You're Kitten Me (6 page)

Braden growled and stalked forward, lips curled to expose his lengthening fangs. Veronica retreated, shuffling backward in an attempt to put space between them. “Braden—”

“Fun?” he snarled.

She kept backing away, moving faster and farther until she hit the railing at the corner of the house. She was trapped, essentially cornered unless she wanted to vault over the edge. Which, really, Veronica was not a jumping kind of gal when she was on two legs.

Braden towered over her and she clutched the railing as she leaned away from him.

“
Fun?
” he snarled, eyes blazing yellow, and her body responded to his nearness.

Like so many times before, heat pulsed inside her, pussy growing damp as her nipples pebbled into hard nubs within her bra. Her wolf chuffed and nuzzled, assuring they were where they were meant to be—with their mate.

Apparently the animal had selective memory. It didn’t recall the last time they’d been in this situation, but Ronnie did. In startling, multi-colored clarity. Though, really, the predominant color was red—blood.

“Braden,” she whispered.

“No,” he snapped. “It was more than only fun.”

“It was…” It was more than fun. So much more.

“Say it. Don’t lie. Don’t hide. Say it.”

“What do you want me to say?” She lifted her hands and shoved, cursing when he didn’t budge an inch.

“I want you to say our time together was more than playing around.” He bared his fangs and her wolf practically purred in appreciation. Strong mate. Fierce mate. “I want you to say you hated being separated as much as I did.” He grabbed her roughly, wrapping his arms around her waist and hauling her closer. She shuddered with the increased contact, pussy tightening and clenching. “I want you to say that above all, I’m your mate.”

She wanted to say the words, wanted to admit the truth. But what would he expect if she did? Whatever it was, the price would be too high.

“I,” she gritted her teeth and pressed against his chest. She dug her fingers into him, not breaking skin but squeezing his pecs. “Don’t have a mate.”

She couldn’t afford to.

“Veronica.”

“Ronnie,” she corrected. She always corrected even though she liked being Veronica to him.

Braden abandoned being gentle and instead of hating his new roughness, she reveled in it. She liked it when he fisted her hair, her wolf howled when he tugged and encouraged her to tip her head back. A moan escaped her lips when his tiger’s gaze met hers.

When he spoke, his soft voice warred with the fierceness of his expression. “Don’t lie,” he whispered. “You can lie to your family, you can lie to Zoe, but you can’t to me.” He spread his fingers across her lower back, the hand in her hair gentling as he went from tugging to cradling her head. “Please, don’t lie to me.”

Tears stung her eyes once more. She’d never cried so much in her life as when she was around the tiger national pride and Braden. Never.

She couldn’t hold his stare, not when she refused to admit the truth. “I don’t…” She swallowed hard and her wolf growled, trying to force her to give him the words he desired. Ronnie battled the animal, pushing and shoving. Didn’t it remember what happened last time? “I don’t have a—”

Braden snarled, cutting off her words, and then he was there—surrounding her, consuming her. He captured her lips in a fierce kiss and she sunk into him. When he lapped at the seam of her lips, she granted him entrance, opening for his questing tongue. His flavors, smoky and sweet as she remembered, burst across her taste buds.

She moaned and leaned into his body, absorbing his heat and drawing his scent into her lungs. He was spicy and hot, the aroma enveloping her in his fragrance. He smelled like sex and coming home, like perfection and destruction in one.

Destruction?

Yes, to her human mind, that’s what he represented. Or could represent.

If she accepted him, tried to mate him like wolves…

No. Just… no. Not happening.

He nibbled her lower lip before sliding into her once more, bringing her more of his natural flavors. She returned each caress, each meeting of their tongues, and remembered the last time she’d tasted him. The last time she’d lain with him on the den’s couch and felt his firm body along hers.

He was hard in all the right places, muscles honed and carved like his tiger’s sleek body. Her fingers had traced the peaks and valleys on his abs, counting each one in turn. They hadn’t spoken much in the night, choosing to converse with hands and mouths rather than words.

Veronica wanted to return to that time. To when passion overruled everything.

Braden gripped her hips and lifted her, resting her ass on the porch railing. The board was only six inches across, not nearly wide enough. So she wrapped her legs around his thighs, anchoring herself to him.

It also opened her pussy to him. She was wet and desperate for a single touch, a single caress of his hand along her soaked seam. Instead, he stepped nearer still, fitting his hard, cloth-covered cock against her heat. He rocked his hips, sending that ridge sliding along her aroused flesh and she moaned against his lips. It was something, but not enough. Not nearly.

Ronnie gripped his shoulders, fingers burning as her claws emerged, and she dug them into his flesh. Not enough to pierce, but enough to prick. That was when the scent of his blood joined the flavors of their passion. It was a coppery musk mixed with the smoky sweetness of his innate aroma.

And together, it was delicious—ambrosia.

Heaven.

She moaned against this mouth, swallowing his sounds and then delving past his lips to search for more of those heavenly tastes. He rocked his hips, rubbing gently in a rhythm that drew whimpers from her chest and caused her clit to throb. It twitched and silently begged to be stroked and strummed. She’d come all over his hand, find release as she screamed his name.

His and no others, even if she was afraid to claim him.

Braden growled, the sound vibrating through her, enveloping her in his dominance, and her wolf whimpered with the sound. It wanted to submit, to tilt her head and bare herself for her mate.

But Ronnie wasn’t weak. She wasn’t a pushover; never driven by instinct again. Instinct drove her long ago and look at how that’d ended.

No. For now, she’d take his passion. She’d take his kisses, his caresses, his lo— She’d take his possession. There was no love, just like there was no mating.

Someday she’d believe that. Someday. But not today.

Braden nibbled her lip once more and then abandoned her mouth, raining kisses along the column of her throat. His lips skimmed her neck, dancing over her sensitized flesh until he reached her shoulder.

There, he bit.

He gathered her skin between his jaws and clenched his teeth. He tightened his mouth further and further until she knew he was on the edge of piercing her, and then he froze, remaining in place just like that.

Pain bombarded her, a steady, throbbing ache that seemed unending. She breathed through each jolt, each rising tide, and released her air with each gentle ebb. She panted and moaned, the ache joining the pleasure she gained from his touch—his heat. The tingles grew at the base of her spine, coalescing into an ever-increasing orb of bliss.

And he wasn’t fucking her. He wasn’t fucking her or stroking her or lapping at her pussy.

No, he simply bit her shoulder. Bit her and drove her wild with the roll of pain.

Ronnie tried to breathe through each new wave, but the delicious sensation refused to be controlled. She rode that edge, wavering between true pain and unbelievable pleasure.

She rode it until a soft chuff broke the magic of the moment.

They were outside. Outside the pride den. Outside the pride den with who knew how many sentinels lingering outside.

Not smart.

So much for keeping her private business private.

Ronnie gripped Braden’s shoulders and gently pressed, encouraging him to release her. Someone had snuck up on them and watched them even now. Shifters weren’t shy about nudity and sex, but she didn’t want random strangers watching her either.

Another hack, this one louder and closer.

“Braden,” she whispered, pushing a little harder.

A loud rumble rolled through him, leaving his chest to vibrate the air with his anger at the interruption. Her pussy clenched, the wolf excited over his defense and unwillingness to be interrupted.

A third feline cough, this one near enough that she felt the air stir from the cat’s breath.

“Braden,” she hissed and shoved hard, whimpering when his teeth scraped her skin.

“What?” he snarled loudly, baring his teeth and hissing at the tiger who’d approached.

She followed his line of sight but didn’t recognize the tiger sitting on the ground nearby. The animal bared its own fangs, curling lips back to expose the inches-long teeth.

The tiger snapped its teeth and jerked its head toward the den, urging them to return to the massive house.

Right. Into the house. Where it was safe.

Into the house. Where Braden had a bed. He’d had a bed before, but hers had been at the Wilden Inn.

What would they do now that they lived under the same roof?

“Fine,” he rumbled and stepped away, adjusting his hard cock within his jeans as he moved back. His glare remained on the other male even as he assisted her down from the railing.

When the tiger didn’t leave, he snapped once more. “We’re going. Get back to patrolling.”

The stranger grumbled but retreated, his eyes lingering on her body in obvious appreciation and she glared at him. “That look is creepy when you’re shifted.”

Like, almost bestiality.

The tiger snorted as if it didn’t care and turned away, padding back the way he’d come, tail occasionally twitching.

With a shake of her head, she refocused on Braden and wilted beneath his fierce stare. “I’m taking you inside because it’s stupid to be out here after dark, but that doesn’t mean this conversation is over.”

Ronnie sighed. “Why can’t you just give up—give in. Nothing you say will change anything.”

“Veronica,” his eyes remained hot, but his tone was gentle and his hands were soft when he cradled her hands. “Say it.”

“No.” Saying the words was the first step to ruin. She snatched her hands back. “And I’m done right now.”

“Veron—”

She held up her hand, demanding—begging—silence. “I’m tired and I’m going to bed.”

“In my suite.”

“In
my
bed.”

His eyes softened and it looked like it was his turn to beg. Those eyes, those blazing eyes, now begged. “Even if you won’t admit to the connection, you are mine. You’re sleeping in my bed.”

She glared at him, human mind objecting to his order while her wolf told her to get the fuck over herself. The wolf won. “Fine. I get the shower first.”

“We could take a shower together.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Yes. God, yes.

“No.” She was constantly telling him no. Would she ever say yes?

Not if it meant losing him forever.

Braden tried not to let his hurt show, tried not to reveal the pain in his heart as he stared at his mate. Now that he’d made the decision to acknowledge her—even if he didn’t think he could claim her—he wanted that same recognition. But Veronica was running scared, the fear evident in her gaze, so he let her go with a grin and a wink.

Movement behind her along with a streak of light cutting across the darkness showed that someone stepped onto the porch. The newcomer broke whatever spell they’d weaved around themselves and he swallowed his sigh. First Daniel and now—Braden narrowed his eyes, calling his cat’s vision forward—Ares interrupted them.

Veronica glanced over her shoulder, stiffening before she met his stare once again.

“I’ll see you inside,” she murmured. With that, she skirted around the alpha and disappeared. They both watched her scurry away, Ares turning to him with a raised brow.

Braden shrugged, pretending a nonchalance he didn’t feel. “Difference of opinion.”

“A difference of opinion that’ll annoy Zoe? Because we don’t have the time for a cat fight right now and I’m not gonna get kicked out of bed because you were an ass to her best friend and tried to get in her pants.”

He definitely wanted in her pants. Forever.

It was Braden’s turn to quirk a brow. “What happened to bros before hoes?”

His friend grinned and then that expression blossomed into a full-blown smile. “I met my mate.” Ares shook his head. “Nothing comes between my mate and me. Nothing.” He shrugged. “You’ll understand when you find yours.”

Talking with his friend had his cock softening and he tucked his hands in his jean pockets, uncomfortable and unsure as he opened this new conversation. “I, uh…” he hesitated. “I already understand.”

Ares tilted his head to the side, cat’s eyes staring him down, and Braden stood firm against his alpha’s heavy gaze. “Do you now? Who is she?”

He swallowed hard and cursed himself for stumbling over this shit. This wasn’t just his alpha. It was his best friend. He wasn’t talking to his leader. He was talking to the man who ran with him after their first shift.

Braden stepped closer and dropped his voice, his attention going to the tree line as he spoke. He hoped Daniel was far enough away that he couldn’t hear him and if he did, he hoped the male kept his mouth shut. Though, really, the news would be all over soon.

He wasn’t sure what the hell they were doing, but he wouldn’t go unacknowledged.

“Veronica,” he whispered and Ares froze in place.

He wondered if the alpha’s heart even beat.

“No.”

What the hell was it with people denying him? “Yes.”

“But she was here… And you haven’t… She was
here
for weeks.”

“I know.” God, did he know. He’d held himself in check for weeks, knowing their future was bleak, but he couldn’t be without Veronica. He’d take her any way he could get her at this point. Even if that meant their mating was half-assed at best.

“Goddamn.” Ares shook his head. “How did you two not mate already? Weeks, man. I met Zoe and she hardly left my bed. That was it.”