When Ricky dived for the bed, Toni could only squeal and speed out of the way.

Ricky managed to catch hold of Toni before she rolled off the bed.

“Sorry,” he said when he pulled her back to safety. “I didn’t mean to . . .”

He stopped talking when he realized she was laughing, her smile wide.

“Someone is a horny little monkey,” she teased.

“Just for you, darlin’.” He laughed. “Can’t control myself.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want you to.” She reached up, pressed her hand to his face, stroked his cheek. “I don’t want you to control yourself.”

So he didn’t. Instead he kicked off his jeans and put on a condom. Then he got on his knees, leaned back on his heels, and reached for Toni. He didn’t have to reach far. She got up and put herself in his arms, trusting him in a way most predators would not. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he brought her up and then down, right on his cock. She gave a startled yip, then wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist.

“Kiss me again,” she told him. “I really like it when you kiss me.”

Ricky had no idea why he enjoyed hearing those words so much. It wasn’t simply that he liked kissing her, too. Maybe it was more because her words were direct and simple and that’s what he liked so much about Toni. No matter what was going on around her or, in this particular case, inside her, she was always direct. Although he had to admit, there was very little about her that was simple. Except now. When it was just the two of them.

He kissed her, kept kissing her, while he started to fuck her. Slowly, carefully. Not wanting to scare her off or hurt her. It wasn’t easy, though. She was so tight. It was obvious she hadn’t fooled around much since she’d broken it off with her last boyfriend.

Ricky kissed her harder, realizing he didn’t want to think about her last boyfriend. And he definitely didn’t want her to think about her last boyfriend.

No. All Ricky wanted at the moment was for her to think about him and his cock and his hands on her. He’d make sure that was all she thought about.

Holy shit. So this was what she’d been missing with her safe, full-human boyfriends? No wonder Coop kept trying to push her toward other shifters. She thought he was just being a bigot. But no. Not really.

Ricky’s grip tightened around her waist as he stroked into her, his cock pushing in and out of her again and again.

Toni dropped her forehead against Ricky’s shoulder, her fingers digging harder into his hair. She knew he liked that, and it was all she could really manage when she wasn’t kissing him back.

She began to squirm. Her entire body feeling hot, her nipples getting so hard they hurt. She shuddered, unused to feeling this intense.

Toniwouldn’t realize it until later, but it was during this part that she stopped thinking about anything. Anything but what was going on between her and Ricky. She didn’t worry. She didn’t analyze. She didn’t plan. She just let him rock his body against hers until she began to tremble. Until she began to pant and groan into the man’s thick neck. She got so lost in what she was doing that when she came, her entire body gripping Ricky tight, she didn’t know she’d lowered her hands to his back, unleashed her claws, and dug them into his spine until he climaxed, shuddered, and said, “Ow,” into the silence.

Realizing she was buried in the man up to her cuticles, Toni automatically ripped her claws out.

Ricky yelped, his body jerking from the pain. Cringing, Toni leaned back. “Oh, God. Ricky. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right.” He kissed her neck, apparently ignoring the sweat there, and added, “I had an uncle who always said if a She-predator don’t rip up some part of your body during sex, you ain’t doin’ your job right.”

Disgusted and amused, Toni shook her head and begged, “Please tell me that discussion didn’t take place until you were at least eighteen.”

“More like sixteen. But don’t worry. My momma didn’t let him in the house after that until Reece was eighteen. And she still don’t speak to the man whenever he comes for Thanksgiving dinner.”

Ricky, still buried inside her, kissed her collarbone, her throat, her chin. “So, darlin’ . . . feelin’ any better?”

Smiling, Toni wrapped her arms around Ricky’s neck and admitted, “Better . . . but still a little tense.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Ricky stretched her out on the bed, grinned down at her. “Not if you’re going to deal with those nasty ol’ bears and all.”

Toni grinned back. “That’s my feeling exactly.”

Ronnie Lee was eating popcorn and relaxing on her couch next to Shaw.

She had to admit, the lion took mighty good care of her. He always had, but he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her pregnancy. And was more than happy to sit on their couch, watching the “lady network” as he liked to call it. They both had a thing for those really bad movies where some woman finds out her millionaire husband has been sleeping with her best friend and babysitter before discovering that the gardener is a serial killer and she’s really in love with the humble but no-nonsense detective who saves her at the last minute.

They also enjoyed the movies based on true stories. Their all-time favorite was still the one about Betty Broderick. It didn’t matter how many times they’d seen it, they never missed a chance to watch it again. And it was on tonight.