Eye of the Tiger (12 page)

“Yes,” she encouraged.

As she started to rock against his cock, he slipped his palms around to unsnap her bra. He much preferred skin-to-skin contact. Closing his lips on her pert nub, he drew another sexy sound from her. Her nails scored his chest, making him buck.

She laughed wickedly before scooting down to attack the waistband of his sweats. He’d never been as glad as he was in that moment that he’d gone without underwear. Abilene’s hot hand curled around his erection, and he groaned in pleasure. Her sure, strong grip was amazing.

“Is this what you want?” she asked, pumping him.

“You know it is,” he managed to respond.

“Hmm, what about this?”

He had no idea what the sound was that escaped his throat when she bent down and started to tongue him. He dug his fingers into the mattress to keep himself from grabbing her head and forcing her to take more than just his tip inside.

She continued to tease him.

“Please.”

As she followed his direction and took more of his cock into her mouth, he pushed up just a bit. Her smooth tongue dragged along the bottom of his erection, making him shudder. Hollowing her cheeks, she started to suck with passion. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself any longer. Sliding his fingers through the curls of her hair, he made sure not to grip her too hard. Her technique was perfect. Long, slow slides of her mouth over him pushed him toward the edge.

Sweat started to bead on his forehead as his stomach tightened in anticipation. Desperately, he plunged deeper, knowing he would spill soon.

Her hand closed at the base of his cock as her mouth popped off him.

“No!” he begged.

“We’re not finished yet,” she assured him.

“God…” He tried to get control of his breathing, to stop panting, so he could think straight.

She backed off, rising to her knees. She plucked at the button of her jeans. He reached up to help but she caught his wrists. “Not yet,” she told him. He had no choice but to wait as she stripped off the rest of her clothes.

His mouth watered at each new inch she revealed.

“Come here,” he requested.

Smiling, she crawled back up his body. “Yes?”

“Kiss me?”

Abilene brought her lips close to his. “Is that all you want?”

Zak loved this playful side of her. Being someone’s lover should be fun. Yes, passion and excitement was vital, but Abilene’s exuberance was what had always been missing in the past.

How could she be so damn perfect?

“For now,” he replied, just before lifting his head and sealing their mouths together.

The urgency of his earlier lust had backed off enough that he could appreciate the rhythm of their kiss. Abilene started to rub against him, her wet pussy only inches from his cock. He gripped her hips to get her to move faster. The friction they were creating caused a low rumble from his chest. If he were in his tiger form, he would no doubt be purring.

His mind clouded with need.

“You know what I’m looking forward to most?” Abilene asked.

How in the hell could she still talk? He was about to split open in wanting her. He managed a grunt.

“Making love with you with no barrier between us. No need for a condom between shifters. Just your cock inside me.”

He growled before lurching up and grabbing the back of her hair. “You’re killing me!”

“Let me make it better.” She kissed him before trailing her tongue down to his chin, where she nipped him.

That
bite of pain. Yeah, he liked that.

Reaching back with her hand, she held his cock as she positioned herself on her knees. He stiffened his body while clenching his eyes closed. He shook so hard, keeping himself in check. As her body accepted the tip of his cock, they moaned in union. After so much time—all the teasing and taunting—he was finally inside her.

She was wet and tight.

Not able to hold back any longer, he lifted his hips.

“Yes.” She rocked with him.

Plunging deeper, he claimed Abilene with the first thrust.

Her hands came down on his chest, squeezing, while she lifted her lips. His cock slipped halfway free before she slammed back down. Grasping her hips, he held on tight.

They moved in perfect sync—two beings melding into one. It was powerful.

His cock plunged inside each time Abilene came back down. His hands were slick as he helped her speed up.

Abilene’s cries grew. Mixed sweetly with his own sounds. He started to lose his mind. His vision blurred just as she called out his name. Lurching up, he thrust faster, riding her through her orgasm. He exploded suddenly, filling Abilene with his seed and draining himself. He collapsed back onto the mattress, keeping his arms around Abilene to bring her down with him.

Neither spoke and the only sounds in the room were their exhausted breaths.

* * * *

Abilene was warm and comfortable under the weight of Zak’s arm. Her shoulders sank into the soft mattress while she held onto his hand.

What they’d shared earlier had been the best experience of her life. Afterward they’d lain together, just basking in gentle touches and brief kisses. Zak had eventually twisted them under the covers but had never released his hold on her. She felt so cherished.

Lightly brushing the tips of her fingers over his, she didn’t want to wake Zak but just laze in the calmness she felt. There was so much drama that had taken place in the past few weeks. Everyone was safe, though. Her partner was back and they were starting the procedures to finally take down the SIP.

She liked the way things were.

Happily she went to work every day to stop people from using illegal weapons, bombs and other threats against innocent civilians. It didn’t matter to her whether they were human or shifters. Abilene loved being able to protect them. Even though she hadn’t worked with the Shifter Coalition before she could understand why they had formed.

When the majority of the shifters had decided to announce their presence and become open to the public there had been so much concern about the consequences.

Feline shifters, like herself and Zak, followed a royal line of leadership.

They didn’t have packs like wolves, or flocks like Cody belonged to. The felines were more separated than other species. The royal family, led by their prince, made the majority of the decisions when it came to the massive amount of different felines. When the announcement had gone out that the felines would be joining the wolves in going public, there had been a lot of grumbling down the line.

Abilene had been with the ATF for several years by then and understood both sides of the argument. Partnered with Luca, they both had been able to use their special abilities to aid with their cases. Now that they could use their senses in the open their closing rates had increased. That had been a good thing in her opinion.

A faint buzzing made its way to her ears. She hadn’t remembered to turn her ringer back on when she’d left the Coalition that afternoon. Sliding out from under Zak, she groped along the floor where her jeans were. Finding them at the bottom end of the bed, she pulled her cell out of her pocket.

Her partner’s name lit up.

“Hello?” she answered. She didn’t want to wake Zak but she couldn’t exactly whisper or Luca would wonder what was up.

“Finally! Where are you? I tried knocking on your door!”

Well damn.
“I ran an errand. What’s up?”

He huffed, which she heard clearly over the line.

“There’s a problem. Otto needs you on scene at the First Security Bank downtown.”

She stood, no longer worried about waking Zak. “Why?”

“Seems like our friends are already making their move. They took a bank full of hostages.”

“Shit, shit, shit!” She needed to find her clothes.

“So you need to be at Sixteenth and West like twenty minutes ago,” Luca explained.

She listened as Luca gave her the details before responding. “I’m on my way,” she told him before ending the call. She stuffed the phone back in her jeans before hopping around to get her foot inside her pants.

“What is going on?” Zak asked from the bed.

Abilene paused in pulling up her jeans. She couldn’t lie to Zak, but even though she didn’t really know him well she was certain he would take the call hard. “There’s a situation.”

He sat up in bed. “Tell me, please.”

She yanked up her pants before strolling over to him. He raised his hand and she grabbed it. “Three men have taken hostages in a bank. I don’t know all the details but Luca said it was related to our bust. He needs me there. Luca can’t show up since he’s still supposed to be dead.”

“Okay,” he said. He started to climb out of bed, but she pressed on his shoulder.

“Where are you going?”

“With you,” he said, looking at her like she was crazy to even ask.

“You can’t. For the same reason Luca won’t be on scene. If anyone recognizes you…”

“Do you really think Luca is going to call you and not drive to the scene?” he asked.

Crap.
No she didn’t. Not only did she need to talk Zak into staying behind, she needed to head off Luca. “Shit!”

Rushing around the room, she dressed as quickly as possible.

“Which bank?” Zak questioned as he pulled on his clothes.

“Zak, I don’t have time to fight with you. You need to stay here.”

“I’m not arguing. If you don’t tell me, I’ll just find out anyway. Hell, I’ll follow you.”

Blowing out a long breath, she studied the man she’d spent the night with. She didn’t doubt for a second that he would follow through with his threat. “You didn’t hear it from me.”

“Of course not,” he agreed.

“First Security on Sixteenth and West,” she told him. If Zak got in trouble with his boss, that was on him.

“Was Luca able to tell you anything more?”

Sitting on the bed, she pulled on her socks and shoes. It was good she’d worn jeans over the night before but she would have much preferred her utility pants for a job like this. She didn’t have time to go back to the hotel. “Just that local PD showed up on the scene before calling the FBI. The suspects won’t talk to either. They demanded Coalition presence.”

“Damn,” Zak muttered.

“Do you know who it could be?”

“Couple of possibilities. We broke up into smaller groups several times over the last six months. Not everyone I’ve met was at the farm when we were arrested.”

“We need to get everyone else rounded up,” she said, but was really talking to herself.

“I already started making a list of those that we need to go after. Jamie’s team is trying to locate them. If anyone can find them, it will be Jamie.” Zak grabbed his wallet and phone off his dresser.

“Give me a couple minutes head start before you leave,” she requested, preceding him out of the bedroom door.

“Hey!” He captured her arm.

Turning, she looked up.

“I like the fact that you’re headed right to a scene without showering,” he said, his voice dropping low and sexy.

Abilene hadn’t even considered it. A thrill had her smiling. “Yeah?”

“You’ll still smell like me. All the other shifters will know you’re mine.”

The declaration—and that was what the statement had been—was unexpected but exciting. The buzz of pleasure had her rising to her toes to take his mouth in a rough kiss. He clutched her waist, pulling her closer. When they broke apart they were both panting.

“I want more than your sweet mouth,” he told her.

“If you don’t get yourself in trouble today, I’ll let you have more.”

He nodded. “I guess I’d better behave then.”

“You do that.” She patted his chest before darting out of the door to the stairs.

She exited the house, going straight to the car. Starting the engine, she took off like a bat out of hell. Halfway to downtown, she pulled out her cell. She punched in Luca’s contact then waited for him to answer.

Luca’s voicemail came on instead.

“Son of a bitch!” Zak had been right. There was no way that Luca wouldn’t show up. Why in the hell hadn’t Otto called her directly?

Glancing down at her cell, she saw she had two missed calls. Damn, she hadn’t heard the phone until Luca’s call. That was what she deserved for forgetting to take it off vibrate.

She was going to hear about that later.

Pressing her foot down, she sped up to take off a few precious extra minutes from her drive.

Chapter Ten

“What in the hell is going on?” Zak asked, as he joined Cody behind one the large SUVs that belonged to the Coalition.

Cody narrowed his eyes at Zak before he answered. “Three armed men took an entire bank full of people hostage. They purposely set off the alarm and refused to talk to the police or FBI. They’ll only speak with us,” Cody informed him.

“Why us?” he asked as he tried to peek around the vehicle.

Cody grabbed his shirt and dragged him back from view. “Are you crazy? You’re not even supposed to be here! You’re supposed to be locked up, remember!”

“Okay, okay.” Zak knocked his friend’s hand off him. “Now answer the question. Why us?” He knew that Cody didn’t want to tell him but Zak was also sure Cody wouldn’t bullshit him either.

“They gave their demands to Commander Green,” Cody told him.

“What demands?”

“They want the release of all the men we arrested yesterday. If we give in, they’ll turn themselves in to us and confess to bank robbery,” Cody said.

“Shit!” Zak exclaimed. “They have to know that we’d never do that, especially not for three people we know nothing about.”

“They expect us to do it to get the hostages released. Commander Green is pretty sure they will start executing their captives soon,” Cody replied quietly.

“Ugh!” Zak punched the metal tailgate. This was just what they needed. Some whacked out group of shifters adding even more trouble. Every time the shifters made a move like this against humans, they were hurting every one of the other innocent shifters.

Strong arms wrapped around his chest before he was lifted off the ground. Jamie’s scent floated to him before he had a chance to panic.