Ju DiMello - Jaguar, Be Mine

He reached down to her clit, pressing the wet bud until she snaked her legs around him, her heels bumping his butt, and her low mewl of satisfaction vibrated within his lips.

This is so good. More.

He paused an instant, wondering if he’d heard her in his mind or if he’d imagined it.

She scored her nails on his back and he let go of his last tiny piece of sanity and pounded into her.

A litany of breathless begging filled his mind and he struggled against the tidal wave sucking him under. She writhed, pulled away from his lips and screamed his name.

Ecstasy tore through him the instant her muscles gripped him as though a fist.

Pressure built around his balls, and he sank into her again and again.

One second. Just. One. More. Second. Yes!

With a final heave, he sheathed himself in her for the last time before pulling out in the final moment, his cum spilling all over her abdomen and hips. He clutched her as he would a lifeline and her name ripped out of his throat in the bliss of completion. She hugged him tight, and he sagged against her, catching his breath and fighting the sense of completion threatening him.

Panting, she held him close, rumpled and then soothed his hair, while he resisted the urge to lift himself and shatter the perfection surrounding him.

“You didn’t come in me.”

Her soft words sent a sliver of dread straight to his heart. She’d wanted him to? Was she crazy? She shook her head, as if startled with her own ridiculous statement.

Ignoring the loss of her warmth, he sat up. The thought of her, filled with his baby was a dream he didn’t dare voice aloud. He could do it, but not yet. Not until she wanted it for herself, not because her heat made her want to be rutted.

He pushed away from the bed, from her, not meeting her eyes. A bleak look stole over her face. He grabbed a towel and rushed to her side. “You’ve no idea how hard it was for me not to come in you.”

Comprehension dawned on her features. She nodded slowly, as if she weren’t sure of what she’d said. Hell, even he was shaken and unsure by her words.

What did she mean by that? Where did that leave them?

In an effort to distract himself from the dangerous direction of his thoughts, he glanced around the room. Her bedroom. Like her appearance, not an item seemed out of place in the sparkling clean place. Minimal furnishings—a desk, two lamps, a couple of bureaus and a dressing table. Too sterile to called homey, in his opinion. He shook his head and caught her eyeing him.

“You’re thinking I’m too predictable and probably boring,” she ventured.

He hadn’t exactly thought so, but she’d guessed close.

“I’m thinking a vibrant woman like you should live more passionately.”

She blushed? After all that happened between them? Fascinating. A red tinge worked up her glowing skin, and lingered on her cheeks, but her sparkling eyes meant she’d had her verbal comeback ready. He’d watched her every nuance during their professional meetings—in the company he co-owned with her. He wasn’t disappointed when her mouth curled up in a grin.

“So,” she drawled. “You’re going to unleash my inner tigress, or should I say, jaguar?”

Xander fought the urge to grin. “Something like that.”

Her gaze flickered a moment and this time her smile seemed strained. He wrapped his arms around her, unmindful of his suddenly eager erection. He needed her relaxed, eager and filled with her trademark passion and for that, he’d do whatever it took.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

She bit her lips and avoided his eyes. Did she regret her earlier, rash request in asking him to spend the night? He tipped her chin up. “I can go now, if you want me to.”

“No. Stay. It’s just that Michael—I was over bubbly, for his tastes. He wanted me to be a silent, sturdy Alpha, not prone to emotions.”

“You changed for him.”

“To the extent that I don’t even remember how I was earlier. I know ten years of marital bliss is not a long time, but I feel positively ancient in comparison to the naïve female I was before that.”

He ran a finger over her forehead, over her nose and traced her lips, gathering his thoughts. Seems like he’d never known his cousin at all. From Mike’s insinuations, he’d come close to assuming Karin to be the guilty party. How could he be so mistaken about the only jaguar he was crazy about?

If he couldn’t spend an eternity with her, the least he could do was listen, get the past out of her mind so she could start afresh. “You must have loved Michael.” Even saying the words aloud intensified the burn in his gut, but he clamped down on the feeling.

“Once,” she admitted. “In the beginning when he seemed so charming, so suave.” The worry in her expression didn’t vanish.

“But?” he asked, aware of Michael’s not-so-discreet liaisons and wondering if she knew anything about it.

A humorless bark of laughter escaped her and her next words answered his unspoken question. “Turns out the randy jaguar constantly needed feminine attention—no matter where. No matter who. Hence the demand for peace and quiet at home. I’m not supposed to be so bitter about my dead mate, but—”

He cut in, not giving her a chance to complete.” Everyone needs to let out their feelings, if only to let go.” To move on with the future, even if that didn’t include him. “After the long-loving relationship I saw my parents share, I wouldn’t advise settling for less.”

Even from afar, he’d always wanted to erase the resigned acceptance in her face. His hands had been tied. Their gazes locked, the sheen of tears in her eyes choking his next words. “I’ll add brave to your list of attractive attributes.”

“Bravery?” She scoffed. “Fat lot of good it did for me.”

He trailed a hand over her ample curves until she writhed beneath him and a soft cry escaped her lips.

“Definitely not fat,” he said.

Karintha’s heart lurched under his tender onslaught and then picked up speed. She closed her eyes at the relief and the burgeoning desire.

He wasn’t judging her. She wasn’t going to be mated to him, right? Why didn’t the realization calm her skittering insides?

His skilled fingers sought the entrance to her sex and she was thrilled when his erection rubbed her again. Far better than the vibrators she used or her hand.

When he flicked a tongue over her nipple, she swatted him and giggled. “Realizing I’m a sex-starved jaguar, you’re spoiling me to no end.”

He tipped an invisible hat. “I exist solely for your pleasure, ma’am.”

“Oh, is that so?” She inched away from him on the bed, loving the way his eyes tracked her every move. She held his gaze. “Prove it.”

“How?” His trademark grin melted her insides, but the heat flaring in his gaze held her captive. “Shall I kiss you all over until you orgasm?”

His voice turned low, seductive, sending a rush of arousal to her core. She squirmed, not sure who started the game and if she ever wanted the night to end.

Wrenching her mind away from a dangerous zone, she focused on his words, his blatant questions.

“Shall I suckle your breasts until you scream my name?”

Yes! She wanted to agree to all of that and more, and the unexpected turn of her thoughts sent a spiral of lust, instead of the panic she’d expected.

She gave a show of pondering even as her heart bloomed with emotion. The rugged Alpha jaguar managed to get under her skin with his kindness and his playfulness. Oh and the toe-curling sex didn’t hurt. It just added fuel to the fire of fascination he wove around her. While she gazed into his eyes, a glimmer of an idea took hold.