By the Tail Read online

  “Oh my. Big bad pride leader has a problem.” She snickered and gripped him tighter.

  Blessed torture. “Joy.” He sucked in a breath when she ran her other hand between his legs, cupping his balls. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” His eyes crossed when she stroked him.

  “Well now. Seems to me like you don’t have as much control as you thought.” She smiled, the cat that ate the canary. With Joy, probably literally.

  “I—oh man. Please. Do that again.” He arched his hips off the ground, his cock like a steel post, as if he hadn’t recently come inside her.

  “What’s that?” She let him go, and just as he was about to plead with her not to leave, she straddled his waist on her knees, so that he could feel her wet heat above him but not surrounding him. “Tell me, Quince. Who’s in charge now?”

  The little sadist was getting a kick out of this, but because it was his deepest wish that she finally show him what she could do, he fed her ego.

  He clamped his lips shut tight, goading her.

  And she responded beautifully. God, he loved her. Her green eyes sparkled with…well, with joy. He wanted to laugh at the thought, but he groaned instead and closed his eyes when she lowered herself to rub that sweet cream between her thighs over his erection. He pumped against her. Just a little bit more and he could get the tip of himself in her and thrust—

  “No. I don’t think so.” She raised up off him and leaned down, so that her breasts were close to his face.

  He felt sweat run down his temple. “Come on, baby. You know you want me,” he forced himself to say, even knowing how he’d pay for it. God would he pay.

  Joy smirked at him. He looked to be in serious sexual pain. His dick was rock hard. And his eyes about rolled up in his head when she’d been holding him. The power trip had to be going to her head, because she felt something deep inside her break free.

  He could have hurt her earlier. He hadn’t. He’d annoyed her, patronized her, then dared her to come after him. Was he crazy? Did he not think she’d have her revenge?

  She saw the sweat trickle down his forehead into his hair. Mine. So warm, her cat purred.

  He blinked up at her when he heard her purring. And she smiled.

  The raw lust in his gaze—for her—set her off. She had to have him again, but this time, on her terms. How he’d hate that, that she’d taken charge. Even better.

  “You know. There are a lot of ways to make a man beg.” She lowered her pussy over him and lightly rubbed over his cock.

  He gasped and then clenched his jaw.

  “Yeah. Ways to make you feel so good,” she whispered and licked his ear. He jerked under her, and she laughed softly. “And so hungry.”

  “Joy,” he growled.

  She nipped his earlobe, then pulled back to stare into his eyes. So golden. So pretty. Her cat wanted to rub all over him, so Joy did. Gyrating so that she touched him all over, flesh to flesh, smothering him in her scent. Time she took charge, for once. That he was turning her on like crazy was a bonus. Even helpless, he looked wild, raw.

  “Please. Fuck me. Come on. Put me inside you.” His guttural plea overjoyed her cat.

  “What will you give me if I do?” She scooted up his body and leaned her breast over his mouth. “How about a treat?”

  He latched onto her nipple and sucked and licked, moaning his pleasure. When she started to lose her focus, she pulled away and made him give her other breast the same attention.

  She pulled back, both aroused and amused at how hard he was breathing. “Did you like that?”

  “Yeah,” he rasped and licked his lips.

  She could just imagine what else he wanted to be licking. Soon. But not yet. Not until she had some answers.

  “Tell me, Quince. Are you and Alissa engaged?”

  “Fuck no.” The outrage in his tone reassured her.

  “Why did you really trick me back in that spa in Whitefish? To get to my family?” She leaned down and kissed a trail toward his nipples.

  “I wanted you. Hell, I still want you.”

  Good answer. She licked his nipple, then bit him.

  He jolted off the ground as if struck by lightning. “Jesus. Fucking kiss me.”

  “Do you want to mate me?”

  When he said nothing, she looked up from his chest to see his intense eyes blazing at her. They glittered like gold in the shadows, and his pupils enlarged as his cat stared out at her before ceding to the man once more. She nibbled her way to his other nipple and sucked hard, lost in the taste of him.

  He groaned. “Please. Joy. Put yourself over me. Let me inside.” His ragged breaths warned her he couldn’t take much more.

  “Answer me.”

  “God, yes. Okay? I want to mate you.” He swore.

  “Why?”

  “Shit. Why not? You’re fucking sexy as hell. You’re smart. I like you.”

  “And you want to rule the pride.”

  “Actually, I don’t.”

  The blunt words froze her in place. “What?”

  He swore again. “Damn it, Joy. I’m going to die if you don’t ease me. My balls are blue, and my dick is so hard it might break. Give me something.” He licked his lips again. “Sit on my face.”

  She wanted to, badly. “Tell me the truth first.”

  “I want you. Period,” he said through gritted teeth. “Pride be damned. And screw your family. I want you.” He bucked again, but this time she decided to give him a reward before he broke out of those restraints and issued some payback.

  She scooted up his body and settled her knees on either side of his head.

  He stilled. “Please, baby. I’ll make you feel so good,” he breathed.

  Needing more, she eased over his mouth and moaned when he immediately started licking her. He sucked and played until she found herself riding his lips. But not wanting to go over without him, she rose and turned around before he could protest.

  “Oh fuck, yeah,” he rasped when he saw what she intended, then started licking her again.

  When she put her mouth around him, tasting the seed at his tip, he jerked and pumped his hips faster. His hands had to hurt like hell behind his back, but he didn’t seem to care. And soon, neither did she.

  Joy couldn’t think past the need to swallow him down, to take him into her body and soul. He wanted her. Not the pride, not her sisters. Just her. She believed that much out of him at this moment. Because his struggling desperation for satisfaction couldn’t be feigned.

  She eased her hand around the base of his shaft and squeezed while she drew more of him into her mouth. He sucked her clit and licked, and she readied to come. But not before him.

  She angled her hand between his legs, and he spread them wider. As she drew him to the back of her throat, licking the thick shaft stretching her lips, she cupped his balls and squeezed.

  He drew on her taut nub and shattered her at the same time he jetted into her mouth. She swallowed him down, lost in her own climax. Their animal spirits merged, and the glorious touch of his soul prolonged her pleasure.

  He finally ceased spending, and she released him from her mouth and carefully lifted off him. Drenched in sex and blessed peace, she moved to his side and stared down at him, not surprised to see his eyes shuttered, his lips slick with desire.

  He sounded like gravel when he garbled, “Jesus. Am I dead?”

  She laughed at him and sat on her haunches, still trying to catch her breath.

  “Not dead then. Can we do that again?”

  She shook her head. “Aren’t you mad that I got the better of you?”

  “Honey, you can take me down any time you want. You have the sweetest pussy and tits I’ve ever tasted.”

  “Tits?”

  He flushed. “I, er, I mean breasts. Melons. Mounds?”

  She laughed at him.

  “So if you’re done having your wicked way with me, can you remove the ties at my wrists?” He rolled onto his side.

  “Hmm. I don’t know…
Say, ‘Joy is great’.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Say it.” She just looked at him.

  “Joy is great.”

  She hummed with happiness as she untied him.

  Then he added, because he was Quince, “At fucking. Joy is great. At making me lose my mind. Joy is great. At sucking my—”

  She punched him in the belly and took comfort in his oomph.

  “Neanderthal.”

  He sat up rubbing his wrists, a glint of humor in his eyes. Before she could blink, he tackled her to the ground, their positions now reversed. He leaned over her, caging her wrists together, holding her down with one hand.

  “Now, kitty. Maybe we should try this my way. Say, ‘Quince is great’. No, wait. Say, ‘Quince is my master. The great and mightiest man ever to lie between my golden thighs’.”

  She laughed out loud, then couldn’t stop when he started tickling her. He released her wrists and put her hands on each of his shoulders.

  She clutched him tight, falling for this Quince, the man with the incredible body, happiness in his face and a sense of humor.

  “Yeah. That’s my favorite part of you,” he said with satisfaction.

  “What?”

  He kissed her tenderly, and her cat rolled over and purred like crazy. “That. That sparkle of joy in my Joy.”

  Her heart raced. He sounded possessive, and she surprised herself by liking that. “You’re such a comedian.”

  “I try. Let me say it again. Joy is great. At being a huge pain in my ass.” He narrowed his gaze. “And speaking of ass, have you ever let anyone take you there?”

  She blushed. Stupid, because they lay naked together, and she’d just blown him, but still. “Um, not yet.”

  His gleaming pleasure stole her breath away. “Good answer.” Then he stood and pulled her to her feet. “What do you say we hunt for a late night snack, then head back to the House so you can use and abuse me some more?” He ran a hand over her ass. “And maybe I can tempt you into something…different.”

  She wanted to say something obnoxious, to dare him to catch her, but when she met his gaze, her mind blanked.

  “Joy?” He smiled.

  She fell hard. The scent between them intensified, and to her dismay, she couldn’t fault him for it this time. She wanted him for more than sex. For more than a dare. Joy Bermin wanted Quince Castille to mate. Horrified, she pulled back, but she feared he’d caught an inkling of what her cat really wanted.

  Quince’s eyes narrowed and he inhaled deeply, then chuckled. “Oh yeah, we’re definitely going to hit different.” He stepped back and shifted into a jet-black panther. “But if you don’t want Alissa to get a crack at this fine body, you’d better catch me first. This time I won’t make it so easy.” He laughed at her before darting away.

  She sputtered as she turned and raced after him. “Easy, my ass. Nothing easy about you, you big pussy!”

  She followed his laughter all the way back, feeling as if she’d just found something new and beautiful. Something she was determined to keep.

  Chapter Six

  Miles Bermin ran a weary hand through his hair. Damn, he was tired. Tired of flying to New York because Jerome Stanton couldn’t understand what condensed distribution meant after three times of explaining it to him. Tired of darting to Cougar Falls every five seconds because Stacey needed financial help, and God forbid she explain herself in person. Though to be fair, expanding their line on the West Coast and in Montana did need a bit of finessing. But Stacey acting so demanding annoyed him to no end. As did his future brother-in-law.

  Especially since the last time he’d been in Cougar Falls seeking investors, Miles’s hair had been blue. Fucking Dean Chastell and his stupid pranks. Jesus, Miles needed a break from Cougar Falls already. He’d learned to tolerate Burke, but the other males… His head throbbed. At least Melissa and Amy seemed to be thriving in the far north.

  His taxi pulled into a section of drive not blocked by the security gate. Miles left the cab, accepted his bags from the trunk and paid the driver, including a generous tip for the man’s blessed silence on the way home from the airport. His house sat just down the road from the pride’s estate—Michael’s house. He refused to consider it Quince’s.

  After inputting the code, he waited until the gates opened, then strode through and up the drive. He didn’t mind the walk. He needed it to clear his head. He hated being cooped up in airplanes. Maybe it was time to invest in a private jet. But that would mean more time away from home.

  He sighed with indecision and let himself inside, not surprised to find a layer of dust on everything. Time to call the cleaning service again. Like most of the others in the pride, Miles used an in-house service as often as possible. Supporting the pride financially made sense. He’d call the Lorenz sisters tomorrow.

  After tossing his coat and briefcase on the couch and leaving his bags behind, he decided to stop putting off the inevitable and checked his personal cell phone messages. As usual, nothing from Joy, even though he’d left her six messages since last week. At this rate, she was neck-and-neck with Stacey for most annoying sibling of the year.

  He swore to himself then paused at the next message on his phone. Alissa Roberto? Hell, he hadn’t talked to her in months, not since the last time he’d shot her down. He wasn’t looking for a quick hook-up with a woman whose ego rivaled his own. He knew his worth, and he would pick and choose his mate on his terms. Not that he was interested in mating, not yet.

  He figured at some point he’d feel the urge, but he had too damn many things to do to spend time with just one woman on a regular basis. Sex was all well and good, but he could get that easily enough. At the thought, he wondered if Willow was currently unattached. A pretty cat with a good head on her shoulders, she never asked for more than he wanted to give. Like him, she didn’t want to settle down. Just a bit of fun every now and then.

  Miles listened to Alissa’s message with half an ear, not intending to call her back or get together with her, until she mentioned how Quince had been hounding his little sister. How the man continued to stalk her, going so far as to force her to spend time with him, or else.

  “Or else what, motherfucker?” Miles set down the phone and stalked to his side bar. After pouring himself a straight vodka, he downed it in one gulp. Not sure if he should deal with Quince now or later, he decided to give himself a break. Joy could handle herself, for the most part. After a good night’s sleep, he’d find the bastard who’d made his family’s life a living hell the past few months. Then he’d pound some sense into him. And if Quince thought about running Joy or any other Bermin into the ground, Miles would gladly disabuse him of the notion.

  Quince drove them back to the pride’s estate the next evening in the best mood he’d been in ages. Talk about a hell of a party. He and Joy had spent quality time together. He’d once again explained how everything had gone down with Lex, and this time she acted as though she believed him. Even better, she’d willingly shared stories of her time in Cougar Falls with him.

  But even knowing that she and Dean Chastell had never fooled around, he still wanted to beat the smooth-talking cat to a pulp. Then again, the poor guy was stuck with Stacey for life. Punishment served.

  “What’s that smirk for?” Joy asked. Her hand lay on his thigh as he drove. Since they’d made love that first time, they hadn’t stopped touching each other. As if worried this new, fragile peace between them might be severed, he kept in physical contact. And she accepted it.

  “Oh, just thinking about Dean…and your sister. Such a perfect pair.”

  “I know, right?” Joy chuckled. “I’m not sure which one of them they consider prettier.”

  He grinned.

  “Amy and Melissa are doing fine up there. I’m just worried about the wolf rumors.”

  “Oh?”

  “I think the dogs are taking a look at my sisters. Man. Can you imagine wolves as family?”

  He gave a mock shu
dder. “Thank you, no. My dealings with Monty GrayClaw were enough to scare me for life. How the hell is a wolf in a pride, anyway? Cougar Falls is a weird place.”

  “True.”

  The closest wolf order to Miami was in Texas, a place Quince had no inclination to visit. Ever. If he wanted sun and sand, he had plenty of it in Miami. And no thick drawls, thuggish canines or ten-gallon hats to contend with.

  “So what now?” he asked, loath to bring it up, but not wanting any misunderstandings. He’d have confessed his love earlier if he hadn’t thought he might completely freak her out. Mating was one thing. Animal spirits and humans in tune with the whole package. She hadn’t seemed to overly care about his cat wanting her, since it was a biological imperative she would have as well. But that freaky emotion—love—tended to alarm even the most stalwart of felines. It made them vulnerable. If he hadn’t had years to adjust to the idea, he might have been terrorized himself.

  “What do you mean, ‘What now’?” she asked.

  “Don’t give me that look. I’m done playing.”

  Her soft mew of disappointment had him fighting a grin.

  “Okay, fine,” she sighed. “I guess this—you know, our going at it like cats in heat—qualifies as serious dating.”

  “Monogamous dating. Just you and me. No other males.”

  “Or females,” she added with bite. “Especially not Alissa friggin’ Whoreberto.”

  He laughed. “Catty much?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Whoreberto.” He chuckled. “She’s been a thorn in my side for years.” The woman refused to understand he wanted nothing to do with her. She was cold, wanting only to use him for whatever she could wring out of him before she’d no doubt cut him off when he’d served his purpose. He’d seen her do it time and time again to the men in the pride. Jace had been brave enough to dip his toe in the water once. According to him, the woman gave a mean blowjob. But Quince wasn’t desperate enough to put his dick anywhere near Alissa’s mouth.

  “She’s done bothering you. I promise.”

  “Now don’t go starting trouble.” What am I saying? The woman’s middle name is Trouble. That’s like asking her to stop breathing. “I mean, just think about the harm you could do with the females in the pride. They look up to you, even the ones counting Alissa as a friend.” He’d been impressed with the headway Joy had made in the little time she’d been appointed Liaison.