“That male’s in love with you,” he ground out.
“No. He’s not.”
He sniffed darkly. “I’m a professional, Karen.”
“A professional what?”
“This isn’t funny.”
“Oh come on. It’s a little funny.” Two massive gold cats came running past them. Reaux didn’t even acknowledge their presence. “Listen, Love Doctor, Adrian is dating a Hunter.”
That didn’t deter him one little bit. “You can date people, sleep with people…”
“Point?”
“Doesn’t mean they’re the one.”
“You’re very philosophical for a shrink.”
He stopped on the trail, a block from her little house, and turned to face her. Caleb was still sound asleep in his arms. His eyes blazed down at her. “You’re not taking this seriously.”
“No, I’m not. Because I’m not in love with him and that’s all that matters.”
Reaux stared at her, nostrils flaring.
“And furthermore—” she continued hotly.
“I get a furthermore?”
“Furthermore,” she pressed. “I’m already interested in someone.”
The blaze in his eyes upgraded to inferno. “Really?”
She nodded. Slowly. Then broke out the easy, flirtatious smile. “It’s a terrible crush, actually.”
It took him a moment to get there, for his eyes to gentle and his lips to twitch. “I’m sorry.”
“Yep. I don’t see myself getting over it.” Her gaze moved over his face. “Unless, of course, that guy doesn’t feel the same about me.”
Reaux exhaled heavily, shook his head. And then before either of them could say another word, he leaned in—boy in his arms—and kissed her. Nothing hungry, nothing possessive, but slow and drugging and filled with promises.
“He feels the same,” he whispered against her lips. “That guy.” He smiled. “He feels unquestionably, unabashedly, unreservedly the same.”
And then he kissed her for a full five minutes in the middle of the path before they finally broke apart and headed for home.
***
Reaux slid the covers up to the cub’s chin, then paused a moment. Is this what it felt like? To be a parent? A father? Caleb looked totally at peace, cheek pressed against his pillow, so trusting. He has a mother who would die for him. Reaux smiled. Lucky boy. To have such a female love you.
The scent of mint tickled Reaux’s nostrils and he instantly growled softly.
“Is he all right?” Karen whispered, coming up beside him.
He was more than all right. “I can sense it in him. His cat. It’s very strong-willed.”
She laughed softly. “I’m not surprised.”
Her quick sigh brought his head around. “What is it?”
“I wish I could sense it. I feel like I have nothing to offer him in that way. No understanding.”
Reaux slipped his arm around her waist and eased her to him. “You have more important gifts to give him. Love. Security. Acceptance. You have no idea what those things mean to a young male.”
Her eyes searched his. “Or to an older male?”
“Yes,” he breathed. Goddess, his heart was full. He needed to tell her. How he felt. What he wanted.
But what if she didn’t want him? Just the idea had his insides aching. A strange and terrifying feeling. He’d never realized until now how he’d rejected mating. Used his ‘curse’ as an excuse never to get close.
When Caleb rolled to his side and coughed, Karen made a let’s-get-out-of-here gesture with her head, and they left the room.
“Ice cream?” she whispered, closing the boy’s door and heading into the hallway.
“Definitely.” He followed her into the small kitchen, then leaned on the counter and watched as she scooped green chocolate mint into two bowls. Afterwards, they stole back into the living room and dropped down on the sofa.
“I like your house,” he said, glancing around. “Comfortable.”
“It’s one of the new cottages for us rats and hybrids. Not that it’s huge or anything,” she continued in between bites of ice cream. “But to me it feels massive. After living in that cage for so long.”
His cat dragged its claws down Reaux’s spine. It wanted out, wanted to kill every single being that had hurt this female. “You’re free now,” he said. “In so many ways.”
“I’m just starting to feel that.” Sudden happiness bubbled in her eyes and she said, completely without restraint, “Do you want to stay over?”
Reaux’s skin went tight, and his appetite for ice cream evaporated. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I am. I’ve never slept with anyone before. In the same bed.”
“Neither have I,” he told her.
She smiled broadly, almost conspiratorially. “So, you want to?”
The puma jumped, but Reaux pushed it back. What it wanted to say was, I don’t want to ever leave your side. You’re mine. But that would sound dire and desperate, and frankly, he’d been an overbearing asshole of an alpha while they’d walked home, over the Adrian issue.
But then again, he was Pantera. A male. A predator at his core. And he’d found the one he wished to mate. How could he not show her that?
“Well?” she pressed, her eyes bright with excitement.
“I’d love to stay,” he said. And when she smiled again, he smiled back.
After they finished their ice cream and put the bowls in the sink, Karen showed Reaux the bathroom, gave him a spare toothbrush, then went into her room to change.
Reaux had brought nothing, so when he came out, he was wearing only his boxers. “Didn’t bring my overnight bag.”
Dressed in a thick, pink robe, Karen stood by the window. Her eyes moved over him covetously. “You’re fine. Really…fine.” She chewed her lip. “If you’re comfortable, I’m comfortable. You look…”
“Fine?” he asked.
She let out a groan. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
“First sleepover. For both of us.” He got under the covers and reached for her. “Come here.”
Before his greedy eyes, she slipped off her robe and came over to the bed. Reaux practically swallowed his tongue at the sight. The woman was a goddess. Forget lingerie. She had on a sort of long pink tank that hit mid-thigh. Showed off her toned arms, perfect breasts, tight nipples, small waist and long legs. She was sexy as hell, but cute too.
Christ, was he drooling?
The instant she slipped under the covers, the instant her warm body moved against his, he eased her close. Mine. And when she draped her leg across his thigh and pressed her cheek to his chest, Reaux, for the first time in his life, knew true contentment.
“Thanks for our date,” she whispered, her breath tickling the skin on his chest.
His fingers played in her hair. So soft. “Anytime.”
“And carrying the kid home, putting him to bed.”
“Of course.”
“And…well, putting me to bed, too.” She tipped her face up, then, to see him. “Reaux?”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Mmmm hmmm?”
“I want to rip your clothes off now.”
He laughed. Couldn’t help himself. “I’m not wearing much, ma chère. And if we were anywhere else, I’d let you. Goddess, I ache for you. You have no idea. I can’t wait to taste you.” He growled softly and kissed her hungrily, deeply, then whispered as he pulled back, “These lips as well as the others.”
She groaned and pressed her core against his thigh.
A snarl ripped from his lips. “My cat wants you as badly as I do. But I think we should just sleep tonight. Caleb is so close by, and Pantera males aren’t quiet.”
She groaned, her eyes heavy with desire as she stared at him. But in the end, she nodded.
“Rest now.” He gathered her in his arms. “We have plenty of time.”
We have a lifetime, my beautiful mate, he thought as she tucked into
his shoulder and released a weighty breath.
CHAPTER 10
Sunlight warmed her face, while the heat and muscles of a delicious male scorched her back. Karen grinned. Reaux was tucked in behind her, and there was nothing she wanted more in that moment than for him to slip his arm around her waist and yank her back even closer. So she could feel every bit of him. Warm breath near her neck. Hard cock against the rise of her buttocks.
She could get used to this.
If she moved, arched her back just so, maybe she could entice him to…
She heard Caleb. He was in the living room. Talking and playing with his little army men. No arched back this morning.
We have plenty of time.
Reaux’s words, his promise, hummed through her. Never had she wanted anything more. She couldn’t wait to have him, and be taken by him. She couldn’t wait to connect with him. She was falling in love with him.
The sound of something hitting the ground in the living room had her gently disentangling herself from his grasp. Trying not to wake him, she slipped out of bed and grabbed her robe. She found Caleb sprawled out on the living room rug, a big book on the ground beside him. He looked up the second she came in.
“Is Reaux here, mama?”
She felt strange answering that question. Was it okay? That Reaux was here, in her house, in her bed? Waking up with her? In her mind and heart, she believed Reaux to be her mate. It’s what she wanted. What she believed he wanted too. A soft smile touched her mouth. “Yes, baby.”
“Oh, good,” the boy said, his eyes lighting up like two firecrackers. “I want to tell him I played the CD two times last night.”
“That’s wonderful, honey,” she said, coming over and ruffling his hair.
“And did you feel your puma, cub?” came a deep male voice behind them.
Karen turned and promptly swooned. Standing there, his big body taking up residence in her small living room, was the sexiest male in the whole wide world. He was wearing his jeans again, but no shirt, and his shoulders, chest and belly were tantalizingly ripped with hard muscle. She checked her mouth for possible drool, then grinned. Was he truly hers? Could he be hers? As she gazed into his eyes, so predatory and passionate as he strode toward her, she felt he wanted to be.
“My puma needs to hear it again, Reaux!” Caleb called out.
“Then break out the music, cub,” he said with a happy growl, coming up behind Karen and giving her a quick kiss on the neck. “Denying your beast can be a very dangerous thing.”
Blazing heat and tickling shivers moved through Karen’s already sensitive body. When he was good and truly hers, he could spend every night there, in her bed. Their bed. She’d have to get a bigger bed. Fit for a long, heavily muscled Pantera.
“What’s for breakfast, mama?” Caleb asked.
She looked down at him, lovingly. “You’re hungry?”
“Yep. And so’s my cat.” He growled at her for effect.
She glanced over her shoulder at Reaux, who was staring at her neck. “What about you, male? Hungry?”
His eyes lifted to capture hers. “Starving.”
Her pulse jumped and skittered in her blood. “You two hang out, then, and I’ll whip up something.”
“Need help?” he asked with an intimate smile.
“Maybe later,” she said, returning it.
“Definitely later.”
Though her body was a jumble of awareness, happiness, tension and wonder, Karen managed to gathered up her ingredients. As she cracked eggs and toasted bread, she took in the sweet little wonderful world she was living in at that moment. Male and cub, playing on the rug, laughing as their army men strategized and battled. Was this a home? The real kind? With a…family in it? Or could it be? Her heart pinged with its familiar sense of loss. All that was missing was Ward and Tate. Reaux could teach them so much. As if she’d called out to him, he glanced up then and caught her looking at him. His eyes were steady and sure, his grin hungry and predatory. Her heart skipped, then melted. This male was her heart, her home. She prayed he felt it too.
With a contented sigh, she went back to frying her bacon, and the boys went outside. Everything was going to work out, she mused as she watched them run, watched Reaux shifting in and out of his cat every few minutes. It had to work out. After what she’d been through over the past twelve years, she deserved something real and wonderful.
She deserved Reaux.
She deserved a happy and whole family.
She quickly set the table, plated all the food, and was about to grab milk and juice when Reaux’s cellphone, which he’d left on the counter the night before, buzzed. She grabbed it, and was about to run out and give it to him when she caught sight of the readout. A dark sickness crept over her, and all at once the pleasure and safety from a moment ago evaporated.
The info I gave u was flawed. K’s cub was 15 days old when he died. Not 10. Sry for the f-up.
Karen stared at it, eyes so wide, brow so furrowed, it soon became painful. K was her. The cub who died had to be Tate. Suddenly breathless, she had this strange urge to get into the corner, huddle down and stay there. For hours. Days. Weeks? But she didn’t. Couldn’t. Caleb wasn’t going to see her like that ever again.
She glanced up. Looked outside. At her son and Reaux. Running around the yard. She’d trusted this male. With everything she had. Her child, her heart. Why would she do that? After everything she’d been through…why would she do that?
Caleb burst through the door then, his cheeks pink from the cold morning air. “We’re starving, mama!”
She nodded, forced a smile. “I’ll bring it out to you. Can you ask Reaux to come in and help me?”
“Yep!”
A few seconds later, the male she’d believed was her true mate only minutes ago strode in, a wide grin on his face. “He’s so close. I can’t wait to see his first shift.”
“You left your phone on the counter.”
He immediately tensed. Not because of the phone, but because of the tone in her voice. Eyeing her closely, he took it from her hand. And when he read the text, he cursed and shook his head.
“You need to go,” she said.
“Karen—”
“Go. Now.”
“I was going to tell you.”
“Before or after you slept with me?”
“That’s not fair.”
“Your shirt’s in the bathroom,” she said. “Shoes too.”
“Don’t do this. Don’t go there in your head.”
She glared at him, hissed at him. “Don’t tell me what to do. Ever. How long have you been keeping this from me?”
He reached for her. “I haven’t been keeping anything from you.”
“Don’t touch me.” Tears broke in her eyes. “My Tate? He’s…dead. All this time.”
Reaux reached for her again. “Please let me hold you.”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “You need to go. Caleb has been through hell. He doesn’t deserve to walk in on this.”
“Karen…” For several seconds, it looked like Reaux might fight her. His eyes held a deep misery, deep regret. But after a moment, he went into the bathroom and grabbed his shirt. When he came out, he went straight for her. “I asked a friend for help. That’s all. I wanted to give you this. I wanted to do this for you. I’m in love with you, Karen.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “I found out this information late yesterday. I was going to tell you. But last night…I don’t know. I guess I just wanted us both to be happy.” He stared at her, waiting for a response. When she didn’t give one, he cursed again and headed for the door. “It’s easy to jump back into dark feelings and even darker assumptions. Believe me, I know.”
Tears streaked down her cheeks as he walked out the door. But she quickly wiped them away. Her son needed her. Whole and happy. And if she had to, hiding her pain once again. It was a state of being she knew all too well.
***
It had been two days. r />
Two long, suckass days since Reaux had seen her. And he’d never felt more miserable in his life.
“We need you to profile him, Reaux.”
Reaux glanced up. The leader of the Pantera, along with Parish and three Suits—Genevieve, Roch and Irek—were in his office. Morning meeting.
“By some miracle from the Goddess,” Raphael continued, “Xavier managed to locate and save the research from the computers that were blown up by the suicide bomber. He explained it all to me, but frankly the Geeks speak a different language.”
“Those plans are disturbing as fuck,” Parish ground out. The leader of the Hunters was pacing near the window. “Just like the madman who created them.
“If Christopher realizes we managed to salvage the data,” Irek put in, “he could unleash the virus on the Wildlands. We need to get to him.”
Reaux released a weighty breath. His head needed to be in this game. The lives of his kind were at stake. “You want to know everything about a man who would do this?” When they all nodded, he added, “I’ll create a profile, but you have to know it’ll be an educated guess.”
“We know,” Genevieve told him. “Work with Mackenzie and Lux on this.” She handed him a zip drive. “Here’s everything we have on him so far, but we’d ultimately like your opinions on where he might be living now, how he spends his money, who he spends his time with. Anything and everything.”
“To what end exactly?” Reaux asked her.
“To locate the fucker.” Parish leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re taking him out for good. And everyone who works for him.”
Understanding dawning quickly, a low growl rumbled from Reaux’s chest. “That’s why you’ve called the Pantera home?” He eyed Raphael. “You’re assembling an army.”
The leader of the Pantera didn’t deny it. “We’re done with pairs going in, putting on Band-Aids and putting out fires. We’re going to end this.”
“Good.” Before Reaux could respond further, there was a knock on the door. Then it opened slightly and Karen’s face appeared. When she realized who was inside, she grimaced. “Sorry. I’ll come back later.”