A Kitty in the Lion's Den(33)

He stood and started talking to Liam, who was just as greasy as Maverick. The two males were comparable in height and bulk, but where her lion had years of experience the twenty-three year old polar bear shifter was still clearly in his party stage of life. That was evident by the different females that met him at the garage on a nightly basis, and got onto his Harley to ride into the sunset. And it certainly wasn’t as romantic as it sounded. Over the very short time she had known Liam Dakota she realized he was the epitome of everything that made up a man-whore. He was certainly good looking and alpha enough, but compared to Maverick he was nothing but a baby. As if her mate sensed her thoughts he looked at her over his shoulder. The heat behind his dark eyes flared, and just like every other time he looked at her, those dark irises flashed golden with the rise of his lion. He was more animal than any male she had ever met.

He said something else to Liam while still watching her. Liam slapped him on the back, grabbed his stuff, and headed out. Maverick stood there a moment, just watching her, and then he turned and strode toward her. He shut the huge back door until the garage was locked up for the night. Once he was in the office he strode over to her, reached out for her, but didn’t touch her as his hand moved behind her to close the blinds. It was after eight, the sun having already set, and although the shop had already closed for the night, Liam had stayed late to help Maverick wrap some things up. It didn’t matter that he lived right upstairs. Maverick liked his bikes and cars, and the way he took care of them was almost intimate in nature. He leaned in closer, and she moved back until the window halted further retreat. She wasn’t trying to run from him, but she certainly didn’t want him to know how eager she was for his touch, even if he could sense it on her.

“You trying to evade me, little cat?” His voice was low, but the heat in his words sent a blast of hot air over her body.

She placed her hands flat behind her and took a deep breath in. “I’m not evading anything.” He moved closer until he was only separated from her by a foot.

“No?” He cocked a brow, a slight break in his exterior showing he found her response amusing.

“In fact, I was thinking that I don’t know much about you at all. Maybe we should sit down and talk about the boring stuff.” She had wanted to sound stronger, but her words came out choked, and her throat was suddenly very dry form the lust pounding inside of her. He took a step closer, and Kettah couldn’t hold her eyes open any longer as the scent of primal male filled her nose. He smelled like motor oil and everything that made up Maverick and his lion.

“Is that right, baby?” She nodded, but still kept her eyes closed. “So, you want to know about what, my favorite dessert and all that shit?” There was clear amusement in his voice this time, and Kettah managed to pry her eyes open, crane her neck back, and stare into the darkly handsome face of the male she was falling for at an astounding rate. She nodded slowly, hoping to seem a bit less crazed than she was feeling. “And what? My favorite food, color, and what my favorite pastime is?” Again she nodded, and slowly the smile left his face. He dipped his gaze down to her mouth and moved closer until no space was between them anymore.

“I feel like I don’t know anything about you, Maverick Storm.”

He smirked, but it was anything but humorous.

“Kettah, you know more about me than any other person on this planet.” He took hold of her hand, and the fire that licked over her skin had her gasping. If that was true, then what kind of life had Maverick led as a child? Again, he was either a mind reader, or her thoughts were projected far too easily on her face. “I had no home life, Kettah. My mother was high most of the time. If she wasn’t selling her body for extra money to feed to her crack habit, she was screaming with my alcoholic father. They were both worthless. I have no siblings, and when I was taken away from my parents I grew up bouncing from one shifter foster home to the next.” Her chest brushed against his as she inhaled deeply. There was no pain or sorrow laced in his words. He just didn’t care. “But at eighteen I met a male, one that saw me fighting in a back alley, and wanted to use me for my skills.” He leaned back an inch and stared into her eyes. “My skills of hurting people, of not letting them hit me in return, and for making sure they never crossed paths with me again.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shook his head slowly. “There isn’t anything that you have to be sorry about, Kettah. I’m not. The only thing I regret is not finding you sooner.” He closed the small gap that separated them and took her mouth in a deep, penetrating kiss, fucking her like he had between her legs with his mouth and cock. He was forceful with his actions, slamming his hands on the wall beside her head and pressing his cock into her belly. A hoarse groan left him when she stroked his tongue with her own. He broke away far too soon. “Apple pie, cheese pizza, hazel, and you.” She blinked several times.