Cougar's Victory (9 page)

Dax moved towards the pool stairs with Effie still attached to him. She was kissing down his neck, stopping to suck hard which made his cock flex between them.

He didn’t say anything to make her stop. He was worried the sound of his cat would be too close to the surface and she’d freak.

When he reached the stairs, he let go of one of her firm thighs to grab the railing and heave both of them out of the pool. Once they were out, he returned his hand to her ass and gave it a squeeze. Effie squeaked out her pleasure at the rough grab.

Walking them through the house, he didn’t care he was leaving a soggy trail behind them. He walked into his bedroom and strode up to the bed and pulled Effie’s legs from behind his back, she fell back onto the bed and looked up at him like a very seductive water nymph. Her skin was shiny and her white bathing suit was practically transparent. Her nipples showed through the fabric, dark and puckered.

Taking a few steps back, Dax put his hands on his hips and stared at the floor trying to gain control.

“Dax? Are you okay?” Effie asked, sitting up on the bed. From the feeling of his erection she thought this was slam dunk. She was more than happy to be in his bed. He was sexy, smart, kind, and clearly thought she was the cat’s meow. But now he was across the room from her looking like he didn’t want to be with her.

“Give me a minute, baby. I’ve pretty much been hard as a rock since yesterday and my little brain is in control right now. I need my big brain on board so I’m over here getting a little perspective,” he explained.

He looked up to see Effie on the bed, dripping wet with her arms around herself. He could see the goosebumps forming on her skin in the cool air conditioning of the house. Turning into the bathroom he grabbed two fluffy towels and came back to her, wrapping one around her shoulders and using another to dry her legs. As he was kneeling on the ground he tried to figure out how to say what he needed to say.

Once her legs were dry, he gave each of her knees a kiss and moved back to his position across the room.

Effie was confused, her horny train had hit a brick wall when he’d dumped her on the bed. She still wanted him, but sensed that he needed something from her first.

“Talk to me, Dax. I’m kinda getting worried here,” she admitted.

“I’m sorry, I really don’t know how to do this as I’ve never had to before.”

Taking a shot in the dark, she asked, “Are you a virgin?”

Laughing, Dax said, “No, not a virgin.”

“Okay then, are you an alien sent down from another planet to breed with earthlings? I read a book like that once, it was hot,” she teased.

“Nope, not an alien. Good guess though. Okay how about I base what I have to say on how you react to big news. Are you an ease into it, tiptoe around it, use euphemisms kind of person? Or are you a straight shooter, hit you with the hard stuff, rip off the band-aid type?”

Dax figured this would narrow down the ways he could screw this up.

“I want honesty above all else, Dax. Tell me straight out whatever it is. I’m a big girl, I can take it,” she told him. She never liked when people hedged. It had always made her nervous, even as a kid. Too many adults talking about her behind her back or whispering when she was in the same room. Honest people she could read and trust, it was the only way she’d let her foster parents and Cassie in.

Dax nodded and turned walking into the bathroom, grabbed another towel and dried off as he slowly came back. He was really just buying himself some time to formulate his plan.

Dropping the towel he saw that Effie was sitting patiently, although there was an air of worry about her. He knew he was acting strangely, his cat was setting up a hissing fit telling him to get on with it. He wanted his mate too and he didn’t like having to hide from her.

Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms over his chest and took a deep breath.

“Do you believe in the paranormal?”

“What like vampires and ghosts?” Effie replied. “I’m undecided mostly. Vampires probably not, ghosts? I really hope not, too many people are assholes when they’re alive, I can only imagine if they were dead.”

“What about things like…werewolves?” he hedged.

“Are you telling me you’re a werewolf?” she scoffed.

“No,” he said.

“Good, I was about to call the looney bin hotline,” she said laughing.

“I’m a shifter, a cougar to be exact,” he said, looking at her, no expression on his face. No laughter, no smile. Just him outing himself to his mate.

Effie was going to start laughing again, but something stopped her. He wasn’t smiling when he said that. He looked…what, serious?

“Dax?” she asked, her confusion was palpable in the room.

“I’m a cougar shifter, Effie. I share my body with another soul. I can change into a cougar whenever I want. Been one my whole life. I was matched at birth with the soul of a cougar. Other shifters are matched with their own animals. It’s who I am,” he explained calmly.

Effie froze. He was telling her he was an animal, or that he could change into one? She should have known, handsome, rich, charming, sexy as hell, and certifiably crazy. Damn, her jackpot just went straight out the window.

“Shit, Cassie always told me the good ones are either married, gay, or dead. She forgot to mention wacko.” Sighing, Effie stood up and started picking up her clothing. She’d have to call a cab to get home.

Dax saw the disbelief pass over her face and he expected her to get angry or laugh at him. But the quiet resignation really freaked him out.

“Sweetness, please don’t go. I’m not crazy, I swear. I can prove it!”

Effie turned around and gave him a look of utter annoyance. “What, are you going to wave a magic wand and turn into a tiger?”

“Cougar, actually,” he quietly corrected.

“Whatever!” Effie flipped her hand into the air, turning back to her clothes.

It was now or never. Dax stripped out of his shorts and gave his cougar the lead. A shimmer of sparkling light washed over Dax as his cat came forward. He shook out his coat and gave a stretch in his skin. Remembering they weren’t supposed to scare her, his cat sat back on his haunches and gave a loud purr.

Effie spun around and let out a yelp, “What the fuck!” She clamored up the bed with her back to the headboard. There was a very large, very real mountain lion sitting across from her. Then she mentally corrected, cougar. Wait, what was the difference? Damn she’d have to Google this when they let her out of the asylum.

“I’m hallucinating or I’ve been roofied.” She covered her eyes like it would make it go away. Then she realized she really needed to keep her eyes on the giant cat in the room.

“This can’t be real,” she whispered. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and she had the urge to cry. Her emotions were bouncing back and forth and she really didn’t have a clue how to pin them down.

“Please don’t eat me. I’m really sure that I would not enjoy that at all. How about I make you a deal, big kitty, I put on my clothes and walk out of here and we both forget this ever happened.”

The cougar that had been sitting, now stood up on all fours and walked over to the doorway and laid itself across the threshold. Giving her a look that told her he didn’t accept her deal.

“Fine,” she mumbled, then wrapped her arms around her knees. “Great, scared lady, big cat, showdown. It’s like a bad reality TV show.”

The cat’s ears perked up a bit at that. Effie was trying to wrap her head around the possibility of this being real. Sexy millionaire Dax Hayes was a werecougar? Effie wasn’t even sure that was a real thing. What else could people turn into? Bunnies or birds? Who would want to be a bunny? Damn, she needed to get a grip. What if this was real, what if her sexy sorta boyfriend was inside the big cat lying on the floor.

“Dax?” she whispered, feeling like a total idiot.

The cat flicked his head up and made a huffing sound. Then he stared at her, his eyes shining bright at her.

“Damn,” she whispered. Those eyes looked like Dax’s. But they couldn’t be, could they? She glanced up when the cat purred loudly. As she watched, the air around the cougar started to shimmer. Colors spun around it, then in a blink, Dax was sitting on the floor, very naked.

Dax sat still watching Effie’s eyes bug out then tear up. But being Effie, she took a couple deep breaths and squared her shoulders before offering up, “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

It wasn’t a question. It was very much a statement. Dax didn’t blame her, he could only imagine how this must look. But honesty was what she wanted, he just hoped this wasn’t the worst she could have expected.

“Effie, baby, tell me what you’re thinking,” he said calmly. Not spooking her was really high on his priority list right now. Also he was totally naked, which although he was confident in his body, put him at a slight disadvantage.

“Give me just one second,” she said, holding up the index finger on her hand. She then proceeded to drop her head to her knees and start muttering. Dax couldn’t make out everything she was saying, but he heard the words, ‘twilight motherfucker and why me,’ but on the plus side she hadn’t bolted yet.

Effie finally managed to stop swearing in her head and out loud and lifted her eyes to Dax. “What’s your middle name?”

Not expecting that to be her first response to him being a shifter, he asked, “Why?”

“Because when I lay into someone I find it very useful to have their middle names,” she explained calmly.

“Montgomery,” he sighed.

Taking a deep breath she let herself vent, “Dax Montgomery Hayes, I am a reasonable woman. I’ve seen a lot of shit in my day. In fact, I’ve lived through most of it. But how dare you get me to have all these mushy feelings for you without telling me you’re a cat! I mean really! Would I have invested all these feelings for you if I had known?

I’m not sure, but I’d have at least been able to factor in the idea of my future partner, husband, or whatever into the equation. Does anyone else know about you? Is this some secret I’ve just been missing out on? Like jeggings? Which I’m not really missing out on, but they are comfy,” she added looking a little distracted.

“No, Effie. You aren’t the only one who didn’t know. We have to keep our kind a secret. Can you imagine if people knew? They like to see them in movies and books, but real life isn’t so easy. Humans frighten easily and that’s no joke. We have survived this long by living quietly and not declaring who we are. We like it that way. It’s safer for our families and very much safer for our young. They are the most vulnerable to people who don’t understand.”

Effie contemplated that, being different, even a little different wasn’t easy. People always judged fast and harshly in her experience. And babies, who wouldn’t do whatever it took to protect their children?

She had so many questions, but there was one that she needed answered before she even decided whether to stay and hear the rest.

“Why me?” she whispered.

“Oh, baby, that’s an easy one. You’re my One. My kind believes that the fates match us with our one true mate, just like they matched us with our animals. Our cats are the perfect soul mates for us. And being two souls in one body you can imagine you can’t leave finding the perfect mate for those two souls up to chance. They sent me you. My partner, my mate, my lover, my best friend. I already think of you as all of those things. My soul recognized you the second we met.”

“It did?” she asked. She really wanted to believe that. Because what girl wouldn’t want that to be true?

“Seeing you the first time, was like coming home. My brain knew you were my mate, my heart knew you were my partner, and my dick totally knew you were my woman,” he said with a sly smile.

“Yes, well, our first meeting was quite the expression of interest on your part,” she sniffed, but couldn’t help a little smile at the memory of the conference room table.

“Can you handle a little more honesty?” he asked her.

Effie nodded, in for a penny, in for a pound she figured.

“I could totally use the “L” word right now, but I don’t want to freak you out. But I will say this, you are my world, Effie Parks. I will happily spend today and every day after, convincing you that I want to spend every minute I can with you. I want to protect you and spoil you. I want to keep you in bed and make love to you until neither of us can walk.

I want to plan a future with you, build a life here with you. Have a family. Everything, and although it sounds like it’s just words to you, there really is no other option for me. My entire life’s happiness is going to depend on me fulfilling all of those things with you.”

Effie’s mouth had dropped open a bit at his speech. It was a good one, like, a really good one. She couldn’t think of one time she’d ever heard a man say those things so clearly and with such conviction. Especially one sitting on the floor naked.

“Do you love me?” she asked, she figured after what he said, this was not an anti-penis spray type question. You know those questions that girls ask that totally make the erections run and hide.

“Yes,” he answered.

“How do you know?”

“Easy, it’s like breathing. You are beautiful, funny, smart, and totally unpredictable. I like you, my cat likes you, which by the way his desire to rub his fur on you is bordering on obsessive. But it’s like knowing the sky is blue. Think of something in your life that you have zero doubt about. It’s like that for me,” he said simply

Effie thought about it for a moment. There were a number of things that she was totally certain about. Like her mom despising her. That Cassie would jump in front of a bus for her. That fishnet stockings should only be worn by those with a fashion permit. Dax was everything she thought she could ever want. Her heart was oddly calm and clear when she focused her attention on it.

She liked Dax a lot. She really could see a future with him. So what if there were a few snags? Every couple has things they have to compromise on. So her guy turned into a large predatory animal. Better than an asshat ex-boyfriend who tried to choke her out.

“I’m not sure what you want me to say, Dax,” she responded.

“Say you’ll stay here and keep talking with me. Say you will give me the chance to answer all of your questions. Just give me a chance,” he pleaded.

Effie figured that wasn’t too much to ask. Plus he’d put his claws away. “Will you hold me for a bit?” She decided to keep things simple and ask for what she needed right at that moment. Yes, her new man was a cougar, but she knew that he didn’t just spontaneously sprout into a cat. So she felt safe getting close to him. Besides she needed a hug damnit.

Dax was up and slipping on a pair of boxers before crawling into the bed. He wrapped her into his arms without hesitation. He pulled her tight to his chest and hooked a leg around hers, wrapping her in his warmth. Dax felt her curl into his chest and rub her face against his skin. His cat liked that.

Placing a kiss on her head, he whispered, “I’d never hurt you Effie, neither would my cat. We’d die for you and it would be impossible for us to ever do anything to physically harm you.”

Effie heard the words and somehow knew he was telling the truth. After the initial shock of seeing that cougar sitting in the bedroom, she never got any feeling of aggression from him. He was almost like an overgrown housecat.

They laid on the bed for a while, Dax kept up a steady rubbing over her back and arms. Occasionally he would place a kiss on her head, tell her it was going to be fine. That he’d make everything all right.

Effie had been lulled into an almost drugged state, when she felt something grow in between them. Pulling her head back she raised her eyebrow at Dax.

“What? I’m still a man. I’m cuddled up to a very sexy, mostly undressed, and delicious smelling woman. What did you expect?”

“A little decorum, if you please,” she said snottily. But honestly, she was well aware of how amazing his body felt against hers. She was quickly becoming wound up again, as her mind drifted back to the pool before they’d been cut short by ‘the talk’.

“With you, I’ll never be able to hold back how I feel. I want you Effie, I need you. Clearly I’m ready for anything you may be up for. But there is more I need to tell you.”

Effie sighed and pushed back so she was lying on her back on the bed but Dax’s arms were still around her.

“Lay it on me,” she said with a dramatic sigh.

Dax laughed and kissed her on the nose. “Complete honesty?”

“Why stop now?” she snorted.

“Being my fated mate means you are my one and only for eternity. I’ll never even look at another woman. Well I’ll look, but I won’t ever desire anyone but you,” he amended.

Effie gave him a keep it rolling gesture with her hand. She could still feel his erection pressing against her thigh and it was distracting, in a good way.

“When a mate is found and is human, you have to choose to bond with me. We can have sex, but it’s going to be difficult for me to not want to complete our bond. To do that, I have to mark you.”

“Mark me how?” she asked, she was all cool with ink, but not anything surgical.

“Well, when two shifters mate, they bite each other, right here,” he said pointing to her shoulder where it met her neck.

“When it’s a human and a shifter, the shifter bites their mate while they are having sex. This introduces shifter DNA into the human. It would change you on a fundamental level. You wouldn’t turn into an animal, but it would enable you to carry a child that will most definitely be a shifter. This will also slow your aging process, which is a good thing, because shifters live a little longer than humans.”

“How much longer?” she asked.

“A while…” he said, his eyes darting away from her.

“Dax Hayes, how old are you?” she asked, she was becoming very suspicious of this conversation.

“Technically, I’m fifty-one years old,” he admitted.

Effie was silent for a moment, then threw out, “Dude, I’m dating an older man. Hot!”

Dax threw his head back and laughed. God, she was amazing. He had expected her to be crying or running for the hills. Not laughing with him that he was half a century old. The fates had truly found him the perfect woman.

“I know this is a lot to take in Effie, and I want to give you time to figure out what you want. But I have to let you know, I need you now like I need oxygen. I want your body, I’ll want to worship every inch of you every chance I get. I want to see you round with our cubs, I’d like a few, maybe five or six. But we can talk. I want you to live with me, help build our new house, the business. I’ll never let anyone touch you again. I’m not just saying I’m a jealous man, but if you commit to me and we bond, there is no turning back. Ever. Your mind, body, and soul will belong to me, just as mine will belong to you.”

Effie was totally overwhelmed. Twenty four hours of good, now the world was spinning in the wrong direction, polar ice caps were melting, and they’d run out of cream filling at the Twinkie factory. Mass chaos and she was supposed to make a decision? She could barely choose a pack of gum lest she regret her flavor choice.

“Dax, what if I’m not ready for the all-in commitment? What does that mean for us?” she said after she finished watching him laugh.

“It means, we keep doing what we’re doing. Dating, getting to know each other. But I won’t be able to resist trying to convince you to keep me,” he said, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her mouth.

Kissing him back, Effie wasn’t sure what the future would hold. But she was sure that she wanted more of Dax Hayes.

“I’m not ready after a few days, to commit to someone, even if they are as awesome as you,” she said wryly. “I’ve had a lot of people let me down over the years and I’m honestly a little gun shy. I do like you, Dax. I do want you too, in my bed and in my life. Eternity? I’m not even sure what that means.”

Dax reached a hand up and cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone. “I’ll teach you about forever, Effie,” he said low, looking into her eyes and letting his cougar shine through.

He heard Effie suck in a breath when she saw the glow ringing his iris. “Wow, that is wicked cool,” she said in a hush.

Laughing, Dax said, “I’ll have to remember that to distract you when necessary.”

“Yeah that totally works,” she whispered.