Under the Panther's Protection [Black Panthers 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Read online

  She couldn’t fight such an intoxicating need, the taste and scent of him drawing her in deeper.

  The confidence and mastery of his kiss made her dizzy and craving more.

  Suddenly, she couldn’t get close enough.

  Digging her heels into his tight ass, she lifted against him, a moan escaping at the feeling of coming home.

  Her clit throbbed with the need for his touch, her pussy clenching hard at the need for him to take her.

  Nothing else mattered.

  Tears burned her eyes, the intense sense of belonging settling something tight inside her that she hadn’t realized had been there.

  With a groan, Joshua pressed his cock against her, his hand fisting in her hair as he broke off his kiss to nibble at her bottom lip. “Tell me.”

  The hand at her back slid around her and under her shirt, pushing her bra aside to caress her breast. “Tell me now.”

  Need became a living, breathing thing, taking over her senses with mind-numbing passion.

  With a groan of frustration, Fiona fought his hold in an effort to get closer, but the hand fisted in her hair held her in place. “Please, Joshua. Damn it! I ache.”

  In a smooth movement that impressed the hell out of her, he lifted her against him and slid into the passenger seat, settling her on his lap.

  His features appeared carved in stone, and with another growling sound, he pulled the door closed and yanked the afghan over her. “Christ, when you plead with me…”

  He took a deep breath and slipped his hand under the afghan, pushing her shirt and bra out of the way. “Be still. I don’t want anyone seeing you.”

  Rubbing her slit against him in a desperate effort to relieve the ache, she grabbed his wrist, pressing her breast more firmly into his hand. “Please!”

  His fingers closed lightly on her nipple, his gentle tug sharpening the throbbing of her clit. “Talk.”

  To her stunned amazement, he released her nipple and gripped the back waistband of her sweatpants, lifting her slightly, yanking them to her knees and plunging a finger into her.

  “Now.”

  Moving on his finger, Fiona cried out at the pleasure. “My boss wanted to sleep with me, and I said no. His wife found out, and he had to transfer me. He kept calling me. Told me I was the only woman for him. I thought—oh God!”

  Joshua withdrew, slapping her bottom cheek. “You thought what?”

  Unashamedly pumping her hips, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his neck, whimpering at the sharp sense of emptiness. “He sent me away. I thought if I stayed away for a while, he would stop bothering me. I moved. Then Glenna came, and we didn’t have enough money to come back, especially when Mom and Dad sold the house. Please. Joshua. Please take me.”

  “I’m not taking you in a fucking parking lot.” He plunged a finger into her again, settling his thumb over her clit. “I’ll take care of you.”

  “No!” Fiona scrambled to straddle his hips, glancing out the windows. “No one’s around. Now, Joshua. Please.”

  The ache spread and strengthened, the heat inside her making her break out in a sweat. “What the hell have you done to me? I’ve never felt like this.”

  Cursing, Joshua yanked his black jeans down, cursing again when he tried to get his hand in his pocket. “That’s something else we’ll talk about. Be still!”

  The sight of his cock filled her with trepidation, the size of it overwhelming. “Jesus, Joshua.”

  She should have known that such a big man would be well-endowed but hadn’t expected the reality of it.

  “Be still, damn it! I’ll go easy. I won’t hurt you.”

  Fiona gripped him, poised the head at her opening, and began to lower herself. Crying out at the heat and what felt like little vibrations, she ignored his curse and began to take him inside her.

  With a harsh curse, Joshua gripped her waist. “I don’t have a condom, Fiona. God damn it!”

  Releasing his cock, she gripped his shoulders, digging her fingertips into the hard muscle and took more of him inside her. “Dear God!”

  A rush of heat warmed her blood even more, the strange tingling sensation accompanying it urging her to take more.

  “Fiona, I have to—son of a bitch!”

  She cried out his name, frightened when a sublime pleasure, like nothing she’d ever felt before, took over.

  Holding her in its grip, it intensified, stealing her breath.

  Aware of Joshua’s curse, she slid her hands to his hair, burying her face against his chest, thrilling at the scrape of his teeth on her neck.

  Filled with a sense of vulnerability, she instinctively held on to him, calling his name over and over. “Please. Joshua. Oh God. What’s happening?”

  Comforted by his hands moving over her, she sucked in another breath when he gripped her hip with one hand and fisted her hair with the other, just as the pleasure crested.

  She whimpered and cried out his name, her body tightening against his.

  He made a growling sound and scraped his teeth over her neck again, holding her to him and running his tongue over the spot as if to soothe her.

  It was the most intimate and erotic experience of her life.

  Tilting her head back, he looked into her eyes with a look of possessiveness that brought tears to her own. “You’re coming for me.” Sliding his hand to her bottom, he controlled her movements, a deep groan escaping as his cock pulsed inside her.

  His hand tightened on her ass, and with a long shudder, he pulled her close again, still reeling from the pleasure. “Christ, I’ve never come so hard in my life.” Lifting her from his cock, he set her on his thighs, his lips on her temple. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  It cost him dearly, and only the thought of hurting her made it possible to withdraw from her.

  He’d never felt anything like it.

  Joshua rubbed her back, inordinately pleased that she still trembled from her orgasm, his chest tightening with pride that she remained slumped against him.

  His heightened possessiveness of her stunned him, the strength of his feelings for her alarming.

  “I didn’t take very good care of you.” He couldn’t resist running his hands over her breasts before fastening her bra and pulling her shirt down.

  Tilting her head back, she opened her eyes and smiled. “I don’t know. That felt pretty good.”

  “Pretty good?” His cock twitched at the challenge, his possessiveness growing inside him and taking on a life of its own. “It was damned good, and you know it. You were surprised and didn’t know what the hell was happening. Hell, it even scared you. You’ve never had an orgasm before, have you?”

  The thought that he’d been the first man to give her such pleasure delighted him, but the stirring inside him as the beast within him fought to be free scared the hell out of him.

  Fiona sat up, staring down at his cock and stirring the beast even more. “That’s not a very gentlemanly thing to mention.”

  “I’m not a fucking gentleman.” The deepening of his voice couldn’t be contained, and he quickly realized that neither could the beast.

  Knowing that shifting in front of her wasn’t an option, and that he didn’t have much time, he shoved the door open and scrambled from the seat, making sure she was covered before he set her on the seat again.

  “I’ll be right back.” Shocked that his voice had deepened even more, he clenched his jaw.

  He closed the door, ignoring her look of shock and hurt, and rushed into the wooded area bordering the restaurant, barely making it in time.

  His skin tingled as he shifted, becoming covered with fur. As the panther took over, his clothes fell away, his hands and feet becoming paws that ate into the ground as he ran.

  Running full out to relieve the tension built up inside him, he pushed every muscle to its limits with the ease of long practice, while fighting to come to grips with the powerful primitive possessiveness and need surging inside him.


  She was his mate, and he knew instinctively that nothing would ever be the same again.

  Chapter Three

  When Joshua retrieved his clothes, dressed, and finally made his way back to the SUV, he knew Fiona would want an explanation.

  He also knew he couldn’t give it to her.

  He could only imagine what her reaction would be if she learned that he was a shapeshifter.

  Her sister had found out by accident and had been scared to death, and Joshua didn’t want that to happen to Fiona.

  Sliding into the driver’s seat, he tossed his jacket onto the center console in case she needed it, accepting her angry glare as his due.

  She had every right to be angry and hurt, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  He’d never cared much if he pissed someone off before, but Fiona’s anger formed a cold knot in his stomach while the hurt emanating from her made him want to throw up.

  After starting the engine, he glanced at her, irritated that she stared straight ahead.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled the blanket closer. “Tell someone who gives a shit. Can we go now?”

  He found himself torn between wanting to fuck her into submission, turning her over his knee and spanking her, and dragging her onto his lap to hold her and explain everything.

  Deciding that any one of them would give him a sense of satisfaction, he doubted very much that it would have the same effect on Fiona.

  He took several deep breaths in the hope of regaining control and, instead, found himself drunk on the scent of vanilla and honey.

  Fuck.

  “I don’t have any diseases.”

  Other than whatever flows through my blood making me half-man, half-beast.

  Pulling the afghan more firmly around herself, Fiona stared out the windshield. “Neither do I.”

  “It’s been a long time for you, hasn’t it? Interesting. Also interesting that you never had an orgasm before.”

  “Bite me.”

  Joshua smiled when she touched her neck. “Lookin’ forward to it.”

  She glanced at him then, her face flushed as she hurriedly lowered her hand. “There won’t be a repeat performance.”

  “Don’t be naïve. The chemistry between us is too strong to ignore. Still, I shouldn’t have taken you without a condom. Your…enthusiasm surprised me.”

  The memory of her passion and the thought of making her pregnant had him hard again in an instant.

  Her lips thinned, making his own tingle with the need to crush them beneath his, her face even redder. “It won’t happen again.”

  Her reluctance to look at him angered him more than it should have.

  Touching her arm, he smiled at her gasp. “Yeah, it will. You like my touch.”

  Stiffening, she looked away, but he could feel her arousal. “I don’t like to be touched.”

  Releasing her arm to fist a hand in her hair, he pulled her closer. “If you try to deny it, it’s only going to make me determined to prove it.”

  She lifted a hand, probably to push him away, but her hand lingered, burning his chest. “Kiss my ass.”

  Smiling when her breath hitched, Joshua kept his voice low and intimate. “Another thing I’m looking forward to.”

  Her eyes darkened, her flush deepening. “Joshua. Jesus.”

  He touched his lips to hers, delving inside to explore the recesses of her mouth, his cock aching.

  She kissed him back with the same passion she’d shown earlier, her sweetness making him mad to possess her.

  Unable to resist, he slid a hand under her shirt to caress her breast.

  She pushed her breast more firmly into his hand, gripping his hair to pull him closer.

  Lifting his head, he looked around to make sure that no one could see them and pulled her onto his lap. “I want my mouth on you.”

  “God, yes!”

  He took her nipple into his mouth, sucking gently, her soft cries of pleasure and the scent of her arousal like a drug.

  And he wanted more.

  Sliding his hand into the front of her sweatpants and into her panties, he parted her folds and began to massage her clit.

  Swallowing her cries, he drove her ruthlessly toward the edge and over, needing to show her that he could as much as he needed her to come apart in his arms.

  He lifted his head, staring down at her as she crested and started to come down, knowing that he’d never in his life seen anything as beautiful.

  She was a bright spot in his dark life, and he couldn’t resist her.

  She was his, and his impatience and growing possessiveness at not being in the position to have what he wanted from him reignited his temper.

  “What were you saying about this never happening again?”

  She blinked, and he deeply regretted his words when her eyes sharpened again. “Bastard.”

  He held firm when she tried to scramble from his lap, some inner demon needing to prove to her that she couldn’t resist the effect he had on her.

  His arousal sharpened, becoming a living, breathing thing that threatened to destroy what little control he had left.

  Sipping a finger into her wet pussy, he groaned. “I don’t like being ignored by you. Don’t do it again, or I’ll have to do whatever it takes to get your attention again.”

  He pressed at her G-spot, his chest tightening when she cried out and began to writhe on his lap, her pussy clamping down on his finger. “I’ve apologized for leaving you. I needed a minute.” Knowing how sensitive her clit would be, he ran his thumb gently over it.

  Gripping his shirt, she threw her head back, her slick inner walls quivering around his finger. “I don’t care. Oh God! I can’t believe I came again.”

  Her denial at caring infuriated him.

  He smiled when she gripped his shoulders and lifted herself to him again. “Yes, baby. You do care, and it confuses you. That’s okay. I’ll be here when you figure it out.”

  Rocking her hips, she kept her eyes closed, her soft cries of pleasure satisfying his possessive need for her. “Get over yourself. I don’t want you.”

  A surge of hunger gripped him by the cock, making him wild for her.

  Lifting her slightly, he freed his throbbing cock and poised it at her slick pussy opening, a low growl rumbling from his chest when she dropped herself onto it, impaling herself.

  With another cry, she threw her head back and bounced on his cock, her hands tightening in his hair.

  The gentle vibrations of her pussy, something he’d thought he’d imagined before, had him tightening his hands on her hips, the intense pleasure stealing his breath.

  Her pussy clamped down on him when she went over again and, to his astonishment, took him with her, her tight pussy milking his cock of every drop of his seed.

  He held her against him, watching for anyone passing by while rubbing her back until her trembling eased.

  Gripping her hair, he lifted her and pressed his lips to her neck, chuckling softly. “As soon as I touch you, you want me. Don’t try to deny it again.”

  Scraping his teeth over her neck, something he’d never done with a woman before, he eased his cock from her and righted her clothes.

  When she would have gotten up, he held her in place, keeping her face tilted to his. “I want to know if you’re pregnant.”

  He met her look of shock with a steady one, needing to make sure she understood that he wouldn’t put up with any lies. “I want to know the minute you know, and don’t even think about keeping it from me.”

  She pressed a hand to her abdomen, her turquoise eyes darkening and going wide as if she hadn’t even considered it.

  Stiffening at the surge of hunger for her, he laid a hand over hers, his jaw clenched. “Keep looking like that and I’ll stop at the next hotel and spend the rest of the day fucking you.”

  To his relief, and unwilling amusement, she giggled at that and scrambled from his lap, sneaking peeks at
his cock as he wiped it clean and fastened his jeans. “Gee, Joshua, you’re a real romantic.” Shaking her head, she righted her own clothing and wrapped the afghan around herself again.

  Bracing an elbow on the center console, he leaned over her, inwardly pleased to see her unsettled. “What I feel for you is a hell of a lot stronger than romantic. It’s raw and sexual, and I’m hard as a fucking rock every minute I’m with you. Don’t expect pretty words from me. I want you too damned much.”

  “Really?” Her eyes twinkled with amusement and pleasure, fueling his passion. “That’s nice, but this was a fluke. I don’t fuck men I don’t even know.”

  “Nice?” Clenching his jaw, he wondered briefly what she would say if he told her all the decadent things he wanted to do to her. “If you don’t want to spend the rest of the day, and possibly the week, in a hotel naked, you’ll stop baiting me. When I have you alone, and we have the time, I’ll show you how fucking naughty you can be.”

  She lifted her chin, her show of defiance amusing with her cheeks flushed from the pleasure he’d given her. “You have a high opinion of yourself.”

  He started forward, keeping an eye on her as he drove out of the parking lot. “I know what I do to you.”

  “I don’t have a lot of experience.”

  “I know.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Wait until I get you in bed and we have the entire night ahead of us. Maybe a good fuck will give you the attitude adjustment you need.”

  Fiona gaped at him. “You have to be the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.”

  Christ, he wanted her. Smiling just to piss her off, he pulled into a gas station. “Or will ever meet.”

  Glancing at her, he lowered his voice. “I can’t wait to work my cock into you again. Hell. You only took half of it and came like you’ve never been fucked before. I also can’t wait to get my mouth on you. I have a feeling that, once I push those thighs wide and bury my face between them, I might never stop.”

  “Not going to happen.”

  Despite having come twice, his cock twitched again. “Keep challenging me, baby, and I’ll just have to show you how wrong you are.”

  “Just stay away from me.”