A Matter of Pride (7 page)

“With
Quince
?” The shock in her voice relieved him. “Hell no. He’s got a thing for Joy. You know, your
ex-lover
?”

Trust the woman to bring up that fiasco. While trying to help his clueless older brother nab the woman he’d been mooning over for months, Dean and Joy had hatched a scheme. They’d posed as lovers to throw his brother into Gabby’s arms. Except the sly woman had managed to turn the tables on them and made Dean and Joy a spectacle in front of the pride. “Ha ha. The thought of Joy and me in any romantic sense gives me hives and you know it.”

“Why? She’s cute.”

“Don’t get defensive. She’s cute, yeah, but so annoying. Always plotting and bossing me around.” He made a face. “Like a miniature Burke, but girlie.”

He could feel her smile against his chest. “So no chemistry there?”

“Don’t ruin
my
afterglow.”

She chuckled and stroked his shoulders with her nails. He loved the sexy red tips. When he saw them, he envisioned her wrapping those clever fingers around his cock, guiding him toward her mouth…

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She brushed against his erection.

“I can’t help it,” he growled. “You’re sexy, naked, and now I know how you taste. Only a dead man wouldn’t get a hard-on near you.”

“Oh, so it’s my body that has you so excited, hmm?”

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she sounded less than pleased at his compliment. Women. “That and your stellar personality. That mean thing you have going on just flips my Bic, baby.”

“You’re
so
romantic.”

“And you’re
so
in a mess of trouble.” He couldn’t help it. The seriousness of the situation couldn’t be ignored, much as he wanted it to. “What if Lex’s cats get their hands on you? What the hell were you thinking to put yourself in danger and not tell anyone?”

“I didn’t want anyone else hurt.”

He leaned back to look at her. In the dark, her eyes glowed, and he could see the wariness she tried to hide. “Yet here I am, right next to you.”

“I didn’t want you involved either,” she snapped. “But I can’t keep living like this. I don’t like being a prisoner. I can’t go anywhere. My sisters are constantly looking over their shoulders, and my brother is stressed to the max.”

“
Oh.
So that’s why he’s been so unpleasant…for the past twenty years.”

Her lips twitched.

“Yeah. Try again, princess.” He liked arguing with her while naked. Despite being truly irked about her secrets, he’d never felt so close to her as he did now. God, he was seriously losing it. Ruled by his dick, no question about it. Because if he thought his heart might be involved, he’d run the other way and not look back.

“Okay, so Miles can be hard to swallow.”

“Unlike you,” he purred. “Or me. You should try it.”

She chuckled. “Cut it out. I thought you were mad at me?” She pressed closer, rubbing those lovely breasts against his chest.

“I am. Doesn’t mean I don’t want you.”

“Great. Horny Dean is back. I got to see responsible Dean for a little bit. Some angry Dean. But now it’s you again.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

She sighed. “Nothing. Let’s get up and get dressed.”

In a flash, he rolled her onto her back and gripped her wrists on either side of her head, effectively pinning her to the ground. “Hold on, sweetheart. First we talk about how we’re going to handle Lex and Quince and those asshole cats. Then we figure out how and when we’re going to do this again. ’Cause if you think this was a one-time deal, you are seriously one dumbass blonde.”

Her pupils dilated, which he found interesting. Did she like being held down? Or was it the thought of arguing with him that got her so hot and bothered, because he could smell her arousal flaring up again.

“Quince wants Lex. He doesn’t care about me or you. And he has the hots for Joy.”

He blinked. He’d thought she was joking about that. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Go figure. My meddling older sister and the enemy. How fun.”

“Joy?” Dean didn’t know if he liked that. “I can’t wait to see what Miles thinks of that.”

“Which is why Quince didn’t go to Miles. He came to me. I have a clear head.” Her superiority complex was showing again. “Unlike you males who only think with your dicks—I’m sorry to say—I’m much more pragmatic.”

He wanted to kiss the smirk off her face. “So how do we detect friend from foe?”

“We don’t. I pretend I’m camping with you. We play clueless kitties and let Lex and Quince duke it out.”

“You want me to believe you’re not dying to sink those claws into Lex? Please. I know you, Stacey.”

“Well, I—”

“You’re going to ditch me, ditch Quince and go after Lex on your own. Apparently you’re a man. Because your reasoning is as stupid as us poor saps thinking with our dicks.” He leaned closer and slid inside her once more, unable to resist. “So was this a pity fuck then, Stace? Feeling sorry for me because I’m constantly hard around you?”

She groaned and tried to reach for him, but he held her hands down as he fucked her. He loved handling her, taking control of the bossy feline. As she moaned and clenched tight around him, he watched her take her pleasure, enjoying the changing expressions on her face. He loved being inside her while she came, and before he knew it, he neared his own end.

He tried to withdraw to prevent coming inside her once more, but she wrapped her legs around his back and locked him down against her.

“Stace—I—Oh yeah.” He ground inside her, his cat more than content to give her more of himself. Her nipples raked his chest with each pass, and when she leaned up and nipped his earlobe, he forgot his own name and lost himself in the ecstasy obliterating thought.

He released inside her, giving her everything he had left. Unfortunately, he had a bad feeling he’d also lost a huge chunk of his heart.

After they lay together for a while, he started to feel the cold of the ground against his legs. “Glad I wasn’t on the bottom.”

“Ass,” she snarled, but her sharpness had lost its edge, especially since he remained inside her.

He sighed and withdrew, sated yet still hungry for more of her, which made little sense. She leaned up on her elbows, and the action plumped her breasts.

“Damn. That’s playing dirty.”

“What?”

“I can’t think when I see those.” He stared at her pink nipples and leaned down to take one in his mouth. He licked the taut bud and let go with reluctance. “It’s like I’m addicted.”

There was a moment of silence. A strange, almost yearning look flashed in her eyes before it cleared. “Yeah, that’s what they all say about you,” she said in a snarky tone and shoved him aside.

“Catty much?” Was it wrong that he liked her jealousy?

“Oh shut up.” She rolled to her feet and stood. Stacey kept her arms to her sides, giving him full view of her body. She had no problem with nudity, like most Ac-taw. Then again, with a body like that, why would anyone try to hide it?

She bent to look down at herself and frowned. “Oh man, what a mess. Gimme that.” She motioned to his T-shirt.

He tossed it to her. She used it to wipe the stickiness from between her legs, but she didn’t comment on their lack of protection. He figured if it had been a big deal, she’d have let him know. Stacey wasn’t one for keeping her feelings to herself.

Oddly pleased to see evidence of himself all over her, he tried to keep the satisfaction from his voice. “I don’t give a damn about Quince’s orders. I’m letting Burke know about this.”

“You can’t,” she blurted.

“Uh-huh. And why not?”

“Quince thinks there’s someone in Cougar Falls telling Lex about us. I don’t think it’s anyone in the pride, more likely someone from town spying on the ranch. But we can’t take that chance and tip them off. Lex might disappear, and it’ll be hard to get a shot at him again. I’ll spend more months watching over my shoulder, working in this dinky little town, acting like queen bitch. And who wants that?”

“Good point.”

“I want this over with. I want my life back.” Her voice wavered.

He didn’t think; he reacted. Wrapping her in his arms, he held her against him. He only meant to offer comfort. But holding her put him in a place unlike any other. Sheer contentment, pleasure and arousal mingled to create a feeling he didn’t want to label, not for a troublemaking princess like Stacey.

But he felt it all the same.

He cleared his throat but couldn’t take his arms away from her. “I want you to have your life back too.” The idea of her going back to Miami didn’t bear thinking about, but he wouldn’t allow the threat to her to continue. “I won’t tell Burke, exactly.” But he wouldn’t let the pride fly blind.

He reluctantly let her go and found his radio. Monty answered right away.

“Cabin problems on number two. Need your handyman skills, ASAP. Dean out.” He’d given the code for trouble in case their frequency was being monitored. Now they had to meet a stubborn wolf and fix this mess.

He glanced back at Stacey, lingering on her hourglass figure, full breasts and slender thighs. Her belly needed to be nipped, right after he kissed the worry from her lips.

“Oh man. If I only had a camera.”

She snorted, and the frown on her face disappeared. “Dream on.”

“I will. Especially tonight.” He leered, and instead of scorning him like she usually did, she chuckled.

“So you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Of course I am. I’m just thinking of ways to make you pay for not telling me about Quince.”

She sauntered to him and gave him a thorough once-over, smirking at his dick, which refused to go completely soft around her. “Like what you see?”

“Am I breathing?” He shook his head. “You’re sexy but slow. Get a move on, blondie.”

She grimaced. “I hate that nickname.”

Dean sneered. “I know.”

She gave him a funny look. “You’re the only man I know who likes annoying me.”

“What can I say? I’m no woman’s lackey. Just because you’re easy on the eyes doesn’t mean you’re easy on the brain. Pretty is as pretty does, baby. And normally, you
ain’t
all that pretty to me.” He had to keep the woman on her toes, because if she knew how badly she’d shaken him with all this feeling crap, he’d be toast, wrapped around her little finger for life.

“Oh, and today?” The fire in her eyes made his entire body, cat and heart sit up and take notice. “What am I today after giving up the goods?”

He kissed her on the cheek before she could shove him away. “The purtiest woman I ever done seen.” He mentally readied his cat to come to the fore, needing to feel the forest wind through his whiskers. Hell, they both needed to
turn
. When was the last time Stacey had shifted? “I had no idea you had it in you. I mean, you dressed like a hooker yesterday. But I didn’t think you could actually back it up. And holy crap, did you ever.”

She gaped. “That is the most insulting thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“Why? Because I said you’re killer in the sack? Why is that wrong?” He shook his head but couldn’t quite hide his mirth. He planned to make it his new mission in life to set her off. “Women. I’ll never understand you.”

Her eyes narrowed. After a moment, she sighed. “Okay, cut the act. I know when I’m being played.” Instead of berating him, she tucked her arm in the crook of his and pulled him toward the mouth of the cave. “So come on,
Gomer
. Let’s figure out how to lead Lex’s boys on a wild chase. Now what’s this cabin problem nonsense you mentioned to Monty?”

She released him to flow into a golden feline with light blue eyes that faded to honeyed gold flecked with blue. He followed suit, shifting into a larger, darker cat with more muscle but the same desire to run and hunt. She blinked at him, beautiful in her fur.

He had to focus to function past the need to fuck again.
“Okay, princess. After you.”

“Try to keep up, hillbilly.”
She rubbed her body against his before flicking her tail at him.

He wrapped his own around hers. They shared a glance. His cat wanted to mate, feline to feline. The impulse was so strong that for the first and only time in his life, Dean allowed his animal spirit to take over, ensnared by the one woman made for him. But she bounded away with a laugh before he could make a move, enticing his cat all the more.

The chase was on.

Chapter Five

Monty swore under his breath as he stumbled over more crap in the cluttered cabin Dean should have cleaned out last month. Lazy-ass cat had a true gift for avoiding hard labor, though the ladies seemed to love him, and he constantly got away with pulling pranks any other Ac-taw would have been skinned for even trying.

Like pretending to be in love with Joy to make Gabby jealous? They’d all laughed it off. Fixing Grady’s cards on poker night so he’d have to dance to some stupid tune in front of Gabby? He’d been too easily forgiven. Convincing Ty to write
Help Me
on the bottom of a groom’s shoes on the guy’s wedding day, so that everyone could see when he knelt in front of the congregation? People still complimented Dean and Ty on the gag, and it had been Monty’s idea.