A Matter of Pride

Chapter Four

“I think being your pet would have its perks. I’d see you every day, and we’d play together.”

“Play?” She tried to squeeze her legs tight, knowing he’d likely smell what he did to her.

He inhaled, and she felt her cheeks heat. “Oh yeah. Play.”

“So you’re not mad anymore?”

He didn’t answer, but his eyes darkened. “Play. We’d start with me licking you all over.”

“Dean.” His name didn’t come out at all like a warning, but like an invitation she couldn’t resist.

“Let’s try it, hmm?”

He kissed her cheek and followed with a brief touch of his tongue. Then he did the same to her other cheek. Her forehead. Her chin. He moved to her mouth, and the desire in his eyes stole her breath. “What do you say, princess? How about you give me some of that sweet cream you’ve been hiding? For your little pussycat.”

Dean watched her eyes as he unbuttoned her jeans. He unzipped them and pushed them down her legs. In a hurried move, he whisked her shoes, socks, jeans and panties from her body. “Now your shirt and bra. Take ’em off.”

Worries about Hunters, Quince and Lex faded next to the wave of desire crashing over her. She was going to do it. Stacey was going to have sex with Dean Chastell.

But it wouldn’t mean anything, she reminded herself. Just putting this to rest so she could scratch sex with Dean off her to-do list.

“You do it, hillbilly,” she dared him.

His grin should have warned her. He ripped the buttons off her blouse as the shirt came off and had her bra open and gone in seconds. Then he latched onto her nipple and sucked a small shriek out of her.

“Shh, quiet. Don’t want Quince’s cats to come in here investigating.” He winked down at her and angled his cock so that it rested between her thighs. He felt so hot, so thick. She wiggled her hips as he sucked her other nipple, pulling a moan from her.

“That’s it. Put that sweet cream all over me.” Dean ground against her, his pelvis mashing her clit while his cock slid between her folds. “You smell so good. I’ve been dreaming about this,” he murmured.

His mouth moved from her breasts down her belly, past the thin strip of hair over her mound. He pushed her legs farther apart and used his thumbs to part her folds. He stared at her down there for a moment before meeting her gaze.

“I’m going to eat you until you scream. Then I’m going to fuck you hard, princess. No more teasing. No more waiting. It’s time.”

He didn’t give her a chance to protest—not that she would have. He sucked her clit into his mouth and bit down with enough pressure to shoot her into orbit. Like a firecracker, she came so hard she saw stars. But the stubborn cat wouldn’t stop. He continued to lap her up, licking with that tongue that didn’t know how to quit. And he purred while he did it, the masculine rumble filling her with pleasure, because she knew he truly enjoyed tasting her.

She should have been embarrassed that she’d come so easily, but she wasn’t. The cat inside her rolled and stretched, loving the attention of a worthy mate.

“God, that’s so good,” she moaned and gripped his hair. She wanted more, but with him inside her this time. “Again.”

He kissed her clit and her thighs and eased up from her, still in a crouch. “Oh, baby, you bet your ass again.”

Before he could lower himself to her once more, she scratched his shoulders. “Inside me this time.”

He gave her a look that made her tingle all over. “Don’t worry. I’ll come inside you. But not yet. Not until I say it’s time.”

Stacey wanted to argue, but she liked him telling her what to do. A surprise, because she’d never been into dominant men. The few who’d tried, she’d sent packing. But with Dean, it felt…right.

He kissed her clit, this time putting his fingers inside her, stretching her. His tongue felt like heaven and hell, increasing her need while giving her such ecstasy. She felt him with every part of her. Physically and emotionally, and he scared the crap out of her.

“Christ, you’re tight. And so fucking sweet,” Dean growled. “I’m not gonna last.”

She didn’t want him to last. She wanted him inside her. To come and be done, so she could put this behind her, forget him as if he’d never mattered. Because to her chagrin, he did.

He teased her some more, and she writhed over the ground, not caring about the cold or discomfort. Nothing existed for her but Dean and his wild mate-scent. Her cat wanted more. She purred and grunted, snarling inside Stacey to be set free to capture the cagey male.

Stacey was losing her grip on herself as the pleasure spiraled. Her nails lengthened and she felt the spark of change overtake her.

But Dean wouldn’t let her. He rushed over her body, nudged her thighs wider and slammed inside her in one deep, hard thrust, grounding her cat to her woman’s body once more.

“Fuck, yes. That’s it. God, let me have it. All of you. Yes, yes,” he groaned as he took her, pumping with such ferocity she could only lie beneath him and take the delicious pounding.

He ground against her clit with each pass, and when he kissed her and thrust his tongue inside her mouth, invading even there, she exploded.

She arched up as she came, clenching him tight inside.

He ripped his mouth away and shouted, releasing all that warm seed that belonged to her. Dean groaned and shuddered, coming hard. To her shock, he didn’t stop moving. His orgasm blossomed into another, and he kissed her everywhere he could reach as he filled her up.

“Christ. Oh baby. Stacey, honey.” He hugged her tight, and that affection after such an explosive coming together turned her into an emotional mess. The beauty of such togetherness made it hard to think.

They lay there in silence while she dwelled on what had happened. He leaned up from her and swept her hair from her face with gentle hands. He kissed her, his lips lingering and stirring an impossible need for him again.

Then he opened his mouth to say the words that would no doubt spoil it all.

Dean had no idea what he’d planned to say when Stacey placed a finger over his lips.

“Please, don’t. Let me bask in postcoital bliss without you ruining it.”

Postcoital bliss? Why the hell couldn’t the woman just say orgasm? Her familiar arrogance should have annoyed him, but he silently agreed with her. The prickly female would probably take anything he said the wrong way. And after having his circuits fried, he could barely string two intelligible words together anyway. Holy shit, or you blew my fucking mind weren’t the stuff of romance.

But hol-ee crap. Sex with Stacey had been better than anything he’d fantasized. Than anything he’d ever had. His cat purred with contentment, way too close to claiming the female as his own. And wouldn’t that be a colossal mistake. He was still pissed that she’d kept the truth from him, and more for putting herself in danger.

Yet her actions confirmed what he’d always thought. The woman had another side to her than the conceited persona she projected. She truly loved her family. The worry in her gaze, the clear scent of distress at the mention of them in harm’s way, had been real. It soothed a part of him that had worried she might be less on the inside than she was on the outside.

And what an outside. He clutched her tighter against his chest, completely enthralled with her breasts. He could suck on her tits for hours and not be satisfied. Yeah, Dean was a breast man. And she had a real set of perfect on her. Not to mention that honeyed pussy. Licking her had been incredible, not something to be endured to get his own happy ending. He’d come hard.

Inside her.

Without protection.

“Shit.”

“See? I knew you’d ruin it,” she grumbled, sounding like a snarly kitten before she yawned.

“Sorry. I was just worrying about…” He didn’t want to upset her, and he needed time to process what had happened. Stacey might be an aggravating princess, but in his arms, she’d been exactly what he needed. And really, what were the odds she might be pregnant from just this one time? He really shouldn’t screw up his chances for another go-round, one where he’d be more careful, of course.

He glanced down at his hands over her waist and wished he didn’t like the sight of them there so much. Even worse, his cat loved the thought of Stacey bearing his young. For a split second, so did Dean.

“Worried about what?” she asked, her breath warm against his throat. She nuzzled his chest and sighed against him, and his heart did a funny little flip in his chest.

“Uh, about the thought of the pride in danger.”

She tensed, and he stroked her shoulder.

“But if you trust this Quince guy, I guess I can too.” A lie, but the right thing to say because she relaxed.

“I don’t know that I trusted him at first, but I don’t think he’ll hurt me. I’m not so sure about you though.”

“How do you know?” He didn’t like her faith in this guy for several reasons he didn’t want to think too hard about. “You and he have a history or something?”

“With Quince?” The shock in her voice relieved him. “Hell no. He’s got a thing for Joy. You know, your ex-lover?”

Trust the woman to bring up that fiasco. While trying to help his clueless older brother nab the woman he’d been mooning over for months, Dean and Joy had hatched a scheme. They’d posed as lovers to throw his brother into Gabby’s arms. Except the sly woman had managed to turn the tables on them and made Dean and Joy a spectacle in front of the pride. “Ha ha. The thought of Joy and me in any romantic sense gives me hives and you know it.”

“Why? She’s cute.”

“Don’t get defensive. She’s cute, yeah, but so annoying. Always plotting and bossing me around.” He made a face. “Like a miniature Burke, but girlie.”

He could feel her smile against his chest. “So no chemistry there?”

“Don’t ruin my afterglow.”

She chuckled and stroked his shoulders with her nails. He loved the sexy red tips. When he saw them, he envisioned her wrapping those clever fingers around his cock, guiding him toward her mouth…

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She brushed against his erection.

“I can’t help it,” he growled. “You’re sexy, naked, and now I know how you taste. Only a dead man wouldn’t get a hard-on near you.”

“Oh, so it’s my body that has you so excited, hmm?”

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she sounded less than pleased at his compliment. Women. “That and your stellar personality. That mean thing you have going on just flips my Bic, baby.”

“You’re so romantic.”

“And you’re so in a mess of trouble.” He couldn’t help it. The seriousness of the situation couldn’t be ignored, much as he wanted it to. “What if Lex’s cats get their hands on you? What the hell were you thinking to put yourself in danger and not tell anyone?”

“I didn’t want anyone else hurt.”

He leaned back to look at her. In the dark, her eyes glowed, and he could see the wariness she tried to hide. “Yet here I am, right next to you.”

“I didn’t want you involved either,” she snapped. “But I can’t keep living like this. I don’t like being a prisoner. I can’t go anywhere. My sisters are constantly looking over their shoulders, and my brother is stressed to the max.”

“Oh. So that’s why he’s been so unpleasant…for the past twenty years.”

Her lips twitched.

“Yeah. Try again, princess.” He liked arguing with her while naked. Despite being truly irked about her secrets, he’d never felt so close to her as he did now. God, he was seriously losing it. Ruled by his dick, no question about it. Because if he thought his heart might be involved, he’d run the other way and not look back.

“Okay, so Miles can be hard to swallow.”

“Unlike you,” he purred. “Or me. You should try it.”

She chuckled. “Cut it out. I thought you were mad at me?” She pressed closer, rubbing those lovely breasts against his chest.

“I am. Doesn’t mean I don’t want you.”

“Great. Horny Dean is back. I got to see responsible Dean for a little bit. Some angry Dean. But now it’s you again.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

She sighed. “Nothing. Let’s get up and get dressed.”

In a flash, he rolled her onto her back and gripped her wrists on either side of her head, effectively pinning her to the ground. “Hold on, sweetheart. First we talk about how we’re going to handle Lex and Quince and those asshole cats. Then we figure out how and when we’re going to do this again. ’Cause if you think this was a one-time deal, you are seriously one dumbass blonde.”

Her pupils dilated, which he found interesting. Did she like being held down? Or was it the thought of arguing with him that got her so hot and bothered, because he could smell her arousal flaring up again.

“Quince wants Lex. He doesn’t care about me or you. And he has the hots for Joy.”

He blinked. He’d thought she was joking about that. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Go figure. My meddling older sister and the enemy. How fun.”

“Joy?” Dean didn’t know if he liked that. “I can’t wait to see what Miles thinks of that.”

“Which is why Quince didn’t go to Miles. He came to me. I have a clear head.” Her superiority complex was showing again. “Unlike you males who only think with your dicks—I’m sorry to say—I’m much more pragmatic.”

He wanted to kiss the smirk off her face. “So how do we detect friend from foe?”

“We don’t. I pretend I’m camping with you. We play clueless kitties and let Lex and Quince duke it out.”

“You want me to believe you’re not dying to sink those claws into Lex? Please. I know you, Stacey.”

“Well, I—”

“You’re going to ditch me, ditch Quince and go after Lex on your own. Apparently you’re a man. Because your reasoning is as stupid as us poor saps thinking with our dicks.” He leaned closer and slid inside her once more, unable to resist. “So was this a pity fuck then, Stace? Feeling sorry for me because I’m constantly hard around you?”

She groaned and tried to reach for him, but he held her hands down as he fucked her. He loved handling her, taking control of the bossy feline. As she moaned and clenched tight around him, he watched her take her pleasure, enjoying the changing expressions on her face. He loved being inside her while she came, and before he knew it, he neared his own end.

He tried to withdraw to prevent coming inside her once more, but she wrapped her legs around his back and locked him down against her.

“Stace—I—Oh yeah.” He ground inside her, his cat more than content to give her more of himself. Her nipples raked his chest with each pass, and when she leaned up and nipped his earlobe, he forgot his own name and lost himself in the ecstasy obliterating thought.

He released inside her, giving her everything he had left. Unfortunately, he had a bad feeling he’d also lost a huge chunk of his heart.

After they lay together for a while, he started to feel the cold of the ground against his legs. “Glad I wasn’t on the bottom.”

“Ass,” she snarled, but her sharpness had lost its edge, especially since he remained inside her.

He sighed and withdrew, sated yet still hungry for more of her, which made little sense. She leaned up on her elbows, and the action plumped her breasts.

“Damn. That’s playing dirty.”

“What?”

“I can’t think when I see those.” He stared at her pink nipples and leaned down to take one in his mouth. He licked the taut bud and let go with reluctance. “It’s like I’m addicted.”

There was a moment of silence. A strange, almost yearning look flashed in her eyes before it cleared. “Yeah, that’s what they all say about you,” she said in a snarky tone and shoved him aside.

“Catty much?” Was it wrong that he liked her jealousy?

“Oh shut up.” She rolled to her feet and stood. Stacey kept her arms to her sides, giving him full view of her body. She had no problem with nudity, like most Ac-taw. Then again, with a body like that, why would anyone try to hide it?

She bent to look down at herself and frowned. “Oh man, what a mess. Gimme that.” She motioned to his T-shirt.

He tossed it to her. She used it to wipe the stickiness from between her legs, but she didn’t comment on their lack of protection. He figured if it had been a big deal, she’d have let him know. Stacey wasn’t one for keeping her feelings to herself.

Oddly pleased to see evidence of himself all over her, he tried to keep the satisfaction from his voice. “I don’t give a damn about Quince’s orders. I’m letting Burke know about this.”

“You can’t,” she blurted.

“Uh-huh. And why not?”

“Quince thinks there’s someone in Cougar Falls telling Lex about us. I don’t think it’s anyone in the pride, more likely someone from town spying on the ranch. But we can’t take that chance and tip them off. Lex might disappear, and it’ll be hard to get a shot at him again. I’ll spend more months watching over my shoulder, working in this dinky little town, acting like queen bitch. And who wants that?”

“Good point.”

“I want this over with. I want my life back.” Her voice wavered.

He didn’t think; he reacted. Wrapping her in his arms, he held her against him. He only meant to offer comfort. But holding her put him in a place unlike any other. Sheer contentment, pleasure and arousal mingled to create a feeling he didn’t want to label, not for a troublemaking princess like Stacey.

But he felt it all the same.

He cleared his throat but couldn’t take his arms away from her. “I want you to have your life back too.” The idea of her going back to Miami didn’t bear thinking about, but he wouldn’t allow the threat to her to continue. “I won’t tell Burke, exactly.” But he wouldn’t let the pride fly blind.

He reluctantly let her go and found his radio. Monty answered right away.

“Cabin problems on number two. Need your handyman skills, ASAP. Dean out.” He’d given the code for trouble in case their frequency was being monitored. Now they had to meet a stubborn wolf and fix this mess.

He glanced back at Stacey, lingering on her hourglass figure, full breasts and slender thighs. Her belly needed to be nipped, right after he kissed the worry from her lips.

“Oh man. If I only had a camera.”

She snorted, and the frown on her face disappeared. “Dream on.”

“I will. Especially tonight.” He leered, and instead of scorning him like she usually did, she chuckled.

“So you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Of course I am. I’m just thinking of ways to make you pay for not telling me about Quince.”

She sauntered to him and gave him a thorough once-over, smirking at his dick, which refused to go completely soft around her. “Like what you see?”

“Am I breathing?” He shook his head. “You’re sexy but slow. Get a move on, blondie.”

She grimaced. “I hate that nickname.”

Dean sneered. “I know.”

She gave him a funny look. “You’re the only man I know who likes annoying me.”

“What can I say? I’m no woman’s lackey. Just because you’re easy on the eyes doesn’t mean you’re easy on the brain. Pretty is as pretty does, baby. And normally, you ain’t all that pretty to me.” He had to keep the woman on her toes, because if she knew how badly she’d shaken him with all this feeling crap, he’d be toast, wrapped around her little finger for life.

“Oh, and today?” The fire in her eyes made his entire body, cat and heart sit up and take notice. “What am I today after giving up the goods?”

He kissed her on the cheek before she could shove him away. “The purtiest woman I ever done seen.” He mentally readied his cat to come to the fore, needing to feel the forest wind through his whiskers. Hell, they both needed to turn. When was the last time Stacey had shifted? “I had no idea you had it in you. I mean, you dressed like a hooker yesterday. But I didn’t think you could actually back it up. And holy crap, did you ever.”

She gaped. “That is the most insulting thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“Why? Because I said you’re killer in the sack? Why is that wrong?” He shook his head but couldn’t quite hide his mirth. He planned to make it his new mission in life to set her off. “Women. I’ll never understand you.”

Her eyes narrowed. After a moment, she sighed. “Okay, cut the act. I know when I’m being played.” Instead of berating him, she tucked her arm in the crook of his and pulled him toward the mouth of the cave. “So come on, Gomer. Let’s figure out how to lead Lex’s boys on a wild chase. Now what’s this cabin problem nonsense you mentioned to Monty?”

She released him to flow into a golden feline with light blue eyes that faded to honeyed gold flecked with blue. He followed suit, shifting into a larger, darker cat with more muscle but the same desire to run and hunt. She blinked at him, beautiful in her fur.

He had to focus to function past the need to fuck again. “Okay, princess. After you.”

“Try to keep up, hillbilly.” She rubbed her body against his before flicking her tail at him.

He wrapped his own around hers. They shared a glance. His cat wanted to mate, feline to feline. The impulse was so strong that for the first and only time in his life, Dean allowed his animal spirit to take over, ensnared by the one woman made for him. But she bounded away with a laugh before he could make a move, enticing his cat all the more.

The chase was on.