“Language barriers. Regional and cultural barriers. Conflict over who gets to sit at the top—there can only be one king, right? Plus, just like with cats, the bigger the Pride, the harder to ensure that all members are taken care of.”
“Still,” Alex said. “It’s like a family?”
Karabi tilted her head. “What?”
“So, this Pride is like an extended family?”
“Of sorts, kinda,” Karabi said. Then she snorted. “More like a big, nosy, rule-enforcing, freaky, orgy-having extended family, I guess.”
“Hmm,” Alex said. “Well, that’s way more family than I’ve ever had the fortune of having.” The look on his face was an odd mixture of sadness and intrigue.
“Take it from someone who’s had an overbearing, dysfunctional family—having no family at all is better than having a shitty one,” Karabi said.
Alex shook his head. “As someone who has had no family at all, let me tell you that you’re absolutely wrong,” he said as he plopped down on the bed.
For a long moment Karabi wasn’t quite sure what to say. It felt very odd to her that he would seem to long for the very thing she’d loathed all her life.
* * * * *
Lying upon Karabi’s bed, Alex stared quietly up at the ceiling. There were so many things he wanted to say to her right then. Such as how he felt as though she and he were kindred spirits at the moment. Even though they’d had very different family experiences, they were both hurting for the want of a close family unit. How good it felt to talk to and lie next to Karabi. How easily they could solve both of their problems by just starting a family of their own together someday, free of harsh judgment and full of love and laughter.
But now wasn’t the right time for all of that. For one, he sensed that it was way too soon for him to get all sentimental with Karabi. For two, he was feeling a little distracted, frustrated. In the past three days he’d had three different sexual encounters with Karabi and in not a single one of them had he gotten to come. Even Karabi had orgasmed twice. His balls felt heavy and ached for a release of their contents. He wanted to flip Karabi’s pretty little self over on the bed, take her from behind and bang her silly but he found that his entire body was racked with pain.
“Ooh, ah,” Alex said, breaking the silence as he squirmed on the bed, trying to get comfortable. He unbuckled his pants and pushed them down to his legs before kicking them off. “Why do I hurt all over?”
“From so much shifting in such a short amount of time,” Karabi said, lying down on the bed next to him.
“How do I get better?”
“Just stop shifting for today. Get some rest.”
“What if I don’t want rest?”
“What do you want to do?”
“You.”
She turned to look at him and met the hunger in his eyes. “I thought you said you were in pain?”
“I am,” he said as he pushed himself up and crawled on top of Karabi. “But not enough to stop from wanting you.”
“My goodness, you’ve got a one-track mind.”
“I don’t, not normally. But you’ve had me going for days now, and I really need the release.” He gripped Karabi by her waist and moved her up farther toward the center of the bed so that he could better position his body over hers. He wasn’t wearing anything except his boxers but she was still fully clothed, so he started by lifting her knitted turtleneck off her head.
“Unless you don’t want me to take you.”
She grinned mischievously, then pushed him off her and rolled on top of him. “I’m going to be the one to take you.”
Alex flipped them both over so that she was on the bottom again. “No ma’am—I’m taking charge this time.”
Karabi pursed her lips. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“But I’m going to like it.”
Karabi wiggled out from under him and tried to turn him over. “No, you lie down!”
But Alex refused to budge, so they wrestled playfully on the bed, tumbling over each other, laughing and grunting. When he paused to catch his breath Karabi was on top of him, panting and shirtless, looking absolutely tempting with her hair spilling forward onto his chest and her breasts dangling in her white cotton bra. The fight completely left him as his hunger took over.
“You’ve already stressed your body out enough for the day,” Karabi said. “Just lie there and let me do all of the work.”
“Are you going to let me come this time?” His question was a soft plea and complaint at the same time.
“Yes, yes, I’ll let you come,” Karabi said. She smiled down at him with lusty eyes.
Alex grabbed her head and pulled her face down to his and kissed her fiercely. She returned the kiss and they attacked each other with their mouths and tongues. No matter how many times he kissed this woman, he simply couldn’t get enough.
He wondered if he would ever get enough.
While they were heavily making out, he unsnapped her bra and tore it off her shoulders, then he pushed her long denim skirt and cotton panties off her hips together, down her thighs. Karabi shimmied the rest of the way out of her clothes, with Alex never letting her lips escape his. When she grabbed at the band of his boxers he raised his hips so she could easily pull them off. His penis sprung upward as soon as it was freed—full length, rock hard and throbbing.
She took a second to look at it, tracing its length with her fingers. “I love that you’re always ready to go,” she said.
He grew even more erect under her admiration. “Only for you,” he said and he waved it at her.
Karabi laughed. Then she moved down and licked along the entire length of his penis, moistening him with her tongue. He cried out in pleasure when she suddenly took him into her sopping-wet mouth and sucked him, lubricating him fully. Her mouth felt so good but he was afraid he’d come quickly and right in her mouth if he let her continue. That wasn’t how he wanted this to go. The tiger inside him roared silently, demanding to copulate with this woman. Alex felt that if he didn’t get to penetrate her right then and there he was going to completely lose it like he did that night of the ball.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and gently but firmly pushed her off him. “I really want to be inside of you,” he said.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and reached over to open her nightstand drawer. She pulled out a condom, unwrapped it and placed it on the head of his penis. It slid on easily with him being so hard and lubricated.
Alex looked up at her with aching anticipation as Karabi straddled him, placing the opening to her sex right above the head of his cock. She sat down on him nice and slow, letting him slip in inch by inch. He tried to be patient but he couldn’t help but grip her by the waist and pull her quickly down onto those last two inches. She closed her eyes and moaned once she seated him. The sight, sound and feel of her adjusting to sitting on his cock almost sent him over the edge but he closed his eyes and sucked in his lips in an attempt to remain in control.
Karabi started off by bobbing up and down on top of him, with her tightness easing to give way to his girth and length more and more with each reentry. When Alex opened his eyes again, her breasts were bobbing up and down, her lips were wet and swollen and the scent of her pheromones overwhelmed him. His vision started to blur again and he could feel the tiger trying claw its way out. He couldn’t hold it much longer.
“Karabi,” his voice was hoarse and desperate. “I’m sorry, but I need to come. Now!”
He gripped her hips tight and held her in place while he pumped into her with hard, deep, rapid-fire strokes. Karabi gasped and clutched at his shoulders as she tried to maintain her posture while he power-drilled into her but soon she gave in and fell down on top of him, moaning into the side of his neck. Alex held on to her waist even tighter, grunting loudly as he bounced her up and down the full length of his cock, all the way out, then slammed her all the way in repeatedly. Soon he was coming—or rather more like erupting—and fil
ling up the condom, cursing under his breath.
For a second he was embarrassed. He never came that fast. But then he saw how close she was to her own orgasm and he quickly pulled his still-spurting penis out of her and replaced it with his index and middle fingers. With her still on top of him he fucked her with his fingers while rubbing her clitoris with his thumb. She humped against his hand enthusiastically, whimpering and gasping, until he felt her orgasm clutch at him. She almost slipped off him but he held her to him and continued to strum her sex while she jerked and moaned in his arms.
“Alex, please. That’s enough,” she sighed. He removed withdrew his hand and she slumped on top of him, still shuddering.
He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair tenderly. “Sorry,” he said. “I guess I got a little carried away. I wanted to make sure you were good.”
“Believe me, I’m good,” she said with a snort.
“Thank you for the release. I needed that. It was just in time too. The tiger was coming.”
“So, the man needed to come in order to stop the tiger from…coming?”
Alex laughed and nodded. “Sounds crazy, I know, but it seems to work.”
“Interesting,” Karabi said. “My pleasure to be of assistance.” She lifted her head and kissed him under the chin. He turned and planted a tender kiss on top of her lips. How easy it was to just be himself with Karabi. So easy. The woman brought out parts of himself that he hadn’t even known existed before.
“The pleasure was all mine,” Alex said.
“Now will you get some rest?”
“Now I can get some rest,” he said. He was knocked out within seconds.
* * * * *
Alex awoke to loud knocking on the door. His newly enhanced sense of smell told him that Karabi had left the bed a long time ago. He could hear her now in the shower. The knocking on the door grew more urgent. Alex sat up, put on his boxers, slipped the t-shirt Karabi had given him over his head and left the bedroom. But by the time he got to the hallway he could hear a key entering the lock. Who in the hell? Alex bounded to the door just as the person on the other side was opening it. An Indian man of average height with bushy eyebrows stood there.
“Who are you?” The man looked Alex up and down then stared particularly hard at the t-shirt he was wearing. Realizing that this must be the ex, Alex scratched the back of his head. Why the hell did he have a key?
“Um, I’m Alex. I work at the zoo with Karabi.”
“Right…” The man turned his head to the side as if he couldn’t look directly at Alex anymore. “Is she here?”
“Yeah, but she’s in the shower…right…now.” The way the man’s eyes narrowed with each of Alex’s words made him speak slower and quieter. “Who should I, um, tell her is looking for her?”
“Rao. The owner of the shirt you’re wearing.”
“Ah. Okay, I’ll tell her you’re here.” Alex tried to close the door but Rao stopped it with his hand and slipped into the apartment.
“I’ll just wait for her here. I used to live here. That’s why I still have the key.” Rao went over to the couch and practically made himself at home.
Alex ran a hand through his hair, unsure how to respond to this. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, pal.”
“I don’t care what you think, and I am not your pal. Shouldn’t you go put on some pants?”
“Shouldn’t you get out and come back when you’re invited?” Karabi said. Alex turned to see Karabi standing against the wall, tying the belt around the thick, fuzzy robe she was wearing.
Rao jumped to his feet. “Karabi,” he said. “I’m sorry to come by unexpectedly, but I need to speak with you.”
“About what? Is it urgent?”
“It’s personal,” Rao said, eyeing Alex irritably. “I need to speak with you alone.”
Alex walked over to Karabi and put a hand on her shoulder. “Should I leave?” he asked.
“No, this will be quick,” she said. “Could you just wait in the bedroom until I’ve finished here with Rao?”
“Sure.” Alex went into the room and closed the door. Although he could hear their voices much better now than he would have been able to a few days ago, he knew he’d be able to hear even better as a Cat. Too bad he was still a bit too sore to shift again just yet. He stood right next to the door, opened it slightly and listened.
“See, I knew you were seeing other people,” Rao said.
“Of course I am, now that you and I are no longer together.”
“We just took a break, and you already have another man sleeping over.”
“What are you talking about? We broke up a month and a half ago!”
“This is exactly what I was talking about. See now why it was hard for me to trust you?”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore now, do you?” Alex had never heard Karabi sound so angry. “We’re no longer a couple. And you no longer live here, so I can have whomever I want sleep over. So please, get out.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry. You are free to do whatever you want. I just—I was just very surprised to find someone else here. Just a few weeks ago, I was living here. Also, he’s wearing my shirt. Why is he wearing my shirt?”
“I get it, Rao, you were caught off guard. The shirt was here, his was dirty, I didn’t think that much of it. But honestly, you don’t live here anymore. You don’t have the right to just barge in. May I please have the key back?”
“Fine, here,” Rao said, sounding defeated. “Can we still talk?”
“I can’t right now, I have company. Remember?”
“Then when? You keep avoiding my calls.”
“What is there to talk about?”
“You told me we were taking a break. How long are we on a break? We should discuss this.”
“Didn’t we already clear this up?” Karabi’s voice was shrill. “Okay, fine, let’s talk. The truth is, you and I were never right for each other. It’s over, for good. I have moved on, and so should you.”
There was a brief silence and when Rao spoke again there was a quiver in his voice. “Is it because of that tall guy in your room? The one wearing my shirt?”
“No, don’t be ridiculous! Our breaking up has nothing to do with anyone but us.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Seriously, Rao? I really can’t do this right now. Please leave.”
“But we’re not done talking.”
“Yes, we are.”
“No, we’re not. You just need to—”
At this point Alex left the bedroom and headed toward the front where Rao and Karabi were. “You heard the lady,” Alex said. “She asked you to leave. Don’t make her have to ask again.”
The bushy-browed man huffed but he turned and left the apartment.
“Charming guy,” Alex said with a smirk.
Karabi threw him an exasperated look. “That was painful. Thanks.”
Alex leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and eyed Karabi. “So why’d you two break up?”
“He didn’t trust me.”
“Why not? Aren’t you trustworthy?”
“I am, very much so. But if he doesn’t believe that then we shouldn’t be together. What’s a relationship without trust? He didn’t even think he could satisfy me. Right before we broke up, he told me he wasn’t sure he could give me what I wanted.”
“Wow,” Alex said. “Why not?”
“According to him, I don’t really know what I want.”
“Is he wrong?”
Her eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Do you really know what you want?”
Karabi stared at him for a few seconds then averted her eyes as she started down the hall. “Right now, I really want to get dressed and finish my hair,” she said before going into the bathroom.
Alex remained against the wall for a moment, trying to determine how to process her response. He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t exactly worrisome. It was too s
oon for either of them to know anything, really. So he decided to let her expert dodging of the question go.
For now.
Chapter Nine
Alex stared at the spreadsheet on his laptop screen but he was seeing everything with double vision. He wasn’t sure if there was something wrong with his eyes or if he was simply unable to mentally focus. Last night was his first time sleeping at his own apartment since the incident the night of the ball. After three days of staying at Karabi’s apartment, his own place had felt especially empty and he hadn’t slept very well. And it wasn’t just because he was lonely—no, he was far more than lonely last night. All he could think about was having Karabi underneath him, plunging his cock into her over and over.
After three days and two nights of hot sex with her, one would have thought Alex would be sated. After all, he’d redeemed himself—and then some—for his quick nut that first night at her place. More than a few times. But he still felt far from satisfied. It seemed the more of Karabi he got, the more of her he wanted. Needed. And last night his tiger had been furious at being denied. He’d shifted involuntarily all night long and each time the Cat had woken up thirstier, hungrier, more agitated and more savage. He wasn’t sure if this was a normal consequence of being a shifter or if something else was terribly wrong.
He’d almost called off ill but he’d taken too many sick days already. So he came into work, half alive, with his hair all wild and his tiger on edge. But it wasn’t even noon and Alex felt as if he were ready to explode. It was going to be impossible for him to make it through the day like this. There had to be something that could help him. He picked up his mobile phone and called Karabi.
“Alex?”
“Hey. Where are you?”
“I just put Musaka back into habitat. What’s up?”
“I don’t know, I feel like I’m really slipping right now. The tiger wants to come, and I’m having a hell of a time stopping it.”
“You’ve got to learn to put the Cat back in its cage, Alex. I was hoping you’d have this down by now.”
“I never said I was a quick learner.”
“Alex …”
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