“So where are we going?” demanded Hester for the fourth time.
“Surprise,” said Antonio, glancing away from the road to enjoy her petulant expression.
Hester sniffed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I hate surprises, remember that time I got kidnapped – hated it.”
Antonio laughed. “This is a pleasant surprise – I promise.”
Hester grumbled and groaned, and he ignored her. She was going to like this, even if she tried to pretend she wouldn’t.
“Ooh, pull over here!” she cried, pointing and grabbing his arm until he did. Antonio frowned at the roadside stand selling fruit, vegetables and baked goods.
“If you’re hungry…”
“It’s not that, just wait here and I’ll be right back.”
Hester virtually skipped out the car, and his hands tightened on the wheel as she started having a lively conversation with a large male. He had to be a shifter, but he wasn’t one Antonio recognized. How could she already know a shifter in town that he didn’t? She’d barely been his kidnap victim for a week! His jaguar snarled. He was about to go out there and howl the word mine when Hester came rushing back and jumped in the car.
She flashed him a smug smile and waved her hand at the road. “C’mon, kitten let’s get going to your surprise.”
Antonio gave her a suspicious look, but he started driving. “What was that all about?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said airily.
Was she trying to get away from him? Had she made plans to escape with that large shifter? The man was huge, had to be a bear at least… His jaguar was working his way up to a furious shift when something clicked into place.
“Was that…”
Hester nodded, rolling her eyes at his slowness. “Yep, your mother’s future boyfriend.”
His protectiveness went into overdrive. “Oh, hell, no!”
He was about to swing the car around when Hester grabbed the wheel to stop him, only swerving a little and earning them a few honks from other drivers.
“I have to…”
“Do nothing,” she finished. “Your mother’s a lovely woman who is also very lonely. He likes her, and she likes him, so there’s no reason they shouldn’t get together.”
“I don’t like it,” grouched Antonio, though he didn’t make a move to try and turn round again.
But this was his mother. He couldn’t allow her to get hurt. Besides, his father hadn’t died that long ago. What were two decades in the scheme of things?!
Hester reached out and traced a finger over his ear. “You don’t have to like it,” she cooed in a gentle tone, “but you will put up with it.”
His jaguar almost purred, easily placated by her. “So bossy,” he sighed.
“You have no idea.”
“If he hurts her…”
“Then you’re free to beat him to a pulp.”
Antonio nodded. As long as she understood that, he guessed he wouldn’t try to interfere.
“So where are we going?” she demanded again, her momentary gentleness quickly gone.
“Still a surprise.”
“Grrrr!”
*
It was worth all her complaining to see this.
The cheetah hurtled along the beach, kicking up sand, outstripping all the other cat shifters and generally having the time of her life. Antonio had tried to keep up with her but gave up when it became apparent she was much too fast for him.
He knew it had been difficult for her, not being able to let her cheetah run free – not to mention everything that had been happening in the leap, so he thought a day out might help relax her. Truthfully, he needed it too. He had always been happy in the leap, but now, after what happened, he couldn’t deny that suspicion was setting in. His home didn’t feel as safe as it used to, and he was both angry and frustrated by that. He was trying to get Hester to stay with him and yet he couldn’t even protect her. He pushed those thoughts aside and tried just to enjoy their time together.
The jaguar dropped into the sand and allowed the shift to take over. Both jaguar and man appreciated watching her running up and down, chasing nothing and frolicking in the waves. She really was a beautiful creature, both in and out of her shifted form.
The beach belonged to the lion pride. It was private for shifters to shift and do as they pleased. Even now he saw a few of the pride cubs running, chasing each other’s tails while their parents yelled at them in exasperation.
He watched her as she ran, slowing only to approach the water and sniff. A wave lapped at her, and she jumped back, leaping through the air like an acrobatic cat. Antonio chuckled, and the cheetah looked up at the sound. She cocked her head to one side and trotted towards him.
“Hey, girl,” he murmured.
Antonio reached out to pet her, and she huffed, but he did it anyway, and she let him. He smoothed his fingers through her silky fur. Slowly, her body returned to her human form, and he pushed her hair behind her ear.
Pink cheeked and happily tired from her exercise, Hester flopped back onto the beach blanket with a look of content.
“So, good surprise?” he asked.
“Yes,” she admitted only a tad grudgingly. “It is nice here. There are plenty of lovely beaches back in Los Lobos but none that are shifter only.”
“The lion pride lets us run here whenever we want.”
Usually, they didn’t need to. Younger males came here to sunbathe occasionally and when they were trying to impress some of the younger lion shifters – given that the leap had no lionesses, he would say that never worked. But usually, they had plenty of their own land to run on – but Antonio didn’t think it was safe at that moment. Which is why he brought her all the way out here, hopefully away from danger. Still, his jaguar was on alert, and he kept a watchful eye around him for potential danger. That is when he wasn’t keeping a watchful eye on her. His eyes wandered down her body, and she reached out, slapping his cheek lightly.
“Eyes up top, buddy.”
“C’mon, Hessie, I’ve seen you naked before.” He had, and every night in his dreams – it was not something he was able to forget or get out of his mind.
Hester smiled and leaned back, folding her hands beneath her head, closing her eyes and soaking up the sunshine. “But those times you were too preoccupied to ravish me senseless.”
His eyes skimmed over her curves, lingering on her full breasts, circling her belly button and trying to avoid the soft curls on her mound altogether. Focusing too hard would lead to urges that would be difficult to ignore. The shifters were allowed to be nude on the beach; they were not allowed to hump.
“True, I tell you what, I’ll just ogle you and hold back on the ravishing. Besides, I don’t mind you taking your fill of my body.”
“Yes, the past two nights have made that clear,” she said dryly.
He had slept by her door again – hey, someone seriously tried to hurt her, and since she didn’t seem inclined to either join him in his bed or invite him into hers, he was stuck outside her door. He slept there as his jaguar, though every time she came out of her room for either a glass of water or to use the bathroom he made sure to shift and give her an eyeful. Strange, last night, she seemed to leave her room an awful lot, and when she did, she didn’t bother pulling on her robe. Nope, she paraded in front of him in the tiniest of shorts and crop top. Almost like she was doing it on purpose…
“Would you like me to rub sunscreen on you?” he offered, very generously and certainly not worthy of the sharp look she sent him. “You can rub it on me – anywhere you like.”
Hester’s eyes sparkled naughtily. “I think there’s one area of you that doesn’t require any rubbing at this moment in time.”
Antonio let out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, I guess we could go and get some lunch instead.”
“Mmm, sounds like a plan – and then another run, right?”
Her face lit up with excitement, and he chuckled.
“Sure, another run.”