| Excerpt:
Sam knew that when Marnie
uncharacteristically flirted, there would be trouble; he just didn’t know
that Cat would be the one immersed in it. Marnie had already ditched her
amorous suitors and Jake had turned away more than his fair share of equally
tempting companions to shadow her. But Cat didn’t seem inclined to spend any
time alone. Of course, she had imbibed a few more drinks than was prudent,
though not as much as she had the night of the dinner with the Angels. She
giggled and stood to leave with her escorts.
There
she is having fun and here I am watching her leave with Kit and Aidan
instead of finding my own entertainment. Dammit! She has no experience in
dealing with something like a ménage à trois.
Well, he wasn’t about to
let her find out this way. If anyone were going to instruct her in the more
exotic sex acts, it would be he. Not examining his motives too closely, Sam
rose to follow the trio as they disappeared toward the guest huts. A couple
of the female Shape shifters with whom he’d been talking and flirting rose
to follow him.
“Sorry, ladies, but this
is something I must do alone.” He bowed over their hands, kissing the backs.
“Perhaps another time.”
The two smiled and moved
on to more promising game. Sam glanced over at Jake wondering if he’d noted
Cat’s departure. But Jake and Marnie sat near each other, apart from the
group, not touching, not talking, but still utterly absorbed with each
other. Sam sighed. “No help there.”
He hurried to his tree
hut, stripping along the way. By the time he reached the top of the ladder,
his shirt and pants were unlaced. Climbing lithely, he pulled his shirt off,
flinging it away carelessly.
He sat and pulled off his
boots in order to remove his pants. His tail elongated and he trembled, his
feline persona shimmering and coalescing over him. He shook off the
moisture, stretching out each paw separately to fling away whatever
remained.
A low, rhythmic growl
preceded his gliding exit. Winding round the trunk, his descent continued
soundlessly to the forest floor. Pausing a moment to catch bits of movement,
only his tail twitching in agitation betrayed his impatience. Cat’s melodic
laughter carried easily through the clear night air. Sam turned toward the
sound, his body dropping low as he settled in the damp grass to wait.
He watched their drunken
assent with trepidation. At least Kit and Aidan didn’t seem too far-gone to
realize that inebriated, Cat definitely did not possess her namesake’s agile
grace and lightning reflexes. They ascended after her and kept to the sides
so that each had a hand on her posterior.
Sam frowned and couldn’t
quite contain a subtle murmured snarl of anger. The two were definitely
doing more than supporting Cat. With barely suppressed rage, Sam skittered
up the tree after the trio, nosing open the door they’d failed to latch
properly. In the dim light of the single candle lantern placed on the
chifferobe by the enormous four-poster bed, he watched the two men pay
homage to the woman he considered his own.
Garish shadows danced
across the walls and ceiling stretching into two-dimensional shadow puppets.
Indistinct and primal grunts punctuated their performance as the three
standing in the middle of the room groped each other with increasing fervor.
Sam pushed past the door,
his massive shoulders slamming it against the wall. The dry rustle of his
snarl broke into a full-throated roar, the sound shattering the night
silence and skittering down spines, raising the hair along arms and necks.
Kit and Aidan stiffened
and turned to face Sam, Cat shielded behind them. Another snarl from him had
them bowing and hurrying from the hut, a single worried glance cast at Cat
as they departed.
Cat had seen Sam’s
Shapeshifter self, but never with his eyes fixed firmly on her as though she
were prey. He glided gracefully forward, his ebony coat glistening in the
flickering light. Before she could stop herself, Cat backed away,
maintaining the distance between them. The back of her knees contacted the
bed and she realized that she could no longer keep him at bay.
Defiantly, she raised her
chin, refusing to look away from the amber-quicksilver gleam of his
relentless stare. He approached and turned to the side brushing up against
her like a housecat seeking attention. He wound himself in front of her a
couple times, enough to relax Cat somewhat.
“Sam, you scared me. I
don’t know why you’re here. You seemed perfectly content to play with your
little friends. After all, we both agreed that we’re free to seek out other
company.”
He made no move to shift
and didn’t answer with so much as a growl, but sat and watched her, his tail
twitching. Cat pursed her lips and frowned. “I only did what you were doing.
I thought…”
Interrupting her
explanation, Sam’s snarl had her closing her mouth with a startled yelp. He
stood and nudged her, pushing her back onto the bed, her body resting on her
elbows.
Another staccato cough had
her scrambling backwards away from the edge and away from Sam. Leaping
lightly onto the mattress, he stalked toward her.
Trembling, Cat turned onto
her stomach hiding her eyes in her hands on the bedding under her. Warm
puffs of air stirred the hair at the nape of her neck as two enormous paws
framed her body. Sam purred sending scalding puffs of air over her. A slight
tug and brief prick accompanied the rending tear of her gown.
Cool night air caressed
her back as either side of her dress fell beside her. Like fine dampened
sandpaper, Sam’s tongue rasped over the pinprick wound his claw had caused
when he tore open her dress. Cat relaxed slightly as his tongue traveled
over her back and shoulders. The swirling path it took dipped lower and
Cat’s muscles tightened again, though not in fear.
The previous terror had
managed one thing, though. Not a single bit of alcohol-induced cotton fluff
remained in her head. Each and every stroke of his tongue and paws sent
shivers cascading after each other, setting her body quivering. She moaned
and set her teeth to keep them from chattering against each other.
Sam paused and shifted his
weight lower moving her legs further apart to settle between them. A thrill
of alarm coursed through her as her vulnerable position sent her body
quaking uncontrollably. Pleasure warmed her, though, keeping her
passionately focused on his every move.
His purring grew louder,
the vibrations intensifying Cat’s reactions. Her heart pounded in sync with
Sam’s throaty droning. Sweat dampened her hairline and gathered in the hair
at the back of her neck. Droplets merged and grew heavy, enough to break
away and roll along her neck to her chest and down her cleavage.
His explorations slid down
her spine into the cleft between her cheeks to dip into the generous honeyed
nectar flowing profusely now. His warm breath marked the path his tongue
took, a prelude played too close to his licks to warn, but far enough in
advance to curl her toes in anticipation.
Cat moaned again and
arched her back, lifting her head off her hands. Sam rose and moved to her
side, his soft, rough tongue trailing along her left side. He nudged the
damp trail, getting her to turn onto her back.
She opened her eyes to
meet his, the large golden orbs pinning her with intelligence at odds with
his primitive form. Moving to stand over her, the hairs of his pelt brushed
softly against her as he boxed her in. Sam raised an enormous paw, claws
sheathed; and rested it lightly on Cat’s chest, allowing it to rise and fall
with her quickening breath. He raised and extended it slightly allowing the
lethal nails to slide free.
Cat gasped and held her
breath, watching closely as he hooked a single claw at the top of her gown
and slit the length of the garment. Eyes still locked with hers, he traced
tiny circles along her collarbone with his tongue, pushing her gown off her
shoulders. He moved down the center of her body nudging and licking the
garment aside.
When he redirected his
stare to her exposed body, Cat managed to draw in air clearing her vision,
which had darkened around the edges. Oxygen infused her senses sharpening
the sensations of Sam’s affectionate onslaught.
He covered her body again
with delicious swirls until she knew that he had tasted every part of her.
Finally, he stopped and looked up, locking gazes with her with renewed heat.
He nudged her legs further apart and rested his rear haunches between them.
“Sam, what are you doing?”
Apprehension cast an edge to Cat’s voice.
He lowered himself onto
her resting most of his weight on his forelegs on either side of her. He
continued staring, his purr having ceased, and licked her juices from his
face. Shifting slightly forward. Cat jumped as much as the cage of his body
allowed.
“Sam, you know this won’t
work, don’t you? We don’t fit
this way.”
Cat braced her hands on
his forepaws and wiggled trying to slide from beneath him. He merely trapped
her hands under clawless paws and licked a path to her neck.
“Oh, God,” Cat whispered
and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
Sam’s lower half raised
and leaned forward bringing his engorged shaft into contact with the
entrance to her body. Cat groaned and stiffened.
His warm breath drifted
over her moments before Cat felt him fasten onto her throat. She arched and
he slid painlessly into her. Her eyes popped open when she realized that Sam
had shifted, small stubbles of dark fur just receding into his back as
though growing in reverse.
She relaxed and whispered,
“Bastard!”
Sam chuckled then groaned
as Cat relaxed matching his motion with her body and tightening her inner
muscles.
“Ah, Kitten, purr for
me…but only for me.” |