by Kyle, Celia
His fox had taken over, the beast within searching for the woman who belonged to him. To them.
The bear’s eyes widened, but he backed up. “Gavin?”
Suddenly Elise was there, her attention shifting from his shirt to him and back again. “You wore it! I’m so excited.” His sister grinned and then frowned. “We should have added ‘a lot’ to it. Or would that be false advertising? I don’t want too much info, but we want to be accurate. Do you, you know, do it a lot?” Elise gagged. “Never mind, even asking the question made me throw up a little in my mouth. I take it back.”
Gavin squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring Seno and Elise while absorbing the essence of his mate. He inhaled, let the scent fill his lungs, and released it in a rush. It was stronger now, and Elise carried hints of the aroma.
He grabbed his sister’s shoulders, leaned down and ran his nose along Elise’s neck before pulling back. “Where is she?”
“Where’s who?” Elise wiggled away from him.
“His mate.” Seno answered her question while Gavin fought for control.
Close close close.
Elise stilled. “Your mate? And I smell like her?”
He jerked his head in a nod.
“Uh.” She glanced over her shoulder and then back to him. “The only non-mated woman I’ve been around all morning is Gina.”
Gina. He let his mate’s name roll through his mind, tasted it on his tongue. Gavin and Gina. Cute. They’d name their cubs and pups Gabriel and Gemma. A big “G” family.
Gavin followed his sister’s gaze across the diner, and his attention fell on the corner booth packed full of women. He recognized Maya (the pride Prima), Carly (a rabbit), Maddy (a lioness) and Elly (a squirrel) all sitting together. But there was a single, gorgeous, seductive woman he didn’t recognize.
“She’s here?” He could smell the sudden case of nerves that filled his little sister. “Elise?”
She nodded. “Yeah. The brunette next to Maddy.”
It had to be her: the brown-haired, hazel-eyed goddess hidden among the Ridgeville pride’s troublemakers. He let his gaze linger on her long wavy hair, her round face, wide eyes, pert nose, and lush mouth. The cut of her shirt allowed him to see a hint of her abundant cleavage, and he noticed more than one man appreciating the same view.
Gavin growled. “Elise? I need…” He snarled.
“Okay, okay,” she stroked his arm and then twined her fingers with his. “Let’s go.” A slight tug got him moving. “No growling though. She’s had a rough time after Jenner and all that. It’s been a year and a half, but… She doesn’t need you being a meanie.”
He recalled the lion who’d tormented his sister. Jenner had been living a double life as both a depraved member of Freedom and a Ridgeville pride member. And the man had dated Gina through it all. His Gina.
Even though Alistair McCain was dead, courtesy of Ridgeville’s newest resident squirrel, Elly Karn, Jenner was still in permanent custody by order of the Council.
“Never. I never would. I’ll make her so happy, sis.” The closer they got, the more he saw. The small mole near the corner of her left eye. A tiny scar on her chin.
Her beguiling scent grew stronger with every step, slinking through him and wrapping around his cock like a ghostly hand. He rapidly closed the distance between them, and then she was there before him.
“Gina, this is my brother, Gavin.”
He extended his hand and she answered his silent request, placing her fingers on his palm. The skin-on-skin touch sent a bolt through him, a rough zing of electricity and pleasure racing along his nerves.
“Gavin, this is—”
Gavin’s fangs burst from his gums, lengthening in preparation of claiming his lioness. “Mine.”
* * *
Oh.
Oh wow.
Gina took a deep breath, drawing in the scents of heavy oak, dirt, and all around deliciousness.
This. This is what a mate smelled like. The feelings weren’t forced, and her lioness didn’t have to be convinced. This was her mate. Her man. Their man.
With Jenner, she’d had to cajole the cat into being happy with the male lion. She’d deluded the feline into agreeing to be with him. And then… And then they had found out Jenner had been working for his cousin Alistair McCain, the leader of Freedom. He’d been one of the men who’d raped her new friend Elise while Freedom held her captive.
But this guy… Gavin.
Heat tingled through her with Gavin’s touch, the warmth of his fingers somehow crawling deep into her body and grabbing hold of her soul. He was her match, her other half.
He didn’t release her fingers, but held on as he eased closer to her. She sat at the edge of the circular booth, the rest of the women crowded in beside her.
With Gavin’s pronouncement—the single word she felt all the way down to her essence—their corner of the world exploded.
“Mate?” Maya screeched.
“I don’t think so, mutt.” Carly jumped in.
“What does he lick?” Gina recognized the laughter in Maddy’s voice. “Because if I wasn’t mated…” The woman purred, miming a claw and scratching the air.
Gina snarled at the other lioness, baring a fang. Hers. All hers.
“Well, no reason to get your vagina in a bunch,” Maddy harrumphed.
When Gina turned back to Gavin, she found heat and a bit of cocky bravado in his gaze. Jerk.
Sexy as hell jerk.
Where lions tended to be wide and heavily muscled, her mate was long and lean. The man topped six feet and was head-to-toe hotness. Beneath his thin T-shirt, she could see the carved lines of his body. She wanted to nip each one, and by allowing her tongue to transform a tiny bit, see how he liked the cat’s rough lick.
A smile formed on his lips, and she returned the expression. A small curl fell across his brow, the lock catching the early morning light, and she restrained the urge to brush it aside. His eyes sparkled a deep, dark brown. Not quite black and not some blah color everyone else in the world possessed. No, it was deeper, a hue that drew a person into its depths. Gavin lured her with his gaze, pulled her in with the carved muscles that coated his body and the seductive scent that flowed from him in a constant stream.
Her lioness purred, stretching and flexing her nails in Gina’s mind. The kitty wanted to rub against the man. Mmm… The fox. He was a fox. Literally and figuratively.
Gavin grasped her fingers securely, claiming more of her and rubbing his thumb over her palm in a small, alluring circle. Her body melted, and tendrils of arousal plucked her nerves. The cat craved him like a drug, and the human half of her wanted to fondle him. She ached to trace those corded muscles and see which spots would make him moan. Gina wasn’t normally Wonder Slut, but this was her mate. Slutasticness was called for. Necessary even.
The arguments and exclamations surrounded them, but her gaze was intent on Gavin. Nothing mattered but him.
“Do you think there’s a licking hall of fame? I bet there is.”
“Dude! Can we not talk about licking anything? He’s my brother.”
“You bought him the shirt. Hell, you were just asking him if you should have added ‘a lot’.” Maddy tapped her ear. “Super hearing. I haz it.”
“I don’t want my girl mating a butt-sniffer. Is he housetrained? I mean, Elise was, but you never know about boys.”
“Is he gonna pee on her? Dogs do that, right?”
A grin threatened to emerge, laughter battling with her desire, and she nibbled her lower lip. Gavin’s focus centered on her mouth, and she let her tongue peek out to wet her lips. His eyes darkened, and the scorching scent of his need wafted over her. Silence descended on their table. Gina tore her attention from her mate and focused on the women only to find her friend’s gazes on her and Gavin.
Maya cleared her throat. “Okay then. Puppy gets the pussy.”
A low rumbling growl came from Gavin, the sound traveling through his hand and right into her, sh
aking her from inside out. Of course, it slid right to her clit, thrumming the bundle of nerves.
Gavin’s nostrils flared, and pure unadulterated desire poured from his gaze. His white fangs peeked from beneath his upper lip. He tilted his head to the side as if asking her permission to take them out of the diner, and she nodded her agreement.
That fast, he had her out of the seat and following in his wake. He didn’t drag her to the front door. Instead, he tugged her behind the counter and back through the kitchen.
“Just cuttin’ through, man.” Gavin yelled to the bear, giving Seno a smile and a wave as he passed.
Mimicking her mate, Gina opened her mouth to say “hello”, but she didn’t get a chance to pause for niceties. They went from the kitchen to the storeroom and then were in the back parking lot. She kept pace with Gavin as he pounded up the rusted metal stairs that hugged the back wall, giggling with every step. The man was practically running to the apartment. She remembered that his sister Elise had rented the space at one time. It’d been gutted and redone after Jenner destroyed the place in an effort to run Elise out of town.
Unease slammed into her, memories of Jenner and his lies assaulting her with each move closer to the door.
Gavin froze, turning toward her. “Baby?” Worry inched into his features.
“Sorry,” she waved her hand. “I’m being stupid and—”
He backtracked to her, wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her close. Gina’s lioness purred in response, loving the feel of his lean body against her curves.
“Shh…” He stroked her hair and she nuzzled him. “I shoulda thought.” He sighed. “We cleansed the place, tore everything out, and Seno even got one of his witch friends to ‘purify’ the space. Brute and my sister “helped.” Though, she winked when she said it, and I so don’t wanna know. Plus, with Elise happy now, I kinda push away the past. We can put on the brakes and slow down. Maybe go somewhere else.”
She shook her head. No, that’s not what she wanted. At. All. “No, I’m being a baby.” Her emo bullshit crap was nothing compared to what Elise went through with the apartment and Jenner and… If Gavin was cool, so was she. “I’ve got my mate, and I want to be alone with him. Driving over to the motel so isn’t happening.”
Gina hugged him, tugging him tighter against her body. She rocked her hips, shivering at the feel of the hard cock branding her.
“Yeah?” His voice was strangled.
“Yeah.” She grinned, loving the bit of control she had over her mate. Gavin was trembling in her arms, his eyes now looking more like his inner-fox than human. If she wasn’t mistaken, his claws were digging into her back. If she hadn’t been turned on before, she sure as hell was now.
Gavin leaned down and pressed his face against her neck, the rough scrape of his morning scruff causing goose bumps to race over her skin. “Good.”
He took a deep breath, and then warm air bathed her. His scent wrapped her in a welcoming blanket. A shudder overtook him and he stepped away, putting space between their bodies. Without another word, they were on the move again, stomping up the stairs toward their destiny.
Okay, that sounded lame. True, but lame.
50
“Never, ever be nervous about having sex. Women are always awesome. If there’s no big ‘O’, it’s his fault. That’s your story and you’re sticking to it.”—Maya O’Connell, Prima of the Ridgeville Pride and total sex-pert.
A lot of people say that when they are nervous, butterflies take up residence in their stomachs.
Gavin got rhinos. Giant, ungainly, dangerous beasts that stomped and frolicked on his intestines, and the urge to vomit stabbed at him. His rising cock deflated the moment they crossed the apartment’s threshold. Gina followed him, her scent teasing his fox with its alluring flavors, but he couldn’t shove down the unease.
He’d found his mate, for fuck’s sake. And wasn’t that scary as hell.
She strode past him into the renovated apartment, and he tried to look at it through her eyes. He noted the bright walls, splashes of pale color that lightened the tiny area. Furniture had been purchased from the local stores, and the apartment appeared brand new. He remembered what Jenner had done, remembered Elise’s descriptions of cow’s blood splattering the walls. With Jenner out of the picture, Gavin tended to forget that the apartment was anything other than a place to crash when he came to town. But Gina had lived through the worry and danger, and he’d brought her to the scene of one of many crimes committed by her ex.
“Gina…” He ran a hand through his hair.
“You’re a worrier, aren’t you?” His sweet mate snared his fingers and hauled him to the couch, shoving him down and then plopping sideways onto his lap. Her plump ass caressed his dick, and his erection returned in full force. “No worrying today.”
She laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed against him. Taking her laidback pose at face value, he let his hands wander, allowing himself to explore his clothed lioness.
“None? No worrying?” His voice was a foxy growl, his canines aching to rip her bare and sink into her skin. They’d exchange blood and saliva and be bound together forever. “How about concerns?”
Concerns? Right. Another way to say “worry.” His beast didn’t want to address worries or concerns or doubts. He wanted his cock inside her and fangs piercing her. In that order. It was his human half that realized there were a handful of things to discuss first. Like: where they were going to live.
He stroked her back, tracing the delicate line of her spine from lower hip to neck and back again. With his other hand, he followed her leg, caressing the exposed skin below the hem of her flowing skirt and down to her knee. On his return, he delved beneath the light fabric, searching out her heat.
Gina nuzzled his neck, her silken skin sliding over him and transferring her scent to his body. “Concerns? Like positions? I’m flexible,” she giggled, and even that made his dick pulse.
God, he was being a wishy-washy girl. Talk or bang. Damn, now he sounded like a dick.
When she patted his chest, finger tracing his nipple, he tore his palm from her leg. He grasped her wayward digits, halting her ministrations. “Concerns. Like, what do you do? Where do you live? Practical stuff.”
With a huff, she laid her forehead on his shoulder. “Fine. Practical stuff and then I’m pouncing. Cats do that.”
Gavin rolled his eyes, chuckling deep and taking note of the shiver that overtook her body. “K. You know I don’t live in Ridgeville. I was living with the Skulk in Virginia.” At her nod, he continued. “Well, I was hired by the Council as the Director of Communications. Elly killed Alistair, and his absence left his brother Niall in charge. The man has been trying to right Alistair’s wrongs, and the Council is having difficulties keeping up with everything. Hell, you heard about the trouble with Deuce and Tess. The Council is pretty sure that was just a hint of some bigger problems. My job is to keep the rescue teams in touch with each other and ensure that the network can handle the extra load. This was supposed to be my last visit to Ridgeville for a while because I’m moving to Chicago.”
Silence descended, the quiet enveloping them for one beat, then two. “Chicago?”
“Yup. But now…”
“But now you have a mate whose life is in Ridgeville. And she’s also got three ex-Freedom captives living in her home.”
His stomach churned. “Yeah.”
Gina raised her head, her golden eyes meeting his. Her lioness peered out at him from behind those glowing orbs. “I’m a teacher and I can get a job anywhere.” She took a deep breath. “The only lingering hitch would be the females currently staying with me. And I think… I think they’re doing a lot better. Maddy and Elise have been working with them daily for the last month. Plus, there are plenty of other members of the pride who are itching to help out.” Gina nibbled her lower lip. “I’m not trying to be callous and brush them off. I just really, really want to be with you.”
The truth se
eped into him, sending shining happiness through his veins. Her devotion to those women touched his heart, but her desire to be with him touched something decidedly lower. “So that means you’re willing to come to Chicago?”
“That means I’m willing to come to Chicago.”
“Even though you don’t know me from Adam?” He raised a single brow.
“You’re Elise’s brother. She’s wonderful, so you can’t be too horrible. Besides, I’ll sic Maya on you if you’re mean.”
“Evil witch.” He growled, but she’d agreed to move with him, and that’s what mattered. The timeline could be dealt with…later.
Gavin couldn’t hold his fox back, the beast advancing with a massive lunge. He leaned forward and snared her lips, slanted his mouth over hers and slipped his tongue into her. Her natural flavors flowed into him, and he gobbled up every morsel. Sweet, seductive strawberries and cream danced over his taste buds.
Gina shifted in his lap, ass grinding against his growing hardness. Her movements yanking a groan from his chest.
Need thundered through him, his beast hammering his control as he drank from her lips. Delicate whimpers echoed his booming growls, confirming that his gentle lioness was just as affected. The musky, tempting scent of her arousal drifted into the air, and his dick stiffened further.
Gina turned and pressed her chest to his, her stiff nipples searing his chest. Yes, his lioness was aroused, needy and craving him. She changed position again, pulling away but returning just as fast to straddle him. The heat of her pussy burned his cock. The source of that tormenting aroma was now snug along his length. She ground against him, pressing her hips down and stroking him with her panty-clad pussy.
“Gavin…” she murmured into his lips, breaking their kiss long enough to gasp out his name.
“Mmm…” He stroked her back, starting at her shoulders and ending with the lush globes of her ass. He squeezed and kneaded the abundant flesh, urging her to rock against him, silently begging her to take and give pleasure.