by Sarah Bailey
“That’s my bar you’re talking about.”
Portia flashed him a fake smile.
“Oh, you know it’s my favourite haunt, but she doesn’t look like the kind of girl who’d be seen dead in a joint like this.”
Izzy resented Portia’s accusing tone.
“And just what kind of girl do you think I am?” she asked, turning to Portia fully.
Her panther growled. Yeah, I don’t like this bitch either. She needs to back the fuck off.
“Well, you look a little precious, darling.”
She felt her panther itching to maul Portia. She rose from her stool, her fists clenched. Rex moved, coming around in between them, putting a hand on her arm. He leant towards her, his breath tickling her ear.
“She’s not worth it,” he said, his voice low. “Just leave her.”
She looked up at him, her eyes cautious. He cocked his head to the side.
“I’m not precious,” she whispered.
“I know.”
She sat back down, turning away from them and taking another swig of her drink. She looked up a Gareth. He gave her a wink.
“Portia,” Rex said, turning around. “Why don’t you go see Jayden?”
“He’s not here,” she replied.
He looked over her shoulder.
“I’d think you’d notice your boyfriend walking through the door.”
She turned around before squealing.
“Jay, honey.”
She slinked away, wrapping her arms around a dark-skinned man with tattoos down his arms. They walked away to a table in the corner, chatting animatedly.
“Don’t mind Portia,” Evan said, taking a seat next to Izzy. “She’s like that with most women.”
She leant over to him, lowering her voice.
“You mean any woman who’s with him?” She subtly indicated Rex with her head.
He barked with laughter.
“Oh, you caught on to that, did you?”
“Hard to miss.”
“What’s tickled you?” Rex asked, seating himself on Izzy’s right.
“Oh, nothing,” Evan replied, blue eyes twinkling.
Rex narrowed his own, his expression darkening.
“Your new friend is a funny one.”
“Is she?”
He looked at Izzy with a raised eyebrow.
“I didn’t do anything,” she said.
If Rex hadn’t noticed Portia’s interest in him, then she wasn’t going to enlighten him. A part of her didn’t want to give him any ideas.
“You’re the one Dalia is in a tizzy over,” Evan said.
“So I’ve been told.”
“Surprised she’s letting him look after you.”
“What’s wrong with me?” Rex asked.
“Do you have all night?”
“Actually, he’s been good to me,” Izzy said, looking down at her drink.
“Really now?” Gareth said, setting down a beer in front of Evan. “Who’d have thought.”
“What? Don’t think I can take care of someone?” Rex asked.
“Nope,” Evan and Gareth said in unison.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys.”
Clearly, the three of them knew each other very well judging by their banter.
“Okay, you have to tell me what’s so wrong with him. I’m curious now,” Izzy said, turning to Evan.
“Oh, should we talk about the time Rex squared up to this huge bouncer one night and got his arse handed to him? Or when a bunch of teens pulled a knife on him for looking at them funny?”
“You forgot the time he took five girls home,” Gareth said.
“Five?” she asked.
“It was not five, don’t listen to them,” Rex said, a scowl appearing on his face.
“No?”
She wouldn’t have blamed those women for wanting to go home with Rex. He really is very attractive in a bad boy sort of way. I just wish he’d turn his attention to me. She shook herself internally, wondering where the hell that thought had come from.
“Okay, perhaps I exaggerated slightly. It was at least three,” Gareth said.
Rex gave Gareth a beseeching look.
“Stop telling her tales.”
“No, no, you should carry on,” Izzy said, grinning at him.
“What about when he told a girl he was in the Hell’s Angels because she was into bikers? Her face was a picture when she realised he’d been lying about it,” Evan said.
Rex reached around Izzy, smacking Evan around the back of the head. He grinned.
“Oh, I think Rex doesn’t want you to know about his shady past. He must like you,” he said, his voice low.
“Do you want another smack?” Rex asked.
Evan put his hands up.
“Hey man, we’re just joking.”
Is he acting like that because he does actually like me? She didn’t know, but a part of her felt a little pleased by the notion.
§
It was late when they got back to his flat. Rex seemed a little agitated. The two werewolves hadn’t stopped telling stories about him. Izzy decided she liked them. Portia gave them dirty looks the whole night when her boyfriend wasn’t looking. Izzy had ignored her. She wasn’t interested in getting into a catfight.
“I’m going out,” Rex said.
She looked up at him from the sofa. Why does he want to go out?
“Um, okay.”
He picked up a tablet off the kitchen counter and handed it to her.
“If you get bored or whatever. Go on Netflix or something.”
He stalked out of the flat after telling her the pin number. She stared after him, confused as to why he seemed out of sorts. She opened up his Netflix app, scanning through the shows until she hit on some reality TV show. She put it on, settling in for some mindless entertainment.
The next thing she knew, the door slammed and she jolted awake. Rex was staring at her with a strange expression. His scent assaulted her senses. The smell of panther was stronger. It made her own stretch and mewl. Did he go out to shift?
“I thought you’d have gone to bed,” he said, his voice a little gruff.
“I must’ve fallen asleep by accident,” she said, standing and putting his tablet on the coffee table. “Going now.”
She walked into the bedroom, ignoring his pointed stare. He stalked in after her. She knelt down, pulling some pyjamas out of her bag.
“Izzy…”
“Hmm?”
When he didn’t say anything else, she stood, turning to him.
“What is it?”
His eyes shifted, growing ever more feline by the second.
“Um… Rex…”
She backed away, uncomfortable by his staring. Hurrying into the bathroom, she shut the door, locking it behind her. What is up with him? She changed before brushing her teeth. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she went back out. She paced the small room for a moment. She couldn’t stay in here all night. He must want something from her, but what, she couldn’t imagine.
She opened the door. He hadn’t moved. She dumped her clothes on her bag and walked over to him.
“What is it?” she asked.
He looked her up and down. She’d put on a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt. He reached out, pulling her towards him.
“Izzy…”
He was looking down at her, his eyes flickering with what she thought was desire. Um, what? I mean I think he likes me, but he blows so hot and cold, I can’t really tell.
“Fuck,” he growled. “Having you here… I can’t stand it.”
“What do you mean?”
He held her face with one hand.
“You’re like a fucking beacon, calling me.”
“What?”
“I want you. I want you and it’s driving me crazy.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Wait, what? He wants me? Did that kiss mean something to him too?
“Me? Don’t you mean her?”
Her panther.
“No. You.”
“But…”
He put a finger to her lips.
“I am not my animal, Izzy, just as you aren’t yours.”
She wanted to protest, but they were so close to each other. She couldn’t think straight. He smelt so good.
“I don’t want to be like that fuckhead. I’m not going to force you.”
She stared up at him. He didn’t remind her of Alan. He wasn’t rough with her. He’d been oddly gentle. She couldn’t deny her attraction to him. This was what she wanted, but how could she believe that it wasn’t just something about them being the same shifter species which made them crazy for each other.
“Rex,” she whispered against his finger.
He removed his hand, but he didn’t release her.
“When… when we kissed last night… I need to know. Was it because I’m a werepanther or do you actually like me?”
“Can’t it be both?”
“Just answer the question.”
His green and gold eyes flickered.
“If we weren’t shifters, you wouldn’t be asking that.”
“I barely understand what being a shifter means. All I know is how it feels to me. She is a part of me, but she isn’t me.”
“My panther wants yours, but I want you. I want you. It’s both. It’ll always be both.”
Chapter Nine
Izzy didn’t know what to say. She wanted to be okay with it, but she wasn’t sure if she could be. She’d been treated like shit by Alan for too long. She wanted someone to want her for her, not for any other reason. But he does like you for you, you dimwit. He just told you that.
“Izzy… say something.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
He ran a hand through his hair.
“I… fuck. I shouldn’t be pushing you.” He took a step back. “I’m sorry.”
The very fact he’d said that made her decision easier. He wasn’t Alan. He wasn’t any of those guys who’d paid her for sex. He wasn’t making her do anything. She closed the distance between them, rising up on tiptoes and pressing her mouth to his. He was startled for a moment before he kissed her back. He cradled her to him with one hand, the other tangled in her hair. Gentle and sweet. He tasted like heaven. Her body was burning up. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He groaned, pressing her closer.
“Rex,” she whispered, pulling away slightly. “I… I can’t go further than this right now.”
Not after Alan forced her last night. She didn’t want that tangled up in whatever it was between her and Rex. She wanted it to mean something.
“You… you can hold me and kiss me, but… just not the other stuff, okay?”
It seemed ridiculous when she’d allowed all these other men to do things to her. But she just wasn’t ready. She couldn’t think of sex in the same way anymore.
“Izzy, it wouldn’t feel right if you don’t want it too. Whatever you want to give is enough.”
How does a guy like him exist? Her chest felt tight. Her panther approved wholeheartedly. She kissed him again. Her hands curled around his neck, urging him closer. Despite her reluctance to go further, their kiss became heated. She tugged at his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders. His fingers crept under her t-shirt, trailing along her bare skin. She groaned.
He backed her towards the bed, pushing her down onto it. She shuffled back watching him. He slipped off his boots and unbuckled his belt. He tugged off his jeans before crawling over her. He stared down at her for a moment, hesitancy in his expression.
“What?” she asked.
“Is this too much?”
“No… it would be if you took your shirt off.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
“It was kind of distracting earlier.”
He held back a smile. She bit her lip. Admitting she’d liked what she saw made her a little uncomfortable.
“Would it be too much if I told you seeing you naked was terribly distracting?”
She felt her cheeks burn. She remembered how he’d looked at her the night before.
“Maybe.”
“I think we should both promise not to take anything else off this evening, so we don’t distract each other.”
“Is that promise for your benefit or mine?”
“Hmm, I’d like to say both, but actually, not seeing you naked again is not to my benefit at all.”
“Rex!”
He smiled before he claimed her mouth again. Her arms went around his back. He deepened the kiss. She could feel her nipples hardening, her arousal growing by the second. She wanted him closer. His hand found its way under her t-shirt, brushing against her side. She arched up against him, feeling for a moment his own arousal pressing into her. She let out a whimper of pleasure. Her body burned with need. She wanted him. She wanted him so much it was making her crazy. Yet the nagging voice in her head kept telling her no. Not yet.
He peppered kisses along her jaw and down her neck. His tongue curled around her ear.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked.
He was referring to her injuries.
“A little.”
She buried her face in his neck, breathing in the delicious scent of him which drove her to distraction.
“Izzy, I want to give you a release.”
“Release?”
“I want to make you come.”
“Oh.”
His hand trailed up her stomach until he cupped her small breast, calloused thumb running over the hardened nub. She cried out, arching up again.
“Will you let me?”
She didn’t want to say no. Her body was a pool of need. She felt damp between her thighs. No one had asked her permission before. Alan had never thought about her pleasure. It had only ever been about him.
“Okay,” she whispered.
He moved a little, pushing her legs open further with one hand whilst the other continued to stroke her nipple. He knelt over her, his fingers trailing up her inner thigh. She trembled. His fingers dipped below her shorts, pushing aside her underwear. He growled a little when he felt her, parting her slick folds. His fingers ran along the length of her opening. His face buried in her neck, inhaling her scent. He brushed against her core, his fingers starting a slow, torturous rhythm. One of her hands gripped the sheets whilst the other dug into his back. She moaned, unable to keep the sound from spilling out.
His mouth was on hers again, claiming it in a searing kiss, his fingers beginning to move faster. Every touch sent her ever closer to the edge. She turned away from his mouth, crying out as the first wave hit her. He didn’t stop, sending her spiralling higher until she was panting and moaning. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
When he removed his hand, she stared up at him. He tasted her on his fingers. She blinked before he kissed her again, sharing it with her. It felt strangely erotic. He lay down beside her, grinning.
“What?” she asked.
“Just you.”
“What about me?”
“You’re the sweetest damn thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Her face was on fire. She buried it in the pillow. He laughed, pulling her into the crook of his arm.
“Shy, are we?”
She laid her head on his chest.
“No.”
She wrapped an arm around him, enjoying the sensation of his fingers tangling in her hair.
“No one has ever just wanted to pleasure me without asking for anything in return.”
She eyed his boxers for a moment. The moonlight streaming in through the window illuminated the outline of him. She hastily looked away. The sight of it did things to her despite the pleasure he’d already given her.
“Mmm, having you squirming beneath me was more than enough.”
“You’re very… direct.”
Rex had never minced words with her. It was something she admired in him.
“People spend too much time worrying about
what everyone else thinks. I say it how I see it.”
“Is that why you get into so much trouble because you’re not very diplomatic?”
“I can be, if necessary.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.”
He laughed, the deep sound rumbling in his chest.
“Izzy… I gave you pleasure because I wanted to. I don’t expect you to reciprocate. If you can count on anything, it’s that. Expectations get people hurt. That’s not me.”
She looked up at him, wondering what this was if he didn’t expect anything from her. Was this just some casual thing to him? Why do I even care? It’s not like he asked me to be his girlfriend. We’re not dating. She needed to change the subject before they waded into dangerous territory.
“I know you said I could stay here as long as I needed… I just kind of feel like I’m imposing.”
“I wouldn’t have said you could if you were.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I hadn’t thought it through, leaving him I mean.”
“Because you don’t have an income.”
“Well yes, that, and I feel like I’ll be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”
He was silent for a moment.
“I can ask Gareth if he’d give you a couple of shifts at the bar.”
“I don’t know the first thing about bartending.”
He grinned.
“It’s not that hard to pull pints. I trust him to keep you safe in case trouble walks through the door.”
“More like in case Portia tries to bitch slap me,” she mumbled.
“She’s harmless really. She’s only a house cat. You’re the dangerous one.”
He was right. Portia was no match for her panther. It didn’t change the fact that the cat shifter hated her for being close to Rex.
“Doesn’t stop her giving me evils.”
He frowned, shaking his head
“Are you that blind?” she asked.
“About what?”
“She’s got her eye on you… that’s why she was being nasty to me.”
“No, she doesn’t. She has a boyfriend.”
She laughed.
“Whatever you say.”
She wasn’t going to argue the point with him. If he wanted to continue believing that Portia didn’t have the hots for him, he was welcome to. She smiled. Portia would hate it if she knew what the two of them had just gotten up to.