Slow Burn (17 page)

But Derrick had no idea where the extra voice came from.

Rain poured down harder, the wind tore through the jungle,
and all at once, the pumas facing him lunged into the air, teeth and claws
bared.

“No.” The scream came from a source the puma couldn’t
identify, but it startled Derrick.

Then he spotted a larger cat in the distance. Black eyes
that held knowledge and power narrowed.

Derrick didn’t know the identity of the cat but recognized a
familiarity to the feline that almost comforted the fear rising in his throat.

Then another fog closed in on the larger cat and Derrick saw
only blinking bright-yellow eyes. When had the cat’s eyes changed colors?

“We set fire to that village in order to smoke out the drug
leaders but they weren’t there. Only innocents were there. And an army had us
blocked in our retreat. When we tried to extricate ourselves, Max and I both
got hurt very badly. He spent a long time in the hospital once help arrived,
and I…” He heard a strangled sound, only to realize it came from him.

Her power flowed from her to him and the cat, then back
again. “I couldn’t help him. I’d grown too weak from blood loss to help my
brother.” Another sniffle.

He suddenly found himself with his arms at his sides while
soft hands caressed him, ran up and down the length of his back, and even
plucked the cigar from his hand to set it in the ashtray beside them.

Soft breath blew against his neck, whispering tranquility
into his ear. His body hardened. “Shh, baby, it’s okay.”

Derrick opened his eyes and found Sonja staring at him, her
lips pressing against his forehead while her hands continued stroking him.

Something wet dripped into his mouth and he realized he’d
been shedding tears.

“How about that, my baby? How do you feel?” The harshness
disappeared, taking with it the screams of agony he heard only seconds ago.

Derrick heard the name she’d called him. Her baby. Should he
press the issue…or ignore the possessiveness in her voice? He took another deep
breath. Tears flowed steadily down his cheeks but he didn’t move to wipe them
away.

Soft fingers pressed against his cheek, brushing strands of
hair from view so that he could see Sonja, now sitting on his lap. Her arm slid
around his waist. holding him as though he were salvation.

Her warm palm rested against his cheek. Derrick
straightened, blinked, and realized part of the pain he’d held onto was gone.

Derrick felt like he could breathe for the first time since
the op failed. He looked over her shoulder out the window, saw the sun set.
Another day had passed and they’d been together. Even had a fight.

He snickered. To feel this good reminded him of a time he
thought he’d forgotten about. One where he and Max were children playing and
the world made sense.

Sonja looked up. “What?”

He wrapped his arms around her, loving the feel of her soft
curves against his hard body. “Nothing, sweetheart. I’m just…” Even the tone of
his voice had softened somewhat.

She cocked her head to the side. “Better?”

“Yeah.” He nodded and nuzzled her. “Did you see the image?”

“The puma inside you? Yes. Beautiful tanned fur covered it
and its expression showed intense pride.”

“But the rain—”

“The rain always does that. It’s an emotional element, the
part of this world that washes out our sorrows, takes away our distress,
destroys and sweeps away that which we no longer need. Just as the heat helps
to rebuild through a process, so does the water act as an element, a powerful
force that issues change. You need a change. You can’t hold onto that shit
forever. It will age you and stifle all growth. And I’m not about to let you
hold onto it when I can do something about it.”

“Are those effects permanent?”

She shook her head. “I don’t really know, honestly. I’m not
making you forget, I’m not blocking your memories, I’m guiding you to fix
yourself. It’s what I do for my fans.”

His respect for her grew one more leap. Derrick tilted her
chin up, pressed his mouth to hers. “You’re pretty wise for your age.”

“And you’re pretty hot for a beast.”

He chuckled. “I’m the only beast you need concern yourself
with.”

The smirk on her face looked pretty sexy, he decided.
“Indeed.”

He snickered again. Then Derrick glanced at the wall clock.
They had to wait and that pissed him off. Nothing about this was going to be
easy, was it? “No ring yet from that damn bear?”

“No.” She shook her head and sighed. “We haven’t heard from
Max yet either.”

“That could be a good sign. We should go nap.” He spoke the
words with more confidence. Urgency required them to be at their best, prepared
for anything at any time. He needed to protect her and she had to get back in
touch with her normal life. Derrick swore to keep things like this away from
her so she wouldn’t have to remain on constant guard. Having witnessed
first-hand what she could do to someone, he could never give her up now. He
stroked her hair, letting the silken strands fall between his fingers. Derrick
didn’t know if the mating between them forced a faster emotional bond or if
natural feelings were being developed; only time would really tell. Certainly,
love played a hand.

“Perhaps a nap wouldn’t do us any harm. How do you feel?”

“Lighter. Better.” In truth, he felt just as he said. His
shoulders relaxed, tension just seemed to have floated away. He moved
gracefully, lifting her with him, only for her to giggle lightly in his ear.
“You’re not going to disappear or do anything stupid on me, are you?”

She chuckled, fell back where he dumped her on the couch,
and reached for him.

Loving the obviously satisfied smile she wore, Derrick fell
into her embrace. “How do you feel?”

“No. I don’t have the energy to move after all the
extracurricular activities and taking that weight from you.”

He thought of that instantly. When he carried her, he stood
straighter, felt taller. That depression and anger had been holding him down
and clouding his mind. But every time Sonja took from him, she had trouble with
it. He pressed two fingers to her lips. “That won’t cause a problem for you? I
mean do we need to release that energy in you somehow?”

She shifted one leg over the other, licking her lips. “I'm
fine.”

Shifting his weight to settle in against her better, Derrick
blanketed her body with his, felt instant warmth between her thighs, and wished
he knew how much time remained before Max showed up or they got the call.

Rest would help clear the mind. But it couldn’t be all about
Derrick’s needs. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do we need to even you out?”

Sonja lifted her head to meet his mouth with hers and
pressed her lips against him.

He briefly savored the exotic taste of her lips. Then he
moved back from her.

She offered a soft smile. “You let me worry about it, okay?”

The puma seemed content. It suited Derrick perfectly despite
not knowing the mechanics of their relationship. He could only nod. Then his
phone rang.

Startled, he picked it up, let out a sharp breath, and
relaxed his voice. It rang again, and as though he’d lost all patience, he
spoke. “Yeah. This better be a bear who has answers.”

“I do,” the muffled voice continued. “But this line is not
safe. Meet me.”

“I cannot meet you. That’s like walking into a trap. Unless
you can guarantee a public place and no hired guns. You and me. Mano y mano.
Comprende?”

The bear grunted.

“I’m losing you.” Derrick’s voice held a sort of singsong
quality that indicated his patience with the bear shifter had worn thin.

The bear’s half-hearted snort betrayed his derisiveness. “It
cannot work like that. I am not to be left alone or—”

Growing truly impatient, Derrick played his big card here.
“Or I find you and we kill you. Let me remind you, all of the rumors are true.”

Sonja’s eyes widened and she stifled a gasp.

Silence.

Then a sigh echoed across the line. “Fine. I will call you
tomorrow with the location.” The line went dead.

Derrick shut the flip phone and slid it back into his
pocket. He moved away from Sonja, though his contact against her outstretched
arm lingered more than normal.

“What was that?”

Derrick let out a long sigh. He hated having to rehash any
of his past with Sonja, but she was his mate and she’d accepted him. An
unwritten code bound him to share with her. “That was me playing spy again.” He
turned and let the ease back into his voice. “I know things about that bear. I
don’t know his name, not his legal one anyway. But he’s a major player here in
the drug and arms dealing scene. He knows who I am.”

“So you’re once again putting yourself in danger for me?” A
wry grin crossed her lips that turned slowly into a frown.

“Yeah.” He sighed heavily. He would do that, too. Pumas
mated for life, and while he had his fond memories of other lovers, none of
them compared to her, the exhilarating feel of being enveloped in her velvet
sheath, or how she made him feel. Now that he had let go of past mistakes, new
energy filled him and it would definitely come in handy when protecting her. “I
won’t hesitate to protect who I love.”

She gasped. Standing, she rose and strode across the room to
meet him.

Derrick followed her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

The stern look on her face did not register as he thought
about his next words. “Look…” He paused. “I know what you’re thinking. I
promise.”

“Do tell.” She crossed her arms over ample breasts; the
gesture looked incredibly sexy, even though he towered over her by a good foot.
Her hair hung down her back and the slant of her eyes, angry as they looked,
still showed hints of the confusion running through her mind.

“I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

Her mouth opened to speak but no words came out.

“I don’t need you to be in love with me, Sonja. I do need to
protect you.”

The fool! How could he possibly understand what she thought?
And how could he possibly love her? The whole audacity of this situation made
no sense. Yes, she had a soft spot in her heart for him, he’d wrapped himself
around her pretty tightly. But was that love?

Probably. Were they in love?

Hell, she threw her hands up in frustration. She didn’t
know. She’d never had a long term commitment, wasn’t any good at being with
people outside the stage and music world, and had only maintained one steady
relationship in her life.

With her brother.

Her fans loved her. Well, they adored her. Many lusted after
her and were open about it on the message boards. But thankfully, none took any
action other than harmless flirtation.

The question in her mind was irrelevant considering she’d
just helped Derrick let go of a good amount of guilt over his own past
mistakes. And the best part about it all was that it slid off his skin like oil
over water. He didn’t fight her, which she’d anticipated considering his strong
personality.

He’d said that he refused to lead anymore, but he did just
that with her. Unafraid, he took control of a situation he had no business
being involved in save for the fact that she’d allowed him to come to her that
first night. Of course, her lust for him hadn’t helped either.

Then he’d left his jacket, which meant she had to return it
to him.

Right, keep telling yourself that
.

His grip on her shoulders felt possessive, which she liked,
despite her unfamiliarity with a man who truly captivated her. Ever since he’d
crossed her path in life she’d studied Derrick the man. She’d only spotted
glimpses of the puma inside him before she met him up close and got even closer
to him.

But she couldn’t admit how she felt. So many things
complicated her feelings and she felt like too much of a letdown to a man who
was used to getting his way. How could he love her? No magic had been cast on
him. True love occurred naturally over the progression of weeks, months, and
even years in some cases!

Her heart allowed him in. He’d proven his worth, his
trustfulness, and his passion. Yeah, there had been a certain amount of meddling
by the fates, but she could have chosen to avoid him, reject him.

Couldn’t she?

The determined look and set of his jaw didn’t surprise her,
but it did show his emotions clearly. She smiled, grateful for the lack of
energy that normally spilled from him when his emotions ran high.

He’d steadied and increased his control. Good.

Then he pulled her into his arms. She crashed against his
chest hard, her breasts pressing into the firmness of him. And it felt safe.
Comforting.

He tilted her chin up.

She met his gaze, stared into the purple swirls of his eyes,
saw the intense desire along with the emotional value he placed in her hands.
She swallowed. Her lips went dry.

“You don’t—”

“You keep telling me I don’t get it, Sonja.” His voice
softened. “But did you ever stop to think that you’re the one hiding from
things? Or that, hey, remember? I used to be a spy.”

Her eyebrows arched and lips curled up in disgust. Again,
she started to speak but he pressed his mouth to hers and all thought became
lost in the sensation of him surrounding her.

She struggled to hold the thought as he kissed her, his
tongue probing past her lips. His hips rocked against hers and she felt her
legs quickly melting.

The taste of him, masculine, clean with a hint of earthen
undertones, captured her awareness along with the sensual movements of his
hands along her back. He enveloped her in a full body kiss.

Then he pulled back.

She blinked at him. “You’re crazy.”

Derrick’s mouth curled into a lazy smile.

She’d have sworn he was an addiction, a painful one at that
since her lips were more than likely going to be swollen in a moment. Who cared
though? Oh, and let’s not forget how wet he made her with those molten kisses.