Lily's Loner Read online

  “I’m not a fucking invalid, Lily.”

  I allow my eyes to roam his body, letting him know that I find him attractive, scars and all. A hitch catches in my throat. “I can see that for myself, Max.”

  ****

  Max

  The screams had me dropping the book I was reading and racing up the ladder. I fought off the urge to shift, my body wanting to do what came naturally when possible danger is near. My mind intervenes telling me it is implausible that they could have got to Lily. Her screams, though, are of terror and panic. I recognize the sounds from my own tortured nights.

  She is having a nightmare. That much is obvious when I reach the loft. Her beautiful body thrashes on the bed. She twists back and forth, lost in a horror only she can see. A low growl comes from deep in her chest. She’s going to shift if I don’t wake her and soon.

  “Lily, baby, wake up.” I gently cup her beautiful face in my hands, brush her hair back from her damp eyes, and move down to her shoulders carefully shaking her.

  She wakes with a gasp, sits up suddenly in the bed, and scoots away from me. I feel my heart break for her. I keep my voice low and soothing. “It’s okay, Kitten. It’s just me, Max, remember? You’re safe here.”

  Her green eyes blink, and she begins to shake her head back and forth. “No … no, I’m not safe. I will never be safe until Vincent is dead.”

  The fear on her beautiful face is almost my undoing. All I want to do is gather her up in my arms and hold her until that fear is gone. “Baby, he’s probably thousands of miles away by now. If I were him I would hit the border, Mexico or maybe even Canada. He’ll get caught eventually and brought to justice. He will never hurt you. I won’t let him.”

  Lily continues to shake her head, sending golden tendrils of hair falling around her thin shoulders, tears roll down her cheeks. “You don’t understand. He will never stop looking for me. He and his two generals will hunt me until their death … or mine.”

  I stare at her. How could she be so sure, so convinced that Flint would come after her? Sure she is a witness to his murders and she has wrote an article telling the world that he was nothing but a fraud and a murderer, but wouldn’t he want to just disappear? Hide away? Coming after Lily would only expose him.

  I am starting to get a sick feeling in my stomach. My gut screams that there is something she isn’t telling me. Lily is a good ten years younger than I am, but I need to trust her female instincts. To dismiss them as just fear could be a deadly mistake. “Tell me, Lily, how can you be so sure he will come for you?”

  Lily drops her head, her eyes not meeting mine when she whispers. “Flint’s my husband.”

  “That son of a bitch! I will find him, hunt him down myself, and rip his throat out! Fuck, Lily!” I scrub my hand down my face, stopping to adjust the damn eye patch. I see her wince at my words, and I take a deep breath and try to get my breathing under control. “Does Ben know?”

  She shakes her head, “No, if I had told him he would have gone after them, and he needs to be with Amber. I kept quiet to protect them.” A tear slips from one of her eyes, and she angrily wipes it away. “Vincent had one of his henchmen, Drake, hold a gun to my head. He forced me to marry him or he would have killed me and then gone after my family.”

  I desperately need to shift, need to pace, need to fucking kill something, or better yet someone. I try, and I’m able to get control of my cat. Usually my control is spot on, coming naturally easily for me, but being around Lily definitely has my cat ready to prowl. I don’t want to frighten her.

  “You did what you had to do to survive and to keep your family safe.” I let out a deep breath and know I have to ask the hard question, but it has to be done. “Was the marriage consummated?” I manage to sound calm, clinical even, but I hold my breath while my heart pounds with the need to shift, and hunt, and kill, while I wait her answer.

  “No, he wanted to, but I thought fast and came up with a story. I announced to the council that I had recently had an abortion. Of course, it was a total lie, and I don’t think Vincent believed me at all. However, the council would never let him take me while there was a possibility that I was ‘unclean’. As leader, Vincent was required to take his ‘wives’ for the first time in front of the council. I had bought myself a month, a reprieve if you will, but my time was running out. The night of the murders…” she stops and wipes at her tears and shivers, “that was to be my ‘taking’, but the council got wind that there were two spies and they had to be dealt with first. In all the mayhem, I managed to shift and get out of there and call the police, but not in time to save Jacob and Nora. They were just kids, Max. They were barely nineteen.” She hangs her head, and fresh tears slid down her face.

  I know all about survivor’s guilt and how it can eat you alive if you allow it to. “Lily, baby, you did what you had to do to survive. What happened to Jacob and Nora is not your fault. You are, however, the answer to getting justice for them. Because of you and your testimony, Flint and his men will pay for what they did. Stay strong and focused like the reporter I know you are. Keep your eye on the ultimate goal, which is justice for Jacob and Nora. It will happen. We will see that it does. I promise.”

  Lily nods. “You’re right of course.” She sits up in the bed, and wipes at her face, and runs her fingers through her tangled hair. I watch her pull herself together. Strong, brave, intelligent, and resilient, qualities I had always admired and had desired in a mate. I had long ago given up on finding her. What woman would want a man so damaged? So scarred and full of regrets? I had been alone for so long, it had become second nature. Yet, Lily is my mate. I am becoming more and more convinced of that every minute that passes. She is young and just hasn’t realized it yet, but she will … eventually. I will make damn sure of it. I will also make damn sure Flint never gets to her again. She is mine now, and I always protect what is mine.

  ****

  Lily

  I pace the small confines of his cabin like the caged animal I am. I feel restless and anxious. I’m not sure why, except for the fact my instincts are telling me that Flint is near. I have always known he would come for me. There has never been any doubt in my mind. The way he had always looked at me, his beady eyes studying every move I made, had terrified me. He wanted me as his possession. There is still one secret I’m keeping. Something I haven’t told anyone, but I will have to when the time is right. I just need more time.

  I have to admit Max intrigues me. He has been very kind, but I feel the cat in him wanting to come out. I can all but smell his desire for me, yet he has managed to control it and keep it locked inside … for now. His heated gaze follows me when I move around the room. I’m feeling the mouse to his cat, except the cat in me wants to be caught by him.

  He looks up from the fishing line he is untangling as if he knows I have been thinking of him, and I feel him watching me. That one golden eye is alert and too knowing. “Do you want to go for a run? Maybe stretch your legs.” His eye scans down my body to land on my legs, as I pace. My legs are long, slim, yet muscular in the jeans I’m wearing.

  I stop so abruptly I almost topple over. “Can we?” I desperately need to burn off some nervous energy and possibly clear my head from thoughts of Flint and his obsession with me.

  Max nods. “Yeah, it has gotten dark now, and we’re pretty isolated. No neighbors for miles. There is a lake not far from here that I like to run around.” He surprises me by standing and taking my hand. The shock of skin on skin contact sends waves of electricity up my arm. His hand is warm and strong, and I have a sudden flash of seeing those same hands moving across my naked body, warm and slightly rough as they tweak my hard nipples and move leisurely between my legs.

  He turns and looks back at me, and his eye color darkens. Is it possible that he could read my mind in human form? More than likely he can smell the desire emitting from my body.

  “Coming?” he asks innocently, yet there is something in the lift of his lips, the turn of his head
.

  Yeah, he knows.

  I feel my cheeks burn. Max surely doesn’t know how close his question was to being true. I swallow and nod. He pulls the door open and sniffs the night air when he looks out. It is a moonless, starless night, and I can only make out the shadow of trees as I peek out over his broad shoulder.

  Should I tell him that I feel Flint is near? No, because he wouldn’t let me go out. He would keep us locked up in this cabin where I am going stir crazy with my own thoughts and memories. I will keep the knowledge to myself for now.

  “We’ll jog to the tree line to my right. Stay beside me, and if there is any trouble, shift and run like hell for the forest. When we get to the cover of the trees we’ll stop, undress, and shift.” Max is all business now, barking orders like the former soldier he is. I nod my understanding, and hand in hand we jump off the porch and head to the trees. With Max keeping his body between me and the road, we sprint for the cover of foliage. My nocturnal eyesight slowly adjusts to the darkness that surrounds us. Once behind the trees, Max drops my hand, and pulls his shirt over his head. For a moment I forget to breathe, and my mouth drops open.

  Wow! Max is in amazing shape.

  I reach a hand out to touch some scarring along his right side. Scars that in no way hide the beautiful man he is. He captures my hand and holds it, keeping me from touching him.

  “You shouldn’t be ashamed of them, Max. We all have scars. Yours just happen to be more visible than most.”

  “You misunderstand. I’m not ashamed of them. They’re proof that I’m a survivor. Not that I could ever forget, but the scars are a reminder of the sacrifice my brothers made.” His hand gently drops mine before he continues. “You touching me now, Lily, just isn’t a good idea.” His voice is low and gravelly, and so male that it causes goosebumps to spread up my spine.

  “I see.”

  Max smiles. “I doubt that you do, but you will soon enough, Kitten.” He proceeds to unbuckle his pants, his gaze hot on my face, daring me to look away. In the end I whirl, presenting him with my back, and I, too, begin to undress. Max chuckles, but those chuckles soon turn into low growls. I am aware that he is watching me. The scope of his desire is something I can feel. It warms me and encompasses me in earnest feelings of need and safety.

  My shift is quick and efficient. One moment I’m standing as a woman, the next a golden cougar. It never ceases to amaze me.

  “You are beautiful in both forms, my Kitten,” Max whispers.

  I watch from my green cat eyes, and he stretches and shifts. The cougar he becomes is much like the man, big, powerful, and sleek. He is easily twice my size, and his very presence is both commanding and majestic. His scars are still visible even on his cougar coat. They are thin, white and hairless lines that bisect his back and side. His right eye is scarred and closed, and his one good eye golden and alert.

  “Follow me.” He takes off at an easy, graceful pace, and I am right behind him. He leads us to a lake, the water dark and still. There is a worn trail around the lake, and he indicates with his head that I should take the lead. Max matches his pace to my slower one, and around the lake we run. I relish in the feel of getting to stretch my legs. I can feel my muscles grow stronger and my mind relax as we pound the path with our paws. After about an hour I signal that I have had enough, and the two of us cool off by wordlessly padding back to the tree line where we have left our clothes.

  We shift at the same time, and the two of us stand facing each other. Our heavy breathing has little to do with the long run we have just had. I reach out and touch his chest, and this time he doesn’t stop me. Max stands still as I run my fingers lightly over his scars, across his pecs, and lower still to his rippled stomach. His cock stands out from his body, long, thick, and throbbing in anticipation of my touch.

  “It’s not easy for me to hide the fact I want you, Lily,” Max hisses.

  ****

  Max

  I feel a burning need to make her mine. I know if I don’t touch her, take her, I will explode. It has been months, no, years, since I have had a woman. Lily isn’t just any woman though, and I know that. I’ve always been able to control that part of me and not have my animal desires control me. This is different and I know it, and she knows it, too. There will be no controlling this need between us. Lily is my mate.

  I reach out with one hand to cup her neck and pull her towards me. Damp, steaming skin meets wet, searing skin. Her soft breasts press against my hard chest. My tongue comes out, and I lean forward licking at her full bottom lip, until she opens for me. I slip my tongue past her lips and into the warmth of her mouth. The kiss quickly goes from soft and gentle to something fierce and demanding. I claim her as mine. The two of us cling to each other, only forced apart to draw air into our lungs. My hands roam up and down the smooth skin of her bare back. I want her, here and now, but I refuse to take her against a tree or on the wet grass. “Let’s go back to the cabin.”

  The two of us quickly snap up our clothes, and I slip my eye patch back on before we make a naked dash to the cabin door.

  Once inside we drop our clothes to the floor, and I back her up against the now closed door. My hands drop to her heart-shaped ass, cupping and kneading each rounded sphere before I lift her up. She instantly wraps her legs around my middle. My cock is trapped between our heated bodies. I rain kisses across her face and down her silky throat, my hands holding her ass on both sides. I suck at her ear and lick at her lips, before I take her mouth in a crushing kiss that sends my heart racing.

  “We’re not going to make it up to the bed, are we?” she purrs.

  “Fuck no, Kitten, unless that’s what you really want.” The rumbling growl comes from deep in my chest.

  “I just want you, Max … now.”

  I turn with Lily wrapped around me and lay her across the kitchen table. Her body on full display, I look my fill of her. She takes away my breath with her beauty. I look so long she starts to squirm like a worm on my hook. I reach down, and my hands take a slow path across her rosy-tipped tits and down to the soft clipped curls that cover her sex. I have to taste her. As I drop to my knees, my tongue licks at the honeyed cream her body is producing in readiness for me. I part her and gently suck in her clit, teasing her with my tongue and mouth, before lapping at her sweetness.

  “Max, please,” she pants. “Please, I can’t wait any longer.” Her body twists back and forth on the table with need.

  Standing, I take my erection in my hand and give it a couple of pumps, before positioning myself between her long legs. I give one quick heave and surge forward.

  I freeze. Lily heaves upward and gives a sharp yowl of pain. My gaze meets hers in surprise. “What the hell, Lily?” Looking down where our bodies are now joined I see it, blood. “Why didn’t you tell me? Fuck, baby, I just assumed at your age … I mean you have been in heat before … right?”

  “Yes, yes, but not like this, Max, never like this. Please don’t stop.” She begins to move beneath me, and I growl.

  Stopping now is not an option. Had I known beforehand that she was still a virgin I would have taken more time to ready her, been gentler as I entered her, but now, now it is too late. I grip her hips and move slowly in and out, giving her body time to adjust. My body wants more, and I pump harder and longer with every stroke. Lily whimpers beneath me, urging me on with her hands and mouth. She easily matches my brutal pace. She is mine. Lily is my mate and I know it, and it is time to let her know it, too.

  “You’re mine, Lily. Say it,” I demand. My voice sounds dark and demanding even to my own ears. There will be no denying me or my cougar.

  “Yes, yes, I’m yours, Max,” she hisses.

  A low growl sounds from deep within my chest. The cat in me needs to mark her as mine so all will know. Leaning down toward where her slender neck meets her shoulder, I bite down, marking the delicate skin with my teeth. I raise her hips up and push deep inside. The sharp pain combined with the intense pleasure pushes Lily instan
tly over the edge, and she cries out her satisfaction. I rear upward and shout, my seed releasing inside my mate. Lily is mine now, and forever, and I will fucking kill anyone who tries to take her from me.

  ****

  Lily

  “You don’t have any ice cream?”

  Max sits up from his position on the couch and grins at me. I’m totally naked, and my hand rest on my hip as I stare into the freezer. “It’s midnight and you’re wanting ice cream?” he calls back. His gaze is feasting on my body, heating me up again. He has a way of looking at me that makes me feel wanted, and loved, and hot all over. I am amazingly comfortable with this man whom I have known less than twelve hours.

  I turn to him and give him my sass. “Who doesn’t want ice cream at midnight?” I notice the interest on his face, and it’s not for ice cream. I close the fridge door. I’m finding out that there are some things better than midnight ice cream. I smile and slowly walk toward Max with an exaggerated swagger, my tits bouncing provocatively. “It happens to be an aphrodisiac for me,” I purr.

  “Is that a fact? Baby, the only aphrodisiac I need is you. Come here.” When I don’t move fast enough toward him, he sings out, “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.”

  “Oh you’re funny, real funny.” I round the couch and stop. Max is flat on his back, his cock stiff and hard and so big. I lick my lips, and Max growls. Perhaps I could be persuaded to put aside my desire for ice cream, because right now all I want is a lick of him.

  “Who’s laughing now?” he teases.

  “Max, you don’t play fair,” I point out.

  “That’s because I don’t play. Come here … now.” Max sits up on the couch and beckons me forward, but instead of taking the seat on the cushion beside him I drop to my knees in front of him.

  “That’s a shame, because playing can be so much fun.” I wrap my hand around the base of his erection and hold it vertical and ever so slowly slide my tongue up and down like I am licking an ice cream cone of my favorite flavor. My eyes look up into his face to see his eye is glazed and lost in ecstasy. I open wider and take him into my mouth, sliding my lips past the head and swallowing, sending him down my throat.