. He’d liked that about her the one and only time they’d met and he liked the way she took care of Bill, who wasn’t exactly the biggest, badest cougar in the woods.
“As I said, I’m looking for Valerie.”
“You tried her house?” Suzy asked.
“I came from there,” he admitted.
Suzy’s eyes widened. “Oh. So you…spent the night there?” She seemed surprised, which stroked his ego a bit. His stay had been out of the ordinary, which had to mean Valerie had thought something special was going on last night too, right?
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “I thought things were going great but when I woke up this morning, she was gone.”
“And she left you alone in her house. With Matilda and the kittens?” Suzy seemed impressed.
“Yeah, why?” He didn’t understand what she was getting at.