The Jaguar Star (Tales of the Were: Jaguar Island Book 4) by Bianca D'Arc (e book reader android .TXT) 📗

and Sully hugged her close, and it was Sully who whispered, “Welcome to the club,” which made Katrina laugh.

Chapter Seventeen

Katrina heard the party get started again as everyone cheered, and Ren and she were seated with the two couples who led the Clan. Food was served, and drinks were placed before them. It was mostly cake and cookies, fruit juices and sparkling water, which fit her mood. She saw platters of finger food being circulated around the crowd, and everybody seemed to be having a great time.

Ren danced with her, first energetic dances to a driving beat, then more slowly, as the night wore on and the mood became more intimate. She saw frisky little jaguars change into sleepy children, who were taken by their parents to a special area set aside for the littlest members of the Clan. An older woman, who everyone seemed to call simply Abuela, appeared to be watching over the group of children and holding court with some of the other elderly members of the Clan. But the kids were free—and safe—to roam around, as well.

Two, in particular, had come up to Katrina to be introduced. A little boy named Miguel and a little girl called Kensi had run up to her at the table shortly after they were seated, to say hello. Mark grabbed them both after a few minutes and put them both on his lap until their parents came over to find the two, who had run off by themselves. Introductions were made, and Katrina was interested to learn that both of the little ones were related to Mark, who was cousins with the fathers of both children.

The mothers were human, and Katrina was intrigued to meet both of them. She would have liked more time to ask them about what her life was going to be like now that she was part of this group, but the crowd and the noise didn’t really lend itself to serious conversation. She made a note to seek out both women at some point in the future, if the opportunity presented itself.

The party went on for hours, and Katrina felt as if she’d met every single person who’d come to the festivities by the time the music and dancing started to wind down. People had left by ones and twos until only a few couples were left, dancing slowly to the romantic music.

Finally, Ren suggested they go home, and she agreed. The party had been wonderful, but it would be even more wonderful to be alone with Ren for a while. Preferably until morning. They were due to fly to England tomorrow, and she wanted to spend the rest of her time on the island with Ren, making love and enjoying the comfort of his beautiful house.

That night, in the sultry warmth of their private tropical oasis, Katrina got to try teasing her jungle cat a little and found that she was able to make him purr. They were naked together in his giant bed, and they’d already made love once. The dancing they’d done as the party wound down had been a facsimile of foreplay, so they’d both been ready for action the moment they were back at his house…alone.

Once the edge had been taken off their passion, there was time to savor, which she was doing at that moment. She’d run her fingers down his chest to his abdomen as he lay on his back, his hands raised above his head, stretched out and in recovery mode after their first round. His eyes had been closed, but they opened the moment she stirred and started stroking him. The swirling energy of his green eyes was almost luminescent in the dimly lit bedroom. Breathtaking. Magical.

The intimacy of the moment made her bold. Katrina stroked down over his hard-muscled abdomen, enjoying the indentations of his six-pack abs and sliding her fingers lower, inch by tantalizing inch. She held his gaze as she reached lower still, finding what she’d sought and taking him into her hand as he went from replete to hungry faster than she would have credited.

“Is this recovery rate normal for shifters?” she asked in a low, approving tone. “Or are you just happy to see me?”

She grinned, and he chuckled, lowering his arms and reaching toward her. He slid one arm around her shoulders while the other clutched the bedding on his far side as she squeezed his cock gently, teasing him and learning more of what he liked.

“Shifters are better at a lot of things,” he rumbled in reply. “But yes, I am very happy to see you, and I love what you’re doing to me. Almost as much as I love you.”

Every time he said it, a little thrill ran down her spine, but she suddenly realized she hadn’t given him the words in return, though her heart had been lost almost from the beginning, regardless of how hard she’d fought against his magnetic pull. It was time she gave him the words. He hadn’t pushed, but as serious as he was about this mating thing, he probably wanted to hear them. She wanted to say them, too. It was long past time to fully commit to this new life he had shown her. It was time to grab it with both hands and never let go. She took a deep breath and met his gaze once more.

“I love you, too.”

His response was one she hadn’t expected. She felt his chest rumble in a way she’d never experienced before. It was as if his inner cat was making itself known as he purred in human form.

Silent but for the purring sound that continued, he took action. He shifted their positions, taking both of her hands in his as he placed her under him. In one smooth movement, he joined his body to hers and started a rhythm that soon made her want to purr in return, if such a thing was possible for a plain old human.

The sensation of