Chapter 3
Jenni finished filling a large glass jar with individually wrapped watermelon taffy and carried it to the main room of the shop and set it on one of the tables. In an hour, the doors would be opened and the party would start. Every person who lived and worked in the zoo, along with Lexy and Trina’s families, would have a chance to try out the goodies.
“You’ll be late for the debut,” Lexy said. “Go put on something comfy and come back and enjoy the night.”
“It looks great,” Jenni said as she untied her apron and hung it on a wooden peg inside the kitchen.
“It really does.” Lexy looked around the main room, her eyes glittering with happiness. “I can’t believe how fast everything came together. I don’t know if I mentioned it, but thank you so much for coming to work here. I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off without your help.”
“I love working here. It’s downright sweet.”
Lexy laughed. “It sure is.”
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“See you soon.”
Jenni left the shop and hurried to the employee cafeteria, taking the hidden entrance and rushing into her house. After taking a quick shower, she stood in front of her closet and tried to decide what to wear. It wasn’t as if it was a fancy event that demanded a particular type of outfit. Lexy was wearing a simple black dress with a pretty yellow belt, a color that Jenni was coming to associate with the sweet female.
Jenni’s lioness growled softly in her mind and a shiver raced through her. Her beast was feeling a little anxious or excited, and she didn’t know why. She didn’t think she was nervous to meet Lexy and Trina’s families, but maybe that was part of it. She was excited to share in the shop’s debut and wanted everyone to like the taffy that she’d made.
Choosing a jean skirt that fell to mid-thigh, she paired it with a dressy green tank and a thin, white sweater that hung off one shoulder. She slipped on a pair of sandals, and then brushed her hair out, deciding to leave it long. Her eyes were bright blue, but as she stared in the mirror over her bathroom sink, she could see the faint gold of her lioness peeking through.
“What’s going on with you?” she asked her reflection.
Not that she expected the beast to actually answer her, but still it would have been nice if she had a reason for the odd feeling that suddenly stole over her. Maybe something good was going to happen. Maybe her soulmate would be on one of the VIP tours that weekend.
Now that would be amazing.
Giving herself a final peek in the mirror, she headed back to the shop for the party. The park had closed early so they could enjoy themselves without worrying about park guests or working. By the time the party started, the shop was packed and so was the surrounding area, where tables and chairs had been set up.
Jenni maneuvered herself through the crowd to the shop, found Lexy and Trina, and met their families.
“I thought you had a brother?” Jenni asked Trina.
“I do. He’s running late,” she said.
She listened to her two human friends as their families gushed over their success, and her heart panged a little. She knew that her pride was happy for her job and would support her, but it wasn’t quite the same as having actual family around to pat her on the back. She hadn’t spoken to her mother in years. When she was younger, she’d tried to keep in touch, but the alpha had expertly cut Jenni out of her mother’s life. She’d promised herself that she’d never choose a male over her own children, like her mother had.
She had zero plans to have a child with a male who wasn’t her soulmate. Even though she was tired of being alone, she’d rather be alone than have a cub with someone who may not stick around for the long haul. Deciding that she’d taken up enough space in the shop, she snagged a grape gummy lion from a plate on one of the tables and popped it into her mouth as she walked out of the shop. She found her pride and joined them.
“We were just talking about the tours,” Jupiter said. His mate, Celeste, was standing in front of him, holding a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.
“I hope more mates show up,” Celeste said. “I can’t believe after all the tours that only two of the new mates came from them.”
“It’s a good idea,” Caesar said. “I think it will happen in the right time for us.”
Mercer said, “I hope the right time is soon.”
Jenni opened her mouth to agree with him, when she caught a faint scent on the air and it made her beast stand up and take notice. Her skin prickled and a shiver of arousal slid through her. Tilting her head, she closed her eyes and inhaled, sorting through the different scents of food and shifters, until she found the scent that intrigued her and her lioness. It was the scent of the woods at night, dark and earthy. Opening her eyes, she followed the scent back to the shop, where she stood in the doorway and located the source.
He was wearing jeans that were tight enough to highlight every muscular inch of his long legs, and a button-down shirt that was rolled at the sleeves revealing tattoos on his arms. His hair was dark and cropped short, and when he turned to face her and their eyes met, she saw a spark of interest in the baby blue depths. She’d never been more singularly attracted to a male in all her life.
Her fingers curled into the doorjamb and she was vaguely aware of the sound of cracking wood. She released her grip on the door and turned away, walking quickly from the shop. Her lioness was right under her skin and she felt like she was two seconds from shifting and trying to climb that male like a tree.
Which would have been fine, if there weren’t humans who knew nothing of their natures standing in the shop. She needed to clear her head and cool her cat down. And then she could go back and find the male who intrigued her so.
“Hey,” a masculine voice called to her as she turned down a path away from the shop.
A warm hand grasped her arm and she stopped, turning to face the very male she’d been trying to get a little distance from in the shop.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” he asked.
She opened her mouth to answer, and could feel her lioness wanting to purr, so she snapped her teeth together with an audible click.
He chuckled. “Cat got your tongue?”
She laughed and felt herself relax a little. Probably because he was still holding her arm gently but firmly.
“My tongue is just fine, thanks.”
He arched a brow and her cheeks heated.
“I mean, ahem, that I’m good. Do you always follow strange women to ask where they’re going?”
He looked down at her. He towered over her by a foot, and his broad shoulders and muscular body seemed to strain the seams of the shirt he wore. Which, her cat assured her, would look wonderful balled up on the floor of her bedroom.
“It’s not a habit. I just…thought we had a connection back there, but before I could get close, you disappeared like your ass was on fire.” He peeked around her and then grinned. “Nope, it’s not.”
“Thanks for the concern for my ass,” she said, dryly.
“I’m Devlin Potter.”
“Oh! You’re Trina’s brother.”
“Yes. I promise that at least eighty percent of what she told you about me is utter lies.”
“Nothing bad, I promise. I’m Jenni Brisban.”
“You work for Lexy. She mentioned you.”
“I hope only good things.”
“Of course.”
Her lioness was banging around in her skull, assuring Jenni that this male was their soulmate. This sexy, sexy male, who maybe had more tattoos in more interesting places that needed to be explored right away.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he said, cupping her face. “Sweet Jenni.”
His touch ignited something deep inside, and she knew then that her cat was entirely on point. Devlin was her soulmate.
Her human soulmate.
Don’t care, her cat seemed to say, urging Jenni to close the distance to his utterly kissable lips and find out if he tasted as good as he smelled.
She wrapped her hands around his wrists and rose onto her toes. He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers. Once. Twice. Then he lingered, opening his mouth and swiping his tongue over her lips. She opened her mouth with a sigh and stroked her tongue against his. Her stomach fluttered and her cat purred in her mind as he laid one large hand on the small of her back and drew her against him. She couldn’t miss the hard ridge of his erection, and suddenly it was the only thing she could think about.
Except he was human. And didn’t humans like to date before they had sex? Not just roll into bed at first sight.
She pulled from the kiss, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Want to get out of here?” he asked roughly, resting his forehead against hers. She could hear the rapid beating of his heart.
Although it killed her to say it, she had no choice. After one of the gorillas fell asleep at his soulmate’s home during their first night together and shifted while he slept, potentially endangering them all, the council had passed a law that their people were forbidden from spending the night outside of the zoo.
It wasn’t that late. She could go somewhere with him and come back later, but she knew her cat wasn’t going to go for that.
“I,” she started. She couldn’t finish the sentence though. She didn’t know what to say. Then she had an idea. “I can’t leave, but we can go somewhere private.”
“Your place? Wouldn’t that be the same as leaving?”
“No, there are some apartments on the property. We can hang out for a bit in private and then come back to the party. Unless you don’t want to? You came to see your sister.”
“Yeah, I did. But I want to see you now. I can’t explain why I feel so drawn to you, but you’re irresistible. Just a taste and I want more.”
Warmth pooled in her belly.
She took his hand and they walked down the path together. She hadn’t planned it, but she’d been on her way to the apartments before he stopped her. Her cat must be psychic. The apartments were in a converted barn which had at one time been part of a petting zoo. After the human mates came along, they needed a way to live at the zoo without drawing suspicion from their families. Inside the barn were three apartments. Only one apartment had been finished entirely and was furnished and had electricity and plumbing. The other two were facades. Lexy and Trina had both told their parents they were living in the apartments, so Jenni knew she couldn’t take Devlin into the finished apartment, but there was a gathering area outside of the apartments with several couches, which would be perfect for getting to know her soulmate.
“What do you do?” she asked.
“I actually just got promoted today to be my company’s controller. I work for an accounting firm.”
“Congratulations. I have no idea what a controller does, though. I’m guessing…math?”
He laughed. “Yep. I’ll handle things like the company’s budget, financial reporting, and some salary aspects. I was the assistant controller before, so I was waiting for the job to open up. I’m sure it sounds boring.”
“Not at all. I’m just not much of a math person. Thank goodness for the calculator on the phone.”
He squeezed her hand lightly as he chuckled. “Do you like making candy?”
“I do. I used to work in the security office. I just wanted to do something different.”
“I get that. My family thought I would go into professional body building or own a gym or be a trainer. I like working out, I just don’t want to do it for a career.”
She grasped his bicep and gave it a squeeze. Her ovaries cheered at how rock solid he was. “I can tell you like to work out.”
They reached the barn, and she entered the code to unlock the front door. He followed her in and she shut the door. Flipping on one of the light switches at the side of the door, she illuminated the gathering area. A portion of the barn had been left open, and beyond that were the three apartments, which looked like two-story condos.
“Do you live here?” he asked.
“No. The apartments are for some of our staff. I live off-site.” She cringed at the lie, but hid it by clearing her throat. “I thought we could hang out and get to know each other without leaving the park.”
“Sure,” he said, leading her to one of the couches. He sat down and she joined him.
Before she could get settled on the comfortable cushion, he hauled her onto his lap, her knees straddling him. She squeaked in surprise and then gasped as his hands settled on the outside of her thighs. She settled her hands on his shoulders and looked down at him, captivated by the glittering interest in his eyes. They’d darkened from pale blue to navy.
“Tell me that you feel it, too,” he whispered, nipping at her chin. “Tell me you want me as much as I want you. Not just for tonight, but for every night.”
Her cat yowled in happiness.
She pressed one hand to his cheek and sank the fingers of her other hand into his hair. “I do.”
“Come home with me,” he said, his voice tipping low.
“I can’t. Not tonight.”
She pressed her lips to his and he opened immediately to her tongue, sucking on it as he slowly pushed her skirt up her thighs. She fisted his hair, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, sliding her tongue against his and trying to stifle the purr from her cat. He slid the skirt up to her waist and then spread his fingers across her panties.
Easing from the kiss, she unbuttoned his shirt and spread it open, gazing in rapture at all his sexy muscles. His pecs flexed under her gaze and she smiled.
“You’re so sexy,” she said.
“Oh? I’m not the only one,” he said.
He curled his fingers around the edge of her panties and pulled them to the side and then he slid his fingers down to her pussy. She gasped as he slid one finger into her heat.
“Lift your shirt,” he demanded.
She grasped the hem of her top and drew it up her body, shuddering as he slid his finger out and pushed it in again. She caught the center of her bra and lifted it too, until she bared herself for him. She leaned forward and kissed him, gasping as he pushed a second finger into her. He lowered his head to her breast, sucking her nipple slowly into his mouth. She arched her back as he moved to her other nipple and sucked it into his mouth with the same slow movements.
Reaching between them, she straightened and grasped his belt, undoing the buckle and sliding it apart. Tugging the button open and zipper down, she slid her hand under his jeans and boxers and wrapped her hand around his thick length. He flexed his hips as he released her nipple.
“Fuck, Jenni.”
“More,” she said, pushing at her cat to keep the purr from her voice.
He pulled his hands away and arched under her, shoving his jeans and boxers past his hips and freeing his erection. Then he pushed her skirt up to her waist and pulled her panties to the side, exposing her pussy.
He looked at her, his gaze searching. “Your eyes are so beautiful.”
She smiled and gripped his cock firmly. She pressed it to her entrance and lowered herself down on him slowly. Letting go of his cock, she linked her hands at the back of his neck and let out a gusty groan as he surged up and buried himself entirely within her.
He grasped her hips and lifted her almost entirely off him, and then lowered her. She relaxed into his hold and pressed her cheek against his, loving the way that he felt inside her. Just as quickly as he’d begun to move them together, he let go of his grip on her, and placed his hand on her abdomen and grazed her clit with his thumb. She gasped and he tightened his hand on her hip, keeping her in place.
He rubbed her clit, up and down at first and then side to side, until her breath caught when he rubbed one side and she knew he’d found her sweet spot. He played his thumb against that spot, rubbing fast and then slow, alternating until she was panting hard and shivering.
“Devlin,” she moaned.
“Come for me, sweet thing,” he whispered in her ear.
He rubbed her clit faster and she threw back her head as her toes curled and the center of her body turned to molten liquid. She cried out, biting her lip against the roar that threatened to break free as her climax thundered through her. Devlin grabbed her hips with both hands and began to fuck her, moving her hard and fast on his cock, prolonging her climax until it seemed like an endless wave of pleasure. His fingers dug into her flesh as he came, spasming inside her.
Just as she thought she couldn’t be any happier, he kissed her neck and gave her a gentle nip. It wasn’t like a real marking. He didn’t have fangs, like a male shifter would. But all the same, she fell a little bit in love with her soulmate right then.
“You are perfect, Jenni,” he said with a rough voice, “every inch of you.”
“You’re very sweet. And perfect, too.” She rested her cheek on his shoulder, content to be in his arms for however long they could manage.
After several quiet minutes, he hugged her a little tighter and said, “I want to take you back to the hotel with me. Stay the night with me, Jenni.”
How she wanted to, but she knew she couldn’t.
She sat up and kissed him. “I can’t.”
He let out a short growl, which was adorable. “Tomorrow?”
“I have to work, of course. But after, I’m free.”
“I’ll pick you up.”
She shook her head. It would be easier to get home if she drove herself. “I’ll meet you for dinner.”
He wiggled under her and pulled his phone from his back pocket. “Are you really going to let me see you again?”
She blinked in surprise. “What?”
He fiddled with the phone and said, “I mean, I’m trying to take you home and rock your world in a real bed, and you won’t even let me pick you up tomorrow. Are you secretly married?”
With a snort, she started to laugh and shook her head. “I promise. Let me come to you, okay?”
He turned the phone to face her and she saw that he’d made a contact for her. She entered her cell number and then texted herself so when she got back to her place she’d have his number, too. He dropped the phone to the couch and cupped her face, drawing her close and kissing her. She could have stayed there with him for hours, but she knew she needed to get back to the party. She wasn’t even sure how long they’d been gone and was glad that no one had come looking for her.
“Ok,” he said. “I guess we should get back, even though I don’t want our time together to end.”
“Me, either.”
She slipped from his lap and straightened her clothes. She knew that every shifter in the zoo would be able to smell him on her skin, but she was proud to have such a strong male for a mate. Now, though, she had to deal with the fact that her mate was human and she couldn’t just come right out and tell him the truth of her shifter abilities. She needed to talk to Caesar and get his advice. Most likely, he would tell her to take her time and not tell Devlin until they were in love, and with the new law forbidding unmated shifters from staying out of the park overnight, she wouldn’t be able to know what it was like to wake up in her mate’s arms for…however long it took.
She stifled a deep sigh that welled inside her. It was easier for shifters because they could be trusted to keep the secret. But with a human mate, the shifter had to be cautious not to share the secret too early. She didn’t like not telling Devlin, but she knew it wasn’t the right time.
He stood and tucked himself back into his jeans, and then she watched him button his shirt. It was a shame to cover up all that glorious, sexy skin.
“I like your tattoos,” she said. “I was just wondering if there are many tattooed finance guys out there.”
He grinned. Damn, he was gorgeous.
“I keep my sleeves rolled down so the tattoos aren’t visible. I suppose there are some visibly tattooed finance people, but for me the tattoos are personal and not relevant to my business life.”
She liked them. They were sexy.
He drew close and pressed his lips to hers for an all-too-brief moment. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to come back to the hotel with me?”
She pressed her lips into a thin line and mentally shoved her eager lioness. “Another time, maybe.”
“I have to go back to Rhode Island on Sunday.”
She’d known from Trina that he didn’t live in New Jersey, but the idea that he was several states away hit her suddenly and she wanted to grab hold of him and never let go. It would be difficult to get to know him if he was so far away.
“We have the weekend, though,” she pointed out.
He half-smiled. “A hundred weekends wouldn’t be enough.”
She went onto her toes and kissed him. “Let’s get back to the party.”
“Right,” he said, exhaling sharply. “Lexy saved me some of my favorite dark chocolate caramels with sea salt.”
“Oh, I like those! But my favorite candy is peanut butter cups.”
They left the building, and she was happy to see that no one had come looking for her. Not that she would have cared if anyone in her pride knew she’d had sex in the barn, but she didn’t want to deal with them just yet. They still had time that night to get to know each other.
Not nearly enough time, though.