"Stop thinking about sex. You're making me hard."
"You're always hard. That isn't me." She said it without thinking and then bit her lip. Why in the world did she have to have a sassy mouth? She usually just thought her sass and smiled sweetly. He seemed to like her sass, and right now, in the bedroom, it was far too intimate between them.
"It's you."
Just the way he said it, his voice decisive. Low. Seductive. She didn't need him to seduce her with his voice--she was already there.
He pushed her tank up slowly. Not fast. Slowly. She felt his breath on her bare skin. Warm. Soothing. The pads of his fingers brushed lightly. Seductively. Every nerve ending in her body awakened. She felt the pulse of her heart hammering secretly between her legs. His breath was closer. Closer still. Her lashes drifted down and there was one fleeting thought of self-preservation, but then his lips touched her. Barely there. A brush.
Electricity arched through her. Bright. Hot. A sizzling fire that sank into her veins and seemed to settle there. His gentleness was so unexpected, so unlike his dangerous demeanor, it disarmed her every time. There was no thought of running, only of lying there, drifting into a world of pure feeling, her body not her own.
His mouth moved up her spine, his lips claiming every inch of her backbone. She felt the nip of his teeth and the soothing lap of his tongue, but mostly, the whisper-soft touch of his lips on her skin. The blood in her veins turned to molten lava, a slow spread of heat that turned her body to liquid pleasure.
No one in her entire life had touched her with such tenderness. Such exquisite gentleness. She'd never had care, and this felt like caring. There was no resisting Fyodor when he was like this. She could barely believe it was the same scary man with the violent leopard she knew him to be.
Fyodor pushed the thick braid of hair from her shoulder and poured oil into his hands, rubbed them together to warm the oil and then dropped them to her nape. His hands were large, his fingers strong as he began to massage her neck. "Tell me what you fear the most, Evangeline. The first thing that comes to mind."
She answered before she could think about it, her voice drowsy. Almost sensual. Not hers. "You'll take over and dictate. I'll have no choice in my life. No control."
There was a brief silence as he massaged the oil into the tense muscles of her neck and shoulders. "I won't pretend I'm an easy man. I'm not. Will I try to dictate to you? Of course. Do I think you'll allow it? No. You're a strong woman and I admire that in you. You'll know when I won't budge on something and I'll learn the same about you."
"You've already taken away choices." She didn't look at him, preferring to keep her eyes closed so she could absorb the feel of his hands moving over her tense, tight muscles. It was paradise, another pleasure she'd never experienced.
"Only one, devochka moya, you cannot run from me. There is no escape. You've been claimed. The rest of it is all choice. You can choose whether or not to love me. You can choose to keep your bakery. You have more choices than I do in this thing between us. I cannot be far from you or my leopard is mad with rage. With you, he is calm and I don't have him raking and clawing for blood."
"I don' want to be wanted because I calm a leopard." She murmured that truth as well. There was no lying to a leopard, and right then she didn't want to. He'd given her a glimpse into his childhood and that alone made her want honesty between them.
"Do you think that's even possible, devochka moya? Because I do not. I came to your bakery for you, not your leopard. I may have suspected you were a shifter eventually, because of the way my male reacted, but not at first. No, you are not wanted for your leopard alone, Evangeline."
Her breath hissed out of her lungs in a long, slow rush of confusion. There was no denying the honesty of his declaration, she could hear it in his voice. He wasn't saying he was in love, but he wanted her for Evangeline, not her leopard. That made it even harder to try to find resistance when she really needed to. His hands were a miracle. She never wanted him to stop. Never. She couldn't help but equate the massage with caring. He was so gentle. He paid attention to detail.
She hadn't known a man could touch her that way. His hands like magic, moving over her skin, finding every place that hurt, releasing the tension until she wanted to cry with relief. At the same time, his hands brought her something else, heat and liquid need. Hunger that was pleasant, not sharp and terrible. It built gradually, but wasn't so overwhelming that it scared her. The feeling only added to the pleasure.
"You want to keep your bakery. I want to lock you up somewhere safe. You get to keep your bakery because it means that much to you. Keeping you safe means that much to me, but making certain you're happy does as well." He rubbed more oil between his hands to heat it before rubbing down the center of her back and then flaring out to get every sore muscle. "So cameras, bulletproof glass, guards. We'll make it work."
"Bulletproof glass?" she echoed. She couldn't find the energy for anger, not when his hands were magic. But still, she couldn't let him get away with it. "The truck driving through my window."
"Timur is nothing if not thorough."
"I'll spit in his coffee tomorrow."
There was a small silence, and she opened her eyes just enough to look up at his face. There was that fleeting flash of amusement, as if every bit of humor had been stamped or beat out of him and he couldn't hold on to it. But he felt it. She gave him that and she liked giving it to him.
"Livin' with a violent man and an equally violent leopard." She blurted out the worst of her fears. He needed to know because there was nothing to be done about that. Nothing. That was the deal breaker. He could compromise or she could on almost everything else, but how did one fix that?
"Are you afraid of me, Evangeline? Afraid that I'll hurt you?"
How could she answer when his hands were so gentle? Gave her so much care when no other hands ever had? But she was afraid. Of him. Mostly of his leopard. "You said yourself that your cat hated every woman you've been with and wanted to kill them. Even if he doesn't want to kill me, he's so scary. He is. You know he is. Whatever made him like that doesn't matter. It's what I would have to deal with all the time. And now, with her risin', I don' have any choice. I don' want this relationship. I don' know the first thin' about bein' in a relationship. Or bein' with a man."
"That's your worry? That you won't know what to do?"
She bit down on her lower lip hard to keep from blurting out anything else. She sounded like an idiot. She just had to stop talking to him.
His thumbs dug into her lower back, easing the tension there in spite of the fact that she was already stiffening beneath his hands again. "Relax, malyutka, I'm going to try something. Just stay still, keep your eyes closed and trust me."
Evangeline didn't like him telling her to keep her eyes closed. She'd been doing it most of the time, but the minute he told her to, she wanted to see what was coming. He kept massaging the oil into her back and she couldn't help but relax beneath his magic hands. With a little sigh she let her lashes drift down.
Immediately she felt the slide of fur along her bare skin. A blast of hot breath signaled the leopard was lying beside her, his face pressed against her shoulder. The Amur leopard's fur was thick and long. It felt a little like heaven sliding over her skin, but at the same time, she knew how close those teeth were. The claws. The male could kill her in less than a second.
She held her breath. Waiting for death. Her female didn't react, didn't rise to protect her. She felt the cat stretch languidly, a long slow rub and then she settled. When her cat came close to the surface, the male made that strange purring noise. It was odd, not like a domestic cat's purr, but distinct and definitely a sound of pleasure.
Her leopard communicated with him. Evangeline felt her movement, felt that moment of connection between the two cats. It hit her hard on several levels. She felt betrayed. Her leopard had been her only companion since birth. Her only real family. No one else had ever shared her, nor had the cat
felt inclined to allow anyone to know she existed. She'd been exclusively Evangeline's.
Tears burned behind her eyes and she jerked her body, trying to get out from under the heavy cat. He was big. Really, really big. Like Alonzo was big. All roped muscle, heavy bone and thick fur. He didn't budge and instantly she felt the change. Skin to skin. Bare skin. Hot. Arms around her.
"Ssh, Evangeline. Don't fight me. Just lie still and listen to me." It was Alonzo's breath in her ear, not the leopard's. One hand bunched in her hair, the other massaged the nape of her neck. His heavy weight didn't move off of her, pinning her to the bed. One thigh lay over hers, holding her down.
"He says she isn't quite ready to rise, but she's going into her heat. We have time and that's a good thing."
"I don' want this. I don' want either of you. Not you, not your leopard." She pressed her body against the sheets trying to make herself smaller. "Please just go, Alonzo, and don' come back."
He rolled, caught the sheet and pulled it up over the two of them. "I'm not going anywhere, Evangeline. You want me and I want you. Your leopard has been claimed by mine. We'll work this out. Right now, you're very tired and you need to sleep."
She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, trying to make him go away. She couldn't deny she wanted him. Her body did, not the rest of her, although she was a little worried her heart was becoming involved. That was the last thing she wanted. She kept her head turned away from him.
You talked to him. That was an accusation.
He is my mate. He wanted to reassure you.
Evangeline's breath caught in her throat. The leopard had been trying to reassure her, not her female.
He was worried about you. I am worried. Why are you so upset?
That vicious killing machine had been concerned about her. Evangeline didn't know what to think about that.
I'm afraid.
They would never hurt us. Can't you feel their caring? In any case--the leopard yawned and curled up--I would kill them both if they tried to harm you.
Her leopard gave the impression as she always did of them--the two of them united. One. Evangeline was certain the leopard couldn't actually fight and win with the male leopard, but it was nice that she thought she could. That she thought she would.
Taking a deep breath, pulling Alonzo's wild scent into her lungs, she forced her body to relax. The instant she did, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him so that his body curved protectively around hers. She held her breath, held him there inside of her, but all he did was bury his face in her hair for a moment.
"Go to sleep, woman. This isn't the easiest thing I've ever done."
Why that made her smile, she didn't know, but she fell asleep with the scent of him surrounding her, his body close, his arm possessive and a smile on her face.
8
"I'VE claimed her," Alonzo announced, looking around the table, his gaze resting on Joshua Tregre, Evangeline's self-proclaimed cousin. They were all there. His allies. The men he knew he could count on. There were few of them and all of them lived a precarious existence, a double life.
Joshua scowled. "When the hell did that happen?"
"She's mine. She was always mine."
Joshua had been set up in Bayou country, taking over the territory of a very ruthless crime boss. Evangeline's home turf. He was younger than some of the others, but no less battle scarred. He'd been raised in Borneo and had worked for Drake Donovan's team there, rescuing kidnap victims. His leopard was fast and an experienced fighter.
"You'd better be good to her, Alonzo, she had a shit childhood and she wanted out," Joshua said. "All the way out."
Alonzo didn't respond, but he was going to grab Joshua after the meeting and find out what "shit childhood" meant.
"Was it wise to claim her now?" Drake Donovan asked. Drake was the man they all looked up to. He was the force behind what they all did. Taking down crime lords, setting up their own people to fill the void so someone worse wouldn't take over. They cut back in the areas they could and ruled with an iron hand where they needed.
Drake was interesting to Alonzo because he was married to Saria Boudreux. Saria had been a friend to Evangeline and probably knew more about her than anyone else. Alonzo had gone through Evangeline's phone. She had two numbers she called, not frequently, but more than any other--Saria, and a woman named Pauline Lafont Jeanmard. Saria, she texted occasionally. Never about Alonzo. As far as he could see, she'd never mentioned him to anyone, at least through text. He'd like to talk to Saria.
Alonzo looked at him without expression. "She's mine." That said it all. He didn't need to defend his actions, nor would he. Evangeline was his woman. Her leopard was his male's mate. That was enough for any lair, and he'd challenge anyone trying to deny him. He'd win. He was fast and he only knew all or nothing. He didn't fight for fun. He didn't fight for glory. He fought to kill.
Drake sighed. "Bad timing, but I guess finding one's mate takes precedent over everything else. We got word that Emilio is shipping a load of weapons to Indonesia. We all know what that means. He's using his furniture business as his cover. The weapons are built into the furniture. We don't yet know when he's going to actually send them out using his trucking company. My man will let us know when that is happening. We can't allow that shipment to make it to Indonesia."
"How reliable is that information?" Elijah asked.
Elijah Lospostos, the man with the largest territory, an international monster that he was slowly taking apart, piece by piece, was a man they all listened to. He was considered the most dangerous of the men at the table. He had married Siena Arnotto, and that made him family. Alonzo was all about loyalty, and he'd given his to Siena when she was just fifteen. Now that loyalty extended to her husband. She was in the early stages of pregnancy but she was carrying triplets, so all of them were watching over her--something she didn't like. He'd like Evangeline to meet her.
"His word is gold," Drake stated.
"Is Emilio going to lose his mind when he finds out that Alonzo has claimed Evangeline? He wanted her. He made that clear at the table," Joshua said. "We've got an enemy in Patrizio Amodeo. If Bassini loses it over Evangeline, we'll be fighting on two fronts."
"It's bad timing," Elijah agreed. "Emilio is hard to predict. If his pride is hurt because Joshua stepped in to stop his claim on her then he'll go after Joshua. He could be upset at Alonzo and go after him."
"Will he hurt a woman?" Alonzo asked.
Elijah shook his head. "It isn't his style. He's protective of women as a rule. I was surprised he didn't come across the table and slap Patrizio when the man insulted Evangeline. We've weakened him as a boss. If he doesn't throw in with us, Patrizio will swallow him up and he knows that."
"If we take this shipment, that could tip the scales," Drake said, reaching across the table for the coffeepot. It was Cajun coffee, black and strong, something they all needed. "We don't want Emilio taken out as a boss. He's one of the better ones."
Jake Bannaconni let out a sigh. "I'll have to agree with that. We don't have anyone ready to take his place yet." He glanced at Timur.
Timur lounged against the wall looking for all the world as if he was bored, but Alonzo knew better. His brother was aware of everything and everyone. He was ready to spring into action the moment there was need. He'd been raised the same as Alonzo, and his leopard was equally as vicious and cruel. Alonzo also knew Timur would kill anyone to protect his brother.
"I'm not going to ask you two why you aren't admitting to the relationship," Jake said, looking from Alonzo to Timur. "But if there's a problem that could jeopardize what we're doing, we need to know."
Alonzo didn't look at his brother. There was nothing to say. Sooner or later their uncles might find out they were still alive and come after them, but that time wasn't now. He shrugged. "You wanted me in the position of the king. I told all of you it wasn't for me, but you insisted. You want someone else, I'll stand down." That would make i
t so much easier with Evangeline. She didn't want a criminal for a husband. He was all that word implied and more.
"Sorry, Alonzo," Elijah said, not sounding it. "You're a natural and we need you. Patrizio will go to Custer Carlson next. Custer will demand too much from him, and he knows that, but he'll have no choice. I sent the message to him this morning that there would be no alliance between us. I told him we like to fly under the radar and his need for the spotlight didn't fit with us, but we held no animosity and would certainly do business with him any time."
"Alonzo." Drake sent him a small grin. "You managed to piss off just about everyone with your defense of your woman."
He didn't respond. There was no response to make. He wouldn't apologize for keeping Patrizio in line. He resisted looking at his brother. They'd discussed killing the bastard, the pros and cons. Both were for it, believing that he'd come after them eventually, but they'd decided to bide their time. They didn't want anything coming back on them, and the "undercover" cops had been all over that meeting in the bakery. There was no doubt that they had pictures of every single person attending. Multiple pictures. When they killed Patrizio, they wouldn't want anyone to know they were involved, not even the men sitting at the table--the men they trusted most.
"Watch your back," Elijah advised.
Timur stirred, but didn't speak. The atmosphere in the room grew tense for a moment. Every leopard could feel the rage of the male lounging against the wall, looking on the outside as cool as ever. Inside, his leopard raked and clawed for freedom and the other leopards in the room reacted. Alonzo shot his brother a quick, quelling look. Timur shrugged.
"So what do we do about this shipment?" Jake brought the conversation back to the present problem. "We don't want Emilio to lose his trucks. That would cripple him beyond recovery. If he loses the weapons, he'll lose a lot of money. He's already in a bit of trouble. I took apart three of his most lucrative companies and that's hurt him."
"No cops, he'd lose his trucks and end up facing a trial. The cops would love to nail Emilio to the wall," Elijah said.
"So we take the weapons when the trucks are heading down the highway in the early morning hours. He'll send them out around two or three A.M. We'll hit them hard, put the drivers on the ground and hope the guards aren't stupid. There's a strip of access road we can use, right off the freeway. Flatten a tire or two and they'll pull off. We transfer the furniture to smaller vans and get out of there," Alonzo said.