Lion And The Falcon (Furry United Coalition) (16 page)

“Boyfriend worried?” Surely he didn’t sound jealous?

A smirk ghosted across her lips. “
Is this your way of asking if I’m single? I wouldn’t have thought a lion interested in one night stands only cared.”

“
I don’t.” He did.

“Good.”

Away she strode toward the bathroom and he realized she’d not answered his query. Did she have someone waiting for her? Someone she cared about?
We can take care of any competition,
his inner feline growled. There was gravy in the cupboard perfect for poultry.

“Doesn’t he have a problem with you staying with a single guy?” He caught
her just before she shut the bathroom door.

She popped her head out. “I don’t belong to any man, Sylvester.”
And with that, she slammed the door shut.

Single. Yes!

Not that a boyfriend would have stopped him. Nolan was much too intrigued by his falcon partner to let something like a lover get in his way. Sometime between the sewer fight and now, he’d made up his mind to go after the hot chick and ruffle her feathers.
That ASS is mine!

Speaking of which, hers was currently naked in a hot shower.
What better time to begin the seduction of his reluctant avian partner than when she was at her most vulnerable? And least armed.

Using a claw, he popped the lock on the bathroom door and entered. The shower curtain was pulled tight, the hot steam thick. He padded forward on silent
, bare feet and almost reached the waterproof fabric hiding her from view when the sharp edge of a knife pressed against his jugular.

“Exactly what are you doing, Sylvester?”

He grinned.
That’s my girl.
She might not possess his sense of smell, but she was sharp in other ways. He liked that about her. He paid her weapon no mind and turned to face her. “Just checking on you. You’ve been in here a long time and I worried that perhaps you’d caught something during our time in the sewer.

She eyed him with suspicion. “Caught what?”

“Who knows what kind of germs lurk down there.”

She shuddered. “Don’t remind me.
”

“As your doctor, I really should check you over,” he cajoled, taking a risk and placing his hands on her waist over the towel she’d wrapped around her
dripping torso.

“I’m fine.”

“I’m the doctor, so I think I should be the judge of that.”

“You do?” Her lip curled a bit at the edge and the hand holding the knife dropped to her side. “And what tests did you plan to run?”

“Well, I really should do an all-over-body one, look for lesions where infection could possibly take root.”

“I don’t have any
open wounds.”

“Palpate you for sore spots that might indicate internal injury
?”

“None of those either.”

“Are you sure?” he asked as he pulled her against his body. He wound his arms around her in a hug. “How does this feel?”

“Fine,” she replied. “No pain at all.”

Perhaps not, but her heart rate did quicken, her pupils dilated, and her temperature inched up a notch. “Mind saying
ah
so I can take a peek in your mouth?”

“
This really isn’t necessary. There’s nothing wrong with—”

Ah
, screw the pretense. Tired of her fighting the inevitable, Nolan leaned in and took her mouth with his, silencing her.

Mmmm. Arousal instantly ignited, a smoldering fire he only felt when he touched her.

“I think,” he said in between nibbles
, “that you’re running a bit of a fever.”

“It is a touch hot in here,” she mumbled back before sucking his lower lip.

“Let me fix that.” He yanked. Off came her towel, leaving her gloriously naked for his roaming hands. To his gratification, she moaned and arched against him, her arms rising to twine around his neck, stretching her glorious lean length against his. They kissed as if they would starve without each other. Their tongues twined and knotted, danced and weaved, their breaths mixing, short and hot pants. Only one thing marred the moment. The damned towel around his waist. He broke off the kiss as he leaned back against the vanity. Spreading his thighs, his sarong style covering dropped to the floor. The revelation of his groin drew her gaze and her eyes widened. Indecision showed up in the form of her biting her lower lip.

Oh no. He was not letting her change her mind. He needed her. They need this.
He tugged her into the vee his legs formed, cradling her, capturing her passion swollen lips to resume the embrace. Cupping her taut buttocks, he squeezed them. How could he have thought her too lean? The round, toned globes were a perfect fit for his palms.

It wasn’t the only perfect thing about her.
He left the hot pleasure of her mouth to trail hot kisses down the silky column of her neck, nibbling his way to the high, pert breasts he’d dreamed of. Her nipples, small perfect berries, awaited his consumption, and consume them he did, lavishing each with attention, his lips tugging and sucking at them as she pulled his hair, each gasp from her lips a ghostly caress to his ever growing desire.

And desire her he did. Never before had he so wanted to sink into a woman. To put his mark
on a female and possess her. It was that fact, that possessive urge he knew would frighten his flighty bird, that held him back. Clarice would fly if pushed too fast. So he did something that no woman ever got from him before. He gave with no expectation of receiving.

Down to his knees he dropped, his hands holding her steady as his mouth found the bare mound she’d once boasted of. He held her quivering frame as his tongue delved between her soft folds and stroked her clit.
He lapped at her, savoring her cream, absorbing her flavor, inhaling her rich aroma. More decadent than anything he’d ever encountered, Nolan pleasured his sweet Clarice, bringing her to the brink of climax, then retreating, prolonging the erotic moment.

S
he tasted so sweet. He could have licked her all day. Her clit swelled under his attention. Her hips thrust against his mouth. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling and digging into his scalp, begging him without saying a word. Unless her
Ohs
of pleasure counted.

Over and over he teased her heavenly pussy, thrusting his tongue into her pulsing sex and moaning as she squeezed it with her muscles. He returned to her clit, his raspy tongue rubbing over the sensitized nub until her breathing came in erratic
and short, mewling pants. So close. Almost there. He could feel her orgasm within reach. He grazed her swollen nub with his teeth. Once. Twice. A third time…

She came
apart. And it was glorious.

Roaring in his head with victory
, he held her up as she cried out and thrashed, the pleasure taking her on a wild ride, a ride he prolonged with caresses. Usually, this was where he’d bend her over and take his own turn. But this was Clarice.

So despite the fact she panted,
“More. Give me more. Give me your cock,” he held back. He wanted her to remember this moment. This pleasure. This gift for her and her alone.

H
e brought one hand into play and thrust two fingers into her velvety moistness while his tongue kept laving, the roughness of it even in his human form a gentle friction against her nub. Hot damn, did she like that. Gone was the in control agent. Vanished was the woman others perceived as cold and uptight. In her place writhed a seductress, one filled with fire and passion.

“Enough. Oh
God. Not again. Don’t stop. Oh God.” She cried out and bucked against his sensual torture. Thrashed and thrust. He held her firm and didn’t let up, his tongue flicking quickly across her clit, his fingers pumping in and out of her pulsing sex. The clench of her pussy when her climax hit just about crushed his fingers.

“Oh yes. Nolan!”
She screamed
his
name as her second orgasm hit her even harder than the first and this time, he couldn’t help a roar of satisfaction.

She
is mine!
Whether she accepted it yet or not, he staked his claim. She might fight and deny him, for the moment, but he would stalk her, fight for her, because Clarice was
the one
.

With one last long lick, he pulled himself reluctantly to his feet and
drew her shivering frame to his chest. He hugged her as she recovered, content to bask in her diminishing glow despite his own need.

Having gotten to know her somewhat, he expected the shove that sent him reeling back. The hard poke to his ribs was uncalled for
, though.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“You needed it.”

She frowned.
“Bad kitty.”

“
That’s not what you screamed a minute ago.”

“I faked it,” she lied.

He quirked an eyebrow.

She turned red. “Okay, I didn’t. But it can’t happen again. And no one can ever know. I’d never live it down.”

“I am not the type to brag.”

“Then why do you look like the cat who a
te the canary?”

“I look nothing at all like
Grandpa Joe, thank you very much.”

She didn’t have a reply for that.

“So, are you coming?” he asked as he left her to enter his room and get dressed.

Again
, silence.

He peered over his shoulder and saw her still standing where he left her, confusion on her face. “Well?”

“I am not sleeping with you.”

He grinned. “I didn’t mean that kind of coming. Although, I could be persuaded. What I actually meant was
, are you coming with me to my aunt’s for dinner?”

“Dinner?”

“Yes. You know that thing people do when they’re hungry. Eat. Food. Filling your tummy.” He patted his trim stomach and watched her gaze drop. He’d not yet managed to quell the swelling of his cock, and she noticed. Oh how she noticed. Standing out straight from his body, his cock stood at attention, just begging her to do something.

For a moment, he thought he might get some action.
Her nipples hardened. She licked her lips and damn him if he couldn’t smell her arousal surging again. The twitch of his dick broke the spell. Up flew her gaze.

“I don’t think going out is a good idea given what’s going on.”

“Oh, they won’t care we’re having sex.”

“We are not having sex.”

“Sorry. I should have said they won’t care if I’ve already eaten so long as I show up.”

“Would you stop with the innuendos
?” Clarice was practically cross-eyed at his deliberate twisting of her words. He hid a grin. “I meant going anywhere with the psychos still on the loose is a bad idea.”

“No, missing the monthly dinner at my aunt’s is not a good idea
, given her temper. When she gets riled, my cousins get antsy. Ever been ambushed by a bunch of yowling cats? Not pretty, I can assure you.” As family functions went, there were a few things he couldn’t skip. Funerals, the monthly Sunday brunch, weddings, birthdays, and dinner at his aunt’s. To do so resulted in horrifying consequences. Just ask his friend Harold from the next pride over. He’d decided to stay home and nurse a cold on his sister’s birthday. He woke up the next morning, his mane shaved, and every part of his body smooth and hairless. His stubbly head was a grim reminder not to ever mess with the women of the pride, not where cake and presents were concerned.

“Let me get this straight, you want me, a bird, to knowingly attend a dinner hosted by—
how many large felines?”

“Oh, probably about
a dozen or more, give or take, depending on who’s back from where. I’ve a got a few cousins serving our country overseas. My mother found it best to keep as many of them as busy as possible given the shortage of male lions to entertain them.”

“
I think I should pass.”

“I figured you might. Can’t say as I blame you
what with my mother going and all.”

Clarice froze in the process of grabbing her towel from the floor.
“Wait. Did you say your mother is going to be there?”

“Yes. So it
’s probably best you not go. You can drop me off and pick me up later. I won’t tell Kloe.”

“On second thought, I do have orders to not let y
ou out of my sight.”

“I
’ll be surrounded by a dozen or more lionesses. I think you can rest assured of my safety.”

“Still
, though, I wouldn’t want to be negligent in my duties.”

Why oh why did he not trust the evil smile that crossed her lips
? Why oh why did it make her look so deliciously sexy? And why did his sick sense of humor look forward to the dinner now that he knew Clarice was coming?
Because one thing is for sure, it won’t be boring.