Penny was nervous. She knocked on Vince’s door feeling like she’d been chickening out about talking to or even seeing him again, and it made her mad to think she was too big of a coward to face up to her real feelings.
An older woman answered the door before Vince popped up and wedged himself between them, all eyes on Penny. The woman said, “Are you going to introduce me, Vince?”
“Mom, this is Penny. Penny, my mom.”
Penny shook the petite woman’s hand, who had a curious twinkle in her eye.
“You can call me Charlotte. So nice to meet you honey.” She turned to Vince and said, “I’m going out for a while. Don’t wait up.”
“Tell Ed hi for me.”
With a little blush in her cheeks, she said, “Who says I’m going to see Ed?”
Vince arched an eyebrow and smirked.
She blushed harder and tried to cover it. “Give your mother a hug.”
Vince reached right out as if he did this all the time, and it was adorable to see how nice he was to his mom.
Charlotte didn’t waste any time leaving, which only made Penny nervous again. Vince looked a question at her as he gestured for her to come in.
She stepped inside and thrust a DVD at him. “You said you wanted to see the bootleg Clash concert footage I had. I wasn’t sure if you’d be around tonight, or if you’re still interested in it.”
“Thanks. Yeah.”
Penny looked around his apartment, feeling awkward being here.
“Do you want to watch it with me?”
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
She shrugged. Standing here with Vince staring at her with such eagerness, she had no idea why she’d hesitated about coming over tonight. Her uncertainty calmed and she smiled more broadly. “Sure. Let’s do it.”
She felt warm all over at Vince’s intimate smile as he led her to the couch.
“Nice place. You’ve got a lot of nice stuff.”
He fiddled with the remotes as he offhandedly said, “It’s not ours. They bought it for us or something.” He turned to her and said, “Is your place like this?”
“Smaller. You guys have one of the biggest two bedroom apartments.”
He nodded and started the video, then settled back a ways away from her and it made her feel bad again. Their relationship had been so dramatic for how new it was, but was that all her fault?
They settled in to watch the DVD, and she couldn’t help smiling at his fascination with the old concert footage. Most people got bored watching it, but he was so into it.
“Hey, you’re wearing the same crazy pants as Mick Jones!”
She looked at the screen, then down at herself. “They’re not the same!”
“Yes they are!” He laughed hysterically, which only pissed her off. She was sick of people teasing her for stupid things.
The next thing she knew, she was in his lap, wrapped up in his warm arms. “Hey! What are you doing?”
“Hugging you.”
“Why?” She instantly wanted to take that back. She didn’t care why.
His warm breath tickled her neck when he said in a low voice, “You want me to stop?” She closed her eyes and shivered at how nice this felt.
Since she took too long to answer, no matter what she said now would just make her seem like the indecisive fool that she was for him, so she said nothing. It didn’t matter anyway. His strong arms kept her snug up against his body, his hands kneading her flesh while they kept watching the show. At a break in the music he nuzzled his cheek against her, which only made her shiver again and arch her neck to beg for more. God he made her feel good.
He sadly stopped tempting her pretty quickly and focused back on the video, so she relaxed against him, more comfortable than she’d ever been in any man’s arms. But when he started slowly kissing her neck, she had to fight down a whimper. She caught herself, though her heavy breathing gave away her desire.
He spread one of his hands across her stomach and held her close while his other hand slid down her leg, tentatively inching toward her inner thigh. She didn’t stop him, and soon warmth spiked through her in time to his long fingers slowly stroking and teasing her, driving her absolutely insane. She had to force herself not to whimper and rock against him.
When he tilted his hips forward and pressed his erection against her very center at the same time that he fully cupped her warmth, she whimpered out loud and closed her eyes so she could focus on just him.
His heavy breaths on her neck as he kissed and nibbled her, and his slowly rocking hips, pressing harder and harder against her already desperate body almost made her lose all control. How had he gotten her so hot so fast?
Her voice was breathy when she reluctantly said, “Your mom could come home.”
His anxious panting competed with her own, but he immediately stopped trying to send her over the edge.
She looked over her shoulder into his sexy as hell bedroom eyes. “Do you want to go to my place?”
A jolt went through him. “Sure. No one’s home?”
“I live alone.”
The spark in his eyes brightened, his body tensing against her, his erection pressing even harder, or maybe he was just suddenly harder.
She half-jokingly said, “We better hurry.”
He let out a choked groan and struggled to stand up. “You’re going to have to give me a minute.”
She felt wickedly smug to see him trying to calm his body down because of her, but the longer he took, the more self-conscious she felt about inviting him to her place.
He finally shut off the TV, grabbed the DVD, a set of keys, and followed her out.
After rounding a corner, he tugged her to a stop. “Hey. No expectations, ok? We can just chill.”
Damn his super sensitive jaguar senses. He no doubt felt her mood shift before she even realized she was freaking out. Even so, the innocent, humble look in his eyes made her tension ease. “Ok.” She wasn’t sure why she was she felt so nervous with him. It wasn’t like she’d never slept with a guy before. But when he put his arm around her shoulder, his body comfortable and relaxed beside her, she realized she’d never dated such a nice guy before. Vince was a good, decent guy. So what was he doing with her?
As she tried to wrap her head these new, confusing thoughts, they made it back to her place. She fumbled awkwardly with the lock, still confused about why she was so nervous to be with him. Just because he was nice? And what was with her suddenly shaking hands? He was the one with issues, not her. Physical issues, anyway. But looking at him all sexy and confident as hell right now made her doubt herself. Maybe she was the one with the real issues and always had been, in every relationship she’d ever been in.
“I can’t get this open.”
Vince reached smoothly around her, took the keys and unlocked the door. His shakes were nowhere in sight, and he seemed smooth and graceful as hell, just like all the other cats. He pushed her door open, then waited for her to make the next move.
He followed her inside while her tension climbed, though he either didn’t notice, or was pretending not to. After looking around her place for a time, his attention settled on her again before he stepped closer, then gave her a hug.
She fought the awkwardness by being snarky, of course. “You like to hug a lot.”
His voice was like silk in her ears. “Just you.”
She closed her eyes and breathed him in. “Why just me?”
“Because you smell good.”
Her body warmed to his slow, steadily exploring hands.
“And because you feel good.” His hands slid sensuously over her hips, then cupped her behind, massaging her in ways she’s never been touched before. For as good as it felt, she’d think he had way too much experience with women, but she honestly believed he was just being himself.
He trailed warm lips up her neck, then toyed with her sanity as he teasingly licked and nibbled her flesh. “You taste good, too.”
She whimpered and urged him on, and his breathy, masculine chuckle made her finally relax against his body. His hands slid under her shirt, but stilled on her back. He whispered, “Tell me to stop.”
She felt desperate when she said, “No. Don’t stop.”
He didn’t waste any time shimmying her shirt off, and she immediately pulled his off, too. Wow. He was gorgeous. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, and those broad shoulders and wide chest made her want to kiss every inch of him, all the way down to… Her attention stuck on the dusting of dark hairs just below his belly button. They led temptingly down to the waistband of his jeans that hung just a little low on his hips.
She ran her hands over his hard body, his skin surprisingly smooth and soft, and desperately wanted to feel the length of him. She was all thumbs trying to loosen his belt, though, and it was even harder to concentrate when Vince cupped her breasts and ran the pads of his thumbs back and forth over her sensitive nipples. He toyed with her through her bra, making her weak in the knees as he changed the pressure almost as if he knew exactly what she liked.
But she still wanted to touch him, all of him, so she fumbled around and finally got his belt unbuckled while he unsnapped her bra and forcefully pulled it off her.
A low, growly sound started deep in his chest and she froze. Was he growling at her? If so, why didn’t she feel afraid of him?
He cleared his throat and eased back a little. “Sorry. I’m just anxious. You’re too damn sexy.”
A shot of warmth raced through her. Nice guy or not, her earlier nervousness was gone because he made her feel too good.
She held eye contact with him as she reached for him again, then slowly unbuttoned, then unzipped his jeans. His chest rose and fell with his deep, heavy breaths, his eyes taking on a deep inner glow while he stood and watched her, doing absolutely nothing to stop her.
Standing half naked in front of him, her body almost overly warm in the cool apartment, she felt sexy and anxious, and wanted the feel of his body rubbing up against hers. Flesh pressed against flesh, his warm skin against hers…
She slowly worked his jeans down his hips while he watched her, his hands slightly raised by his sides in encouragement. She slid his pants down until they dropped to his knees and he stepped back to pull them the rest of the way off.
He stood in front of her now, looking tall and proud and heart stoppingly sexy in his dark green boxer briefs that were straining to contain him. The soft, stretchy fabric was easier to slide off him than his jeans were, and soon he was naked in front of her, watching her closely as the intensity between them continued to build.
She reached for his hard erection and slowly wrapped her fingers around him. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, then let out a hiss of pleasure as she sinfully slowly teased him with her hand. His eyes narrowly opened and focused on her, the deep gleam hiding what she could only imagine were wickedly bad thoughts as his chest heaved heavy breaths.
A growl started deep in her own chest at the anticipation of knowing he was hers tonight, but Vince froze at the sound of it, so she did, too. His expression quickly shifted from curious confusion to that of a wild cat getting ready to pounce on its prey. It was the same look he’d given her when she first told him she wasn’t human and that he couldn’t hurt her as easily as all that.
Realization struck again, just like that night. He’d never been with a shifter woman before, and he was giving off that same fierce energy he had after the show, only tonight he didn’t have to leave her. Tonight…
With renewed ferocity, he pulled her against his body, one strong hand grasping her by the back of the neck and holding her firmly in place, the other arm wrapping around her back, his hand easing down her bottom and between her legs. His long fingers found her exact warm center and began stroking her slowly and methodically.
He kept his grip firm on her neck as his lips brushed against her tender skin with slow, languid kisses, intensifying the aching need between her thighs. He kept the rhythm of everything sinfully slow and deliberate until every nerve ending in her body was on fire and she was almost shaking in desperate need.
Her hands trembled and she couldn’t decide if she wanted to press him closer, or push him away so she could have her way with him, too.
He nuzzled close to her ear and quietly demanded, “Growl for me.”
She was wound so tight, she didn’t understand why he’d want her to growl instead of doing something more physical. She was shifter, after all. She could handle his strength, and he could handle hers. He wouldn’t have to hold back with her. But when he gripped her tighter and quietly demanded again, “I said growl for me,” she immediately did and was rewarded with a masculine groan and a hard press of his erection against her belly. Maybe he just liked to know he was with his own kind, so she growled again, letting the reverberation rumble deep within her.
His breathing quickened and she could feel him slowly losing control, even as he kept a firm hold on her. He kissed her neck more desperately with every change in tone of her growl, his hard erection pressing mercilessly against her as he continued to stroke her heated center. She was wet and ready for him, right here, right now, but when she tried to push him back so she could do more than just touch him, he only held her more firmly against himself.
Her growls turned demanding as he continued to hold her in place, setting the pace of what he wanted while leaving her to languish in need. When his own rhythm grew quick and disjointed, she hoped he’d finally let her do more, but instead he stopped stroking her and leaned down to suckle her breast.
His masculine whimper made her growl even more, which only made him more frantic. She was desperate for him by the time he finally stood up and gave her a bruising kiss, his firm grip on her neck suddenly gone while he cupped her cheeks and ate at her mouth.
Her hands were frantic to touch him everywhere, but ended up wrapped around his erection as his anxious hips tried to keep rhythm with her movements. Another growl from her, or maybe from both of them, and he quickly stripped her of her pants and panties with no complaints from her except that he should’ve done it sooner.
He huskily said, “I’m not going to last long.”
As much as she wanted him in her arms right now, she wasn’t going to last long either, so she hustled them the few steps to her couch and bent over the arm rest. He immediately thrust into her from behind and her mind nearly exploded. Movement caught her eye and she looked up to see their reflection in the large wall mirror that was meant to make her place feel bigger. Right now it perfectly framed Vince’s gorgeous, sexy body thrusting in and out of her aching center as she lay bent over for him. They both looked frantic and desperate as Vince held onto her hips with his strong hands, and Penny’s breasts bobbed in time to his powerful thrusts.
Vince finally noticed their reflection in the mirror and caught her eye, his chest swelling as he looked over the scene. His eyes glowed as brightly as she’d ever seen them while his hips feverishly rocked back and forth, her body aching for more from him. His masculine groan grew louder until it turned into a growl, so she pressed harder and faster against him, her eyes focused on his face in the mirror. She desperately wanted to look in his eyes while he came for her, and he didn’t disappoint. His expression turned feral as he gave a jerky thrust and held her tight, his jaw slackening as his back slightly bowed. She reached down to help herself, not wanting to be the last one to the party, and quickly brought herself to climax to the feel of Vince coming inside her.
She almost closed her eyes to revel in her own ecstasy, but she caught Vince’s reflection in the mirror again, and he was staring straight at her. His breathing was heavy, and he looked anxious as she quietly cried out her orgasm.
When they’d both come down from their high, Penny nearly wilted over the arm of the couch, and Vince seemed just as weak.
Her voice was husky when she said, “Let’s go to the bedroom.”
Vince helped her up, then limped with her to the bed, both of them dropping onto it with a chuckle.
They rested for about a minute as they eyed each other as if they were holding back. A warm touch here, a tickle there, and they were at it again. This time she was on top, but the third time he got his way again, all growls and wordless demands.
By the time they’d worn each other out, she was cradled in his arms, his big body surrounding her as he lay peacefully by her side. He didn’t speak as his heavy breathing calmed, though he did purr for a time. When he abruptly stopped, she realized he’d fallen asleep.
As she lay smiling to herself, on the edge of her own sleep, she marveled at how catlike he was tonight. He didn’t act that way very much, so she usually completely forgot he was jaguar, which was weird. Tonight he was sleek, smooth, and hit all the right buttons. Her last thought before drifting off was that they should hang out more often.
**
Penny shifted in her sleep, the heavy feel of a large male body wrapped around her startling her awake. Strong arms pulled her closer and kept her from escaping just before a purr started rumbling in his chest.
Her heart calmed. Vince was in her bed. He was still sleeping, his hands kneading her flesh like a cat would until his purrs died off and he was calm again. She smiled to herself at that. She’d never dated a cat before. She wondered if they were all as cuddly as Vince was. Or as energetic. He was hands down the best lover she’d ever been with.
His purring started again and she cursed herself for thinking about their night together. The cats were incredibly sensitive to people’s emotions, and he was no doubt waking up because she was getting excited.
She willed herself to go back to sleep, content with being held by Vince as if she were the most precious thing in his world.
**
Anthony felt the presence of a jaguar coming closer just before she hesitantly knocked. He faced the door as it slowly opened and Vince’s mother entered the room.
“Miss LaRue. What can I do for you?”
Kaia lounged with her feet up on the sofa in his office, but she put her book down and sat up, giving Charlotte her full attention. Good. He was glad she understood she needed to take her safety seriously here, around everyone, though he didn’t like that she had to think about things like that.
She straightened her new crescent moon, sapphire necklace he’d given her for Christmas, and he liked the way it looked on her. Charlotte gave her a glance and an obvious scenting in the meantime, and he could see in Kaia’s eyes that she still found that strange.
“Kaia, have you met Miss Charlotte LaRue? Vince’s mother?”
“Vince’s mom? No.” She immediately popped up and reached for her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. Vince is such a great guy!” Anthony didn’t like her that close to the jaguar and was beside her in an instant, just in case.
Charlotte lifted her chin defiantly while keeping her eyes on Kaia. “I hope you’ll remember that once you’re vampire.”
She frowned in confusion. “Excuse me?”
Well, this wasn’t starting off great. Anthony nudged Kaia behind himself, hoping to quickly get on with whatever Charlotte needed from him. The less time Kaia was around anxious shifters, the better. At least until she was vampire and could protect herself.
Charlotte thankfully ignored her and turned her attention to him instead. “I know Zach coordinated us moving in here, but this is your family. Thanks for all the nice stuff, but if you want things to be right between us, I want to see that red headed bitch vampire. I want to see for myself that you punished her.”
“Of course. I’ll arrange a time−”
“No. I want to see her right this second. You could do anything between now and whenever. I want to see that you told me the truth.” Charlotte pursed her lips and stared him down, though she had to look up at him to do it. Brave woman.
He wished she’d come to ask for this just a little later tonight, after Kaia had gone to bed. He hated to give up any of his time with her even if all they were doing was sitting in the same room together while she read and he worked. Having peace between the vampires and jaguars was important, though, so he’d do what he had to do tonight.
“Of course.” He turned to Kaia and said, “My sweet. If you wouldn’t mind spending some time with Jade while I attend to Miss LaRue’s request.”
She stepped closer and looped her arm through his. “Unless it’s honestly too dangerous for me, I’d like to go with you two. This is family business and I’ll soon be your wife.”
No, please no. He stared at her as panic raced through him. If she saw what he’d done to Bethany, she’d finally see how inhuman he could truly be. She’d leave him tonight and never come back.
He must have been staring at her too long because she frowned, then tapped her forehead. He reluctantly used his power to open a link between their minds so they could speak without Charlotte hearing them.
‘Can you hear me?’
‘Yes my sweet. Please−’
‘Take me with you.’
He sucked in a heavy breath. ‘I don’t want to. You won’t like what you see.’
‘Will you?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Then take me with you. I know you sometimes have to do things you don’t like to do, like whatever this vampire’s punishment was. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be by your side.’
‘But…’
‘How can I get to know you better if I don’t know what your life is really like? And how can I learn to fit in around here if I don’t understand what’s going on?’
So she was trying to be rational. That was good, but the test would come when she finally saw Bethany’s shriveled up husk of a body. He couldn’t deny Kaia this, though, because he truthfully did want her to know everything. He wanted someone in his life that he didn’t have to keep things from, so he gave her a defeated smile and closed his mind connection to her.
He stepped closer, placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, and quietly said out loud, “Ok.”
**
Anthony led them down the stairs from the club to the sub-basement, where many of the vampires in his family slept in safety each day. He kept her in front of him as Charlotte took up the rear.
Kaia was hesitant as she walked, probably because she’d never actually been further than his apartment, which was the first door at the bottom of the stairs. It was also much more dimly lit down here, so he put his hand on her shoulder to let her know she’d be all right.
They rounded a corner, and the wolf guard assigned to Bethany’s room quickly stuffed his phone in his pocket and stood up. “Sir.”
“Quinn. Bethany has a visitor. Please wait here in the hall.”
He stepped away so Anthony could unlock the solid wooden door. He was the only one with a key, but he’d also put a spell on it to make sure no one could go against his orders and try to help her. He didn’t sense that anyone had tampered with the door or the spell, and once opened, he didn’t smell any new scents in her room.
He kept Kaia behind him, closer to Quinn than Charlotte while he reached around and flicked on a light switch, then gestured for Charlotte to enter. The woman gave him a wary look, but peeked her head inside. After a brief moment she stepped more fully into the room and Anthony followed her in. He kept his hand firmly on Kaia’s shoulder the whole time, guiding her to exactly where he wanted her.
The room was small, a studio apartment like almost all the others down here. It had a bed, a dresser, a wingback chair and a small bathroom, but combined with the dark, wood furniture that was all just a little too large, everything in here seemed more appropriate for an expensively rebuilt cabin in a mountainous community than it did in here. Add in the three of them and Bethany on the bed, and it was a cozy fit for them all.
He kept his eyes on Charlotte and Bethany, mostly because he didn’t want to see Kaia’s expression once she got a full look at what he’d done. He kept his hand on her while she twisted around him to see more fully what they’d all come to see… Bethany. The woman he’d finally put in her place for years and years of irritating him. If she hadn’t stepped over the line with Charlotte all those years ago, perhaps she wouldn’t be here now. Or perhaps she’d done other things he didn’t know about and the run in with Charlotte was only the tip of the iceberg.
She lay on top of her bed in a full dress that was too large on her emaciated, gray skinned body. Her bright red hair had turned pure white, and she still had all her jewelry on, which looked tacky and oversized for her frail body, let alone the expensive heels she still wore. He wasn’t sure how any of her accessories had stayed on her that night of her punishment, and didn’t care enough to think much about it.
Kaia gasped when she finally realized what she was looking at, but he kept his eyes forward and his grip firm on her arm.
Charlotte didn’t seem nearly as disturbed. “Is she even alive?”
“Yes. You can’t sense her?”
Charlotte studied her emaciated form with cautious curiosity. “I can feel her, but it’s not strong. How long will she be this way?” She turned and looked straight at Anthony. “How long will you forbid her to heal?”
He felt a jolt go through Kaia and he cringed inside. This was not what he wanted her to see. At least not until she couldn’t turn him away… until after she was already vampire.
But that was a selfish, guilty thought and he knew it. It was only fair for her to see what kind of person she was agreeing to spend the rest of her life with. It was now up to her to decide if she could stomach it.
“I haven’t decided how long her punishment will be.” Kaia tensed again, and he realized he was squeezing her arm too tight. He eased up on his grip, the stress of having her here distracting him from his usual carefulness with her.
Charlotte’s mood shifted, anger suddenly welling up in her as she quickly stepped closer to the bed. Anthony had no choice but to leave Kaia alone as he raced up next to Charlotte.
He towered over her as he stood irritably by her side. “Ma’am, just so we’re clear, Bethany is vampire so I will do the punishing, not you.”
She looked up at him with a challenge in her eyes, but finally curtly nodded.
Her voice was almost as forceful when she said, “She should stay this way until Vince is healed.”
Kaia screamed when Bethany suddenly scrambled towards them. Charlotte jumped out of her reach, and Anthony raced to Kaia’s side to keep her safe, but also to comfort her. He glared at Bethany, but with all the color gone from her eyes he couldn’t tell what she was looking at, or if she could even see anything anymore. His guess was that she was currently blind, but either way, she didn’t make any more moves towards them.
Kaia shivered and Anthony finally looked at her. Her eyes fixed on Bethany as if she might still come after her, a look of horrified disgust making him feel like this was a mistake to bring her here. It didn’t matter that she thought she wanted to see this, he needed to get her out of this room.
He put his arm around her and said to Charlotte, “Are you satisfied with her punishment?”
Charlotte pulled her mesmerized gaze from Bethany and looked him straight in the eyes. “She stays this way until Vince heals.”
“And if he never heals?”
Charlotte winced, but jutted her chin out.
Anthony carefully said, “You were pregnant with Vince the first time you sought help from the family, so she first denied you twenty seven years ago. I propose if Vince never heals, her punishment ends in twenty seven years.”
Her face crumbled as she angrily said, “No. She could be the reason he would never heal. If he’d gotten help sooner…”
“Perhaps. But there are still things we haven’t tried with Vince. Zach would like to try to force his shift on him at full moon. If that doesn’t work, and we exhaust all other remedies, then I’d be open to discussing a longer punishment.”
“But−”
He spoke over her, his voice firm and unyielding. “But until then, I will only give you twenty seven years, which is quite generous, Miss LaRue. I don’t deny Bethany’s wrongdoing, but she didn’t cause Vince’s disability. Without her interference we could’ve attempted to heal him sooner, but that wouldn’t change the fact that he’s disabled.”
She more weakly said, “But he’s my child.”
Kaia stepped cautiously forward and put her hand on Charlotte’s shoulder, though Anthony wasn’t ready to let her go yet. Charlotte looked at her in wonder, and when she didn’t back down, he reluctantly let Kaia go so she could give her a hug. Charlotte hesitated before finally embracing her, her arms shaking as she sniffled against her shoulder.
After a few moments they released each other and Charlotte wiped at her face. “She stays this way until Vince heals, and if he doesn’t, we’ll talk after full moon about how long her sentence is.”
Anthony put his hand out for her to shake, and though she tensed and nearly took a step back from him, she finally reached out and sealed their deal.