“Oh, this is brilliant. I’ve never visited The Chateau. It’s such an iconic hotel. Thank you for Saber’s birthday present,” Emily exclaimed.
“It’s time to cut the cake,” Tomasine, his brother Felix’s mate, said. She pulled out a box of matches and expertly lit the thirty candles.
“Make a wish,” someone shouted.
Saber frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know what to wish for. I have everything I want,” Saber whispered.
Her beam widened, and his chest ached with the wave of love engulfing him in that instant.
“Wish for world peace. Go on. Blow.”
His bossy mate. He grinned, wished that their friends and family experienced the same happiness and satisfaction in their lives that he did every day and blew out all thirty candles to an off-tune rendition of happy birthday.
“Happy birthday, dear Saber! Happy birthday to you!” everyone chorused.
Yep, no doubt about it, Saber thought. Something about the feline gene killed off singing talent, but he grinned as wide as everyone else.
This day was one to treasure.
* * * * *
After uncovering his aching ears—stilling ringing from the horrendous singing—Charlie’s skin prickled with the weight of a stare and glanced up to intercept Gavin’s intense gaze. With a jerk of his head, Gavin indicated it was time to leave. Charlie nodded, struck with the same excitement and lust he saw in Gavin’s face.
He slipped through the crowd to speak with his hosts.
“Thanks, Emily. Saber.” Charlie finished the last of his beer and set the bottle aside. “I need to leave since I have an early start in the morning. I told Laura I’d open up shop. It was a great party.” He nodded to Leticia who stood beside Emily. “It was nice to meet you, Leticia, even if you are a lawyer.”
Leticia smiled as he meant her to and watched him stride across the room, taking in his fit appearance and the muscular body beneath the clothes. He kept his blond hair short, shaped to his head. Pale blue eyes had alternately filled with teasing or radiated sharp intelligence during the time she’d spent dancing with him while the light covering of stubble on his cheeks had made her itch to touch. She sighed. Sexy blue eyes were a weakness, especially when coupled with a natural smile. Not even the small scar running from his eyebrow to the top of his cheekbone detracted from his appeal.
Imagination came into play as she mentally removed his clothes. First, she’d strip off the casual cotton shirt that picked up the blue of his eyes, unfastening the buttons one at a time to let the tension build. When the shirt hit the floor, she’d run her hands over his chest, exploring the dips and curves of his pecs with the pads of her fingers. Then she’d turn her attention to the dark-wash jeans he wore, unfastening them at the same slow pace until he was almost naked. That was assuming he wore something underneath his jeans. Hmm, a question to ponder.
“Nice arse,” Emily said.
“Yes.” Leticia started, realizing she was staring at said backside and that Emily shouldn’t be. She turned back to her friend and fixed her with a mock glare. “I’m going to tell on you. Saber wouldn’t like you ogling other males’ butts.”
Emily shot a quick glance in her mate’s direction. “But it’s so nice. Besides, I wasn’t the only one looking.”
“He’s human,” Leticia said, tapping her fingernail against the frosty surface of the juice glass.
“You shouldn’t hold that against him. Some of the best people are human.”
“Emily,” Leticia said, embarrassment flooding her cheeks. “Sometimes I forget you’re human rather than feline. You smell feline and act it too.”
“I smell feline?”
“Yeah.”
Emily’s brows rose. “Should I switch my soap?”
“No.” Leticia sniggered. “It’s an attractive scent, sort of wild and green.”
“That’s a relief. For a while there I thought I might have a litter box scent.”
A surprised laugh erupted from Leticia. “I’m sure someone would’ve told you before now. No, I think it must have something to do with your mark and because you associate with felines so much.”
“Interesting. I know I heal better than I used to, and my eyesight has improved. I don’t rely on my glasses as much. My instincts are better too, when I think about it. Have you met Laura? She’s the other Middlemarch cop and is Jonno’s mate.”
“No, I haven’t met either of them.”
“Let’s find them. I’ll introduce you. Laura is human. I want to know if she smells different to you.”
“Sure. I’d love to meet them.” Leticia followed Emily through the crowded room. A human. Leticia considered Charlie. She’d thought Gavin was the one for her, but Charlie made her hormones stand up and salute. And the interesting thing was he’d experienced the same attraction.
A human. Was it possible?
Although the disease had taken a turn for the worse, maybe she could experience closeness and friendship again. For a long time the rape had made her loathe herself and she’d had to deal with the aftermath. But she’d talked to Saul. He’d made her realize she wasn’t to blame. Saul had helped her recall the good times she’d spent with men, those she’d gone out with and the ones she’d slept with before the rape.
Gavin had tempted her, but she’d remained aloof because she hadn’t wanted to infect him with FIV. A human couldn’t catch FIV from her or any other cat. For the first time in months, a flicker of hope rippled through her. Although part of her ached for Gavin, perhaps it was possible to experience emotional closeness again with Charlie before she succumbed to the disease.
Chapter Two
When Charlie walked outside, he found Gavin leaning against his car, a shadowed figure barely discernable until he shifted his weight. Charlie glanced over his shoulder and couldn’t see anyone else.
Alone. With no audience, he could give in to temptation, the urges that had his gut tied in a knot. Nothing to stop him stroking Gavin, touching the way he wanted to touch.
“What took you so long?” Gavin asked.
Without breaking stride, he walked up to Gavin, stopping close enough to feel the body heat coming from the feline male.
“I needed to say goodbye to Emily and Leticia.” He studied Gavin, and with heart thudding, leaned in to steal a kiss. Their lips slid together, warm mouths caressing and exploring. Heat. Pleasure. Charlie sighed. The kiss surpassed his expectations. So right…not enough.
The need for intimacy, greater body contact pushed at him despite his earlier crisis of doubt. Damn, a car park wasn’t the place to do what he wanted. He’d have to content himself with a kiss. Charlie nibbled Gavin’s bottom lip in a silent request for him to open. When he did, Charlie took the kiss deeper, savoring the faint taste of beer and the seductive heat of Gavin’s mouth. Their chests brushed and Gavin cupped his butt, drawing their hips together until their groins rubbed. Frissons of tension rippled through him, stealing his breath and making his heartbeat race.
Gavin gripped him in place, not that Charlie would have moved an inch if he could, and ground their cocks together.
“Damn, Gavin.” A gasp whooshed up his throat as he lifted his head to stare. A grin bloomed on his face when Gavin chuckled. The friction of their bodies sliding together slayed him. So good, and yet it was only the beginning, the promise of more, of something better shimmering between them. The jolt settled in his balls with a faint sizzle. Spirals of smoke wouldn’t have surprised him. Unable to resist, he rocked his hips against Gavin, savoring the rough resistance of denim against his groin.
“This would be so much better if we were at my house,” Gavin said in a thick voice. “With privacy.”
Charlie barked a laugh before brushing a kiss on Gavin’s jaw. The rough sensation of stubble abraded his lips brought home the fact he was kissing a man. The reality didn’t change his mind about going with Gavin. He wanted this. “Yeah, I’d hate someone
to call the cops because of lewd behavior or indecent exposure.”
“All the Middlemarch cops are at the party,” Gavin said, his eyes twinkling and glowing in a weird manner, reminding him of cats. Funny that. “We might luck out.”
“I’m not going to risk it.” The idea of the head brass calling him on sexual misconduct was enough to make him agree to shift this party. “I’ll follow you home.”
Gavin nodded, his gaze watchful. Measuring his reaction. “You won’t change your mind?”
Hell no. “No, I want this. I’ve been thinking about it since the first time I met you.” Nothing less than the truth.
“No kidding?”
“No kidding,” Charlie said, admitting the truth. Each meeting with Gavin had fueled his fascination, and that had morphed to desire. Need. “I’ll see you soon. Actually, I might stop by my place and grab a uniform for tomorrow.”
“You want to stay the night?”
“You have a problem with that?” Charlie countered, his eyes narrowing while he waited for Gavin’s reply.
Gavin pressed a swift kiss to Charlie’s lips before pushing him away. “No problem at all. I’ll enjoy waking up with you. Sometimes it’s lonely living by myself.”
“I’ll see you in about quarter of an hour.”
“I’ll leave the door unlocked,” Gavin said before walking away.
Charlie watched until he blended with the night then circled his car and pulled his keys from his jeans pocket. For the first time in months excitement pulsed through him. This thing with Gavin seemed right.
He’d heard about the feline mating process from Laura and Jonno and observed the other feline couples. While the concept of belonging or surrendering to another person might upset some, to him it seemed secure and enviable. No way did he want to end up like his mother. She was on her third marriage, each one meant to last forever. They never did. After tears and tantrums, his mother moved on to another man. Another marriage. Growing up in an atmosphere like that had bred caution into Charlie, yet this time certainty replaced wariness. He hadn’t even had sex with the man or taken part in many getting-to-know-you conversations. What should have been unnerving only intrigued him. For once, Charlie wanted to jump blindly and see where the interesting situation took him.
Despite his fascination with Leticia.
He stilled, thought about the blonde, then pushed her from his mind and climbed into his vehicle.
The drive to the police-owned house where he lived took ten minutes. Charlie gathered his shaving gear, a change of underwear and socks, his work boots and a clean uniform. He also grabbed a bottle of whiskey and headed back to his car, anticipation humming through him.
As promised, Gavin had left the door unlocked. Charlie stepped inside, carrying his uniform in a suit bag and the rest of his stuff including the whiskey bottle in a daypack. A pair of black boots stood by the door. Charlie removed his shoes and socks. He flicked the lock to discourage visitors from walking in without announcement before following the sultry notes of a saxophone.
Charlie found Gavin in a room off the kitchen. The light of two lamps pierced the darkness with a warm glow. Mismatched furniture—two brown leather chairs plus a green couch dressed the lounge room. Charlie could see Gavin kicking back with a beer to watch television. Magazines on farming and animal medicine littered the surface of a glass-topped coffee table. A large screen television hung on one wall while a stereo system filled another corner. Several plants—Charlie wasn’t up on green things and didn’t know their names—perched on a shelf. Unlike many bachelor pads he’d visited, the plants here were green and healthy, the room clean.
“Do you fancy a whiskey?” Charlie slung the suit bag over the back of a scuffed leather chair and set the daypack beside it.
“My mind is made up. I don’t need liquid courage.”
“What do you want?” Charlie asked, his gaze intent as he searched Gavin’s face. The desire he saw there seared straight to his cock. He took half a step toward Gavin before halting. Maybe he’d wait for an answer before he attacked the other man and ripped off his clothes.
“I want hot, naked sex. I want you.” Gavin regarded him steadily, the beginnings of a smile curving the corners of his mouth. “If that scares you—”
“It doesn’t scare me.” Charlie interrupted him midsentence. “But I’d like to know one thing. How can you be so sure I’m the one for you? How do you know?”
Gavin stood and unfastened his shirt, one button at a time. He watched Charlie the entire time, his green eyes glowing, the color deepening. “It’s a gut instinct. I’ve spoken with other shifters and asked how it was for them. Experiences differ but most said the minute they saw their mate, they knew. There’s a driving instinct to touch and a high state of sexual arousal when you’re around the other person.” He undid the last button and shrugged his shoulders so the cotton shirt slid down his arms. “It’s difficult to resist the lure, although some felines do for reasons known only to themselves.”
“People walk away from this?” Why would anyone want to resist? Charlie stared at Gavin. Sensations and emotions bombarded him from every direction. And need… So much need.
A compulsion inside screamed at him to act. He trembled, transfixed by the light hitting Gavin’s muscular chest. It was almost hair-free. Charlie’s fingers tingled with the urge to touch, to trace his fingers over the smooth muscles and flat nipples. He’d stroke and tongue them until they pebbled and soft, needy sounds escaped from Gavin. He wanted to give in to the thing building between them. Urgency simmered through him, demanding action. Instead, he forced himself to wait, knowing the delayed gratification would make for spectacular lovemaking. For both of them.
“Yeah, it’s happened. And from what I hear, when you’re making love the urge to mark your partner can be overwhelming.”
“That right?” Charlie’s gut lurched and the fleshy spot between neck and shoulder on his right side itched. Memories crowded his mind, dampening some of his driving sexual desire for Gavin. “When Jonno marked Laura it was painful.”
Gavin shrugged. “The marking process normally takes place during lovemaking. It’s not painful then. Jonno had no choice. It was either that or lose Laura.”
Yeah. Charlie remembered vividly with Laura’s pained screams fresh in his memory. But Jonno loved Laura, and honestly, Charlie would’ve made the same choice to save someone he cared about. He scrutinized Gavin, measuring his words for truth. A breath eased out when Gavin never flinched. Tense muscles relaxed, and he realized he trusted the feline.
Even with pain involved, he’d face it without hesitation. “And you think we’re mates?”
“I know we are. Can’t you feel the compulsion? All I can think about is fucking you.”
“Fucking implies lust.” Charlie enjoyed lust and quick, hard fucks as much as the next man, except this thing with Gavin seemed different. More.
He raked an agitated hand through his hair. Hell, was he buying into the mates thing or not? Charlie didn’t know what to think. Maybe he should give in to the driving need? Go with the flow? Unsure, he concentrated on Gavin, mesmerized by the sensual, confident manner as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. Doubts didn’t plague him.
The whine as the zipper teeth released sounded extra loud to Charlie’s ears, drawing his attention again while the bronzed flesh displayed by the parted jeans left him breathless. Wanting. The discernable bulge was also an attractive proposition. His tongue stroked over his bottom lip.
“Fucking also implies hunger and desperation. Charlie, the first time might be quicker than I’d like but my heart is involved here. Never doubt it. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I first saw you.” Gavin studied Charlie. “I’ve had weeks to think about this. I hesitated because I wasn’t sure. Until I noticed you watching me.” Satisfaction throbbed in his husky voice.
He meant it. Gavin wanted him.
Charlie sucked in a hasty breath and held it when Gavin slid h
is jeans over his hips to reveal a pair of tight black boxer briefs. His erection strained the fabric in a noticeable bulge.
Charlie found the strength to wrest his gaze away from Gavin’s groin to look him in the face. The blue shirt Charlie wore stuck to his clammy skin while his jeans did a real restraining number on his expanding cock. “I’m overdressed here. Not to mention constrained.” He unfastened the first button of his shirt but Gavin stayed him with a few words.
“Wait. I’d like to undress you. Last night I dreamed about dancing with you.”
Charlie nodded, the mischief lurking in Gavin’s eyes telling him there was more to the story.
“You looked very sexy in your police uniform while I wore nothing but a smile.”
A snort escaped Charlie. “If you think I’ll mess up my one clean uniform, you have rocks in your head.”
“My fantasies are flexible.” The strains of a ballad replaced the saxophone, the singer asking his lady friend about gettin’ it on. A dimple flashed beside Gavin’s mouth when his smile widened to a dangerous smirk. “Perfect background music for what I have in mind.”
“You’re not naked,” Charlie pointed out.
“We have all night. Let’s try to keep things slow. It will be better if we can.” He stepped close and Charlie’s arms wrapped around him. They were of a similar height, and for Charlie, it was like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle slotting together. Perfect. The only thing that might be better was if they were skin to skin.
“I’ve never danced with another man before,” Gavin added.
“You have had sex with another man?”
“Yeah. I went through a wild stage at university when I experimented.”
“How wild?” Charlie asked.
“Let’s just say I had plenty of friends. Felines don’t catch sexually transmitted diseases, but I always practiced safe sex, so I didn’t stand out as weird.”
“You don’t think gays are weird?”
Gavin chuckled, the sound rich and full of amusement. “Nah, it’s bisexuals who are the strange ones.”
My Second Chance Page 3