One week later
“Nice party,” murmured Hester into Antonio’s ear.
“Not too late to turn it into a mating ceremony,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Love your optimism, honey,” she purred as they moved slowly to the music, “but no.”
“You’re really making me work for this, aren’t you?”
Hester smirked. “Kidnapping is not wooing – so yeah, you gotta put in the work first.”
“You know, traditionally we always mate two weeks after the kidnapping.”
“I’m not really a traditional girl, and some traditions are meant to be broken.”
Antonio and his jaguar grunted impatiently, and he dipped her again. It was a romantic move, plus he got to look down her top. Win-win. He perhaps lingered a little too long, because Hester cleared her throat.
“You finished getting an eyeful yet?”
“Am I that predictable?” he asked, pulling her up again.
“Well, that was the eighth time you’ve dipped me during this last song alone. I kind of cottoned on after the third or possibly fourth time.”
Antonio pressed a kiss to her forehead. No, she wasn’t ready for the mating ceremony, but she wasn’t going anywhere. Or rather, she was ready to mate with him, but she was making him work for it, either as punishment or perhaps to prepare him for what mated life with her would be like. It didn’t matter why. He wasn’t complaining. His jaguar snorted. Well, okay, he was complaining – as often as possible – but he didn’t really mind. She was his. She had declared it – screamed it – in front of his whole leap and a large number of SEA tactical officers, plus her mother.
He glanced over at Millicent who was shyly flirting with an older leap mate – Jorge. All unmated females attracted attention in the leap, and the lovely Millicent was definitely no exception. In fact, Gerardo had now approached and was trying to whisk her away from Jorge. Oh dear, looked like there was going to be a fight.
It took a while, but Hester finally convinced Millicent that she was there of her own free will… technically. Well, now she was. She hadn’t been at first, but now she was, and she was happy to be there, in spite of everything that had happened to her. After a few days of growling at him whenever she saw him, Millicent was now pleased to see him and actually coming round to the idea of him as a son-in-law. His own mother had also helped with that – she was a calming influence on everyone.
He glanced over and couldn’t help the snarl as he witnessed his mother kissing that damn bear shifter, Roman. His jaguar’s first instinct was to run over there and tear them apart, but the cheetah in his arms kept him from acting rashly. No, he would count to ten, calm himself and then run over there and tear them apart.
“What’s wrong… ah.”
Hester caught sight of them and started sniggering.
“It’s not funny.”
“No,” she agreed unconvincingly.
Antonio curled his upper lip, his ire rising as he watched the bear slide a hand around his mother’s waist. Liberty taking bear complained his jaguar.
“C’mon, honey,” cooed Hester, taking his hand. “Let’s go for a run.”
He paused glancing at his mother. He wanted to stay and make sure that didn’t go too far, but taking a run with Hester meant she would shed her flimsy little dress and… and… That was no choice at all. He smiled and followed her, his jaguar pacing with excitement. She put an extra little wiggle in her step; he rumbled in appreciation, and his jaguar panted. He’d follow her anywhere.
The day he showed up at that truly terrible speed dating event and met Hester had perhaps been the luckiest day of his life.
*
Antonio didn’t take too much convincing. Or maybe she just knew the right buttons to press.
Hester swung her hips, enjoying the scent of his rising arousal. Perhaps she was being a little mulish in putting off the mating ceremony, but there was no rush. It wasn’t like she was intending on leaving.
She had thought she would have a few doubts, and maybe some regrets about agreeing to stay, but she didn’t. It was perhaps the best decision she ever made. Course, she had set down a few ground rules. The first being that she demanded a shopping trip back to Los Lobos at least once a month. He easily agreed to that – on the proviso that he didn’t have to stand outside the changing room holding her purse in every single clothes shop she entered.
The second rule was that she got a run on the lion pride beach twice a month. Antonio hadn’t agreed to that quite so readily – thinking she wanted to go there to see that suntanned lion shifter, Brodie. She didn’t – that male was a little too laid back for her taste – and she made sure Antonio knew it.
There were other rules – about his mother making her breakfast, her having a real job, their first child being named Satan – she added the last one as a bargaining chip to appear reasonable when they negotiated. But the niggles were easily ironed out.
Hester led him to the edge of the compound and stripped out of her clothes. He gawped for a few moments, admiring the view, before shucking his own clothes.
“Ready?” she asked while he was still pulling his pants off. “Good, let’s go!”
“Wait, no, I…”
The shift quickly took hold, and her cheetah shimmered to the fore and took off running as fast as.. a… well, as fast as the cheetah she was. The sun was just setting, and she hurtled across the leap land, chasing the last rays. Vaguely she heard her jaguar plodding behind her, struggling to keep up. That just made her run faster, delighting in the wide open space. Delighting in the freedom. Some could argue that being almost mated and living with the leap was the least free she had ever been, but it didn’t feel that way.
Hester decided to quit her job in Los Lobos. True, she hadn’t liked her job, but it had been a wrench to quit it completely, and for a moment or two, she had felt like she was about to take a massive leap without a parachute. But then two big, muscled arms surrounded her and she felt happy again. Even inspired her to pack up her belongings and give notice at her apartment. There really was no going back.
Roberto wanted her in charge of all the pack businesses, and while that wasn’t her area, she was pretty darn sure she would do a better job than the last guy. Plus, just wait until anyone tried to negotiate with her – she would most assuredly crush them.
Living with Antonio’s family would definitely take some getting used to – his brothers always seemed to need the bathroom when she was taking a shower… But the place was starting to feel like home even after a few days. True, her mother likely wouldn’t leave, but perhaps if Hester were to find her a decent man, maybe she could be happy again.
The cheetah slowed her frantic pace, pondering that. She didn’t honestly think that all a woman really needed was a man, but she knew her mother was lonely, and there were plenty enough males in the leap who wanted nothing more than a female to worship.
Her ears twitched, listening for her errant jaguar. Where was he? She had slowed to give him time to catch up – did he need an invitation to join her?
She yipped as the jaguar unexpectedly tackled her. They tumbled to the ground, growling and snarling playfully until the jaguar finally had her pinned. He roared at her, and she licked him. The jaguar almost looked surprised, and as he shuddered through his shift, Antonio was laughing. She gave him another lick with her rough cheetah tongue.
“Ugh, c’mon, Hessie – shift.”
Hester wriggled beneath him as her body changed and she grew into her human form. Antonio panted over her, still keeping her pinned, but apparently nearly suffering a heart attack.
“What’s wrong?” she asked innocently. “Am I wearing you out?”
He snickered. “Kind of.”
“And we haven’t even gotten to the fun stuff yet.”
She brushed her thigh over his hardening manhood, eliciting a lengthy groan.
“Hessie…” he warned.
She ignored him completely – no change there – and gave him another lick.
His eyes swam with gold. “We can wait until the mating ceremony,” he offered, even as his member pulsed and pressed against her. “I don’t mind.”
“Liar,” she cooed and nipped his chin. “Besides, I mind.”
“Traditionally…”
“I think I’ve been a good sport about all this tradition malarkey, but…”
“Good sport?” he spluttered. “You complained and growled constantly.”
“And that was me being a good sport!” she argued, irritation lancing through her, “but…”
“You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh!” Her cheetah yipped as he cut her short in a most delightful way.
Antonio ran a thumb over one of her eyebrows and traced her cheeks. “Thought it the moment I saw you. None ever has or ever will compare to you. Even if you had left me, I’d never want anyone but you.”
Her soppy beast swooned. Damn him. Making her fall in love with him – this right here was why she was so darn smitten.
“I love you, Hessie,” he murmured and tweaked her nose.
“Iloveyoutoo,” she mumbled under her breath.
“What was that?” he smirked.
“I love you, too, you idiot!” she snapped, and Antonio hooted with laughter.
Hester shut him up with her lips. It was a perfect kiss, full of passion and toe-curling goodness, and words were no longer needed. Which was good because when they talked he needled her and she lost her temper – though neither minded that much.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her core against him. There was no hesitation now, she had wanted this since the moment she saw him, had known how perfect he was, and knew that being with him was just so right. She had just been too stubborn to admit it. Thankfully, it was one of her qualities he loved. Which was good because she had it in abundance.
The swollen head of his manhood kissed the honey-drenched entrance of her sex. He paused, teasing her until she growled into his mouth, demanding he hurry. With a smug groan he pressed inside her, his hot, hard, length filled her so deliciously full.
Hester angled her hips as he thrust inside her, stroking every sensitive inch of her. She cried and purred in ecstasy as her mate took her to heaven all night long.
Their beginning may not have been fairytale… although considering some of the bizarre fairytales out there, maybe it was. Their short time together had been fraught with tension, and a lot of murder attempts, but the future would be different, and she couldn’t wait to start making new memories with her mate.
The end