And lord, she sure hoped he took it.
Her hands went to the front of his pants. She traced the outline of his cock, her mouth dropping open as she took in his extraordinary length. Her sex tingled in anticipation. Oh, she wanted him inside of her.
Roch reached for her then, palming her breasts. Massaging. Giving them a hard squeeze, before gently pinching each of her nipples.
“I want you,” she told him on an impatient moan. “Inside of me. Please, Roch.”
His eyes flashed fire. “I can’t. Fuck, I can’t take you, no matter how badly I want you.”
“Why?” This was madness. What was he trying to prove?
In the soft light of morning, he looked doubly fierce. “You don’t belong to me.”
Was it possible for a heart to hurt and swell at the same time? she wondered. “I decide who I belong to, Roch.” She slipped her hand inside his pants and wrapped her fingers around his shaft.
“Damn you,” he growled, his hips jacking up.
“No. Damn you. Do you think I want to touch anyone else like this?”
That did it. Roch went crazy at her words. Growling, groaning, grabbing her hips and grinding her sex into the base of his cock. Over and over.
Until a knock sounded on the door.
Both of them froze.
“Lydia?” It was Ashe, in her lovely singsong voice. “You awake. I have breakfast downstairs if you’re interested.”
Lydia’s eyes flew to Roch. He looked murderous. Like he might actually turn into his cat and attack.
“No hurry,” Ashe continued. “But there are beignets. They make the best beignets here in the Wildlands.”
With a nearly inaudible curse, Roch lifted her up and placed her down on the mattress. He was off the bed in seconds, running his hands through his hair. He looked wild and gorgeous.
“I’m awake,” Lydia called out, worried Roch would do something foolish. Like snarl at the woman to get lost. “Sounds good. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“Okay, great!”
Lydia waited for the sound of the woman’s footfall to disappear before she turned back to Roch.
“Don’t go,” she said to him. “Stay and have breakfast.”
“That wouldn’t be wise,” he said, jaw tight. He wasn’t looking at her. Anywhere but at her. Playful Roch was gone.
“Why not? You were here for dinner.”
“I’m in no mood to be sociable. Besides, I’ve got to get home, shower and change before work.” He turned to her then and stilled. For several long seconds, he took her in. Her eyes, her mouth, her naked torso. “You truly are the most beautiful woman, Lydia.”
Her heart melted like a damn ice cream cone in the sun. She reached for him. “Stay.”
“I can’t.” But he went to her anyway and kissed her. It wasn’t a hungry, desire-filled kiss. It was more like a goodbye.
When he pulled away, Lydia couldn’t help herself. She had to ask him. “Do you want to know, Roch? About the cub?”
Dread glistened in his blue eyes. “Of course I do, but—”
“You’re scared?” she finished.
“Fuck, Lydia, of course I’m scared.”
She scooted to the edge of the bed. “I’m scared too. Everything’s changed for me. In the blink of an eye. My whole life. Where do I belong? What do I do?”
He sighed. “You will always belong here if that’s what you want.”
“What do you want?”
His jaw looked so tight Lydia was afraid it might crack. “You don’t understand. The ways of a Pantera male are very different than that of a man. We have honor. A code we live by. But more important than that is the fact that our kind can finally, after fifty years, reproduce. We can continue.” He took a deep breath. “This cub…”
“Is very important,” she said.
“Yes.” He was silent for a moment, then, “I have to go.”
She didn’t put up a fight this time. She understood the gravity of the situation. Love didn’t or couldn’t always trump practicality and allegiance. She may not have liked it. But she understood it.
“How are you planning to get out without anyone noticing?” she asked.
“Same way I came in.” He gave her a small smile. “Have a beignet for me?”
She returned it. “Sure.”
Then watched him go out the window with the supreme grace of the cat who dwelled inside of him.
Chapter 7
“Nothing?” Roch said incredulously. “No samples? No files?”
“How’s that possible?” Damien asked in between bites of ham sandwich. “Did they search the entire facility?”
Raphael glanced up from his laptop. They were gathered in his private office inside Suit headquarters. “Not exactly. They were stopped before they could search the basement.”
“Stopped?” Roch repeated, leaning back against the window. “By who?”
“The man who supposedly owns The Haymore Center. A Stanton Locke.” He returned his gaze to the screen of his computer. “I put a few of the Geeks on it, and it seems Mr. Locke has friends in very high places. From politicians to celebrities to law enforcement. One of our Hunters was actually taken to a humans’ jail.”
“Holy shit,” Damien exclaimed, putting down his sandwich and taking out his iPhone. “Which one?”
“Keira. She was protecting Reny.”
“Sebastian’s mate?”
Raphael nodded. “With her experience in the FBI we thought she’d be an asset in the field. She was. Until she saw this Locke bastard. She was convinced she knew the man. Wouldn’t stop with the questions. When he got pissed and grabbed her arm, Keira stepped in. And you know Keira.”
“Ballbuster,” Roch said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Best Hunter I’ve ever known.”
“Damn right. NOLA PD showed up pretty quick after that and Locke said Keira attacked him.”
“What a pussy, and not the good kind,” Damien said with a rare growl. “Is she still in jail?”
“No. Sebastian got her released. He headed to New Orleans the second he heard about Reny. They’re all on their way back now.”
Roch turned to face the window and the view of the meadow where the Pantera took meals together. “With nothing.” In one sense he was relieved that there was no file on Lydia. If it got leaked to the human press that she was carrying a Pantera cub, she’d never be able to live easily outside of the Wildlands. Not that he wanted her to. Shit, he really didn’t want her to. But with no records, no samples, no nothing, it was going to be near to impossible to track down any women who may have been given a Pantera sample.
“I say we question Hiss about this Stanton Locke, see what he knows,” Damien suggested.
“You really think there’s a connection?” Raphael asked.
Roch glanced over his shoulder, watched as the newbie Suit warred with himself on how to handle his leader’s question. Finally Damien said, “I think it’s worth a shot. If anything, I’ll see how his eyes change, and his expression, when I ask him.”
Raphael didn’t contemplate this idea very long. “Do it. Head over to Medical.”
“Now?” The male’s eyes widened. “Alone?”
“You can handle it.”
Damien tried like hell not to grin like a Pantera young, but it was impossible. He nodded at Raphael, and quickly left the room.
“That was nice,” Roch said, pushing away from the window and walking over to Raphael’s desk.
“Nothing nice about it,” he replied. “He’s going to be a formidable Suit. Just wanted him to find his balls and speak up.”
Roch laughed. Then he dropped into the chair opposite his boss. “You think Hiss might know this guy?”
Raphael lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “My guess is no. I think Hiss is telling the truth when he says he was working with Shakpi’s disciples. Don’t think Locke has any connection there. But who the hell knows?”
“We need to find those samples,” Roch said darkly.
“Damn right, we do. We can’t have Pantera cubs being born outside the Wildlands. They’re too important to the survival of our species.”
The male’s words raked through Roch. Lydia’s cub. They needed to protect it. They needed to know who had sired it. He needed to know. Or Christ, did he? Would it truly make a difference? Now, or six months from now, or ten years from now? Would anybody remember, or care? And would she care?
“Just because they found no samples with the words Puma Shifter written on them doesn’t mean they’re not there,” Roch put in.
“I know.” Raphael lowered his voice even though they were the only two males in the room. Outside his door was a group of Diplomats, and some of the Geeks, working on a variety of issues. Including the very one they were discussing now.
“I didn’t want to say this in front of the rookie,” he began. “But we still have two Hunters inside. And when the lights go out and the alarm goes on, they’ll continue their search.”
Roch sat back, impressed. “You’re damn good at keeping secrets, boss.”
“Back at you, brother.” Raphael too, leaned back in his chair.
“What does that mean?”