Here Kitty, Kitty!

Chapter Thirteen

Nik threw open his front door. “Angie?”

“Kitchen.”

He froze. Kitchen?

Nik walked toward it with trepidation, but as he neared, he smelled food. And it smelled really good.

He found Angie sitting at the kitchen table, her feet up on the sturdy wood. The latest copy, he assumed, of Mademoiselle Magazine open on her lap. The relief he felt at seeing her safe practically knocked him back out the door. When his brothers pointed out the hyenas in town, he immediately feared the worst. And seeing female wolves and lions hanging out in front of Fallons Department Store simply confused him.

“What’s that smell?” He liked that he didn’t have to start every conversation with the usual pleasantries. In fact, he got the feeling Angie hated pleasantries.

“My kick-ass spaghetti with meat sauce.”

“You can cook?”

She glared at him. “Yes. I can cook. I often choose not to, but I can cook.”

He folded his arms in front of his chest. “So why have you chosen to cook for me?”

“You know, to thank you for your wonderful hospital—”

“Angie.”

“All right, all right!” Wow, that didn’t take much turning of the screws to get her to break. “I went into town with your sisters and there was a small problem with hyenas and Kisa. Then a fight with the lions and the bears, and then the cheetahs pissed off the wolves…anyway, Fallons will be charging about two grand to your personal account.”

Nik forced himself not to smile. “You rack up two grand on my account and all I get is your lousy spaghetti?”

He barely ducked that magazine in time. “My spaghetti is not lousy.” She swung her feet off the table and stood up. “And you’re going to eat it and you’re going to goddamn love it!” She pushed past him.

“Goddamn hillbilly,” she muttered while stomping to the stove. She had on shorts. Nice.

“Well sit your hillbilly ass down.”

He pulled his chair out and dropped into it. “It’s ready?”

“Nearly.” She dropped a plate in front of him. “But to get you started, here’s salad.”

She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist and yanked her onto his lap.

“Where you goin’?” Somehow he knew there was more to this story.

“Get your cat paws off me.” She laughed, struggling to pull away from him.

Nik wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight. “Now, what aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me, Angie.”

“I’m not.” He slid his hand between her legs, and she grabbed onto his wrist. “Don’t you dare!”

“Then tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell.” He pushed his hand farther up her leg. “Okay. Okay!”

Angie took a deep breath, but still refused to release his wrist. “There was a slight fender bender with your daddy’s truck, but it was your sister’s fault.”

“How much is that going to cost me?”

“I don’t know.”

His hand moved up another inch.

“I don’t!” She pushed at his arm. “But your daddy said he’d let ya know.”

“Maybe,” he ran his tongue up around her ear, before pulling back, “you could work all that money off. Ya know. In trade.”

“Oh, get a grip, hillbilly. You know I’ll pay you back for all of it.”

He licked her neck. She pinched his hand. He bit her neck. She punched his arm. He slid his hand up and down her calf, simply enjoying the feel of her soft flesh beneath his hand and she snarled, “Look, hillbilly, unless you’re going to fuck me, stop freakin’ touching me.”

Nik stopped because he wasn’t sure he heard her correctly. “What?”

“I don’t like to be touched unless it leads to fucking. And, then, only if it’s the important areas. Otherwise, get your hands off me.”

“You’re kidding right?”

“No.”

He decided to test her, running his hand behind the back of her knee.

With a growl, she pulled back and he let her go. Unfortunately, she lost her seat and fell back off his lap, dropping to the floor.

Her ass hit the tile, then her head. Nik winced in sympathy.

“You okay, sugar?”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Now that’s just rude.”

“You know…” She struggled to sit up, so he grabbed her T-shirt and yanked her into position. She slapped at his hands. “You are a very distracting man.”

“Why, thank you kindly.”

“It wasn’t a compliment, Cleatus.”

“I’m Nik. Cleatus is my second cousin twice removed. We call him Cleats for short.”

Angie buried that pretty little face in her hands and sighed.

She really could just kill him. True, she’d go to prison for at least twenty-five years, but it might be worth it.

He crouched down in front of her, grabbing her ankle and pulling her toward him.

“Hey!” She slapped at his hand. “What are you doing?”

“You took a nasty fall there. I wanna check the back of your head.”

“My head’s fine.” She tried to scramble away from him again, but with grim determination, he snatched her back, pulling her tight against his body.

“You’re not going to make me tie your hands behind your back so that I can do this, are ya?”

He meant it jokingly, she knew he did. But her mistake? Turning away, her breath coming out in a rush, and her nipples getting hard. All at the same time.

What could she say? The idea of being tied up and at this hillbilly’s mercy sent all sorts of dirty, erotic images slamming through her tired, slightly tipsy-from-the-champagne brain.

He didn’t miss any of it. His hands tightened at her waist and for someone who went running as a tiger for miles and miles every night, he seemed to have a sudden labored-breathing problem.

“Let me go, Nik.”

“I really don’t want to.”

“Nik…let me go.”

He did. Slowly. His fingers taking an achingly long time to release her. Once he did, she scooted back from him a bit.

“Angie—”

“Don’t get any weird ideas here, hillbilly.” She wanted to back away from him, but then again she really didn’t. “It’s not what you think. I’m not into any of that weird shit.”

“I know. I know exactly what you want.” He nuzzled her chin. “You like to play.” How come she suddenly felt like one of those squeaky mice someone gives to their cat? He leaned in closer and she closed her eyes. He smelled so good and her entire body tingled at his scent. “I’ve been waiting a long time to meet someone like you, Angelina Santiago.”

She felt his tongue against her lips and, with only a moment’s hesitation, opened to him. He groaned, his mouth claiming hers. His hand sliding behind the back of her, pulling her close.

So now what? She had an uncontrollable tiger by the tail. And what the fuck do I do with that?

Anything she needed. Anything she wanted. Absolutely anything—as long as he could bury himself inside her until the end of time.

Angie pulled out of their kiss. “My sauce…I…I need to finish it.”

Nik rocked his weight back on his heels and held his hands up, palms open. She had that feral alley cat look she sometimes got. He wouldn’t do anything to push her away. Not now. Not ever. “Okay. Not a problem. I’ve gotta finish up some work in my study and then I’ll come back and eat when you’re ready.”

Together, slowly, the pair stood.

“I’m gonna go in my study now.” He spoke slowly so as not to startle her. “If you need me—”

“Yup. Yup. I know where you are. Now go away.”

He backed out the door. Once he was in the hallway, he heard her give a seriously sexy and frustrated sigh and start cursing like a sailor. After that, a lot of pot banging.

But she didn’t leave. And that was all he needed to know.

She couldn’t even taste the food. And that had to be the longest, most uncomfortable dinner she’d ever sat through. Especially when she kept thinking of Nik naked.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“My brothers will be here soon.”

The last bit of spaghetti she brought up from her plate stopped, hovering right by her lips. “Why?” Well she’d filled that question with an aura of intense distrust. So much so that Nik leaned back in his seat.

“Hunting usually. But tonight we’ll be checking to make sure the property is safe. That you’re safe.”

“Oh.”

He pushed his chair back from the table, stood, and leaned against it. His big hands resting against the thick wood. “And maybe we should get some things clear.”

“Clear?”

Without responding, Nik picked up the table and moved it out of his way. Angie watched him, mesmerized. That thing had to weigh a ton. A fine, fine piece of antique furniture she’d been silently wondering the cost of for two days. Twenty thousand easy, and his family used it like he’d picked it up at a flea market for twenty bucks.

Nik walked up to her, took the fork from her hand and tossed it across the room into the sink. Before she could move, he gripped her under her arms and lifted her out of the seat until they were eye level.

“Yes. We need to make some things clear. I don’t share what’s mine. So you have no worries about my brothers. Ever.”

Too stunned to respond, Angie stared at him.

Nik grunted. Seemingly satisfied with her lack of response. He carried her over to the sink and set her down. If he’s expecting me to do the dishes, he can forget it. I cooked the meal, he can damn well clean it up.

But Nik seemed pretty disinterested in the dirty dishes and the mess she’d made on the stove. Instead, he grabbed her hands and spread her arms out away from her body and across the counter. He leaned into her, trapping her against the stainless steel.

He stared at her for what felt like forever. Looking down at her face, her arms pinned against the counter. God, his body felt good. Just one, hard, long piece of flesh.

And, for the moment, all that flesh belonged to her.

A hard bang against the glass doors leading into the backyard startled her away from Nik’s gaze.

“I think they’re here for you.”

He smiled as his two brothers pressed up against the glass. They stood on their hind legs. Big paws sliding over the smooth surface, long tongues hanging out. They were so adorable and goofy, she found it hard to believe they were deadly predators.

Nik snarled and bared his fangs. After responding growls, the two brothers ran off.

“I’ll be back soon.” He kissed her and Angie’s body throbbed to life. She didn’t want him to go. She never wanted him to leave. She never wanted to leave.

Nik pulled back slightly, his lips still against hers. “The spaghetti was great, by the way.”

Spaghetti? “Uh…thanks.”

“Now what are you going to do while I’m gone?”

Masturbate until my hand falls off? “Shower. Sleep. Put the dishes in the sink so you can wash ’em later.”

His lips smiled against hers. “Good. But don’t get yourself off.”

“What?” Oh, God! The hillbilly can read minds. Damn witch one-eyed grandma genes!

“You heard me, sugar. Don’t you dare make yourself come.” He rubbed his mouth against hers. “That’s my job now.”

Gee. What’s that puddle at Nik’s feet? Why, that’s Angie Santiago. She used to be an ice princess, now she’s just a sopping mess.

“Ya hear?” Funny how controlled he sounded. ’Cause he didn’t feel like he had any control. He felt like if this woman twitched even once, he’d come all over the floor.

Oh that would be classy, Nik.

“Yeah. Yeah.”

He let her go before she squirmed in his arms and he lost it. But he did give her a quick kiss on her neck. “Good.”

He walked out, slamming into the two idiots right outside the house. He barely had time to shift before they tackled him. Nik knocked them both off, batting them with his paws. Christ, you’d think they’d grown out of this. But clearly they hadn’t.

Knowing he would make this patrol the shortest of his lifetime, Nik charged off into the woods, his brothers barely pacing him.