Claiming Their Cat (8 page)

He stepped again, almost touching her, so close she felt the heat from his body.
“I just want you to know I think you’re sexy as hell, and if I wasn’t so damned tired, I’d try to seduce you.
But you need your sleep, and so do I.”

Okay, she
certainly
didn’t expect that.
“You got a thing for pregnant women?”

“Nope. Just you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Riiight.”

Maybe he was suffering from a mental disease that skewed his thinking.
He hadn’t touched her, but she felt like he had with those piercing eyes.

“And.”
He cupped her face with his big, rough hands.
“I will seduce you when you’re safe.” He slowly moved his face towards hers. Oh my God, he was going to kiss her.

In anticipation, her breath caught in her throat. She should move, step back, but she was frozen in place. Then he smiled and moved to the bed. She blinked. He slipped between the sheets and patted her side of the bed.

Cat
felt like a fool. Of course, he wouldn’t kiss her.
It was a game she wasn’t even skilled at playing, much less winning.
He pulled the sheet down on her side. She should refuse, and pile up in the chair, but she didn’t think her back could take it.
Cat
climbed in, noticing how the bed dipped towards him. She turned off the light and rolled on her right side away from him fighting the downhill slippery slope.
Damn, it’s going to be a long night.

She closed her eyes and tried to force calmness over her, but the double bed wasn’t helping any. Rio was too
big
for this bed and with her extra belly, keeping a sliver of a distance between them was going to be hard.
Minutes passed, but she couldn’
t
detect his even breathing or a snore.
She almost laughed aloud. How many people that were still alive had ever heard Rio snore? Well, whom was she kidding? There were probably several women who’d heard him snore.

“Do you need me to help you relax?”

As if he could do that. “Yes.
I’m sure I’d sleep better if you were on the floor.”

She yelped when a strong hand wound around her middle and pulled her against a hard body. “I’ve slept in harder places, like the caves in
Afghanistan,
on a dirt floor littered with pebbles that somehow align with your spine. I had to fight the scorpions for that patch of dirt, so you understand if I don’t choose to do so.”

His calloused hand cupped her pelvis and pressed her butt against his groin. She struggled to form words, lash out with something to wound him, but how could she? Apparently, he’d fought in Afghanistan serving his country, but,
on the other hand
, the government probably trained him to be the efficient killer that he was.

“Damn, you smell good.”
He buried his nose into the crook of her neck and nuzzled her.
Chills wove down her spine.

“Stop.”

His deep laugh reverberated against her back. “Soon, my little Cat, I will have you screaming my name, begging me to let you come.”

“I’m going to scream right now if you don’t back off.”

“You’re safe—for now.”

Safe? That was almost laughable. She’d never be safe again, not until Alvarez was dead. That had as much of a chance of happening as installing an ice machine in hell.

“But, if you get horny during the night, just wake me up, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“You are such an arrogant prick.”

P
ressed against his body was hell on her defenses. She’d never slept naked with anyone. Oh sure, she’d had sex and lots of it, but it was usually a quickie and then she’d go home. No harm. No foul.
Waking up beside someone you didn’t
actually know and heaven forbid
you didn’t want to get to know, was something she’d avoided at all costs.
Even in that hellhole brothel in Mexico, she’d run as soon as she
could
. That sex was fantastic, but she didn’t do morning
afters
.

“I’m a lot of things you don’t even want to know about, but I can—and will—give you so much pleasure that you’ll think you’re dying.”

“Save it for someone who cares.”

His hand drifted lower, found the little bundle of nerves. “Don’t make me prove my point, little girl, because I can forgo sleep if I have too. I’m horny as hell, and would love to sink my cock into your hot
slick
pussy
.”

Rio’s
voice held amusement.
She didn’t know if his words or his thumb swirling over her clit that caused little shards of pleasure to shoot through her.
She held her breath as his finger dipped between her folds. “You’re wet—for me.”

Hell yeah.
And it all started with him running around naked.
The
why
still escaped her. She knew she wasn’t pretty even before she started running from Alvarez.
Cat
considered herself
plain
, with eyes too wide.
They were blue, but
no one
had ever commented on them.
Her hair was a nondescript
dishwater
blonde
, but it did have some
body to it when she took the time
care for
it.
She felt like a haggard whore,
so why was this centerfold paying any attention to her?
She sucked in a breath and forced the denial between her teeth. “No. It’s just hormones.”

Cat
yelped when he nipped her neck. “Don’t ever lie to me, my sweet Cat, because I’ll paddle your ass. In fact, I may do it anyway. I bet it blushes a pretty pink. Would you like that?”

His voice didn’t sound like a threat, but a spanking sounded totally degrading. He continued sliding his finger in and out, slowly, teasing. He had to stop. It wasn’t right. She wouldn’t let him seduce her. She blinked as an idea formed in her mind. Seduce? Maybe it would work. What if she seduced him? Maybe he’d let his guard down if he thought she wanted to stay with him, if she made him think she believed he would keep her safe? If he trusted her, escape would be so much easier—when she figured out the plan.

Of course, playing the part would earn her an Oscar. She didn’t think she could do it because she was a terrible liar. It took all she had to pull the wool over Alvarez’s eyes, but she was never this close to Alvarez except—when she was beneath him. A shiver of revulsion rolled through her. Eight months and she still hadn’t succeeded in her original mission. She’d failed everybody in more ways than one.

“You’re thinking too hard, sugar.”

Hard?
Hard was his cock pressing against her backside. Hard was trying to ignore his slight rocking, knowing he was dragging the head across her skin. Hard was trying to ignore his swirling thumb. Hard was figuring out how to make him stop.

“I promise to go to sleep.
Please, leave me alone.”

“I don’t think so. You’ve got me riled up. I can’t go to sleep in this condition.” He nudged against her with his cock.

“I didn’t do anything. Don’t blame me for your
pervertedness
.”

“Oh yes, sugar, you did this to me. You’re sexy as hell, smell like spring flowers, and I am going to spank your pretty ass if you call me a pervert again.”

He scooted down, pried his hand between her legs. His fingers slipped between her folds, plunging hard into her. G
od it felt so good.
He kissed her neck, caressing it with his lips and tongue, sending shivers along her spine.

“So tight, my little Cat.
I can’t wait to slide inside your silky pussy, drag the head of my cock along your tight sheath.”

Think Cat, it’s now or never.
Do you allow him seduce you, so you can seduce him later?
Buy some time.

Before she could decide, he
rolled
out of bed.
Well, that made things easier.
The rummaging in his bag made her turn. What in the heck was he doing? She faced away again and prayed for an answer to her dilemma. The bed sagged under his heavy weight. Her breath caught in her throat waiting for whatever he was planning.

She feigned sleep, tried to ignore him.

He didn’t spoon her to him, so she let out her breath with a soft whoosh.
Maybe he
had
decided he didn’t really mean all those things he said about her being sexy.

She yelped when something
cool
pressed against the crack of her ass.

“Relax, little girl. I
wo
n’t hurt you.”

This was so wrong.
“Please don’t do this.”

He laughed. “Tell you what. If I can’t make you come by fucking your sweet ass with anything but my cock, I’ll never lay another finger on you.”

Okay, if he didn’t use his cock, that would be
good
, because there was no way in hell it would fit anywhere inside her, especially her ass. She’d take that bet with limits, of course. “How long? I
wo
n’t give you forever.”

“Oh, I think it will only take five minutes.”

“And you can’t touch my…you know.”

“Your pussy and your clit?”

“Yes.”
She couldn’t remember ever saying those two words, and if so, it was never in mixed company.

“Okay, but if you come within five minutes, what do I get?”

“Nothing, because that will never happen.”

“Aw, my sweet Cat.
If you come, you will let me fuck you in that sweet ass of yours.”

Um, hell no. That was never going to happen. “Okay. Deal.”

“Up on your hands and knees.”

“What
?
That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“The deal was not touching those two sensual body parts that you can’t even bring yourself to say, but you will
say them
soon.”

Damn. She had to learn to negotiate better when she was dealing with Rio. Of course, she didn’t know if she could anticipate anything concerning sex where he was concerned.

“A deal’s a deal.
You wouldn’t renege on a deal, would you?”

In a skinny minute if
I
thought I could get away
with
it.

But she couldn’t get away with it
—
this time.

Cat
rolled onto her
side
and then
rose up
onto her hands and knees. She felt demeaned, degraded with her breasts swing
ing
like melons, her belly hanging forward like a small beach ball
.
Maybe he didn’t want to see her belly, not that her backside
provided
a better view. Five minutes and she would win.

He turned on the bedside lamp and lucky for her, it emitted a dull, dim light. He moved behind her, making her humiliation complete.
“Your ass is so nice.
I wonder if would blush pink or red if I spank it
?
”

A small smack sounded in the room. She jumped. Not that it hurt.
Note to sel
f—
add no spanking to negotiations
.
He rubbed the sting away
,
and she almost prayed for more.

“Ah, a deep red.
So pretty.”

She cl
e
nched when
cool
lubricate
pushed
against her puckered hole.

“Relax,” he said.

There was nothing in the negotiations about actively participating;
however,
his finger slipped inside anyway. Little shards
of pleasure
careened inside her. The sensation was wicked, borderline erotic.

“Such a tight, little hole.
Perfect for fucking.”

His immense slick finger moved slowly in and out. She would not squirm, would not acknowledge the carnal sensations
sweeping
through her body.

“Get ready, my
sweet
Cat. I have a surprise for you.”

Something hard and
cool
pressed against her. “Have you ever worn a butt plug?”

Note to self—
negotiate no toys in
my
ass.

“Push back against it. Let it in.”

She clenched her muscles harder, a willing participant she would not be. Another smack landed on her backside spreading warmth though her.

Another blow landed,
slightly
harder. “Let me in.”