An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
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Cat Scratch Fever ISBN 9781419919398 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Cat Scratch Fever Copyright © 2008 Myla Jackson Edited by Shannon Combs. Photography and cover art by Les Byerley. Electronic book Publication December 2008 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
CAT SCRATCH FEVER
Myla Jackson
Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Dumpster: Dempster Brothers, Inc.
Cat Scratch Fever
Chapter One Tom Black prowled the streets, lurking in the shadows of the alleys, watching over the citizens and patrons of Hell’s Kitchen, deep in the heart of Manhattan. Tangy flavors of Chinese, French, Thai and Greek food filled the air around him, mingling with car exhaust and cigarette smoke. Couples strolled hand in hand, laughing and talking, their voices hushed in the late-night air, the sounds of honking horns filling the gaps of silence in their conversations. In this sprawling, eclectic section of New York City, Saturday night appeared to be on its way to being normal and uneventful. But then the clock had only just struck midnight. All the Cinderellas had yet to head home. All the monsters of darkness had yet to show their ugly faces. Although his pride had won the right to live, work and play in this part of the city, he didn’t take anything for granted. Encroachers infiltrated their territory at least once a week, if not more often. Usually on busy nights like tonight. To keep the streets and tourists who ventured out at night safe, he and his people took turns patrolling the avenues, searching for rogues bent on stirring up trouble. He scented her before he saw her, headed home from her job as a waitress at the Singing Java shop around the corner from where he stood. Her high heels tapped against the pavement, echoing off the brick and concrete buildings. She walked this route every night alone. Her pale blonde hair hung straight down her back like a curtain of silk, her ivory skin appeared almost ethereal in the light from the street lamps. Her songs haunted his nights as she sat on the fire escape landing a floor below his apartment, plucking the strings of her guitar, her voice sweet and so pure against the grunge of the city. Every time she sang, his heart swelled with yearning for what he couldn’t have. A normal life with a beautiful woman by his side. A human like Lilly. As
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she drew nearer, his groin tightened, the animal filling him, forcing blood to flow in a heaving rush south to fill his cock. He fought the urge to follow and stake his claim on her, to mark her as his. But Lilly was forbidden fruit to be admired for her beauty but not tasted. Forbidden Fruit. That was Lilly and he’d do best remember that. His oil wouldn’t mix with her water, no matter how sweet she was, or how pure her songs and laughter. Forget about how hard he got, or how much he wanted to plunge into her, making her cry out for him. As she passed by, her gaze swung toward the shadowy alley where he stood, leaning against the side of a building. Had he moved to draw her attention? Could she sense his need or smell his desire? His breath caught in his throat as he held steady, willing his heart rate to level, and his cock not to strain so hard against his jeans. If she came toward him, he doubted he could keep from rubbing up against her, or stop his hands from reaching out to hold her. Her attention shifted to the street corner and she turned, disappearing out of sight. Tom sucked a harsh breath between his teeth, filling his lungs with enough air to feed his starving brain cells. Fuck. He had it bad for his neighbor and he couldn’t—no, shouldn’t—do anything about it. She wasn’t his type, much more…she wasn’t his species. But that didn’t stop him from wanting her and imagining what a life with Lilly would be like. There would be fights over the remote control and what movie they’d watch. There would be nights sitting on the fire escape landing, watching the cars pass, just holding her hand and later, they’d lie in their bed, naked, exploring every inch of each other… A scream penetrated his fantasy, slicing through the normal sounds of horns honking and people talking, sending adrenaline pumping through Tom’s veins. What scared him was the fact the scream came from the direction Lilly had disappeared.
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He leaped from the shadows and raced to the end of the street. When he turned at the corner, he couldn’t see Lilly anywhere among the pedestrians walking along the sidewalks. Partygoers only briefly looked around for the source of the woman’s scream, before they hurried along their way, anxious to get off the street, out of perceived, yet unseen danger. Where the fuck had she gone? For a brief moment, he closed his eyes and lifted his sensitive nose to the sky. He could smell the soft scent of her skin, the delicate fragrance of her hair. His eyes opened and he headed for the dark alley halfway down the street. “Please, go away. Leave me alone.” Her voice carried in the humid night air, bouncing off the tall sides of the buildings. “Please, someone help me,” she cried. Tom ground to a halt at the end of the alley, keeping to the shadows while shedding first his jeans and then his shirt. A woman gasped and hurried past. He barely noted her affronted comment, “Freak.” “Nice kitties. Please don’t hurt me.” Lilly stood with her back to him, surrounded by three man-sized cats with viciously long teeth bared at her. “You really don’t want me for dinner. Someone at the zoo needs to be fired.” These last words she said through gritted teeth. Up until now, the rogue cougars had only darted in and out of sight. The unwritten law of the shifter kingdom was to leave the humans in ignorant bliss of their existence. These cougars crossed the lines too many times in the past few weeks and all within Hell’s Kitchen territory. Now they threatened Lilly. Three vicious animals against one lone female. The beauty was in big trouble. The good news was as yet, the beasts hadn’t taken note of Tom’s presence. It was only a matter of moments before his scent drifted their way in the swirling eddies of wind funneling through the streets. He backed away from the alley, found a dark alcove to hide in, and willed his body to transform. Razor-sharp teeth exploded from his jaw, his face changing, lengthening, 7
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transitioning. He dropped to all fours, his body bending and stretching, hair springing from his skin to form a midnight black pelt covering his dark skin from head to long, graceful tail. Another scream ripped through the air. He prayed that his conversion wouldn’t be too late to save Lilly. As soon as he could move, he leaped to the end of the alley and roared. Fear ricocheted throughout her body as Lilly clutched her purse and the doggy bag of bagels and cream to her chest. Never in her wildest imaginings of all the dangers she could encounter living in New York City had she dreamed she’d be faced by three cougars with jagged teeth the size of daggers. Before she could back out of the alley, one cougar circled behind her, blocking her escape. Just when she thought the odds were pretty much stacked against her, a shattering war cry screamed through the air, making her blood run cold. Lilly, along with the mountain lions, spun in the direction of the inhuman sound. Her heart tumbled in her chest at the sight of a massive black panther braced on all fours at the entrance to the alley, his razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the minimal light from the street behind him. The largest of the cougars answered the panther’s call with a bloodcurdling scream of his own. For a moment, all three golden-pelted beasts stood still as if sizing up the panther. The lead cougar backed away until his tail touched Lilly’s leg, sending a shiver of apprehension across her skin. The other two cougars moved closer, trapping her between them. Lilly let her arm fall to her side, her heavy handbag loaded with all the change from that night’s tips weighing it down. The bag represented her only line of defense against the animals. If they leaped at her, she’d start swinging and keep swinging until…well, as long as she could. Her gaze panned the alley for any escape route. A pile of broken pallets and a smelly Dumpster were her only chance for protection, if she could move past the large cats fast enough. 8
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The lead cougar inched backward, never turning his back on the panther. When his face moved within range of Lilly, he reached out and licked her bare leg, the raspy tongue like coarse sandpaper. Lilly screamed, swinging the purse with all her strength. The bag hit the cougar across the top of its head. When she pulled her purse into a backswing ready to hit the animal again, a large, sheathed paw reached out and knocked her to the ground. Before the cougar could pounce on her and rip her throat out, the black panther screamed, lunged into the mêlée and hit the cougar in the shoulders, rolling him in to the other two cats. Claws lashed out and fur flew, blood splattering against the walls of the buildings. Free of the circle of beasts, Lilly, abandoning the bagels, grabbed her purse, scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could. Her pulse pounded so hard against her eardrums she could barely hear the deadly fight behind her. She hadn’t gone more than five steps when a cougar swiped at her legs, knocking them from beneath her. Her purse flew in front of her and she slammed hard against the pavement, her hands and knees taking the brunt of the fall. Lilly glanced back as the panther leaped at the cougar who’d knocked her to the ground. Winded and hurting, Lilly scrambled to her feet, picked up her purse and ran. This time she reached the end of the alley before she paused to look back. Surrounded, three-to-one, the panther fought off the cougars. One rushed him. A powerful black paw lashed out, catching the cat’s hind leg and flinging him against the wall where he lay motionless. The other two rushed him, teeth bared, going for the throat. Lilly gasped, her stomach clenching. The big black cat leaped straight into the air and twisted, avoiding the deadly attack for only a moment. He looked toward where Lilly stood and roared. The others turned toward her.
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With her breath caught in her throat, Lilly staggered backward, then turned and raced away, leaving the alley behind. Cutting across the street, she dodged traffic and rounded a corner. She didn’t stop running until she reached her apartment building where she collapsed against the outer door, desperately searching for her keys in her purse. At first, she thought she’d lost them, but her fingers closed on the key chain and she flipped through the keys. With her lungs burning and her gaze darting all around, she jammed the key in the lock and fell through the outer door into the small lobby where the mailboxes lined one wall and a staircase led to the upstairs apartments. She turned and slammed the exterior door shut, the glass in the wood-framed door, rattling with the force. Safe behind the door, she slid to the floor, gulping in air. “What the fuck?” The enormity of the situation sank in slowly as oxygen-rich blood flowed to her brain. Large cats in the city? How? Didn’t the authorities know about them? Had someone’s private collection of animals been released? She had to get to her telephone in her apartment. When she attempted to stand, her knees shook and buckled, and she cowered on the floor like a child, fighting off waves of nausea. At this rate, she’d never make it up the flights of steps to her fourth-floor apartment. For a few more minutes she sat huddled on the floor until her breathing returned to normal and her stomach settled. This time when she stood, her legs held firm and she was able to move up the steps. At the third-floor landing, she heard the door downstairs open and close. Fear shot through her system and she peered over the edge of the stair railing. But she couldn’t see who had entered. She turned and raced up the next few steps, her toe catching on one, sending her crashing downward. Her shin hit the edge of the wooden step and she cried out. “Damn!” “Lilly? Is that you?” Recognition sent relief flooding over her. Fear pushed to the dark alleys outside her doorway. Lilly lay against the step, rubbing her shin, a nervous giggle rushing up from 10
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her lungs. Before she could stop herself, she was clutching her side and laughing, tears streaming down her face. “Lilly?” Natalie Colyer ran up the stairs two steps at a time. “Lilly? Are you okay?” Another set of footsteps echoed in the stairwell and Tom Black, her upstairs neighbor, brought up Natalie’s rear. Suddenly feeling foolish, Lilly attempted to stand. “I’m all right.” She stared down at her friend’s pale green eyes in a face the rich reddish-brown of apple cider and she couldn’t hold back a choked sob. Tom stood in the background, his chest heaving, his ebony skin coated in a sheen of sweat. A frown pushed his brows together. “Are you sure you’re all right?” His gaze pinned hers, the intensity of his golden, strangely familiar eyes reading far more into her situation than Lilly wanted him to. Just when she was getting to know the man and finding him far too attractive, he was seeing her at her very worst—scared and shaking. He probably thought she was the country bumpkin from Georgia, pretending to make a go of life in the big city. Too many times, she’d felt just like that, wishing she were more worldly and interesting to a man as massive, sexy and…nice as Tom Black. Lilly shook herself. Attracting the attention of Tom was the least of her current worries. So, he’d helped her move her things into her apartment that first day and checked on her to make sure she had everything she needed. He stopped to open doors for her, even when her hands weren’t full. The man was always the perfect gentleman when she’d thought there were none left in the world. No. Lilly shouldn’t be thinking about all of Tom’s attributes, when making a living and pursuing her dream should be top priority. And then there were the cats. A shiver shook her so hard her teeth rattled. “What happened?” Natalie hooked an arm through Lilly’s and helped her to her feet. The cougars and panther blurred in her mind. Had she really seen them? Or had she been so tired she’d dreamed them? “I don’t know. It was all so bizarre, like a bad 11
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dream.” No way those screams were imagined, nor the scrapes on her knees that had begun to burn. Natalie squeezed her arm. “Let’s get you up to your apartment and you can tell us all about it.” With her friend’s assistance, Lilly made it up to her apartment and inside to collapse on the couch. Tom hovered just inside the door, his bulky frame, like a football linebacker poised for play, filled the room. Natalie reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of water and handed it to Lilly. “Now spill. You’re even whiter than you normally are. Did you run into trouble on your way home from work?” “Oh, Natalie.” Her harrowing ordeal spilled from her mouth until she couldn’t say any more. She risked a glance at Tom, but he remained rigidly silent throughout her narration. Natalie’s brows knit over her smooth, light cinnamon-colored forehead. She appeared concerned, but not surprised, which shocked Lilly. “Did you not hear what I said? Cougars and panthers in New York City?” Lilly stood and paced the tight confines of the apartment, her legs no longer shaky, but filled with pent-up energy, her scrapes burning with every step. When neither Natalie nor Tom responded, Lilly stopped, shooting a desperate glance from one to the other. “You don’t believe me, do you?” Natalie’s lips twisted and she shot a look at Tom. He nodded, almost imperceptibly. If Lilly hadn’t been watching his face closely, she’d have missed the nod altogether. Natalie turned her attention back to Lilly and smiled, the light not reaching her eyes. “Oh, we believe you all right. We just don’t know what to say to you.” “You believe me?” Lilly stared at her friend and neighbor, her mouth falling open. “Since when did Hell’s Kitchen become invaded by wild animals? And why isn’t it all
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over the news?” She stalked toward the telephone sitting on the counter in the kitchenette. “I’m calling the police.” “I wouldn’t, if I were you.” Tom’s low, steady voice cut through Lilly’s singleminded determination to let someone know about the trouble. His tone, more than his words, pierced her resolve more effectively than if he’d shouted. “What do you mean?” She propped tightly clenched fists on her hips. “The animals need to be captured and released in the wild, away from populated areas where they could hurt people.” “You’re right.” Natalie nodded. “Some of them need to be captured, but some just want to be left alone.” “I don’t get it.” Lilly’s head spun with Natalie’s words. “You’re advocating coexisting with wild creatures in New York City? Doesn’t that take tree-hugging-animal activism a bit far?” “Lilly, you might want to take a seat.” A cold wave of apprehension swept over Lilly and she hugged her arms around her middle. “I’m fine standing.” Natalie shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She rose from the arm of the couch and crossed to her. “Have you ever heard of shapeshifters?” Lilly grasped for a response to Natalie’s bizarre question. “You mean like werewolves?” Her friend grinned. “They’re one breed, but yes.” She glanced at Tom. “Why is it everyone always assumes wolves? We’ve been around just as long.” He didn’t answer, his golden-eyed gaze fixed on Lilly. Natalie’s words weren’t making sense. Lilly grew more confused by the minute. She stood transfixed by Tom’s stare as if he held some power over her, forcing her to gaze into his eyes without looking away.
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He crossed his arms over his chest and stood with his feet braced in a wide stance, looking incredibly yummy in his black T-shirt. The color blended from the fabric to the black-coffee color of his skin, his muscles stretching the armbands impossibly tight. Forcibly dragging her attention from Tom’s intent gaze, Lilly answered Natalie. “Of course, I’ve heard of shapeshifters. In novels and on television shows. But not real, live shapeshifters. That’s all horror-show hype.” Her friend gave Tom a crooked smile. “Not all.” As if the air had been sucked out of her lungs, Lilly swayed, her head light and dizzy. She dropped into the chair by the dinette table. “What do you mean?” she asked, afraid of the answer, but drawn to it like a rubbernecker to the scene of a train wreck. Her very own train wreck, that of her life. “It’s not common knowledge, at least to most humans, that there are shapeshifters living among them here in the city.” Natalie’s lips curled upward in a gentle smile. “You mean panthers who are part human?” Lilly shook her head. “I don’t believe it.” “Whatever.” Natalie stood and moved toward the door. “Like it or not, Lilly, you’ve met some of the other creatures who live in the city besides humans.” She glanced at her watch. “Now, I have to get some rest. I have an audition to go to in the morning.” As a dancer, Natalie kept busy performing on Broadway and off-Broadway stages. In between performances, she beat the streets going to auditions and working as a waitress in a restaurant on Thirty-Fourth Street. She’d grown up in New York City, unlike Lilly who’d moved up from Georgia to chase her dream. Lilly sprang from her seat as Natalie’s hand curled around the doorknob. “How do you know all this? Have you met some of the shifters?” A warm, soft chuckle shook Natalie’s shoulders and she turned back to Lilly. “Yes, I’ve met some of them.” Then she smiled. “And I am one of them. To be more precise, I’m like the panther you saw tonight.” Her gaze slid to Tom. “Only not as big. Have a good night, sweet Lilly.” 14
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Lilly staggered backward, her mouth open but refusing to form words. Natalie exited Lilly’s apartment, closing the door behind her with a gentle click. Tom remained where he was. Alone with Tom, Lilly plucked at the piping on a couch cushion. “Do you believe all this?” Lilly stammered, her face heating beneath his gaze. His mouth twisted in a wry grin and he nodded. Though she stood several feet away from the man, she noted the musky male scent of his body and the way his tight T-shirt strained over the solid muscles of his chest. Lilly looked closer at dark, wet spots staining the cotton fabric. “Is that blood?” She crossed the floor in three long strides and reached out to touch the wet spot. When she brought her finger away, it was covered in red. “Geezus, Tom, you’re bleeding!” He glanced down at his shirt and looked up with a bemused, unconcerned expression. “So I am.” “Get out of that shirt while I get something to put on it.” As soon as she said the words, she wanted to clap a hand over her hand. Here she was ready to play nurse with the man she’d been lusting after for the past few weeks. She’d probably put her foot in her mouth or say something inane. Hell, she’d been tongue-tied by him on more than one occasion. What made her think she’d have anything to say that would keep his attention? “No need. I’ll take care of it myself.” He grabbed her wrist when she turned away. “Really. I’m okay.” “No you’re not, you’re bleeding.” Then she noticed other spots soaking through the T-shirt. “In more than one place.” She braced her hands on her hips, forcing back her nervousness and trying to ignore the warmth radiating through her wrist where he held her. “Now, are you going to take off your shirt or do I have to take it off you?” She held her breath, amazed at herself for how cool and determined she sounded when her knees were shaking.
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Tom chuckled in a deep baritone and he released her hand. “A man can’t refuse an offer like that.” He reached for the hem of his shirt, muscles flexing with the movement. Her heart racing for too many reasons to enumerate, Lilly beat a hasty retreat, running into her miniscule bathroom to retrieve alcohol and cotton balls from the medicine cabinet. When she emerged back into the living room, her breath lodged in her throat. Tom stood with his back to her, staring out the window. He’d shed his shirt and long slashes striped his back in bright red. The blood itself made Lilly nervous, but more than that, she stood breathless at all the naked, black skin. Muscles bulged across broad shoulders, smooth skin stretched taut over his ribs and backbone, down to a narrow waist, where the skin disappeared into the waistband of his jeans. Even encased in thick denim, the swell of his tight ass, made her heart hammer. At over six feet tall, the man was ripped with a well-defined physique that rivaled any professional weightlifter. Skin the color of black coffee gleamed in the light from the kitchenette. Lilly’s stomach tightened and her pussy creamed. How in hell was she going to touch any part of him and not orgasm immediately? After all the considerate things he’d done for her, all the times he’d stopped to talk to her, and fill the loneliness with warmth and laughter, she couldn’t repay him by jumping his bones! The man would think she’d jumped off the deep end. And wouldn’t he be appalled and maybe a little afraid if he knew she’d had more than one wet dream about him? Invariably the dreams included sex against the wall, sex on her sofa, sex on the floor…hot, sweaty sex, the big man driving his equally big cock deep into her. A tight knot formed in her gut, her clit pulsing with need. She fought the urge to touch herself to relieve her raging desire. Back in Georgia, Tom would be forbidden in her family home. Forbidden to date Lilly—if not by her parents, then by society. Tom was about as black as a man could be with the sexiest gold eyes of anyone alive. 16
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While she felt safe with Tom in her apartment, safe from the creatures of the night in New York City, her heart felt anything but safe. She’d longed for a chance to get the man alone, outside of the occasional passing in the hallway. Her body heated to molten hot in the space of one heart beat. After being accosted by wild animals in the streets, Tom’s attack on her senses seemed a whole lot more dangerous. Unfortunately, her first instinct wasn’t to run like crazy.
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Chapter Two His predator-sensitive hearing detected her before she said a word. Tom knew she was staring at him. The devil inside him made him remain with his back to her. Let her have a good look. He could smell her growing excitement, the honey-cream gathering in the walls of her pussy. His groin tightened, blood running south from his brain into his cock, swelling it to twice its size. Packed inside his jeans, his dick pushed to get out, reminding Tom, this wasn’t a good idea. Little Lilly would be scared to death at his length and girth. With a sigh, he turned and pinned her with his gaze. “I should go back to my apartment to shower.” A very cold shower. “You can use mine.” The words erupted from her mouth. Her eyes widened when she glanced toward the tiny bathroom, as if sanity had given her second thoughts. “Whatever.” Her hesitation sealed the deal for him, and Tom’s lips twitched. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, Lilly White.” “Wyatt,” she said. “My last name is Wyatt.” “It might as well be White.” He took the three steps to close the distance between himself and her and touched one dark finger beneath her chin, tilting her face upward. “You and I are as different as night and day.” After weeks of keeping his distance, he couldn’t seem to manage now. Why? She wasn’t right for him. Nor he for her. “Is that so bad?” Her voice came out in a whisper, her eyes a liquid blue as pale as the summer sky. “Opposites can attract.” He ran his thumb over her jawline, loving the silky smoothness of her skin, wondering if it was as silky all over. “Oil and water don’t mix.”
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When he skimmed his hand down her neck, her gaze drifted to his chest. “You’re injured.” Her fingers reached out and touched a jagged cut. “I won’t let you go until I take care of those cuts.” Her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath. “I’ll heal.” “Probably, but I insist.” She ducked beneath his arm and grabbed the bottle of alcohol and cotton balls on the table. Twin flags of color rose high on her cheeks, but she’d wiped the rest of her expression from her face. “What happened to you? Did you get caught up in a gang fight?” Tom remained standing where she’d left him, wondering why the hell he hadn’t left her apartment yet. “You could say that. There are some tough characters out there.” Her hand stilled. “Man or beast?” “Both.” She stared up at him. “Is Natalie really a shapeshifter? Can she turn into a panther like the one I saw tonight, or was she just pulling my leg?” Her wide-eyed disbelief reminded him that humans had a hard time understanding creatures like him and Natalie. “What do you think?” “I don’t know what to think. But I know what I saw.” Her head shook side to side. “I can still feel the coarseness of a cougar’s tongue on my thigh when he licked me.” Burning anger flared in Tom, but he checked his words before they could blurt out. A surge of territorial righteousness pounded through his veins. And was that a touch of jealousy? Damn right! The cougar had teased him by caressing Lilly with his tongue. Lilly looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together. “I’ve known Natalie four months and she never said a word.” “I’m sure shapeshifting panthers don’t like to advertise their…condition.” “I don’t know anything about shapeshifters’ conditions, but you need medical attention.” She licked her lips. The slide of Lilly’s soft pink tongue made Tom crazy, his cock hardening to steel.
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Then she crossed to him, tipping alcohol onto a cotton ball, her gaze intent on the liquid and the cotton, her face flushed. She probably treated wounded puppies the same way, her kindheartedness, making her an easy target for getting bitten. When she reached out to touch his chest, he caught her wrist in his massive hand. “What do you want from me, Lilly?” he ground out, the pressure behind his zipper beginning to hurt. Lilly sucked in a breath and stared up into his eyes. “I just want to help. You’re hurt.” She swayed toward him. Her belly bumped against the hard ridge beneath his fly and her eyes widened. Tom sucked in a breath, his hand tightening on her wrist, his eyes squeezing shut. “I can manage,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “Yeah, right. Big tough ex-cops-turned-private-dicks can handle everything.” Her lips thinned into a tight light. “But not the wounds across your back. Either you go to the hospital and let them tend your wounds, or quit arguing and let me take care of them before you get tetanus or gangrene?” For a long moment he held her wrist, his conscience warring with desire. The electric currents ran from where his hand held her soft delicate wrist. A wrist so small he could snap it with a twist. The warmth of her skin seeped all the way through his body to that throbbing organ bucking for release from its denim confinement. Lilly, standing close enough to his chest that he could easily reach out and tweak a nipple with his fingertips, almost did him in. Out the door would be the right place for him to go. Instead, he found himself saying, “Okay.” Lilly, cotton ball in her fingers, straightened her shoulders and waived a hand toward the kitchenette. “Take a seat.” Tom turned a chair backward and straddled it, facing away from her. “If you could get my back, I can take care of the rest.” When Lilly dabbed alcohol on one long, thin scratch, fire burned from the cotton ball all the way through to his brain, cooling his desire. Tom hissed. 20
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“I’m sorry, but you need the alcohol to kill the germs.” She blew a soft stream of air over the wound. “Does that feel better?” The desire didn’t stay cool for long. His back stiffened even more and Tom shifted in his seat. “No, damn it, it hurts.” Not the cut on his back so much as the zipper digging into his penis. Fuck. He couldn’t take much of this. Lilly dabbed alcohol on each scratch, her gentle touch consolation for the stinging pain, but creating an entirely different kind of pain, he had no hope of relieving tonight. He knew the wound would heal more quickly than a human’s would. The nature of his kind included that particular perk. By morning, nothing but a thin scar would remain. The scars would diminish, but after tonight, his desire would be flaming. “Why are you doing this?” Her hand paused. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re wounded, I’m here. It makes sense.” “You barely know what—who I am.” She chuckled. “I know you well enough.” Then she pressed a cotton ball loaded with alcohol to his damaged skin. Tom inhaled sharply. “I doubt that.” “I’ve seen you help old Mrs. Vinacco carrying her groceries up the stairs.” “She has arthritis.” “Uh huh.” She stroked the cool alcohol down a long angry cut on his back. “You always smile and wave at people you don’t even know.” “Makes them wonder what I’m up to.” The wet cotton ball skimmed across his shoulder, making his skin pebble with goose bumps. “You helped me move my furniture in when I first came to New York.” “I beat all the other guys in the building to it.” “Yeah.” She snorted softly, remembering how two men walked right by her when she struggled to get the mattress through the entrance door. “They were lining up to help.”
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“Anyone would have done it.” “Point is you were the one, and you are the one who talks to me in the hallway instead of hurrying by without a word. You’re the one who holds the door and asks how I’ve been, like you really care, even if you don’t.” She set the bottle of alcohol on the table and circled the chair to stand in front of him, sliding in between his knees. Her bare thighs in her ridiculously short barmaid skirt bumped into his hands resting on his knees. Lilly’s eyes widened, the pupils dilating. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Instead of running, she reached out and pressed a fresh cotton ball dripping with alcohol to a cut across his right pectoral muscle. He welcomed the pain, his feline teeth jerking in his gums, an automatic defense against attack. Anything to take his mind off Lilly standing between his legs, inches from his throbbing cock. When Lilly leaned forward and blew on the wound, her mouth came within inches of his nipple. As if on autopilot, his hands reached up and curled around the backs of her naked thighs. “You’re killing me, Lilly.” “I’m just about done.” Her concerned blue gaze captured his and she caught her breath. “Does anything else hurt?” Her hand trailed down the front of his chest bumping over each rib on its way down. “Oh yeah.” A growl rumbled deep in his throat. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” She touched her lips to his skin just above a wound, her hand trailing lower, past his bellybutton to the edge of his waistband. “Maybe I want to get to know everything about you.” He captured her hand. “Lilly, don’t go there unless you’re serious.”
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“Serious?” She leaned back, her gaze steady on his. “Let’s get a couple things straight, Mr. Black. I’m not in Georgia. I’m not Lilly White and…” Lilly lifted his chin like he’d done to her earlier, “I live life on purpose…like I mean it. I like you, Tom, and if that scares you—tough.” Then she bent forward and kissed him. Her hands rubbed over his short-cropped hair, sliding down to clasp behind his head at his nape. Her tongue skimmed across his bottom lip, pushing past his teeth to thrust deep into his mouth. The human inside knew this was wrong. Lilly knew nothing about who or what he was. The animal inside didn’t give a rat’s ass. He dragged her closer and rubbed his face against the side of her neck, loving the feel of his skin against hers, wanting to feel more than just her neck. As if reading her mind, Lilly’s hands reached up to unbutton her shirt, letting it fall from her shoulders to the floor. For a moment she hesitated, staring at the naked wounds scattered across his body. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” Tom glanced down at his crotch. “Oh yeah.” She laughed, her brows twisting. “I meant with the cuts and all? Maybe we should wait until you’re healed.” She backed a step, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “If you want to stop now because you changed your mind, okay. But don’t stop on my account.” Her eyes rounded and a smile curved her lips. “I just don’t want to cause you any pain.” “That makes two of us.” Now was the time to tell her the truth about him. The time to call a halt to something that should never be. He couldn’t mate with a human. As the leader of the pride, he had an obligation to choose within his species to maintain strength in the bloodline. Lilly took the decision out of his hands, closing the gap between them. Her fingers reached behind and unhooked her bra, letting the straps slide down her shoulders one at a time. When her breasts spilled free, she looked as pure and white as a December 23
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snow. Her pale, rosy nipples puckered to tight little beads, thrusting toward his face like tempting berries. Unable to resist temptation, Tom closed his lips around one tight bud, flicking his tongue against the hardened bead. She tasted of strawberries and cream and that special woman-taste that made him purr. Tom jerked free and shot a glance up at her. Had she heard him purr? When she guided his face to the other breast, he heaved a sigh. Damn, he’d almost given himself away. Next thing he knew, he’d be halfway transformed and scaring her half to death. What was it about Lilly that made him lose control? Carefully holding his inner animal in check, Tom explored the other breast, tonguing the tip of her peaked perfection. Then his lips slipped sideways, kissing a path downward, across her ribs, angling for her bellybutton. Lilly’s back arched pushing her tight stomach closer to his lips. Her hands worked spasmodically over his shoulders and down his arms, and low moaning sounds rose from her throat. Tom’s hands moved upward beneath her flared uniform skirt to the scrap of lacy underwear beneath. He hooked his fingers in the elastic and dragged them downward until they dropped to her ankles. Back up her legs, his fingers memorized every curve, indention and tensed muscle upward to the curve of her buttocks. His hands spanned each cheek massaging them, kneading them, working his fingers toward the center crease. One lone digit traced the line downward to the tightly puckered hole of her anus, pressing against the entrance, gently easing in. Then he slid around to the juicy entrance to her cunt. Sweet geezus, she was wet for him, her juices drenching him with musky cream he wished to lap up, one lick at a time. She parted her legs, giving him full access to her inner thighs. With one hand cupping her ass at the same time he fingered her anus, the other hand circled around the front and parted her labia. When he touched his wet finger to her clit, she gasped. 24
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“Oh, Tom. Bless it! That’s the spot. Do it again.” One hand circled around the back of his neck and brought his mouth to her breast. The other hand curved around his larger hand cupping her cunt. He took her breast deep into his mouth, sucking hard on the nipple while plunging his finger into her pussy. The pressure of his cock straining inside him jeans became a physical pain he could stand no longer. Tom set Lilly back and stood, shucking his jeans, and then stepping free. Lilly’s gaze raked over his chest, down his belly and lower, a hungry heat reflected in her flushed cheeks. Her eyes widened when she finally got to the most prominent part of his anatomy—his pulsating cock, large, thick and damn impressive, if he said so himself. It jutted straight out, as hard as a steel rod. Tom held his breath, waiting for the inevitable fear to cloud her pale blue eyes. Most women looked at him with trepidation because of his size. Would the sheltered southern Lilly run screaming from him, like she’d run screaming from the cats in the alley? Maybe it was the near-death experience she’d had earlier with the cougars, but suddenly, Lilly’s entire Georgia upbringing flew out the window. Segregation of blacks and whites whether mentally or in truth, no longer seemed important. Even the thought of her parents scorn didn’t enter her mind when she stared at Tom, taking in every inch of his gloriously large, black body. This being the first time Lilly had seen a black man naked, she froze in awe. Oh, she’d seen her share of magazines with naked men of all races and colors, but never in the flesh and never so well-endowed. She sucked in a deep breath to steady her racing pulse. Her vagina flooded with cream in anticipation of slicking the path for his deep brown cock. My God, he was enormous and she wanted him. All of him. “You can stop anytime you want,” he said, his voice tight as if he fought for control. Lilly’s glance shot to him. “Are you crazy? Stop now?” She reached out with both hands and grasped him in her palms, loving the velvety softness encasing the hard 25
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shaft. “I told you. I live life like I mean it.” Her gaze connected with his as she slid to her knees on the floor in front of him and pressed a kiss to the dark, mushroom-shaped head. Tom’s hands laced in her hair and drew her closer. A thrill of power slid over her. Though she was down on her knees, she’d brought him to this level of awareness and need. She could bring him the rest of the way to release. Her lips closed around the smooth, rounded head and she took him into her mouth as far as she could go, until his cock bumped the back of her throat. He was so big, he almost gagged her, but she adjusted her angle and enjoyed the way he filled her mouth and the tangy taste of male musk tickled her senses. Then, slowly at first, she moved over him in a steady rhythm until his hands clenched in her hair. Her lips slid to the end of his cock and she tore herself from him, stood and then backed up until her naked bottom connected with the cool wooden top of her dinette. She wanted him inside her now while she was ready and wet. With the cool surface of the dinette nudging against her ass, she made up her mind and slid up onto the table. Leaning back on one hand, she stroked her pussy with the other, delving into her own juices. He stalked her, a predatory gleam in his eyes, his muscles tense like a cat ready to spring. The massive muscles across his chest and his thick thighs encased in smooth dark, coffee-colored skin sent a thrill through Lilly. Her thighs spread wide, exposing her glistening cunt to whatever he wanted to do. Instead of plunging his hot, hard cock into her, he stood between her legs and cupped her breasts in each of his palms. She arched her back, pressing into his hands. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” “No, but I know what I’m going to do next.” He flicked the side of her neck with his tongue and then seared a path of kisses from her collar bone downward to the thatch of curly blonde hair covering her pussy. 26
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Down on one knee, he massaged her inner thighs with his big, rough hands and then parted her folds, thumbing her cunt. “Are you ready for this?” “Yes and no.” Was that really her voice? That pathetic whimper? He glanced up, his dark brows furrowing. “Are you afraid?” His finger stroked her clit and she shuddered. “I’m not afraid of you,” she said between gasps, “but of me. I’m afraid I’ll like it too much. Oh my!” Her words came out in a rush as he flicked against the most sensitive spot, sending spiraling spasms of need to her very core. “Oh, you’re going to like it, all right.” He lowered his head to her pussy and stroked her with his tongue, dragging upward to that strip of skin packed with millions of erotic nerve cells skipping excitedly along the neural pathways to her brain. Red-hot flames burned in her belly, igniting her senses in a kaleidoscope of sensation, twisting and jolting her body with electrical currents. She reached for his head, grasping onto his ears, tugging him closer. If he didn’t stop soon, she’d…she’d… Thoughts were blown from her mind replaced by brilliant, flashing lights of supernova intensity. Lilly screamed, her body caught up in an orgasm so powerful she couldn’t remember who or where she was. Tom continued to stroke her clit with his tongue and then he sucked her into his mouth, pulling hard on her, milking her orgasm until she collapsed with her back against the table, her muscles turned to jelly. As fantastic as it had been, she still wanted more. She wanted to feel his huge cock inside her, stroking in and out of her until he came undone and he too lost control. When she could, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Tom was on his feet, staring down at her damp pussy, a twist of regret settling on his dark brows. No. He couldn’t regret what he’d just done. Lilly reached out and grabbed his hand. “Don’t stop now.”
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He shook his head, his gaze moving up from her pussy, across her breasts until he met her eyes. “We shouldn’t. There is so much you should know about me first. It wouldn’t be fair unless you knew everything.” “I don’t care about everything. I want you, here and now.” “It’s not safe.” “What are you talking about? Do you have an STD?” she asked. “No, it’s not that.” She sighed. “Good. Me neither. And don’t worry, I’m on the Pill.” She drew him closer until his cock bumped against her wet pussy. “Now shut up and give me all you’ve got.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her heels into his rounded buttocks, pressing him in. “What if I hurt you?” he said, his body straining against her flexing muscles. “I’ll take my chances.” Then his hands were on her hips and he was gliding into her, filling her, stretching her wide with the breadth of his magnificent cock. Lilly glanced down at where her pussy and his cock connected, loving the contrast of her white skin against his dark. Loving more, the way he moved in and out of her, fucking her like she’d wanted since she’d met him in the stairwell four months ago. His pace increased until he rammed into her stroke after stroke like a battering ram chinking away at her defenses. Lilly reached between them and slid her finger across her clit, matching his rhythm thrust for thrust until her breath came in short, shallow huffs and she teetered on the edge of another massive orgasm. Just before she hit that magical peak, Tom pulled out of her, his cock slick and shiny and hard as stone. “Why did you stop?” The words barely left her lips when Tom jerked her off the table and onto her feet. With a flick of her wrist, he spun her and bent her over the table
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onto her stomach. The man was full of surprises. What would he do next? She expected him to plunge back into her and fuck her some more. He leaned over her back and cupped her breasts, pinching and tugging at her nipples, while his cock pressed into the crack of her ass. Lilly wiggled, trying to get him positioned to slide back into her cunt and take up where he left off. “Take me, Tom.” But he didn’t. He worked his way down her back, licking and kissing her skin until he reached the rounded curve of her bottom. Her pussy quivered and ached with the need for him to come into her, or take her with his tongue. She couldn’t reach back and touch him, she couldn’t even see what he was doing, but she could certainly feel him. When he parted her cheeks and poked a finger into her ass, she cried out, a wash of liquid coating her pussy. He pushed her thighs wider and settled between them, his tongue lapping at her cunt, drinking in her essence. “I’m so close, I’m going to come.” Lilly squirmed against him. He laved her clit, drawing a rough tongue over it, sensuously rasping against the tender skin. Lilly clutched the edge of the table, poised at the edge of a cataclysmic orgasm. “Now. Oh please. Now.” Tom stood, grabbed her ass and slid his cock into her pussy in one long, steady stroke. He clutched her hips and leaned over her back, nipping into her neck as he thrust into her, again and again. Past articulate speech, past reason, Lilly catapulted over the edge and launched into the abyss where darkness exploded with light. Tingles had long since morphed into sharp, urgent sensations, half pleasure, half pain, but too exquisite to abandon.
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He pumped her hard, slamming into her until he jerked to a halt, the hands on her hips holding her still like twin vise grips. His teeth sank deeper into her neck without breaking skin, his heavy muscles smashing her against the wooden tabletop. None of that mattered as she crested the wave and rode it to the end, collapsing with a ragged sigh when she finally returned to earth. His massive cock throbbed against the walls of her vagina, shooting his seed into her womb, the warm liquid overflowing and dripping down her leg. When Tom moved, pulling his cock from her pussy, Lilly immediately missed the feel of him filling her, missed the connection, the tightness. He gripped her shoulders and helped her stand. If he hadn’t been holding her, Lilly knew her knees would have buckled and she’d have melted to a heap at his feet. Her legs trembled and her cunt ached, but she’d never felt so complete. “Are you okay?” Tom pushed tendrils of hair out of her face and pressed a gentle kiss against her mouth, the taste of her essence on his lips. “I’m more than okay.” She smiled up at him, a flush of heat rising up her neck into her cheeks. Had she really come on to this man? Her gaze traveled the length of his beautiful, black nakedness and she suddenly felt shy. “And are you okay?” She clapped a hand to her mouth and stared at his chest. “I completely forgot all about your wounds. Did I hurt you?” His chuckle warmed the air and sent a delicious tingle over her satiated body. “I’m fine. Almost as good as new.” He held out his arms. “See?” Lilly stared at the wounds, which a few minutes ago had been angry and bleeding. Now they were almost healed. “How did that happen?” Tom’s mouth twisted. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. There are things you don’t know about me that I need to tell you.”
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A strange tightening in her gut told her that whatever he had to say wasn’t going to be easy for him or her. “You’re not hiding a wife somewhere, are you?” A smile crooked the corners of his mouth. “No. I’m not. I’m single and free to see whomever I want. The thing you need to understand is that I’m also—” Loud rattling sounded outside Lilly’s fire escape window. “What the hell?” When she moved to see what it was, Tom caught her arm. “Don’t move.”
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Chapter Three Damn! Tom could smell him before he saw him. The rogue cat he’d fought earlier had a scent he wouldn’t soon forget. He’d almost lost that fight against the three cougars. One he’d severely injured by slicing through his leg, cutting all the way to the bone, if he hadn’t gotten immediate attention, he might have bled out. With one of their buddies down, the other two had backed down. Had they come back for revenge? Tom ran to Lilly’s window and slid it open. The fire escape was empty, but the scent of the rogue lingered. Why had he come here? Was he after Tom or Lilly? Damn! What had he done? By making love to Lilly, he’d marked her with his scent. Proclaimed her as his mate. If the rogue leader wanted revenge, he’d target what was Tom’s and he’d consider Lilly Tom’s territory. Tom turned to Lilly, the pleasant afterglow of making love waning fast. “Listen, Lilly. I have to tell you something and I don’t want you to freak out on me.” Her eyes rounded. “Was someone out there?” “Yeah.” He caught and held her gaze. “I was in that alley earlier tonight when you ran into the big cats.” Her eyes rounded, the scent of her remembered fear wafting toward Tom. “I didn’t see you.” “Yes, you did.” She stared into his eyes, her own narrowing. “But, there was just me and the four cats…” Her eyes widened and she staggered back. “You! You were the black one. The panther!” She pressed a hand to her chest, her face turning a pasty shade of white. “You’re one of them?”
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“Yes and no. I’m not one of the cougars. That was Jason Bradley’s puma gang. I’m one of the Hell’s Kitchen Panthers. This is our territory. The pumas are rogues, looking to stir up trouble where they don’t belong. He’s had a bone to pick with me since I killed his brother.” Lilly shook her head from side to side as if in a daze. “Natalie wasn’t pulling my leg?” Her blue eyes bore into his, as though begging him to tell her it was a lie. Tom nodded and began gathering his clothing. “I’m sorry. I should have told you before we…well before.” He stepped into his jeans and drew them up over his hips. After tucking his still engorged cock inside the denim, he carefully dragged the zipper upward. “You had the right to know.” “Damn right I did.” Her voice had taken on a ragged edge. “This is too much. I can’t believe it.” “Believe it. Not only did the cougar follow you to your apartment, he probably knows by now what we did.” “But I had the blinds closed.” “Cats have a keen sense of smell.” Her cheeks reddened. “So?” “He’ll think you’re my mate.” “Well he can think again.” Her gaze jerked around the room until she spotted her shirt, crumpled on the floor. She dove for the garment. “By making love to you, I’ve marked you with my scent.” Tom’s lips firmed into a tight line. “Like it or not, he’ll consider you my territory.” “Then he’ll stay away,” she said, holding her shirt to her breasts. “Not if he’s out for revenge.” “Great. I’ve made love with an animal and now I’m a possible target of a revengehungry psycho-cat?” Lilly threw her arm in the air and spun away from Tom. “What
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am I saying? This is all crazy talk! Maybe my mamma did know best. I should have stuck to my own kind.” Tom flinched. He knew she was angry and in shock, but the words hurt no less. Humans rarely understood the life he led or the world he lived in. That’s why his kind was discouraged from mating with humans. It rarely worked out. He pulled his T-shirt over his head and strode for the door. “We can discuss this later when you’ve had a chance to digest the facts.” He paused with his hand on the door. “In the meantime, don’t go out after dark and stay out of alleys. You should really take someone with you everywhere you go, to be safe.” “Hell, I moved away from my overprotective parents to establish my independence. To make decisions for myself. I will not let some animal scare me so badly I can’t live my life.” Though her words started out strong, they faded into a whisper, dying off on a sob. She lifted her chin, staring at him through tear-filled eyes. “Please leave.” Tom sighed, a bad feeling knotting in the pit of his belly. For a few short minutes he’d connected with paradise. He should have known it wouldn’t last. It never did. Tom left Lilly’s apartment, closing the door behind him. The sharp sound of the deadbolt slamming home, spelled it out for him. She’d shut him out. Question was, had she shut him out for good?
***** What the hell? Had the world gone crazy? Had she gone to sleep and dreamed all of this. Lilly pinched her own arm. “Ouch!” No, she wasn’t asleep. She stepped into her shower and let the spray beat down on her weary shoulders. No matter how long she stood there, the same thought kept surfacing. Tom was a shifter. A man and a panther. Oh my God, and I made love with him. I made love with an animal! After her shower, she dressed in an old, soft T-shirt and stretchy shorts then wandered through the apartment, lost in thought. Her mind whirled at the knowledge 34
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that such things as shapeshifters existed and that Tom and Natalie were just two among their kind. She’d lived in the same building with them for the past four months. How could it be she’d never known? Despite growing up in suburban Georgia, Lilly considered herself well read and up to date on news. Why hadn’t there been a huge outcry over national television about the beasts roaming the streets of New York City? Another thought made her even weaker at the knees. What if they existed everywhere, including back home on the streets of Savannah? Her heartbeat stuttered and then raced, the close confines of her apartment emphasizing the oppressive heat of summer in the city. Air-conditioning hadn’t been an option, and at that moment, Lilly would give almost anything for the cooling blast. Her face flushed, beads of perspiration sprang out on her upper lip and along her hairline. She lifted her hair and clipped it to the top of her head, all the while pacing. At this rate, she’d never sleep. Hell, how could she sleep, knowing what she knew now? When her gaze fell to her guitar propped on a stand in the corner, she lifted it and ran her fingers over the strings. The twangy musical notes immediately soothed her savaged nerves. She moved to the open window and peeked out. Nothing stirred in the humid, night air of the alley between her apartment building and the next. A few lights still glowed across the way where others struggled to sleep in the overwhelming heat. Her gaze took in the street four stories below. Nothing crept around in the shadows, no cats, dogs or shapeshifters stirred. Convinced it was relatively safe, she shoved the window open wider and crawled out on the metal mesh of the fire escape landing, guitar in hand. She settled against the railing and plucked the strings until a melody emerged. Whenever she felt troubled or scared, music calmed her. She’d come to New York to pursue a career in singing on Broadway. So far, her singing was confined to the coffee shop where she sang to karaoke music in between serving expensive coffees to the patrons. Were some of her coffee customers shapeshifters?
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Someone bumped around in the apartment above her and eventually stepped out on the fire escape landing above her. Lilly’s breath caught in her throat, her heart raced and her fingers stalled on the chords of one of her songs. Tom lived above her. Before tonight, having him there had always made her feel secure, like having her own personal guardian angel. Residual anger surged back to life. Who would have thought her guardian angel would turn out to be a werecat? “You know it’s probably not safe to sit out on your fire escape until we find the rogue,” Tom called out, his soft, deep voice carrying on the still night air. “Go away.” Whatever breeze there had been had stopped blowing and a heat having nothing to do with the outside temperature flushed over Lilly’s body. She tried to tell herself it was anger. All this time she’d been attracted to Tom he’d been half-man and half-beast. Frightening her even more was that she was still attracted to him despite what he’d told her. Her pussy still ached from their lovemaking and she wanted more. She’d been attracted to him even before she knew he was Natalie’s friend, ever since he’d hefted the unwieldy mattress over his shoulder and hauled it up the stairs as if it weighed less than a pillow. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t be attracted to that? Perfectly proportioned, and in fabulous physical shape down to the last bulging muscle, Tom Black was every woman’s wet dream. Her stomach tightened and her pussy drenched with cream. Lilly leaned her head over the railing and stared up, trying to catch a glimpse of the man who’d given her such complete sexual satisfaction earlier that night. She’d had more than one dream about Tom Black. Invariably, they included hot, sweaty sex. Unfortunately, now that she’d tasted the forbidden fruit, she wanted more. Her parents would have a cow when they met Tom, considering he was about as black as a man could be. If they knew he was also a panther…well, she’d never hear the end of it. If her parents even had a clue as to what Lilly was doing in New York City, they’d come loaded for bear, shoot him and drag her back to Georgia so fast she wouldn’t know what hit her. But they weren’t there and she was a grown woman,
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capable of making her own decisions about the men she dated or had sex with. Men or beasts. “Please go inside, Lilly. I can’t sleep knowing you’re out here unprotected.” Lilly sighed, gathered her guitar and climbed back in the window. She closed and locked it, lowering the blinds to block out prying animal eyes and her view of those eyes. But the internal image of cat eyes staring at her from the dark wouldn’t go away. By three in the morning, Lilly had cleaned every dish, rearranged all her dresser drawers and ironed her entire wardrobe. When finally she lay in her bed, Lilly fell into an exhausted sleep, buried beneath her covers and clutching her pillow to her chest, a butcher knife nestled beneath the spare pillow.
~~~~~ Hot, too hot. Lilly pushed the covers aside and swung her legs to the cool tile floor. The room felt as airless as a tomb. Driven from her bed by the need for fresh air, she strode to the one window in the small apartment, unlocked it and slid it upward to let in the cool night breeze. She stood for a moment, the air around her heavy with humidity. She lifted her shirt, a gentle gust caressing her damp skin. Then, in place of the wind, were a man’s hands, dark as the night, but gentle and coaxing. “Close the window, Lilly,” he breathed into her ear. “But it feels so good.” She tugged the hem of her shirt up over her head, tossing it to a corner and stood before the window, her breasts bared to the city. “Come, Lilly, close the window.” Hands tightened around her waist, pulling back against hard muscles. She could see her reflection in the glass, and a shadowy face with golden eyes behind her, blending into the darkened room, his long fingers circled her midsection, dark slashes against her pale skin. How had he gotten in? Oh, yeah, she’d opened the window. Why wasn’t she frightened? 37
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Her body thrummed to the motion of his hands caressing her belly. She pressed her bottom against his cock. The hard ridge, locked behind a denim fly, nudged nudging between her cheeks. Her family and friends back home would be appalled at her for associating with a beast. But none of that mattered now. She’d left the closed minds of Georgia behind to make it on her own in New York City. Hadn’t she wanted to find her own way, make her own decisions? She pushed the hand at her waist downward, into her shorts. It slipped back up to the neutral territory of her waist. “No, Lilly, you’re asleep.” “I know what I’m doing.” Again, she tugged his hand into her shorts. “Touch me, like you did before.” She cupped her hand over his and dug one of his long fingers into her pussy, a lone finger dipping in to stir her juices. Muscles tensed against her back. “This isn’t right.” Right? What did it matter if this man was black or white, human or beast? He had a heart and cared about others. Wasn’t that all that mattered? That and the way he made her feel, all wet and hot inside. His lips nuzzled the back of her neck, where he licked and nipped at the pulse beating beneath her skin. “Wake up, sweet Lilly. Make love to me when you’re awake, with your eyes wide open.” The heat of the night burned within Lilly. Any clothing was too much for her and she pushed her shorts down until they fell to her ankles. Still standing in front of the window, she barely recognized the ghost of a woman staring back, her body swaying back and forth, her back arched, her breasts full, the nipples beaded and hard. But mostly the wanton look in her eyes frightened and excited all at once. This was a woman alive and full of a desire that could only be slaked by the man who stroked her very soul.
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She closed her eyes, willing herself to stay asleep, to savor this dream. Then she turned into his arms, pressing her breasts to his smooth dark chest. This was where she belonged. This was her decision. Regret would play no part in it. After all, it was only a dream. As she lifted her legs to wrap around his waist, hands stopped their ascent and a chuckle rumbled against her chest. The pressure on her knees increased, forcing her feet back to the floor. “But I want you,” she whimpered, her eyes still squeezed tightly shut. “And I want you.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and set her away from him. “But not like this. Wake up, Lilly.”
~~~~~ The fog of sleep lifted, and Lilly’s eyes drifted open. Tom stood in her room, dressed in jeans and nothing else. “Am I dreaming?” she asked, her voice gravelly from sleep. He lifted a strand of her hair and wrapped it around her ear. “You were.” She glanced down at her naked body, and gasped, her cheeks heating. Her glance shot to his. “Did we…” A tight smile tilted his lips. “In my dreams, yes, but not in yours.” She reached for the throw draped over the back of the armchair and pressed it to her chest, her brow furrowing as she fought to clear the remaining cobwebs clinging to her brain. “How did you get in?” “Let’s just say, you really should keep your window closed at night. You never know what kind of animal might enter.” He stepped around her and through the wide open window. Once outside, he turned back. “Close the window, Lilly. And hurry, before I change my mind.”
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When her hand rose to the window frame, the blanket slipped, cool air brushing against her naked skin. A rush of excitement streamed through her body, intensifying the remaining heat from her wicked dream. Tom’s gold eyes flashed and a growl rumbled deep in his chest, filling the night air with his frustration. “Close the damn window. Now!” Her hands closed around the edge of the window and she slammed it down with so much force she was surprised the glass didn’t shatter. Lilly blinked at the loud bang. When she looked back through the glass, Tom was gone.
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Chapter Four Lilly left the coffee shop early the next night, still kicking herself for chasing Tom away from her bed last night. He’d sneaked into her apartment when she’d been sleepwalking and he’d hadn’t taken complete advantage of her. Okay, so she’d thrown herself at him in her sleep. And she’d been wide awake for part of it. He’d insisted on leaving. Her body warmed at the memory of the things he could have done. She’d wanted to pretend she was still dreaming, too afraid to admit her own desires controlled her. But he’d awaken a love and a lusty beast within her when anger should have been the only emotion she felt toward Tom. He’d left her before she could act on her lust. How could he just leave? And he wasn’t even human! Hadn’t even had the decency to tell her until almost too late. And wowza, the sex would have been hot, steamy and nasty. He had the grace of a cat when he moved over her body. She could only imagine how exquisite making love with him would have been. But he didn’t stick around for her to find out. Damn him! That he knew just where to lick her and apply just enough coarseness to his halfhuman, half-cat tongue to send her into instant orgasm shouldn’t have mattered. But it did. He’d been gone when she’d woken around noon that day. But his scent lingered in her apartment, tantalizing and disturbing her more than she thought imaginable. She wanted him. Plain and simple. But there wasn’t a future for them. He wasn’t human. She was. So what? That little devil on her shoulder reminded her that she wasn’t in Georgia. Hadn’t she left to escape the close-minded gossips who couldn’t see past race to the person beneath the skin? Tom had been a good friend to her when she’d been new to 41
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the city. He’d rescued her from the cougars, for Pete’s sake. What more did she need to know? What did it matter that his skin was black and sometimes furry? Lilly walked with her head down, her mind swirling around her dilemma. So deep in thought, she’d forgotten to be careful. When a blond-haired man dressed in a long black overcoat stepped into her path, she squealed and jumped back. “Hello, pretty lady.” He reached out and lifted a strand of her hair. Her heart pounding against her ribs, Lilly batted at his hand. But the man’s fingers twisted deeper into her hair and he yanked her head back, his lips stretching into a snarl. “You know, you shouldn’t walk alone on the streets at night. You never know what evil lurks.” His eyes narrowed, the pupils elongating into narrow black slits, his teeth jutting out of his jaws like gleaming white daggers. Tawny hair sprang from his arms. All the air left Lilly’s lungs in a terrified gasp. “Y-you’re one of them! One of the cougars who attacked me last night.” “Did you miss me?” He rubbed his face against the side of her neck, nipping at her earlobe, drawing blood. Lilly reached up and dug her fingernails into his cheek. The man screamed like a mountain lion and slung her to the ground. Lilly’s head hit the concrete sidewalk so hard, stars swirled in the darkness and she blinked to make them go away. She couldn’t pass out. If she did, she’d die. With his hand pressed to the tracks of red slashed across his cheek, he glared down at her, his face changing, stretching, more hair sprouting. He dropped his coat and ripped the clothes from his body, standing naked in the alley as the transformation took place. “I’ll kill you, and then I’ll kill him.” “Tom?” Lilly scooted backward, crab-walking away from the animal changing before her eyes. Her safety suddenly a secondary concern, Lilly leaped to her feet and
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ran into the street, her head swirling in and out of gray shadows. She had to get to Tom and warn him about this rogue. She hadn’t gotten two yards when she was hit in the back by a force so strong, she was slammed into the pavement, knocking the breath from her lungs. Was this to be the end of her? All it would take was one bite to the throat and she’d be dead. Tom would still be in danger and possibly killed by this beast. Lilly sucked in a breath, filling her lungs and then pushed up, rolling to her side. It was too easy. Then she slammed flat on her back against the pavement. Hands held her shoulders pinned to the gritty ground, gray eyes blazing down at her from a face only partially transformed. “Leaving so early?” His voice wasn’t even human, his words more of a growl than anything Lilly had ever heard. “What do you want of me?” Lilly cursed her trembling voice. “I want what he had.” The cougar ground his human cock between her legs. “I want to know what’s so special about a little human pussy.” “No!” She screamed, kicked and bucked beneath the bastard, but he didn’t budge. His dick pushed up beneath her skirt and jammed into her panties. The cotton held steady, blocking his path. Her attacker lifted his head toward the sky and roared, then he let go of one of her hands and ripped the panties from her. Scared beyond words, Lilly rolled violently to the side, dumping the man-beast on the ground beside her. She staggered to her feet and leaped out of the way of a strong arm sweeping out toward her legs. He was faster than she, she knew she couldn’t outrun him, but she had to try. Tom had to be warned. With the beast breathing down her back, Lilly turned down an alley, hoping to lose him. Instead, the alley ended in a ten-foot-high chain-link fence. She leaped at the fence, her fingers fumbling in the metal links, her toes slipped loose and she fell back to the pavement.
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The beast, now more cat than human, stood upright and stalked her until her back hit the fence. “There’s no escape,” he rumbled. “That’s right, Liam, there’s no escape.” The feminine voice in the shadow sounded familiar. “You should go back to Jason and your gang of cowards before you get hurt.” Lilly strained to see the owner of the voice over the beast’s shoulder. Natalie stepped from the shadows, dropped her jacket to the ground and slid her dress from her shoulders, letting it glide to the ground. Then she threw back her head and screamed the screech of a wild cat, her body morphing from woman to a large reddish-black panther in several long seconds. Before she completed her transformation, the cat she’d called Liam, leaped for her throat. “No!” Lilly bounced off the fence and threw herself at the cat. In mid lunge, his momentum carried them both forward. Instead of sinking his teeth in Natalie’s throat, he clamped onto her leg, bringing her down, her transformation arrested, half complete. Her human scream rent the air and she crumpled to the ground. Without thinking about her own safety, Lilly searched for anything she could use to fight the cougar. Only boxes and nasty bags of trash littered the alley, nothing sturdy enough to throw him off. Natalie screamed and thrashed at Liam with her arms and good leg, her feline teeth and claws extended, slashing at Liam’s head. The cougar had the upper hand, able to dodge and leap away from her deadly bite. He swiped at her, his razor-sharp claws sinking into her arms and legs, cutting into veins, leaving her weak with blood loss. Desperate to save her friend, Lilly jumped onto the animal’s back and wrapped her arms around his throat holding on tight with all her strength. Liam roared and reached up to scrape her off his back, slashing into her skin and ripping her shirt.
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Lilly whimpered, the pain excruciating, but no more so than Natalie’s injured leg and multiple puncture wounds. Fear and anger pushed her to squeeze harder, cutting off Liam’s air. The big cat flipped over on his back in an attempt to knock her loose. The air blasted from her lungs, the weight of the animal crushing her beneath him. Still Lilly held tight, refusing to give up, knowing if she did, he’d kill both her and Natalie. The beast rammed her against a brick building, the force of his attack diminishing the longer he went without air. Her arms shaking, her ribs and back feeling like tenderized steak, Lilly didn’t know how much more she could take, how much longer she could hang on. Liam hurtled toward Natalie, dragging Lilly behind him. Lilly’s heart thudded against her chest, a dull ache filling her gut. The fight was over, she wouldn’t be able to stop his next attack, and her strength was leaving her. The mighty cougar staggered and fell to the ground, inches from where Natalie lay bleeding. When he rolled to the side, Lilly’s head bounced on the pavement. Her arms jerked loose and she lay flat on her back, a gray shroud descending on her, dragging her down into a black abyss. Then she was floating, strong, warm arms carrying her on a cloud of darkness, whispering softly to her that everything would be all right. Lilly nestled into the warmth and fell deeper into unconsciousness.
***** “I should have been there.” Tom stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the bed where Lilly lay. He’d called in the rest of the panthers to assist him in moving Natalie and Lilly and to dispose of Liam’s body before the authorities discovered it. The panthers had a hard enough time living below the radar without bodies showing up. The few allies they had 45
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on the police force who’d turned a blind eye in the past wouldn’t be so quick to ignore a dead man. A doctor friend of his had been in to tend Natalie’s wounds and medicate her with a strong antibiotic. She reclined on his couch, her skin healing quickly from the savage attack. “Tom, don’t beat yourself up over this. You can’t be everywhere. And you’re not her keeper.” Bad thing was that he wanted to be her keeper. Wanted to be with her always, protecting her from just this kind of thing. Tom spun away and paced the living room of his apartment, his gaze passing over Lilly every time he walked by his bedroom door. She’d been asleep since he’d found her and Natalie in the alley, Liam’s body lying cold, having already transformed back into his human form. Just the thought of Liam’s attack made Tom’s blood boil and his teeth extend from his gums. Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not falling in love with her are you?” “No, of course not.” His answer came too fast and he could have kicked himself. He couldn’t fall in love with a human. “Just because you’re the leader doesn’t make you invincible, Tom. Sometimes you have to reach for what you want, even when you think it’s wrong.” “I can’t. Humans and werecats don’t make good matches.” “Don’t base your theories on your parents, Tom. They had other issues besides their species.” Tom turned away. He didn’t want to think about his parents and their marital problems that split custody of him as a child. Living in two households, his parents using him as a bargaining chip to one-up each other. He’d never have children if that’s all they had to look forward to. “Many of our people have beautiful and lasting relationships with humans.” She left the couch and crossed the floor to lay a hand on his arm. “Don’t miss a chance at love based on one example.”
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“I told you, I’m not in love with Lilly,” he said through gritted teeth, his body tense, urging him to transform. “Then why are you so upset she was attacked?” “My job is to protect our territory from rogue attacks and to squelch public awareness of our existence. That’s all.” A soft snort was her response. Tom pushed away from Natalie, but his movement brought him right back in front of his bedroom door and the vision of Lilly splayed across his bed. She was so innocent, so angelic and incredibly beautiful. “At the very least, I should have been there to walk her home.” “It was your watch. You couldn’t be in two places at once. And like you pointed out, Hell’s Kitchen needs you as much as Lilly does.” She stared at the open bedroom door. “If anything, it’s my fault she was attacked. I was supposed to be there when she got off.” “You couldn’t have known her boss would let her go early.” “And you couldn’t know that someone would attack on the other end of the Hell’s Kitchen territory.” Tom’s dark eyes smoldered. “My gut tells me it was all a setup. “ He slammed his fist into the wall, the plaster caving in, leaving a fist-sized hole. “This has to end.” “What do you suggest?” Natalie rubbed her arm where a nasty scratch had already closed, leaving a long thin scar. “Are you going to go out and kill them all? By yourself?” His teeth pushed against his lips, nudging him to change, to find Jason and his gang and do just what Natalie said. But to do so would go against everything he and the panthers had worked so hard to accomplish. They wanted to coexist in the human world. To revert to killer instincts only proved they were no better than animals—that their human side meant nothing. He sighed. “No. I can’t do that.” And he couldn’t risk
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the rest of the panthers. This was his battle. His and Jason’s. “I have to find Jason and settle this once and for all. Just him and me.” Natalie laughed without humor. “Good luck. He doesn’t go anywhere without a full complement of his groupies. He still holds you responsible for his brother’s death.” “I know. Somehow I have to make him see that Jeremy’s death was an accident. The kid was a hothead. He got himself into that argument that night at Frisco’s Night Club. I just made him leave. I even hailed a taxi for him. If he’d gotten in like I told him…” But no, Jeremy decided he was going to walk and stepped out on his own. A drunk driver chose that moment to speed by the taxi. He didn’t even see the young puma, didn’t even slow down. Thrown thirty feet, landing on solid concrete, Jeremy died instantly. And Jason put all the blame on Tom. If he hadn’t thrown him out of the club, the boy would still be alive. Tom carried around a load of guilt without Jason trying to take it out on him. Three months had passed since Jeremy’s death. Jason and his gang had done everything in their power to make Hell’s Kitchen live up to its name. Tom and the rest of the panthers never knew when they would strike or who they would target. But now Jason had targeted Lilly and he knew she was Tom’s Achilles’ heel. If he didn’t do something soon to stop Jason, the puma might succeed in his attempt to take something away from Tom that he really cared about. Lilly stirred. “Tom?” “I think that’s my cue to go home.” Natalie flexed her arms. “Are you sure you’re fit enough?” “I’ll heal just as well in my own apartment. Besides, I’m not into threesomes.” She winked. “Unless I’m invited by all the parties involved.” With a smile, she breezed through the entrance to his apartment. Before she closed the door, she peeked back in. “Don’t sell yourself short with Lilly. If I’m not mistaken, she thinks a lot of you too. Maybe even loves you.” 48
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Tom fought between the urge to throw something at Natalie and thanking her. He didn’t need advice on love, at the same time, had been wondering how he could ditch her so that he could be alone with Lilly. But Natalie had resolved that issue by leaving. Lilly had to be hurting from her fight with Liam and he wanted to soothe her pains. And he could think of a lot of ways to soothe. His cock twitched to life. After finding her clinging to Liam’s back, choking the life out of the cat, he’d been so scared he didn’t think sex would be anywhere near on his mind. Ha! All Lilly had to do was call his name and he was there, his cock rising to attention, ready for a repeat performance of last night’s mattress gymnastics. The key to his relationship with Lilly was to remind himself it was all about the sex. Nothing more. But that was a lie. Her fierce loyalty led her to cling to a wild animal’s back to save her friend’s life. His heart swelled with pride. Lilly Wyatt was a fighter. Right now she looked like an angel as she lay in the tumbled sheets, her golden hair fanned out on his pillow. She blinked at him, then sat up straight, her eyes wide. “Where’s Natalie?” “She’s up in her apartment, recovering just fine, thanks to you.” Lilly collapsed against the pillow and rubbed her arms. “And Liam?” Tom shook his head. “He didn’t make it.” A tear slipped from the corner of each pale blue eye and slid down the sides of her face. “I killed him?” She rubbed her arms faster staring down at the blankets. Tom sat on the bed beside her and turned her face to him. “He would have killed Natalie if you hadn’t done something.” She looked up, her eyes awash in shimmering pools. “I killed someone.” She rolled away and buried her face in a pillow. “That makes me no better than him.” Her muffled voice barely penetrated the thick fiberfill of the pillow.
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Tom gathered her in his arms. “He tried to kill you and Natalie. You did the only thing you could.” “I know. But it doesn’t change the facts.” She pressed her face into his shirt. “I killed a man.” “And you’re a hero.” He clutched her arms and set her far enough way to look into her eyes. “You saved a life tonight. Natalie owes you her life.” The tears spilled over and tumbled down her cheeks, each one tearing at Tom’s insides. He slid into the bed beside her and gathered her against his chest, holding her until her sobs subsided. “I’m so cold,” she whispered against his chest. “Hold me closer.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face down to hers, pressing her lips to his. With the utmost care, he returned her kiss, treating her like delicate china, afraid he might frighten her. He wanted to take away her pain, ease her heart from the horror of the night. The kiss deepened and Tom’s cock thickened, pressing against his fly, bumping into Lilly’s belly. He couldn’t take advantage of her in her state. She’d never forgive him, he’d never forgive himself. Where the hell had all his self-control gone?
Lilly’s body trembled, her skin cool and chilled. Death lingered on her hands and it was all she could do not to throw herself from the nearest window. But Tom wouldn’t let go of her. Wouldn’t let her throw away her life just because she’d killed in selfdefense. And when she could see past the horror, she might ultimately forgive herself. Later. Much later. Right now she was so cold and the only way she could get warm was to get closer to Tom. Her fingers skimmed across his chest, the soft jersey of his T-shirt frustrating her attempts to touch his naked skin. Coffee-colored skin was warm and alive, his heart beating so fast, surely it would explode from his chest. When her fingers found the hem of his shirt, she yanked it upward and, dragging it over his head, tossed it onto the 50
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floor. At last she could feel the heat of his skin against her cheek. She laid her face on his smooth, hairless chest, her lips caressing a dark brown nipple, puckered in anticipation of her moist tongue. He tasted of musk and salt and a hint of spicy soap. The hard contours of his muscles made her feel safe and protected from anyone bent on hurting her. Tom would take care of her, protect her from attacks. But who would protect her from Tom? From herself? From falling for a man she couldn’t be with? Couldn’t be with? What was she doing now? The operative word was shouldn’t. An image of Liam lying against the pavement, his face turning gray, sent a shiver across her skin and she moved closer, her uniform shirt from the Java Shop in the way. With shaking fingers, she jerked the buttons loose and shrugged out of the shirt. When she reached behind her, fumbling to unclasp her bra, large, calloused hands stopped her. “Let me.” He flicked the clasp and unleashed her breasts from the confines of her lacy cups. They spilled forward, brushing against his chest. Her sensitized flesh rejoiced, the apex of her thighs throbbing, creaming, lubricating for the coming invasion of his magnificent cock. After nearly dying, watching her friend nearly killed and killing a man, Lilly needed to feel alive inside and out. Having Tom, having all of him just might fill that bill. She sure as hell was going to test the theory. If nothing else, having him would drive away the cold threatening to seep into her soul. Lilly slid her hand down Tom’s tight abdomen to the hard metal button of his jeans. One handed, she struggled to push the button through the fabric, becoming more frustrated with each passing moment. She could feel his cock, thick and hard beneath the stiff denim and wanted to free it, touch it and taste his essence. Tom’s chest shook and a rich chuckle warmed the air. “Lilly, you’re hurting me.” Her hand jerked back. “I’m sorry.” “No, not that kind of hurt. If you don’t let me do that soon, I’m going to explode.” He brushed away her hands and flicked the button free. 51
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Lilly grabbed for the zipper and eased it down, careful not to damage anything in the process. His cock sprang free, thrusting outward, hard and straight, the rich brown rod full and pulsing, its mushroom head velvety smooth to Lilly’s fingertips. Her hands closed around him, letting him fill her palms. “You’re so big.” “Does that frighten you?” His hands cupped hers and slid hers along the length. “After tonight I didn’t think you were afraid of anything.” “I’m not afraid of this,” she said, mesmerized by the feel of him, the hard strength encased in soft skin. A shiver shook her frame. “Are you afraid of what I am?” he asked. “Yes, but I don’t want to think about it now.” His hands stopped hers. “The facts won’t change by ignoring them.” She closed her eyes and inhaled. “Tonight I don’t care. I’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.” “What if we don’t have a tomorrow? Are you content with only tonight?” She jerked her fingers free of his and demanded, “Do you want to make love to me or not?” Though her words were harsh, her eyes filled and she could have kicked herself. She’d had enough crying for one night. “I just want to feel alive,” she said in a choked whisper. “Make love to me, Tom. Remind me that I live.”
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Chapter Five Hot, raging need pulsed through Tom’s blood. With Lilly’s bare white breasts pressed against his dark chest, he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t remember why he wanted to keep an emotional distance from this women. The inner beast struggled to take control and make this woman his mate, to thoroughly fuck her and plant his seed in her womb, proclaiming her as his and his alone. Tom rolled Lilly to her back, the pressure of his feline teeth pushing against the inside of his mouth, the itchy, tingling yearning to transform into an animal spreading across his skin. “You really don’t know what you’re doing to me,” he growled. His large black hands trapped her thin, delicate wrists above her head in a vise she had no hope of escaping. Blue eyes widened in a mix of fear and anticipation. The unmistakable scent of her desire filled the air, driving him wild. “I know what I’m doing,” she whispered. “There will be no tomorrows between you and me, Lilly White,” he growled. “Do you understand?” “Wyatt,” she enunciated, her pelvis rising up to touch his hovering body. “I don’t want anything but now from you, Tom Black. What are you, man or beast? If you have any beast in you, why aren’t you fucking me? It’s what I want.” She rocked, nudging his cock with the hair covering her mons. “And if I’m not mistaken, it’s what you want too.” Tom stared down into blue eyes so fierce and true it hurt his heart. All his life, he’d vowed to himself to keep the bloodlines clean. Don’t water them down any more than they had been by mating with a human. His parents had done that and look what it got them. A miserable marriage that ended in divorce, a family divided, a child batted between them like a ping-pong ball on an uneven table. 53
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Humans and weres didn’t mix. In the back of his mind, an errant thought taunted him. A few panthers had chosen humans as their mates and seemed to be doing just fine. Humans divorced all the time. Families were torn asunder no matter their race or species. But a human mate wasn’t an option for Tom Black. He couldn’t bring a child into a world that didn’t suffer mixed marriages easily. Hadn’t he been teased by other fullblood werecats as a child? Hadn’t it made him stronger in the long run? Lilly’s legs rose up and wrapped around his waist. Though he held her trapped to the bed, she held him trapped to her, pressing his cock closer to what he couldn’t resist. In one savage thrust, he slid inside her. Her damp entrance proof she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Her channel cloaked him in heat and moisture, encasing him like a tight-fitting glove. Contracting muscles gripped his sensitized cock, drawing him deeper. “Oh yes,” she called out. “Harder. I want it hard. I want it fast. Make me feel!” Her feet dropped to the mattress and she thrust her hips upward, driving him insane with her aggression. Tom sucked in a deep breath, if she kept this up, he’d release before he’d pleasured her fully. He jerked his cock out of her creamy depths. “No!” Lilly’s legs rose up in an attempt to lock around his waist. “Not so fast.” He untangled her legs from his sides and laid them on the bed, pushing up to a kneeling position. “Let me let you feel. Do you trust me?” Her eyes wide, she nodded. “Please hurry. My body is on fire.” A smile tugged at his lips. He felt the same. Every inch of his being a molten volcano ready to erupt. Leaning over her, he pressed a kiss to her lips, his cock nudging the hair covering her pussy nearly sending him over the edge.
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But not yet. His tongue pushed between her lips, scraping her teeth open so he could thrust inside her mouth. Her hands slid up his chest and around the back of his neck, dragging him closer, crushing the soft mounds of her breasts to his hard chest. Tom moaned. He didn’t know how long he would last. Lilly was too tempting, too beautiful and passionate to make this easy. Dragging his mouth from hers, he bit into her lip, tugging gently. Then he trailed kisses along her jaw and down the long column of her throat, stopping to taste the pulse beating erratically beneath her pale skin. His feline teeth extended and he rubbed them against the vein. Her body undulated, her hands skimming across his back and down to his waist. “Tom, this is driving me insane. Fuck me. Please.” “Shhh, babe,” he breathed against the swell of her breast. “In time, Lilly, in time.” He captured a nipple between his teeth and rolled the tip with his tongue. The bud hardened into a peak, goose bumps rising across her skin. “Like that?”
Did she like it? By all the craziness… “Yes. Oh yes.” But he wasn’t going nearly fast enough. She guided his hand to the other breast and slid it across the puckered tip, her nerves rejoicing in the calluses scraping her tender skin. It wasn’t enough. She eased his hand lower, over her ribs and belly to the mound of hair. His fingers sifted through the curls, delving between her folds to the special place, her swollen, throbbing clit. When he touched her there, she bucked, her ass rising off the mattress, a cry escaping her throat. His hand lifted. “Want more?” “Oh, hell yeah!” She clapped her hand over his and steered a finger back to that pulsing mass of delight. With her finger over his, she showed him how to stroke her. Not that he needed lessons. He could find her center of pleasure all on his own. His
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kisses continued downward all the while his finger teased her clit. Then he replaced his fingers with his tongue, sliding his digits lower into her drenched channel. Lilly held still for a moment, overcome by the intensity of sensations. Tom pulled his fingers from her pussy. “Am I hurting you? Should I stop?” “Hell no!” He chuckled. “For a southern girl, you sure have a potty mouth.” “Do you have to talk so much?” she ground out between clenched teeth. With his mouth hovering over her, she couldn’t think. Then he descended on her clit, his tongue tapping the swollen nub, igniting the flames deep in Lilly’s core. Like a match to dry tinder in a forest, her desire flared to a raging inferno. The past few hours of horror whisked from her mind, consumed by the incredible firestorm consuming her body. Lilly wanted it to go on forever. The pressure between her thighs, the growing urgency, built until Lilly catapulted over the edge, screaming out loud, “Tom! Oh geezus, Tom!” She rode the crest, her hips jerking, her heels dug into the sheets. After several long minutes, she drifted back to earth, her desire shifting to the need to feel him inside her, filling her to full. “Now, Tom. Come to me.” Tom rose up on his arms, dark muscles flexing, covered in a glistening sheen of perspiration. He poised over her for a long agonizing moment, staring down into her eyes. “You’re incredible, Lilly. Do you know that?” “Let me show you incredible.” Her hips rose up, pressing her pussy over his cock. Then he was slamming into her, fucking her hard and fast. He was so deliciously big, he stretched the walls of her pussy and filled her completely. With each stroke, she rose to meet him, the force of their lovemaking rocking the bed, thumping the headboard against the wall. Like a piston in an engine, he slid in and out of her, faster and faster.
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On a path to another orgasm equal in intensity to the first, Lilly almost screamed when Tom pulled free short of his own release. “No! You can’t stop now,” she wailed, reaching for his hips to pull him back inside. He smiled. “I have no intention of stopping now.” Before she could think, he flipped her onto her stomach. With his hands on her hips, he pulled her ass into the air and plunged into her pussy from behind. The different direction was even more enticing and Lilly quickly rose to the occasion. Tom’s leaned down over her, one hand shifting from her hip to cup her breast. The other hand dove into her curls at the apex of her thighs, finding and strumming her clit to the rhythm of his fucking. With pleasure coming from all sides, Lilly rocketed to orgasm. Tom gripped her hips again and thrust deep inside her and held her tightly against him, his cock pulsing, throbbing in his release. When at last his muscles relaxed, he eased her to her side, spooning her against him, his cock still hard and embedded in her cunt. The sweet, musky scent of their sex filled the air, wrapping Lilly in a warm blanket of well-being. She couldn’t remember when she’d felt happier and more sexually satisfied. But it went deeper than the physical act. Tom had shown he cared by pleasuring her first. He didn’t let the beast take over, didn’t let himself harm her. He snuggled his face against her neck. “You’re beautiful,” he said on a sigh. Soon the steady rhythm of his chest against her back indicated he’d fallen to sleep. Lilly, nestling into his strong arms, smiled into the darkness. “I don’t care what you say, Tom Black. I’m falling in love with you.”
Tom lay in the shadows, his arm draped around Lilly’s slim waist, one hand cupping a firm breast. Despite her warmth pressed against him, a cold chill of fear
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snaked through him. Tom hadn’t been afraid of much in his life. But he was afraid of Lilly. Afraid his growing physical attraction had gone beyond the physical and into forbidden emotional territory. Was he insane to think a relationship between the two of them could possibly work? Even if it could, he had a rogue cougar out for revenge against all the panthers, him in particular. If word got out that Lilly was Tom’s mate, she’d be the prime target of revenge. Hell, she already was as far as Jason was concerned. His arm tightened around her and she stirred, rolling toward him, her naked breasts glowing pale and sexy in the little bit of light shining through the slats of the window blinds. Tom’s cock twitched, hardening at the sweet offering. Geezus. What was he thinking? When he should be broadcasting to the world that there was nothing between him and Lilly, all he wanted to do was fuck her again and again until they both lay completely exhausted and satiated. He should leave now and never come back to her room. His body wanted him to stay, his mind told him he should go. To protect her. His fear for her safety drove him from the bed. Her blue eyes opened. “Where are you going?” When he wanted to crawl back in the sheets with her and hold her for the rest of the night, he held back, making a decision to do what was best for her. “The sex was good, babe. Thanks. Now I have to go. See ya around.”
Before Lilly had time to process his words, Tom was gone. The snick of the door closing behind him cut straight through her heart. She flopped to her side, clutching the pillow he’d laid his head on. She could smell him, could still feel his hands on her body, still feel him inside her. No way he could fuck her and that be the end. No way! She sat up and threw the pillow across the room, tears welling in her eyes and tumbling down her cheeks. 58
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Tom Black had warned her that he didn’t want a relationship. Lilly had been fool enough to think she could hold him. Wasn’t sex just sex to a man? He couldn’t care less that she’d come to the bed with her heart fully invested in him. That wasn’t his problem. It was hers. Well she’d damn well make it his. She’d show him that he needed her as much as she needed him, if it was the last thing she did. Lilly sat up and crossed her arms over her bare breasts. Tom Black, you’ve met your match in Lilly Wyatt.
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Chapter Six Tom spent the rest of the night and the next day meeting with other members of the panthers. The situation threatened to spiral out of control. Cougars had caused so much trouble, the panther’s contact on the police force indicated the precinct was doubling up on the night shifts just to cover Hell’s Kitchen. As daylight faded between the skyscrapers, Tom opened the door to his apartment and trudged in, exhausted and in need of a hot shower before he hit the streets again that night. “You’re making a mistake,” Natalie’s voice called out from the sofa in the small living room. Her tone indicated a forthcoming lecture. She turned and gave him a pointed look over the back of the couch. Tom could lay odds on what the lecture would be about and he didn’t want it. “What are you doing in my apartment? Don’t you have one of your own?” “I wanted to find out what you and the others decided to do about the cougars.” “We’re moving tonight. Everyone will pull duty patrolling. Are you up for it?” She gave him a thumbs-up. “You can count on me.” “Good.” He tossed his apartment key on the kitchen counter and reached into the refrigerator for a carton of milk. He needed to settle the acid that had been churning in his stomach all day. Natalie swiveled in her seat and laid an arm over the back of the couch. Real casuallike. Here it comes. Tom braced himself for whatever Natalie would hit him with. “Thought you’d like to know…I had a visitor early today.” Right. Just as he suspected. “I’d rather not hear it.”
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“Aren’t you even curious who?” “I can guess.” He could think of only one person. Had been thinking of that person all day, like a video stuck in continuous replay mode. “I told her about Jason and what happened with his brother. She doesn’t think you’re a murderer.” “So?” He cringed, just imagining the conversation. “So?” Natalie’s eyes widened. “So what?” Her lips pressed together and her fingers drummed the back of the leather seat cushions. “So what are you going to do about Lilly?” “Nothing. Not that it’s any of your business.” “You’re in love with her and she’s in love with you.” She raised her hand when he opened his mouth to deny his love. “She’s my friend, I consider my friends’ business my own.” “Hmmph.” He shook the milk in the container. Lilly in love with him? Impossible. “There was a time I thought we were friends.” “We still are. That’s why I’m sticking my big fat nose into your business as well.” “Save it.” He chugged the milk straight from the carton. Natalie rose from the couch, shaking her head. She entered the kitchen, pulled a glass from the cabinet and plunked it on the counter. “Don’t be such an animal.” He slammed the carton on the counter with such force, Natalie jumped. “That’s just it. I am an animal. Lilly is human. We don’t belong together.” “Weres are just like humans in most respects.” “But we’re not human.” Tom stalked out of the kitchen. “Lilly deserves a life with someone normal.” “Does she have a choice in the matter?”
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“No.” He tugged his T-shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. “Unless you plan to watch me strip down to nothing, I suggest you get the hell out.” Natalie tipped her head to the side, a grin spreading across her face. “I get to watch?” Tom closed his eyes and counted to ten in two seconds. He reached for the button on his jeans and flicked it open, hoping to hear the door to his apartment open and close. When it didn’t, he opened his eyes. Natalie stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her brows winged upward on her cinnamon-colored face. “If you only want another were, then why not me?” “Not interested. Fucking you would be like making it with my sister.” Her hands went to the full swell of her hips. “Hello, dense guy. I’m a were. I thought that’s all that mattered to you.” “Well, it’s not.” Natalie’s arms crossed over her chest again and she gave Tom a narrow-eyed look. “Exactly my point. You’re in love with Lilly and no amount of denying it will change that. Be a big werecat and do something about it.” “I can’t.” “You mean you won’t.” She shook her head. “I used to respect your ability to go after what you wanted undeterred.” Tom pointed to the door. “Out.” “Fine. But you’re being stupid.” She turned and headed for the door. Without waiting for Natalie’s departure, Tom strode into the bathroom and turned on the shower, twisting the knob to cold. He stripped off his clothes and stood waiting for the water to warm, listening to the patter of droplets hitting the shower curtain and remembering getting naked with Lilly. And he didn’t need a hard-on when he couldn’t do anything about it. Not when he had to put a stop to the cougars tonight. He needed all his concentration to handle that situation first. Then he’d have a heart-to-heart with
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Lilly and let her know in no uncertain terms they were through. While the cold spray shriveled his skin and cock, he knew the water wasn’t enough to wash away his feelings for Lilly. But it was a start.
***** She’d debated staying home from work. After almost getting killed the night before, Lilly didn’t relish walking home alone after midnight with more of the rogue cougar werecats on the loose. And wouldn’t they be after her even more so now that she’d killed one of their own? A shiver slithered across her skin. She took up Simon Mason, the dishwasher, on his offer to walk her halfway home earlier than her usual shift end. He lived two blocks from where she did. At least she had company and a semblance of protection for part of the way. Not that Simon was as massive and powerful as Tom. But maybe there’d be safety in numbers. “This is my street. You sure you don’t want me to walk you the rest of the way to your apartment?” Simon asked. He pushed his owl-eyed glasses up his nose for the hundredth time that evening, peering at her through the thick lenses. “No. I only have two more blocks. I’ll be okay.” She hoped. “I don’t mind. It’ll only take me a minute.” The whole time she’d been walking with Simon, she’d worried about the poor man. If they were attacked because of some gang’s vengeance on her and Simon got hurt, she could never forgive herself. When they’d finally reached his road, Lilly breathed a deep sigh of relief. “No, really, I’ll be just fine. You go on. You need to get some rest before your classes tomorrow at NYU.” “I still have to read two chapters before I hit the bed.” Simon turned, his mind obviously already on the work he had ahead of him. “See ya tomorrow.” “Later, Simon.” Lilly took off at a fast walk, determined to get home in a hurry. The less time she remained on the street, the less chance she had of running into the cougars. Her pace 63
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increased until she was almost running when she rounded the corner of the road leading to her building. She’d been so intent on making it to her apartment in a hurry, she couldn’t slow down in time to keep from running headfirst into a solid chest. “Excuse me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” She stared into golden eyes sporting elongated pupils and a face with tawny hair springing from the skin. “Damn.” “Hey, Jason, look what the cat dragged in.” One man shoved her against another. Strong hands gripped her arms and held her immobile. Lilly struggled to free herself from his grasp. “Let me go.” “Not so fast. I need you.” The man they’d called Jason crushed her against his body, trapping her hands between them. His own hands roamed over her back and down to cup her ass beneath her barmaid skirt. “Been giving our friend Tom some of this pussy?” Lilly froze, her heart thundering against her chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Tom who?” He squeezed her right cheek so hard, Lilly cried out. “Don’t lie to me, bitch. I know you’ve been fucking that bastard. I saw you.” Her face burned. “You were the one looking through the window?” Anger overrode fear. “You’re one sick man, Jason whoever-you-are.” “Maybe so, but Tom Black is a murderer. He killed my brother. And you’re a murdering bitch. You killed Liam.” Jason ground the ridge of his jeans against her pelvis. “I’m out for a little cougar justice.” “Your brother was drunk and stepped out in front of a car. Tom had nothing to do with his death. Your brother died because he was stupid. And Liam died trying to rape me and kill Natalie. It was self-defense, dammit!”
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“Shut up.” Jason’s hand snaked out and smacked her hard across the cheek, knocking her into one of his buddies. The other man caught her from behind and kept her from running. Pain shot through her face and Lilly’s vision blurred with stinging tears. “Why should I shut up? Because you know I’m right?” She had to keep him talking to buy time to come up with an escape plan. “You don’t know shit. I’m going to fuck you in front of your boyfriend, and then I’ll kill you both—slow and painful.” He stood in the middle of four other cougars, all in human form for the time being. Lilly hoped they stayed human until she could get away. Battling four men who were stronger than her was one thing. Battling killer cats…well, she’d rather not have to go there. “Big words for a man with a gang behind him. I wonder if you’d be so brave on your own.” “I guess you’ll never know, since I plan on killing you and your fuck buddy tonight.” “Can we start now? I’m up for a little entertainment.” The man holding her shoved her toward Jason. Lilly pretended to lose her balance and dropped to the ground several feet from Jason. Fear raced through her, but she tamped it down, rolled to her feet and ran. She knew she didn’t stand a chance against all five men. Her only hope for survival was to get the hell out of there and fast. The roar of a mountain lion sounded behind her, but Lilly didn’t look back. She kept running, headed toward the safety of a well-lit building. A man stepped out in front of her and blocked her path. She didn’t have time to stop, crashing into him, full force. Lilly almost collapsed in relief when she saw that the man was Tom. Her relief quickly faded when she
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remembered that the rogue wanted Tom dead. “Be careful, Tom. Jason wants to kill you.” “Let him try.” Tom pushed her behind him, as he faced the advancing cougars. Still in human form, he’d be at a disadvantage against the already changing cats, but the cat in him was coming out, hair springing from his skin, claws stretching from his fingertips. He unbuckled his belt and dropped his jeans to the ground, stepping free of their confinement. “You’re not man or beast enough to kill me, Jason. Only cowards pick on innocents. And only cowards bring along a gang to do their dirty work.” “I’ll show you coward.” The man completed his transformation into a cougar and dropped to all fours, screaming an eerie cry that echoed off the brick walls of the buildings. In a blur of fur and razor-sharp teeth, he leapt at him, before Tom could remove his shirt. Only partially transformed, Tom staggered backward, grabbing Jason’s neck, holding back the razor-sharp teeth from sinking into his throat. The other cougars edged closer to her and the two brawling werecats. Before they could join the fight, four black panthers appeared out of the shadows, each targeting one of the rogue cougars. Lilly clutched her hands to her chest, feeling helpless and useless. Her gaze panned the dirty alley searching for something, anything, she could use as a weapon. A broken pallet lay against the wall, slats hanging loose, the nails having given up their hold. She ran to the pallet and jerked a slat free. When she turned back to the fight, Tom and Jason were locked in a life-or-death battle. The cougar had Tom pinned to the ground, his dagger-like teeth bared and ready to slash into Tom’s throat. Without thought to her own safety, Lilly charged, slat in hand. Intent on his kill, the cougar didn’t hear Lilly until it was too late. She slammed the board as hard as she could against the cougar’s head and shoulders.
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The blow knocked him to the side and Tom leaped to his feet, his own transformation well underway. He ripped off his clothes and dropped to all fours as he became the powerful, black panther Lilly had seen in the alley the night before. He was beautiful, sleek and deadly. In one terrifying leap, he pounced on the cougar, the two tumbling in a death roll, both sets of teeth and claws slashing air and fur. Lilly couldn’t tell who had the upper hand in the battle to the death. Her heart hammered against her ears and she stood with the slat poised for another swing. The two cats raged and rolled so fast, Lilly was afraid she’d hit Tom if she aimed for Jason. Then Tom got his back paws between him and Jason and launched the other cat across the pavement. Jason hit the ground with a thud and staggered to all fours, his head lowered, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “I’m going to kill you, then kill your girlfriend.” The voice in his head sounded like more of a growl than actual words, but the intent was clear. “No, this ends here.” Tom snarled and lunged, knocking the cougar onto his back. Caught off guard, Jason made the deadly mistake of leaving his neck open. Lilly’s stomach clenched as, lightning fast, the panther ripped into the cougar’s throat, tearing through the carotid artery. Blood gushed onto the pavement and the cougar’s paws fell limp. When the others realized what had happened, the fighting slowed to a stop, each cougar in a stand-off position with an opposing panther. Tom, in his panther form, backed away. In a few moments his body lengthened and unfolded into the man who’d captured Lilly’s desires and heart. Finally able to breathe, Lilly ran to him and wrapped her hands around his waist, burying her face against his chest. “I was so scared for you.” “Scared?” He pushed her to arm’s length and stared down, shaking his head. “I couldn’t tell.” Then he pulled her against his naked body and whispered into her hair, “You should have seen the animal I saw bearing down on that cougar, board in hand.”
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She stared at the man she’d helped kill, a shiver rippling across her shoulders. “I guess we all have a little animal in us.” Another life wasted in the name of revenge. Would the war end here? God, she hoped so. If not for leaning against Tom, Lilly would have grown numb with a bone-chilling cold, threatening to overwhelm her. But her inner animal heated, incredibly aware of the wild and beautiful beast that was Tom. She stood in the circle of his arms, her body rubbing against the muscular, naked planes of his thighs and hips and all she could think about was lying with him, feeling him inside her, forcing her to realize that she was still alive. If Jason had succeeded, the story would have ended quite differently. “Can we leave?” “In a minute.” Tom glanced across at Jason. In death, he’d reverted to human form, his throat a bloody mess and his tanned body naked against the dark pavement. His gaze shifted to the other cougars, surrounded by black panthers, all watching him with narrowed eyes. “This shouldn’t have happened.” Tom’s voice echoed off the brick walls of the surrounding buildings, his tone sad but firm. “I didn’t kill his brother. I don’t condone killing weres of any kind, nor do I allow weres to kill humans in my territory.” “But you killed Jason.” A cougar, half transformed, straightened to stand on two feet. He jabbed at Lilly. “And she killed Liam.” “I didn’t mean to, he would have killed Natalie. She’d done nothing to hurt him. Nothing,” Lilly insisted. “Both were cases of kill or be killed. Purely self-defense.” Tom squeezed her arm, stopping her words before he addressed the cougars. “If you want to stay in Hell’s Kitchen, you live under panther rules. If not, get the hell out and stay out or you’ll end up like your friend here.” He nodded to Jason lying in a widening pool of his own blood. Tom gathered his clothing and stepped into his jeans. His shirt was shredded and he tossed it into a nearby trash bin. “What’s it to be?”
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“We’ll leave,” said one of the cougars. The others, now in human form, moved toward him, standing tall. “If I see you in Hell’s Kitchen again, it better be to ask for permission to join the panthers. Otherwise I’ll take it as a sign of aggression. Panthers meet aggression with maximum force. Am I understood?” “Yeah.” The lead cougar’s face was tight, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Tom nodded toward Jason. “Take him with you.” The men moved in and each grabbed an arm or leg, lifting Jason from the pavement. Then they left, disappearing around a corner into the darkness. “Think they’ll stay gone?” Lilly asked. “For a while.” Tom’s gaze remained on the corner. A chill invaded Lilly’s soul. “Will it always be his way? Will you always have to be on guard against rogue weres?” “As much as being on guard against muggers.” Tom turned and smiled down at her. “We all live in the same city, like it or not.” “I like some of them.” Lilly leaned into him. “A lot.” “Some?” “Some more than others.” She smiled up at him. “How’s that?” He shook his head and hugged her close. “It’ll do for a start. Although, I’m still not totally convinced a human-were combination is a good idea.” “I have ways of convincing you.” His eyes flashed and was that a purr emanating from his throat? “Come on, Lilly, let’s go home.” Lilly liked that she could make him purr. She hooked her arm through his muscular one and turned toward her apartment. She’d almost lost him tonight, the wildly violent incident shaking her to the very core. Now that he was okay and she had hold of him, she didn’t want to let go of him ever again. A shiver shook her so hard her teeth rattled. 69
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Tom stared down into her eyes. “Are you afraid of me?” His golden eyes shadowed for a moment as if her answer meant something to him. “No.” She leaned into him, squeezing his arm, loving the strength of him and the warmth she felt when he looked at her that way, with love and lust shining from his eyes. “I was more afraid of being without you, and I still am.” “It doesn’t bother you that I’m not completely human?” “I came to New York City to find myself.” She shrugged. “I did that. As a bonus, I also found you. Human, panther, it doesn’t matter. What matters is what’s here.” She pressed a hand to her heart and then his. “I was falling in love with you before I knew what you were on the outside because of who you are on the inside.” “A wise person once told me a relationship between a werecat and a human can work,” Tom said. Lilly frowned. “Not just any relationship. If it involves you, I’m the human denominator. The only human for you, pal. Got that?” “You wield a mighty stick, Lilly. If I disagree will you hit me with it?” Lilly grinned. “No, but I might spank you.” “Promises, promises.” He captured her hand in his and held tight. His other hand slid down to cup her ass, drawing her closer until the ridge of his cock, nudged against her belly. “You sure you can handle me?” Her free hand ran down his ribcage and smoothed over his backside. She clutched his ass and pulled him hard against her pelvis, her mouth watering for a taste of his outrageously big cock. “I’m willing to give it a try. I hear practice makes purr-fect.” A loud purr rumbled in Tom’s chest. “I can see we’re going to need a lot of practice.” He grabbed her hand and hauled her toward home. The End
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About the Author I’ve written for Ellora’s Cave since September of 2006 when my first release Trouble with Harry came out. Since then, I’ve expanded from reluctant genies to werewolves, chameleons, vampires and witches. For me, reading and writing gives me the freedom to explore strange new worlds and write the characters and creatures clamoring to escape my mind. I like writing everything from romantic comedy to dark and sexy suspense. Mostly I like to escape into other worlds whether grounded in reality or complete fantasy. Come…escape with me!
Myla welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Myla Jackson Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis I anthology Fit to Be Tied Jacq’s Warlord with Delilah Devlin Sex, Lies & Vampire Hunters Shewolf Thorn’s Kiss Trouble With Harry Trouble With Will Witch’s Curse
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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