Here Kitty, Kitty!

Chapter Fifteen

Those damn cardinals woke her. She used to think they were so cute, now they were getting on her goddamn nerves.

Angie didn’t open her eyes but, instead, wished she had her rifle for some target practice. She tried her best to ignore the sound, but she really couldn’t ignore the big hand holding on to her breast like it owned it.

Forcing her eyes open, she turned her head and came face to face with a sleeping hillbilly. A hillbilly who looked more than comfortable holding on to her breast, and pushing up against her side.

Is it me? Or is my life getting weirder and weirder?

Slowly, so as not to wake him, she eased out from under his grasp and out of bed. Naked, she walked to the bathroom for a quick shower. The entire time she let the water run over her body, she kept thinking about what Nik had done to her—all night long. She’d only gotten a couple hours sleep at best. And the most interesting parts of her were sore.

The man really did know how to work a girl.

Crap. She liked him. She liked a rich, shapeshifting hillbilly. She liked him a lot and she had no idea what to do with that.

She sighed and dried herself off.

Coffee. That’s what she needed. A good cup of coffee always made everything seem simple and easy.

She wrapped a giant white towel around her body, and tiptoed out of the bathroom, heading for the door.

“Where do you think you’re goin’?”

She cringed. Well, there went her quiet cup of coffee.

Refusing to turn around, “I was going to get some breakfast.”

“But I haven’t had my breakfast yet.”

If that little fucker thinks I’m making him breakfast…

“Get that ass over here.”

She turned around, her breath catching at the sight of him. Man, but he was beautiful. Laid out on the bed, the sheet hanging low on his hips. His messy black hair practically covering those gold eyes. And big arms behind his head like he owned the place.

Oh, wait. He does own the place.

“Why?”

He raised an eyebrow at her response and she raised one right back.

“Don’t make me come over there and getcha,” he warned.

With a growl she hoped hid her sudden surge of lust, she stomped over to him.

“What?”

Taking one hand out from behind his head, he snatched her towel off.

“Hey!”

He took a deep breath. “Perfect.” Settling down into the bed, “Now, bring that pretty pussy over here.”

Angie blinked. “What?”

“Right here.” He pointed to his face. “I want that pussy right here.”

“I am not—”

And there went that damn eyebrow. “Do we really need to have that ‘don’t make me come over there and getcha’ conversation again?”

After all they did the previous night, why this would embarrass her she didn’t know. But she’d be damned if she let him know about it. Of course, Angie didn’t feel entirely comfortable jumping on the man’s face, so she straddled his chest.

“Does that look like my face to you?”

“Well, gimme a sec.”

“No. You take too damn long. And I’m starving.” He grabbed her ass in both his hands and lifted her up.

“Oh, shit. Wait a minute!”

But he didn’t, bringing her body down smack dab on his face. His tongue swiped across her already moist pussy, teasing her clit, and she grabbed onto the headboard for support.

He explored her like he hadn’t already done so many times before. And he groaned like she had her hands on him, when in fact she held on to that headboard for dear life.

So many men in her past and none of them made her feel like Nik the Hillbilly Cat did.

As his expert tongue flicked her into another one of those powerful orgasms, she wondered how she would ever walk away from him.

But she’d have to, wouldn’t she? He wasn’t hers to keep.

The fact she purred when she came, really did make his goddamn day. He could listen to that sound every day, over and over. Add in that he made her make that sound, and he could easily see himself spending the rest of his life trapped between her thighs one way or another.

He’d never thought like that before. Not about anybody. He wouldn’t allow himself. But the old man did have a point. A girl like Angelina did only come around once in a lifetime.

“God, Nik,” she growled as she grinded herself against his face. “Goddammit!”

Her body shook as she came in his mouth. Her legs tightening around his head. He lapped at her gently until she settled into soft groans. Once she stopped shaking, he carefully pulled her off and swung her into his arms as he slid off the bed.

“Now I’m ready to face the day.”

“Where are we going,” she whispered in his ear, apparently too wrung out to argue with him about anything.

“Shower.”

“I just took a shower.”

“Well, now you’re gonna get fucked in one, sugar.” He rubbed his chin against the top of her head. “Besides, I think it’s time for you to have a little breakfast, too.”

Her arm tightened around his neck. “Good. ’Cause I’m starving.”

“Angie!”

Angie’s eyes snapped open again. Christ, she kept falling asleep at the kitchen table.

“Here, lazy bones. Drink this.” Nik put a hot cup of coffee in front of her. If she didn’t know where it would lead, she’d kiss him.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

She watched him out of the one eye she could open. He’d only put on a pair of old jeans he didn’t bother zipping all the way up. No shoes on those big feet and no shirt.

She closed her eyes again. No one had a right to be that good looking. Absolutely no one.

“You still want breakfast or you want some lunch instead?”

“Whatever’s fast. Now I’m really starving.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. Me, too. Good fuckin’ will do that to ya.”

Interesting how when she used that word randomly, Nik looked at her like she was a serial killer. But when discussing the actual act, the man couldn’t use the word enough.

Weird hillbilly rules.

He opened his refrigerator and seemed to be debating the pros and cons of its contents. She knew he couldn’t find her staring at his ass unless she wanted to end up face down over the table, so she glanced at the French doors, only to see two faces staring back at her.

Both pouting.

She slid out of her chair and walked over, pushing the doors open.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look what your boyfriend did to us.”

She would have punched Ban in the face for that one, but he turned and she saw the fang marks on the back of his neck.

“Oh, honey!” Angie raised herself up on her toes to get a better look. “We need to put something on that.”

“You should see what he did to Alek’s leg.”

“What are you two doing here,” Nik barked from behind her.

“Be nice.” Grabbing an arm from both, she pulled the brothers into the house. “You guys sit down, I’ll see what I can find.”

“I should have killed you two last night.”

Ban glanced at Alek. “Is it me, little brother. Or does big brother look well-fucked this early afternoon?”

“I’d have to say he sure does, big brother. Mighty well-fucked.”

“If you two don’t get your butts outta here—”

“What? And have your girlfriend all upset?”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“So, she’s fair game then?”

Nik answered Ban by slapping him on the back of his neck, right across his still-healing wounds. Ban responded by jumping out of his chair, fangs bared and ready to fight.

“That’s it! You two cut the bullshit out right now!” Angie glided back into the kitchen carrying a first-aid kit from the bathroom. But when neither brother acknowledged her, Angie growled low, “Don’t make me get the balls.”

Ban flinched.

“Now sit the fuck down, Ban, before I get angry.” Nik smiled until she turned on him. “And weren’t you doing something?”

Boy, she could be real cranky when she hadn’t gotten her coffee.

Angie couldn’t believe how busy she’d been all afternoon. Once she wrapped up both Alek’s and Ban’s wounds—and Nik had thrown them out of the house—she spent the rest of the afternoon making calls. Well, after Nik bent her over the living room couch and fucked her until she saw stars.

Design house reps and some staff problems kept her going the rest of the day. Nik spent his time in his office also working. They didn’t see much of each other for about five hours. But the rich sound of his voice, or that damn hillbilly accent, flowing through the hallway into the kitchen, made her wet. She had finally changed into a loose black skirt, completely forgoing the underwear. She couldn’t sit around in damp underwear all day. And, for her own amusement, the black strappy Ferragamos.

Early on Miki called her to check in, but thankfully the conversation remained brief and she didn’t ask any uncomfortable questions Angie wouldn’t want to answer.

As she argued with Celine, her buyer and the woman pushing her to open another store in Dallas, Angie decided this would be her last call. Tired of talking and missing Nik, she wanted to shut down for the rest of the day.

“I’ve never liked his stuff, Celine.”

“But you haven’t seen any of his new stuff.”

“I don’t want—”

“Do you have access to a computer?”

Nik, from what she could tell, only had one computer and it resided in his office.

“Maybe.”

“He’s got a site you can go to.”

Well, it did give her an excuse.

“Hold on.”

She attached the phone to her skirt and made sure her headphone securely fit to her head without making her hair look stupid. She left the kitchen and went straight to his office. The door stood partially open, so she stuck her head in, lightly knocking.

He, too, wore a headphone and it took her a second to realize he wasn’t speaking English or even hillbilly.

Nik glanced up at her knock and rewarded her with a huge grin. He motioned her in.

“I need your computer,” she mouthed, then added the usual visual of her fingers typing.

He nodded and pointed, pushing his chair back a bit so she could get to the desktop.

She wasn’t a gadget whore, but she knew this system would have Miki creaming in her basketball shorts.

“All right. Give me the link.”

Celine walked her to the designer’s site and led her around. Angie still wasn’t impressed with the designer’s stuff. But she was impressed to realize Nik spoke Mandarin. He spoke it well, too. She couldn’t speak it herself, but she understood it and his accent was damn-near flawless.

“I’m not impressed, Celine.”

“You’re being difficult.”

“I’m allowed to be, it’s my fuckin’ business.”

“Okay. Calm down. I’m just saying—”

“I know what you’re saying and—eep!”

“Eep what?”

“Uh…” Angie swatted at the hand sliding in between her legs. And with no panties under her skirt… “Um…”

“Are you okay?”

Nik pushed her legs apart.

“Yes. But I’ve, uh, I’ve gotta go.”

“Angie, I’ve been waiting to talk to you for three days about this stuff.”

“I know.”

“I mean you up and disappear, scaring everyone in town half to death.” Nik’s tongue slid up the inside of her thigh.

“Celine!” She snarled it, causing Celine to stop babbling. “I can not discuss this now.”

“Um…okay.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow or something.”

Angie shut the phone off, snatching it and her headset off and dropping them to the floor. She gripped the edge of the desk as Nik’s fingers played around her clit, his tongue teasing around her lips, but not hitting anything nearly important enough.

Then she realized something.

The man is still on the goddamn phone!

Nik stopped listening to his friend and business partner as soon as Angie bent over in front of his computer.

Wo-hoo Ling, or as the fraternity brothers liked to call him, Biscuit, kept going on and on about the last couple of million they recently made, but who cared? Really, who cared about anything when staring at the most perfect ass and legs in the world?

“You’re not listening to me, are you?” Biscuit sighed out in Mandarin.

“I am too.” Okay. A lie. But Nik couldn’t tell very straight-laced Biscuit with his six cubs and three loyal tiger females that he currently had his hand buried inside the hottest snatch in the entire country.

“Do you even know this one’s name?”

“Uh-huh.” He dragged his tongue up the inside of her thigh. She always tasted so good to him, he could never seem to get enough of her. And hearing her order other people around did nothing but give him a brutal hard-on.

“I’m hanging up.”

Nik pulled his face away, but dragged Angie onto his lap. He positioned her so her head rested against his shoulder, her body splayed across his. He slid his hands under her shirt, grasping her already hard nipples. “Why?”

“Because I know when I’m being ignored.”

“Good point. I’ll call ya tomorrow.”

“I swear, you Siberians have no control—”

Nik clicked off the call. Damn South China tigers always thought they were better than the rest.

He took off the headset and set up the phone so it immediately rolled over to his voicemail. Then he went back to the beautiful woman panting on his lap.

He firmly gripped Angie’s nipples again, tweaking enough to bring on a little bit of pain. She groaned in response.

“I missed you,sugar,” he murmured against her ear.

“I didn’t go anywhere, hillbilly.”

“But you weren’t right here.” Where you belong. He squeezed her nipples again and Angie nearly writhed off his lap. He slid his hands across her skin. Nothing felt better than her flesh under his hands.

She gripped his thighs. “Stop fuckin’ touching me and fuck me all ready.”

Clearly Angie still needed to stay in control and the touching still seemed to be her last ditch effort for that. But for some unknown reason, Nik was determined to have her trust. All of it. He just had no idea why it mattered to him.

“Not yet, sugar.”

She dug her fingers deep into his thigh. “I see the ‘I don’t like to wait’ speech hasn’t quite sunk in.”

He released her, pushing her off his lap. “Go sit down in that chair.”

Angie glanced at the wing-backed leather chair and back at Nik. “Why?”

“Sit. Down.”

Huffing in annoyance, Angie stomped to the chair and threw herself into it. She crossed her legs and her arms and glared at him. “Now what?”

“Hike your left leg over the arm of the chair.”

Her face quickly slipped from annoyance to slight panic. She glanced out the big picture windows. She didn’t know he had the glass specially made so he could see out but once he closed those glass doors, no one could see in. Of course, she didn’t need to know that at the moment.

“Uh…”

“Hike your left leg over the arm of the chair, Angie.”

Biting her lip, Angie did as he told her to.

“Good.” He leaned back in his own chair, getting comfortable. “Now put your hand between your legs.”

“Nik—”

“Put your hand between your legs, Angie.”

If she bites that lip of hers anymore, she’s gonna draw blood.

With tantalizing slowness, Angie slid her right hand between her thighs.

“Pull the skirt up a bit. I wanna see ya.”

Another desperate glance out the window, then she pulled the black skirt up so he could see her hand and dripping wet pussy. And it was dripping wet. It glistened at him, making his mouth water for the taste of her.

“Damn, girl. You’re mighty wet. You must like the idea of being watched.”

“No, I do not,” she bit out.

“Then you must like the idea of being watched by me.”

Angie looked away from him and Nik fought hard not to smile.

“Get your clit good and wet, Angelina.”

Her head snapped around. “What?”

“Stop making me repeat myself.”

She glared at him. “And what if I don’t?”

“I tie you to the bed and leave you like that all night. I, of course, will sleep in the other room so you don’t seduce me into relievin’ that deep ache between your legs.”

“Bastard.”

“Just ’cause my parents didn’t marry, don’t mean you can call me names.”

Angie snorted out a laugh and her smile brightened his world as nothing else had before.

He lowered his voice, his rock-hard dick screaming to get out and into her. “Do it for me, Angie. Make yourself come. I wanna watch you.”

Her body shuddered and she closed her eyes, sliding her middle finger inside that tight pussy he couldn’t get enough of. She dragged the finger out, and pulled it across her clit. Slowly, she circled the tiny nerve-filled muscle. Her body tensed and shook, already so close to orgasm. But she fought it. She was embarrassed. He got the feeling she’d never done this before with anyone. Once again needing to trust someone enough to allow herself to be so vulnerable. Yet she trusted him enough to let him go this far, and he knew exactly what she needed to push her over the edge.

“Angie?” After a moment, she turned those beautiful brown eyes in his direction, but didn’t stop masturbating. “You thinkin’ about me right now?”

She licked her lips, then slowly nodded.

“About me deep inside you? Fuckin’ you?”

She nodded again.

Nik sat up, bracing his arms on his knees, his hands clasped together. “I’ve got you pinned to the bed. My body between your legs, my dick buried deep inside you.” He paused for a moment, making sure he had her attention. “I’m holding your arms above your head. You struggle to get away, but I don’t let you. I’ve taken control. And you can’t fight it. I won’t let you get away. Not ’til I’m done with you. Not ’til I’ve fucked you raw and made you scream my name, over and over again.”

He hadn’t even finished when her entire body went rigid and she groaned out an orgasm that shook her right down to the hot little stilettos she wore.

Angie couldn’t believe how hard she came. But before she even had a chance to recover, Nik knelt in front of her. He lifted her other leg up over the opposite arm of the chair and buried his face between her thighs, feasting on her pussy like a starving man.

Too much. Too much Nik and his hot body and amazing tongue. But at the same time, not nearly enough Nik. She was starting to feel like there would never be enough Nik. At least, not for her.

Growling, Nik pulled away from her and lifted her out of the chair. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, burying her head against his neck.

“You really like carrying me around.”

He shoved papers, folders, everything but the computer onto the floor. “Why not? You’re such a little thing.”

He placed her on the desk, then dug into the back of his jeans, pulling out a condom. She stared at him. Was he even remotely serious? He didn’t need to bullshit her to get between her legs. And, unlike most sane men, he didn’t fear her.

He looked up at her, his hands opening the packaging. “What, sugar?”

She grinned, shaking her head. “Nothing. Just having a moment.”

“Well, have it later.” He whipped his cock out, sheathed it, and had it inside her in seconds. His hands firm on her thighs, yanking her to the edge of the desk.

Angie gripped Nik’s arms, her fingers digging into the hard muscle as his cock dug into her.

“By the way.” He smiled. “The Ferragamos…” He looked down at her shoes. “They were a nice investment.”

In response, Angie wrapped her legs around his waist, making sure the heels of her shoes dug into his ass. He groaned, his hands tightening on her flesh.

“Aren’t they fabulous?” she panted.

So tight. So hot. He’d never felt anything like it. Like her.

After several hours of abusing the furniture on his entire first floor, they finally made it to the bed in her room. Now she straddled his waist, his dick buried deep inside her. She rode him. Hard. Apparently she used to barrel race. Explained those thighs. Horse-ridin’ thighs. Thighs that could snap a man in half.

Nik buried his hands in Angie’s sweat-drenched hair and pulled her down until her pebble-hard nipples burrowed into his chest. He kissed her, their lips fusing, their tongues mating. He loved how this woman kissed. Swinging from intense to sweet and eventually around to hard. Exactly like she fucked.

He pulled his lips away. “Harder.”

She gripped his arms, her nails digging into the flesh. The pain biting and erotic all at once. Her pussy clenched his dick tighter as she rode him harder.

Nik never thought someone completely human could take him like this. She did, though. She took. She gave. She demanded more. And had been for hours.

Angie rested her forehead against his. “You sure I’m not hurting you?”

“Naw, sugar,” he groaned, gripping her hips tighter. “I can take a lot.”

“Good. Very…” she shuddered violently, “…very good.”

Nik slid his hands down her hips to her ass, his fingers digging into the smooth cheeks. She gasped and smiled at the same time. He loved seeing that smile on her face. It turned his dick into steel.

“Nik…” And his name on her lips. Nothing sounded better. “I’m…I’m…”

“Do it, Angie. Come all over me.”

He kissed her again, letting her soul-shaking groans pulse through him. Her pussy still spasming around him as his dick swelled further and exploded. Nik was so lost inside of her, he didn’t even realize he unleashed his claws, lancing her ass cheeks until she cried out.

“What?”

“Claws! Claws! Claws in my ass!”

He retracted them. “Oh, God, sugar. Are you okay?”

Taking hold of her waist, Nik pulled her off his softening dick and placed her gently on the bed. He turned her over so that she lay on her stomach.

He winced when he saw the perfectly formed claw marks. Five in each cheek.

“How bad is it?” she demanded, trying to get a good look, but a hand against her back kept her from seeing much of anything.

“Um…not bad.”

“You are lying to me. I can tell,” she accused.

“Now, now. Don’t throw around them kind of accusations.” Nik jumped off the bed. “Cool your jets, sugar. I’ll be right back.”

Trying not to laugh, he went to the bathroom and grabbed what he needed. When he walked back out, she still lay stomach down with one leg up, the foot perfectly arched and pointing toward the ceiling. He wondered if she took dancing classes when she was a kid.

Nik crawled back on the bed. “Leave this to me.”

“I did. And you impaled my ass.”

They looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Angie pointed a warning finger at him. “Don’t even think about going there.”

“I didn’t say a word.”

“You didn’t have to. Your big kitty eyes give you away every time.”

He kissed her shoulder, then licked off the sweat there. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll make this all better.”

In the end it took him twenty minutes. He couldn’t help himself. The woman had such a sweet ass. He kept kissing it. Licking the wounds he inflicted.

And, some deep, dark part of him wanted to tattoo his name all over that sweet ass.

Nik cleared his throat, freaked out by his suddenly territorial thoughts over an amazing fuck.

An amazing fuck and nothing else.

“So, sugar, your tattoo. When did you get it?”

“During my out-of-control youth. For protection. Your grandmother would understand.”

“You were up to all sorts of stuff back in the day, huh?” He finished taking care of her wounds, moved the first aid supplies off the bed, and settled in next to her.

“You have no idea.” She threw her arm over his chest, her head against his shoulder. “But that was a long time ago, hillbilly. I’m a different person now.”

He pushed her wet hair out of her face. “What made you change?”

“Fear of prison.” She sounded drowsy and he knew she’d be asleep soon.

So he found the sudden roaring coming from the woods behind his house really kind of annoying.

“Go,” she murmured.

“What?”

Angie kissed his shoulder. “With your brothers. That’s them, isn’t it?”

Not even close, but he wouldn’t expect her to know that and he didn’t want her to worry.

“Go,” she said again.

“You sure?”

Angie let out a satisfied sigh. “Are you going to France?”

“What? No.”

“Then fuckin’ go.” She spoke without any malice or anger. Instead, she rolled onto her back, wincing a bit as the sheets rubbed against her wounded ass. “Go. Do. Whatever tigers do at night. When you get back, I’ll be here.”

She didn’t cling. She didn’t need him to hold her through the night until she fell asleep. In fact, he got the feeling she wanted some time alone. It suddenly occurred to him this woman didn’t need him. She wanted him, but she didn’t need him. She didn’t need him to survive. She didn’t need him to make her life better.

Angelina Santiago where have you been all my life?

Nik straddled her hips. “You’re amazing.”

She stretched, enjoying how he looked at her. Really enjoying how he felt on top of her. “Aren’t I though?”

He kissed her and for a second she thought he wouldn’t be going anywhere. Finally, he pulled away, giving her one more kiss on the neck. “One sweep around, maybe a deer, then I’ll be back.”

“A deer?”

“I told ya. I get hungry after that kind of fuckin’.”

“Charming.”

“Yeah. You are.” He kissed her again. Then shifted. Right on her lap.

“Okay,” she stated simply. “If that becomes a habit, you’re going to start freakin’ me out.”

Nik licked her cheek with that huge tiger tongue, dived off the bed, and out the window.

Angie turned over, the sheet wrapped tightly around her.

Well, she’d gone and done it. Fallen for a shapeshifting hillbilly who had no desire to attach himself to one woman. And since she didn’t share…

Whatever. She wouldn’t worry about that now. Not with that hand slapping over her mouth. Angie barely had time to struggle before they sprayed her face with something smelling like peppermint. The last thing she saw? Eyes reflecting at her in the darkness.

Nik followed those growls. He smelled tiger, but he couldn’t place it as any kin or even a neighbor. Something wasn’t right, which meant Angie wasn’t safe.

He hadn’t gotten far from the house when he found it. A top-of-the-line portable CD player with Surround Sound and next to it a modified scent dispenser.

Staring at it for only a moment, Nik turned around and started back to the house. But he didn’t get far because they came out of the trees. Quietly. Moving as if they had all the time in the world. She-wolves. Smart. Mean. And one look at them told him they were as vicious as they come.

They didn’t move on him, though. They watched him as he watched them. But he couldn’t ignore that scent. Not the wolves. Not even the manufactured tiger scent. Something else all together.

A gestating female. A human one.

He spun around. She stood there. A black girl. Cute. Short. She kind of looked familiar. And in front of her a good-sized black she-wolf. It took him a moment to realize scars covered one side of the wolf’s face.

“Hey, sunshine.” The black girl shook her head, causing her mass of shaggy curls to drop into her eyes. “All I can say is—your boys snatched the wrong girl.”

She raised a rifle. Nik let loose his threatening growl, charging the wolf protecting her, preparing to drop them both on their asses. But like Angie said, her friends were fast and brutal.

An explosion in his brain flipped him back. Then nothing.