With a laugh, she bounced toward the waterfall. They both lathered up their faces and hair, then stuck their heads under the spray.

"Oh, that feels wonderful." She smoothed her hair back, then noticed that he was gone. "Carlos?"

His arm shot through the waterfall and dragged her through.

"Ack!" She wiped the water off her eyes, then gasped. "Oh my gosh. It's a grotto." She pivoted, taking it in. The water fell like a shimmering, misty curtain in front of them. Behind them there was a small opening in the rock wall. There was a ledge just above water level. Surrounding the opening, green moss gave the rock wall a rich, tropical look. "It's incredible."

She looked around. "Carlos?" He'd disappeared again.

He swam around the edge of the waterfall, pushing the bamboo tray in front of him. "I brought the soap."

"That's very kind of you."

"At your service." He dipped his fingers into a bowl and tossed a glob of soap on her chest.

With a laugh, she moved closer to the ledge, where the water was only up to her waist. He followed her and smoothed the soap over her shoulders and down her arms.

She grabbed a blob of soap and rubbed it over his broad shoulders and chest. "You're so beautiful."

He snorted. "This is beauty." He covered her breasts with his soapy palms and massaged gently.

With a groan, she arched toward him.

He pulled her against him, and their slick, soapy chests rubbed together. His erection pressed against her stomach, and a desperate need made her ache for him.

"Carlos." She ran her hands up and down his back.

He kissed her brow, then trailed kisses down to her lips. When she opened her mouth for him, he kissed her with a ferocious hunger that made her fall limp against him.

He nibbled a path down her neck, then pulled back with a grimace. "Soap." He splashed into the deeper water with her and ran his hands over her body to rinse off the soap.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. They kissed again, with the spray of the waterfall misting their faces.

He lifted her higher and with a growl, he nuzzled his face in her breasts. She giggled. His whiskers were ticklish.

She gasped when he sucked a nipple into his mouth. He suckled hard as he moved them back toward shallower water. He released her breast and reached for more soap. He slapped it on her rump, then massaged it onto her cheeks.

She dug her heels into his back and pressed herself against him.

"Ah." He looked down. "My favorite part." He dipped a hand into more soap and slipped it between them. He rubbed her pubic hair, then delved deeper.

She gasped at the feel of his fingers exploring her folds.

"Lean back," he whispered. "Float in the water."

She fell back. He kept one arm under her hips to support her, and she locked her feet around his waist. Water lapped against her ears. The world was still and peaceful, and all she could feel were his fingers moving gently between her legs. It was sweet and delicious. She could do this for hours.

She jolted when he suddenly tweaked her clitoris.

"Something wrong?"

"I - " She gasped when he rubbed the nubbin between his thumb and forefinger. "Carlos?"

He launched into a full assault on her senses, and she floundered in the water. With a chuckle, he lifted her back into his arms, then resumed the exquisite torture.

She clutched at his shoulders, panting as tension coiled inside her.

"I want to taste you." He set her on the ledge and dove between her legs.

She cried out at the feel of his tongue, licking and tickling her. His lips clamped onto her clitoris and suckled. She screamed as all the tension in her body shattered.

He grinned and pressed a hand against her. "I can feel you throbbing. You're wet and swollen."

"I - I..." She gave up on speech. There were no words for it. Her body was still shuddering with spasms. She reached for him and was glad when he took her into his arms. She was far too limp and ragged to support herself.

She rested her head on his shoulder and gave a sigh of contentment. "That was perfect."

"That was just the beginning."

She jolted when something hard nudged her where she was still sensitive and swollen. "Oh."

"Wrap your legs around me." He took hold of her hips and positioned her against his erection.

She glanced down. He was magnificent. Large and swollen. Moisture seeped from her, and her skin tingled where it pressed against the round tip.

He moved his hips from side to side, wedging himself between her folds. She shuddered. This was it. She'd wanted this from the first night she'd met him.

"Will you be mine?" he whispered.

"Yes." She lifted her gaze to meet his. There was so much love in his eyes, she thought her heart would burst. She lay her hand on his cheek. "I love you, Carlos. I will always love you."

"Catalina." He kissed her lips, then rested his forehead against hers. With a sharp, sudden thrust and a pull on her hips, he buried himself deep inside her.

She gasped, stiffening a second, then slowly adjusting to his large size. "If you tell me you're only semi-aroused, I'm going to scream."

He chuckled and kissed her brow. "My God, I love you."

"Really?"

"Mmm." He kissed her mouth. "I've known it for some time."

"Really?"

"Mmm." He kissed her again.

"For how long?"

"Sweetheart, do you think we could talk after I finish screwing you?"

She feigned a huff of indignation. "Men. So incapable of multitasking."

He swatted her rump, and she gasped. "That's it. Keep your mouth just like that." He planted his lips on hers and invaded her open mouth with his tongue.

He moved her hips, rocking her against him, gently at first, then harder and harder. They stopped kissing when their breathing became more labored. Soon they were panting, and he was thrusting into her with a desperation that brought tears to her eyes.

She whimpered as her climax lifted her higher and higher, then screamed when it broke free. He let out a long groan as he pumped himself into her.

They held each other tight as their breathing slowly returned to normal.

"I can still feel you inside me, throbbing," she whispered.

"Mmm."

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

A gong sounded in the distance.

He grunted. "I forgot we weren't alone in the world."

"I wonder what they want now?"

He moved through the water, still holding her, and they rounded the waterfall.

A woman emerged from the forest with something folded in her hands.

"I think they're bringing us clothes," Caitlyn murmured.

The woman set the folded material on the grass, then spoke in a dialect Caitlyn had never heard before. "Please dress yourselves, and join us for dinner." She turned and hurried back into the forest.

Caitlyn repeated the request to Carlos, then they swam to the shore. He ran to fetch the clothes, then brought them back to her.

She quickly donned a blue tunic that hung past her knees, while Carlos put on the baggy blue pants.

She glanced back at the waterfall. "I'll always remember this."

"We'll have lots of memories." Carlos took her hand and led her to the forest.

Just inside the tree line, the woman waited with her eyes averted. "This way." She scurried down a narrow path.

"Can you understand her?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, but it will be a while before I can talk to her."

They came to a village that was similar to that of the Akha tribe. Wooden houses stood on stilts, and the villagers were gathered around a central fire. They grinned at her and Carlos and nodded their heads.

"Please, sit." The woman motioned to a bamboo mat big enough for two.

Caitlyn took a seat and pressed a hand to her chest. "Cait." She gestured toward the woman.

"I am Malai." The woman smiled, then passed them a wooden plate filled with rice and some kind of grilled meat.

"I'm starving." Carlos popped a piece of meat in his mouth. "It's good. Tastes like chicken."

"Which means it could be a frog." Caitlyn pointed across the village. "There are our clothes. They must have washed them." They were hanging on a line to dry.

"Welcome." A large man dressed in baggy green pants sat on the mat beside them. He had long black hair and golden eyes. He introduced himself.

"Oh." Caitlyn was surprised. "This is Raghu," she told Carlos. "He was much furrier the last time we saw him." She smiled and bowed to him.

Carlos bowed. He pressed a hand to his chest. "Carlos." He motioned to Caitlyn. "Cait."

Raghu inclined his head. "He is a were-panther, yes?"

Caitlyn nodded and replied in English, "Yes."

"You do not speak our language?"

She shook her head no. "Not yet."

"But you understand me?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"You can communicate with us when we are shifted."

"Yes."

"That is most unusual. I have never met a human with that ability." Raghu accepted a plate of food from Malai. "She is beautiful, yes? She is my mate."

"Ah." Caitlyn nodded, then said "Yes" in his language.

Carlos leaned close to her. "What is he talking about?"

"He's married to Malai." Caitlyn smiled at the woman. "I agreed that she's beautiful."

"Oh." Carlos went back to stuffing food down his mouth.

Raghu chewed on a piece of meat. "My mate came from the Lisu. They are known for their beauty."

Caitlyn tilted her head. The Lisu were a hill tribe, completely mortal as far as she knew.

Raghu regarded her curiously. "I do not understand why you are still human."

She gave him a perplexed look.

"Your mate is a were-panther, but you are still human. Is he reluctant to bite you?"

She sat back, confused. She wasn't fluent yet in the were-tiger's language, but she managed a few words. "Why...bite me?"

Raghu's golden eyes shifted from her to Carlos. "He must bite you in order to make you a were-panther."

"What?" Caitlyn scrambled to her feet.

Carlos jumped up. "What? What's wrong?"

Her shock quickly sizzled into anger. "You - You jerk!"

"What?" He glanced at the empty plate in his hands. "Okay, I ate all the food, but it's not the end of the world. I'll get you some more."

"You can bite me and make me a were-panther?" she cried.

His face paled and the plate tumbled from his hands.

Chapter Twenty-four

Tears blurred Caitlyn's vision and she trembled with anger. How could he not tell her something so vitally important? "Why didn't you tell me?"

He leaned over to set the wooden plate on the bamboo mat. "I can explain."

"You should have explained weeks ago! What the hell are we even doing here?"

"We can discuss it later in private."

"I'm upset now!" She glanced around the circle of villagers who were watching her curiously. Damn, she was providing them with a soap opera. She lowered her voice, but it still shook with emotion. "At least tell me if it's true. Can you turn me into a were-panther by simply biting me?"

A pained expression crossed his face. "In theory, yes."

"Then in theory, you never had to come here to look for a were-panther mate. You could have taken me!"

"Catalina - "

"What was wrong with me?" Her old fear came reeling back at full force. "You didn't think I was good enough?"

He scoffed. "You're all I've ever wanted. I'm not giving you up, even if I find a jillion were-panther women."

She blinked. "You - You're staying with me?"

"Yes." He scowled at her. "I thought I made that clear in the grotto."

She scowled back. "I thought that was...sex talk."

"That was love. I told you I love you." He pulled her into his arms and fastened one hand to her jaw to force her to meet his hungry gaze.

The village women sighed in unison.

Caitlyn thought she might melt at his feet. "So you don't want to marry a were-panther now?"

"No. I want you."

"When did you decide that?" She didn't know whether to kiss him or slap him. He had her so confused.

"I've been considering it for a while."

"And you didn't tell me?" She pushed away from him. "I'm still angry at you."

He gave her a bewildered look, then picked up the plate and handed it to Malai. "Can you get her some food?" He pointed at the plate, then at Caitlyn.

Malai nodded and scurried away.

Caitlyn snorted. "It's not about food, Carlos. It's about honesty."

He stiffened. "I haven't lied to you."

"You kept the truth from me. You didn't tell me you were planning to stay with me."

"I didn't realize I needed to. As far as I'm concerned, we're already married."

"Well, it would have been nice if you had told me. And what about your little habit of dying every now and then? You should have told me about that. I suffered needlessly."

He arched a brow. "I suffered a bit myself."

She winced. He had a point there. "You still should have told me. I'm detecting a pattern here, and I need you to be upfront with me so I can trust you."