He had never held a woman this way. So intimately. He had never considered he might be a man to want to cuddle a woman, but he wanted her close to him. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to be inside her for as long as physically possible.

“You ever hear of a man named Jake Bannaconni?” he asked.

“Everyone’s heard of him, Eli.”

“He’s our closest neighbor. He and his wife, Emma, own the ranch next door. They have two children and another on the way, and they’ve invited us to come over and have dinner with them. Do you think you’ll be ready for company in a few days?”

She went quiet, the pads of her fingers tracing little patterns over his ribs. She seemed languid, drowsy, her lashes covering her eyes. “It’s dangerous, Eli. Of course I’d like to meet our neighbors, but Rafe will find us eventually. You know that or you wouldn’t have suggested training me and my leopard. You know he’ll come for me.”

“Jake and Emma are shifters. His ranch locks down tight and his crew are all shifters. He’s dealt with rogues before and he has a sweet setup to protect his family. I’d like to take a look at it, and he wants you to know you’ve got a place to go in an emergency.” He was careful to keep his tone to information only. He didn’t want to push her one way or the other. He was already pushing her in too many other areas.

“I’ll think about it.”

Her voice was so sleepy – sensual sleepy – his body tightened again. That was fine with him. He didn’t mind both of them drifting off with his cock still buried inside of her. If he didn’t have his cock there, he’d be tempted to put his fingers inside her and then she’d really be shocked.

“I’ve asked for the groceries on your list and a few clothes. You’ll need the clothes for learning to get rid of them fast for shifting. The faster you shed clothes, the faster the ability to shift on the run.”

“You left my boots. I paid so much money for them.” Her voice was sleepy and he knew she was drifting a little.

“Your boots?”

“I loved those boots.”

He made a mental note to replace her boots with something she’d love equally. “I’m sorry about the boots, baby. Are you awake enough to listen?”

She nodded, but her lashes persisted in drifting down.

“We keep extra clothes in vehicles and also around the property. Jake’s men do the same on their property. Are you fairly good at reading maps?”

He felt her head nod, but she didn’t answer him aloud. He knew he was losing her to sleep. She needed it and she’d need more over the coming days. Once her leopard emerged, they would have twice the work.

He stroked his hand over her hair, his fingers sliding into the thick braid. He’d almost lost her. He’d been that close. He still had to tie up loose ends with his work. He’d already sent in his resignation. They knew he was angry over the way the case had been handled, and the moment his boss had informed him that Rafe Cordeau had been told of Catarina’s whereabouts, everyone in the building knew they’d lost him as an agent. He’d nearly come across the desk and punched his boss’s face. He knew no one would be surprised at his resignation, but they’d try to persuade him to stay. He’d already had several emails from his boss, Brady O’Connell, trying to backtrack.

He wrapped his arms tighter around his woman and turned on his side as his cock finally relaxed enough to slip free. He rolled her tight against him and locked his arm around her, holding her to him. One thigh slid between hers and he pushed against her buttocks, burrowing between those soft firm globes, so his worn cock had a soft, warm resting place.

“Good night, baby,” he said softly. “No more bad dreams.”

12

CATARINA busied herself making breakfast. As a rule when she was in the kitchen, she could lose herself there. The kitchen had been her favorite place, her refuge. Rafe often wandered in when she was putting a meal together or baking something for later.

Eli liked to sit in the kitchen and drink his coffee. His presence took up the entire room, despite it being spacious. He also seemed to suck all the air out of it as well. He didn’t seem to know it, calmly gazing out the wide panel of windows to the outside where the view was gorgeous.

She snuck another peek at him. He was too good-looking for her peace of mind, in a purely masculine way. There were no boyish features whatsoever on Eli. He was all man, every angle cut strong, the lines in his face carved deep. His jaw was strong, his nose straight, and his shoulders were wide enough to fill a doorway.

He made her feel small and very feminine. Right at this moment, she was suddenly feeling very shy. That had something to do with the way he looked at her. He was different this morning. Whenever his gaze rested on her, he was focused, just as before, looking as if he could see right through her to her soul, but it was more. It was the way he focused on her.

She moistened her lips and tried not to startle when he moved. The scrape of his chair had her gaze jumping to his. He’d gone from sitting behind the table to crowding her all the way around the counter, his much larger body pinning her against the sink.

“What are you doing, Eli?” She hated that she sounded so breathless. Like a girl instead of a woman. He was always so sure of himself, and she felt very unsure. Her heart got all fluttery – she was still so scared of him ripping it out and destroying her she actually felt fragile.

“Kitten.” He said it softly. Just that. His hand came up to frame her face, his thumb sliding gently over her smooth skin. “You haven’t looked at me once this morning. Not one single time.”