The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 106: Chapter 106

Uh oh.
This was not happening. So not fucking happening.
Maybe the fucking can happen?
She scolded her she-Tiger—the feline was horny as an old goat, for fuck’s sake. But this was not the night of meaningless sex Elissa had told her to enjoy. This was something else.
Panic filled her chest as she listened to the man approach and heard him inhale deeply. A sexy little growl played in his throat, making her crazy with lust. Her pulse raced as he inched closer, and the woodsy scent clinging to his custom tux made her want to rub herself all over it.
Mate.
Gulp.
Keep it down, kitty. He is not for us.
Yes, he is. Mate, her she-Tiger growled insistently.
“Holy forking fart balls of fire,” she huffed one of Paulie’s favorite non-curses.
“Pardon?” the male asked, eyebrow raised and a stupidly handsome grin quirking one corner of his mouth up.
She wanted to reach up and lick him right there. Shit. She was so screwed.
“Nothing,” she muttered, trying to compose herself.
Most Shifters dreamt of the day they’d meet their fated mates, but Pamela had been down this road before. She’d given everything she had to a man and had been used and abused.
Fucking Blake, she shivered in disgust at the thought of the madman’s name. The things she’d done and had been subjected to under the influence of the former Beta of the Maverick Pride—the man who had duped them all but her most of all—used to make Pamela want to weep with shame.
But. Not. Anymore.
Not since she’d learned she had real friends in the Pride. They’d showed her kindness and patience and she knew now that she had nothing to be ashamed of. Pamela had been a victim of Blake’s dishonesty and cruelty.
She thought she loved him, and he took advantage of her affection. He’d tricked her into thinking he was her mate and had used her and others horribly, but she would not regret it. That would mean regretting Paulie, and she would never, ever do that.
Her son was the most important thing in her life. She had steady work now at Cut It Out, friends, and a chance to make a place for herself and her son in the Pride. Being asked to come here to this event to represent them was an honor and, like Elissa said, she was going to make the most of it.
When was the last time she’d gotten dressed up and let her hair down? Never like this, she thought nervously and looked down at the beautiful dress Jessica had loaned her.
But this man threatened all of that. Here was danger. A mate could be demanding. He would want to turn her life upside down. There were too many possibilities.
The stranger stood still some inches away from her, but she felt heat coming off of him like he was a bloody furnace. Her panties were positively soaked at this point and the pleasant rumble coming from him grew louder.
The fucker knew what he was doing.
She’d worked so hard to make her life better, but she never thought she would have a fated mate. Maybe it didn’t mean what she thought it meant. Maybe it could last for the evening alone.
Pamela worried her lower lip between her teeth. She had no intention of being tied to a man ever again. The large male leaned closer and sniffed the sensitive skin along her neck, his growl grew louder.
“Beautiful, querida,” he murmured, and her sex throbbed in need.
Fart balls.
She should be angry, but she didn’t think he did it on purpose. If what she had scented was real, the stranger was just as helpless as she was. Either way, she needed to confront it—to confront him.
Her mate.
Pamela straightened her shoulders and turned abruptly, running right smack into his pretty formidable chest. When the heck had he moved?
Strong arms wrapped around her waist to steady her, and she gripped the lapels of the exquisite suit jacket tightly as the scent of sunshine, pine trees, and fresh mountain air reached her nostrils.
Dear gods!
She swayed as the delicious scent seemed to send shockwaves of awareness careening through her blood. Her Tiger panted, moisture pooled at her center, and her blood roared in her ears.
Oh no. Not this.
Sometimes feline Shifters experience an influx of their heat cycle when confronted with their mates. Not always. But sometimes. Need burned between her legs, and if she didn’t see to it soon, the pain would start.
Sniff, the big male leaned closer, pulling her into the cradle of his enormous, hard body. Fuck, that felt better. She was still turned on, but his touch soothed the Cat.
“Easy, querida, I’ve got you,” his slightly accented voice whispered into her ear.
Pamela trembled involuntarily as she tried to clench her thighs, hoping the pressure would ease some of her need. That sexy, growly voice was filling her head with all sorts of naughty ideas. She moaned softly and licked her lips, unable to stop her temperature from spiking. His eyes flashed, and she knew what conclusion he’d drawn from that slow intake of air, because the truth was, Pamela had come to the same one.
Mate. Mine. Need. Uh oh.
“My name is Javier Auberon, and you, sweet kitten, are mine.”
Pamela’s eyes traveled up past his massive chest and shoulders to the perfectly trimmed shadow on his face, all the way until she reached his cocky grin and glittering eyes. The easy confidence in his stare shook her, and she narrowed her own at him.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I think you’ve mistaken me for a toy or a possession. I don’t belong to you. I don’t belong to anyone,” she replied, pulling out of his arms and, of course, she immediately missed his warmth.
“No, I am not wrong. You belong to me, kitten. I can smell your need. Why deny it?” he asked, and she felt his confusion.
“Nuh uh,” she shook her head. “I have worked too hard for my life.”
“And I long to hear about it, but your heat. It is starting, yes? Let me help,” he murmured, concern narrowing his gaze as a cramp hit her hard.
Damn.
The man was weaving spells around her with hardly any effort. Pamela was not a foolish kid any longer. She was not going to be caught up in this rush of hormones—no matter what the Fates decided. This she-Cat was not going to fall for him or any man ever again.
“Please, your pain is like my own. I apologize if I said something wrong. Will you at least allow me to walk with you? See if it passes?” He followed her down the hall, and she was powerless to stop him.
Fart balls.
Every second in his presence was temptation itself, and she knew it was only a matter of time before her heat really kicked in. That little biological nuisance happened with feline Shifters more frequently than with others to ensure propagation of the species. Fuck, it was already too late. Her stomach tightened and her sex clenched, She moaned softly.
Pamela couldn’t trust herself not to jump him as it was. Sure, Elissa and Jess had joked about her getting her freak on tonight, but sex was something she’d gone a long time without. It was kind of hard to trust someone after what she’d been through.
But tell that to her needy little clit. The bud throbbed inside her silk panties and her channel clenched again on air desperate to be filled as Javier’s mountain fresh musk filled her nostrils once more.
Double forking fart balls.
“Why do you want to do this?” she asked.
“You know why, kitten. Need you,” he whispered, lips grazing her ear.
“Fine. One night, but that is all I’m promising,” she said recklessly, and led him down the hall and away from the crowds.
“One night is all I need,” he growled.
A small, secret part of Pamela hoped he didn’t mean it. But that was something she would never admit.
“One night,” she repeated, and closed her eyes against another, stronger wave of need.