Pride Mates

His breath came fast, and so did hers. Liam’s fingers were hard points on her thighs, then her back, her bu**ocks, her face. He pressed into her, fast, faster, his mouth twisting in pleasure.

Kim’s head dropped back. She bit back her scream, not wanting people to come rushing out to see what was going on. Liam licked between her br**sts again, his breath scalding. “I’m coming,” he whispered into her skin.

So was she. White-hot waves of excitement poured through her, blotting out everything but the feeling of Liam joined to her.

He took her face between his hands. His eyes had gone Shifter, the predator wanting her. Then he gave a strangled groan and shot everything he had into her.

Shaking and sweaty, Kim clasped him to her br**sts and kissed his hair. I love you, Liam, she wanted to whisper, but she kissed his hair again and rested her cheek on his head.

Liam insisted on accompanying her to work, and Kim was fine with that today. Having him next to her in her car, though, his dark sunglasses trained at the world going by, distracted her.

Kim’s body felt warm and supple, aching slightly from having to spread so far for him. Liam caught Kim looking at him, and he reached over and laid his hand on her thigh. He didn’t have to say a word. Kim felt the connection between them, the warmth that wouldn’t go away.

Kim earned a few stares when they walked in. She was: one, late; two, not in a suit; and three, shadowed by her tall Shifter with menacing eyes.

She was starting to dress like a Shifter woman, she realized as she sat down and sorted through her messages. She never came to work outside of a skirt suit, stockings, and black pumps. She’d changed out of the clothes she’d made love in, but had put on another loose skirt and blouse and high-heeled sandals. Clothing easy to remove.

She sensed that the last thing Liam had wanted to do this morning was leave Shiftertown, but he’d been adamant about not letting her go to work alone. Last night he and his father had switched places in Shifter hierarchy, which meant he could go one-on-one with Fergus now—a fight that might end in Liam’s death.

The entire balance of Shifter power in South Texas was at stake. Liam showed how torn he was about this by stretching out on her sofa and catching up on the latest issue of Angler Today.

“Will you stop that?” she asked in irritation.

“Stop what? Reading’s good for you. You learn things.”

“Sitting there like nothing’s wrong. I might have made a breakthrough in the case. Your dad might have to leave Shiftertown. Fergus might try to kick your ass into the next county. And you read about fishing. Do Shifters fish?”

“Kim, sweetheart, if I didn’t absorb myself in fishing lures, I’d either tear down the building or come over there and screw you senseless on your desk. Maybe both. Is that what you want? I can oblige.”

Kim scrubbed her hand through her hair. “Never mind. You have me on edge. I guess the Shifter pheromone thing really works.”

Liam was off the couch and on his feet, the magazine falling to the floor. “And yours are pouring over me, enticing me to come and slide my hands up your skirt.”

“You’ve already done that.”

“That was two hours ago. I want to do it again. And again. All day and all night. It burns like fury.”

Kim’s blood heated. “I can’t say I’m turned off by that.”

“You’re lucky you’re not Shifter. You can’t feel the mating frenzy like I do. If you were Shifter, we’d have been doing it constantly since San Antonio. To hell with work or family, or eating and sleeping.” Tension rippled through his big body.

“You’ve been feeling that since San Antonio?”

“Hell yes. I want to be inside you every second. Fergus and his demands, your case, and even my father can go to hell.”

“Oh.” Kim moved closer to him. She was in her office, her very formal, law-firm office in its nice building in downtown Austin, and she wanted nothing more than for Liam to throw everything off the desk and lay her back on it. Or maybe sit her on the edge. Or against the wall. She wasn’t particular.

Liam’s smile was feral. “Don’t play with fire, Kim.”

“I think I have a little of this mating frenzy too.” Kim pressed her hands to his chest to feel his heart pounding beneath her fingertips. “I want to touch you all the time, have you kiss me, have you be with me. I didn’t say that, because I was afraid you’d think I was clingy.”

“My love, what gobshite wouldn’t want you clinging to him?”

“Pretty much everything male.”

Liam drew her against him. “Bloody fools can’t see what’s in front of their own noses. It means you’re all mine.”

Kim rose to meet his kiss, not caring that her secretary could pop in any moment, not to mention all the lawyers in the building. But what the hell? She’d already done it outside on a wall, and her colleagues probably thought she was shagging the Shifter in here anyway.

The kiss turned deep. Kim tasted his need, the frenzy inside him, and his conflicted emotions. Likely his heartbreak was fueling his sexual needs, and Kim would be the one fulfilling those needs. She somehow couldn’t be sorry about that.

Liam’s cell phone buzzed. He kept kissing her a few seconds, then reluctantly reached for the phone. “Damn it.” He flipped it open. “What?”

His expression changed, and he turned away, shutting Kim out. She thought the voice she could barely hear was Sean’s, and from the stiffening of Liam’s body, something had happened.

Her heart froze. Dylan? Or Connor?

Liam snapped the phone shut and turned to her with a grim look. “Michael’s mum says he’s missing. She can’t find him anywhere.”

Kim blinked. “Michael? The little kid with the pool?”

“Yes. Dad and Sean are organizing a search.”

Kim’s blood went cold. “Fergus?”

Liam shook his head. “I don’t think so, and neither does Dad. Fergus’s head would come off if he tried to hurt a cub, or even use him as a diversion. Fergus has power, but cubs are sacrosanct.”

Kim wasn’t sure she took Liam’s word for it. “Call the police,” she said quickly. “They’ll do one of those alerts…”

Liam shook his head. “Shifters can find him a hell of a lot faster than your police can. We know his scent.” Liam slid his phone back into his belt. “I have to be there. His mum and dad…”

“Will need you.” Kim thought of the way Liam and Sean had done everything to calm Sandra, how the woman had relaxed somewhat under their mutual touch. The parents would be terrified, need reassurance. “Go then. I’ll be fine.”

More conflict. Liam looked uncertain, and Kim had never seen him uncertain. “Really,” she said. “I have a hell of a lot to do here. You know, Brian’s butt to save. I’ll be fine.”

Liam came to her, his hard body against hers the best thing in the world. “You stay in this office, all right? Have someone bring you lunch; don’t go out. And after work get into your car and drive straight to my house. No stopping, no lingering. All right?”

Uneasiness stole through her. “Fine. I can do that.”

Liam pulled her into an embrace. A Shifter embrace, tight, long, warm, comforting and drawing comfort at the same time. “I hate to leave you.”

Kim hated for him to leave her too. When did she get so needy? “I’m fine. Go.”

Liam kissed her again, lips lingering on hers. “You call me,” he said. “Every hour if you have to.”

“It will be all right, Liam.”

Liam gave her a hint of a smile. “I wish I could believe that, love.” And then he was gone.

Kim tried to concentrate on work but found her attention wandering to Shiftertown. She had much to catch up on, phone calls to return, reports from her investigator on Michelle’s ex to go through, letters to compose. But she worried about Michael—had he merely wandered off or had something more sinister happened? Was he exploring some place exciting to small Shifter boys; was there another feral Shifter on the loose?

Liam hadn’t been gone an hour before she was on the phone to him. He told her, his voice warm as ever, that he had nothing to report. Apparently, Michael’s mother had stepped inside for a minute, when his little brother had come running to the front porch to tell her that Michael was gone. Early searches had turned up nothing. All Shiftertown was now about to start a serious one.

Kim heard the worry in Liam’s voice. This happening, on top of his fight with his father and Fergus’s threats, couldn’t be easy on him.

When had she started caring so much? Her fascination with Shifters, her first attraction to Liam, her growing physical need for him had blossomed into something much deeper. It was more than the mating frenzy Liam kept talking about. There was something about Liam that made her want to be near him, to hold him when he hurt, to laugh with him when he was happy.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Damn it all, I’ve fallen in love with him. When did I get so stupid?

Kim tried to return to work. She couldn’t bother Liam; he’d have his hands full. But she couldn’t help calling him back as she ate lunch at her desk. Nothing, Liam reported.

He sounded even grimmer. Kim assured him that she was all right—no need to worry about her. He told her to take care, warmth in every word. When Liam said the trite phrase, he really meant it.

Kim called Liam back at two, but he didn’t answer.

Leave him alone, she told herself. He’s busy doing his job.

To think she’d once assumed his job was managing a bar.

By three, Kim couldn’t take it anymore. She packed her briefcase and told Jeanne, her secretary, that she’d work the rest of the day at home.

Kim hurried out into the parking lot to nearly run into Abel, who was returning from a day in court. “Kim,” he said.

“Hey, Abel. I gotta go. See you tomorrow.”

Abel stepped in front of her. He was perspiring, his face red and shiny above his tight suit coat. He looked furious, which meant he must have lost his case.

“I heard that you dumped me for a Shifter.”

The boy wonder had finally caught on. “That’s none of your business. I have to go.”

He stepped in front of her again. “Where to? Your Shifter? That stinking animal you dragged in here? You’re screwing him, aren’t you? You’re screwing an animal.”

Kim rolled her eyes. “You were always so clueless.”

“I’ll have you fired. I’ll get you disbarred.”

“It’s not against the law to go out with a Shifter. Or even to go to bed with one. Grow up, Abel.”

Kim tried to go around him again, and again, Abel barred her way. After meeting Fergus, Abel frightened Kim about as much as a gnat, but she wondered what he was going to do. Deck her in the parking lot? Great PR for the law firm.

“Would you get out of the way?”

“Were you doing him while you were going out with me? Tell me the truth. You were already screwing him then, weren’t you? You were double-dipping.”

“Obviously you want me to say yes.”

“Shifter-whore,” Abel said. “I’ll tell everyone I know that you’re nothing but a Shifter-whore.”

“Abel, you moron…”

She broke off as two Shifters materialized on either side of Abel. Fergus’s thugs—bald Tattoo Guy and Military Man. Their Collars glinted in the hot sunlight. Military Man wore sunglasses and looked like the Terminator.

“Everything all right, Ms. Fraser?” Tattoo Guy asked.

“Everything’s fine. I’m heading to my car.”

“We’ll walk you there.”

Kim’s heart started to pound. “No need, I can make it.”