Claiming Their Cat (13 page)

“I can only tell you that your understanding is what wins in the end.”

“Understanding of what?”

Ila stepped into him, pulled his face down with her hands, and kissed him on his cheek.
“I will be back in time to deliver the baby.
You remember what I said about your brother.”

Rio hugged her close. “You don’t have to go. You can stay as long as you like.”

“No. You
need
to drive into town this afternoon and pick up the package you ordered for her, and put it to use.”

“You know about that, huh?”

“
Unfortunately
, I know everything.
Tell your mate I’ll see her when it’s time.”

His
shiichoo
hugged him again and then headed out the back door. She veered to the left and never looked
back
when she disappeared into the trees. He didn’t know how she did it.
The
property
was riddled with sensors, and she’d never set any of them off.
Wild animals set them off sometimes but never his
Shiichoo
.
Yeah, she was wolf, but she shouldn’t be that
good
. She was as elusive as the wind. He laughed. Ila would have made one heck of an assassin.

When Cat came downstairs, he couldn’t pull his eyes
away
.
Her bl
onde
hair s
hone
, and the curls seemed to dance as she moved.
Rio pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. Then he pulled a
strand
between his fingers and watched it
curl
. “Your hair is
sexy
as hell. Don’t ever
cut
it.”

She smiled as if she’d never received a
compliment
before. “Thank you.’

He held the chair out, and she sat.
Cat wolfed down the breakfast that made him
proud
of his cooking skills. He ate, enjoyed his black coffee, and watched her eat. Her long hair danced with a life of its own every time she moved. He couldn’t
wait
to
feel
it
slide
over his thighs and his
belly
.

“Your grandmother’s not joining us for breakfast?”

“She
has
already left, but she’ll be back when the baby’s due.”

Her shoulders slumped. “How will she know that?”

“Um, I don’t
actually
know.
That’s just what she said, and I don’t usually question her.”

After she
had finished
the last bite on her plate, Rio said. “Leave the dishes. Let’s go for a walk down by the lake.”

“That sounds wonderful.” He helped her out of the chair and noticed the light in her smile.
She
genuinely
wanted to go outside.

They spent the morning walking around the lake.
She loved the stories about how h
e
and his brother, Creed, were always getting into trouble.
He asked about her family, but she quickly shut him down, saying that her parents were dead and she didn’t have any siblings. Of course, it held the acrid smell of a lie.

Cat loved the outdoors, enjoyed seeing the ducks take off and land. She
ooed
and
ahhed
over the bunnies eating grass. One day, she was going to love being a wolf and probably
see
those ducks and bunnies in a different way.
He’d found out that she’d never been fishing, and that was so wrong.
He loved to fish with a cane
pole
and he’d bet his boots she
would
too
. He also warned her to stay inside unless he was with her especially at night. It would be difficult for anyone to
penetrate
his security, but anything was possible.

For lunch, Rio went back inside and made sandwiches, which they ate on the pier. Cat appeared to be having a
good
time, but when she started yawning, it was time for a nap. Unfortunately, his
package
in town was burning a hole in his mind. He should have let Ila
stay
with Cat while he ran into town, but for some reason, it hadn’t even crossed his mind. He’d slip into town while Cat slept, but he’d
wear
her down first.

Rio led her through the house.
He felt her tense with each step they took. His beast bristled. He didn’t want her
fearful
. “Relax. Why are you afraid?”

“I’m not afraid, but maybe I don’t want to be a prostitute.”

“I’m gonna
spank your butt
for that.”

“What? It’s true. I’m paying for
protection
. Trading sex for something defines a
prostitute
.”

She
had a
point
, one that pulled guilt from his wolf. Yes, he should be protecting her for free, would have done it anyway if she hadn’t agreed to the deal. But he needed to pleasure her and get her to
trust
him. He was a cad,
plain
and
simple
, but as stubborn as Cat was, she would have never agreed otherwise.

“There’s one difference between a normal prostitute and you.”

She arched her
lovely
brow
I that do-tell
fashion
of hers.

“First of all, you’re my
very
special
mistress
and not a prostitute. Prostitute’s relationships are like drive-through windows. Secondly, prostitutes hardly ever
receive
pleasure
. They are there for
the john
’s desire and the money.” Rio knew that was partly
true
. The few times he’d hired a prostitute instead of picking a
lady
up at a bar, he’d always brought them to
completion
before he allowed himself his own pleasure. They always thanked him and told him how different he was from their other customers. To a wolf, sex was all about giving before getting.

She stopped in the hallway and plopped her hand on her hips.
“Let me get this straight.
Because I have an orgasm that makes me a
mistress
instead of your whore?’

The spin on all this was he’d found her in a brothel. He doubted that she was a whore because she was so
shy
at sex, not experienced in the art of pleasing a man.

And he needed to know why she was there that night.
“Have you ever been in a whorehouse?”

Her heartbeat accelerated; her breath caught in her chest.
“No.”

The
lie
was acid in his nose. Taking her hand, he pulled her into the bedroom, knowing this was
an
excellent opportunity to
discover
her secrets. With an idea in his mind, he turned on the lamp, and then closed the heavy drapes at the large picture window. “I have a
fantasy
.
Let’s pretend that you are a prostitute, and I’m your john.
I’ll lie in the bed, and you’ll service me like you think a hired woman should.”

Her blue eyes rounded in
fear
, the one thing he didn’t want her to feel. “Don’t be afraid. You’re in control.”
He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor.
Then he shucked his boots, and his pants followed. Cat’s gaze followed his every
move
. Pulling the covers back, he fluffed the pillows and lay down, probably
not
like he did that night in the brothel. He
’d been
drunk, so he
’d
probably just fell in.

“Can we turn off the lamp?”

“Sure.” He did as she asked. “You’re in
control
. Make this your fantasy.”

Cat couldn’t believe
that he was letting her be in control. Heat rushed her body thinking about that night at the brothel. They’d made love several times, and once he had actually let her be in charge. That man had been wild, forceful, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. At first she was scared he would hurt her, thinking she’d made a terrible mistake, but he seemed to sense her fear, became gentle with her and made her feel cherished.

Rio reminded her of that man in the dark, obviously, not in the looks category, but in their strength and mannerisms. She stripped, and eased to the end of the bed. That night she was shaking like a leaf in a tornado, but not tonight. Rio wouldn’t harm her no matter what their differences were. She crawled over him, and he immediately pulled her down for a hard kiss.

She laughed against his lips. “Hey, I’m supposed to be in charge here.”

“I know. I just wanted something to tide me over.”

The shadowy man had kissed her too. The darkness now allowed her to relive that night. Straddling his hips, she positioned his shaft against her clit, thumbed its swollen crest. She pressed it against her and rocked, letting it drag along her clit. Cat loved the feel of his cock, knew it would be the source of pure pleasure. She leaned forward and kissed his chest, then sucked his nipple into her mouth.

“That’s right, baby. Use those teeth.”

Cat did, just like that night so long ago. She bit him hard, before he could ask. Apparently, some men liked it rough.

“Fuck yeah.” His voice was gravelly, almost a growl.

Cat felt her body quicken at his words. She could do this, give him pleasure, play the seductress—before she got him killed. She pushed those thoughts away. Cat nipped him as she eased down his body. His stomach hollowed when she kissed his bellybutton. She felt the goose bumps on his skin. After nestling herself between his thighs, she grabbed his shaft and licked the pearl of moisture that had escaped. He rewarded her efforts with a hiss and by pushing his hips up.

She wrapped her hand around his cock and took the head into her mouth. Cat loved the salty taste, the feel of soft skin over hardened steel, the little growls he made when she took as much of him as possible.

“Baby, you have no idea how awesome that feels. I can’t wait to taste your pussy.”

Cat couldn’t wait for him to taste her either. She’d never had anyone do that until the man at the brothel did and god, it was the most erotic thing she’d ever had done to her. Well, except for the butt plug. That was wicked too. She sucked harder and pumped him with her hand. Cat reveled with delight when Rio’s thighs trembled, and he pushed his hips up.

“Play with yourself. Come along with me, because baby, I’m almost there.”

His suggestion intrigued her. Oh, she had gotten herself off many times, but never while she was sucking a cock. Her inner core quivered. She moved her hand down, around her belly, and found her clit extended and slick with her juices. She swirled her finger over the little bundle of nerves as she sucked his cock. Her desire was building. Rio’s balls were tight against his body. She swirled hard against herself, building the pleasure, giving the pleasure.

“I’m ready baby. Swallow all of me.”

The first spurt hit the back of her throat. She swallowed and suddenly she was coming herself. She arched as pleasure shot up her spine, and she moaned around his shaft as waves of pure ecstasy surged through her. Rio’s shoved his cock deep and cried out her name.

She sat up. She wished the lights had been on. She wanted to see Rio climax. Maybe next time.

Cat crawled up beside him, laid her head on his shoulder, and slung her leg over his. Her belly pressed against his warm side.

“Damn, woman. That was hot as hell.”

“Mmm. It was. I just want to sleep now.”

His arm pulled her against him. “You can sleep for now, and I’ll eat your pretty pussy later.”

Her last thought was Rio was going to die because of her.

Cat awoke instantly
knowing two things.
She was alone in Rio’s
enormous
bed, and she had to pee.
After taking care of the necessities, she opened the drapes. Rio had a fabulous view of the mountains from his bedroom. They rose majestically, their reflection shimmering in the lake. Her belly growled. The clock by the
bed
said 4:15. No wonder she was
hungry
. Time for a snack. Making her way downstairs, she headed straight for the pantry surprised she didn’t
run
into Rio along the way.

After snagging some cookies and a bottle of water, she went to the back porch to sit on those
wonderful
rockers she’d seen this morning. It was
serene
here, which surprised her. Did a killer-for-hire
need
a
peaceful
, beautiful place to rejuvenate? She’d thought he’d
live
in a
dim
,
intense
cave or
maybe
spent all his time in a smoky bar.

She sighed.
Rio apparently had everything and she wasn’t sure he even knew it.
The cookies were delicious, the water refreshing, and the rocking superb.
All of which topped off a perfect afternoon of fantasy sex. Her insides rippled just thinking about
the man
.
But she couldn’t stay.
She still didn’t know why all this was happening. Why was he like…
helping her? She didn’t feel threatened, which was why she needed to leave and save his ass.

And where was he
?
She frowned. Something else was missing.
Rio
’s
truck
. He’d moved it to the
back
after his grandmother had left. She stood up and hurried to the front, looking out the windows on both sides searching for his vehicle. She burst on to the
porch
and g
rinned. Rio had made a mistake
,
and she was going to capitalize on it.

Damn, she missed her backpack. She ran back upstairs and rummaged around his
closet
looking for a backpack. Not finding one, she snatched a pillowcase from the
bed
and stuffed her meager belongings in it. Back
in the kitchen, she shoved food into her makeshift pack and smiled about the last time
she had done this. She grabbed a knife, wrapped it in a dishcloth, and dropped it in her
sack
just for
good
measure.

Sadness tiptoed into her heart, and she quickly pushed it away.
This was the best thing for Rio. He was just too stubborn to realize it. Looking around one last time at his
gorgeous
home, she slipped out the front door and headed for the driveway. She had no idea how far he lived off the road, but it couldn’t be
far
. Hitching a
ride
would take her far away from Rio and in turn…keep him
safe
.

Again, she had no money, but maybe something would turn up, and she could
work
for food and a place to stay since that worked out so well the last time. Not wanting to
walk
directly on the driveway, she veered to the left about sixteen feet into the forest in
case
Rio came back. It was hard going in the woods with flip-flops, but she hadn’t bought shoes yet. Rio was going to take her shopping for some when her feet healed.
She couldn’t worry about that now. She had to get to the road before Rio returned and way before the sun went down.
One thing she’d learned over the past week, she hated to be outside at night. Lots of
creepy
crawlies
came out at night, and she hated every damned one of them.