Tempt Not the Cat

by J. C. Wilder

  His chest heaved, brushing hers, and their gazes met. His violet eyes were dilated almost completely black. He was near the edge and she’d put him there. A shimmy of satisfaction raced through her. He lifted her, bracing her against his chest, and Erihn wrapped her legs around his trim waist. Laying her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes. His erection teased her backside as he moved toward the main stairway.

  She felt feminine and desired in his arms. He carried her up the staircase, and she marveled at his strength. His breathing was labored, but she wasn’t sure if it was from her kiss or carrying her up the long flight of stairs.

  He entered the bedroom and stopped beside the bed. Erihn raised her head and looked into his dark eyes.

  “Are you sure?” he rumbled.

  Erihn tangled her fingers in his hair once more, pulling his lips to hers. She put everything she didn’t dare say aloud into the kiss. Their tongues dueled and he lowered her to the bed. Erihn arched her body into his as she felt the press of his erection against her vagina.

  She tensed.

  He broke the kiss. “It’s okay, angel,” he whispered.

  “You’re too big,” she whispered.

  “You can take me,” he whispered.

  Erihn smiled tremulously. Please, dear God, don’t let him be too big. I couldn’t stand it.

  He rocked against her, slow and easy, each movement bringing him further inside her body. A sound of distress escaped her, causing him to pause. Panic raced through her system at the thought of what she was going to allow him—nay, asked him—to do.

  “I…” Her face heated.

  “Hush.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Just relax.” Another kiss graced her right temple.

  Tears threatened as he continued his gentle assault. Touching her as if she were a treasure of great value, she relaxed under his ministrations. He began pressing forward again and this time she delighted in the sensation of his invasion. Stretching and filling, his movements were slow, methodical. Coupled with a kiss here, a caress there, it seemed he was touching every inch of her at once. It was exquisite torture. Finally, he was buried in her, his breath harsh against her hair and he held himself still, fighting for control.

  A wave of tenderness washed over her and she stroked the rigid muscles of his back. He was trying to take it slow to avoid scaring her. She smiled. Now that he was inside her, she was perfectly happy to keep him for a while longer.

  She rolled her hips, eliciting a hiss and an abbreviated thrust from Fayne.

  “Stop,” he growled.

  “Why?” She tensed her thighs, drawing her knees to align them on either side of his rib cage. An inarticulate sound emerged from him, as he was forced inside even further by her position.

  “I can’t…” He moaned as she arched.

  “I can,” she purred in his ear.

  She rolled her hips again, this time receiving a hesitant, answering thrust from him. She repeated the motion and received a more powerful response. Fayne raised his head, his gaze capturing hers.

  His skin was damp with sweat, his expression tense as he fought to maintain control, but Erihn didn’t want him to maintain. She wanted him as wild as he’d had her on the couch. She wanted him sobbing her name as she had his. She wanted to drive him over the edge. She slipped her hands down to his buttocks and cupped them, urging him to move.

  “I hope you know what you’re asking for,” he panted.

  Erihn smiled. “Why don’t you show me, lover?”

  Fayne took it from there. Strong hands positioned her hips just so and he began with a slow thrust that made her scream. Wave after delicious wave of sensation poured over her body as he increased his thrusts, each one brushing her clit, nudging her ever higher toward the peak.

  His gaze never left hers as he moved inside her. Some strokes were short and quick while others were long and sensual, dragging across her nerves, eliciting screams and sighs in equal measure. Tension mounted in her body. Straining beneath him, she erupted into orgasm, her nails digging into his backside. His movements slowed but didn’t stop. Wave after wave of ecstasy raced through her, leaving her mindless with pleasure.

  After she’d calmed, he renewed his sensual assault. Erihn clung to his shoulders as he took her over the edge again. This time he didn’t pause to let her catch her breath. Increasing his thrusts, Erihn screamed as another orgasm came almost immediately upon the last.

  His movements slowed.

  She was panting when he dropped his head and kissed her on the forehead. Pressing kisses down the side of her face, he trailed them down her throat. At the base of her neck, his teeth nipped at her skin as he resumed thrusting, this time his body lower and tighter to hers. His movements grew more urgent as he gripped her by the hips and he thrust once, twice before he took his pleasure. Erihn clung to his big body as he came deep inside her.

  Trembling, he rolled to his side, tucking her against him. Erihn wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he gasped for air. With his arms around her, his body filling the emptiness in her life with warmth and light, she’d never felt more content in her life.

  * * * * *

  Fayne curled his toes as Erihn nibbled on his neck. Just as he’d suspected, once she’d gotten over her inhibitions, she’d turned into a wanton in his arms. Making love with her had exceeded his wildest expectations. His body replete for the moment, he lazily stroked her back while she lay on top him.

  “Fayne?”

  “Mmm?” He shivered and closed his eyes as she nipped a particularly sensitive area of his neck, just below his ear. A rush of pleasure filled his groin and his cock answered the call. Maybe he wasn’t down for the count after all.

  “How do you…” She paused as if considering her words. “Do…what you do as many times as you can.”

  “Practice.” He fairly purred as she teased his earlobe between her teeth.

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I.” He laughed when she licked his Adam’s apple. The laugh turned to a hum of pleasure as she bit his chin. Inquisitive fingers plucked his right nipple and he slid his hands down to cup her buttocks. Gently he thrust against her as his erection increased.

  “Your talent,” she rocked her hips against him and his breath caught in his throat, “is very unusual.”

  “Not among my people.” He sighed as she settled into an easy rhythm. He slid his hands down the tops of her thighs, spreading them to drape over him. They fit each other so perfectly, it was frightening.

  “Your people?”

  “My people, those like me.” He thrust against her, his cock sliding along her damp pussy. “We all have the ability to be multi-orgasmic and retain our erections.” His eyelids fluttered as he felt Erihn sit up.

  “Lucky family,” she breathed. Her eyes were dilated, her lips damp and swollen from their kisses. “I’ve never heard of men having this ability outside of the east where it’s more common.” She rose to her knees.

  “We’re more than just men.” He gritted his teeth when her pussy flirted with the sensitive head of his cock. “I come from a long line of Were-catzzz…” Fayne’s word was bit off as she seated herself on his erection. Lust rose hot and heavy, scattering his thoughts to the wind as he concentrated on the sensation of her damp flesh clasping him.

  “You read the book…”

  He watched as her head tipped back, the ends of her wild, tangled hair licked at his thighs, her breasts bobbing with her movements as she rode him slowly. Inexorably she took him deep then rose at a leisurely pace until only the very tip remained inside her. Under normal circumstances, he loved to watch a woman find her bliss with his body. In fact, he craved it. But there was something about Erihn and her delight in exploring the boundaries of her newfound sensuality that tried his self-restraint to its limits.

  Right now, he wasn’t in the mood for slow but sure.

  He captured her shoulders and pulled her down to press against his chest. Startled, her eyes flew open as he sw
itched positions, rolling her under him until she lay flat on the bed. He braced his arms on the mattress so he didn’t crush her.

  “I don’t need any books for this,” he hissed.

  He took her. Spreading her thighs wide, he thrust into her damp heat. Her sultry keening filled his ears as he pressed his hips against hers. Her eyes were closed, her hair strewn across the pillows. She was wild beneath him as he brought her to her peak. Her nails dug into his skin as she clenched around him, her convulsions sending tremors of bliss to his toes. He gritted his teeth, trying to prevent his coming release, but with Erihn, it was so hard for him to maintain. By the merest thread, he managed to avoid spilling himself. Reciting sales figures from last quarter helped.

  As she quieted beneath him, she opened her eyes. Sated dark brown flecked with amber gazed up at him, a sexy smile played about her kiss-swollen lips. She looked like a woman who’d been made love to all afternoon. He experienced a rush of masculine pride at the tousled look, knowing he’d been the one to put it there.

  Then she flexed around him.

  Fayne closed his eyes as a dizzying rush of sensation centered on his cock. He gave an involuntary thrust. Fingers trailed fire down his side as she stroked his skin and he quivered beneath her touch. Her fingers gentled as she reached the panther on his hip.

  “I love your…cat,” she whispered, clenching around him again.

  The scent of her surrounded him. Roses and the musky scent of their lovemaking tweaked his senses. Blood thundered in his veins as he rolled his hips against her. His peak was near…just hanging there, waiting for him to embrace it. He loved to linger in that place of perfection for as long as he could stand it. Ecstasy so close and yet so far away. It was a game with him, a game of willpower over the demands of his body.

  Never before had he experienced as much passion as in the past few hours with her. He could resist her allure, he could.

  “It’s so sexy,” she hissed, clenching again. Her fingers stroked his pelvis and his muscles clenched. Slender fingers slipped between their bodies and brushed the base of his cock, then encircled it. In the limited space where their bodies were joined, Erihn clasped him around the root.

  Fayne was shocked as a whimper broke from his lips, his entire being focused on those slender digits wrapped around him.

  “So is this.” She flexed her hand slowly. Fayne broke out into a sweat. “Everything about you is sexy.” She gave him another stroke and he emitted a strangled groan. She rolled her hips, forcing him to thrust against her. “I like it when you lose control.” She settled into an abbreviated stroke, her fingers deft around him.

  “Like when you make me lose control.” Her voice was husky, straining.

  Red flashed behind his eyelids as the twin delights of her receptive body and her strong little hand surrounded him. He was going to lose it.

  Growling, he captured her hand and pulled it away from him. Opening his eyes, he stared deep into hers. She was so beautiful, flushed and aroused beneath him. He tangled his fingers with hers and raised them over her head. “I’ve created a monster,” he groaned.

  Erihn lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. “Mmm. You’ve created a woman,” she whispered.

  “Well, woman,” he grunted. “You’d better hang on.”

  He nailed her.

  Dimly, he was aware of the wooden headboard hitting the wall as his thrusts grew frenzied. All he could see, feel and taste was the woman beneath him. Again and again, he brought her to orgasm, but he couldn’t seem to stop. His beast had been unleashed and nothing could call him back. His body fell into an ancient rhythm as his primal heartbeat drummed in his ears.

  Her fingers tightened around his as he approached his own peak. Her body, slick with sweat, slipped beneath his so easily, so perfectly. He could no longer control his thrusts—it was as if his animal nature had consumed him.

  Awareness dimmed to a tiny speck of violet light in his mind. As she clenched beneath him once more, he erupted with a primal cry. Sensation ripped through his body and he collapsed on her. His breath raged from his lungs and sensation overload sparked along his skin. His body quaked as he tried to roll to his side to keep from crushing her, but Erihn wrapped her arms around him, preventing his movement.

  After a few minutes, Fayne regained enough equilibrium to move. Rolling, he cuddled Erihn against his chest, still buried deep inside her. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Never before had he lost control as he had with her. Never had he unleashed his beast on a human. He could’ve hurt her very easily.

  He swallowed audibly. “Are you okay?”

  “Hmm…heavenly.” She laughed softly. “All the time I missed. I really should’ve done this sooner.”

  He scowled as the image of Erihn with another man invaded his mind. Her gorgeous thighs wrapped around a stranger, her breathy cries as she took her pleasure. Her sun-warmed kisses and the tender look in her eyes as she smiled at him. The image of her bestowing her love and affection on another man had him grinding his teeth.

  Love?

  He mentally shied away from the word, stunned at the depth of emotion she’d wrenched from him. He gently disengaged his body from hers, and rolled away. He needed distance, time. He stifled a groan as she cuddled against his back, her arm draped over his hips as she drifted off to sleep.

  Never before had he been possessive of the women he’d made love with. Never. It was a game to him. A necessary biological function. His heart had never been involved.

  Until now.

  * * * * *

  Today had been one of the most amazing days of her life.

  The sun was long gone, the evening air chilly as Erihn stood on the deck. Her body felt positively mellow as she leaned on the railing, a glass of red wine in her hand. The waxing moon hung low overhead and she basked in its cool glow.

  Fayne had returned to the house just a short while ago. While she slept, he’d left her bed to finish removing the mess from the drive. She felt odd waking up alone after such a magical afternoon. She smiled. She had no idea that acting so shamelessly could be so much fun.

  She felt his presence before she saw him. Awareness surged over her skin, alerting her to his arrival. She turned her head and saw him watching her. He stood in the doorway, his face hidden in shadow. Dressed in blue jeans, a white cotton T-shirt and bare feet, he looked lean, powerful. Erihn was struck by how little she knew about the man who’d become her lover. Did he walk around with bare feet a lot?

  “We need to talk.”

  She froze at the tone of his voice. Low and flat, a sense of foreboding descended. Now is the time he’ll tell you it’s been fun. She turned away, opting to stare into the darkness rather than face him.

  “What would you like to talk about?” She was pleased her voice was calm, betraying none of the unease that’d sprung to life.

  “There are several things that come to mind.”

  The faint whisper of cotton heralded his approach. She wanted nothing more than for him to take her into his arms and carry her back upstairs to make love again. Anything to avoid the conversation they were about to have.

  He didn’t touch her.

  “Like what?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance at her. He leaned against the hot tub and folded massive arms over his chest. The same chest she’d covered with kisses only hours earlier.

  “I didn’t use any protection.”

  Fayne’s bald statement stunned her. She stiffened. In this day and age she should’ve known better. In her books, the hero and heroine always practiced safe sex unless the story was an historical. She believed in safe sex and was very careful to use it in all her work. Even knowing this, like a dummy, the first chance she’d had, she’d thrown all of her principles away.

  “Is there something you’d like to ask me?” His voice was low.

  Erihn laughed, but it sounded sharp and bitter to her ears. “There are a million things I could ask you, Fayne. Let’s face it,
we’re pretty much strangers to one another. Or at least as strangers can be after spending the afternoon having sex.”

  “Sex?” He recoiled.

  She wanted to weep at the chasm before her. Their amazing afternoon of romance had dissolved into one of polite conversation and practical issues. This didn’t happen in romance novels. She bit her lip. If he wanted to handle it this way, she could certainly play along.

  Erihn took a drink of her wine and set her glass on the railing with a thump. “So, Fayne, tell me, do you have any family?”

  “I have a son.”

  Her stomach dropped as icy fingers wrapped around her heart and squeezed. He had a son and he’d never told her.

  You never asked.

  He should’ve told her up front.

  Maybe you weren’t important enough for him to tell?

  “I see.” Her voice was hollow. “What’s his name?”

  “Max, and he’s the light of my life. He’ll be seven shortly.” Fayne’s quietly spoken words spoke volumes. She didn’t have to look at his handsome face to see how he felt—she heard it in every tone.

  Jealously reared its ugly head and she clasped her hand around her glass. Jealous of a child. What utter nonsense. She was a grown woman, secure in her life and her career. Being jealous of a child was ridiculous.

  “Where is your son? With his mother?”

  “No, he’s with a friend. Bliss took him on an archeological dig.”

  Bliss.

  She cleared her throat. “That’s nice of her. He’s a very lucky boy…” She swore she heard the sound of her heart breaking.

  “Erihn…” Fayne pushed off the side of the hot tub and moved closer. “I want you to know I’ve never done that before. I’ve never had unprotected sex with a woman I’ve just met.”

  Mute, she nodded. She didn’t have any words at this point.