FavoriteObsession (17 page)

Devin spread his hands out, all innocent. “Have a little
faith, human.”

Josh grinned. “I do, cat. I do.”

About time he convinced Mira to take a leap too.

* * * * *

Mira reached for the door handle of Kade’s house. It opened
before she touched it. Zoe squeaked and jerked back.

“Oh… Hi, Mira.” Zoe ran a hand through her tangled hair.
“You startled me.”

Mira stood there with her mouth hanging open. Her gaze
drifted from Kade’s button-down, haphazardly fastened, to Zoe’s bare legs and
finally to her untied sneakers. Silently berating herself for being rude, Mira
jerked her attention back to Zoe’s face. Her flushed skin and the edge of a
hickey peeking from behind the upturned collar added details Mira didn’t need.
The scents of Kade and sex surrounding Zoe told Mira everything.

She snapped her jaw closed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to
frighten you. Kade asked me to—”

“No need to explain.” Zoe pulled the lapels of her shirt
closed. “I hadn’t realized how late…I mean early…” She groaned. “I’ve got to
go.”

Zoe squeezed past her and strode to the garage.

“Don’t say anything.”

Mira glanced at Kade. Sleep pants, hanging low on his hips,
and his disheveled blond hair finished the tale of what had happened between
him and Zoe. Mira grinned. “Does this mean—”

“Nothing. It means nothing.” Kade turned and headed toward
the library.

She’d beg to differ but the tension radiating off him
stopped her. She followed him and took a seat on the couch.

“Why did you order me over here?” It had to have been
important to pull him out of bed when he had a female warming it.

He grabbed a manila folder, slammed it on the table in front
of her and proceeded to wear a path in the carpet. No words, no growls.
Nothing. He simply prowled.

Not once in all the years she’d known him had she ever seen
him this distressed. That scared her. Since he didn’t appear as if he’d talk
anytime soon, she reached for the folder. He stopped mid-step and snarled. She
eased her hand back.

“What’s wrong?”

He ran a hand through his hair and took several deep
breaths. Finally, he faced her. Pure rage showed on his face. With full-feline
eyes and extended fangs, he appeared fearsome. The flip from the sated post-sex
look he’d worn a few minutes ago to the one stamped on his features only
intensified the unease rolling through her.

“Somebody close to our family has betrayed us.”

Now she understood. Loyalty among the pride or pack was
sacred. “Tell me.”

“I received a letter from the Council highly recommending I
allow Edmund’s relation to court you
now
along with the suitors already
selected. They feel as though you’ll miss out on the opportunity to fulfill the
prophecy as the goddess intended if you choose one of us.”

She stood and strode to the far end of the library, needing
a moment to school her features. “No. I don’t want him anywhere near me.”

“You don’t have a choice, Mira. I’ve approved of his visit.
He’ll be arriving today.”

She swung her head so fast hair whipped across her face. She
shoved it out of the way and leveled Kade with a threatening glare. “How dare
you?”

Instead of matching her anger, he pressed the heel of his
palms to his eyes and groaned. “I’m sorry. I truly am but I had to allow it.”

Her rage fizzled and she closed the distance between them.
She laid a hand on his arm. “Kade?”

“Anton called me.”

Anton, Kade’s brother and the only feline royal on the
Council, rarely called anyone. He lived and breathed politics and had been the
one who’d first approached the human government to form Shifter Affairs.
Trepidation settled over her. She licked her lips.

“Do you think…”

Kade covered her hand and shook his head. “Anton would never
betray us. On that I’d stake my life.” He stepped back, breaking the comforting
touch. “I told him of my worry concerning the Council’s so-called approval of
Molly’s arranged mating into Jeremiah’s pride. He was furious.”

As they all were. Arranged matings had been illegal since
the beginning of the century, mostly because of Anton’s insistence for basic
rights for their females. Although she hadn’t talked to him in years, he’d been
her biggest protector and supporter when she’d first arrived in Alexander
territory. It had actually surprised her that he hadn’t stepped up with an
offer to court her too, not that she minded. She had enough males after her.

He picked up the folder but didn’t open it. “Anton is
investigating the traitor amongst the Council and believes it’s one of the
single-shifters.”

“What did he find?” She prompted when Kade merely stared at
the papers he’d brought.

Instead of answering, he handed her the folder. She wiped
her sweaty palms on her thighs and took it. Inside was a single picture. Her
heart skipped a beat. The photo showed Josh with Megan in the backyard of his
new house. Josh was crouched next to her, pointing off into the distance.

She looked from the bull’s-eye drawn over Josh to Kade’s
concerned face. “This was taken the day he moved into his home.” She swallowed
hard as the implications became clear. “We were all there. Our pride, Xander’s
pack…we all showed up to help him.”

Kade nodded. “Exactly. One of our own betrayed us. Anton
found this picture in the trash of the Council’s boardroom. It had the
fingerprints of all the single-shifter groups and none of the royals.”

“Gods…” She traced the red circle over Josh’s image. “Would
they—”

“Yes, Mira, they’ll kill him.”

“Just to stop me from being with him?”

“I doubt they care about him at all. It only matters to them
that you’d be crushed.” Kade motioned toward the photo. “They left that for
Anton to find. I’m sure of it. They want us to know what will happen if you
deny them. I’m allowing Micah one date with you while Shifter Affairs places
undercover human agents to watch Josh.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll
protect him, Mira. I promise you, but you must do your part too.”

She pressed the photo to her chest and fought to contain her
emotions. It didn’t help. Tears misted her eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear
them.

“I think,” she cleared her throat, “I think I love him.”

Kade didn’t comment. He wrapped her in his arms and held
her. In his familiar embrace, she let her misery free. Sobs shook her chest.
Her heart cracked, a wound she’d never heal forming. Her inner animals’ angst
added to her pain. They slammed their heads into her chest, snarled at her when
she tried to calm them. They knew what she planned and didn’t approve. She
ignored their agitated prowling, focused on the image of Josh marked by the
bull’s-eye and came to terms with her fate.

After her cries softened to whimpers, Kade pressed his cheek
to the top of her head. “Then you’ll do what’s best for him.”

She pulled away and nodded. “Set things up and I’ll go
through the motions.”

He took the picture from her hands and crumpled it. “I wish
you could have the future you desire.”

She snorted. “Me too but my fate was sealed at birth.”

Kade sighed but didn’t argue her words. “Zach has asked to
be removed from your list of suitors. So that leaves you with the choice of me
or Aron.”

“You? What about Zoe?”

A mask slid over Kade’s features. “What about her?”

“Didn’t last night—”

“What I did with Zoe is none of your business, nor will it
change anything. I will still mate you if you choose me.”

“It changes everything and leaves me with the male selected
for me at birth.”

“Do not allow your father’s choice of Aron as your mate or
my actions to influence yours, Mira.” He reached forward and tipped up her
chin. “The goddess never said who she intended your mate to be. In this I
believe she deferred the decision to you.”

“Lucky me.”

“You are, Mira. Whether you want to admit it or not. You do
remember the wording of the prophecy, don’t you?”

She rolled her eyes. “How could I forget? Father repeated it
every single time I complained about the damn curse.”

At his raised brow, she dutifully repeated the goddess’s
divine decree, “From this babe’s womb, the link which should never have been
broken will be reformed. Her young will usher my children into the next era and
save us all. Protect her, love her, cherish her and she will chose wisely.”

“You see? The choice is yours. Not your father’s which is
why it had to wait three centuries. With cultural norms the way they were, you
didn’t have a say then. Now you do.”

“Between you or Aron. Hell of a big choice.”

Kade dropped his hand and shrugged. “Could be worse, Mira.
Remember that.” He walked to the door, stopped with his hand on the handle. “By
the way, Devin asked me to mate you, not Aron. He believes we’ll get along
better.”

“What did you say?”

He laughed, the sound bitter and rough. “Does it matter? The
choice is yours, not mine.”

With that, he walked out. A sob escaped, followed by
another. Tears made the room appear fuzzy. Her knees gave out and she dropped
to the floor.

She wanted to scream at the gods, beg them, anything if
they’d just take their blessing back, but there’d be no reprieve for her, no
changing her destiny. In her soul, she knew the bitter truth. The gods had
spoken and as a child of their blood, she had to obey them, even if it destroyed
her.

Mira stared at the computer screen while her inner cats
snarled. Knowing she couldn’t avoid it forever, she clicked on the email from
Micah, her newest suitor. The screen filled with the image of her worst
nightmare. Black hair, a narrow face and brown eyes that still haunted her
after three centuries looked back at her. Her vision wavered. The memories of
Edmund assaulting her blended with the image of his descendant. Instead of the
warm smile the picture showed, she recalled the demented sneer of her rapist.

She choked on bile. Hands pressed to her eyes, she rocked in
her chair. Her screams, his laughter echoed in her ears. The pain, the shame—it
all rushed up, squeezing her chest.

“Oh gods.”

She turned off her computer and ran to the bathroom, barely
managing to get the lid up before the contents of her stomach were offered up
to the porcelain gods. She wiped her face and flushed. With her gut rolling,
she leaned against the cool tub and took shallow breaths to settle her nerves.

The idea of sitting through a meal with a replica of the male
who had taken her innocence and destroyed her life chilled her. If she couldn’t
even look at his face without inserting Edmund’s over it, how would she manage
small talk?

Gods, she hated this whole situation, but for Josh, she had
to go through with it. She’d ruined enough lives with her choices. Her acting
skills had helped her survive through the centuries. She’d have to plaster a
smile on her face and suck it up. How bad could it be?

She brushed her teeth and went over the list of mundane
topics she could talk about to fill up the time with Micah.

It’ll be okay. It’s just a couple of hours out of my
life.

It wouldn’t be okay. Who was she kidding? Nothing would be
okay ever again. She slammed her toothbrush back into the holder. It circled
the rim of the ceramic cup before stopping. Two weeks ago, there’d been two
brushes there—hers and Devin’s. He’d moved out of their little trailer so he
and Lena could have more privacy.

Mira was happy for him but hadn’t realized how much she
relied on him for company. She was lonely in this hunk of metal she called
home. She didn’t have to hide out here. There’d been plenty of offers from her
friends and her suitors for dinner or gatherings. Only, she couldn’t deal with
anyone. Her mind kept spinning.

Confusion over Aron and the miscommunication that had changed
both of their lives left her saddened and full of regrets. When he’d found out
about Edmund, he’d offered to take her punishment for killing him. The distance
between their families’ territories delayed word of her attack from reaching
him. By the time he’d arrived, Devin had already gone in her place. After he’d
returned half-crazed, Aron had been the one to help him learn to control his
cats.

He’d tried to talk to her too. At the time, she’d hated all
males, except her twin, and pushed Aron away. He’d left but promised to return
for her. Dammit, she should’ve questioned the cruelty of his letter. If she
had, she might’ve had cubs of her own and fulfilled the prophecy. Guilt rose
with the thought, not because she’d missed out on a family, but with the relief
it had never happened. If she’d mated Aron, she never would’ve moved to America
and met Josh.

She dug her fingers into her hair and tugged. Every damn
thought led back to the male she could never have. She fell asleep with Josh’s
image in her mind and woke up reaching for him, disappointed every damn time
when only sweaty sheets met her fingers.

She tried to replace him with Aron’s image, but feline eyes
turned blue. His shaggy blond mane shortened and darkened until black strands
framed a roughened, scarred face.

Ever since Kade had showed her the picture of Josh with the
bull’s-eye drawn on him, she’d agonized over her decision and tried to figure
out a way to keep the male she considered hers. She couldn’t come up with any
and didn’t have the energy to think about it anymore. She needed a nap.

The brush fell from her limp hands. She watched it bounce
against the floor and left it there. It seemed too much of an effort to pick it
up. With sluggish movements, she undressed and pulled an oversized shirt over
her head. She slipped into the bedroom with the intention of crying herself to
sleep. Two steps into the room, she froze. A heartbeat reached her ears. The
scent of heaven filled her nose. And the image of her favorite obsession met
her eyes.

Josh leaned against the wall, one foot bent against the
surface and his thumbs hooked in his front pockets. Another plain tee, white
today, stretched over a muscled chest she longed to explore. After tonight, she
never would. It was just another regret to add to a lifetime of
disappointments.

“How did you get in here?” She asked to hide how much seeing
him a few feet from her rumpled bed affected her.

Josh’s heated blue eyes traveled over her body. She came
alive with his intent perusal. Her skin burned in the wake of his gaze. He
focused on her braless breasts hidden by the thin cotton. Her nipples pebbled.
The achy flesh grew heavy.

He licked his lower lip slowly. She followed the
deliberately tempting stroke and reached for the doorjamb.

“The door, same as everyone else,” he muttered, gaze locked
onto her upper thighs where the nightshirt’s hem ended.

Aware of her panty-less state, she shifted uncomfortably and
toyed with the edge of her shirt. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I was quiet. Didn’t want you running from me.”

He might’ve been quiet, except he was only human. Her cats
should’ve heard him. Scented him at the very least. They hadn’t but didn’t mind
that he’d snuck up on them. Each predator lay with its head on its paws, tails
swishing softly as they listened to his husky words.

Their acceptance of Josh escalated her need. Her cats’
happiness fed hers. Being with Josh made them feel content and left her energized
on every level. Seeing him so close to her bed, however, made their sad fate
real. She’d never be with the male she loved.

Better that way. I won’t miss what I never had.
She
didn’t believe her words for a minute but repeated them, hoping she’d
eventually accept it as truth.

She crossed her arms, unintentionally lifting her breasts. She
considered dropping them but liked the way Josh’s eyes darkened with lust. “I
can’t run from someone I don’t care about.”

One corner of his mouth lifted, causing the dimple in his
cheek to wink at her.

“We’re back to that, are we?” He dropped his booted foot
from where it had rested against the wall. The clunk echoed in the small room.
Chin tucked, he peered at her through thick lashes. “That’s okay, baby. It won’t
be a hardship convincing you of the truth again.” Another slow swipe of his
tongue had her reaching for the nearest object to support her rubbery legs. “I
think I’m addicted to your taste. I need another fix.”

A shuddering breath fell from her lips. “Please don’t.”

Josh advanced on her with predatory steps that made her feel
as if she’d been labeled as his prey. Her limbs trembled as she matched his
steps backward. They ended up circling the room so she was next to the bed and
he near the bathroom. The scent of her spent arousal drifted to her from the
sheets. She’d brought herself to orgasm after another night of erotic dreams
starring Josh. Her gaze on the bed, she let her mind recall the fantasies she’d
embraced under the cloak of darkness.

His scent replaced the lingering reminder of pleasure—her
only warning. With thick arms wrapped around her waist, he pulled her against
his strong chest. He towered over her and surrounded her with his presence. His
chin on her head and the ridge of his erection against her spine enhanced the
sense of rightness.

“Please don’t make me wait.” He rubbed his cheek against her
hair. “That’s what you meant. Isn’t it, kitten?”

She shook her head. The strands of her hair caught on his
stubble, linking them together. “No. You know that’s not what I meant.”

Soft lips replaced the roughness of his jaw. He trailed his
slightly parted mouth over her temple, across her cheek until his warm breath
washed over her neck.

“Please don’t neglect me?” He offered.

Whips of tingling sensations spread from where his mouth
touched the rim of her ear to her breasts and clit. Need spiraled. She shook
her head, unable to utter the lie in the face of her mounting desire. He nipped
her earlobe. She leaned more fully into his hold. He tightened his arms around
her. Not hurting her. It was a show of strength, confidence and possessiveness.
And one she couldn’t resist.

“Please don’t…tease me?” Josh whispered the question, his
lips brushing against the vulnerable column of the throat.

It seemed a safe answer. She nodded. “Yes, that’s it. Don’t
tease me.”

A rumble of approval vibrated his chest, one she felt deep
inside her body and her soul. Her cats wrapped the sound around them and closed
their eyes, contentment causing them to purr.

“Okay, Mira. You win. I won’t tease you anymore.”

He spun her in his arms, lifted her and tossed her in one
easy move onto the bed. She bounced but didn’t have time to react. He gripped
her ankles and tugged. She slid over the silk. Her butt cheeks hung off the
edge, gravity threatening to send her crashing onto the floor, but she didn’t
fall. He dropped her legs over his wide shoulders and supported her rear with his
large palms.

She squeaked but never got the chance to speak. He swept his
tongue up through her cleft and destroyed any rational thought she might’ve
had. The confident way he touched her tore a whimper from her throat. He acted
as if he had every right in the world to eat her out anytime he wanted.

“Kitten,” he firmed his grip on her bottom, “taste good, so
good.”

The praise stimulated her as much as his invading tongue
did. Another slow lick over her dripping center left her shuddering. He dipped
the tip of his tongue into her core, curling it to draw more arousal forth. Her
inner muscles tightened. He parted them, stroked them and groaned his approval
with each thrust. It was too much, too soon.

She tried to wiggle away from the intense sensations. His
growl whipped up through her sheath. She arched her back on a stuttered gasp.
There was no escaping. He held her in an unbreakable grip and pierced her, over
and over. Another rumble from his throat clenched her core, but he withdrew
before her orgasm could take hold.

With languid swipes, he lapped up her cream. The gentle,
almost reverent way he licked her brought tears to her eyes.

“Josh, what…”

He captured her clit between his teeth, stopping her words.
Tiny flicks of his tongue hardened the nub until the bundle thumped. She fisted
the sheets, her head thrashing.

“Please, please.”

He abandoned her clit and sucked on her core. The tug jerked
her body. Her shocked cry morphed into a moan. Each pull on her sex whipped
another clenching wave up her sheath. She shuddered, writhed, screamed and he
kept kissing her. With his fingers digging into her bottom, he lifted her
higher and pushed her to feel more. Her cries turned into whimpers, her
whimpers to a breathless gasp and still he continued to love her. Finally, he eased
his invasive kiss and brought her back down with slow licks.

She panted and focused on the movement of his tongue and
flexing of his fingers on her ass in order to hold on to consciousness. The
last of her release faded. She reached down and clutched his hair.
“You…shouldn’t have…done that.”

The rumble of disapproval that came from him sounded deeper
and more primal than any she’d ever heard him make. He swirled his tongue
inside her dripping center, prodded her sensitive walls and took her right back
to the edge.

Not again. The male turned her into a mess of hormones. She
couldn’t give in a second time. She’d end up begging him to fuck her.

She gripped the sheets and scrambled backward to escape his
hold. He turned his head and nipped her inner thigh. It didn’t hurt but her
instincts took over. She went limp under him, submitting. His approving moan
shattered her control. Tears leaked from her eyes. Pleasure, regret? She didn’t
know what caused them and didn’t get the chance to figure it out.

“Mine, you’re mine.”

The vow mumbled in his rough voice wiped all her convictions
away. If this was her last chance to be with Josh, she wanted the experience to
be the best of her life. She closed her eyes to savor his attentions and waited
for him to eat her out again, but he didn’t attack her senses. He traced her
lower lips with his tongue and pressed a closed mouth kiss to her weeping core.

She groaned and tried to stimulate herself. It wouldn’t take
much. One more thrust or suck and she’d find heaven a second time. He pulled
back.

“You taste delicious, my kitten.”

“Josh. I need…”

He caressed her bottom, massaging the flesh and teasing the
seam. She sucked in a breath and waited on what he’d do. With his thumb toying
with her rear opening, he leisurely licked her cleft in a single sweep, bottom
to top. He circled her clit before reversing his path. Everywhere he touched,
she burned. Each exhaled breath on her sensitive skin fanned the flames, but he
didn’t squelch the fires he ignited.

“Please, don’t tease me. I want,” she blew out a rough
breath, “I want you to make me come again.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, he thrust his tongue
inside her core, parting her inner muscles at the same time as his thumb
breached her rear opening. She arched, the orgasm seizing her body. Waves
rippled from her womb to the roots of her hair. His thumb and tongue moving in
tandem kept them rolling through her. She’d never felt anything like it before.

Hands flying to latch on to something solid, she fisted
strands of silk. Josh’s hair. The sensation of the short locks sifting through
her fingers added to the full-body release. She opened her mouth to shout his
name and tell the world who owned her body. No sounds came out. Spots danced
over her vision, stealing the light, wiping away the doubt, the fears, the
insecurities.