Winter Wishes Read online

  She came instantly, moisture flooding from her sex and drawing him in for another taste. He carried on feasting as she shook, her shoulders pressed to the wall, thighs spread to allow his body between her legs.

  The sound of footfalls reached his ears and for a second he was tempted to roar out a command for them to get the hell away. He needed to finish this, needed to haul her finger from her body and replace it with his tongue. With his fingers. With his cock, deep and hard, over and over again.

  El stole that option away, curling her fingers into his hair and tugging herself free. A knock sounded, and she snuck around him, her bare butt brushing his shoulder, as he remained frozen on his knees. When she opened the door and accepted the clothing he forced himself to pull himself together. She was right. Not here. But they were getting out as fast as possible and finding an appropriate spot before his nuts fell off. The tight fabric of his jeans threatened the circulation in his lower limbs. Getting naked was very high on the priority list.

  By the time she had the door shut he’d dragged himself to vertical by leaning against the wall. He had to adjust his cock, cursing lightly under his breath. The ache didn’t go away, but at least his vision cleared.

  “Get dressed,” he ordered.

  El lifted a brow. “I need to buy a few things. It seems my underwear has had a mishap.”

  Kyle held back his snarl but let his lust show. “I’ll buy any damn thing you want, but we’re out of here in two minutes, whether you’re dressed or not.”

  She laughed, the throaty sound screaming fuck me in his ears. She tugged on the bra the clerk had brought, bending over to adjust her boobs, and he had to look away for a second. Her teasing was going to kill him, but if he was honest, he liked it. Playing was built into the cougar mentality, and she had it in spades. When she looked up he knew his grin was stretching from ear to ear. She ignored the panties altogether and smoothed her miniscule skirt over her bare ass. The boots took a minute to ease on, then she dragged her fingers through her hair and licked her lips.

  One more mischievous smile. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Oh. Hell-o.

  She sauntered out ahead of him, snatching up the frilly things she’d had with her. She tugged off the tags and tossed them on the counter. Kyle hated to show he had this kind of cash, but there was no freaking way he was going to wait for the clerks to ring the purchases through. He hauled out his wallet, tossed a couple of hundreds on the counter and grabbed El by the hand.

  The clerks’ expressions said it all.

  Once out on the street he thought fast. While shoving El against the nearest back alley wall and fucking her senseless seemed like a fabulous idea, that was exactly the kind of incident he was supposed to help avoid. Shifters would be shifters, but having the reports in the news was not good for human-shifter relations. After their little warm up session in the shop, the clerks were probably even now texting all their friends. El tugged him down the street and he went willingly, his feet eager to move if it meant the rest of the body would soon be happy. Nearest hotel he knew of was—

  “My place okay?” El dragged him bodily up a set of stairs and he whistled softly.

  “Nice…”

  She had him through the doors and past the security guard before he had more than a glimpse of red stonework and wrought iron rails.

  “Morning, Ms. Scott.”

  “Morning, Mac.”

  They were in the elevator, the door closing on yet another wide-eyed human before Kyle could respond. And then he couldn’t speak because her tongue was in his mouth, her entire body slamming him against the back wall of the elevator. He snagged both cheeks of her bare ass in his palms, dragging her up his body. She opened her legs and clutched his hips with her knees, using her thighs to rub her torso against his.

  Sweet heaven on earth, there was nothing like having a sexual encounter with a fellow cat shifter. Hot, fast, hard. No strings attached. God, he loved his species.

  The bell rang, the door slid open and he twirled them around and out the small compartment. He had to use force to separate his lips from hers, yanking her hair to let them both drag for air.

  “Which is your place?” he demanded.

  She pointed and hauled him down the hall at a run, the heels of her thigh-high boots echoing staccato against the marble flooring. She punched in an access code as he bit her neck, her hungry growl sending a jolt though his system. The door flew open and they fell in, hands and teeth and tongues attacking each other as if they were starving. El ripped his shirt open, the buttons flying everywhere, the ping-ping of them landing on the hardwood floor fading as the rush of blood hit him. She dragged his belt apart. He shredded her shirt from her torso. Her burst of laughter delighted him almost as much as it heated his blood, and he tore open his jeans and let his cock spring free.

  Her purr echoed off the walls.

  Kyle reached for her, ready to drag her to the floor and fuck her senseless, but she darted out of reach, her eyes bright, torso twitching from side to side.

  “Hmm, my pretty kitty wants to play, does she?” He’d prefer to save the games for round two at this point, but even a fuck-hungry cat could control it for a few more seconds.

  El grinned at him and twirled, racing down the hall wearing nothing but those damn boots. Her ass taunted him and he sprang after her, darting into the room she’d entered.

  Sweet mercy. That was the biggest damn bed he’d ever seen in his life. “Okay, waiting was worth it.”

  She knelt on the surface facing him. Her breasts swayed slightly as she leaned toward him, nipples drawn into tight buds. He was so caught up in trying to decide what to do first he was immobilized.

  El sat back on her heels, knees spread wide. Her glistening pussy opened to him as she cupped her breasts, dark nipples peeking out through her fingers. “Come on, kitty cat,” she purred, “Come and get it.”

  He leapt onto the bed, caught her in his arms and rolled her under him. Soft skin over firm muscles—whatever this kitten did for a living kept her strong. He lowered himself fully onto her and they both sighed in contentment.

  “Hard and fast the first time okay with you?” Kyle dragged his cock over her bare mound. Her wet labia parted and he coated himself in her cream on every rock.

  “Hmm…” She didn’t answer, just reached around him and with a strong arch of her back, managed to flip them over. Cool, he didn’t know many chicks that were strong enough to make his bulk go anywhere. Another sign they were in for a fabulously hard fuck.

  “Or…you can be on top. I’m easy.” Kyle thrust upward, seeking her entrance. El crawled over him, her crotch deserting his groin. He growled in frustration until he noticed her right breast hung within reach. He snagged the tip with his lips and she let out a moan. She leaned closer, sliding her hands up his arms as she pressed her nipple harder against his mouth. He found himself clutching her with one arm to maintain a grip as he twirled the rock solid tip with his tongue. His other arm she had stretched to the side, above his head. Something cool and solid touched him. There was a loud click and El twisted, eluding his mouth, and his hand and his—

  Kyle stopped with a jerk, his one arm trapped above his head. He snarled and twisted, the pillows and sheets scattering as he discovered he was handcuffed to the headboard of the bed.

  Chapter Two

  El blew out a long, slow breath in a futile attempt to slow her runaway libido. On the bed, all six feet plus of her quarry thrashed and swore as he wrenched the cuff and growled loudly at her. She had suspected he’d be tough to subdue, but she had forgotten how hard it was to turn off her own cat hormones once she’d let them get going.

  Acting the hussy had felt too damn good.

  “What the hell is this?” Kyle roared. He jerked his arm violently again, and she involuntarily stiffened as the bed frame creaked, even though she knew it had tested strong enough to restrain him.

  She slipped to the dresser and pulled her wallet from the drawe
r, flipping it open to flash her badge. “LAPD. Kyle Branegan, I need to inform you that for your own safety, and for the security of the citizens at large, I’ve been authorized to take you into custody.”

  “What the fuck—arrested?” Kyle froze in the middle of shaking the wall with his wild tugs.

  “No, not arrested. Consider it more in the lines of protection.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re making a big mistake. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a cat. I don’t need any damn protection offered by the human police force.”

  He wiggled backward until he sat against the headboard and she couldn’t pry her gaze away. The man was too damn easy on the eyes, every inch mouthwatering, fit and muscular, all of it just her type. From the deep green of his eyes to the intriguing trail of curls leading down to where his cock rose from his groin, the hard length tapping his belly. Oh, sugar. El forced herself to focus on his face.

  “You live at the harbor, correct? Slip two-fifty-four?”

  He nodded slowly.

  “A few nights ago there was a commotion at the end of the dock. Remember anything about the incident?”

  He frowned. “It was a couple of kids making noise. I told them to shut up, they took one look at me, freaked, and all I heard for the rest of the night were regular dock sounds. I didn’t even report it to the port authorities. I told you, being a shifter comes in handy at times.” He slowed, his gaze tracing over her body, voice dropping a notch as he spoke again, lusty and low. “Like now. You, me, we’re both shifters. That could be handy, you know.”

  She disregarded his smug expression and the casual way he adjusted his position on the bed. Completely ignored the mesmerizing tone of his voice as he purred sexual intent in her direction. Forced herself to pay no attention to his free hand dropping to fist his cock and stroking it firmly—

  Holy shit.

  Two steps brought her to the edge of the bed, where he grinned at her. His taunting expression told her all she needed about him and his attitude. Even cuffed to her bed he thought he had the upper hand, but the big cat had another think coming. She hadn’t progressed this far in the force by being an easy touch. If he wanted to play rough, she was more than willing to oblige. Ignoring the violent urge to crawl over him and taste the liquid glistening at the head of his cock, she stared into his face.

  “Well, someone reported the incident and your involvement in it. Your presence is required at a court hearing to be held January seventeenth. I’m to ensure that you appear as requested.”

  “If I’m happy, I could do just about anything for you. Want to make me happy?”

  Stroke. Stroke. El swallowed hard.

  “All I know is I have to make sure you show up to witness in court. The—”

  “This seems a little out of the ordinary. I mean, the way you’ve chosen to ‘suggest’ I need to cooperate.” He interrupted her, pausing his right hand to shake his left. The rattling sound of the cuffs against the metal bed frame rang loud in her ears.

  His sarcasm made her smile. “As you mentioned, my superiors are aware you’re a cat shifter. If I’d come to your boat and told you we needed you to show in court, possibly even hide out for a while, what would your response have been?”

  “No fucking way. My life is my life.”

  She shrugged. Typical cat reaction. Cat shifters usually didn’t stay in one spot for long enough to keep tabs on them. Keeping him under complete surveillance was the only part of this weird assignment that made sense. “My point exactly.”

  They stared at each other. “It seems a little over the top, putting me into custody just so I can identify a couple of kids making mischief.”

  Yup. Totally haywire, but who was she to argue with the men at the top? “Frankly, it seems slightly overboard to me as well, but I have my orders. I hope you understand.”

  “Well, I hope you know what you’re doing, darling, because trying to keep a cat on a leash is going to get really old, really fast.”

  El sat on the edge of the bed. Sweet mercy, he was the biggest cat she’d ever seen, and the sexiest. Yeah, the attraction he held was partly from letting her motor get running in the first place, but he was enough to make any woman wet. Stick to business, girl. “I figure you’re smart enough to know a good deal when you hear one.”

  He paused at that, some of the bluster fading away. “What kind of deal you offering?”

  “I see this going two ways. I have permission from my chief to use whatever means necessary to deal with you and keep you around until the trial.” She pointed behind him. “The bed and wall have been reinforced, the cuffs are shifter approved. You transform to cougar, they’ll adjust to size and you stay trapped. It’s going to be a terribly unentertaining Christmas if I have to babysit your ass for the next month.”

  Kyle gave the cuff a casual tug, grunting at the strength of it. “You did your homework well.”

  She grinned. That was the plain, honest truth, and getting the responsibility for this task made her very proud. She’d like to think she hadn’t simply gotten this job because she was the only other cougar shifter in the area, but because she’d proven her worth on the force. “I think the alternative is quite attractive. If you agree to stay in my immediate company and follow my directions, we can go anywhere we want, as long as it’s low profile.”

  A flicker of interest brightened his eyes. “Hawaii? Tahiti?”

  A laugh escaped her. Like she hadn’t expected that one. “Opportunist. You know, I thought of that, but flying is out of the question, not with the increased security at the airports for the holiday season. Two cougars traveling together would be noticed—probably even make media attention, since we don’t often fly. I doubt that fits the part of my assignment that states I need to keep you in relative obscurity. If you agree, however, I will un-cuff you and let you spend Christmas with my family.”

  He wrinkled his nose. His very handsome and aristocratic nose. “Spending time with a group of cats I don’t even know? Oh golly gee willikers! That sounds like sooo much fun. Not.”

  Yeah, it wasn’t her first choice for a good time either, but after careful consideration, it was the best solution. Her family lived in the smallest and most boring town on earth. The most exciting thing that ever happened was Uncle Buck getting tangled in his own trap line. Talk about perfect places to hide out until the trial. Besides, there would be nowhere for Kyle to run. Still, it looked as if a little additional convincing was in order. El took a slow glance around the room as she reached underneath the dresser and yanked out a bedpan. His eyes grew wide as she tossed it next to him.

  “Of course, the decision is completely up to you.”

  * * *

  Kyle shook his head again. “No way.”

  El growled as she dismounted the souped-up Harley and strode closer to crowd his personal space. “It’s my freaking bike, and no one drives her but me.”

  He had to fight for control as her scent wrapped around them. The aroma of still-aroused female cougar mixed with her current state of mind, and he was close to jumping her. Man, she was fucking hot when she was pissed. “I’m not the passenger kind. When I agreed to this kidnapping you never said a word about me riding shotgun.”

  “You want me to drag you behind the bike by your ankles instead?” Her eyes flashed at him and his cock got hard. Again. Hmm, feisty.

  “You and what army?”

  She stomped off in exasperation and his gaze trailed after her as he admired the flex of her ass under her leathers. Oh yeah, this wasn’t exactly what he’d signed up for all those years ago, but it was damn close. Adventure, excitement, the chance to have his fur ripped off by temperamental cat shifters. His cheeks hurt from grinning so much.

  Of course he’d agreed to her deal. He understood where she was coming from. She was right—there were plenty of cat types who often took off at a moment’s notice. He wasn’t typical; he’d never leave a court case in the lurch, although even after racking his brains he couldn’t remember an
ything unusual about the little dock altercation. And he totally didn’t believe he needed to be protected, but he’d reached the point in his current investigation where he needed to do some computer research. Didn’t matter if he did that down on his houseboat or at her folks’ house. The data he sought would be there as soon as he figured his way through all the layers of protection.

  Besides, she’d looked bloody serious about that bedpan.

  El paced back and forth at the side of the harbor parking lot, hands waving in the air as she muttered curses. Heck, if he had to be hand tied to another cougar, she was a mighty fine choice. Somewhere in the next few days he was sure he’d be able to convince her to drop the “official” cop position and let their normal impulses take over. She’d refused to do anything about his blue balls before unlocking him from the bed and hauling him down to his houseboat to grab a few necessities. That just wasn’t…natural, to ignore the cat’s drive for sexual play.

  A tiny twinge of guilt hit for not telling her what he really did for a living. Usually he had no issue fabricating an out-and-out lie. This time, with her also being in law enforcement, pulling her leg seemed a little on the rotten side. Still, the Cougar Shifter Investigators had stayed under the radar of both humans and the shifter world since its inception ten years ago. While the revealing of the existence of shifters had gone relatively smoothly, mainly due to the prominent positions many shifters held, i.e. the President of the United States and the head of the UN, humans still outnumbered shifters five to one. In the interest of hospitable relations, it was safer to keep the wilder side of their nature under wraps. That was his job in the covert CSI—to find trouble situations before the media did and spin-doctor them the best way possible. It was an interesting, and usually safe, task. Most cat indiscretions involved territory marking, not murder.

  He slid his hand through his hair and laughed lightly. The fact she’d insisted on leaving her rooms without him getting any satisfaction had irked him no end, thus the bit of tormenting now. Maybe it was time to give her a break.