Chapter 10
Hearing a door shut upstairs, Kat quickly poured Quinn a huge cup of coffee and sprinkled some of the mixture into it. To cover up any after taste or smell, she used the nutmeg creamer that Quinn had always been fond of. Sitting the cup across the counter in front of her, she sat quietly sipping her own cup and listened to the stomping get closer.
‘If he walks any heavier, he’ll fall through the floor and into the basement.’ Kat thought and smirked at the visual.
The kitchen door swung open and Quinn entered. For some reason, Kat half expected to hear trumpets and see a glowing halo around him like something from a cheesy super hero movie or cartoon. Kat paused with her cup half way to her mouth realizing she wasn’t completely sober yet. Yep, she’d need more coffee before this was done.
Quinn looked around the kitchen and checked the windows and door from his vantage point. There weren’t any signs of Kat trying to get out of the house. This did make him feel a little better.
“Relax,” Kat grumbled. “This is my house. Why would I try to escape it? You’re the one that wasn’t invited, remember?”
Quinn shook his head and moved toward the coffee maker.
“Right here moron,” Kat said, pointing at the cup sitting across from her. “You might be an asshole, but that doesn’t mean I have to be one.”
Quinn glared, “Why am I the asshole here?”
“Because you’ve been ignoring me for ten years and hiding behind a diary,” Kat exclaimed. “I mean come on… the thing can’t be that important. I’ve seen it. It doesn’t even have a lock on it.” She inhaled and quickly took another sip wishing her buzz would go the hell away so she’d make more sense.
Quinn picked up the cup and took a drink after smelling the rich aroma of caffeine and nutmeg. Kat quickly hid her smile in her coffee cup and gulped down the rest of her beverage before getting up for another cup.
“Fuck the journal.” Quinn said. “Why did you wait ten years to tell me I was your mate?”
Kat finished making her coffee with heavy cream and sugar before turning around to face him. “I didn’t know I had to tell you. You were there with me when it happened.” She raised an eyebrow as if calling him an idiot without saying it out loud.
“Next thing I know, you’re separating our families and I never see you again. No phone calls, no letters, no ‘fuck off and die’, kiss my ass or anything. You mated me then abandoned me! So I don’t have to tell you anything. What I want to know is why you ruined me then left as if it didn’t matter.”
Quinn took another large drink of his coffee and sat down on the stool. “I didn’t ignore you Kat. I didn’t even know about the mark.”
Kat scowled at him, “How could you not know? You’re the one that gave it to me in my bed upstairs. You’re denying it won't make it untrue.”
Quinn shook his head feeling just the tiniest bit dizzy. “We never had sex! The night I was here, we drank your first bottle of Heat. I remember kissing you… I remember wanting to take you.”
He thumped his fist on the counter in frustration. “But I also remember the fact that you were only 16 and it was forbidden. I wouldn’t do that. Not if I were in my right mind.” Quinn rubbed his temple then looked toward the coffee maker wanting to refill his cup when he saw one of Grandmother Kathryn’s tonic bottles sitting on the counter next to it.
“What’s in the bottle?” Quinn asked suspiciously and stood up from his stool.
Kat looked over her shoulder at the counter and quickly put her cup down. “Nothing,” she muttered. Jumping up from her stool, she grabbed the bottle and made a dash for the pantry.
Quinn took hold of her arm as she rushed past him and snatched the bottle out of her hand before she could fight him. He turned the bottle so he could see what it was then leveled a murderous glare on her.
“Passion flowers?” he demanded. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You gave me Grandmother Kathryn’s truth serum?”
“What did you expect?” Kat growled. “I don’t know if you’re telling me the truth or not.”
“What a wonderful idea… only, two can play at that game.” Quinn pulled the cork out with his teeth and took a sip straight from the bottle. Throwing it down on the floor, he pulled Kat viciously against him and forced the liquid from his mouth into hers.
She screamed against his lips, pushing against his stronger form and beating her fists on his back. He was holding her so tight that her legs were kicking frantically. She had to swallow just so she could scream at him.
Quinn released her at the same time she was pushing away from him. She backed into the counter and breathed deeply, feeling the tonic run down her throat.
“Damn you!” she screamed and went at him with all the strength of the shifter she was.
Not heeding the broken glass on the floor, Kat tackled a shocked Quinn to the ground. He fell back, feeling tiny shards of glass poking into his back but ignored it. Planting one of his feet into Kat’s belly, he flipped her over him then rolled onto all fours. At the same time, Kat rose up as well.
Both of their eyes were now golden in color but they didn’t transform. If either one had stopped to truly think about it, they were engaging in the traditional mating ritual. When mates chose one another, they would battle to heighten their sexual desires and establish dominance between them.
Many shifters had taken human mates over the decades, so the battles were muted. But when two shifters found one another… it was an all out war.
The two of them rose up and engaged in battle much the same way their animal counterparts did. Their yells, if anyone had heard them, sounded more like roars and snarls. Quinn knocked Kat to the side, making her crash into the kitchen table, breaking it in half.
Seconds later, Quinn found himself crashing through the pantry door and upsetting a multitude of bottles on the shelves. Luckily, none of them fell. He came out of the pantry and watched Kat as she prowled back and forth across the kitchen floor.
Holy hell, she was gorgeous. Her bathrobe had come open just a bit, flashing some of her bronze skin and making his mouth water. He had to subdue her and fast. He growled as he leaned forward, still towering over her smaller body.
When Kat came at him again, Quinn was ready for it. He caught her in his arms and slammed them both on the floor with Kat beneath him. Pinning her arms down by the wrists, he used the rest of his body to hold her in place.
Kat bucked and twisted under Quinn’s weight trying to get him off of her. She couldn’t think past anything except winning the fight… until his hot lips slashed across hers.
It was the only way Quinn could think to get her to stop fighting him. She was laying beneath him, bucking and squirming trying to force him off. Her hair was spread out around her like a black, rumbling cloud and her skin was glowing. He hadn’t been able to resist kissing her, if for no other reason than to silence her snarling.
With Kat unable to escape the assault on her senses, Quinn quickly turned the kiss into an all out war by slipping past her defenses. Once he had her attention, he placed the killing shot by rising no more then an inch above her so that he could move against her in the rhythm that quickly set them both on fire with thoughts of something besides fighting. But even now the war still raged between them. His dominance would not be established until he was deep inside of her and filling her with his essence.
He could feel every inch of her under him. Pain can be caused in more ways than simple injury… the pain of wanting deep inside someone can be just as devastating. He growled as he felt her breast pushing and rubbing against his chest… her nipples hardening from the caress. He’d thrown his legs over hers to hold them in place, but now he was rocking hard against her thigh.
Her housecoat had came untied and he sucked in a desperate breath when she wrapped both of her long legs around his tensed thigh and rocked back against him letting him feel the heat of her core.
Knowing he had lost control, he quickly undid his pants and nearly ripped them to get them out of the way. Positioning his legs between hers, he pushed outwards to open her creamy thighs. He could hear her quick intake of breath as the smooth tip of his oversized swollen staff pressed against her heated opening.
Before she had a chance to stop him, Quinn thrust forward, burring himself deep inside her. At the same time, his lips closed around one of her delicate peaks that had hardened even more from being exposed to the cool air.
Kat strained away from his lips and cried out at the sudden invasion, finally getting what she’d always wanted and feeling like it was way too much for her to handle at the same time. My god, he was huge and pulsating… filling her, a hair’s breath away from the breaking point.
Turning her head back so she could see him, her breath stilled. He was looking up at her from his vantage point and she moaned loudly. His irises were enlarged and the color of pure spun gold with flames dancing in the shadows. He was staring at her with a look of total domination that spiked her passion even more.
Their eyes locked as he retreated slowly then slammed back into her with a force that was so sensual and animalistic that Kat felt herself spasm around him, clutching at him from the inside. Seeing the look on his face as he felt her muscles tighten caused it to happen again. Realizing they were still fighting, she gave him a devious smile as she used her legs to push away from him. She was rewarded when he took back the distance with a quick jerk.
His mouth left her breast and made a trail to the other, teasing the crest with the very tip of his tongue before taking it between his lips. Kat threw her head back against the unforgiving floor again and ran her hands down his back. His hair lay across her other breast and ribs, tickling her slightly and heightening the sensations she hadn’t felt since the last time they were here together.
Kat was so lost in him… she wasn’t ready for what he did next.
Quinn abruptly released her hands and strained against her, pushing his arms under the housecoat and lifting her up off the floor. One quick movement and the silk housecoat slithered to the floor while he stood and pressed Kat’s back against the refrigerator. His hands were now cupping her just under her ribs.
Lifting her, he brought her back down, impaling himself even deeper inside her as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Kat gripped his shoulder with one hand but the other reached above her wanting something to clutch at for support. Gripping the top of the refrigerator, she now had a way to raise herself above him, only for him to pull her back down in a grinding rhythm. Feeling the cloth of his black button up shirt under her fingernails, Kat retaliated by letting go of the refrigerator and gripping the shirt right where the weak stream of buttons was and ripping it open.
Quinn growled approvingly as the buttons hit the floor and Kat pushed the shirt down as far as it would go on his arms. As she laid her palms against his overheated skin, he let go of her letting the shirt slide from him while he slammed into her with enough force to topple everything off the top of the fridge.
Gripping her and swinging her away from the falling debris, he left the kitchen intending to take her upstairs to her bedroom… he didn’t make it.
Kat flexed her hips against him as she tangled her hand in his hair and fisted it tight, riding him with determination until he suddenly lifted her off him and her feet touched the cushions of the sofa.
Quinn pushed her against the back of the sofa, making her catch herself with her hands on the high back or fall. Not giving her time to think, he locked his arms around her knees and lifted her.
Kat moaned when Quinn cupped her ass cheeks with his palms and started leaving open mouth kisses up the inside of her thighs in a trail of fire.
Quinn licked at the mating mark knowing he’d dreamed of giving it to her many times only to find out that it hadn’t been a dream but a vague memory… a mistake he was about to correct.
Kat flinched and strained against him when he suddenly licked her hard across her neither lips. Before she could stop shaking from the sensation, he was back again this time driving his tongue between those lips in a very slow hard lick before locking his lips against her in an earth shattering deep kiss.
Moving his forearm to hold her up with, he pushed her legs up over his shoulder to free one of his hands. Placing his thumb over the little bundle of nerves he’d caught her playing with earlier, he stroked it sideways knowing what she liked by watching her. He was rewarded when she bucked against him, making him have to hold on to her tighter.
Kat’s body bucked wildly on the sofa, knowing she was close to completion. She couldn’t contain the passion-filled moans and cries of Quinn’s name. Reaching beneath her, she tried to grab his thighs so there would be something to stabilize her. The coil was growing tighter and she couldn’t stop it from snapping.
Throwing her head back, she screamed when her release crashed down on her like an avalanche. Wanting to get closer, she pressed her hands into the seat of the sofa and pushed herself up, writhing under his touch and never wanting it to end. She would gladly stay like this forever and let him pleasure her until the earth fell down around them.
Suddenly, she felt a hard pressure on her inner thigh and looked down at him breathlessly as he removed his teeth from her skin. His thumb continued to massage her pleasure center as he lowered her a bit. It was immediately replaced with his tongue and Kat wanted to cry at the euphoria he was giving her but it was too much. She didn’t know how much more she could take.
Abruptly, he stood up and she screamed again when he thrust deep inside her. Kat had a sense of being moved and felt Quinn reposition them on the sofa.
Quinn couldn’t take it anymore and knew he had to be inside of her again. Tossing the throw pillows aside to make room for them, he kneeled down on the furniture and pressed himself even deeper inside of his mate.
Kissing her again, he smiled against her lips when she tried moving against him but he held her still remembering giving her the truth serum.
“Shhh, little wild Kat,” he whispered when he lifted his head. “We need to talk.” He smirked when she tried to move again. He wanted to move just as much as she wanted him to, but they needed to have this discussion and it was the only way to keep her calm.
“I don’t want to talk right now,” Kat lifted her head trying to kiss him again but he was just beyond her reach. She growled making Quinn smile. “I need something else.”
Quinn leveled a heated stare at her, satisfied that he had complete domination. “Oh, I’m going to give you what you need.” He leaned down and licked at her lips. “Who is it that you truly love?” he breathed against them.
Kat moaned in pleasure when he pulled his hips back in a stroking motion then fed himself back into her inch by excruciating inch. He was leaning over her, with his hair hanging down around his face. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat, making him look extremely yummy.
He wanted to know who it was she loved and her rebellious first instinct was telling her to lie and say she only loved herself. When she opened her mouth… that’s not what she said.
“You,” she whispered then gasped when he thrust into her again. “And you’re cheating,” she accused.
“You started the cheating,” he reminded her without guilt. He almost smiled at the pouting expression she gave him but refrained. There were still a few other things he needed to know. “Have you ever loved another?” Quinn asked in a darker more dangerous voice.
“I don’t have to answer you,” Kat informed him when he stopped moving, her rebellion finally winning the war with her mouth. She watched him grind his teeth in frustration and realized it was pure jealousy that had caused him to ask such a question. When he started to retreat, she clung to him as best she could and quickly answered, “Never… I tried but…”
She didn’t get to finish when his lips viciously slashed across hers. They both moaned in satisfaction when his hips began a slow, hard thrusting rhythm. His pace quickly sped up, making love to her in a way that was meant to erase every minute of the past from her memory.
“And you will never… because I love you. You belong to me now and forever,” Quinn growled.
Kat writhed under him on the sofa, moaning loud enough that it was sure to attract the neighbors. Quinn didn’t care that this point… he wanted the entire world to know that the woman beneath him was his. Her hair was damp and sticking to her forehead and the sides of her neck while her body was like that of a Grecian statue. She was beautiful and he would be damned if he lost her ever again.
Their breathing became labored and their movements reached a frenzied level. Both of them were holding onto one another like something was trying to pull them apart. Kat screamed when her body released and her nails dug deep into Quinn’s back. Her long legs wrapped around him, refusing to let him go and her head was thrown back against the cushions.
Quinn cried out soon after, burying himself deep to make sure his essence stayed within her. She was his… finally, after all this time, she was his. He caught himself on his hands before he could collapse on top of her but Kat was having none of that. She gently pulled him down on top of her and they remained like that until their breathing returned to normal.
After almost half an hour of laying there, Quinn pushed himself up a bit so he could look down into Kat’s face. He smiled at her expression of contentment and a rumbling grew up from deep in his chest. Kat opened her eyes and her purr answered his with equal volume.
Quinn slipped one of his hands under Kat’s body and gently lifted her up from the sofa. With her arms and legs still wrapped around him, Quinn stood up and walked toward the stairs. He could feel her breath against his neck along with the vibration of her purring.
Going to her room, he inwardly winced at the damage he’d done to the door. Walking over to her bed, he pulled back the covers before laying her down on the king-sized mattress.
“What are you doing?” Kat asked with a smile. “I’m not ready to sleep yet.”
Quinn smirked down at her. “Neither am I.”
Their lips met, this time softer and more passionate… uncertain but helpless to fight it anymore. This time their love making was slower, gentler than the first coupling. Whispered words and promises filled the air, accompanied by soft moans, followed by cries of completion.
Kat opened her eyes and felt Quinn cuddled up behind her sound asleep. It was late in the day if the light outside her bedroom window was anything to go by. Her body was sore in places she’d forgotten existed, but she was sated and the feeling made her smile. She loved Quinn… she’d probably loved him her entire life. He had told her he loved her many times… told her and showed her.
Slipping out of bed, Kat decided that a hot shower was in order. Standing up, she stretched her arms upward and rose to the tips of her toes to get out some of the kinks. Lowering her arms, she opened her eyes and squeaked when she saw Quinn standing between her and the door.
She gasped when he hauled her up against his body with one powerful arm and seized her by her long hair with his opposite hand. His mouth was on hers in an instant, giving her no time to even anticipate or react. Very slowly, Quinn lowered her back to her feet leaving her breathless and almost dizzy from the sensual assault. If he thought she was going to be mad at his treatment… he was dead wrong.
Without fully releasing her, Quinn stared down into her ice blue eyes wondering why she’d just tried to sneak away from him. “Where do you think you're going?” he breathed against her lips. His powerful body was locked rigidly in place, every muscle flexed, tensed to react to whatever her answer might be.
Kat giggled almost nervously then did the first thing that came to mind. Her tongue darted out to lick his closed lips. Feeling his body instantly relax, she smiled thankfully knowing he was going to be a handful for a while to come.
“I need a shower,” she whispered giving into another soft kiss.
“I like how you smell now,” Quinn proved it by kissing his way across her cheek and inhaling slowly as he made it to the arch of her neck. “You smell like… you’re mine.”
“That’s fine, but I also want to smell like soap,” Kat complained with a pout.
Quinn’s rumbling laughter filled the bedroom and he lifted her easily into his arms. “If that’s what my kitty Kat wants, that’s what she’ll get.”
Kat burrowed into his embrace as he strode toward the bathroom. Now the question was, did they take their first shower together or prolong the inevitable by taking a bubble bath. Oh the decisions they were burdened with.
*****
Nick shook his head as he looked at the morning paper. He’d taken to reading the headlines every day since the murders had started, but today’s front-page article caused him to do a double take.
One of the richest, most eligible bachelors in the city, Anthony Valachi, was being taken off the market and the photo of the bride had Nick raising an eyebrow. It was the same girl he’d dropped off here at the club with Steven.
Wondering if she’d shared this little secret with Steven, Nick picked up his cell phone and dialed Steven’s number. When the call went directly to voice mail, he tried again. After the third try, Nick decided that Steven was asleep. He considered leaving a message and waiting but Nick had never been one for patience.
Changing his mind, he headed for Night Light to track his friend down. He’d bet the bar that Steven didn’t have a clue who Anthony Valachi truly was. The head mob boss wasn’t a good person to piss off… and werewolves weren’t known for their sense of humor. Anthony was both wild cards and Steven needed a heads up.
Nick hadn’t been there to see it personally, but the last time the werewolves decided to tangle with the cougar tribe, they’d been sent packing. A very uneasy peace had settled between the cougars and wolves afterward, but there was still an underlying hostility between them. If Steven had taken a werewolf’s bride, there was the possibility of another shifter war.
He remembered hearing the stories his grandfather would tell them about the second shifter war when the older man had been just a boy. As a man of the house, his grandfather, Vincent, had been ‘drafted’ into fighting.
Because of this, Vincent had made a very dangerous reputation for himself. Even as an old man walking with a cane, Nick vividly recalled the way other shifters would give him a wide berth when he walked down the street or into a crowded room. The man may have been old but he could kick ass like no other.
It was during the war that Vincent had met Methuselah Wilder, a young cougar who had also been forced to fight. The two had become inseparable during the war and often helped each other out. During that time, the two of them had formed a life debt with one another, which remained until they died.
Even now, many shifters still spoke of how close the two men died apart from each other… two hours difference and many believed it was because of the life debt.
Getting in his car, Nick took a moment to inhale deeply a few times. This news was a little scary and Nick had a feeling Steven had unknowingly bitten off more than he could chew. He just wanted to make sure his friend didn’t choke. Cranking the engine, he sped off down the road hoping Steven wouldn’t be stupid enough to try mating her.
Steven leaned back against the wall beside the bed. He’d spent the last thirty minutes silently pacing back and forth now that Jewel was finally asleep. Shifters didn’t need as much sleep as humans and he wasn’t sure the last time Jewel had had a chance to completely relax. Not that she was relaxed now.
It had taken her forever to go to sleep and she’d flinched every time he had come close to the bed. She didn’t trust him yet and he wasn’t sure he blamed her after last night. He glanced down at the blanket and pillow still folded neatly on the floor in front of him. Five minutes after he’d pretended to lie down on it, her breathing evened out and her heart rate slowed… his, on the other hand, had only sped up.
Jewel was curled up in a semi-fetal position with her knees bent and her hands in front of her face on the pillow. Her blonde hair had spilled over the pillow behind her and shown like corn silk in the soft light of the room. Her mouth was open, slightly relaxed but her brow was furrowed as though her troubles had followed her into her dreams.
Not having anything else for her to wear, she’d kept on what he’d given her a couple hours ago. Seeing her in his clothes had nearly undone him but he kept a tight rein on his suddenly overactive sex drive. He wanted her… but if his plans worked, then she would want him too.
Needing distance between them, he stepped to the window just in time to see Nick getting out of his car. Suddenly, he felt perfectly calm. He finally had a reason to do what he’d wanted to do for the last couple hours.
Stripping off his shirt, he turned toward the bed. He’d warned her that if anyone came to his room, they would have to… pretend to be lovers. Picking up the blanket and pillow from the floor, he quickly tossed them in the closet and turned back to the bed. As a last moment action, Steven took the clothes they’d been wearing and casually tossed them about the room.
Sliding under the comforter, he gently spooned himself against her and arranged the cover to expose most of his upper torso. Seeing the thin tank top she was wearing, he very gently ripped the seam at her shoulder and tucked the ends under the cover to make her look just as naked as him.
‘Now if this were only true,’ Steven thought just as he placed his head down on the pillow and wrapped an arm around Jewel’s waist. The best part about this was the fact that his mating mark was visible to anyone who wasn’t blind, whether it was Nick or Anthony Valachi.
Nick rolled the newspaper up and tapped it against the palm of his other hand in a nervous gesture. He didn’t know the whole story about this girl but he was pretty sure it wasn’t a good thing. If she was getting ready to marry a werewolf, there was always the possibility that she knew about shifters… outside of Steven. However, if she didn’t know her fiancé was a werewolf… then there could be problems.
Approaching Steven’s bedroom door, Nick didn’t bother to knock and stepped right in. He stopped when he saw Steven and the girl fast asleep with her back nearly glued to Steven’s chest. So Steven had mated with her and obviously didn’t have a clue about who she was and what she meant for them all.
Glancing around the room, Nick couldn’t help but grin at the clothes scattered all around and decided his friend was definitely a stud… at least to the girl. Seeing a piece of paper on the nightstand next to the bed, he crept forward until he could see it clearly.
Nick felt like he’d been punched in the stomach when he saw that Steven had taken the extra precaution of an actual human wedding. His eyes flickered back to the couple knowing Steven must have very deep feelings for this girl to have covered all the bases like this. He inhaled sharply when the mating mark caught his attention.
Maybe Steven wasn’t such an airhead after all. If Steven wanted this girl that badly, then he’d make sure his friend had the best chances of keeping her.
Nick silently backed out of the room and closed the door. Pulling out his cell phone, he started walking down the hall and dialing Quinn’s number at the same time. Sleeping or not, someone needed to know what had happened.
