My Cat Burglar

by Shelley Munro

  A head peeped around the door. “Laura. You’re looking much better.”

  “Emily.” Caution sounded in her voice.

  “I’ve brought Jonno with me. I know he wanted to see you,” Emily said, her cheerful manner hiding none of the determination glinting in her eyes. She reached around the corner of the door and tugged the man into the room.

  Laura let out a frightened squeak that had the nurse rushing to her side. “I can’t have you upsetting her.”

  “Of course not,” Emily said.

  Laura let out a strained sigh once Jonno disappeared.

  “How much longer will it be before she’s released from hospital?” Emily asked.

  The nurse smiled. “All going well, the doctors say she can go home tomorrow morning. She’s healed well.”

  Laura sobered. She had nowhere to go, apart from the police house in Middlemarch.

  “Good. I’ll be here to pick you up in the morning,” Emily stated. “You’re staying with me.”

  “What about the café?”

  “That’s what I have sisters-in-law for.” Emily patted Laura’s hand, her head turning when she saw Charlie. “I’ll leave you to visit with Charlie. Tomorrow,” she said.

  Laura tensed, waiting for Emily to leave and hoping that she took Jonno with her. After a minute, she relaxed, something in her sensing Jonno had left. Contrarily, as had happened every day for the last two weeks, the minute he left she had an urge to see him, touch him. It was difficult to reconcile her fear with the strange longing. The doctors had commented on the ugly bruise at the base of her neck. She fingered it while Charlie commandeered a chair from the neighboring bed. Laura stilled her fingers, her face coloring on noticing Charlie’s close attention.

  “Is that still bothering you?”

  Laura considered her answer. It didn’t exactly ache. No, it itched and throbbed at unexpected times. “It’s nothing—just a bruise.”

  “Hell, no! It’s more than a bruise. It was the darnedest thing. Gavin explained it to me.” He scrutinized her closely. “Do you remember Gavin? The vet.” Charlie glanced over his shoulder and leaned closer to whisper. “The feline doctor. He removed the bullet and suggested that Jonno mark you in the feline way. Jonno didn’t want to do it, but everyone thinks the mark has helped to speed your recovery. The doctors are saying it’s your willpower, but we know better. Jonno saved your life.” Charlie hesitated and shook his head. “I don’t know why you’re treating him like shit. If it wasn’t for Jonno, you’d have died. You know they had to pump a hell of a lot of blood into you, right?”

  Guilt rained down on her. She avoided Charlie’s gaze, studying her clasped fingers instead. “I remember little.”

  “You’re putting Jonno through hell,” Charlie said. “The man loves you, and you’re treating him like a contagious disease.”

  Fear gripped her, tightening around her lungs and restricting her breathing. Laura panted, trying to force air into her body and lessen the panic. “I…I didn’t know.”

  “Yeah, I know you’ve been out of it for a while,” Charlie said. “Hey, good news. We got the woman who shot you.”

  “Who was it?” Laura asked, her attention diverted. “I remember the sun shining right in my eyes. I didn’t see who shot me.”

  “You know your ex-boyfriend Mike?”

  “Mike shot me? I thought I saw a woman.”

  Charlie shook his head. “No, Mike’s wife shot you. He’d told her he intended to leave her. For you.”

  Laura felt her mouth open. “But we finished ages ago. Once I heard he had a wife I wasn’t interested.” She leaned back on her pillows, wariness hitting without warning. “I didn’t want him.”

  “I know that. You and Jonno hit it off straightaway. I had some of the top brass arrive in Middlemarch to question me. They wanted to know if you were still having an affair with Mike. I told them he kept ringing the station and bothering you. I told them you weren’t interested and was going out with someone else.”

  “Hell,” Laura muttered. “Do I still have a job?”

  “You do. I suggested they talk to Jonno and Saber. Isabella spoke up for you and said Mike rang while she was at the station. He received a reprimand and the department head ordered him to stay away from both you and Middlemarch.”

  “And his wife?”

  “Charged with attempted murder and unauthorized use of a firearm.”

  Laura nodded, stilling once she realized her fingers had crept up to massage the bruised area of her neck. She stopped the instant she saw Charlie watching.

  “I’ll tell Jonno you’ll talk to him once you arrive back in Middlemarch,” Charlie said, his tone daring her to argue. “Emily said you were to stay with them until you were better and your strength returned.”

  The familiar fear circled through her mind again. Cats with sharp teeth. Slashing claws. Searing agony. Laura shivered, clutched the blankets and held tight. This was Charlie. No cats here. “Jonno saved my life?”

  “Yeah. Gavin said it stressed him, made him out-of-his-mind worried.”

  “I should talk to him,” she said almost to herself.

  “That would be good. He might calm after you speak to him. He’s out of control. Isabella is ready to deck him. She threatened to get out her assassin rifle. Even Emily mentioned avoiding Jonno, and she likes everyone.”

  “You like living at Middlemarch,” Laura said, studying the relaxed attitude, the grin that had started in his eyes and moved across his face like a gentle wave to finish in a wide stretch of his mouth.

  “Yeah.” The smile faded to serious. “I enjoy working with you, the people, the friends we’ve both made. I enjoy the autonomy of working in a country station.”

  “That’s great.” The enthusiasm in his voice echoed in her heart. Everything he said resonated with her. Caution crept inside when her thoughts drifted to Jonno. Caution and longing. She didn’t know how to reconcile the two. Charlie was right. She needed to face the boogeyman head-on or she’d never have peace, not during waking hours or in her dreams. Her cheeks heated as she recalled the dream she’d had early during the morning hours…

  Jonno and her, naked bodies sliding together. Slow and languid they’d kissed, lips brushing, exploring. Their tongues touched and swirled in a dance of passion. The tips of her breasts tightened, abrading against his chest. The friction created echoes in her pussy, a decadent warming.

  “Hmm, I love to touch you.” Jonno slipped a hand between their bodies and twisted one tight nipple.

  Laura groaned, wanting more. Needing more. His lips lingered against the warmth of her neck. She clutched his shoulders, luxuriating in his body, packed with muscle. It made her feel feminine. Sexy. And the way he touched her made her feel loved. He kissed his way down her body, pausing to lick her mark. Sweet pleasure arced straight to her pussy. She shuddered, and he repeated the move, nibbling with his teeth.

  “Jonno,” she whispered. “That feels so good.”

  “There’s more where that came from.” The husky promise speared straight to her core and heat blossomed, plumping her folds for his cock. “I need your cock. Now,” she demanded, wanting the pleasure of the first stroke parting moist tissues.

  “Take what you need,” he offered. “Use my body for your pleasure.”

  Laura laughed. “I’m under you. How can I control anything with you looming over me?”

  “Simple,” he said, and rolled, grinning at her when she squeaked. “There you go. Ready to rock ’n’ roll.” He placed his hands behind his head. “What are you waiting for?” The gleam in his eyes challenged her, made her want him to beg, so she set about seducing him, pushing him as he tested her.

  She ran her hands across his chest, savoring the faint sprinkling of hair beneath her fingertips. His flat nipples tightened when she touched them, and as she stroked her fingers along his collarbone, his entire body shuddered.

  This teasing was a double-edged sword. Even though she wanted to take her time and pu
sh him, she didn’t think she’d last. Her attention drifted to his lips. A generous mouth, it curved in laughter—something she liked in a man. A sense of humor. The touches of humor were clear in the faint crinkle around his eyes. Oh, he was smiling now, knowing he’d claimed her attention.

  Laura clambered over his body until she straddled him and leaned forward. She inhaled, dragging his scent of soap and man into her lungs. She fit her lips to his, a mere brush, to taste him before settling in to explore. With her tongue she traced the shape of his lips. He seemed content to let her lead, although he wasn’t submissive. His mouth moved beneath hers, a silent invitation to go deeper. Helpless to fight the temptation, she slipped her tongue past his lips, exploring the contrasting hardness of his teeth and the softness of his inner mouth. Heat blossomed in her pussy, the increasing eager pressure of their mouths making her wet. Needy.

  The urge to breathe had her lifting her head. The urge to continue touching and exploring set her lips blazing a trail of kisses across his jaw to his ear. She teased the rim of his ear with her tongue, nipping his lobe before nibbling at his neck.

  “Damn, Laura. Bite me. Please, Laura. Bite me.”

  Shocked, Laura glanced up at him, noting the slight glazing of his eyes, the firm and starkly male lips. She bent her head again and grazed her teeth across the fleshy part between shoulder and neck. A choked and breathless sound escaped him.

  “Laura.” Her name sounded like a growl. “Take me inside you. Ride me.” His taut face glowed with desire, the flush of passion blooming on his lean cheeks.

  The pulsating walls of her sex agreed with him. She needed his cock and the coiled power of him. As if to encourage her, Jonno lifted his head and reached for her breast. Not a gentle seduction. His mouth surrounded her nipple and heat flowed with each draw of his lips. Laura gasped, her heart beating in uneven thumps as she felt the hot, tight suction of his mouth and the sharp vibration in her core. The gasp turned into whimpers she couldn’t contain. Desperation filled her along with savage need. She pulled away from Jonno and guided his cock to her entrance, sliding down on his shaft with exquisite slowness.

  “Damn, that’s good,” Jonno whispered. She could tell he wanted to take over. The clenched jaw and almost-anguished expression on his face gave it away.

  “Yes,” Laura agreed. It was excellent, and she couldn’t go slow any longer. She forced her body downward, his cock slipping into her wet flesh. Fully seated, she paused, feeling the pulse of his cock deep inside her body. She studied his face before she moved, changing the angle until she found the perfect one. With her fingers she stroked across her swollen clit, enhancing her pleasure. A twist of sensation shot through her lower body and she groaned, increasing her pace, wanting more of the same. She watched him the whole time, judging his needs and her own. Her gaze strayed to his neck, his words hammering through her mind.

  Bite me. Bite me.

  Some urge deep inside made her move closer. Her teeth nibbled on the spot. Back and forth. Back and forth. She used more pressure, and he groaned, a dark sound full of passion. Encouragement. His shaft pulsed. Laura rubbed her clit, a choked and breathless murmur emerging against his shoulder. Sensations jumped through her, one on top of another, her finger moving faster over her swollen nub.

  Jonno thrust, pushing pleasure through her in waves. “Bite me now.” His order lashed between them, and she obeyed, biting hard. Then she was flying, hurtling into pleasure so good it was almost painful. Jonno’s large body shuddered beneath hers, the spasm of his cock spurting his seed deep into her pussy.

  When they moved, Laura realized she still gripped his flesh with her teeth. She tasted blood, earthy and metallic in her mouth, saw the circle her teeth had left on his neck, the vicious wound she’d left…

  Laura had woken, her heart pounding, and realized her fingers stroked the wound at her neck. It had taken a long time before she drifted off to sleep again—a long time where she had nothing to do but think.

  * * * * *

  “She’s here,” Jonno said.

  “Thank god for that,” Saber said. “Your pacing is wearing tracks in the floor. Emily and I will be in our bedroom.”

  “What if Laura freaks out?”

  Saber’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll hear her. We’d prefer no interruptions. I’ll intercept Emily.” He disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Jonno sitting at the table nursing a coffee. His hand shook so much liquid splashed over the side, splattering across the blue tablecloth. He set the cup on the table.

  The soft murmur of voices had him staring at the doorway. Footsteps sounded and Laura appeared in the doorway. She hesitated on seeing him but didn’t scream. He took heart from that.

  He stood. “Take a seat. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “Yes, please.” She hovered, looking as if she might make a run for it.

  “Sit,” he said. “I don’t bite.” Fuck. Way to go, Jonno.

  “You bit me.”

  Confrontation. Well, that was unexpected. His heart slammed against his rib cage when her fingers smoothed across her blouse, near her collar. She sensed the ties between them even as she denied them.

  “I didn’t want to do it that way.” His voice cracked with pained emotion, the heaviness in his heart something he had to live with every day while she’d refused to speak with him. “I wanted to wait until you were sure of me, as sure as I am of you.” He ran his hand through his hair, his agitation demanding movement, yet he didn’t want to scare her with obsessive pacing. “I knew you might end up hating me. But I couldn’t let you die. I couldn’t.”

  Laura settled into a chair, her face softening into something he thought might be understanding. Jonno hoped it was understanding. Forgiveness.

  “Charlie explained things, and my memory has returned. When I was first in hospital there were huge gaps.”

  Some of the tension in Jonno seeped away. This time she hadn’t screamed. He’d take that as a positive. “You realize we’re tied together now, that we’re mates?”

  “I feel it,” she said in a low voice, although she refused to look at him. “The connection between us.”

  Relief came in a wave. “Good. That’s good.” Jonno wanted to touch her, to kiss her, knew it was too soon. He wanted her to at least look at him, much preferable to this wariness that made him feel like a wild animal. Instead he poured her coffee, adding milk and making it how she liked it. He passed the cup across the table and forced himself to return to his seat. Words trembled on the tip of his tongue, the need to ask what she wanted to do next. Fear kept him silent.

  Laura picked up her coffee and took a sip. “I dreamed about you yesterday.”

  “Yeah?” Jonno cocked his head, wanting to know details, afraid to push. He’d scared her enough. This time he snared her gaze before she glanced at her coffee cup.

  “Yeah.”

  The slight reddening of her cheeks gave him hope. A sexy dream. Even better. “Oh?”

  Gavin had told him he needed to go slow. Heck, Emily and Saber had reiterated Gavin’s suggestions. While he’d agreed, it wasn’t easy battling his natural inclinations, the need pulsing through the feline.

  “I bit you.” The stark words echoed between them in the silence in the kitchen. Only the tick of the wall clock intruded.

  And? Was that it? Surely there was more, otherwise why would she mention it?

  “I woke up with the taste of blood in my mouth.” She risked another glance at him, this time observing him for longer, her look a subtle caress. Jonno felt the jerk of his cock and picked up his coffee cup. Cold liquid. He took a sip anyway.

  “And even though it frightened me, I realized my fingers stroked the wound on my neck. Touching myself there comforted me. The strangest thing.”

  Jonno managed a nod. He wasn’t sure where this was going but realized the delicacy of the situation. He sipped his coffee again.

  “Charlie said that even though we hadn’t known each other long, we were good together. He t
hought it was serious.”

  “It is from my side,” Jonno said, needing to push the words past the lump in his throat. Maybe there was hope and this could work out between them.

  This time Laura shrugged, her face inscrutable and making him wish he could read her mind. Her breasts rose and fell as she inhaled. The silence grew along with his dissatisfaction. He loved Laura. He wanted her in his life, couldn’t imagine anyone else, even if he hadn’t marked her. They belonged together. Frustration grew, finding an outlet in clenched fists.

  “We should take things one day at a time,” she said. “I need time.”

  Jonno bit back a curse, wanting to yell and tell Laura time wouldn’t make a blasted bit of difference with him. Instead he took a deep breath and fought for calm. “If that’s what you want.” He was proud of his even tone when inside panic rioted.

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.” She reached over and patted his hand.

  The touch, an innocent one, designed to express thanks and gratitude. For Jonno it held complexities. He caught his breath, heart hammering at the warmth that pulsed from the brief touch. She licked her lips, a slow stroke of tongue over the bottom curve and a quick dart over the top, leaving them glossy.

  Jonno closed the distance between them before he knew he’d moved. Her quick intake of breath sounded loud, although to his relief, not panicked. Taking heart, he went with the impulse and pressed his mouth to hers, coaxing rather than taking. Her lips were warm and moist, the innocent touch doing more damage to his restraint than a passionate ravishment of mouths. Despite every particle in his body protesting the move, he lifted his head to gaze deep into her eyes. To his relief he didn’t see panic. Instead he saw thoughtful curiosity and a spark of awareness, but that might have been wishful thinking on his part.

  Enough, he told himself. He had to move slowly. Full of regret, he pulled farther away, but Laura stopped him with her hands on his shoulders.

  “I liked that. It made me happy.”

  “Because I love you,” he said, restraining a flinch. A guy could only give so many declarations of love before he gave up looking for the requisite response.