The Lion Within (Ghost Cat Shifters #1) (7 page)

“Daniel Hayes,” he replied. “Let me guess. You’re a friend of Sophia’s?”

Vivi released her hand and laughed softly. “Of course. Though you don’t have to look far to find one of those in Painter.” If he hadn’t seen the evidence of that himself tonight, he’d have guessed it. Her nature was warm, friendly and welcoming—yet another quality that drew him to her.

Vivi slid into the booth beside Sophia. “Since I’ve never seen you around, you must be new to Painter.”

Daniel sensed Vivi knew who he was, but she was polite enough to let him tell her. “Depends on what you mean by new. I was born here, but my family moved away when I was only three. I moved here for the summer and maybe longer.”

Vivi nodded. “Painter’s an awesome town. Do you have any family around?”

Daniel glanced between Sophia and Vivi. “I’m guessing you probably know the answer to that. No need to dance around it. I know what happened to my brother.”

Vivi’s eyes sobered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

He cut her off. “It’s not like it’s easy to bring up my family and how people remember them around here. Painter’s not that big. I’ve had a long damn time to get used to what happened.”

Vivi’s eyes widened. She nodded firmly. “Okay then. Gotta say, I’m a fan of direct, so I’m glad you just cut through my polite bullshit there.”

Her blunt comment made him chuckle, which eased the tension that had sprung up at the table. A waitress arrived to take their orders, and Vivi stood up.

“I’m actually here to work a shift at the bar. Just wanted to say hi since I saw you.” She caught Daniel’s eyes. “If you like burgers, try Quinn’s special. It’s got this amazing barbecue sauce. They make it right here.” At that, she gave a small wave and turned away, jogging to the bar and ducking behind.

Their waitress was waiting, so they quickly ordered. Daniel decided to follow Vivi’s advice and go with the Quinn’s special burger. “You a fan of the house burger too?” he asked Sophia.

“Of course! They make a damn good burger here. Nothing too fancy, but delicious.”

Dinner passed quickly. There were frequent interruptions from other customers. All the while, Daniel could hardly keep his eyes off of Sophia. His cat simmered under his skin. When their waitress collected their empty plates, Sophia glanced toward the door where there was a cluster of people waiting for tables.

“We should probably go,” she said, nodding in the direction of the door.

“Probably.” He didn’t mind departing per se, but he didn’t want the night to end. In fact, he was well past any pretense with himself. He wanted Sophia.
Now
. If he’d learned anything in life, it was that one never knew what might happen. He’d lost a brother he barely remembered, but whose loss echoed in his life to this day. With both of his parents passing away in recent years, the drumbeat of now drove his choices. It’s what led him to make plans to move to Painter as soon as he could. The rational, thinking part of his brain told him he shouldn’t rush and he should take things slow with Sophia. The feeling part of his brain and body chafed against reason, reminding him again and again he might lose an opportunity if he thought too hard about it. The lion in him merely wanted her with a ferocity unlike anything he’d experienced.

He realized Sophia was waiting. He abruptly made a choice. “We probably should go, but I don’t want tonight to end just now.”

She held still, a flush moving slowly up her neck and into her cheeks. “Oh. Okay. Um, we can go back to my place if you’d like.”

“Sounds good to me.” He stood and held his hand out. Sophia placed hers in his, and he pulled her up slowly. When she was standing, he glanced down. Her eyes were dark. He stroked his thumb across her wrist. Her pulse raced under his touch. He felt a slight sense of relief to know she might be as affected as he was.

***

Daisy greeted them at the door when they came in. Sophia kicked her shoes off and hung her jacket. “I have to feed her really quick. Just give me a few minutes.”

Daisy immediately went to Daniel, nudging his hip with her large head. Daniel followed her toward the kitchen with Daisy shadowing his steps. She’d hoped for a brief respite from the intensity of his presence. Every second with him sent flames licking through her. She hadn’t wanted the night to end either, so she’d been simultaneously relieved and anxious when he said as such. Her heart and body were clamoring for him, while her mind kept butting in.
You don’t have time for a relationship. You don’t even know what he wants. A little fun wouldn’t be a bad thing. But what if you want more than a little fun?
Round and round she went in her head.

She quickly got Daisy’s food ready and set her bowl on the floor. Daniel had stopped in the archway between the living room and kitchen. His shoulder rested against the wall. His navy gaze held her. She felt caught in a powerful undercurrent. She had no idea how long she stood there frozen in place, but she was knocked out of her trance when Daisy walked past her and curled up on her giant dog bed in the living room. With a satisfied sigh, Daisy promptly fell asleep.

Daniel pushed away from the wall and closed the distance between them in a few strides, stopping right in front of her. His eyes coasted over her face. Her pulse ricocheted wildly. Tendrils of fire slid through her, suffusing her with heat. The air around them compressed, thick with desire.

He cleared his throat, the sound audible in the quiet room. “I’m, uh, not sure what you’re going to think, but I think I should say something.”

She could barely think over the pounding of her heart and the need clouding her thoughts, but she managed a nod.

“I want you. I’m pretty sure you want me too, so I’d rather not play games if that’s okay with you.”

His voice was low and gruff. It sent shivers racing through her. Part of her was relieved at his words because they echoed how she felt. Right here, right now in this place where she didn’t want to think too hard, she wanted to give herself permission to simply experience whatever lay between them. She couldn’t seem to form words, so she took a step toward him. His hands reached for hers, his large palms curling over hers, warm and strong. His touch moved seamlessly, his palms sliding up her arms and past her shoulders. One hand threaded into her hair, cupping the back of her head, while the other slipped around her back, resting in the dip at her waist. She took a shuddering breath and looked up at him.

His head tipped forward. His lips were a fraction away from hers for a second. Her entire being drew taut, anticipation coiling tightly within her center. Suddenly, his mouth crashed against hers. The desire that had been simmering within burst into flames. His hand tightened in her hair, and she savored the pull. His tongue delved deeply, tangling with hers. In seconds, she felt like she was on fire. Their kiss went on and on—hot, wet, deep, and drugging. By the time he tore his mouth free from hers, she was gasping and her pulse was running wild. The scrape of his stubble on her neck notched the heat even higher inside. He traced a path down the column of her neck, along her collarbone and followed the curved edge of her t-shirt.

She stroked her hands under his shirt, gasping at the feel of his hard muscles under her palms. His hand slipped loose from her hair, sliding down her back in a heated stroke before dipping under the edge of her t-shirt and sliding back up. With a flick of his thumb, her bra came undone and his palms came around to curl over her breasts. His touch was sheer relief—her breasts were hot, heavy, and aching for his touch. He took his time, his thumbs stroking back and forth over her nipples, teasing her to near madness. She could feel the heat of his shaft in the cradle of her hips and arched against it, seeking relief from the liquid need building and building between her thighs.

His hands stilled, and he pulled back a fraction. Wildness spun within, pushing against her. His eyes held hers, dark and intent. “We need to stop now if we’re stopping.” He bit the words out with his jaw clenched tightly.

She couldn’t have stopped if she wanted, so powerful was the need rushing through her. She was driven only by the need to have him—completely. She didn’t know if it was because it had been so damn long since she’d been with anyone, or if it was because the attraction to Daniel was its own primal, pulsing force. She didn’t care to ponder it just now. She realized he was waiting for her reply as they stood there. The air around them nearly vibrated with the tension. “I don’t want to stop.” Her words came out raspy, rough from the edges of her desire.

He nodded sharply and took a step back. Cool air filled the space between them. She felt bereft and experienced a moment of confusion until he spoke. “Bedroom?” His palm curled around one of her hands, warm and strong.

“Oh, right. Over there.” She gestured to the small alcove on the far side of the living room.

He turned, her hand held firmly in his, and led the way through the door into her bedroom. Her bed had been passed on to her from her grandmother. It was a large four-poster bed with a canopy above. She’d wound gauzy white fabric through the canopy, so the light fell through in muted shades. Pillows were piled high in many colors. Daniel sat on the foot of the bed and tugged her into the space between his knees. His hands rested on her hips. His eyes held hers as he slowly slid his hands up, catching the edge of her t-shirt and dragging it up. The fabric bunched under his hands as they coasted up her sides. By the time her shirt was lifted up and over her head, she was nearly dizzy with need. Her breath came in shallow gasps. Her t-shirt fell to the floor in a slow arc as he tossed it loose. She shook out of her bra. She experienced a flash of self-consciousness, which dissolved the instant she caught his eyes on her. They were dark with desire.

He proceeded to drive her mad with his hands and mouth. He started just above the waist of her jeans—kisses, soft and rough, the scrape of his stubble on her skin, the calloused surface of his palms tracing circles. He mapped his way up her abdomen slowly, so slowly, she thought she might die of need by the time his lips coasted along the undersides of her breasts. Her nipples were peaked tight. He caught them between his thumb and forefinger, lightly pinching before his lips finally closed over one. A low moan tore from her throat at the relief. He alternated between them until she was arching and flexing against him, frantic to be closer.

She yanked at his t-shirt. He reached behind his head and lifted it up and off in one smooth motion. She got only a glimpse of the glory of his muscled chest—all hard planes—before he pulled her against him. She sighed at the feel of him against her. He was so tall that seated on her bed, they were nearly level. He caught her lips in a kiss—slow, wet, and deep—while his hands stroked up her back, bringing her flush against him.

She needed more, and she needed it now. She took a step back, ran her hands down his chest and tore his jeans open. She curled her palm around his cock, hot and hard under his briefs. His breath hissed through his teeth, and he moved swiftly. He stood and turned, lifting her up and stretching her out on the bed. In seconds, he’d tugged her jeans down. She kicked them loose and watched while he peeled his off. He stood at the foot of the bed in a pair of black briefs, his arousal more than evident. He leaned over and lifted his jeans. He tugged his wallet out and out of that a condom, which he tossed to her nightstand, his aim dead on.

With the burn of his gaze on her, Daniel stretched out beside her. The air shimmered around them, heavy with need and longing. Sophia was nearly overcome with the depth of sheer want rolling through her. She waited, barely able to breathe, as his eyes traveled up her body. He lifted a hand and dragged the backs of his fingers slowly up her abdomen, tracing lazy circles around her nipples. Every touch was like sparks on tinder, fanning the flames higher and higher. He traced up and then back down over the curve of her belly. Her sex clenched, drenched with need. He cupped his palm over her mound, that subtle pressure nearly causing her to orgasm right then and there. She shifted her legs restlessly and gasped his name.

He dragged a finger over the black silk between her thighs. Back and forth, back and forth, grazing the nub of her desire. Her hips arched into his touch. Suddenly frantic, she rolled over and straddled him. His cock rested between her thighs. The slow burn flashed hot and high. The next few moments were a blur as she curled her legs and rolled her hips against him—streaks of pleasure arcing through her with every nudge of his cock against her. He rolled them over again and stretched her arms above her head, her wrists held firm in his grip. With his other hand, he yanked her underwear off and kicked his own loose. For a long moment, he froze above her and then dipped his head, catching her lips in a fierce kiss. She heard the tear of foil and then felt the tip of his cock at her entrance.

***

Daniel forced himself to hold still. His pulse pounded while need clawed at him. Sophia’s eyes met his, her green gaze hazy and dark. She curled her legs around his hips and arched into him. In a swift surge, he sank into the creamy clench of her channel. Her gasp fed the fire raging through him. He wanted to go slow, to savor this, but he couldn’t. His need was too primal and ran too deep. He managed several long, slow strokes, biting back a groan at the feel of her slick channel throbbing around him. When his name fell from her lips in a gasp, the reins on his control broke. He pounded into her with deep surges. Tremors ran through her, and her head thrashed wildly against the pillows. A heady satisfaction coursed through him when she cried out and arched into him, her nails scoring his back. He let loose with a growl, his body going rigid just before his release came. He fell against her, immediately shifting his weight to the side so as not to crush her. Their mingled gasps were the only sound in the room.

Chapter 7

Sophia slowly drifted down from the heady sensations coursing through her. Daniel had untangled himself a few moments ago and stepped into the bathroom to dispose of his condom. He’d immediately returned to the bed and tugged her close. Her body was only now beginning to cool. His palm was warm on her back, moving in slow circles. As the pounding beat of desire quieted now that her need had been slaked, awareness sifted into her consciousness. She had enough sense to know what had just transpired between them was far beyond what she’d expected. She wasn’t quite ready to face what that might mean for her, so she shook the thoughts away.