He tilts his head to the side. "I don't think she's the one who's jealous. What did you think we were going to be doing up here, Kylie?"I shiver when he says my name."Did you think we're going to sleep together?""No." My lie isn't very convincing. I should know. I was trained to lie. "Not at all."His gaze drops to my breast, and he raises his eyebrows, as if making a point. His eyes are light blue again almost silver. Mémé's change like that. Sometimes they look chocolate brown, like mine, other times they are golden. I look down my freakin nipples are standing out so far they show through my bra and T-shirt. Damn.I cross my arms over my chest to hide them. "Look we're both adults. You invited me up here. Show me what you're going to show me, and I'll tell you what I think.""You think you're ready?"I saunter to his desk and plant my hands on it, leaning in. "King, I've been ready for you my entire life." For a moment, King regards me. He pivots, squiring off to face me. He se
As I walk away, a tortured sound trips from king's office. An inhuman sound. Almost like a howl. ~•~•~•~•~ JACKSON POV:I pull my clothes off in the parking lot and throw them in my trunk. It's reckless There are still cars in the lot, and it's not even dark yet, but I have to run. The moon is waxing, which makes my wolf antsier than usual. That's the problem not that smart mouthed, intoxicating little human who calls everything the way she sees it.My chest shakes with a growl when I think about the danger kylie is in. My wolf wants to protect her from all threats. But of course the only threat to her is me. Garret warned me this could happen. The Tucson Alpha runs a tigh pack. His wolves are all healthy, well adjusted. He and I have a tenuous relationship I am alone wolf on the edge of his territory. Garrett keeps reaching out. Not just to assert his leadership although he wouldn't be much of an Alpha if he didn't try but to save
I lift my muzzle and trot off, knowing Sam will follow. Tonight we'll run and hunt just like we did in the mountains of California, where I found Sam starving and half mad, his human side almost lost. He seems to know what I cannot explain. Tonight, I'm tge one who needs rescuing. ~•~•~•~ KYLIE POV:It's been three days, and I haven't seen once Jackson King. Not since he threw me out of his office. I living our conversation over and over again. I tell myself to get over it. but I've been obsessing over King for years, and this crush has bloomed since the encounter in the Elevator. Work drags on. Stu keeps me busy with sitting up new firewalls and other boring stuff.Meanwhile, I've been wearing skirts and heels in case I see King again. Not that I want to impress him. I just want that big jerk to see what he's missing. Oh, who am I kidding? I still want him to notice me. To come into my office and growl at me, bend me over
JACKSON POV:My Wolf whines a little as I walk away from my little superhero, but he behaves. He wanted me to close the door and mark her with my scent so the likes of Stu will stay away, but he's satisfied that we got to see her at all.I shouldn't risk getting near her, but I can't help it. At least I proved to myself I can be in the same room without jumping her. I love that she's not afraid to tease me. You're Clark Kent. If she only knew. I skip the Elevator, take the stairs two at a time. My secretary gives me a bewildered look as I pass. I realize the strange feeling on my face is a smile. "Mr. King?" I turn, and my secretary's perfume hits. The downside of having a sharp nose."Yes, Vanessa?" "You have a call from Garrett. No last name. I wouldn't bother you, but you said to put him through--""I'll take it." Ever since Kylie sparred with her, my secretary's been subdued. I still get rock hard when I think of the encounter. If Kylie was a shif
"Besides, with birth rates among so low, it's good for the pack if the most dominant of us settle down have pups as soon as possible." He sounds like his father. "Why put it off?" I scoff. "Says the chronic bachelor. What, did your mother call asking for grands pups, and you decided to pass the advice onto me?"Any other Alpha might bristle and take offense at my job but not Garrett. "You caught me." I hear his grin, and it goes a good way to mollifying my wolf, who's annoyed at having this conversation in the first place. "I figure if she has your wedding to coo over in the shifters society gossip pages, she'll leave me alone.""I'm onto you now. I'll think about it next moon. Sam should definitely get a girlfriend.""All right." Garrett laughed. "We'll look for you. See you around King.""One more thing Garrett." I drop all joviality. With my wolf's newfound attraction to a human, I'm suddenly not so certain about my own stability. "If I do ever go moon mad, promise me you'll protec
BUT I can't do it and stay. If I give in to these guys, I'll be their bitch forever. Next they'll ask me to hack into the credit card vault. Then somewhere else. I can't do that I have to disappear. Like I've done a million times before. I stomp to the bedroom, grab a suitcase from the closet, and fling it onto the bed. Without thought, my hands move packing the necessities. Black clothes, one pair of each thing. A simple bag of toiletries. Running again. It doesn't matter how hard I try to outrun Catgirl and my parent's legacy, the past always catches up with me.But what about Mémé? We've moved so many times, I don't want to drag her on the road again. This time, our lives aren't in danger. It's not fair to make her pick up and move. Can I leave her?She's the only family I have. Ditching her to keep her safe feels like what my father did to me, when he tried to stick me in boarding school after my mom died. I wouldn't let him, and I'll bet Mémé won't like being left behind either.
"I had to talk to you," she croaked.Anyone else, I'd grill right there, while they lie on their back in the dirt at my feet. But not Kylie. That new, strange pricky heat takes over and screams at me to protect her from Sam, from the rain, from the rock from myself.I pluck her from the ground and set her feet, forgetting to pretend she's heavy. Her eyes roll, unfocused as if the movement pains her head. "Ugh. Wow."I reach around and cup the back of her head, finger questing until I find the growing goose egg. She flinches when I touch it."You're hurt." I turn and glare at Sam, who ducks his head. She eyes my housemate too, "Good thing you were around, or I think Cujo would've eaten me. Is that even a dog?""He's part wolf.""Part wolf, part what? Gargoyle?"I suppress a smile. I love that she pulls out the worry despite her injury. But then, it's her fault defense mechanism, as I learned in the Elevator. I study her. I ough to call the cops, or somehow scare her into respecting m
She licks her dry lips. "Mr. king, before I share this with you, I just want to tell you when I did, I was a cocky teenager trying to prove my worth to myself and the hacker world. I never took anyone's credit card numbers, and I neversold any Information. It was simply a-"The realization hits me like a fist in the gut."Catgirl." Of course she's fucking Catgirl. The only person who ever hacked my code.No wonder she was nervous about interviewing at SeCure. What in the hell kind of game was she playing, showing up at my headquarters, at my home, for fuck's sake? The one breach in security, that haunted mefor the past eight years just blew up in my face.Again. I snatch the manila folder from her hands and dump the contents onto the bathroom counter."I'm sorry." Her voice sounds small. Dammit.I hate hearing her diminished, even to me a natural Alpha who demands submissions fromeveryone. Even when I'm pissed off with her."What the fuck is this?"I flip the stack of
ONE MONTH LATER KYLIE POV:"PULL that skirt up, baby. Let me see what's waiting for me when we get home." My mate hasn't grown any less bossy since marking me. Our drive home from work together has become just one of the many pleasures of working for Jackson King. Shared lunch breaks are another one. And getting to help him with his new code. He stares over at me like a starving man. Like he hadn't already fucked me over his desk after using a rule on my ass during lunch. Like he doesn’t have full access to me every night at home."Now, kitten. Every second you make me wait will earn you a stroke with my belt."I already reached for the hem of my tight fitted skirt, but I stop now, flashing a naughty grin. "Is that so?"Now that I've switched on my shifter DNA, my body heals almost instantaneously, which means Jackson can employ any form of punishment he desires and the pain is only fleeting. It's a bit sad, really. Because now I can never get enough. Ja
JACKSON POV:THE first rays of light come up over the mountains as Sam pulls into my garage. On my orders, he stopped to pick up Jacqueline. I knew how worried her grandmother had been, and vice versa. I want Kylie to have all the support she needs, especially considering it's her first shift. While the shift was necessary for her survival, she may not know to shift back when the time comes.I carry her in. Sam tries to carry Jacqueline, but the old cat insists on walking on her own, leaning heavily on Sam. We install them both in the upstairs guest bedroom. Jacqueline shifts and curls her body up beside Kylie's, lending her purring vibrations for her granddaughter's healing.I sit beside the bed, my heart rammed up behind my chin, my fingers moving over Kylie's sleek black fur.She's fucking magnificent. A huge black Panther with golden eyes. Truly awe-inducing. It's the first time in my life anything's made sense. Of course my wolf chose this incredible
BRITISH accent yanks my hair again. "Help him."I allow my anger to show. "Okay asshole. Do you know anything about hacking? No one ever knows the way in. It's about experimentation. You just keep trying things until you make some headway. If I'm going to help Stu, I need my own computer and my fingers. Me looking over his shoulders just slows us both down.British accent–I'll call him BA, looks at Stu, who shrugs. "She's right." It's too much to hope they'll give me my computer, but he does slide the tape off my wrist and shove another laptop in my face. Despite the fact that I'm still wearing the mini skirt from days before, I prop one ankle on my knee to make a desk and flip open the laptop. I've been in Jackson's system all week through his computer, but I left an open door for myself, which is how I transferred the funds back today. I don't go in through the door, now. I go at the firewall, same as Stu."Is she doing it?" BA demands.Stu looks over my shoulder. "Yeah."I ignore
"MAY I SPEAK TO JACQUELINE?""Ah. She's been waiting for your call." He says nothing more, but Mémé voice come on. "Minette! Dieu merci. Is it safe to take?""Yes. Where are you?""I am with Tucson wolf pack. Downtown."For a moment, I simply reply her words as my brain struggles to catch up. "Did you say wolf pack?""Oui. I'm sorry, I never told you, Minette. I am a shifter–cat. Your mother too."I've had too many surprises today to take it all in. My hand drops limp at my side. "Wh-what?""Where are you, Minette?"Minette. The French word for puss. She's always called me little cat because... she's a cat. My mind topples ass over tea kettle down a slope of dawning. "My mom?" I croak."Yes, your maman, too. This is why, this wolf is attracted to you. Where are you, my sweet?""Not far from downtown. Are you hurt? What happened?""I was hurt, but I will be better soon."My engines finally start firing. "We need to leave town right away." I stand and pick my leather backpack purse."
AND ho-boy-kylie's grandmother is a cat shifter? Is Kylie? She can't be. Her fear when I partially shifted was genuine. But how would she have a shifter for a grandmother and know nothing about werewolves?Another thought creeps in, full of heat and tingles. Kylie has shifter blood. No wonder my wolf wanted to mate her. And it means she probably would have survived it.But that is water under the bridge. Kylie just met with Stu, proving she was in cahoots with him the whole time. Except, now that this new information has knocked me out of my stupor, doubts creeps in. Could there be another explanation for her meeting with Stu?I pull up in front of Garrett's apartment and get out, walking swiftly in and onto elevator. I stop on Garrett's floor and get off. The scent of shifters-both wolf and yes, this distinctly feline smell as well, hist me. I knock on the door and one of Garrett's housemates answers it steps deferentially aside to let me in. The old woman is on the sofa, pale and we
PAIN pushes through my heart like a nail in a coffin. Punctures straight through to the other side and leaves me wheezing for breath.Betrayed.She's been working with Stu all along? A great roaring starts up in my ears, deafens me. My body goes numb, freezing cold as it all clicks into place. She and Stu are working together on this. I was so stupid to believe all her lies. A known thief, a known hacker, I actually saw her install the malware into my system, and I didn't realize I was being played? She took me by the balls.What in the hell is wrong with me? I was thinking with my dick, not my brain, that's what. I let a pair of sexy legs and Batgirl tits lead me around by the nose. What a fucking idiot.I watch, like a dead man, as she pulls off her helmet and dismounts from the bike. She leans back against it, folding her arms across the same breasts I worshipped only last night.I can't tell what they're saying. Even if my wolf hearing could detect their voice through the window,
MY breath stutters, but I part my legs. He cups my mons. "You remember who belongs to?"I flush."It's mine. And If I was too rough with it, you'd be within your rights to pout a little, kitten. Makes me kiss it better when I get home tonight."The thought has my Nipples tightening, pussy clenching. The image of us some kind of 1950s married couple floats through my mind. I'm the sex-kitten wife, waiting for him to come home from a hard day at work. Offer him a drink and loosen his tie before I pout and make him lick my pussy as compensation for pounding me too hard the night before. Okay, I'm getting way too excited. And there's work to be done. Serious work.He pulls into his garage and insist on carrying me inside. "Your ankle is sore, and you're not wearing panties." I laugh. "So those are the two criteria for getting carried?""That's right. Now, watch the sass or I'll have to see to that pretty little ass of yours before I go. Is it sore, too?"I reach back and run my hand over
I go still, and she stiffens, seeming to realize what slipped out. "I mean...""Shhh... Don't you dare take it back," I warn. I cradle her face in my palm and turn it to look into her warm brown eyes."I love you." I don't say I love you too, because I don't want it sound less serious than her admission. I utter it like a vow. I don't know how the fuck I'm going to make things work with a human, especially if every full moon is like this, but I sure as hell have to try. I'm not giving her up for anything. And that means I need to eliminate all the threats to my female. "Kylie, I need to know what happened at the Louvre."She blinks in surprise and tries to pull away. I literally can see her emotional retreat before my eyes."Don't run," I command. "Look at me. I need to know.""Why?""You've been in hiding since then. And now you've been outed. Are you in danger?"She shakes her head. "Not for the next seven years.""Tell me.""It was my father's partner in the heist. A double- cross
"THERE are consequences for disobeying your alpha." He pushes the head of his cock against my anus and waits. I tighten against his touch, but a moment later, the muscles give. As soon as they loosen, Jackson pushes forward penetrating my tigh hole.I let out a keening cry.He stills, stretching me wide, waiting for me to calm down. The care he takes reassures me that he's in control, and I yield, willing my pelvic floor to relax. He pushes in farther and the stretch becomes more intense, then eases."There. That's the head. I'm in, baby. Now, take the rest of me."I whimper but let all my muscles go slack, arch ny back a little, and wait."Good girl," he rumbles, one hand coasting up my side, stroking my skin.The praise sends curls of warmth through me, and I arch some more."That's it, baby. Take it like a good girl, and I'll kiss that ripe pussy when I'm through." He eases in and out, giving me a tremendous senses of urgency each time he fills me.My ass is stuffed full of his c