By the Tail (7 page)

“Bull.” Okay, he had a point. She’d needed distance from the sexy male to build her resistance to his lethal charm. Her poor history with men wanting to use her had soured her on relationships. Especially considering her one-time crush on Quince had returned full-force since they’d had sex, when he’d looked at her with affection that made her think—hope—he might feel something more.
So foolish to hope. You know he’s just playing you.
She swallowed hard. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, because I drugged you.”
He hissed his irritation.

“I meant in Miami. I came with you because I wanted to help the pride.”

“But what about me?”
He shifted back to six feet four inches of man, throwing her for a real loop. Quince was huge, angry and sporting a mouthwatering erection. “Why couldn’t you be here for me?”

“Right back at you,” she yelled, more than irritated because she wanted to jump into bed with him all over again. Stupid, and Joy prided herself on her intelligence. “Why can’t you be here for
me
?”

He closed the distance between them but stopped when she held up a hand. “What the fuck does that mean?”

All her frustration with her position in her family, the pride, Alissa, Quince and men in general came rushing out. And it felt
righteous
. “It
means
where were you thirteen years ago? Why did it take you this long to realize you want me? Because I’m convenient?”

“Convenient?” He snorted. “Please.”

She talked over him. “Why did you never once ask me out before my family left the pride that first time? You show up, Lex’s right hand man, talking about how you want to save us. Well, where the hell were you when I was right here not even a year ago? I don’t remember you knocking on my door then.” She planted her hands on her hips, furious with him. “No, you were dating Linda. Then sleeping with Gloria. Or was it Karen?”

He blinked. “I wasn’t—”

“Save it. You want me to believe you all of a sudden want to date me? Hell,
mate
me? Do you love me?” she asked boldly.

When he goggled at her, she hissed and stepped forward so she could smack him on the chest. “Of course you don’t. You just want another fuck. Couldn’t get Stacey or my sisters, so you chose me. I mean, I have the Bermin fortune at my back. That will surely help with the pride’s resources.”

“Hell no. Don’t even think of accusing me of using—”

“Miles hates you. You think dating me might soften him up? I hate to break it to you, but it won’t. And for you to think fucking me while you’re doing every other woman in heat is going to work, no matter how big that cock is, you’re out of your—”

He dragged her into his arms and kissed the mad right out of her. Anger transformed to desire in a heartbeat, and she couldn’t think as he sucked the breath from her.

The kiss turned hotter. His hands were everywhere. Over her breasts, pinching her nipples. Down her belly and between her legs. Rough and fierce and hot. Then he was backing her against the wall, lifting her up and over him. He speared her in one deep thrust, and she screamed her pleasure as he fucked her. His kiss returned, and as he hammered into her, he stabbed into her mouth with his tongue.

She didn’t need any more stimulation than his huge cock and pelvis grazing her clit with every push. She stiffened as her body seized in an earth-shattering climax, more than satisfied when he pulled his mouth away and shouted while he slammed home one final time and came hard.

After several moments of embarrassing panting, she squeezed around him and had the gratification of hearing him moan her name. He moved again, sliding easily in their shared passion.

Shit.
He’d come inside her
again
. Just what she’d been trying to avoid. But when he started to layer his scent over her, to renew that blasted mating call, she pulled her animal spirit back. Her cat hissed and spat its displeasure, but she wasn’t ready for anything more from the big fat liar, no matter how good he felt inside her.

“Not again,” she complained as she tried to move away from him.
Oh God, he’s still hard.
She bit her lip, not wanting to move and stir her body into another ripple of pleasure.

“Yeah, and again and again. What are you going to do to stop me? I want you, I’ll have you.” Quince had the audacity to grip her ass and squeeze as he rocked into her again. “You’re so easy.”

Like that, he tripped her rage switch. But before she could do him serious harm, he withdrew, danced back from her, and shifted into his panther form.
“You want a piece of me? Try and catch me.”
He snorted.
“Lightweight.”
Then he darted out of the room with a scornful laugh.

“Lightweight?
Lightweight?
” She shifted into her cat without thinking and yowled her fury. Time to hunt down a man needing gelding.

She spotted the restraints he’d used on her and scooped them into her mouth. It was
so
on.

Quince ran like hell into the woods, skirting a flock of egrets and an unhappy alligator. He’d finally had Joy again, and like before, she took him to heaven and back. Not an exaggeration that she’d lit up like a firecracker while he rode her hard. Fuck, but the woman fit him like a glove. He wanted her all over again. In any and every way.

How the hell could the idiotic cat not sense how much he wanted her? He’d been infatuated in his youth and lost, head-over-heels in love, for years. He hadn’t had the time to pursue her seriously while helping stabilize the pride for Michael. And when he’d wanted to date her, she’d been with some other douche bags. First Colin, then Riley. The relationships never lasted, thankfully, or he’d have killed some cats despite the rules not to.

Then she’d gone out with human guys, and he figured he’d let her sow her oats. But this nonsense about him wanting her sisters? How could she be so glaringly oblivious to the truth? Hell, he’d just fucked her silly against the wall in like two seconds. He obviously desired her. Stubborn female.

He startled a bear and made a wide detour around him. He needed to slow down and think. But he couldn’t get over the woman’s pique. Was she really mad that he hadn’t declared himself years ago? That question about where he’d been thirteen years ago… Hell, she’d been all of sixteen and his best friend’s little sister. Of course he’d ignored her.

But she wasn’t too young now. Not at all. Twenty-nine to his thirty-three. He purred, wanting inside her again. Twice now he’d filled her up. But he hadn’t smelled a change in her body chemistry since the first time. Not pregnant yet. His cat might be disappointed, but Quince was relieved. Honestly, he wanted to mate her without the complication of young. Hell yeah he wanted cubs with her. But he needed her to be comfortable with him before welcoming children into their lives.

He heard a screech not far off and grinned as he raced across a bed of sawgrass and back into the woods. The full moon didn’t help him go incognito, but being black definitely helped blend into the shadows.

After losing his mind earlier, unable to keep himself from touching the hot, spitting-mad woman, he’d known she’d be upset about the unprotected sex. Hell, he wasn’t that happy about it either. He didn’t want to see her withdraw again, but truly his cat was to blame about the desire to impregnate his mate. Especially since the hard-headed female kept rejecting the mate scent.

So he’d decided to use her weakness against her. The woman couldn’t resist a challenge. Daring to call her a lightweight—as if she could ever be less than Quince—had nailed it. She would want payback. Now how to turn that into another roll in the hay?

He crisscrossed his tracks, listening and watching. Panthers had amazing eyesight. He could track anything that moved, though he did his best work during dawn and dusk. He wasn’t a normal cougar shifter, though. Mountain lions couldn’t roar, but he could. And he had better stamina. While cougars could sprint with those powerful hind legs, great distances drained them.

Not Quince. Not usually one to boast, he agreed with his animal spirit that they were no doubt genetically superior to the typical feline Ac-taw. Hell, his sister was one of the best hunters he knew. But like their mother, her cat was golden, not black.

He stopped for a breather under a large tree providing a nice shadow over soft grass, rejecting the moonlight. As his cat reminded him of their supremacy again, he thought of his sister and wondered when she planned to come back. Would their mother be far behind—

He hissed as a solid weight hit him hard in the side, shoving him down.
“Shit.”

He would have struggled when he caught her scent, ripe with rage, lust and challenge. Giving a feigned fight, he let her clamp her sharp teeth over his throat, then stilled. Actually she’d moved a lot quicker than he’d thought she might, nearly overwhelming him on her own.

“Don’t move, asshole, you got that?”
To emphasize her point, she dug a sharp-clawed foot perilously near his precious family jewels.

He didn’t breathe. She’d scored the perfect threat.
“I’m still as a stone.”

“A blockhead, more like,”
she muttered.
“Now shift back, slowly.”

He did and soon found himself lying under an irritated feline. She had to be close to a hundred and forty pounds, a large female, but all muscle.

She squeezed her jaw and he choked.

He heard her laugh. Then she shifted to human and flipped him onto his belly. Before he knew it, she’d tied his wrists together, then shoved him onto his bound hands on his back.

“Ow. Shit.” Fortunately, the uncomfortable position did nothing to stem his arousal.

She knelt by his side, sneering at him. “How does it feel now,
lightweight
?”

“Fine, you caught me. So what?” He tried to act like he didn’t care, but his dick gave him away. She’d caught him and tied him up. A personal fantasy that involved her tongue, breasts and definite oral action.

The temptress didn’t miss a beat. Seeing his arousal, she wrapped her hand around him, and he hissed out a breath.

“Oh my. Big bad pride leader has a problem.” She snickered and gripped him tighter.

Blessed torture. “
Joy.
” He sucked in a breath when she ran her other hand between his legs, cupping his balls. “Fuck. Fuck.
Fuck.
” His eyes crossed when she stroked him.

“Well now. Seems to me like you don’t have as much control as you thought.” She smiled, the cat that ate the canary. With Joy, probably literally.

“I—oh man.
Please.
Do that again.” He arched his hips off the ground, his cock like a steel post, as if he hadn’t recently come inside her.

“What’s that?” She let him go, and just as he was about to plead with her not to leave, she straddled his waist on her knees, so that he could feel her wet heat above him but not surrounding him. “Tell me, Quince. Who’s in charge now?”

The little sadist was getting a kick out of this, but because it was his deepest wish that she finally show him what she could do, he fed her ego.

He clamped his lips shut tight, goading her.

And she responded beautifully. God, he loved her. Her green eyes sparkled with…well, with joy. He wanted to laugh at the thought, but he groaned instead and closed his eyes when she lowered herself to rub that sweet cream between her thighs over his erection. He pumped against her. Just a little bit more and he could get the tip of himself in her and thrust—

“No. I don’t think so.” She raised up off him and leaned down, so that her breasts were close to his face.

He felt sweat run down his temple. “Come on, baby. You know you want me,” he forced himself to say, even knowing how he’d pay for it. God would he pay.

Joy smirked at him. He looked to be in serious sexual pain. His dick was rock hard. And his eyes about rolled up in his head when she’d been holding him. The power trip had to be going to her head, because she felt something deep inside her break free.

He could have hurt her earlier. He hadn’t. He’d annoyed her, patronized her, then dared her to come after him. Was he crazy? Did he not think she’d have her revenge?

She saw the sweat trickle down his forehead into his hair.
Mine. So warm
, her cat purred.

He blinked up at her when he heard her purring. And she smiled.

The raw lust in his gaze—for her—set her off. She had to have him again, but this time, on her terms. How he’d hate that, that she’d taken charge. Even better.

“You know. There are a lot of ways to make a man beg.” She lowered her pussy over him and lightly rubbed over his cock.

He gasped and then clenched his jaw.

“Yeah. Ways to make you feel so good,” she whispered and licked his ear. He jerked under her, and she laughed softly. “And so hungry.”

“Joy,” he growled.

She nipped his earlobe, then pulled back to stare into his eyes. So golden. So pretty. Her cat wanted to rub all over him, so Joy did. Gyrating so that she touched him all over, flesh to flesh, smothering him in her scent. Time she took charge, for once. That he was turning her on like crazy was a bonus. Even helpless, he looked wild, raw.

“
Please.
Fuck me. Come on. Put me inside you.” His guttural plea overjoyed her cat.

“What will you give me if I do?” She scooted up his body and leaned her breast over his mouth. “How about a treat?”

He latched onto her nipple and sucked and licked, moaning his pleasure. When she started to lose her focus, she pulled away and made him give her other breast the same attention.

She pulled back, both aroused and amused at how hard he was breathing. “Did you like that?”

“Yeah,” he rasped and licked his lips.

She could just imagine what else he wanted to be licking. Soon. But not yet. Not until she had some answers.