by Vella Day
“How did it work out for him?”
“Within ten years, Dad had expanded to five stores. From there, the empire grew.”
She whistled. “Empire?”
He hesitated telling her the extent of his parents’ wealth because it might put a wedge between them, but they were mates. “Yes. Those stores were the start of KenMart.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?” She pushed back her chair, as if she couldn’t wait to get away from him.
Shit. Jackson reached out and clasped her hand. “That’s my dad, not me. He’s the one with the money. We kids have to earn our wages.” Though he had a very sizeable trust fund at his disposal at any time.
The tension seemed to leave her body. “You aren’t rich then?”
“Rich is a relative term. What’s important is that I work for a living.”
She sagged back against the seat.
The waiter came with their drinks and took their order. Not wanting her to view him as some rich boy who didn’t take responsibility seriously, he needed to change the subject. “What made you join the Force?”
She sipped her coffee, her glance shifting from side to side. Clearly, she could see he wanted to move on. “I wanted to help protect those who struggled.”
“Why not work at a woman’s shelter?” He hoped he hadn’t misinterpreted what she meant.
“I thought about it, but I wanted more. For once in my life, I wanted to be the one in control.” She leaned forward on her elbows. “Becoming a detective and leading a case is everything I’ve dreamed of. I’ve had to work hard my whole life, helping to support my mom, and I want something to show for it.”
“It seems as if you’ve done a good job both at work and with your mother.”
She blew out a breath. “You’re just being nice. You’ve seen where I live, but at least my mom is in a nicer place.”
She was a good daughter. He hesitated to suggest the two of them share a space as that would put a cramp in his plans to be with Selena. Fortunately, their food arrived before he said something that would ruin the tentative bond between them.
As soon as he ate the first bite, he realized how ravenous he was. Both of them scarfed down their meal. There wasn’t time to linger as their hour break was drawing to a close.
Once they paid, they walked back to the station. She looked up at him and smiled. “You suck at sewing, you know that?”
He clasped a hand to his chest to cover his handiwork. “I do not.”
She laughed. “You don’t think it’s a bit tacky to have mismatched buttons, not to mention that your lapel isn’t straight?”
“I came up one short, so I had to improvise. Perhaps when you get home, you can look for the missing one for me.”
She stopped in the street and ran her hand down the lapel of his shirt, flooding his body with hormones. “I can do that.”
He expected her to turn and continue walking, but she looked up at him with lust in her eyes and his throat tightened. “Selena?”
Chapter Six
Selena didn’t know what had come over her, but her need was exploding. Being with Jackson all during dinner had changed something for her. While his parents were well off, or rather filthy rich, his dad had come from humble stock, and she liked that.
“If you want to stop over after work, we can look for that button. I’ll be happy to redo them for you.”
He grinned. “I’d like that.”
Part of her was screaming for her to say it was all a mistake, but the stronger part was anticipating another amazing lovemaking experience.
For the next two blocks, her body refused to stop vibrating as she imagined what joy they’d encounter when making love. Tying him up and sucking on his cock came to mind, but a man like Jackson Kenner would never agree to it—the tying up part, not the sucking on his cock part. On the other hand, he was her mate, so perhaps he’d consider it.
Right before they stepped into the station, Jackson stopped her. “Before you go back in, I wanted to say thank you for agreeing to partner up with the new guy. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.”
“I thought we worked well together.” Damn. She shouldn’t have said that, even if it was true. “Maybe we’ll be paired up some other time.”
His cheeks sagged. “Our partnership was only for this robbery?”
She didn’t want to lie. “I’m not sure. The Chief wasn’t specific.”
Her boss had instructed her to show him around and introduce him to a lot of people, and so far the only one he’d met had been George Kraft. As much as she’d wished to be with Jackson for as little as possible, having someone to bounce ideas off of had been nice.
They entered the station. “You want to show me how to fill out the report in case it’s different from the one I used at the DEA?” he asked.
“You want to do it?” She was always being relegated to that duty. Selena had worked with a few other partners and never remembered any one of them volunteering to write up the incident.
“I want to learn.”
She was pretty sure he was quite capable of doing it on his own, but if she turned him down and he spoke with the Chief about it, her boss would say she was being difficult and uncooperative again. The last thing she needed was to be put back on traffic patrol. She wanted to be a top detective. “Sure.”
She showed him which report to use for the burglary and which fields were the ones that had to be filled out in detail.
He waved the paper. “When I’m done, can you look it over and see if it’s good enough?”
“I’d be happy to.” Selena was thrilled he respected her expertise, but she suspected he was trying to suck up. On the other hand, he had never done a report for the station before. She bet he’d never had to fill out a report by hand before either. Hidden Hills needed to computerize their reporting process better.
Jackson smiled then traipsed back to his desk. Selena returned to hers and wasn’t sure what to do since she didn’t have any paperwork to fill out.
While he worked on their joint report, she filed some papers that had been sitting on her desk for weeks. As much as she wanted to pretend as if nothing existed between them, she couldn’t help but look over at him. Seeing Jackson busy at work appealed to her. Damn. She could see the train wreck now. She would become emotionally involved and start believing all this mate stuff. He’d then receive a call from another government agency needing his help, and then he’d leave. It would happen again, like it always did. Some people were born cursed.
A long half hour later, Jackson strolled over and placed the paper on her desk. Her pulse soared with him so near. “I appreciate your time,” he said.
As she studied the report, its thoroughness blew her away. His detailed description of the event was better than anything she’d ever turned in.
“This is great.” She looked up and smiled. “I know the Chief will be pleased.”
“I’m more interested in pleasing you.” His voice came out deep and way too sexy.
Her heart skipped a beat and her throat slightly constricted. “You did.”
Jackson’s lips quirked into a sexy smile, and then he spun around. He headed back to his desk without waiting for more praise.
Ever since they’d made love, he’d been acting differently—more relaxed around her, but also more anticipatory, as if he was waiting for her to commit to being mates. The cheetah side was pushing and cheering for her to accept him while the human side was sending out a boatload of warnings. He was slowly worming his way into her heart and that scared her.
The next few hours dragged by. For once, she hoped for a crime—anything to keep her mind off of seeing Jackson without his shirt when she redid his bad sewing job. It was stupid to want to subject herself to all that lust, but if she made love to him one more time, surely she could rid his image from her mind.
“Ready?” Jackson said.
Selena jerked. Was it time to go already? “Can you announce when you’re coming over or something?” She
hadn’t meant to snap at him, but her nerves were frayed.
One side of his lips lifted. “You know if we mate, we’ll be able to communicate telepathically, even though we’re different species. I could mentally talk to you all day long.”
She groaned. That was the last thing she needed. “That’s okay. Just say my name as you head over to me.”
He planted his hands on her desk. “You mean your body doesn’t throb when I’m near?”
Constantly, unless she was actively dreaming about him, and then her body went into full lust mode. “Not at all.”
He grinned. “Sure, and I’m not a panther shifter.”
“Smartass. If you don’t behave, I’ll let you wear that ill-fitting shirt so you can be the laughing stock of the department.”
He glanced around as if to check on whether anyone was smirking at him. Of course, no one was.
Jackson held up a palm. “I’ll be good. In fact, I’ll be very good.”
The wink, coupled with the dimpled cheeks, nearly undid her composure. Why did he have to mention sex all the time—or at least imply it? Because he could probably smell the arousal pouring off her. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
She grabbed her gear, signed out, and left with Jackson. They’d parked near each other, so he escorted her to her car, the whole time acting as if he needed to make sure she stayed safe. If she didn’t fear she might injure him, she’d shift and do battle. Then he’d see she could handle herself.
“I’ll need to stop at the pharmacy for a sewing kit,” she said.
“You don’t have to go to all that trouble. I have one at my place.”
“True, but I have the missing button at mine.”
“Point taken. Lead the way.”
Selena slipped into her car and fired up the engine, her mind racing as fast as the pistons. She was comfortable with the status quo, but Jackson was upsetting her nice, safe apple cart.
The pharmacy was about eight blocks away. Once there, she parked then jogged over to his car before he cut his engine. “I’ll be right out.”
She didn’t need him coming with her. The act of doing something domestic would further undermine her resolve to keep her emotional distance. The sexual distance, however, was about to be bridged. Her cheetah would see to that.
Less than five minutes later, Selena returned with everything she needed. She waved, jumped back into her car, and took off with Jackson a safe distance behind. Without him being so mind-altering close, she hoped the drive would give her time to think things through. The problem was that even clear-headed, she wasn’t able to come up with a good reason not to enjoy him during his limited time in Hidden Hills. The sex had been unbelievable and he hadn’t been a jerk afterwards like so many other men. So why was she hesitating?
Her house appeared all too quickly, and her nerves jangled. Selena would sew on his buttons and let him decide how the evening should proceed. Because he’d acted rather distant earlier, he just might say thank you and leave—and that didn’t settle well with her. Having her two halves at war with each other sucked.
As soon as she arrived, Selena rushed up to open her door, and then waited for him outside since the summer evening was warmer than usual. The stars were vibrant and the three-quarter moon cast a romantic light on the ground. Her kind wasn’t affected by the pull of the moon, but she couldn’t say for sure what it did to panthers.
Jackson drove in, cut the lights, and stepped out. Wanting to appear as if his presence didn’t affect her, she leaned against the door and crossed her arms. A snarky response leapt to her lips about what was a hot cop like him doing with a girl like her, but she held her tongue. His gaze remained lasered on her, and the closer he came, the more her insides melted.
Selena pushed open her door. “Let’s get you fixed up,” she said with fake cheer. Sewing was the last thing on her mind.
She dropped the bag with the needle and thread along her purse on the coffee table then slipped out of her jacket.
A second later, Jackson’s hands laid claim to her shoulders and turned her around. “I’ve been waiting all day to do this.”
Just as she was about to ask what that meant, he leaned over and feasted on her lips. Instant lust flooded her and her inner beast screamed for release. Letting her cheetah take control wouldn’t be smart, but she was helpless to stop it. Their tongues darted in and out, and she savored his earthy flavor while absorbing his animal scent. Swirling heat worked its way from the tip of her tongue to her throbbing clit.
Jackson groaned and lowered his hands until he was able to stroke the sides of her breasts with his thumbs. When his cock banged against her stomach, the intensity of the sensations overwhelmed her, forcing her to break the kiss in order to suck in much needed air. That inhale only served to draw in more of his panther aroma, adding to her desire and need. His fingers, mouth, and warm breath were too much to handle, and with no effort on her part, she shifted.
Holy fuck. She’d never done that before. Stunned, she stepped back and looked up at him. In a flash, he was in his panther form, too. At least as animals, she was safe, or so she wanted to believe.
Jackson growled and tried to circle her, acting like the true alpha, but she wanted no part of that. Keeping her gaze on him, Selena synced her moves to prevent him from gaining the upper hand, but the urge to leap onto his back and bite his neck shocked her. She would never mate with him in the truest sense. Sex was one thing, mating was a whole different story.
He slinked closer and licked her face, acting as if he was laughing at her. Really? Her traitorous heart fluttered. She would not let him groom her. To do so, would imply acceptance.
To prevent any more intimacy, she closed her eyes and shifted back into her human form, and Jackson quickly followed. Good thing, too. Had he jumped on her while in her human form, he would have knocked her down since his panther size was quite formidable.
“I guess we got a little carried away,” he said, delight filling his eyes.
Calmer now, Selena stepped closer. The true danger had passed, at least until he touched her again. “It was exciting.” Damn, she hadn’t meant to blurt that out.
He cupped her face and the heat shot straight to her core. “It was, wasn’t it?’
The air sparked with their scent, almost making her cheetah emerge once more. “Ah…let me get that needle and thread. Want to take off your shirt?”
“I’m all thumbs. How about a little help?”
She could see through his ploy, but for some reason she was unable to stop from reaching out and threading the first button through the hole. “I’m doing this because the buttons are pulling and tugging so much, it will be hard for you to undo them.”
Where that line of crock came from she didn’t know. It must have been her inner demon pushing her to touch him. Focusing on the job and not on how her body was heating up, she undid the next button, mentally shaking her head how a man who was fairly intelligent could not sew in a straight line.
Keeping her eyes away from his magnificent chest, she finished opening his shirt. When Jackson didn’t make a move to take off the garment, she slid the material over his shoulders, trying not to stare at his muscled chest. When they’d made love before, she’d been too blinded by lust to fully appreciate what he had to offer. Now she could see how magnificently he was built. His shoulders were broad and his hips narrow. What lie in between was spectacular, too, but unfortunately his khaki’s prevented her from truly appreciating his talents.
As if she’d forgotten all warnings, she dragged her hands down his chest and inhaled. His hair tickled her palms, and sparks of passion formed goose bumps on her skin. She’d promised herself that she’d let him take the lead, but the pounding in her chest was making it hard to breathe.
“You can have it all for the taking,” he said with seduction lacing his voice.
Do it.
Get him out of your system for once and for all.
“What if I asked if I could
blindfold you?” He’d never say yes to being tied up.
He stroked her cheek and chuckled. “What would that accomplish? My senses will be heightened, making me want you more. We’ve both proven that we are fighting to stay in our human form. Why chance another encounter?”
He had a point. “Then would you be willing to close your eyes?”
“Only after I feast on your naked body.”
Chapter Seven
Selena nearly swooned at Jackson’s sexy words. The man knew how to push her buttons and seemed determined to do everything to dispel all ideas she’d had about how a man treated a woman. No matter how much she resisted, Jackson was doing a good job of changing her mind.
If he wanted to see her naked, he needed to work for it, too. It would make the end result that much more exciting. She held out her arms. “Be my guest.”
He licked his lips and his eyes shimmered. When his teeth elongated, both fear and excitement spiked through her. Making love to him when his panther side was yearning for release sped up her hormonal urges.
“You sure? I plan to take my time, even if it kills me.”
“Yes.” Her insides warmed at his desperate sounding words, but she was up for the challenge. More than anything, she needed to prove to herself that she could handle anything he dished out. Mate or no mate, she had to be able to resist him.
Good luck with that!
“How about you closing your eyes?” he asked as he fingered her hair.
“Not on your life. I want to watch you sweat while I remain totally unaffected by what you do.”
Jackson dropped back his head and laughed. “You are full of shit. You can’t control yourself around me any more than I can around you.”
Selena had been thrown challenges her whole life. “Try me.”
“Mind if I turn off a few lights? I think better than way.”
“Help yourself. I see quite well in the dark, even in my human form.”
“So do I. Got any candles?”
She laughed. “You need candles for romance?”