Feral, Chapter Three

Chapter3
 Sam wasn’t really sure what she was doing, but she wasn’t about to let him walk out that door again. She didn’t think her heart could take it. Whatever the connection between them was, she was pretty sure that it was something more than just physical. She wasn’t going to give it any name right now for fear of losing him again. But that didn’t mean she was going to sit here like some helpless female while he faced Thane and his family alone. She had her own weapons. Ones she’d worked long and hard to master. She was relatively sure she could hold her own against Thane. One on one that is. If the rest of the family decided to jump in, she’d be in trouble. But in a fair fight she might surprise them all. The thought didn’t give her near the confidence boost she’d hoped for.
She took her butterfly blade out of the bedside table drawer and slid it into her black riding boot. She turned around to find Riley looking at her like she was an unknown creature again. It was all she could do not to laugh at him. He was going to have to get over his image of her as some seventeen year old kid who was painfully shy and afraid of everything because that just wasn’t her anymore.
She’d spent the ten years between then and now training her mind and body. She was pretty good with a blade of any kind. And she was OK with a gun, though she really didn’t like to use them. Too messy. But she’d also discovered that she had talents outside of the physical spectrum.
Besides her ability to effectively lock out everything and everyone from her conscious mind, she could also follow thoughts back to their original owners, which is why she could communicate with Riley’s cat she supposed. And why she spent an awful lot of time alone. She had enough problems with her own thoughts, let alone everybody else’s. She didn’t do well in crowds.
She stuck her tongue out at him. Catching him off guard. And was rewarded with one of those Han Solo smiles that made her insides melt. Did he really have to be that adorable?
“What do you think you’re doing?” She didn’t really plan on going with him did she? Regardless of the knife in her boot, and her obvious ability to use it, Riley had no intentions of letting her go back with him. She was the last person his mother would expect him to bring home. And given how she felt about Sam, it was for Sam’s own good that she stay as far away from the compound, and his immediate family as possible.
“What does it look like?” She was shaking at the thought of facing his mother again. But she wasn’t going to let him know that. She was terrified of the woman before she knew she could have torn her apart at any time and fed her to the other members of the clan. “I’m not going to let you walk out on me again.”
“Kitten,” he sighed. Here came that stubborn thing. “You can’t come with me and you know it as well as I do. My mother will have you for breakfast, literally. That’s if Thane doesn’t get his claws on you first.”  He didn’t even want to think about that. He’d take a fight with his mother over what he knew Thane would do to her simply out of spite. His brother’s appetites had become more and more deviant over the years and he had developed a habit of what he called “playing with his food.” Riley found it disgusting and added it to the growing list of reasons that his brother was going to wake up one morning and find his Karma had bit him in the ass. The thought made him smile.
Sam wasn’t sure what had put that absolutely frightening smile on his face, but she really wished he would quit. She shivered at the cold light in his eyes and swore she could see the cat’s eyes behind them. Alert and ready for the hunt. It was enough to make her second guess her decision. If Riley was so close to wild sometimes, what was the rest of the clan like? Somehow she was sure that he was probably the most “civilized” of the family. That thought didn’t do anything to help steady her trembling hands.
The thought of facing his brother wasn’t what bothered her. Thane was a jerk, and probably more than a bit insane in a cruel kind of way. But Lydia was a whole other animal. Cold, calculating and down right mean on a good day. She could whip the wings off an Angel and do it with a smile. And Sam had never seen that smile reach her eyes. Unless it was when she was tormenting her younger sons.
Thane was perfect. The pureblood. Jaguar through and through. Mean, territorial and cunning. But Riley and Caleb were only half. Their father was human. Making them “weaker” in the clan’s eyes. Beneath them and only barely tolerated. On one hand it broke her heart to think of what these last ten years must have been like for Riley and Caleb. And on the other she realized that the girl she had been back then never could have stood up to Lydia and her family. Let alone been standing here with a single blade in her boot and a few “tricks” up her sleeve contemplating literally fighting for him.
Riley was trying to fight the compulsion to either shake her or lock her back in the bathroom. Did she really think her little blade could protect her if his mother decided to be the bitch they both knew she could be and ordered the clan to kill them both just for the hell of it? He had to admit that the fact that she was willing to take that step melted his heart. But he’d be damned if he’d let her get hurt out of some sense of wanting to protect him. It just wasn’t going to happen.
There was iron in his voice when he came around the end of the bed and stood in front of her.
“I will not let you risk your life to protect me. I’m quite capable of dealing with my brother, and my mother for that matter. You on the other hand wouldn’t last ten minutes in a room with them if they decided to get ‘mean’ “.
Seriously?! He had to be kidding. “What? You can risk your life, getting injured in the process, for me,” she waved a hand at his bandaged arm, “but I can’t do the same for you? Get out of the last century darling.” She drew the word out, mocking his earlier use of it. She was not some helpless little female that needed his protection dammit!
This time he did grab her by both arms. He was just short of shaking some sense into her. He felt the Cat tense. It was anxious. Not knowing what was going on. Riley wasn’t too sure himself. He’d never intentionally hurt her. But his nerves were shot. Too much had happened tonight. He needed time to process it all. And that meant he needed to know she was safe. Or at least as far away from his family as she could be. Not jumping straight into the middle of hell.
Sam gasped and tried to back away. But his hands were iron bands on her upper arms. She could see the violence swirling in his aura. Deep black bands that shifted across his skin, half showing black on black spots. While his eyes turned a deep burnt gold. The cat was so close to the surface. Riley growled low. Barely above a whisper, it was enough to scare the hell out of her. She knew he would never intentionally hurt her, but if he could barely control the big cat with her, she was starting to rethink her ideas of thinking she was strong enough to face Lydia. Yet.
“Riley please. You’re hurting me.” She took a deep breath and let it out in a long defeated sigh. “Alright. You win. I’ll stay here.” She hung her head. She would not cry dammit. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry at the thought of him leaving, or the humiliation of giving in and admitting she was scared. Either way, she really didn’t want him to see her cry again.
Riley let up on his grip and pulled her into his arms. He rested his head on hers and held her tight. He knew she was trying not to cry. And he had to give her respect for even trying to protect him. It made him love her even more. Nobody had ever tried to protect him. He’d spent all these years protecting Caleb, and her. But he had to keep her safe. There was no other option. His heart, wouldn’t allow it.
He released her and stepped back. Looking down into her shining blue green eyes broke his heart. The raw pain he saw there was just too much. He’d give anything to make her smile like she had been only a little while ago. But it wasn’t possible right now. He had to leave. Now. Before he changed his mind again.
“Promise me you will stay here Kitten. I need to know you are at least this far away from my family.” He sighed. “I will be back. As soon as I can. You just have to trust me.” He reached out and tugged on her hair and tried a halfhearted smile. It didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Sam saw his attempt at a smile and somehow it made her feel even worse. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but the fact that he felt the need to only proved to her how much of a baby she was being. What choice did she have?
She gave him a shove and headed for the door before she changed her mind and acted like one of those idiotic women she detested so much.
Riley followed her to the door. Definitely not liking leaving her alone. But she was a whole lot safer here than with him right now. She turned to face him and he pulled her against him again. His mouth came down hard on hers as he kissed her. The pure emotion branding them both.
Sam leaned into him and kissed him back for all she was worth. Neither one of them had any way of knowing what the daylight might bring, but she was determined to make damn sure there was no doubt in his mind how she felt this time.
Riley broke the kiss and stepped back. Dazed by the force of the emotions between them. Sam looked up at him wide eyed. He realized she’d been completely aware of what she was doing. She smiled one of her dazzling smiles and opened the door. “Out Mister Kacey. Before I cause a scene and beg you to stay. I hate to beg so go.” She smiled again. Hoping it looked more convincing than she felt. “Out. I’ll be here when you get back.” He tugged her hair again as she pushed him toward the open door. He half turned in the door way, as if to say something else, then turned and walked away. Letting him go was the hardest thing Sam had ever done in her life. She closed the door and slid down it to sit on the hardwood floor. She curled her arms around her legs and hung her head. She couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. She got up, dusted the debris off of her dark blue jeans and walked over to lay back down in the bed that was still warm. She pulled her pillow close that still had Riley’s scent all over it and slept.

Feral, Chapter Two, Part Four

Sam sat up and rubbed her wrists. The new bruises adding insult to injury with her skin still raw from Sheba's scratches. She'd completely forgotten about the furry lump in the cage in the corner. She looked into the cage and saw Sheba pressed as far back into the corner as she could get. Her ears laid back and her eyes glowing green as they never left Riley's face. She hissed, and to Sam's complete chagrin, Riley hissed back. The cat whined and tried to make herself even smaller. She knew the scent of a bigger predator when she smelled it and she wanted no part of Riley's cat.
    Sam closed her eyes for a minute and reached out for him with her other senses. It was a trick she'd learn while studying. It helped all of her other senses to open up if her eyes didn't get in the way. Logic was like that. Your brain listened to sight and sound before anything else because people are trained to live only in the physical world. But she knew that there was another world. Just below the surface. In that world, Riley's cat stalked the darker places of his soul. Pacing as though caged. Without thinking she reached out to comfort it.
    Riley whirled on her as he felt her energy completely bypass him and collide with his cat. His eyes widened as he looked at her. Her colors swirled in an almost visible storm around her. Blue and green and silver sparks. What the hell was she doing?! She shouldn't have been able to get passed his defenses. Let alone be able to "talk" to the Jaguar.
He wanted to shake her but he didn't dare touch her. There was so much raw power flowing off of her in waves. If he even came near her, there was no telling what might happen. Instead he stood there and watched her. Opening his own defenses more to see what she would do.
    Sam was aware of Riley's slight pushing against her to test her defenses. But she'd worked long and hard on them and he was nothing more than an annoyance. She ignored him and turned back to the big cat. She wanted more than anything to communicate with it. She'd always had an affinity for Jaguars and Panthers. Out of all the big cats. She'd never stopped to wonder why. She'd just assumed it was like her "totem" animal and left it at that.
     But maybe it was because she knew this cat. And she'd been looking for him all this time. To her surprise and delight she felt the big cat stretch and purr as their energies collided. She gave the cat a mental "hug" and was rewarded with a groan from Riley.
    Riley wasn't sure what she'd just done, but whatever it was he felt a wave of heat all the way into the deepest part of his soul and his body tightened painfully. It didn't matter that they'd only just left that bed she was sitting on. He wanted her right then more than he ever had in his life. He clenched his fist and took a step toward her. To his utter shock, his cat growled a warning at him and turned back to where her energy swirled in a glittering arch between them. He stood there in shock. Not knowing what to do.
    She chose that moment to turn to him and astrally push against his own defenses, just as he had hers minutes before. He reflexively threw up his shields. But she brushed them aside like they were nothing. He was suddenly sucked into that storm of colors that surrounded her and he felt his defenses shatter as she dropped her own shields and bared her soul to him.
     It was all there. The hurt and confusion when he'd left. The endless tears and silent screams as she lay awake at night wondering what she'd done so wrong. The total emptiness of watching all of her friends date and fall in love, while she sat in the corner not able to join them because the thought of being with any of the guys that approached her made her violently ill.
    Working nights for the last five years at that damn record shop just so she wouldn't have to spend the dark nights alone anymore. What had he done to her? He cursed his family and the cat and everything that had come between them. He never meant to cause her that much pain. It hadn't been his fault dammit!
    Sam felt the sharp sting of Riley's guilt and anger cut through her own pain like a red hot spear. She'd never meant for him to see any of that. He wasn't supposed to know about all those feelings she'd kept locked away for years now. Not feeling anything for fear of shattering into a million tiny pieces. Just like her balcony door. She tried to pull back, to retreat back into her own head, but the three of them were caught. The circuit was closed and she didn't know how to open it. She'd never felt so connected to anyone as she did to both sides of Riley. Because that's how she saw the cat.
    Riley could fight all he wanted to pretend that he and the cat were separate. But she knew better. She saw with her inner eyes. She saw the cords of pure energy swirling through Riley's colors that bound them together. The cat was just as much a part of him as his arm or his heart. And she saw something else too. A shining silver cord that connected her to Riley. It was so bright. Shimmering between them like spun silver. She could see every thread that wound the cord, rope like between their hearts.
    She'd read about them while searching all the occult books she could find for a way to forget him. But she'd never actually "seen" one before. She reached out her "hand" and touched the glittering strands. It made a sound like ringing bells. High and pure. The sweetest sound she'd ever "heard". She felt it like a summer rain. It washed over her and calmed the sparks of power that eddied around them both.
She found that she could open her eyes now, which she did. Riley was standing no more than two paces away from her. With a completely dumbfounded expression. Like she'd suddenly grown a second head.
    She smiled and waited for him to catch up. She was used to people looking at her like that. She didn't know how she was able to do the things she did, but she had learned how to control and use it well over the years.
    “What the hell was that?” Riley wasted no time in giving her the third degree. “How did you do that? You shouldn’t be able to do that. And how in the nine billion names of God can you talk to the cat when I can’t even do it. No matter how hard I try.” Riley had no intention of telling her that the reason he was so angry was because in all his training he’d never found any way to communicate with that part of him. He could change at will now, but he knew others in the clan could actually remember what happened and could control their cat. He would never tell them that he couldn’t. When the cat took over he had no memory of it. It was his shame to bear and he bore it in silence. He shuddered to think how his brother would use it against them all if he ever knew.
    Sam could see and feel some kind of battle going on just below the surface of Riley’s consciousness. It swirled just below his awareness and caused black wisps to fade in and out in the colors between him and the big cat. The connection between them wasn’t complete.  It caused them both so much pain. But somehow she knew that if she tried to help or said anything about it it would only cause him more pain. So she let it go, for now.
    “I spent the years after you left studying. Wicca, Buddhism, the Occult, anything that might help me find a way to erase you from my memory.” The confession brought her no joy. Nor did she expect it to. But he at least deserved the truth. “Meditation helped me to deal with the pain and Wicca helped me find a direction for all of the things about me that I never understood. It just kind of made sense.” She shrugged and shifted her weight on the bed. She didn’t tell him about all of the fights with her family over her choice of paths, or that she had learned a lot about his family. Or that there were other clans out there too.  Other “Were’s” and creatures not even remotely human. Most humans went on with their daily lives completely unaware of the world that lay just out of range. Like a flash out of the corner of your eye. Glimpsed but never quite seen.  But she had seen and she knew it was real.
    He sat down on the bed next to her and reached out to twist one golden lock around his finger. He really did love the way her hair curled around his hand. “I’m so sorry sweetheart. But I have to go.” He saw her heart sink and wanted so much to take her in his arms again. But he knew it was time. “I could promise you that I’ll be back tonight, but I can’t. I don’t know what’s waiting for me when I get home. But you can bet that Thane will have a welcoming committee waiting for me.” That was probably an understatement but there was no use worrying her any more than necessary.
    “I know. But that doesn’t make it any easier to watch you go.” Oh would you listen to her!  She sounded like all of those helpless women in the movies. Fawning all over the hero to save them. Those kinds of women had always disgusted her, and now here she was acting just like them.  What the hell was happening to her?
While Sam was lost in her thoughts, Riley picked up his clothes and tried to figure out what exactly he was going to tell his brother. He had no doubts that Thane had sent Ellington to “take care of” Sam. The question was, how long it would take for Thane to figure out Ellington wasn’t coming back. The guy had never been known as reliable. He would leave the clan compound for days, even weeks, at a time. Usually drinking and chasing whatever he could find in a skirt that would give him the time of day. But if Thane had sent him on a direct order, and Riley was pretty sure he had done just that, then he might have twenty four hours to get Sam and Caleb out of town. That was assuming that either one of them wasn’t going to be stubborn as hell.
Riley pulled his boots on and turned back to see Sam nearly dressed as well. What the hell did she think she was doing?

Feral, Chapter Two, Part Three

When Riley finally looked up, he was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes. They ran down her cheek to disappear into her hair. He panicked. "Did I hurt you?" He would never forgive himself if he'd hurt her.
    "No." She sighed and tightened her grip on his body. Sending new waves of pleasure through them both. She smiled and reached up to brush the tears away.
    "Then what is it?" He rose up on his left elbow to look down at her. He'd never seen anything more beautiful. Her hair was damp still. Whether from her bath or their lovemaking, it didn't matter. And her skin glowed. He smiled and traced the small "love bite" on her neck where he'd marked her.  She was finally his. After all these years. He dared the council or his brother to try and take her away from him now.
    "I'm happy." She said it so simply. A flat truth that warmed his heart. He felt tears shining in his eyes at the thought that he could make her that happy. It gave him hope for the future.
    But then he remembered that they wouldn't have a future if he didn't figure out how to get his brother to leave them alone.
    Sam saw the shadows pass across Riley's eyes. What was he so afraid of? His family? It couldn't be that bad could it?  She reached up and twisted her finger in his hair. "What is it, love?" Had she missed something?
    Riley sat up and ran his finger through his hair. This was the part he'd been dreading. He hadn't come here tonight with any other intentions than protecting her from Thane's hired lackey. But he hadn't counted on the intense feelings she always brought in him. Or that the cat would react so strongly to her. It shouldn't have. She was human. It shouldn't have cared about her at all. But it's reaction to her scent had been unmistakable. He'd have to figure out what that meant later. Right now she was waiting for an explanation.
    "I have to go back." He didn't turn to look at her as she sat up and tucked the robe around her. "Thane will be expecting me and if I don't show, things could get ugly. For both of us." He wasn't looking forward to it. He hated being there under Thane's thumb. But as the second son, and a half breed too, he had no choice. It was submit to Thane's rule, or die. And the second was not an option. He had her to protect, but his little brother would never survive without him. If it wasn't for Riley constantly keeping the stronger clan members from killing him, Caleb would have been torn apart as a weakling and a half breed too. There was no mercy in the clan.
    Samantha pulled a face at the mention of Riley's older brother. She'd never liked him. He was a slimy, arrogant jerk. All that ever mattered to him was tormenting his younger brothers as much as possible. She remembered poor Caleb as a sweet kid with a quick mind. She hoped that too many years on the receiving end of Thane's abuse hadn't hurt him too much. Or worse, turned him just as mean.
    She took a deep breath and reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "Alright Riley. You obviously have something you don't want to tell me. I promise I'll try to be a big girl and take it like a man. " She tried to smile but her insides were turning to mush. And not in a good way like earlier.
    Riley shifted on the bed so he could face her. The uncertainty in her eyes broke his heart. But it was now or never. Either he told her the truth and hoped for the best. Or he walked out that door and never looked back. He couldn't even hope to protect her from Thane, or his mother, if she didn't know and understand everything.
    "Just promise me that you will hear me out before you call the nice guys in the white coats to come and get me." He tried to smile. But it didn't quite reach his eyes.
    Now she really was worried. What on earth could he possibly have to tell her that had him thinking she'd call the cops, or worse on him? "I promise not to call anybody until you're finished."
    Riley sighed and got up. He turned to face her. "The easiest way to tell you is to show you." And without another word, the air around him shimmered, like sound waves you could see, and he was gone. In his place was the biggest black jaguar Sam had ever seen.
    Her heart sped up to rollercoaster pace and she scooted backwards across the bed instinctively. Landing on her feet on the far side. She stared in disbelief at the big cat as it sat down and stared back. It's eyes were brown. Not yellow like all the other cats she'd ever seen. You could barely see his black on black patterned fur in the growing dawn light. She was just beginning to catch her breath as the air shimmered again and Riley was standing where the cat had been. Still in all his glory. Sam felt the room spin and sat back down on the bed.
    Riley sat down across from her and took a deep breath. He didn't know what her reaction would be. His heart beat an unsteady rhythm as he waited. He didn't have to wait long.
    She started laughing. Laughing? Really?  Not exactly the reaction he'd expected. He stared at her open mouthed. Which only made her laugh harder.
     "Oh baby." She tried to talk but she was laughing so hard she couldn't catch her breath. That's what he'd been so afraid to tell her? Little did he know that she already knew about it. His cousin had been her best friend. And her father had been an alcoholic who liked to talk while he was drunk. She heard him tell stories about Riley's mother and her family for years growing up. She always chalked it up to the imagination of a drunk old man. Until she'd grown up and started studying the occult. That's when she'd found out that his stories were more fact then fiction.
    The longer she laughed, the more pissed off Riley got. What the hell was so damn funny? He was about to grab her and shake her, when she reached out and pulled him across the bed. They tumbled together and she landed on top of him. Straddling him like she'd done earlier.
    "I already knew." She saw his eyes go wide and then he growled and flipped them again. Now he held her hands above her head and glared down at her.
    "You knew? How?" He was completely non-pulsed. She knew? All this time he'd thought he had to hide it. Stay away from her so she'd never know and hate him. Or worse, fear him. He glared at her and tightened his grip on her wrists.
    "Ouch!" She protested. "Riley, that hurts." She struggled to get loose but his grip was like iron. "I knew because your uncle had a big mouth. Especially when he was drinking. Which was all the time. You forget I spent most of my teens swapping weekends between my house and your aunt and uncle's." Sam tried again in vain to pull her hands free. Riley was scaring her. She thought he'd be happy that he didn't have to hide his true nature from her. Instead he was furious with her. It didn't make any sense.
    Riley allowed her to continue struggling while he processed the fact that there was a very real possibility that they'd wasted the last 10 years for nothing. The thought did not make him happy. Or his cat either. He felt the growl low and hard in the depths of his soul. He released her arms and pushed off of the bed. Turning his back on her until he could control the cat again.

Feral, Chapter Two, Part Two (Warning, Adult Content)

***This chapter comes with an added reminder that this blog is ADULT only. I would hope that all of my readers are over 18, if you have come to this blog in error, or are not comfortable with adult content, be it language or of a sexual nature, please leave now. If, on the other hand you are here because you relish the "good bits" of life, then please, continue reading♥
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Riley was sitting on the couch again. While it wasn't exactly the way it was before chaos had reigned down on her little world, it was at least clean and the furniture that had survived was upright. She mourned the pieces of her slate topped coffee table that he'd heaped up in the corner by the door. That table had been through several moves and a couple of states with her. Oh well, no use crying over split slate.
     Her eyes returned to the man on her couch. He sat against the arm, just as he had before. His head back, looking for the entire world like he was asleep. Until he spoke. "Feeling better?" He raised his head and gave her a raw look. His heart in his eyes. "I have to go very soon, kitten. I can't put it off much longer."
    He stood up and came to stand in front of her. He was so close she could feel the heat of his body radiate towards her. She looked up into his eyes and instantly realized her mistake. She tried to pull away, but it was too late. She was lost in the golden heat she saw there.
     Some things never change and she should've known better than to let him get that close and even more, to meet his eyes. They had always been her undoing. She could get lost in their warm brown depths forever.
    Riley knew better than to touch her. But he couldn't help it. When he'd looked up and saw her standing there in that damn marshmallow of a robe, her hair spilled down her back, and those silly zebra slippers, it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He was off the couch and across the room before he realized it. And then she'd looked up at him with those blue green eyes of hers. Did she know what they did to him?
    Before his head could tell his heart any different, he hooked his hand in the knotted belt at her waist and pulled her against him. Whether it was shock or something else, she didn't resist as he kissed her for the first time in ten years.
    Samantha was just trying to remember how to breathe. Cherished memories became real again as Riley pulled her against him. Then when his mouth came down on hers, she was swept up in the heat that always surrounded her when she was in his arms. His hand was warm on her back as he tangled his fingers in her hair.
    Pulling her head back, he broke the kiss and stared down at her. Riley could see the waking passion in her eyes. Every warning signal in his head went off. It would be morning in less than 30 minutes and his brother would be waking the clan. He couldn't risk what doing what he really wanted to her might do. If he shifted in the heat of passion, he might hurt her, or worse.
    She picked that instant to lick her lips. He growled and kissed her again. The clan be damned! He'd given the last 10 years to them. They could wait for him now.
    Sam's legs turned to jello as he deepened the kiss. Plunging his tongue deep into her mouth. Taking what he wanted. She leaned into him. She told herself it was just to stay on her feet. But she knew better. Her insides were pooling somewhere below the knotted belt and all she could think was how much that belt was in the way.
    He seemed to feel the same way. He pushed her away just long enough to untie it. He slipped his good arm inside the robe and pressed her even closer. Her skin was soft as silk under his calloused fingers. He ran his hand down across one round hip and felt the beast inside him raise its head. She was all curves and silk. And it sensed the closeness of a mate.
    He tried to reign it in. But the soft whimper Sam made when he cupped her breast was more than he could take. With a feral growl he braced her against him with his good arm under her adorably rounded bottom and half carried, half drug her to her bed.
    He pushed her gently and she fell back. The marshmallow robe fluffing open around her. Giving him an unobstructed view of her soft curves. It was one of the things he'd always found so irresistible about her. The other men in his family had a thing for the super model type. But he liked her curves. She was soft and round and perfect in all the right places.
    Samantha lay there, watching Riley unbuckle the belt of his tight black jeans and kick off his hiking boots. Not the least self-conscious. How could she be when he looked at her like that?
    She prayed she wasn't dreaming. And if she was nobody better wake her up. She kept her eyes locked with his as he stepped out of his jeans and kicked them out of his way.
    She bent one knee and pushed herself back on the bed. Completely unaware of the view she was giving him. But he wasn't. Gods, she's killing me. He thought as he kneeled on the bed. Pressing her into the thick cotton comforter.
He groaned as he realized that his right arm wasn't going to hold his weight. He shifted his weight to his left arm and laid his right leg between hers. Pinning her under him.
Sam arched her back and wiggled to get more comfortable. She'd forgotten how much bigger than her he was. Not in height he was only 3 inches taller than her, but in shear body mass.  Everything about him was steel in velvet. From his broad shoulders to his perfectly defined legs, she ran her hands over every part.
    She was so intent on how happy she was just to be touching him again that she looked up to find him smiling down at her. Laughter in his eyes. "Did you miss me?"
    "You know I did." She replied. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt shy. She hadn't been with anybody else since him and she now realized why. Because her body belonged with his. They fit perfectly. She reached up and traced his lower lip with her index finger. She smiled as he nipped the tip of her finger before leaning down to kiss her again.
     While his right arm wouldn't hold his weight, that didn't mean it wasn’t good for other things. He pushed the robe off of her shoulder so he could plant a kiss there. And then continued the trail until he came to the already tight peak of her right breast. He cupped it in his hand. The weight of it more perfectly round than he remembered. But she wasn't a 17 year old kid anymore. She was a full grown woman. And he wasn't 19 anymore either.
    The soft sound of Riley's mouth against her breast pulled Sam's stomach tighter. She reached up and tangled her fingers in his jet black hair. Arching her back against his mouth. She sighed and pushed at his shoulder. All she got for her trouble was a growl as he switched breasts and began to draw lazy circles around her left nipple with his tongue. It reminded her of a cat. The rough feel of his tongue was heaven.
    Riley felt himself losing his battle with the beast inside him. It growled and whined. Begging for release from its chains so it could claim its mate. It felt so right to hold her. To stroke her with his tongue. And touch her where ever he wanted.
    He pushed her left leg down. Giving him better access to her body. He slid one finger deep inside her. She was already so wet. Ready for him. The scent of her was more than either he or the big cat could take.
     He covered her mouth with his own as he shifted his weight and entered her. He felt her tense and then relax as she adjusted to the feel of him inside her. He pressed deeper and was rewarded for his efforts as she pressed against him.
     Sam wrapped her legs around him and moaned. All the nights she'd woken up in a cold sweat from dreams so hot she hurt couldn't hold a candle to the real thing. She lifted her hips to meet him and tightened her grip on his shoulder. The feel of him sliding inside her driving her insane. She tried to whisper his name but all that came out was a gasp as he rolled with her and landed on his back. Still buried deep inside her.
    She tucked her toes behind his knees and rode him like she wanted. His hands on her hips. She threw her head back and laughed. A deep, silky laugh that tugged at his heart. The pure joy of it brought him near tears.
     Sam quickened her pace. She could feel every part of her body pulling tighter and tighter. Centered around where their bodies were joined. She knew it wouldn't be long now before she got the release she'd need for so long.
    Just before she could hit that height, he rolled them again. He pressed her back into the bed with his full weight and slowed the pace. Sam wanted to scream in frustration.
    Riley looked down at her. She was glowing. He could see the colors swirling around her through the cat's eyes. All blue and green and silver. Like the deep forest under a full moon. The big cat echoed her frustration by whining in Riley's head. They had both been so close. But Riley knew that if he didn't slow the pace and let her come to him easier, he wouldn't be able to keep the cat chained. He would shift and claim her as the cat. He couldn't risk that.
    He pressed into her with deep even strokes. Just wanting to feel her slide around him a little longer. She moaned and dug her nails into his shoulders. She whispered his name between breaths. Begging him to release her.
    "Samantha," he breathed her name, "open your eyes. Look at me". She did as he asked. Her eyes had gone dark. Blue green had turned to deep blue. The color of the sea at night. His eyes held hers. He quickened the pace again. This time making sure their eyes stayed locked on each other. Maybe it would hold the cat at bay. He felt her body tighten around him as she came. Her eyes went wide and she arched her back. Never wavering from his face.
    Watching her come was more than he could take. He buried his face in her hair as his own release shook him. The big cat roared and went still. Finally sated after all these years. It curled up in a dark corner of Riley's soul and slept. Secure in the knowledge that his mate was his.