by CatNip (lit)
“I’ll go take care of that,” Roberto replied.
“Now I’m going to go see to our guests’ comfort. Then I plan on doing a little more research on one Adonis Cervantes.” Leo strode towards the house.
~ CatInstincts ~
Roberto looked into Felice’s troubled eyes. Felice reached for his hand, and he gave her a gentle squeeze of affection. “I just hope Leo figures this out soon,” she whispered. “I don’t have a very good feeling about all this, not a good feeling at all.”
Roberto pulled her to him in a gentle embrace, nuzzling the top of her head and silky raven hair. “Everything is going to be fine, Felice. Don’t you worry. Leo’s got a great head on his shoulders, and if necessary, I know he’ll call in his old team.”
“But that’s part of what worries me, Roberto. Don’t you see? We can’t afford that kind of exposure any more than Adonis could. Just imagine the media and then the public uncovering the existence of shifters like us? We would be hunted down like animals.”
“Shh, baby, you worry too much.” As he bent to claim her lips, Felice’s moan was her only reply.
Chapter 10
Upon his return, Leo was vastly amused to find Lynx defying Craig. It would seem that his Lynx was very poor at taking directions, much less orders. He grinned wryly to himself. It was something he’d have to be careful of in the future with her. Lynx, he knew, could be as ornery as any wildcat. That was certainly the case right now.
Leo caught the pure frustration in Craig’s tone when he’d tried to point out to Lynx that perhaps she should wait until tomorrow for an update on their assignments. Craig wasn’t having much success convincing Lynx of it. She just shook her head stubbornly when Craig reminded her that it was late.
“I’m exhausted, aren’t you?” Craig ventured. His tone was hopeful.
“Nice try, Marozi,” Lynx told Craig dryly, “but if it’s past your bedtime, you go right ahead.”
Leo could read that Craig was just concerned for Lynx’s health, given her recent misadventure. But he had to stifle a laugh when he saw the appraising glare Lynx gave Craig.
Yeah, nice try there, buddy. Leo chuckled to himself. Obviously, Lynx was not buying that Craig was really tired.
Craig was obviously only looking out for Lynx.
He could see the dark shadows under Lynx’s eyes, too. But sparks of fire also glinted in their depths. Observing Lynx argue with Craig only solidified what his intuition told him. Craig and Lynx were as tight as he’d ever been with any of his COBRA teammates. Even disagreeing, their camaraderie was easy to see. There was definitely something more with these two. They sizzled and sparked around one another. More than mere friendship lurked beneath that surface. Lynx and Craig were swimming against some powerful undercurrents.
“I know how you feel, Craig,” Leo said to himself softly. “I’ve been there.”
“What was that you said, Leo?” Craig gazed over at Leo with a bemused look on his face. Lynx eyed him thoughtfully, now, too.
Damn, can’t afford to get lost in memories within earshot of these two. Struggling with amusement, Leo slipped into full view of the living room. “Can’t a man talk to himself anymore?” Leo asked.
“Well, it’s your house, Leo,” Craig replied, “but you could join the discussion and come to my aid. I need you to help convince Lynx, stubborn minx that she is, that she needs her rest more than she needs another long update on work.”
The pure male frustration on Craig’s face had Leo smiling, too. It was obvious that even Craig, with his alpha tendencies, struggled to maneuver Lynx. The thought made Leo’s pride swell a little. After all, he hadn’t had any such trouble convincing Lynx of anything. Yet, he reminded himself.
As if on cue, Lynx adamantly set out to put her determined foot down. “Oh, no, you don’t! You two overgrown beastie boys are not going to gang up like bullies and boss me around. I’m not having it. So, don’t even think about it.” Lynx trounced out of the room.
“She probably went in search of a phone.” Leo snorted dryly, his lips curved in amusement.
“Yeah, what do you wanna bet she’s on the phone with Slater in less than five minutes, tops?” Craig’s frustration was evident on his face.
“Well, I tried, buddy, I tried,” Leo offered. “Hey, you want a drink while we wait for her?”
“Sure thing. What’s on offer?” Craig’s head bent slightly towards the direction Lynx had left in. “Hey, you don’t think she’ll go far, do you?”
Leo shook his head. “No, but if she’s not back within the next fifteen minutes then you and I will go make sure of it. I doubt she’ll leave the grounds at least. Besides, Demar’s patrolling them. But to be on the safe side, we do need to keep an extra close eye on her. Frankly, Craig, I need to fill you in on some of the activity I noted out in the woods earlier before Lynx gets back.”
Leo gave Craig the familiar “this is dead serious” look.
Craig’s posture changed perceptibly. He looked alert and prepared. “Give it to me straight, Leo.” This was a groove they both knew well from their years of working together in COBRA.
Leo pulled two chilled beers from the wine bar’s fridge and handed one to Craig. “Well, tonight, when I went for my run, I smelled smoke coming from the woods. Knowing how dangerous that could be, I went to check it out. I came upon a campsite. At first, I thought it was just a group of campers, so I figured I’d just call old Mort Green, our resident forest ranger, to come out and take care of them. After all, the woods bordering my property are state owned and protected. Later, another man joined the campers. You’ll never believe who the man was.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” Craig said, taking a swig from his beer.
“Adonis Cervantes.”
Leo watched Craig’s face freeze into an expression of pure shock. “What? You honestly mean to tell me that an heir to the fucking Cervantes Cartel is camped out in the woods behind your property?” Sheer disbelief resounded in Craig’s voice.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying to you, Craig. There’s more, but we should probably go check on Lynx first. She was almost abducted recently. We don’t know by who or the reason why. What if the two are connected?”
“Yeah,” Craig agreed, “we definitely need to check on Lynx. I don’t think it’s a good idea to let her out of our sight right now.”
“Why don’t you think you should be letting me out of your sight right now, Craig?” Lynx said, her eyes flashing.
Before Craig could get a word in edgewise, Leo spoke up. “Lynx, you know you were injured before when you were almost kidnapped. If we hadn’t found you when we did, who knows where you’d be or what could have happened. Fact is, like it or not, you are still recovering from that. You’ve had a few dizzy spells. Is it surprising that Craig would be worried about you, too, just as I have been?”
~ CatSwitch ~
Lynx shot Leo a telling look that Craig didn’t fail to notice. Lynx almost looked guilty that she’d questioned his intentions. That’s absolutely, utterly amazing,. Leo sure knew how to push her buttons. Hot damn, because the Lynx he knew would’ve just continued to argue, no matter what he might have said. Lynx’s next admission was even less characteristic.
“You’re right, of course, Leo. I know you both are just watching out for me. It’s just been hard being cooped up like this. I’m just not used to it.” Craig had to stifle the urge to laugh out loud at that one. Wasn’t that the truth? He’d rarely seen Lynx when she wasn’t in motion.
There had been a few exceptions, of course.
At the thought of the last time he’d seen Lynx resting, the fit of Craig’s well-worn Levi’s grew snugger. Lynx had looked so innocent and sweet, like an angel lying there that morning. The morning he’d dreamed about her. What a dream it had been, too. He remembered waking up, his cock in hand, with those incredible, surreal, erotic images seared into his mind. He had mindlessly guided his hand over himself, like Lynx’s hot mouth had jus
t done in his dreams.
“What are you meditating on over there, Marozi?” Lynx asked.
“Oh, just wondering how Leo does that,” Craig answered innocently.
“Does what?” Lynx asked, sounding suspicious again.
“Oh, you know, gets you to agree with him so quickly,” Craig answered with a grin this time.
“Ha! Shows how much you know,” Lynx said. “You’d be surprised at just how much Leo can get me to do because he knows how to ask nice.”
At their banter, Leo laughed deep in his throat. He set his beer down on the coaster. Leo grabbed Lynx’s hands and guided her over to the sofa with him. Craig had claimed the overstuffed leather chair and quietly watched the interchange and byplay now. A feeling of nostalgia crept over him.
This was all too familiar. The only difference was it was Lynx this time and not Kelly. And Leo had the girl, not him. Craig took another swallow of beer to ease the lump that suddenly rose in his throat.
Beside Lynx on the luxuriously soft, buttery brown leather sofa, Leo was lightly massaging her small shoulders. Leo glanced over at Craig. Leo arched an eyebrow almost questioningly and continued to knead in small circles. Craig swallowed the lump in his throat. Craig didn’t doubt that Leo too, remembered.
When, Craig wondered, had the situation been so neatly reversed? Goddess knows, he would never forget that single incident with Kelly, either. He had a whole dossier of private memories to reminisce over, but that one instance was etched deep.
Leo continued to gently knead the slope of Lynx’s enticing shoulders. She let out a low moan. Craig rose from the chair where he’d been sitting, then strode over to the bar’s small fridge and grabbed another beer.
“Hey, you two, I’m going out to get a breath of fresh air.” Craig strode towards the French doors. “I’ll just be outside for a bit.”
~ CatSense ~
“Huh?” Leo noted. “Boy, he’s got it in a bad way.”
“What do you mean by that?” Lynx wanted to know.
“Lynx, what are you doing to me?” Leo asked silently as he bent over her left shoulder to nibble her earlobe. She shuddered.
“What does Craig have in a bad way, Leo?” Lynx let out a small moan as chill bumps raced up her legs.
“Oh, nothing for you to be concerned about, kitten. He’s just overwhelmed by your sexy presence.”
Leo’s next transmitted thought gave her pause, though.
“I can smell your desire from a mile away. You smell incredible. Better than honey butter would to a honeybee. You smell like home.”
“You cannot smell that well,” Lynx blurted out, embarrassment flushing her cheeks with heat. “How can you do that?” She unconsciously flared her nostrils. To Lynx’s surprise, it was only then she noticed how much more distinct smells had become to her. She’d never in the past been inundated with so many smells. Nor would she have been able to classify them so easily. The candle in the kitchen that they’d blown out earlier had a distinctive and decidedly fake vanilla smell. The beer that Leo had left on the coaster on the end table, at the far side of the sofa, had a sharper tang of malted hops to it, one she’d never really consciously noticed.
There was a scent of people in the room, too. Lynx was faintly surprised she hadn’t noticed it before. Yet, now that she was paying attention, she could still faintly smell Roberto in this room. Felice’s odor was definitely stronger, but not bad. Lynx wrinkled her nose. Hell, she could even faintly smell the big guard that patrolled the grounds. Oh, what was his name? Demar, yes, that was it. She could smell him, too.
Lynx’s nostrils flared out delicately again. Mostly, she could smell two deliciously male scents upon the air. Leo’s musky scent was a delicious mix of masculine undertones of smoke and fire, sweat and heat. They commingled perfectly with his more exotic, musky fragrance. Leo’s scent, Lynx realized, still lingered on her.
Lynx also easily recognized the scent Craig had left in his wake. It was storm-dampened, earthy, and sexy just like him. It was intoxicating.
What the hell was wrong with her? When did this happen? People didn’t just converse telepathically and develop their senses so acutely overnight. Or did they? Perhaps she should get one of the medics back at base to look her over again when she got back. After all, maybe all this had something to do with the blow she’d received before Leo had rescued her.
Leo interrupted the tide overtaking her thoughts. It was the one way that worked. He slipped his arm around her waist, curved her back to him, slid her face to his, and kissed her. His tongue slipped past her lips. She was unable to think any more. Another moan broke in her throat as moisture pooled inside her.
“Mmmm, honey butter,” Leo growled.
~ Cat’s Got Your Tongue ~
Out on the veranda, Craig tried to tamp down the flood of memories that inundated his memory banks. He had loved Kelly. But the worst of it was that he knew he loved Kelly more after she died than before. Even now, strangely enough, he could feel her presence stronger than before the accident.
It was assumed by one and all that he and Kelly had planned to marry. Sure, they had discussed the idea, and had even been joined at the hip from the time they met. However, Kelly had been unsure about committing to something so permanent, and to be fair, so had he. Everyone had just believed that was exactly where the two of them were headed. In the aftermath of Kelly’s fatal accident, Craig had not had the heart or will to disillusion Kelly’s dad or anyone else as to their real plans, or lack thereof. The guilt had been killer. It still ate at him some days.
He had finally broken free of Kelly’s ghost. But, the knowledge that he’d never been as serious about her as he should have been still haunted him. She had died, damn it. But Craig also knew now that part of him had always been waiting for something else, make that someone else.
He had been waiting for Lynx to grow up. Now she had, and by the gods, he was in a similar situation with her, only it was reversed. She was with Leo now. That much was obvious. He was the one wanting in. Time sure had a funny way of turning things around. Yet, one could never completely escape the past, he supposed. So, where exactly did he go from here?
Even the idea of Lynx with another man had him confused, hot and bothered. Only he wasn’t sure which emotion was the strongest. Through the light foliage of the hanging orchids and ferns that dotted the porch, Craig could just see the outline of Leo and Lynx on the couch.
Lynx lay across Leo’s lap, and it was apparent Leo couldn’t keep his hands off her. Seeing the sensuous silhouette of their bodies that way was enough to make him burn. Unfortunately, here he was the third wheel. Out of sight, out of mind. Oh well, probably just need to get a good night’s rest to clear my head.
As he strode through the ornate French doors and back inside, he muttered abruptly, “Goodnight, you two. I think I’m heading upstairs to bed. I’ll see you both in the morning.” Craig headed for the stairwell at the end of the long hall.
~ Let the Cat Out ~
“Hmm, do you think he’s all right?” Lynx asked him, tilting her head with concern in the direction Craig had just gone.
“Probably,” Leo answered. “Craig likely just has a few things on his mind, and it has been a long day, you know. We should get some rest ourselves, too.” At that, he bent to nuzzle her sensitive earlobe again. Lynx was not satisfied fully with his explanation.
“So, what do you think is bothering him?” Lynx purred softly.
“Mmmm…Craig’s just gets too revved up watching us make out,” Leo mumbled into her ear, distracted by her alluring scent. “And it has, I’m sure, reminded him of a time before Kelly’s accident.” Leo’s mouth, tongue, and teeth lightly grazed over Lynx’s throat and ears. He nibbled farther down. His lips blazed a slow but sure trail towards the twin peaks tempting him. Unfortunately, Lynx had not missed his innuendo, intentional or not.
“What exactly do you mean it reminds him of before Kelly’s accident?” She pulled out of his arms and shifte
d around.
Women, he sighed to himself. Leo knew he was in trouble. If he lied, she would surely sense it with her superior nose now, but if he told the truth, how would she react?
This wasn’t good. No, it wasn’t good at all. Leo couldn’t think of a way to explain now. How could he explain why the two of them on the couch making out had reminded Craig of Kelly years ago? He couldn’t, at least not without Lynx sensing a lie. Perhaps the truth was best. Lynx was not a child, after all.
“Ahem, well, let’s see. A week and a half before the accident, I went over to Craig’s cabin. We were celebrating the end of the Cervantes case as we knew it. Craig and Kelly had been a couple for some time, but they invited me over to celebrate with them. It wasn’t any surprise, really. I was a close friend to both of them. I thought we’d probably have a few beers after a simple dinner, watch a game, and then go home. It didn’t exactly happen that way.”
Leo paused and Lynx blurted out, “So, what do you mean by exactly?” She had caught on to that pretty quick.
“Hmm… Everything was pretty much what I expected. Kelly had cooked a nice dinner and there were the usual congratulations and small talk about the final choke the team had put on Cervantes before he crumbled. Only, instead of the usual beer, Kelly served us this nice little wine with dinner. She even brought out a second bottle of it after dinner was done. I assumed it was all just in honor of the end of a long, hard, dangerous case.
“But then Craig and Kelly started really kissing on the couch after dinner. I just assumed they were ready to be left alone for the evening. I figured, you know, that they were giving me a nice but not so subtle signal the evening was over.”
“So, was the evening over?” Lynx asked quietly. Her eyes sparked with curiosity. Perhaps there was a bit more interest than her soft question would necessarily give away.