“Fuck,” another voice grumbled. “What happened to sharing a fresh kill?”
“Whoa,” another male gasped. “I don’t think that’s what he’s got in mind for her. Shit. Sorry man. I know you like pussy but hell, that’s as literal as it gets.”
One of the werewolves snorted. “You’re going to fuck her and then kill her? I’m an admitted asshole but that’s harsh even for me.”
“Leave,” Anton snarled, his voice a terrifying sound.
“Okay,” one of them muttered. “Tell me how it is later. You’re the man, Anton. Really. I wouldn’t let one of them near me. Watch her teeth and claws or she’s going to tear you apart.”
They retreated and Shannon’s fear eased when the man pinning her relaxed and stepped away from the tree until her back wasn’t touching it any longer. She lifted her head and saw anger still etched on his features. He breathed a little heavily but then his gaze softened when he stared at her.
“Jerry will bring me clothes and he’ll have driven my truck closer. He’ll park it not too far from here. I’ll get dressed and take you home.”
She hesitated. “They stole my purse. My keys, identification, and money are inside it.”
Irritation flashed on his handsome face. “I’ll get it back and make sure they didn’t take a dime from you.”
“Thank you.” She meant it.
“I’m going to have to call your father and smooth things out with him. I don’t want this starting a war between our people.”
A new sliver of fear sliced through her. “That’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I won’t tell him what happened.”
“He’s going to know the second you walk in the door. He’ll smell me all over you and your terror is really strong. I take it you didn’t inherit a keen sense of smell? You reek of it.”
“I live alone.”
Dark eyes narrowed and he studied her. “You do?”
“Yes. I’ll shower when I get home and clean my clothes.” She paused. “I’m sorry I smell.” The guy was hot, he said she stank, and she hated that he had to be the best-looking guy she’d ever been that close to. She inwardly winced at that little bit of life’s irony.
The silence grew uncomfortable between them and Shannon had to look away from his intense gaze, wondering why he stared at her in that odd manner. It was as if he were trying to read her mind. Her legs around his waist started to ache and she relaxed a little, her body slipping down his torso a bit.
His hands suddenly slid from their hold on her waist to cup her ass, and he lifted her higher.
Shannon gasped. “Do you want to let my butt go?”
“If you slide any lower it’s going to embarrass one of us. I’m holding you up, that’s all.”
“Embarrass?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Fear turns me on—and so do you.”
It took a few seconds for his words to translate into meaning inside her brain. Shocked, she twisted, her head swiveling enough to glance over her shoulder and down their bodies. The movement pressed her lower half tighter against his stomach but she got a glimpse of verification that one turned-on male held her. The sight made her snap back around and her hair slapped him in the face. She gaped at him.
Anton blew her hair away from his mouth and one eyebrow arched. “You had to look, huh?”
Heat flushed her cheeks. “You can put me down.”
“I’d rather hold you until Jerry returns with my clothes. I don’t want to have to talk you down from the tree again after you’ve admitted to me that you have a tendency to climb when you’re afraid. You were about to tell me why you live alone. Don’t think I can be distracted. I want an answer.”
The glimpse she’d gotten of the guy’s lower region had shaken her. The reason for his strong grip on her ass, to keep her from sliding down, had been impossible to miss. He had a major hard-on. The sight had triggered her fear of him again. The guy was big all over.
“Do you live with someone?”
His frown deepened, creating faint lines around his mouth. “No. I’m also not an unmated, attractive female. Stop stalling and explain why you aren’t protected.”
“I am,” she lied. “I just enjoy having my own apartment.”
A soft rumble of a growl came from his throat. Shannon tensed and her hands gripped his bare shoulders a little more firmly. Fear inched up her spine at the irritated expression he gave her.
“I’m not totally ignorant of you felines or your ways. Your family would keep you close to make sure your males didn’t force you to mate with one of them. If you were ugly, I’d chalk it up to none of your men being interested, but I don’t buy that for a second. If you were in my pack, the males would break down your door to get to you if you lived alone. Answer the question now and stop bullshitting me.”
Her heart sped up from fear but he obviously wasn’t going to let it go. He’d sworn not to hurt her, hadn’t so far, and she decided to be honest. “Okay. My father died in a fire and his family doesn’t know about me.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “I take care of myself.”
“Why don’t they know about you? You need to get in contact with them. Do you know anything about shifters?” Shock widened his eyes. “You need to be protected. It’s a miracle one of your males hasn’t forced you to take him as a mate. You’re not strong enough to defend yourself against any asshole who wants you. Your family would make sure you ended up with a guy you wanted to be with.”
“I’ve never met another of my kind,” she admitted softly. Her shoulders shrugged. “They don’t live in this area. My mom moved us here to avoid them on purpose.”
“Why?”
Nerves caused her mouth to go dry. She wanted to look anywhere but at him. Instead, she forced her gaze to stay with his. “They’d kill me.”
“No, they wouldn’t.”
“Yes, they would.” She sighed. “My father had to flee from his family, and he knew if they found us, we’d die. His mother helped him escape when their leader realized my father’s human blood diluted his abilities. They hate weakness, and they kill for it. He could shift—my mother told me how beautiful he looked when he did—but I can’t take another form. If they thought he was weak…” Her voice trailed off, allowing him to draw his own conclusions.
“Shit,” he whispered. “I didn’t realize how vicious cats were. When we have weak-blooded ones, we tend to just protect them more.”
“When I was young, my father swore I smelled completely human. My mom promised me that I’d be safe and no one would ever know my heritage.”
“When did you lose your father?”
“Just after my fifth birthday.”
“When you hit puberty, did anything change with you? Sometimes that can trigger it with mixed breeds.”
“I started craving raw meat. Mom took me into the woods to see if I could shift but it didn’t happen, no matter how hard I tried.”
His hands on her ass tightened, adjusting her a little in his hold. “Fear would have triggered it as well. You can’t shift. I assumed you were younger until I got a closer look at your face. Some female teens have problems until puberty is over. The only other things that would prevent you from shifting are severe injury or drugs.”
“I guess that’s useful to know but it doesn’t do me any good.”
He blinked a few times. “Your scent obviously changed. You smell of puma, your father’s breed, but it’s faint. Any shifter could pick it up if they were within a few dozen yards of you. Can you pick up my scent?”
She inhaled. “You’re wearing cologne, and whatever you wash your hair with smells kind of fruity.”
“That’s all you smell?”
She hesitated and then dropped her gaze to his throat. She leaned in, noticed when he instinctively jerked back a little, but then he held his body still, allowing her near his neck. Her nose hovered very close to his skin while she took another sniff.
Shannon couldn’t detect much except for his cologne.
It held a musky, wonderful aroma. She wasn’t able to pick up whatever he thought she should be able to smell. She tried again, this time brushing her nose along his skin to get a stronger scent. The hands gripping her tightened as he pulled her against his stomach more firmly.
Her head lifted and she stared into his eyes. “You smell nice but just the way a normal guy does to me.”
A soft sound came from his throat, not a growl, but close. “If you lick me to test my taste, you’re going to be in a world of trouble.”
His statement confused Shannon. “Why would I do that? Do shifters do that…taste people?”
The sound he made became clearer as he did it again, only louder. He groaned and turned his head, scanning the forest. “Come on, Jerry. Where the hell are you?” His hands relaxed on her ass.
Shannon decided he looked uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?”
His dark, beautiful eyes fixed on her. “Foreplay, kitten. That’s what you just initiated, but you have no idea, do you?”
Surprise shot her eyebrows up. “Really? Just sniffing at you?”
“Yeah. You’re wrapped around me too.”
“You could put me down.”
“And you could end up adorning the tree again. No. Jerry will come. We’ll just stay this way until then.”
“I’ll hold your hand. I’m much calmer and I’m starting to trust you. I think I can resist the urge to leave the ground if I’m close to you.”
“If I put you down, you’re going to get a better view of me.”
Heat crept back into her cheeks. He didn’t need to expand on that. She said nothing but silently urged Jerry to come back with clothes for Anton. She dropped her attention to his chest, again noticing how broad and muscular he was.
“I take it you’ve never had sex with a shifter?”
“No.” She refused to meet his eyes, stunned he’d ask her such a personal question. “I told you, I’ve never run into another one.”
“That’s a good thing. You aren’t strong at all. That’s why I thought you were human at first.”
She met his gaze again. “I’m mostly human.”
“You are.” He turned his head, examined the woods, and smiled tightly. “Here he comes. Don’t be afraid. He’s not going to hurt you.”
Jerry had put on a T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of dirty sneakers. He walked into the clearing with Anton’s clothes hooked over one arm and keys dangled from his hand. The grin on his face spread.
“Did I interrupt?” Amusement laced his voice. “It looks as though I did.” He chuckled. “I see things are getting real hard around here.”
“Shut up, drop the clothes, the keys, and get lost,” Anton grumbled.
“You could hand her over to me.” Jerry moved closer. “We could share her. I’m past the urge to kill her but she sure is a pretty thing. I can think of at least five things I’d enjoying doing to her body.”
“You would lose a hand if you touch her. She’s under my protection and this isn’t what you think.”
“You obviously want to nail her, so what’s stopping you?” Jerry halted in his tracks. “I’m wondering if they mewl when they’re getting fucked?”
“Keep wondering and keep on going.” Anton’s voice deepened. “Go.”
“Fine.” The other man dropped the clothes and keys, spun on his heel, and headed back into the woods. “It’s probably a good thing if you don’t screw her. Your mother would rather see you castrated than hook up with a cat.”
Anger appeared to have Anton seething. Shannon studied his features and fear crept back when he glared at her, giving her his full attention after his pack mate disappeared. His eyes had changed slightly, the shape of them noticeably different, and the hair along his jawline and upper lip looked suspiciously longer to her.
“Your face,” she whispered.
“I’m angry. Sorry.” He took deep breaths, the changes disappearing until he looked one-hundred-percent human. “It’s easier to lose control right after a shift. The longer you stay in skin, the easier it is to keep it.”
“Oh.”
His hands tightened on her but then he adjusted his hold, forcing her to release him with her legs when he pushed her away from his torso. Shannon gasped but stood. The quick view of a naked, aroused Anton left her holding her breath before he spun away. The guy had a well-proportioned body, big all over, and she couldn’t help but stare at his rounded, firm ass when he bent to retrieve the clothes.
He dressed quickly in a pair of black sweatpants and a navy tank top, keeping his back to her the entire time. He turned to face her after he had covered his body, his erection still visible since his friend hadn’t bothered to bring him underwear. Shannon jerked her gaze up, trying not to gawk at the tented pants.
“Let’s go. My boots will be with the truck. I’ll have to return your purse at a later date but I will get it back to you.”
“I won’t be able to get into my apartment if I don’t have my keys, and my car is still in the parking lot of the grocery store. I need to―”
“Get the hell away from me before I do something stupid,” he grumbled. “You said an apartment? Don’t you have a manager with a spare key?”
“Yes.” She hadn’t thought of that. Shannon nodded. “I even have a spare set of car keys at home. I locked my set inside once and it costs a small bundle to have someone come out to pop the lock.”
“Let’s go, kitten.”
“My name is Shannon. Why do you keep calling me that?”
Anton gave her his back as he walked away. “It’s a reminder to me, so I don’t forget that dogs and cats don’t mix well.” He strode quickly through the woods. “Keep up.”
Shannon followed. Her feet hurt, but she didn’t complain. Anton had saved her from his pack, protected her, and kept his word. She wasn’t going to ask him to carry her through the woods on top of all he’d already done. Though as she stared at his broad back, she felt certain the strong guy could easily do it.
Chapter Three
Shannon fought back hot tears. Her arms hugged her chest and the police officer who stood next to her cleared his throat, demanding her attention. She turned her head to stare at him.
“Who would do this, Miss Alvers? Do you have an angry ex-boyfriend? Maybe a new boyfriend with an ex-girlfriend who didn’t want to let him go?”
“No.” She winced over the destroyed couch and the way the guts of it had been spread across the room as if it had snowed cotton filling. “I don’t date.”
The cop gave her a disbelieving glance. “Look, lying isn’t an option here. Someone has a lot of rage directed toward you. They tore up all your furniture, broke your tables, and shredded most of your clothes. Whoever did this is dangerous. You need to give us a name. Who’s the guy?”
“There’s no guy in my life.” She faced him, hugging her waist tighter. “My last boyfriend moved to Oklahoma three years ago.” She didn’t mention how horrible that relationship had ended or how he’d accused her of being insane. Dating hadn’t ever worked out for her in long-term relationships. “Last I heard, he got married and had a child. The guy before him had to be five or six years ago. He joined the Army and I have no idea where he is now. We both decided it would be best to break up.”
“You date women?”
“No,” she huffed. “Is it really so hard to believe I don’t date?”
The cop gave her a once-over again, his gaze traveling up and down her body. “Yes, it is. You’re an attractive woman.”
“I have sex toys, a body pillow to cuddle with, and a heating blanket to keep me warm at night. They don’t borrow money they never pay back, don’t think I’m weird for any of my habits they don’t agree with, and they don’t argue with me.”
The officer’s mouth dropped open and Shannon blushed, realizing what she’d just sputtered. That was another reason she didn’t date anymore. She had spent so much time alone as a child that she’d never learned to hold her tongue when she grew angry or upset. She j
ust spoke her mind. Words left her mouth before she could halt them.
“You asked. I answered.” She looked away from him. “I don’t know who would do this. I’d tell you if I even had a guess. I can’t afford to replace any of this and I don’t have renter’s insurance.”
“Move,” a male voice demanded loudly.
In seconds a big body filled the doorway and Shannon gaped at the man she never thought she’d see again.
Anton wore a black leather jacket that hung open a few inches to reveal a heavy-metal T-shirt. His hair had been pulled back in a ponytail. A pair of furious dark eyes locked on her.
“What happened here? I pulled up and saw the cop car.” He glanced away from her and quickly scanned the room. “Damn.” He sniffed and then sneezed. He jerked his gaze back to hers. “Are you hurt?”
The cop sauntered toward Anton. “Who are you?”
Anton didn’t budge except to put his hands on his hips. “I’m a friend of hers. Shannon? Answer me now. Were you here when this happened? Did anyone hurt you?”
“No. I got a call from a neighbor who’d already called the police after they heard someone breaking things inside my apartment. I came home to find it this way.”
“Who are you?” The officer grabbed Anton’s arm.
Shannon tensed, wondering what she should do, if anything. She feared the werewolf would attack the cop.
Anton glared at the hand on his arm and then slowly reached into his back pocket, withdrew his wallet, and flipped it open to show his license. “I’m Anton Harris. I’m a friend of the family. I stopped by to drop off Shannon’s purse. She left it inside my truck the other night when I drove her home. She can’t hold her liquor worth shit and I was the designated driver.”
The cop released him, turned, and glowered at Shannon. “Is this your boyfriend?”
“No. You heard him. He’s a friend of my family. I’ve known him for years,” she lied. She kept eye contact with the cop, hoping he’d believe her.
“Fine.” The cop sighed. “I think I’m done here.” He wrote something on a card and handed it to Shannon. “Here’s the number for the case and my business card. Contact me if you discover anything has been stolen.” He left quickly.
His Purrfect Mate (Mating Heat Book 2) Page 3