ONESSA FELT LIKE HOME. Like his. He wasn’t going to think about what it all entailed; instead, he opted for his earlier statement. When she’d presented her ass to him, he’d been momentarily stunned. The tattoo on her back was him. Or at least it looked like him in cat form. The eyes, the markings, the tree the cat lounged on—it looked exactly like the tree he would sit in with his late wife, Una. Focus on the now.

Sliding into the slick opening at her core, Cyr hissed. He couldn’t help himself. She felt so fucking good. He didn’t want to be away from her, he didn’t want to lose the connection they shared. He refused to be quick. He would take it nice and slow.

Cyr glided his fingers along her stomach and hips. He placed his hands underneath her thighs, lifting her legs so she’d wrap him up nice and tight as he thrust deep. A continuous movement that threatened to take him over the edge. The walls of her pussy milked him until he had no choice but to give in to his primal desires.

Picking up the pace, he rode her harder. His thrusts became precise. He was falling to pieces, over a woman he hardly knew. When she clawed his back, Cyr swore he could see stars as his eyes closed against his will. He quickly changed positions, making her straddle him. “Ride me.”

He was close, but she was closer. He lost concentration as she rode him while his hands gripped the globes of her ass.

Grinning up at her, Cyr said, “Gotta keep up.” He pushed her onto him with brutal force. He could feel the tip of his cock touching the very heart of her, and by the sounds coming from her mouth, he could tell she loved every minute of it.

“You just worry about staying up, I can handle the rest,” she breathed against the side of his neck. Her back arched, and her hands tangled in his hair as she clutched him to her. The force of her orgasm was his undoing, and as her body shook in his arms, Cyr let go, his loud grunt drowning out her passionate cries. 

Onessa collapsed on top of him, her body shifting slightly to the side.

“I can’t move. Don’t ask me to. The answer is no,” she said on a quiet exhale.

Cyr pulled her deeper into his side and kissed the top of her head.

“Sleep. Tomorrow we cook.”

“You think my ankle will be okay,” she asked groggily.

“Yeah, you were fine tonight. If it starts to bother you, I’ll bring in a chair.”

Her response was a deep snore. Cyr smiled to himself. This could work.

THE NEXT COUPLE OF weeks were a blur of cooking, laughing, and lots of lovemaking. Onessa was fascinated with all things Cyr. They lounged on a thick branch of one of the willow trees, the hanging leaves creating an intimate curtain around them. She had her back to the trunk, and Cyr’s heavy head rested in her lap. He’d shifted and climbed up so he could lounge on her. She sat rubbing his head; his black fur thick and soft as she tugged on his ears. He purred like a house cat, only louder. His large body straddled the limb with his tail and legs hanging on either side as his head rested in her lap. From a distance, he looked completely black, but up close, she could see his leopard print pattern.

“You two look super cozy up there.”

Onessa looked down at Alaric, who smiled.

“Thought you were making dinner for all of us tonight? We want to see what you’ve learned.”

She’d learned a lot from Cyr, and time was dwindling down. Don’t think about the time. But lately, it was the only thing on her mind. Time. He hadn’t asked her to stay, and she honestly didn’t know the answer even if he had asked. Let it go. Enjoy the moment. Right. They had a dinner to prepare.

“Yeah, keep your claws sheathed, we’re coming down.”

“Cute, Nessa, real cute,” Alaric said, walking away.

Tonight, was a special night for Cyr and his people. The females in the community were announcing their commitments to their males. For werecats, it was the females that chose their mates. The males recognized who their mates were on sight, but it was the females who decided.

Cyr lifted his head and watched Alaric walk off before turning his beautiful gray and teal eyes up at her. He couldn’t talk in this form, but she liked to think they had a connection.

“All right, pussycat, let's go and show them how it’s done in the kitchen.”

Cyr nudged her with his head and dropped gracefully to the ground on all fours. Never missing a beat. Onessa climbed down and followed him back into the house.

They made love in the shower, her back to his front as he entered her. Cyr growled in her ear. “You think I’m a pussycat, do you?” Cyr fisted his hand in her hair, tugging almost painfully as he glided in and out of her from behind. Onessa’s hand slapped the tile as she braced herself against his powerful thrusts that had her on tiptoe. Each movement pulled lustful moans from her throat.

Onessa turned to look back at him, and he licked the side of her neck before biting down on her shoulder gently. Cyr pulled her into his chest, and his arm banded around her stomach to hold her in place. The sting of his teeth was almost her undoing.

“Touch yourself, gorgeous. Give me what I want.”

Onessa rubbed her clit frantically as Cyr pumped into her from behind. They shuddered their release at the same time as steam from the shower billowed around them.

“Geez, remind me to call you names more often.”

Cyr laughed at her as he gently pulled out and turned her in his arms.

“You can call me anything you want as long as I’m yours.”

Whoa.

“Mine?”

“Yeah, yours.”

Onessa wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. He hadn’t asked her to stay longer, but he hadn’t asked her to leave either. Maybe he will tonight. 

DINNER WAS A HIT. EVERYONE loved Onessa’s cooking. Well, she did have an excellent teacher. Cyr chuckled to himself before raising his glass of wine to everyone at the table. He was there with friends and family. Alaric liked her, and if he did, that would mean everyone else did. Everything was going fine, and he was about to give a toast to the chef when Una’s mother walked in.

She looked pissed. Which wasn’t good. He hadn’t expected her to show, and Alaric had told him inviting her wasn’t a good idea. At least not right now. Tilly still mourned the loss of her daughter, and although Cyr hadn’t thought about Una while he was with Onessa, the guilt he hadn’t felt previously was now digging into his veins.

“You would so easily replace my daughter and grandson, Cyriaque?” Tilly asked in a shrill voice.

“Mother, you shouldn’t be here. You’re in no condition—”

“Shut up, Alaric, you, too, betray your sister’s memory. Allowing him to walk around happy with her.” Tilly pointed in Onessa’s direction. “She isn’t a cat, she’s fragile. Human. Breakable,” Tilly cried.

“Please, Tilly, I love your daughter, I love my son.”

“Then how? Tell me how could you do this? She doesn’t have your mark.”

“Mother, fate has seen fit to give him another chance at happiness. Why can’t you be happy for him?”

“I told him Una was fragile and not to saddle her with a child right away. But he didn’t listen, and because he didn’t listen, I lost my daughter and my grandson in one night. I lost it all in one night!” she yelled.

“I lost her, too!” Cyr bellowed. “You’re not the only one, Tilly. I lost her, too. There will never be another Una. There is no replacing my late wife. No one!” Cyr screamed. He didn’t know if he said it out loud more for himself or to convince Tilly, but it was true. He should never have started this thing with Onessa. She was leaving. She wouldn’t stay, and if she did stay... Tilly was right. She wasn’t a shifter. Beau would be an issue, especially after the death of his cousin. Cyr couldn’t put Onessa’s life at risk. He had enough to worry about with his own family and the restaurant. He was too busy to fit her into his complicated life. Again, you chose the job over someone you love. Someone he loved? No, that wasn’t right at all. She wasn’t someone he loved. He barely knew her. You know her body like the back of your hand. No, that didn’t count. Not at all. The room started to get small. His anger rose. Cyr fisted his hands at his sides and prayed for strength. His gut twisted. He tightened his jaw and grunted.

Cyr backed away from the group and out the back door. He didn’t think, he didn’t wait. He shifted and ran. He ran as far and as fast as his paws would carry him. He ran away from the memory of Una and his son, and he ran away from Onessa. But really, he was running from himself.