Night of the Lions (Lions of Manhattan 1)

“Shit!” Gabriel slammed into her savagely. He nailed her to the bed, one brutal slam after another.

She was delirious with need. “Yes, please…”

The storm of pleasure gathered, threatening to erupt. Every fibre of her being screamed with manic need. Gabriel fucked her harder. Cat exploded. The world darkened for a long moment.

New pain burst on her shoulder. She didn’t realise until later that Gabriel had bitten her at the height of his rapture.

But Cat was too exhausted to make a big deal of it. As soon as she drifted back to reality, she was spent. Sleep overcame her.

Cat emerged from the shower as Gabriel finished dressing. Her hair was damp, and she was only wrapped in a towel. He had a sudden urge to yank that towel off and ride her for a couple more rounds in bed. Gabriel shook it off. He thought last night might have been a bit too much for her. She looked pale.

“You okay?” he asked, concerned.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re walking kind of funny.”

She threw him a scowl. “Try having a cock your size and shoving it into your ass. You’d be walking funny too, mister.”

“Hey.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’m just worried, okay? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“What about not lying to me?”

“About?”

“Werelions and stuff.”

“That. I was thinking of taking you to see Oliver Duval.”

“Duval? Where are you keeping him?”

“Two floors down. In my guard’s quarters.”

“And his pit bull bartender too?”

“His name’s Ramon Ramirez. He worked as Duval’s muscleman.” Gabriel grabbed the basket of freshly laundered clothes and placed it on the bed. “My housekeeper has washed this for

you. It would be more comfortable than wearing my shirt.”

“My clothes.” Her eyes lit up. “You know, being bare-ass sucked.” Cat took her panties and slipped them on. “Why did you detain Oliver Duval, instead of reporting him to the police?”

“It’s what I call damage control. I’d like to take care of the problem quietly first, if it’s manageable by me. I want to see if he’s connected to your client, Judith Rossi.”

“Is he?”

“Duval denied he knows anybody named Judith Rossi.”

Cat put on her bra. “He told me that. Why did he kidnap me? First I thought you were somehow connected to my kidnapping. But then you wouldn’t have taken me to the ER if you’re really my kidnapper.”

“Duval was going to blackmail you.”

“Blackmail? Why the hell would he blackmail me? I’m broke.”

“Not for money. He was going to videotape you naked so you would work for him.”

“In his titty bar? The nerve of that son of a bitch.”

“I will give you the pleasure of kicking him around a bit later.”