Primal Song

Danica Avet

Book one in the Cajun Heat series.

Deputy Daisy Picou is not impressed when Ram Reinhardt prowls into town all rock star swagger and big cat ego. She’s been burned by a lion before and has no intention of playing the fool twice. But with one scorching glance the mating frenzy ignites and passion trumps reason. An intense first encounter levels Daisy’s reservations—and most of her living room. And she’s not so sure she minds.

Ram Reinhardt has burned through and brushed aside just about every adrenaline-inducing thrill life’s thrown at him. But Daisy sets the gold standard for a premium rush. Her combative personality should turn him off, but every time they fight they end up in bed, or on the floor, or against a wall—and the sex is always more combustible than the time before. He’s not about to give that up. Ever.

PRIMAL SONG

Danica Avet

Acknowledgments

There are several people I need to thank, but I'll try to keep it short. Jillian, thank you for talking me into attending the right conference at the right time. Grace, thank you for being an amazing editor and for taking a chance on a crazy, talkative Cajun. And finally, a special thank you to my family for sharing their love of music with me over the years. Ram wouldn’t have had a band if it hadn’t been for my many years of listening to everything from big band music to heavy metal.

Chapter One

Ramsey Reinhardt eyed the venue for Saber’s next show, dread curdling his stomach. It wasn’t the type of place they usually played. First off, it was in a one-road town in the middle of nowhere. Second, the band playing before them was singing in another language. He’d played a lot of shows with bands from other countries, but what bothered him the most was the type of music it was. The four-piece band comprised of an accordion, upright bass, fiddle and drum, was playing some kind of waltz. The area in front of the stage was packed with couples doing some strange kind of complicated square dance that involved a lot of twirling and ducking and shit.

“Dude, are you sure about this?” Craig Gamble, Saber’s rhythm guitarist mumbled out of the side of his mouth. “We stick out like sore friggin’ thumbs. Any minute now they’re gonna start playing Dueling Banjos and I’m leaving your asses here.”

Ram ignored the comments from the other band members as they mocked the small-town gathering. Everyone in Saber was on edge from the long tour. In the last year they’d performed three hundred and twenty-five shows in three hundred and twenty cities across the United States. Being stuck on a bus that long would drive anyone insane. Put five shape-shifting big cats and two humans on the same bus and they were lucky no one died.

There’d been a lot of fighting, mostly between the tiger brothers when their arguments over who’d fucked up during a show escalated into unleashed claws and bared fangs. Ram and the other two members of the band let the brothers go at it until they tired themselves out. Even Ram had been in his share of fights with the others, but one good thing about Saber being together for so long was that they knew each other. A quick fight and everything was cool again. Until the next fuck up.

Like the one they faced now. Ram shook his head in disbelief. What was their manager thinking? This was some kind of county fair or some shit. Saber had graduated from doing those years ago, about the same time they stopped playing small bars and roadhouses.

His gaze drifted over the crowded dance floor. The banner above the stage proudly proclaimed the Forty-Third Annual Pointe-Aux-Chat Festival. He vaguely remembered their band manager telling them the parish was called Pointe-Aux-Chat, which meant “point of the cat”. He found the name kind of fitting for a group consisting of two tigers, a lion, a lynx and a panther, but that did little to appease his irritation.

But what the fuck were they doing here?

As though Ram had conjured him, their manager Clint Harrison appeared with a huge bowl of something that smelled delicious and a big grin on his face. “Okay, guys, the cameras are set up. You’re on in an hour and a half. You ready?”

“Ready for what, exactly?” Ram asked before his friends could jump their human manager with claws extended.

Clint’s smile fell. “We’re going to film the video for Digging Deep tonight. I thought we went over this.”

Craig snapped, taking a threatening step forward, his eyes shifting to his tiger half. “Have you taken a look out there, Clint? Those are country shifters, for fuck’s sake! They’re not going to appreciate our music. We’ll be lucky to get out of here alive. Besides, I thought the last show we played in Biloxi was going to be the video for Digging Deep. You said we were free for the rest of the year.”

Ram stepped in before the others could jump down Clint’s throat. “I know you said you were asked if we would play here, but maybe it’s time you told us why.” He folded his arms and peered down the length of his nose at the shorter human.

Clint’s Adam’s apple bobbed before his eyes shifted to the left. Ram followed his manager’s gaze to a tall shifter leaning against a post watching the dancers.

“That’s Monk Badeaux, a cougar shifter,” Clint murmured. “I met up with him while we were in Vegas and uh, we played poker and—”

“Jesus Christ, we were part of a wager?” Craig exploded, a vein pulsing in his forehead.

Clint jumped. “Well uh, sort of, but not really…yeah. See, uh, I didn’t have the funds to cover my debt and Monk—his family has been running this festival for years—thought we might help each other out. You guys get your video shot, expose yourselves to a new audience, and we help put Maison Rouge on the map.”

“Maison what?”

“Maison Rouge, the town we’re in.”

“I thought it was called Point-A-Cat?” Craig demanded.

Clint held up a finger. “Pointe-Aux-Chat. And Pointe-Aux-Chat is the name of the parish. Maison Rouge is the parish seat. Anyway, this will be good publicity for the festival and for Saber.”

Ram forced himself to remain calm. God, he was getting too old for this shit. “Do these people even know what kind of music we play?”

Clint’s watery blue eyes looked at the crowd of dancers thoughtfully. “I’m sure Monk told them.”

“And what happens if they try to lynch us?”

“There are police officers here. They wouldn’t let that happen,” the human said in all seriousness.

“You mean like that one?” Nick asked with a jerk of his thumb at the dancers.

Ram followed his friend’s gesture and saw a tall female with dark hair dancing with a shorter male. Both were dressed in police uniforms, though the black polyester looked a lot better on the female. She was the tallest woman Ram had ever seen, nearly as tall as he, but where he was all muscle and bone, she had a curvy figure despite her swimmer’s shoulders and long legs. She laughed down at the older, shorter male, her ponytail swinging out behind her as they performed some kind of complicated dance step.

Except for the huge handgun strapped to her hip she looked like anyone else. As though she felt his gaze, she glanced around, her chocolate eyes narrowing on Ram for a second before she was swept into the crowd.

“I’m sure the police officers here are very professional,” Clint insisted. “They’re allowed to enjoy themselves too, you know.” He lifted his spoon and took a big bite. Around a mouthful of food, he said, “You guys should take a walk around, get a feel for the crowd, grab something to eat and relax. It’s just another show.”

Ram didn’t like it one bit. This had all the earmarks of a major disaster. He let Clint walk away, knowing there would be no reasoning with him. Saber had been a grungy bar band before Clint showed up with an offer to turn them into stars. The human had followed through, taking risks most managers wouldn’t, but it’d paid off. Saber played to sold-out stadiums across the country, had three platinum albums, two Metal Choice Awards, and a solid fan base. Though Ram didn’t like playing because of a lost card game, he couldn’t deny that there was something exciting about playing to a possibly hostile crowd.

“You’re going along with this shit, aren’t you?” Nick grumbled as they made their way through the thick crowd to the food stands.

“It can’t hurt to expand our fan base,” Ram conceded.

“Shit.”

“We don’t even have all of our equipment,” Craig announced. “Just how are we supposed to put on a quality show without our shit?”

Ram stopped and looked at his friend, the others halting next to them. “Are you telling me you’re so pampered you can’t play a gig with just a couple of amps and your guitar?”

Predictably, Craig rose to the challenge in Ram’s voice. “Of course I can! I just figured if we were going to do this at all, we should do it right.”

Ram started walking again, knowing they could put on one hell of a show with what they had on their bus. They’d be without the rows and rows of specialty amps, but they had enough to show these country people how to rock out with their cocks out.

Trick, Saber’s bass player, stepped up next to Ram, his bright-green eyes scanning the crowd. “At least the scenery is nice,” he mused as he scouted out a couple of attractive shifter females. The black panther did love the ladies and they loved him right back. That is until he got bored, then it was time to call the police because the smooth-talking panther had a crazy stalker following his ass all over the place. “Maybe we can stick around for a little while if they don’t kill us,” Leland replied, elbowing Nick in the ribs.

Ram barely paid attention. He couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off the dance floor where the cop danced with male after male, her bright smile and flushed cheeks so different from the made-up faces of the groupies who followed the band. Silently he agreed with Craig. Maybe they could stick around a little while. Just enough time to test out the waters with that female.

Deputy Daisy Picou was winded from all the dancing. Billy Toussaint and the All-Stars were in fine form tonight, playing some of her favorite Swamp Pop songs. Her uniform stuck to her body as she elbowed her way to the front of the hotdog stand. She was starving, her bear’s metabolism had burned through the massive meal she’d eaten before going on duty tonight.

She got two dogs fully loaded and edged her way to the side of the stand to eat. The fairgrounds were packed, a good sign. All proceeds from the festival went to a different parish-run organization every year and this year the money would go to the Senior Citizen’s Center in Maison Rouge. The number of people eating, dancing, shopping at the crafts booths and waiting in line for rides made her near-starvation worth it.

It was also gratifying to see so many out-of-towners in the crowd. Each year the Festival Board promoted for months ahead of the event, but it seemed to have actually worked this year. Daisy quickly recognized the shifters and humans who lived in the surrounding parishes because they came to the festival every year. This time though, there was an abundance of new faces mingling with the old, familiar ones.

Thinking of new faces, she searched for the five males who’d stood out like sore thumbs. She’d pegged them as big-city cat shifters. She’d been a cop long enough to size people up and those five just about screamed “finicky kitties”. The tallest of the group had been gorgeous in a very lion-like way. Well, as lion-like as a male could get without an actual mane. She prayed he wasn’t a lion shifter. That would be a shame. As far as Daisy was concerned, lions were nothing more than lazy bastards who only exerted themselves when there was fresh pussy to add to their harems of women.

She shook her head and started her second hotdog, not caring about the mess she undoubtedly made of her face. She hoped those guys weren’t troublemakers. The Pointe-Aux-Chat Festival had its share of drunken incidents, but for the most part the humans and shifters who were drawn to the fairgrounds got along well.

Daisy kept careful watch on the edges of the fairgrounds, looking for teenagers who might be slipping off to do something they shouldn’t. She’d seen too many hearts broken when hormones went crazy at the festival. Satisfied the cubs were where they belonged, she devoted her attention to finishing her food.

Just as she pondered going back for a third dog, the thrum of a bass guitar powered through the fairgrounds. Her clothes vibrated from the sound. Assuming it had to be the next band tuning up, she barely paid attention. If she had another hotdog she’d have heartburn, sure as the sun would rise tomorrow. No, she’d just clean up and—

The thrum came again, this time accompanied by a rhythmically pounding drum. A guitar soon joined. With her back to the stage, she could only see the crowd and what she noticed left her uneasy.

The older folks were frowning. Shifters and humans alike folded their arms over their chests or covered their ears. But it was the young people who had Daisy wondering if she was about to witness a riot in action for the first time. She glanced over her shoulder to find out what had the kids in such a frenzy of excitement. Her jaw dropped as she spied four of the five big city cats arranged on stage. They weren’t wearing casual clothes now, but wore black jeans and black t-shirts, though she glimpsed skin behind the drum set.

The tempo picked up until the guitar player, an outrageous-looking tiger shifter with a Mohawk practically burned up the strings of his guitar. The other tiger leaned against the first’s back, his face a study of intense concentration as he followed the lead. The bass player was another gorgeous cat with black hair and muscles. The drummer, who she could finally see once the other band members moved around, looked like a smaller cat, but was equally attractive as the other four men.

Someone growled, low at first, but increasing in volume until it became an ear-shattering roar. A tall male with a buzz cut ran onto the stage wearing nothing but a very tight pair of black jeans, black shit-kickers and shades. He rested one foot on the amp at the edge of the stage and roared again.

Daisy’s ears rang from the undeniably lion-like scream that was immediately answered by the screams of about five hundred teenagers who ran en masse for the stage.

Oh shit!

Ram was having the time of his fucking life. As soon as he belted out the opening line of Let Me Hear You Roar, a crowd streamed from everywhere to gather around the stage. Their energy bolstered his confidence, as well as his band mates because the tension on stage disappeared as they settled in to do what they did best—play music.

He was vaguely aware of some kids attempting to get on stage, but figures dressed in black surrounded the platform, protecting the band from overzealous fans. Ram couldn’t be bothered with security though, not when he was in his element. He screamed and roared through five older songs, the set as familiar as breathing. His heart pounded, adrenaline scoured his veins. This was what he fucking lived for.

He took a short breather while Nick, their lead guitarist, took stage for his solo in Raising Hell. Ram gulped back a bottle of water Clint held out to him and then wiped his face with a towel, his gaze scanning the crowd. They were totally into it. A mosh pit had formed right in front of the stage, young bodies tumbling into each other. A wall of people surrounded the writhing mass of bodies, shoving the kids back in and helping those who stumbled back onto their feet.

“Fuck,” he breathed when a bony kid catapulted out of the group of moshers and straight toward the stage and probably a fractured skull.

He stepped forward, ready to spring out to stop the collision, but a black-clad figure expertly caught the body and tossed him back into the throng of metal heads. The long, dark hair caught back in a tight ponytail looked familiar. The woman turned to shout something to a deputy next to her and Ram caught her grin.

It was the dancing cop. She didn’t look freaked out by the moshing and seemed eager to join in herself. She caught another young male almost twice her size, shoving him away from the stage and into the arms of his friends. It had to be one of the coolest things Ram had seen in a long time.

Again, as though she felt his stare, she glanced over her shoulder straight at him. This close she wasn’t beautiful, or even pretty. Her jaw was too strong, her chin too stubborn, and her nose a little too long, but she had the most gorgeous eyes. They were wide and slightly slanted with thick eyelashes surrounding irises so dark they were almost black with gold specks around the pupils. Ram’s heart slammed faster and it had nothing to do with being on stage.

Her eyes lightened slightly, her animal moving through her as though checking him out for itself before it disappeared and she turned away again. Feeling as though he’d just had a life-changing experience, Ram almost missed his cue to return to the stage. Only Clint’s frantic shove reminded him he was there to work, not to think sappy shit like maybe he’d been looking for her for a long time.

*

The hotdogs seemed to settle right in the middle of her chest and all she wanted to do was pop a couple of antacids and put her feet up. But no, she was stuck protecting the big-city cats from the metal-maddened teenagers. Not that she really minded. She wasn’t so old she couldn’t remember what it was like to get high off the adrenaline you could find in a mosh pit. Hell, she was half tempted to join in.

With her back nearly touching the stage, she felt the music pound through her with primal fury. The blood rushing through her veins seemed to keep tempo with the beat of the bass and drum, her heart adding a little backbeat that made her want to hurl herself into the mosh pit. But she’d stopped doing crazy things like that when she became a cop. Nowadays she stuck to nice, calm things like country music and long runs through the woods.

The lion was singing again, each word out of his mouth seething with passion. She didn’t pay attention to the lyrics, her whole body sizzling with the raw hunger in his song. She didn’t have to know what he was singing about to know he raged because of heartbreak, she felt it in her bones.

The song ended and the kids chanted, “Saber! Saber! Saber!”

The hair on the back of her neck rose and she sensed him staring at her. Daisy wanted to peer over her shoulder at him, the lion with the absurdly short hair, but kept her eyes on the crowd. This couldn’t be Saber. She hadn’t been a part of the rock/metal scene in years, but even she’d heard of them. Hell, when she was drunk and feeling blue, she might have even played a few of their singles to tide her over.

There was no friggin’ way they’d play a small festival like Pointe-Aux-Chat.

“Hello, Maison Rouge!” the lion shouted into the microphone, his breathing slightly labored. “We’re Saber and we’re so…” He paused as though realizing there were young kids out there. “Uh, glad to be here!”

The crowd roared, but Daisy was deaf to their excitement. It really was them. She couldn’t stop herself. She glanced behind her. He was looking directly at her, his golden skin gleaming with sweat. With his sunglasses still on, she couldn’t see if he liked what he saw, but did it really matter? Males of his caliber did not get stupid over females like her. Daisy knew she wasn’t tie-a-pork-chop-around-her-neck ugly, but neither was she gorgeous enough to attract a guy like him. But she sure as hell wished she was. Hell, she hadn’t been this close to such luscious eye candy since the all-male revue her cousin Kitty had taken her to in New York.

His broad shoulders led to a muscled chest with a thin pelt of dark hair that matched the shortened locks on his head. A bead of sweat slid down his rippled stomach to dip beneath the waistband of his jeans and Daisy almost licked her lips. Yummy.

Uh, no. Bad bear! She didn’t lust after big-city boys anymore and she definitely didn’t do lions. But hot damn, he was magnificent. He stood straight and tall, feet braced apart. The black denim hugged his long, muscled legs and caressed the bulge beneath the zipper.

She shook her head. He was still talking.

“We’re on the last leg of our Never Surrender tour and we’ve been trying to find the perfect spot to shoot the video for our latest single, Digging Deep. And I think we found it!”

The kids roared again and Daisy swiveled her head around, peering at the corners at the edge of the dance space. Sure enough, there were cameras set up at several points. Deeper in the shadows she noticed a familiar shape lounging against one of the light posts and her hands fisted. Monk-fucking-Badeaux. She knew without asking he was responsible for this.

“So what do you say? You want to be in a music video?” the singer shouted into the microphone.

The excited screams of the crowd nearly knocked Daisy off her feet. She exchanged wary glances with the deputies to either side of her. If the crowd rushed the stage, they’d be flattened. She braced herself. She knew most of these kids, knew they’d never harm a soul, but they weren’t themselves. If they charged—

“But before we start filming, let’s get a round of applause for the hardworking members of the police force who’re doing their best to keep everyone safe,” he stated in his deep, raspy voice.

Whistles and cheers abounded, some of the frantic energy abating. Daisy’s body relaxed a bit. Okay, so maybe the big-city lion wasn’t a complete asshole. She shot him a thankful grin over her shoulder and almost passed out when she noticed he’d crouched right behind her.

She could smell him, all male musk and heat with a wild tang of cat underneath. He’d propped the sunglasses on top of his head, his amber eyes pinning her in place. He must’ve signaled the band because the song started, fast and heavy.

Daisy was only peripherally aware of the mosh pit starting again because the lion hypnotized her. He did it without saying a word, letting the heat and hunger in his eyes do all the talking.

And then he started singing. The lyrics poured from his mouth, sinking right through Daisy’s skin and into her blood. This time she heard the words. No, that was wrong. She felt them. Despite being nearly shouted at her in his rough baritone, they washed over her like gentle laps of his tongue.

Daisy’s skin heated and the flesh between her thighs grew slick and swollen. The plain cotton bra she wore beneath her uniform chafed nipples that grew overly sensitive. She scented her arousal on the air and knew he smelled it as well when his nostrils flared.

Someone bumped into her, shocking her out of her trance. Daisy blinked and looked around to see the kids still moshing and her fellow deputies doing their best to contain them. Brett Melancon, another deputy, shoved a kid back at the pit and shouted, “Get your ass in gear, Picou!”

Oh God. She spun back around to face the roiling bodies slam dancing in front of her, but in her mind, she kept chanting, Oh God, Oh God. The lion was dangerous. He made her want things she’d given up long ago. She had to harden her resolve to stay away from him or she’d end up a notch on some city boy’s very expensive belt. Again.

Ram didn’t know what came over him. He’d been performing for over ten years and he’d never sung a single song to one particular female. It wasn’t necessary. He knew without an ounce of conceit that women would come to him. He never had to lure them to his bed—they wanted to be there and were sometimes embarrassingly eager about it. It had nothing to do with his looks and everything to do with his status as a musician. He could’ve been the ugliest bastard in the world and the chicks would flock to him. Hell that had been part of the reason he’d learned to play music, because women dug it.

Fifteen years later, he was no longer the undersized lion cub who desperately wanted to impress the more physically mature girls at his school. He had a career he loved, friends he couldn’t do without and as much pussy as a single man could handle. Yet he’d just poured his heart out to a stranger.

Digging Deep wasn’t a love song by any stretch of the imagination. It was about raw, agonizing sex—the kind that left you covered in sweat, streaks of blood and come. It was about how a male had to protect himself from falling under the lure of a particular female. It was a song for shifters whose brutal sexual appetites made coupling look more like fighting than something pleasurable.

It had nothing to do with tender feelings, but when he sang it to the deputy, Ram’s whole body had strained toward her. He’d scented her arousal, had seen her pupils explode. He’d wanted nothing more than to fling her over his shoulder, find a quiet spot and dig his claws deep into her hips while he fucked her long and hard.

When one of the moshers had crashed into her, the spell broke. Ram somehow made it through the rest of the song. He didn’t know what the fuck was going on, but he didn’t like it. Maybe he was coming down with some weird sub-tropic illness or something? It certainly felt like it. His head swam, his eyes wouldn’t focus on anything but that female, and his body was hotter than it’d ever been.

“What the fuck’s wrong with you?” Nick demanded backstage as he looked Ram over.

Ram slumped against the wall, prayed it wouldn’t collapse and when it didn’t, let it take his weight. He felt…drained yet invigorated. His heart pumped double time and he felt strong, but the weird buzz in his head wouldn’t go away.

Nick leaned closer, his topaz eyes studying Ram closely. “Fuck, did you know your fangs are out?” he whispered in shock.

“What?” Ram reached up to touch his mouth and sure enough, his fangs had descended.

“And your mane is growing again,” Nick added, a twinkle in his eyes.

Ram raked his fingers through his hair. Back in the day he’d let it grow how it wanted, but after Clint took the band under his wing, he suggested buzzing away the long locks. Now Ram kept his hair short because he liked the sense of freedom it gave him. A mane was a pain in the ass to haul around all over the place and though he’d just had it trimmed down a week ago, it’d grown a couple of inches.

“Dude,” Nick breathed with wide eyes, “I think you’re in the mating frenzy.”

He shook his head. “That’s ridiculous. There’s no scientific proof something like that even exists.”

But Nick wasn’t deterred. “You started acting funny when you got close to that cop. I think you initiated a mating heat with her.” Ram could only blink in horror when Nick clapped him on the shoulder. “Congratu-fucking-lations!”

Chapter Two

Saber played for an hour and a half. Daisy barely heard any of their other songs, the weird buzzing in her head made it hard enough to pay attention to her job much less the lion running back and forth across the stage behind her. The heavy sluggishness in her mind made her wonder if the hotdogs she’d eaten were bad or something—except it didn’t feel like food poisoning.

Because while her thoughts were fuzzy and distant, her body felt more alive than it ever had. Her nerve endings sang with awareness of the humid air, the sweat that slipped over her skin and the shift of her clothes every time she moved. The ache in the lower half of her body was something familiar, yet still strange.

Daisy didn’t get worked up over every attractive male who crossed her path. She’d been nothing but a mass of raging hormones when she was younger, but at thirty-three she was determined to do everything the right way. She was ready to settle down, start having cubs and ready herself to take her daddy’s place as Pointe-Aux-Chat Parish Sheriff. She didn’t have time to fall in lust with every stray cat that came along, especially when she knew they wouldn’t stick around. She’d played in that sandbox before and she hadn’t liked it one bit.

The last whine of the guitar faded away and the singer shouted hoarsely into the microphone, “You’ve been uh…amazing! Thank you for having us. Good night!”

Hundreds of feet stamped the ground while hands clapped in time with the words, “Encore! Encore! Encore!” Daisy prayed Saber would end it now. She wasn’t sure she could take much more of listening to him singing.

But then the sweet notes of an acoustic guitar sounded and the crowd quieted until only the dim murmurs from the watchers way in the back could be heard. Daisy’s ears pricked with intrigue. Light flickered as the crowd of teenagers and young adults flipped open their phones until they resembled a galaxy of stars.

It was a slower song, but no less dangerous to Daisy’s peace of mind. The lion crooned his way through the words, causing her skin to pebble as his rough voice swept through her. Again, she sensed his gaze on her, but she refused to turn around. Not this time. His words left her imagining what it’d be like to have him whisper in her ear all the things he wanted to do to her. Her body throbbed with want, her bear once again perking up with excitement.

This was ridiculous.

She let out a silent groan. Her gaze sought out anyone free to take her place next to the stage. She had to get the fuck away before she did something stupid like throw herself at the rock star singing behind her. She made eye contact with Willis Franco and she gave her head a jerk.

Once he reached her side, she asked him to fill in for her until the end of the show. With his customary easygoing smile, the black bear shot her a wink. Without looking at the stage, Daisy pushed her way through the mesmerized crowd and tried not to feel as if she’d left something very important behind.

Her parents stood at the back of the crowd, their faces glowing with love as they swayed to the song. Daisy shook her head. They should have looked ridiculous together. Her bobcat shifter father and her black bear mother. Her mom was several inches taller than her dad, but neither of them seemed to care. They adored each other unconditionally.

That’s what Daisy wanted, what she craved more than anything else, but had yet to find. She knew she’d never discover it with the lion on stage, no matter how hot he made her feel. Sexual attraction was not love or affection. It was sex, which was all he’d be able to give her.

Claudette looked over, as though she sensed her daughter’s pain. Daisy shot her mom a rueful smile, rubbed her temples as if she had a headache, and sauntered away from the fairgrounds. She ached all right, but it wasn’t in her head.

*

Hours later, after the fairgrounds were dark and the crowd left, Ram sat back on the tour bus with a bottle of scotch. Luckily there had been no media in attendance. As much as Ram enjoyed being a popular musician, he hated being followed around by the press. The others didn’t seem to give a shit. They were out carousing with some of the legal beauties who’d stopped by the autograph table. Ram had had his share of admirers who’d hinted they would enjoy taking care of his every desire, but he’d sent them on their way.

A week ago, Ram would’ve picked two or three of the females and had himself a fine time. This evening though, he couldn’t strum up an ounce of interest. Nick had mouthed something about “mating frenzy” to the other band members who’d then stared at Ram as if he’d grown another fucking head.

He groaned and tossed back a bolt of liquor. There was no such thing as a mating frenzy. There was chemistry that led to fucking and chemistry that led to mating. Neither applied in this case because the one female he wanted to be buried inside had walked away before he learned her name.

It didn’t matter though, right? He wasn’t sticking around here. The tour was over, it was time to go home, and home was in LA where the rest of the civilized world resided. As he steadily worked his way through the full fifth of scotch, Ram thought about his place. The big house with its perfectly decorated rooms didn’t feel like home. Maybe he’d been a complete ass to let that interior decorator have free rein, but she’d been great in bed and he’d liked the house.

Of course, back then he’d spent more time on the road than at the mansion and even when he did go home, he always had people coming and going. He’d had so many parties at that house, movie stars, rock stars and the people who followed them everywhere had filled it to the seams, making it less lonely. These days, he was tired of the party atmosphere, tired of people falling over themselves when he entered a room.

Ram shifted on the bench at his ungrateful thoughts. If it weren’t for the humans and shifters who bought every Saber album, came to see their shows and shared their love of the music with others, he wouldn’t have a big, fancy house to hate. He wouldn’t be able to tour all over the country doing what he loved the most. But was it too much to ask for a little break from it all?

Apparently so, considering the amount of press Saber attracted wherever they went. Hell, the bastards staked out his house, tried to sneak pictures of him through the windows and went through his trash.

Despite the strangeness of performing a show without all the usual hoopla, he’d enjoyed playing at the festival tonight. There’d been no disc jockeys trying to get an exclusive, no reporters asking about Ram’s latest lover or the solo career he didn’t want.

Of course, that wouldn’t last. The kids had taken pictures with their phones. They’d all be on Facebook or Twitter tonight talking about the surprise concert in their hometown and next thing Ram knew, the press would descend like a horde of locusts. He’d thought about staying here for a little while, maybe taking some time off, but knowing the media would find him made it an impossible dream. At least at home he had the protection of his property line to keep them out. Here, there’d be nothing.

Even as he pondered the lack of warmth waiting for him in LA, his lion prowled in the recesses of his mind. It wanted to go out to look for that female. Ram’s cock hardened at the thought of getting close to her, but he forced himself not to think about her. She was a cop for fuck’s sake. She’d slap him in handcuffs and cart him off to jail for stalking her. The reminder should have made his libido quiet down, except all he could think about was cuffing her to a bed and tasting every inch of her long-limbed body.

He bypassed his glass and grabbed the bottle, hoping to obliterate the images in his brain with alcohol. The lion fought him with every swallow. His claws sprang out and his fangs lengthened, making it damn hard to close his mouth without cutting himself.

Fuck! He slammed the bottle back on the table, cock throbbing harder than ever. Ram had never had trouble controlling his beast—he mastered his animal at a very young age—but now it was as if all the willpower in the world couldn’t keep the lion in its cage. Heat swept through his body that had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with the need to pin that female bear beneath him. He shook his head savagely and drained the last of the scotch.

His lion still stalked through his mind, tail twitching with the need to go on the hunt. Ram leapt from his seat and tore through the minibar they kept on the bus, desperate to drown out his animal’s needs. But he never got another bottle.

Against his will, he was outside the bus, head tilted back to scent the humid, Louisiana night air. There were a variety of odors to sort through, but when he finally caught the faint trace of musk, bear and woman, he shifted and followed his nose.

He cut across a thick marsh, ignoring the swish of alligators on the banks and the curious eyes that watched him from the trees and brush. His only concern was finding that female and taking her. Ram couldn’t fight the animal’s instincts anymore, not with the heat incinerating him from the inside out.

*

Daisy rolled over and punched her pillow again. She’d been wrestling with her bed for two hours to no avail. Her body burned and ached for a male she couldn’t have.

She didn’t understand it. Yes, he was gorgeous. Yes, he was built like a brick shithouse and made her feel almost petite in comparison, but he was a celebrity, a rock star who probably had females waiting for him in every town across the country. Sure, he’d seemed attracted to her, but as she knew from very personal experience, cats were complete…well, alley cats.

Frustrated with the direction of her thoughts, Daisy sat up and glared across her shadowy room. She didn’t have time to fantasize about rock stars. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them. She had a lot to accomplish before her goals were met.

Red House was waiting for her. The house her maternal ancestors built had passed out of the family a hundred years before and no one other than Daisy seemed bothered by that. Saving money on a cop’s salary wasn’t easy, but she did without so she could finally reclaim what the Lebeau women had lost. She could raise a family there surrounded by their heritage.

She sighed. Kids.

She knew she wanted them. One or two would be fine. But she couldn’t have kids without a male. Daisy wasn’t scared of being a single parent. In fact, she’d prefer it. Unfortunately, her mother would strangle her. Her mom was as devout a Catholic as could be found outside a convent. If Daisy showed up pregnant with no mate waiting in the background, St. Patrick Church would probably catch fire from the number of candles her mama would light.

No, she had to have a mate before she started having children. That led to another problem. Who was she going to take to mate? She’d grown up in Maison Rouge and except for the eight months she spent with Kitty in New York, she’d never left. She knew every male in a fifty-mile radius and none of them impressed her as being good daddy material for the next generation of Picous. That left her with the option of going farther afield, like to New Orleans or Lafayette, or making do with one of the good ole boys she’d grown up with.

The thought was so depressing she pressed her face into her knees until it hurt. It wasn’t as though she lacked for dates. Some of her high school boyfriends still asked her out and she’d dated a few of them despite knowing there was no spark of real interest. She wanted love and respect and affection. The kind of relationship her mama and daddy had. But that was starting to look like wishful thinking.

She liked some of the guys, but there was no passion. Could she live without that? Sure she could. She just had to ignore the little voice in her head that said mating was forever and you don’t want to fuck it up by picking a mate whose only saving grace was that you didn’t want to kill them on sight.

Something banged on the front porch of the house, rousing her from her self-pity. It wasn’t a stealthy sound, but more like someone was trying to figure out how to get inside and didn’t care if anyone heard them.

Daisy pulled her service pistol out of the belt she’d left coiled on her nightstand. Some women kept lotions and sleeping masks or even books on their nightstands. Daisy left her gun and enough ammo to start a small war.

She climbed out of bed and toyed with the idea of getting dressed before she went to check on the noise, but another scraping sound prodded her into moving. She did throw a robe over her naked body and loosely tied it, not wanting to wave her girl parts at a potential burglar. Slipping through her house on silent feet, she wondered if one of the strangers in town had decided to try their luck at burglarizing a few houses. It was rare, but it did happen.

Adrenaline and a tinge of fear washed through her as she made her way in the direction of the sound. Those were definitely scraping, scratching sounds, as if someone was using a lock pick to open the door. Heart pounding in her chest, she eased to the window beside the front door and peeked out. And blinked.

There was a lion on her porch. A huge friggin’ beast with a thick, dark mane and the kind of fangs that belonged on the Discovery Channel. He had one paw on her front door and she watched in stunned disbelief as he tried picking her lock with one carefully extended claw.

The only lion shifter she was aware of in the area was the musician, but it made no sense for him to be here. What was he planning to do? Break in her house and sing at her? She bit back a snort. She wasn’t afraid of any big cat. Being a bear had its benefits, mainly that she outweighed most males in her animal form, but her bear wasn’t even fazed by this unexpected visit. In fact, it wanted to come out right now, not to attack, but to play. It thought the idea of a lion trying to break into their territory a great way to end the evening. Daisy sniffed deeply, drawing the scent of cat through the door and knew it was the musician. Beneath that wild, musky cat scent was a hint of the same male she’d been trying not to think about since she left the fairgrounds.

Shit. What was he doing here? She breathed deep again, trying to figure out his frame of mind. Was he pissed that she left the performance? She almost snorted at the thought. That would take listener satisfaction a little too far. But he smelled hot and agitated. Her head swam as something else filtered through her senses, making her body feel sluggish again.

Her lower body throbbed with want, her nipples tightened into near-painful points. She was getting turned-on. Seriously turned-on because she could feel dampness on her thighs as her moisture seeped from her channel.

He growled. The low, deep rumble sent a bolt of excitement straight to her clit and she gasped.

She reached for the door, not sure if she planned to tell him to get away, or invite him in. She wanted more than she ever had before, but he wasn’t what she needed, right? Only an idiot would open the door to a male who would use her and leave her. Apparently her horniness dropped her IQ by several points because she undid the lock and turned the knob.

But she’d waited too long and the lion had gotten tired of trying to pick the lock. The instant Daisy swung open the door, two paws landed on her chest, taking her to the floor.

The gun bounced out of her hand, sliding across the tile where it bumped up against the leg of a table. Five hundred pounds of big cat was a lot and it took a few minutes for Daisy to get her wind back. She wanted to curse when she did. If he was a serial stalker or something, she’d just lost her weapon and given him the dominant position. She was a fucking genius.

Hot, panting breath that carried the unmistakable scent of alcohol wafted over her face. Squinting against the hurricane of air, she saw the lion staring down at her with serious, yet slightly unfocused amber eyes.

“Get off me,” she said calmly, even if part of her wanted to demand he shift and fuck her. Now.

He didn’t go away. In fact, he put his big paws to either side of her shoulders, effectively caging her in between his limbs. Her heart thundered as he lowered his head. Just when she thought he was ready to shift and take care of the need burning through her, he licked from her chin to her forehead, his rough tongue abrading her skin.

“Ew! That’s disgusting!” This was not what her pussy had hoped for when she opened the door.

She tried to roll away from him, but he caught her shoulder with his paw and ran his velvety muzzle along her cheek. The rumbling purr that vibrated from his chest rattled her bones. The coarse hair of his mane tickled her face and neck as he continued rubbing against her like a giant kitten.

His tongue snuck out, lapping at the side of her neck. It was one of her sensitive spots and she jumped with a giggle. Shit. She was supposed to be some badass cop and she was letting some strange cat tickle her.

“Stop it,” she ordered in a quivery voice he paid no mind to.

With his scent surrounding her, Daisy’s body heated until it felt as if she’d burst into flames. Her heart thumped. Oh God, she’d just spent hours talking herself out of doing something stupid like throwing herself at him and now he was in her house licking her. She panted as he went for the hypersensitive spot behind her ear.

Instinct demanded she participate in this madness. She reached up to the warm body hovering over her. The instant she touched his velvety coat, his fur faded away leaving nothing but warm, golden skin behind. Paws became hands on either side of her and the mane disappeared, but the slightly rough texture of his tongue remained as he came down on top of her.

“Oh God,” Daisy gasped when he tested her skin with his teeth.

“Ram.”

She shook her head as the light coating of hair on his chest abraded her nipples, sending electric shocks straight to her aching core. “Huh?” she mumbled when his tongue danced over her collarbone.

“My name is Ram.”

“Uh-huh, do that again.”

His hot breath washed over her skin as he repeated the little love bite at the base of her throat. “I’d like to know your name in return,” he whispered against her skin.

Shivering from his erotic bite, Daisy whimpered her name. If he didn’t get this show on the road, she’d come without him and then she’d do as bears did and hibernate the rest of the night.

A big, hair-roughened knee slid between her thighs. Thighs that parted without any hesitation, making Daisy’s face burn with embarrassment. Was she so easy she’d just let some strange cat fuck her in the entryway of her home?

Her eyes popped open wide in panic. Ram, the lion—she snickered to herself—had latched on to her nipple, his lips, tongue and teeth working her over so well, she wanted to wrap herself around him and never let go. But the thought that her mama or, God help her, her daddy might stop by to make sure she was okay jerked her out of her lust-filled haze. They normally gave her space, but she’d been the one to fake a headache. Mama bears being what they were, her mother would have no problem dropping by unexpectedly to check on her.

Daisy shoved him away, horror replacing any regret she felt at the loss of his mouth. He landed somewhere in her living room, but she was too busy getting to her feet and slamming her front door closed to pay much attention. She pressed against the wall to peer through the window. The faint glow of illumination from her parents’ house on the other side of the pasture assured her they were both home.

Her daddy’s squad car was parked out front, as well as her mom’s truck. She slumped against the wall in relief. Even though her house was dark, her mother had a key and wouldn’t hesitate to use it if she thought Daisy needed her. Maybe Mama would think she needed rest tonight and not come over. It was a slim hope, but Daisy had to cling to whatever she—

Strong arms slid around her waist, tugging her into a tall, muscular and very aroused body. The musky scent of lion surrounded her as her sexy intruder trapped her against the wall. She shuddered when his hard cock nestled against the curve of her ass.

“I normally don’t like wrestling before fucking, but I could definitely start to enjoy it,” he rasped against her ear.

Okay, she should not be melting back into him. She should definitely not moan as he cradled her breasts in his big palms, his thumbs flicking over her nipples. But she did and there was no stopping the rush of heat between her legs at the contact.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered.

“My nose tells me otherwise.”

Some big-ass bear she turned out to be. She wilted at his words. Her robe slid off her shoulders to pool on the floor, the tie having given up the fight when he knocked her down. He bent his knees so the hard crown of his cock nestled right up against the slick lips of her pussy and glided back and forth. Her heart thumped in time with his slow, easy movements. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and arousal at how wet she was for him, for a complete fucking stranger.

“I…physically, yes, I can do this, but I shouldn’t,” she protested weakly. Hell, she leaned forward and arched her hips back.

Ram’s cock settled between her folds, their combined slickness helping him slide along her groove. Her breath hitched every time the head of his cock brushed over her clit. She clenched her hands into fists against the wall, rocking her hips back to meet his gentle thrusts.

“Why not?” he whispered against her nape. His fingers pinched and teased her nipples. “Why not enjoy this?”

Yeah, why not? You want him, he wants you. It isn’t like he wants to mate you. It’s just sex. Oh the temptation was there, or rather behind her with a huge cock and clever hands, but she’d promised herself she’d settle down. This was not settling down and being responsible. This was insanity.

“I,” she gasped sharply when his hips jerked against her, his cock nudging her clit. “You. I don’t know you,” she said in a rush. God, she was panting as if she’d just run a damn race.

Ram, of course, sounded just fine. No panting or moaning from him. The bastard. “My name’s Ramsey Reinhardt,” he nibbled on the tendon between her neck and shoulder, “I’m the lead singer for Saber. I was born in Chicago. I love my mother. I played football, baseball and was a member of the school choir.” One of his hands slid down her stomach to settle right above her mound. “I moved to Los Angeles when I was eighteen, joined a rock band, and that’s it.” He spread her folds with two fingers to gently stroke another over her swollen clit. “I saw this gorgeous woman tonight and couldn’t take my eyes off her,” he whispered into her ear, his tongue tracing it. “I had to have her, wanted to talk to her after the show, but she left.”

Daisy whimpered, her hips rocking on his cock as he increased her pleasure with the steady stroking of his finger. She was going to come immediately if he didn’t stop. As though he heard her thoughts, his finger slowed, but his hips kept up the slow, rhythmic slide of his cock through her folds. Her eyes crossed.

“I tried to forget about her,” he continued in a softer voice. “I tried to stay away from her, but I couldn’t. I need her—you, Daisy.”

His voice throbbed with sincerity.

He stopped moving against her, stopped the delicious torture that left her sopping wet. The growing ache in her womb increased at the loss of his cock dragging against her. The orgasm he’d steadily built in her stumbled to a standstill, waiting for something. He was waiting for something.

Her permission.

Daisy tried to think. She really did. She tried to remember why this was a bad idea, tried to recall the goals she set up for herself, but the gnawing hunger in her body for the lion wouldn’t let go. It demanded he sate her needs. The fuzziness in her head didn’t help, making it harder to think rationally.

“Say yes, Daisy,” he ordered softly, his hands on her hips, extended claws lightly piercing her skin.

She licked her lips, her breathing rough. “I’m on the Pill,” she whispered.

He said nothing, still waiting for her answer.

She didn’t have to ask him if he was clean. One major plus to being a shifter was an inability to catch human sexually transmitted diseases. And with her on birth control, she wouldn’t have to worry about having a kid with—

Her bear roared in frustration, punching through Daisy’s reservations with nothing more than primal instincts and heated need. “Yes!” Daisy shouted, the bear’s triumphant growling buried beneath her cry. “Yes, yes, take me, please.” It wasn’t forever, after all, it was just a temporary solution to a—

Ram’s heavy, thick cock slid into her to the hilt. Daisy might have squeaked at the sudden invasion, she wasn’t sure. Her mouth gaped as she tried to breathe through the burning stretch of long-ignored muscles, but Ram didn’t give her time. He lived up to his name, battering at her poor, overwhelmed pussy with hard, fast thrusts that nudged all the places she’d never known she had until she was shouting in pleasure.

“Tight. God, you’re tight,” he panted against her neck his body bowed over her as he slammed into her over and over again.

Daisy twisted in his hold, the pleasure nearly unbearable. Her claws dug into the sheetrock of the wall, panting moans tore from her throat as the tension coiled tighter and tighter. One of his hands slid down her stomach to stroke her clit and she lost it.

She came with a strangled scream, her channel clenching around him as her pleasure exploded outward, consuming everything in its path. She vaguely felt something sharp on her back, and then his muffled roar, but the sound seemed far away, drowned out by the blood pounding through her veins. The pleasure ran its course, leaving her limp and weak and gasping for air.

Ram’s lion rumbled out a purr of contentment he wanted to echo. He couldn’t seem to relax his hold on her, half afraid if he let go, she’d take off. He nuzzled the silky skin of her neck, gently lapping at the mark he’d left on her. He hadn’t meant to do it.

Well, he had meant to, but much later, like when she actually agreed to be his mate. Unfortunately, his lion decided to take matters into its own hands and mark her before Ram was entirely ready. But now, he didn’t regret it one bit. There was something undeniably sexy about lapping her blood from her skin where it mingled with her sweat. The marks were deep and would scar over within a couple of hours, but the mating scent he’d left all over her face, and now her back and pussy, would remain for much longer.

“You okay?” he whispered against her skin.

God, she was amazing. He loved that she was tall enough for him to take her standing up with only the smallest adjustments to make them fit together. Her skin was a gorgeous olive tone and she had full curves he couldn’t wait to explore further. His cock twitched at the thought.

“No more,” she muttered even as her interior muscles fluttered around his rapidly filling dick.

He’d only just begun, but from the tightness of her body, Ram suspected it’d been a while for her and didn’t want to leave her too sore. He hissed a protest when he pulled out of her hot, wet body. God, he wanted to just stay inside her forever and fucking ever.

Her knees buckled and he caught her in his arms. He carried her to the sofa, eased her onto a cushion and knelt next to her to smooth her hair out of her face. She was still panting softly, her body flushed from the strength of her orgasm. Ram took a few minutes to admire the beautiful female he’d made his own.

Okay, she wasn’t classically beautiful, but to him, she was perfection. Her full lips parted as she struggled to catch her breath. Damn, he hadn’t even kissed her. Deciding to rectify that, he leaned forward to press his lips to hers. She moaned in the back of her throat, the sound traveling down his back to clench his balls. Just like that, he was hard and ready to blow. He deepened the kiss, teasing her mouth open. Dipping his tongue inside, Ram tasted mint mingled with a darker, richer flavor that was all Daisy.

He cupped her cheek, turned his head to taste her better and—

The sudden peal of a nearby telephone broke through his desire. Before he could ask her if the call could wait, Daisy’s body jerked as though she’d been poked in the ass and her head slammed into his nose hard enough he saw stars. He wobbled on his knees, trying to shake off the blow when his mate shoved him on his ass and reached for the phone.

Chapter Three

Daisy’s head stung from slamming it against Ram’s, but her sudden panic kept her from really feeling it. She fumbled for the phone, juggling it when she nearly dropped it in her haste.

“Hello?” she gasped into the receiver.

“Daisy? What’s wrong, honey? You sound out of breath.”

She face planted into the arm of her sofa. It wasn’t unusual for her mom to call randomly. With the weird hours Daisy and her dad worked at the sheriff’s department, the whole family needed very little sleep. No doubt her mom figured she had to be up, or wouldn’t mind being awakened by a phone call. Daisy always thought it was a cute habit, but she was a little preoccupied at the moment.

“Uh, hey, Mama. Um, I was working out.” Ha! Yeah, she’d had one hell of a workout. Her vagina would probably need ice after this. “What’s up?” she asked ignoring the grumbling, grunting lion on the floor behind her.

Her mother made a thoughtful sound. “You shouldn’t be working out when you don’t feel well, cher, you might make it worse.”

“It was just a headache. And um, well I heard that sometimes if you have one, working out can help constrict the blood vessels and make the pain go away.” She had read that somewhere, hadn’t she? Or maybe it was orgasms that made headaches go away.

She heard Ram get up and walk out of the living room and craned her neck to see where he went. Was he leaving? That was good, right? She didn’t need complications like lions with big dicks in her life, not when she had goals to meet.

Daisy turned her attention back to the conversation.

“Oh, well that’s interesting. Did it work?”

She hadn’t had a headache before, but after slamming her head into Ram’s, she did now. So she lied through her teeth. “Yes, it did. Was that why you called?”

Water ran somewhere in the back of the house and she figured he must’ve gone to wash up.

“Hmm? Oh, no. Did you happen to hear a lion roar a few minutes ago?”

At that precise moment, Ram returned and started cleaning her with a warm, damp towel. Daisy froze, opening her eyes wide in shock. “A l-lion?”

“I know, we haven’t had a lion around here in…well, it must’ve been when I was a young girl…”

But Daisy was deaf to her mom’s trip down memory lane. There was a lion shifter’s head between her legs. She blinked, hoping it would disappear, but no. He stayed right where he was, a devilish grin on his face. His big hands curled around her hips, tugging her toward him.

Daisy mouthed, “No.”

He winked at her, leaning up to meet her halfway. She squeaked when his tongue traced a long, wet line along the folds of her sex. He purred against her, the vibrations settling into the throbbing flesh of her clit and reverberating throughout her body. Oh God. She closed her eyes, the strength leaving her legs until she settled against his face.

His groan of approval sent another wave of heat through her womb, coating her channel with moisture. His tongue traced every inch of her from her soaking-wet entrance to her straining clit, before he wrapped those sinful lips around it and suckled. She bucked against his mouth, pleasure sparking behind her eyes like fireworks. A gurgling sound escaped her before she could bite it back, but her mother didn’t seem to notice, her voice chirping happily about the festival.

Two thick fingers slid into her channel, fucking her slow and steady, keeping time with the suction of Ram’s mouth and the teasing flick of his tongue over her bud. Daisy panted, the phone hanging somewhere around her jaw as she tried to fight her urge to come all over his face.

“Well, did you?” her mother demanded in a tone that suggested she’d asked a couple of times. “Daisy Lynn!”

Stars burst behind her eyelids, but she managed to lift the phone up against her mouth. “Huh?”

“Did you hear a lion, or not?”

Say something before she decides to come over here. Daisy shook her head, trying to think beyond the pleasure radiating from between her legs and the lion causing all of it. Her mother had asked a simple question, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember what it was.

Then Ram’s fingers curled in her pussy and stroked over something inside her once. “Yes!” Daisy gasped into the phone, her body shuddering in ecstasy. Her hips twitched, forcing her farther onto Ram’s fingers and wicked mouth.

“I wonder what it was doing around here,” her mama mused. “You don’t sound well at all, honey. Do you need me to bring you some soup or something?”

“No, no, I’m…fine,” Daisy panted into the phone, her body so close to orgasm, she thought she’d scream. “I’m just really…tired!” The last word came out as a squeak when Ram raked his teeth over her clit.

“Well okay, cher. You get some sleep. I’ll call you in the morning to see how you feel.”

Daisy squirmed, sweat dripping from every pore as she struggled to push back the orgasm before she screamed in her mama’s ear. “Okay. Tomorrow. Love you, ’bye.”

She somehow managed to hit the end button on the phone seconds before she came, screaming into the arm of her sofa. Racked with almost painful pleasure, she clawed at the fabric beneath her, her whole body convulsing as the wicked lion prolonged her orgasm with fast flicks of his tongue and hard thrusts of his fingers into her clenching channel. Daisy wailed, tears streaming from her eyes.

Then he was gone, his mouth, his fingers, everything. Nearly swooning from pleasure, Daisy didn’t care where he went. She just wanted to sleep for a thousand years, cradled deep in the warm afterglow of the best orgasm she’d ever had.

But Ram had other plans. He moved her around like a ragdoll, pulling her into his lap and arranging her limbs around him until she straddled his groin.

“I can’t—” she tried to say, but choked on the rest of her whine because he lifted her hips and pressed into her. Apparently, she could.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as his cock brushed against overly sensitive nerve endings. Mouth hanging open, she looked down at him, at the hungry glitter in his amber eyes, at the way his lips parted to reveal his sharp fangs. He watched her face as he rolled his hips up until she swore she could feel him in her throat.

“I can’t,” Daisy moaned even as she rocked, meeting his upward thrusts with a downward glide. She hitched in a sharp breath at the burst of pleasure. “God, you’re going to kill me.”

One of his hands tangled in her hair, pulling her toward him. “We’ll go together,” he promised in a husky growl before he devoured her lips.

He couldn’t get enough of her. Ram could no longer deny that he was caught in some kind of frenzy, mating or just plain lust. It didn’t matter. Her scent, her taste, the way she talked all drove him crazy with need. He shouldn’t have started playing with her while she was on the phone. He hadn’t intended to, but when he’d seen her pretty pussy pouting at him, he couldn’t help himself.

Now, with his dick securely caught in her tight passage, he kissed her again. He should’ve spent more time kissing her, should’ve done a lot of things, like maybe talk to her, but the lion wouldn’t let him. The beast needed to have all of her over and over again until she was saturated with his markings.

Her plump lips tasted like salt and woman. She let out a breathy moan against his mouth, her tongue dueling with his. She might think she had nothing left to give, but she made a liar of herself when she started riding him hard. Ram purred deep in his chest as he let her take control of their cadence, one hand riding her hip, the other clenched in her silky hair.

Their mouths parted now and then, but met over and over in a slippery glide of teeth, lips and tongues, made all the hotter by the soft moans she let out with every downward stroke. She felt like hot silk around his cock, her channel winding tighter and tighter with every rock of her hips.

Ram broke the kiss and rested his head on the back of the sofa to watch Daisy as she bucked on his cock, her breasts bouncing with her energetic movements. The long, dark hair that first caught his eye spilled over her shoulders, swaying with every churn of her hips.

“God, you’re fucking gorgeous,” Ram groaned, cupping her hips. “That’s right, baby, ride me hard and fast.” His face twisted as inexplicable pleasure cascaded through him. The pressure in his balls intensified when her pussy tightened around him like a wet fist. “Fuck, I’m gonna come.”

Daisy’s breath came out of her in panting sobs as she moved faster and faster, her hips whipping against him. He reached between their bodies, grazing her clit with his thumb. She stilled over him, her eyes widening a split second before she convulsed around him.

The second he felt the first clench of her sex, the tip of Ram’s cock exploded. He bucked, his dick jerking as he released into her tight body. His head snapped forward, fangs extended. He sank his teeth into the tender skin of her breast. She screamed again, her inner channel squeezing him nearly in half as she came one more time, taking every ounce of seed he had to give.

They both shuddered in the aftermath, their bodies fused together so tightly Ram couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. Her heart pounded against his face, her warm blood thick on his tongue. He cleaned the bite with gentle laps. He’d marked her harder than he meant to but he wasn’t upset because now she’d know who she belonged to.

Ram closed his eyes with a sigh of relief. His lion was finally sated. For now at least. He didn’t doubt for one minute that as soon as he opened his eyes and saw Daisy again, or as soon as he caught a whiff of her arousal, he’d want her all over again. He stroked her silky back, his fingers finding the first mark. She shivered and her pussy gave his limp cock a soft squeeze when he touched it. He grinned like a complete idiot. She was his.

“Mmm,” she moaned against his neck, her soft breath tickling his skin. “That was nice.”

Ram’s eyes sprang open. Nice? That was it? Okay, maybe he’d been a little quick on the trigger both times, but he thought he’d done a damn good job of getting her off.

“Ouch! Watch the claws, man.”

Right, he’d unleashed them into her hips. He closed his eyes in embarrassment. Again. “Sorry.”

She didn’t say anything, but her whole body tensed. Then a strange, dangerous scent surrounded him. It wasn’t arousal. It was something a lot hotter. He squinted through his eyelashes to see her staring down at her chest and the perfect outline of his teeth in her skin. Ram’s lion purred with possessive pride.

Her head shot up, her dark eyes glowing with feminine fury. “You bit me!” she shouted, throwing herself off his lap and springing to her feet.

She towered over him, her curvy body still flushed from her orgasm and his seed sliding down her thigh. She looked as if she wanted nothing more than to tear his head off. Ram’s cock twitched with interest.

“You motherfucker, you bit me!” she said again as though he might not have heard her the first time.

His face burned. He cleared his throat. “Yes I did.”

Daisy’s hands fisted at her sides. “And? Is this something you do a lot, dammit?”

Ram wanted to squirm, but held firm. He was her mate, after all. “What? Give multiple orgasms?”

The flush on her face deepened. “Yes, I mean no. I mean,” she waved her hand in a vague circle, “do you normally find some female wherever you’re playing, stalk her and fuck her stupid? And then mark her?” She whispered the last few words, her eyes lightening to pale brown.

“No, of course not!” He stood, forcing her to take a step back. “You’re my mate now.” He folded his arms over his chest. “You feel it too, or you wouldn’t have let me in.”

“Wrong, I opened the door because I thought it’d be a good way to get you out of my system so I could—” Her face turned red.

Ram narrowed his eyes on her, his lion scenting the partial truth to her words. “So you could what?”

She crossed her arms over her chest, tilting and tilted her chin up at him defiantly. “You know, kind of like sowing my wild oats before I settle down,” she muttered. Ram’s hands itched to wrap around her throat as she continued. “I’m ready to settle down, have some cubs and stuff, but I was starting to freak out because I wanted you so much. Now that I’ve had you, I can concentrate on nesting. But you marked me!”

He snapped, jerking her into his arms. She was a strong female and if she shifted, she’d probably easily tear his head off, but Ram and his lion were too pissed off to care right now. He kissed her hard and fast.

“You’re mated to me, so don’t even think of letting some hillbilly asshole touch you, Daisy,” he retorted, his fangs springing out again.

Instead of looking properly cowed, she snarled at him, her own fangs elongated. “Fuck off, lion, I won’t be part of any goddamn harem.”

She shifted in his arms, her silky skin sprouting thick fur, her body exploding into a very pissed off, very large black bear. Ram did what any self-respecting male lion did when confronted with his mate’s wrath—he shifted and jumped through the nearest window.

Daisy’s roar of fury followed him through the marsh as he headed back to the bus. She thought he wanted a harem? Please, there was no way he could keep up with more than one female like her, not that he even wanted to. They were mated. They’d be together, of that he had no doubt. He just had to figure out a way to keep her.

Ram felt no shame in retreating—not running—from his mate for the moment. He needed to come up with a plan of attack and execute it with all the determination that’d led to his band becoming a success. His lips curled into a feline smile of satisfaction. Deputy Daisy wasn’t getting away from him that easily.

*

Daisy called in to work the next day because she stank of lion and had to clean her house. After Ram left through the window, she’d taken her anger and frustration out on her furniture. Luckily, the sofas had been cheap and needed replacing anyway. She hid the broken window by closing the shutters until she had more time to call someone to replace it.

She left early before her mother could come over, scent the sneaky bastard lion all over her or see the wreck she’d made of her living room. She drove to Lafayette, about an hour’s ride away, to avoid running into anyone from Maison Rouge. The last thing she needed was for someone to catch a whiff of her and call her mama. Or God forbid, her daddy to tell them Daisy had mated a lion.

Not that her parents would be upset about a mating, but they knew how Daisy felt about big cats. They’d be so thrilled she was finally over the Kyle incident. They wouldn’t realize that staying mated to Ram would mean falling into the same trap Kyle had almost sprung on her.

Halfway to Lafayette, the local country station fizzled out and she searched for another channel. The only thing that came through clear was a rock station in Lafayette. They were playing a damn Saber song. She clenched her hands on the steering wheel and tried to ignore Ram’s voice, but like last night he reached through to her soul.

The mark on her chest throbbed in time with his voice, as though it recognized the male who’d put it there and ached for him. She rolled her eyes. She was such a drama bear. Really. A marking wasn’t permanent. Couples came together because they wanted to, not because it was predestined like in the romances she pretended not to read. Yes, Ram had marked her with his bite and his scent, but it wouldn’t last.

Other males would be wary to come around her while she smelled like him, but if they wanted her bad enough, they wouldn’t be deterred. She snorted. She wasn’t exactly holding her breath waiting for that to happen. She didn’t know any men who’d ignore another male’s marking, or go to great lengths to have her. Ram didn’t count. Daisy didn’t understand why he was so set to claim her unless it had to do with her lack of interest in mating with a lion. She frowned. That had to be it. Lion shifters were arrogant bastards who thought they were in a class of their own. Well, she’d been there and done that. She wasn’t about to go through it again, not even for Ram.

Kyle had been the first lion she ever met and she’d fallen for his good looks, charm and big-city sophistication. She hadn’t realized he had a pride until he asked her to join him and his seven other females. The fucker. He hadn’t liked her refusal, which had been very loud and somewhat violent. She’d returned home shortly after, bitter and heartbroken.

And now a lion had marked her without her permission after he’d fucked her stupid. Daisy shook her head and pulled into a furniture store. Ram wouldn’t hang around, not after the way she reacted. Maybe he’d just become caught up in the moment. The sex had been fan-fucking-tastic after all. It was possible he hadn’t realized he had bitten her until she noticed, except then he’d started talking about her being mated to him. The arrogant SOB was confusing her.

She growled. There was no use even thinking about it. The scent would fade, even if she had to scrub herself three times a day with lye, and Ram would go back to his big city. She’d never see him again and she was fine with that.

Really.

*

Daisy shoved the couch into place and stared at it, trying not to picture herself straddling Ram’s naked body. Yeah, that wasn’t working. Maybe if she put a blanket over the cushions, something rough and uncomfortable, she wouldn’t think about having sex on her new leather sofa. Knowing exactly which one she would use, she started for her hallway closet when her front door bounced open.

She whirled around to see her mother storm in, her face bright with excitement. She was only an inch shorter than Daisy, but outweighed her by a few pounds. Her black bear heritage was evident in her size and the fierce protectiveness she displayed toward her only child.

“Daisy! Where have you been all day? You missed all the excitement,” her mom chattered as she swept Daisy into a big hug that threatened to crack a few ribs. She let go and headed for the kitchen, plastic bags swinging from her hands. “I brought you a container of chicken and sausage gumbo, some homemade soup, and—” She stopped in the doorway. “What’s that smell?”

Shit. Daisy sniffed her arm and couldn’t smell Ram anymore, but that might be because she’d grown used to the scent. She cringed, waiting for her mother to spin around in full, excited mama-bear mode and ask when the wedding was. Instead, her mother hurried into the kitchen and gagged.

“When was the last time you changed your trash, Daisy Lynn? I can’t believe you live like this,” she announced amid thumps as she emptied the trashcan. She mumbled something about kids who never learn, but Daisy was too relieved to care.

She’d cleaned the house with bleach and lemon-scented cleaners in the hopes it would drown out the smell of lion and bear sex. If the trash was all Claudette scented, then she was safe. Thank God.

Her mom appeared in the doorway again after putting away the food, her snout lifted to scent the air. “Smells nice and fresh in here, cher. You stayed home to clean?” her mom’s voice increased in shock. Daisy wasn’t known for her domestic skills. Her mom slapped a hand against her forehead and cheeks. “You don’t feel feverish. Did your headache come back?” Her brown eyes drifted to the new sofa. “And you got a new sofa?”

“Uh…” Daisy scrambled for an excuse. “I think I ate something bad at the festival last night and um, I threw up on the sofa so decided I should get a new set. I needed it anyway. I thought you were working today.”

Claudette shook her head. “I’m going in after I make sure you’re okay. The girls can handle it ’til I get there.” She clucked. “I told you not to eat hotdogs from Phyllis’ booth. She lets them sit out too long.” She checked out the new furniture. “It looks very nice, although I don’t know why you always have to get leather. It’s so expensive. When you have cubs you’ll only end up throwing money away.” She fussed and smoothed out a pillow. “And speaking of cubs, did you hear about that lion?”

Daisy licked her suddenly dry lips. “Wh—What lion?”

The sofa creaked softly under her mama’s weight as she settled in for a visit. “That singer from last night. I heard from Molly who heard it from Monk that the lion approached him to buy Red House.”

No fucking way. Daisy gaped at her mother. “Red House?”

Her mom sighed. “I know you wanted to buy it yourself, cher, but Monk was asking way too much for it and you would’ve never been able to afford it.”

“But it’s…ours!” Mine, her soul cried.

Red House, the house Maison Rouge had been named after, had belonged to her mother’s family since the mid-1700s when Fleur Lebeau came to the New World from France. Daisy had been saving money to buy the old homestead from Monk’s family for years and he was selling it to Ram?

She shook her head. “Why is R—the lion buying it? Is he planning to knock it down?” Oh God, please don’t let him demolish that house.

“That’s the really exciting news,” her mama said with a beatific smile. “He’s planning to live here, in Maison Rouge. A real, live rock star. Can you imagine? Oh, I don’t much care for his music, all that screaming and growling. It sounds like he’s constipated, pauvre bette, but maybe if some female takes him under her wing, he’ll feel better.” The sly smile she sent her daughter went unrewarded because Daisy could only stare at her mother in horror. “Anyway, I’m sure he’ll fit in just fine. He seems like a nice young man and even offered to hold a fundraising concert here with his friends. Isn’t that wonderful? We could use a…”

Daisy could no longer hear her mother over the roaring in her ears. Ram was staying in Maison Rouge for some reason and she knew it had nothing to do with her. Maybe he planned to start up a pride here. There were no lions in the area, and the closest pride lived in New Orleans. He wouldn’t have to fight for his choice of females. Her lungs screamed for oxygen and she sucked in a whistling breath.

His mistake had been in buying the house she’d slated for herself, the house she’d dreamed of owning all her life and Monk had made it impossible for her to own. She and Monk had been friends once, before he’d destroyed her cousin’s reputation. Daisy had made it her mission in life to irritate the cougar shifter in retaliation, but it looked as though he’d found the perfect way to get back at her. She was going to kill both of them.

*

“Man, are you sure about this?” Craig asked as he and the other band members were about to climb into the tour bus. “You should come back to LA with us, send some people out here to get things ready for you and then come back when it’s livable.”

Ram shook his head, stuffing his hands into his back pockets. “Nah, I’m ready now. It’ll be fine. I’ve been wanting to buy a home away from LA,” he answered truthfully. He couldn’t imagine going back to that empty house without going insane.

“You’re not doing this because of some piece of tail, right?” Craig asked in a loud whisper. “And I don’t want to see you make a mistake you’ll regret. These people aren’t exactly…civilized.”

If you only knew, Ram thought with a grin. “It’s fine, man. Don’t worry so much.” He clapped Craig on the back. “I’ll keep in touch. I’ll probably fly back to LA in March so we can start working on the new album.”

“Yeah, you better. I write crappy lyrics,” Nick joked. He slapped Ram’s shoulder. “Gonna miss you, man.”

“Same here,” Trick replied as he slapped Ram’s other shoulder. “I’ll send some honeys out your way. You’re gonna need it.”

Leland snorted. “He’s just saying that ’cause the coyote sisters he wanted to hook up with last night had mates. He ended up pouting all night.” Trick muttered, but Leland ignored the panther to shake Ram’s hand. “See you soon, man.”

Everyone but Clint climbed on the bus. “Are you really sure about this?” Clint asked, staring at Ram as if he didn’t know him. “We can always find you a place outside the city limits, a ranch maybe.”

Ram laughed. “No, I like it here. I’ll be fine.” As soon as I corral that bear I’m mated to. “Be sure to arrange for that truck I bought to be delivered here on Monday, okay? I’ll keep in touch. And hey, if you guys want to come down for some hunting or fishing, let me know.”

Clint climbed on the bus and sent a forlorn wave at Ram when the doors closed. Once the tour bus was out of sight, Ram turned back to the house he’d just bought. He didn’t trust Monk Badeaux, the same cougar shifter Clint had lost a bet to, but he did like the house, or what he’d seen of it.

It wasn’t huge, not by his standards anyway, but it was perfect for what he needed right now. The high-steeped roof pitched down at a sharp angle to meet the supports for the porch, which wrapped around the entire house. It was pretty, but the selling point for him had been the promise of seclusion. A high, wrought iron fence ran the perimeter of the property, most of it hidden behind thick ivy and plants he couldn’t name. It was private, isolated and secure. A security system had been installed a couple of years before. No one would be sneaking onto the property while he was here.

When he’d walked into Monk’s office bright and early this morning, he’d had only a few qualifications for whatever piece of property he bought—that it was immediately habitable, secure, furnished, and that he could get the utilities turned on today. He’d shown Ram pictures of Red House and that had been it. Ram had fallen in love with the damn place. Sensing an easy sale, Monk had called in favors to the parish government to get Ram’s electricity and water turned on.

He pulled the keys from his pocket and opened the front door. Stale air, dust and the old scent of sex wafted to him. He wrinkled his nose, wondering how many teenagers had snuck into the house to have “fun” before Monk put in the security system. He hit the switch next to the door and was relieved when the lights came on.

Then he lost his breath. The room he stepped into had rose-colored wallpaper, deep-red velvet sofas, and cherry wood tables scattered throughout. It looked like a brothel, even more so when his gaze alighted on a full-size portrait on the far side of the room.

It was Daisy, but Daisy as he’d never seen her. Her dark hair fell over the cushion of a slope-backed chair. She wore some kind of old-fashioned corset loosened at the top, baring her generous breasts, and a see-through pair of pants. She reclined with one arm flung over her head, the other resting over her stomach. Her dark eyes flashed with sultry invitation and her generous lips were full and shiny, as if she’d just been thoroughly kissed.

Ram felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. His mind ran through numerous scenarios that would explain how a portrait of a half-dressed and obviously aroused Daisy had ended up in a house he’d just bought. The cougar had said the house had belonged to his family for a hundred years. It was possible the mangy swamp cat had lived here with Daisy and had this portrait painted of her. Jealousy threatened to overwhelm Ram as his lion roared.

But the longer he stared at the portrait, the more he realized it wasn’t his mate. He drifted closer to the wall. Her nipples weren’t that shade of coral, but were lighter, pinker. Her breasts were also a little fuller. Unlike the woman in the portrait, Daisy didn’t have a beauty mark at the corner of her eye. His gaze drifted to the bottom of the painting to see the date 1728 in the corner.

“The infamous Fleur Lebeau,” noted a calm voice from the doorway.

Ram glanced over to see Monk Badeaux enter the house, his sandy-brown hair brushing the top of the door. The lazy green gaze swept through the room, lingering on the fine dust on the furniture. His nose pinched.

“I’ll have a cleaning crew out here Monday morning to put the house to rights. I came over to make sure the house suited your needs.” He strode forward unaware that Ram’s lion bristled with the need to slash his throat. He stopped in front of the portrait, his mouth curling into a smile. “Fine-looking woman.”

Ram growled, but Monk didn’t seem to notice. “She was a Baleine Bride back in the early 1700s. Legend has it she was some Frenchman’s mistress. When she refused to leave her protector for another nobleman he had her arrested for prostitution. She was sent here with nearly a hundred women to help populate the area, but Fleur wasn’t about to belong to any male again.” Monk’s voice reeked of admiration. “She left New Orleans with some other females who refused to marry and set up a brothel. They entertained governors, generals, farmers, anyone with coin to spare. The town of Maison Rouge sprouted around this house due to the generosity of the Lebeau women.

“The house passed down from mother to daughter. Each one kept the brothel open until 1901 when Mimi Lebeau married a judge who was one of her regular customers. She sold the house to my great-grandfather, another one of her customers, and settled down to be a wife and mother.”

“And you sold it to me.”

Monk blinked as though coming out of a trance. He glanced at Ram with a hard smile. “My great-grandfather kept this house as a shrine to his beloved Mimi. He wrote a will deeding the house to his son, who gave it to my father, who gave it to me.” He shrugged. “I was fascinated by the house and by her all my life,” he said with a nod at Fleur’s portrait, “but I’m not holding on to it anymore.”

Ram turned to face the cougar, scenting pain and bitterness beneath the other male’s calmness. “Why didn’t you sell it to Fleur’s descendants? I’m sure they’re still around.” In fact, he was positive they were still around and he’d marked one last night.

“Monk Badeaux, get your skanky ass out here right now!” a female voice bellowed from outside.

Ram’s whole body jolted with excitement and anticipation at his mate’s furious voice. Monk, however, didn’t look as happy, though the sly smile on his face raised the hair on the back of Ram’s neck.

Chapter Four

Daisy couldn’t catch her breath. Her fury had known no bounds, making her forget to take a car or act like a rational being. She’d run all the way from her rental to Red House, ignoring the shouts of her mama who warned her not to lose her temper. There was no way she could follow that dictate, not when every cell in her body ached to kill Monk Badeaux.

She stood in the yard staring at the oldest home in Pointe-Aux-Chat, built by the sweat of Fleur Lebeau’s…well, not her brow but she’d worked hard to have this house built. It should have come to Claudette, and then Daisy, but because her idiotic great-grandmother had to fall in love, the Lebeaus lost their heritage. Yet another reason she questioned her dreams of falling in love.

Daisy shook her head. Kitty didn’t want anything to do with Red House. Her mother and Aunt Francine, Mimi’s granddaughters, didn’t want anything to do with it, but Daisy wanted it, had planned for years how she could afford to buy it back. And now this.

Monk appeared in the doorway, his sharp, green eyes glinting with satisfaction. She bared her teeth at him. She wanted to beat him to death with his own shoes. She knew why he’d done this and it had nothing to do with her, or money. No, it was about Kitty and Daisy’s retaliation against the man who’d fucked up her cousin’s life. She clenched her hands into fists and advanced on the smirking cougar. She was going to—

A big body, broader and taller than Monk, shoved him out of the doorway. Daisy watched in horror as a pleased smile curled Ram’s lips. His amber eyes gleamed with anticipation and feral promise. She took a cautious step back. She was an idiot. She’d been so focused on kicking Monk’s ass she hadn’t scented Ram.

He bounded down the steps of the porch, his faded jeans molded to his thick thighs and the bulge of his cock. Her pussy went soft and fluid at the sight of him. The faded black tee he wore strained across his shoulders, clinging to the muscles of his chest and stomach and all she wanted to do was drop to all fours and beg him to take her.

“Daisy,” he purred as he hit the ground, crossing over to her a lot faster than she liked.

She threw her hand up to ward him off, as if that would stop a lion when he had something he wanted in sight. “Stop!” she ordered in a gruff tone that wouldn’t fool anyone.

Her damn body arched toward him even as her brain shouted to get the fuck away. It didn’t work. The minute his fingers wrapped around her wrist, she went limp, her brain shut down, and all she wanted was to have him inside her again. The mark on her chest and the other on her back throbbed with need, hungry for his fangs to sink into her again.

She opened her mouth to mumble out another denial, but his lips landed on hers and sucked all thought right out of her head. She slumped in his arms, molding every inch of her body to his. This was not good, some part of her brain reminded her, but everything else in her cried out to get closer.

Their breaths mingled as their tongues dueled in the hottest, wettest kiss of her life. She’d thought the kiss they shared the night before was sexy, but this one felt ten degrees hotter because this time she knew what he could do with his mouth, knew how he could bring her pleasure she’d never expected to find. So what if he was an arrogant, harem-forming asshole? He kissed like a god.

“Well, well, well.”

Daisy broke off the kiss to glare over Ram’s shoulder at Monk, who leaned against the porch post with a smug look on his face. Ram didn’t seem to notice because he trailed his mouth down the side of her face to her neck, his raspy tongue sending electric bolts of pleasure streaking to her womb.

“If I had known you wanted the house that bad, we might have come to some kind of arrangement,” Monk continued with a feral smile.

Ram froze, his body tensing around her. Daisy fought her way out of the lion’s possessive hold. Thank God, because she’d been on the verge of dropping trou’ and letting the lion mount her right in front of her archenemy. Oh, that would have been wonderful. The thought gave Daisy enough strength to step away from Ram. She glared at the cougar, letting her gaze linger on his crooked nose. “You remember what happened the last time you opened your mouth about someone in my family, right?”

His smile became a tight-lipped scowl.

“Just think what I’d do if you talked shit about me,” she cooed with a shark-like grin. Ram’s fingers stroked her arm and she jerked away from him. Oh, he wasn’t going to get her so easily again. “Keep your hands and lips to yourself, cat.” She turned back to Monk. “Why, dammit? Why did you sell to him and not to me? Do bastards flock together, or something?”

“Hey,” Ram protested faintly.

Daisy didn’t look at him, centering all her anger on the cat who’d made her and her cousin’s lives miserable for so long. “Is this revenge? Is that it, Monk?”

Something burned in his eyes, but disappeared behind his infamous smirk. “You’ll never know, Daisy Lynn,” he murmured and stepped off the porch. He brushed past her, his nostrils quivering. “By the way, love the perfume you’re wearing. Eau de Lion?”

Ram stopped Monk before he could leave. “Remember what you swore,” he said to the cougar.

Monk glanced from Daisy to Ram and back again before he nodded with another smirk. “No press. Oh, and if you want your security system to actually work, you might want to arm it first, or you’ll have bitchy bears littering your lawn.”

She stared after him, rage burning deep inside. Her bear stirred in confusion. It wasn’t sure what the big deal was. Their mate was here in the house they wanted. They could have everything in one fell swoop. But Daisy refused to even contemplate it. She’d loved Kyle and it’d torn her apart when he told her about his pride. She also hadn’t been half as attracted to him as she was to Ram. She’d rip out her own heart before she let him close to her. That road led to agony.

“What the hell was that about?” he demanded in a rough voice that sent quivers through her.

Damn. She swung around to face him, doing her best to ignore the flush of arousal on his cheeks and the scent of his need spicing the air around him. Instead, she concentrated on the fact that he now owned the house she’d yearned for all her life.

“Why did you buy this house?”

His nostrils flared, his pupils expanding and she knew he caught a whiff of her arousal. “I want to be close to my mate.”

She almost fell on the fucking ground the outrage hit her so hard. “Your mate?” she screeched at him, claws tearing through the tips of her fingers. “We fucked, that was it. Unless you have another mate and if you do, you mother—”

Ram suddenly leaned forward until their noses almost touched. “Yes, I have a mate and I fucked her long and hard last night,” he growled with a poke to her chest. “I don’t know where you come up with this shit, Daisy, but it stops now. You’re my mate. You. And I’m not going anywhere, so get used to it.”

Daisy gaped up at him. His mane had sprouted a couple of inches during his little hissy fit and his fangs were out. She’d say something about his lack of control, but her claws were out and the tingling in her mouth suggested her own fangs were about to make an appearance. Her bear responded to Ram’s lion as if they were connected in some way.

She rejected that thought as soon as it formed. She had a plan and lions did not factor into it. At all.

Though she hated to appear weak, she took a step back to give herself some space. “How much do you want for it?” She was proud of how steady her voice came out.

He frowned. She was not going to melt into a puddle because he looked adorable when confused. “What are you talking about?”

Daisy glanced at the house, the yearning in her heart tugging painfully. “How much will you sell the house to me for?”

Ram stared at his mate, not understanding why she fought so hard to deny him when it was obvious they belonged together. She’d looked gorgeous this morning, her dark eyes sparking with her temper, her cheeks flushed from a combination of arousal and anger. He could easily picture getting her worked up to have the pleasure of fucking the anger right out of her, but now wasn’t the time for that.

He hadn’t liked the tension between Daisy and Monk, not one bit. There was history between the two of them. It’d taken considerable willpower to keep from attacking the other male. Just one hint that Monk wanted Daisy and Ram knew he’d kill the cougar and not think twice, but all he’d scented between them was anger.

She crossed her arms over her chest, bringing his attention to her luscious breasts and the deep cleavage between. A sense of urgency surrounded her along with a hint of desperation. She wanted the house more than anything. He could give it to her, but then she would have no use for him.

The harder she fought to deny the attraction between them, the more he wanted to cement the union. Ram’s lion paced, impatient to make her his, but he knew if he pushed she’d bolt and he’d likely never catch her. No, Daisy needed careful handling if he was going to keep her. The kernel of an idea formed. It was highly unethical, but then this was his future at stake.

He had to figure out why she was so resistant and show her why she should mate him. The way Ram figured it, she was freaked out because of his celebrity status and the tales of groupies and shit during tours, but once he was mated, he’d never touch another female. He’d watched his mom become more and more withdrawn as her philandering mate added females to his pride without a care for what it did to her. Ram had vowed when he left home that if he ever mated, he’d be completely devoted to his mate. Even if he hadn’t made that promise, he knew Daisy would drain him of any urges to wander.

She just needed time to learn more about him—the real Ramsey Reinhardt—and not the bullshit the press made up to make his life seem more exciting. Once she knew him, she’d accept him. He’d have to take things slow, seduce her. The lion snarled with impatience, but Ram batted the crazy cat back. She’d be theirs. It would just take a little more time than he’d originally anticipated.

Decision made, Ram rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “How much are you talking about?”

The sum she named was a third of what he’d paid, so it was easy to shake his head. “I wouldn’t make my money back.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

The disappointment in her voice almost made him feel bad, but then he remembered he was playing for keeps here. “Yeah, I paid three times that for the house and while I might be a rock star, I do know how to make money.”

Daisy looked at the house, the longing on her face heartbreaking. He almost broke down and told her it was hers if she became his mate. It would be the easiest solution, but he didn’t want her to come to him because of a house. He wanted her to come to him because she wanted him. Simple as that.

Time to go in for the kill. “Maybe we can come to some kind of agreement,” he said.

Her eyes flashed angrily. “I’m not sleeping with you for the house,” she gritted through her teeth.

Ram feigned shock. “Honey, no woman on earth has a piece of ass worth that much.” He stroked his chin again, biting back a smile at her drop-jawed look. “Although…can you put both your legs behind your head?”

“Are you out of your fucking mind? No!” Her cheeks went bright red and her fangs were fully exposed.

He forced a sigh. “Well, that might have been worth it.” He had to look away before he started laughing. The look on her face was fucking priceless. “Maybe we’ll have to work something else out. I’ll have to think about it.” He started for the house and stopped on the porch to look back at her.

She stared at him as if she expected his head to start spinning. Considering she already looked at him as though he were the devil, Ram decided it was a vast improvement. Things were already looking up.

“Why don’t you stop by tomorrow and we’ll talk about it. I need to get settled in,” he called out to her with a bright smile. The shock in her eyes gave way to anger. God, she was gorgeous when she was pissed. “I’ll see you later, Daisy.”

It took everything he had to walk in the house as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His lion scratched at him to turn around and grab their mate. But they had to think of this as a hunt. A very important, life-changing hunt they couldn’t screw up.

He closed the door behind him and leaned against it with a sigh. The portrait of Fleur Lebeau seemed to taunt him, as if she dared him to tame her descendent. Ram tipped an imaginary hat at the long-dead woman.

“She’ll be putty in my hands.”

*

Two days later Ram stepped through the doors of the Hair Shack with a feeling of dread. He’d seen a couple of nondescript vehicles on the road on the way to town that made him wonder if the press had found him after all. He’d called Clint on Sunday evening to have him stall any reporters who wanted to interview Ram about the tour. He didn’t want any distractions while he wooed his mate.

The truck he’d ordered had finally been dropped off the day before and he’d driven to the tiny town of Maison Rouge because he knew damn well Daisy wasn’t going to come see him. He’d waited, but Sunday and Monday rolled around with no sight of her. Now he was a lion on a mission to hunt down his wayward mate. First though, he needed to learn more about her, but that wasn’t his only reason for coming to the Hair Shack. His mane was driving him insane.

He had to keep it cut. Feeling the long strands sticking to his face during his morning runs and getting it caught in his eyes when he was trying to do something irritated the shit out of him. If he thought he could cut a straight line, he’d have taken a pair of shears to himself and called it done. However, he did have an image to uphold and a botched haircut wouldn’t do him any favors.

The Hair Shack looked exactly like what it was called—a shack. It was an old wooden building that had apparently started off as a shed, but had been expanded over the years. It wasn’t fancy, yet it was full of clients who all stopped to stare at him.

He recognized a few of the women from the welcoming committees. At first he’d been wary of the females, convinced they were there to gather information to give to the press, but they had something more important to see him about. It seemed they all thought he’d starve without their help. Over the last week he’d received more food than he could eat. Gumbos, bulging pans of jambalayas, desserts, and even a block of something dubiously named hog’s head cheese. He liked that the women wanted him to feel welcome in their town, but wasn’t sure he could put a dent in the pile of food crowding the fridge at Red House.

Unnerved by the attention, but doing his best not to show it, Ram smiled at the room. “Hi, I need a trim and a blow dry.”

A woman stepped forward. She looked older than the other women in the salon, but the scissors in her hand and the bubble-gum pink smock she wore over her clothes identified her as one of the stylists. She looked him over, even going so far as to sniff him.

“Cher, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but lions do not cut their manes,” she told him firmly.

Beneath her stern regard, he felt a blush trying to form. Ram hadn’t blushed since he was a teenager and he damn well wasn’t going to do it now. Instead, he studied his adversary, ignoring the gaggle of females staring at them. The woman in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen her before. She was tall like Daisy, but hadn’t been one of the women to welcome him to town.

“Ma’am, I was told this was the best establishment in the tri-parish area, but if you don’t think you can handle trimming my mane, I understand.” He purposely spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

Of course he hadn’t heard any such thing. If anything, everyone he’d called had said The Hair Shack was the only salon or barbershop in an eighty-mile radius. He was stuck unless he went out and bought a pair of clippers to shave his head.

The brown eyes staring at him twinkled at the challenge in his tone. “Well now, it looks like you came to the right place,” she murmured. She closed her scissors with a snick and stepped back. “We’re a little short-handed today, but we’ll get you fixed up. I’ll give you your trim.” She looked around the shop. “Do any of you girls have time to give him a blow job?”

*

“Possible 103R and 82 in progress at the Hair Shack,” the dispatcher squawked over the radio. “Daisy, your mama’s involved, the sheriff’s already on his way.”

Daisy threw her lunch in the passenger seat, clipped her seatbelt into place and tore out of the shade of an oak tree. Her heart pounded the entire way to her mama’s beauty salon. Prostitution and a riot? God, she prayed her mama wasn’t hurt.

She saw her dad’s cruiser parked haphazardly in the middle of the parking lot and pulled in next to him. Daisy had her door open before she came to a stop. She threw her car into park and leapt out all in one smooth motion. She ran up the familiar steps of her mom’s shop and flung open the door.

Women were everywhere. They all wore capes. Some wore towels over their hair, some had aluminum foil sticking up all over their heads, and some were all fixed up. They stared at the center of the room where Daisy’s mom stood with her dad and a very familiar figure.

Two clients stood off to the side, their faces reddened and bruises shadowing their jaws. Three of her mom’s stylists looked even worse with bloody scratches, busted lips and tangled hair. It looked as if they’d gotten into a knockdown, drag-out fight and Daisy knew of only one person who could bring friends to blows. Ramsey Reinhardt.

His mane was even longer than the last time she’d seen him and her fingers itched to sink into the silky-looking strands, maybe guide him— Her mother called out to Daisy, breaking into her X-rated thoughts.

She shot Ram a glare as she headed over to her mom who was tearfully trying to explain herself to her husband. “I don’t understand, Thomas! I was just setting up this fine young man’s trim and blow dry and everyone went crazy!”

Her dad comforted his wife and shot dark looks at the much taller Ram. “Now see here, son, I don’t know what kind of place you come from, but inciting a riot in the middle of my wife’s place of business is frowned upon.” He caught sight of Daisy. “Deputy Picou, arrest this man.”

“But that’s not what happened,” Ram countered with a wild look in his eyes. “I came in here for a trim, wash, and a blow dry and this lady offered me a blowjob.”

Daisy stopped in mid-step as if she’d hit a solid wall. Her dad’s mouth opened and closed in shock, but from the corner of her eye she noted that most of the women in the place were nodding. She glanced at her mom, who wiped her nose with a piece of tissue and nodded.

Daisy closed her eyes and prayed for patience. Her mother wasn’t stupid, she was naïve. Their birds-and-bees talk when Daisy was fifteen had come with a lot of blushing and stammering and fanning until Daisy finally told her mom her Aunt Francine had told her all about sex— or “relations” as her mother called it. Daisy’s theory was that her mother tried so hard to ignore their illustrious connection to the notorious Fleur Lebeau she shunned anything sexual in nature. It was a wonder she’d managed to have a baby.

Daisy gave her dad a resigned look. He gently clasped his wife’s shoulders in his hands and raised his head to look her in the eyes. “Honey, do you know what that is?”

She shot him a dark look. “Well of course, I’ve only been a beautician for forty years, Thomas Paul Picou.”

He shook his head. “C’mere,” he muttered and tugged her closer for privacy.

Though he whispered, nearly everyone in the shop was a shifter of some kind and they all heard very clearly as Thomas described what a blowjob was to his wife. Claudette gasped as a tide of red crawled up her throat and settled in her cheeks.

“But—I—” Her mouth opened and closed as dawning horror darkened her eyes. She looked at Ram, then at the five women who’d been fighting and her blush deepened. She crossed herself and gasped, “Cher bon Dieu!”

Her knees sagged and Daisy leapt forward to help her much smaller father catch her mother. She shouldn’t have worried because Ram was there, his face gentle as he caught her swooning mother in his arms.

Daisy stepped up. “Follow me,” she ordered the lion shit-stirrer and started for her mom’s office at the back of the shop. She stopped at the door and swept a look over the room. “Y’all get back to your business now.”

She led a procession of Ram, carrying her mother, and her dad, who followed up the rear like a short caboose. Her mom’s office was free of clutter except for a small sofa and a desk. Daisy had spent nearly as much time in this office as she had the police station as a child and it always reminded her of her youth.

“You can put her on the sofa,” she directed Ram. “She should come out of her faint soon.”

He gently placed his burden on the cushions and straightened with a chagrined expression. “Does this happen often?”

Daisy shook her head. “Nah, Mama’s just delicate.” Which sounded stupid since she was one of the biggest bear shifters in the area. Daisy took more after the Lebeau side of the family than she did the Picous who tended to be on the small side like their bobcat animals.

“Mama?” Ram asked with wide eyes. He looked from the swooning Claudette to Daisy and back again. “This is your mother?”

Daisy frowned up at him. “What? Did you think I was an orphan? Yes, this is my mama.”

“And I’m her father, but who in the hell are you?”

Ram glanced from Daisy to the big female on the sofa to the small bobcat and wanted to laugh, but wisely fought to hide the humor he found in this situation. Daisy’s dad was a bobcat—a tiny one at that—and her mother was the biggest female he’d ever seen except for Daisy. She didn’t look much like her mother but he could see the resemblance in the shape of her eyes and mouth.

“I’m Ramsey Reinhardt,” he said in answer to the sheriff’s question. “I just moved here.”

The wily bobcat squinted up at Ram, his pale-brown eyes measuring. “You’re the lion who was singing last Friday night,” he said with a nod. “Never heard so much caterwauling except when William Fonseca went courting his mate. Son, I hate to tell you, but that ain’t music.” He shook his head for emphasis.

“We’ll just have to agree to disagree,” Ram said with a smile. It wouldn’t be the first time someone didn’t like his music. “I’m sorry about all of this, by the way. I don’t know…” He trailed off as he remembered the women fighting for the chance to give him a blowjob. In the middle of a salon. His cheeks burned with embarrassment but also a healthy dose of anger when Daisy continued glaring at him. He hadn’t done anything wrong. “It wasn’t my intention to cause any problems.”

“But that’s what happens when a healthy lion male enters a community, isn’t it?” Daisy said angrily. “The females start to fight for a place in his pride.”

Ram’s jaw dropped as he stared at his mate. “I don’t have a pride.”

“But you could if you wanted,” she shot back, her eyes glittering dangerously. “They’re all ready to join up, all you have to do is choose. Hell, you could probably fill Red House in a matter of minutes.”

Pissed beyond rationalization, Ram shot back, “What bothers you more, sweetheart? That you want to be at the front of the line, or that you might not even make the list?”

Her face paled, her pupils shrinking with the direct hit. Ram wanted to take it back, wanted someone to kick his ass for being such a bastard, but it hurt to know his mate thought he could so easily turn to another female.

Daisy looked away from him. “I’ll take statements and get back to the station. Mama, I hope you’re feeling better.” She started from the office without meeting Ram’s gaze and he wanted to go after her, but the set of her jaw warned him to give her time.

The silence when she left was uneasy. Ram looked back and forth between Claudette and Thomas, trying to read their expressions. Thomas looked as if he wanted to tear Ram limb from limb, but Claudette seemed thoughtful.

“I really am sorry about the misunderstanding out there,” he said in lieu of begging them to accept him as their daughter’s mate. “I’ll uh, just—”

“Why don’t you come to supper tomorrow night?” Claudette asked before he could say anything else. He blinked at her in shock. She smiled. “I feel like such an idiot for uh…well, saying that, and I want to make it up to you. Besides, I want to know what’s going on between you and my daughter.”

Thomas bristled, a wash of color rolling up his neck. “Claudette, I don’t know if—”

“You can’t tell me you didn’t smell him beneath all that damn perfume she’s wearing. This young man obviously marked her at some point and I want to know why she’s pretending like it never happened.” She pinned Ram in place with a hard glare. “And trust me, I will find out what’s going on.”

Chapter Five

Daisy roamed the woods after two long, horrible days at work. The scene in her mama’s office had only been the start of two days of hell. The perfume she’d put on to mask Ram’s scent had worn off in the middle of taking statements. That had led to a round of twenty questions by the females who’d been fighting over him. Was Ram staying permanently? Was he starting a pride? Would he consider adding a fox/wolf/falcon and any other number of shifters?

She’d fled her mama’s shop, feeling sick to her stomach. Then she’d run into Monk on a routine traffic stop and he’d had a few things to say about how wonderful it was to finally have Red House off his hands. She’d probably be facing an inquest if Monk filed a complaint against her. Daisy wouldn’t take it back though. The curl of his beautiful paint job beneath her claws had been the sweetest revenge she could come up with on short notice.

Her shift today had started off decently but gone downhill. Some reporters had called the station asking about Ram, if he was in town, where he was staying, and so on and so forth. She’d warned her dad that they might be facing a surge of media and he’d promised to handle it. Then she’d gone on patrol and thought the day could only get better until she’d come across an accident on one of Pointe-Aux-Chat’s back roads. The only reason she’d known an accident had happened was the broken vegetation and the flash of white in the water next to the road. She’d hoped like hell the driver had gotten out before the vehicle was submerged, but when they pulled the truck out of the bayou there was a human male slumped behind the wheel.

Her stomach cramped at the reminder but she shoved it away and concentrated on the beauty of the woods surrounding her. It wasn’t the first time she’d come across a dead body in her job and it wouldn’t be the last. The bayous were a lot deeper than they looked and some of the curves were deadly. South Louisiana was beautiful, but for those who weren’t careful, it could also be dangerous.

The minute she’d come home, she’d stripped and shifted, heading for the woods she’d sought solace in for most of her life. The familiar scents wrapped around her, comforting her and easing some of her bitterness over Ram’s barbed words and the waste of life she’d been witness to.

Unfortunately, Ram’s words continued to echo in her ears, muffling the ugliness of her job. She hated herself for almost not caring if Ram started a pride, just so long as she could be part of it.

It went against everything she believed in, everything she wanted for her life, but she couldn’t deny that her soul craved him any way she could get him. Her brain, though, forced her to remember her pride, her dignity. She might not be a prize to most males, but she wasn’t some weak female who begged for a male’s attention. Even if she wanted him more than she wanted air.

Daisy found her old log nestled deeply in the mud beside a shallow pond. She’d made it hers when she knocked it down as an exuberant cub and it was the one place she came to when she needed to think. Carefully easing onto the old wood, she stretched out her long body and rested her head on her paws.

The bear wanted to go find the lion, to mark him as hers before another female did. Daisy thought that was a stupid idea. If she could forget, just for a minute, that he was a lion, she still had to deal with the fact he was a famous musician. His life wasn’t here in south Louisiana. He was meant to be in LA with the rest of his band. He’d tour the country to support his albums and each place he went would have females willing to do anything to get into his bed.

Even if they could work out a relationship there was no way Daisy could go with him. She loved being a deputy in her small town, had always wanted to follow in her daddy’s footsteps. Leaving for a big city for short jaunts was a lot different from living in them, especially if she had to contend with gorgeous humans and shifters who wanted a piece of her male.

No, there were too many obstacles blocking any type of relationship she could have with Ram. She’d have to stay away from him. In time, he’d forget about her and either find another female—or many—or return to the bright city lights. Daisy would stay here in the safety of her town and…mourn him.

After a while, she shifted back to her human form and enjoyed the soft breeze on her skin. Kicking up her heels, she pouted at the pond. She wasn’t the type to mope but everything in her, except for her constantly churning brain, urged her to take whatever Ram had to offer. A shiver danced over her skin as she remembered how he’d felt inside her.

Despite him buying Red House, she knew he wouldn’t stick around. A male who’d lived the life he had would become bored in no time and return to the big city without a backward glance. He’d only be here a little while. Hell, as soon as the press knew he was here for certain, he’d take off like a bat out of hell. Sure, he claimed she was his mate, but once he was away from her the urge to cement his claim would dissipate.

In the meantime what could she do? Hide from him every chance she got? Maison Rouge wasn’t big enough to play hide and seek with a lion who could sniff her out no matter where she went. If he wanted to find her, that was. After the way she’d acted at her mom’s salon she wouldn’t blame him if he avoided her like the plague. So what if he put his scent all over her? It didn’t mean they were mated. It only meant he wanted to warn all other males away from her. Maybe he hoped to enjoy an affair or something while he was in town?

Her body tingled at the thought. Could she do it though? Live in the moment and let him go when he was ready? In her current state of mind, she wouldn’t have any luck finding a mate. Not when she was so stuck on Ram. Taking him as a lover would help ease some of the excitement. Didn’t familiarity breed contempt? Her heart thundered as an idea formed. Maybe she could have the children she’d wanted after all. Ram was not only sexy as hell he wouldn’t be sticking around for long. And she’d definitely enjoy making babies with him. It seemed like a diabolical plan, to purposely get pregnant, but she wanted Ram enough to want to have a little something of him to remember him by.

A twig snapped in the brush. Daisy turned her head in the direction of the sound. She peered at the shadows, trying to get an idea of what was watching her, but couldn’t see very well in the deepening darkness. She was also upwind of whatever it was, rendering her enhanced sense of smell completely useless.

She tensed, ready to shift if some rabid wild animal attacked but nothing appeared. She made it a habit to leave the non-shifting predators alone. She hunted sometimes, though she was careful to time her hunts around breeding seasons to avoid fighting with the animals for food they needed more than she did. Wondering if it was one of the reporters she’d spoken to earlier, she decided retreat was the best option. Uneasy, she slipped off her log and started for home on two feet. She was a lot quieter in human form than in her bear skin but she kept her eyes and ears alert for attack.

Moving on swift, silent feet Daisy slipped through her familiar woods, making good time. She’d gone a few hundred feet when she sensed movement behind her. Spinning, she prepared her body to shift, to defend herself, but was tackled to the ground before she glimpsed more than a lot of golden skin and dark hair.

They hit the ground in a tangle of limbs. The scent of Ram surrounded Daisy, washing away the urge to fight and replacing it with the need to have him. Gone were all thoughts of mating and babies, replaced by near painful need. He made a move as though to get off her but she wrapped her arms and legs around his body and kissed him.

Ram froze for a split second, too shocked to do anything but feel Daisy’s soft lips whispering over his in a sweet, delicate kiss. He hadn’t meant to chase her, but the minute she’d begun moving so quickly and silently the cat in him couldn’t resist going after her. He’d only followed her scent here to make sure she was okay, but plastered against her warm body Ram knew he’d only been lying to himself.

He hadn’t seen her since the scene at her mom’s salon and guilt had flogged him all night and day. Ram made it a point to study people, both human and shifter, and Daisy’s attitude toward him pointed to some deep pain. He wanted her to confide in him, but that would never happen if she avoided him. As she’d been doing before he tackled her.

The lion purred, glorying in the feel of his mate beneath him. He should have gotten up, explained he’d only wanted to talk to her, but he couldn’t.

He wanted to be right here. His cock nudging against her slick folds, her limbs wrapped around him as if she never wanted to let go. It was more than he’d hoped for when he’d set out to find her and he’d damn well appreciate it.

Sinking his hands into her thick hair, he cradled the back of her head, taking over the kiss. She sighed against his lips, opening to him, surrendering. The lion wanted to roar his triumph but Ram had other, more important things to do. Like taste his mate.

They kissed, their naked bodies sliding together without penetration. It was a tease, pure and simple, a promise of things to come. He explored every inch of her mouth, their tongues tasting and playing, forcing the hunger higher and higher until Ram pulled his mouth away to breathe.

She looked gorgeous as always, her dark hair spilling over the bright-colored leaves beneath her. Her kiss-swollen lips were moist and parted as she panted for breath. Ram’s mouth roamed over her face and neck, nipping at her silky skin, leaving little passion marks behind. She’d probably be pissed when she saw them but for now they helped appease his animal’s need to mark her.

“God,” she moaned when he reached her nipples. She arched her back, offering herself to him, her long legs coming up to encircle his ribs. “Please.”

More than happy to follow her commands, especially when she used that low, husky voice, Ram caught her nipple between his lips and tugged. She shivered, a burst of moisture seeping from her to coat his stomach. Need drowned out all sense of going slow, of enjoying the moment. His woman was wet and hungry for him and he was helpless to do anything but assuage her need.

He coasted a hand down her belly, feeling the way she trembled, enjoying how quickly she responded to him. She might not accept him as her mate yet but she couldn’t deny the power of their attraction. Sliding off her, Ram grabbed one of her gorgeous legs and spread her wider as he came to his knees. The delicate folds of her sex were unfurled by her position. He watched in fascination as he stroked his fingers over her glistening pussy.

His hand looked so wrong, too hard and masculine to be gentle enough with her but Ram couldn’t deny that watching two of his fingers penetrate her snug channel was one of the most erotic sights he’d ever witnessed.

“Ram!” she gasped, the muscles in her legs tensing as he slowly thrust into her with his fingers. “Please, I need more.”

“Hmm.” She was so pretty and soft.

He stroked his thumb over her swollen clit, thoroughly enjoying the way her body tightened. He kept the thrust of his fingers slow and easy, swirling his thumb over her distended flesh. She shook, moisture seeping from her to ease his way.

“Ram! Oh God, please…do something.”

“I am doing something,” he countered and carefully eased three fingers inside her.

She squeaked, her hands gripping his thighs, her nails digging deep as her muscles stretched to accommodate him. The only sounds he heard besides the roar of the blood through his veins was the slick glide of his fingers in her pussy as he fucked her a little faster. His cock throbbed, wanting in, in, in, but he had a greater plan. At least he thought he had a greater plan. At the moment, all he could think about was how fucking beautiful it was to watch his female twist on the ground, the scent of her arousal blending with the deeper musk of soil.

He curled his fingers, finding the patch of tissue different from the rest of her silky channel and rubbed. Daisy splintered apart, her shriek echoing around them and silencing the wildlife. Her inner muscles tugged and squeezed his fingers until he thought she’d rip them off.

She went limp, the tension flowing from her body as though he’d sapped her completely of strength. Ram’s balls were tight with the need to come, the crown of his cock slick with pre-cum and he feared even the slightest breeze might set him off. Forcing his mind to other things he gently eased his fingers from his mate’s tight hold. She twitched, another moan escaping her at the friction.

Her arousal glistened on his skin. He glanced up to see her watching him through drowsy, half-closed eyes. Keeping his gaze locked with hers, he brought his hand to his mouth and bathed her dew from his fingers. He closed his eyes at the remembered taste, a purr of contentment rumbling out of his chest. He shouldn’t have looked away from her because before he could react Daisy flipped her body around and sucked his cock as far down her throat as she could.

“Gunh,” he mumbled around his fingers.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head at the sensation of her hot, wet mouth engulfing him. She gripped his base with one strong hand, squeezing and holding him in place for her.

“Fuck,” he whispered. The taste of her was still on his tongue when he pulled his fingers away from his mouth. His other hand had buried itself in her hair to guide her and to steady himself. “God, Daisy.”

She lifted her head, her tongue dragging along the underside of his cock and wringing a groan of pained pleasure from him. Her long hair swept down, tickling his thighs and hiding her face from him. Ram couldn’t have that. He had to see if she enjoyed tasting him as much as he’d enjoyed tasting her.

He smoothed her hair away from her face, only to see her cheeks hollow as she sucked on the very tip of his cock. Pleasure exploded, his balls tingling with the need for release.

“God, that’s fucking sexy,” he rasped, gently thrusting deeper into her mouth. He hissed when she grazed him lightly with her teeth. “Fuck, baby. Suck me. Deeper, deeper, you can take me.” And she did, her mouth swallowing him until her lips met her fist still curled around his base.

Her throat convulsed, the movement squeezing his cock and he blew up. Hips arching with the force of his orgasm, Ram shot into Daisy’s mouth. The teasing flick of her tongue, the soft, greedy sounds she made around his shaft set off another round of near-painful convulsions as he emptied everything he had into her.

She pulled away, her tongue laving at his cock, cleaning him before she pressed a soft kiss to the head and trailed her mouth up his stomach and heaving chest. Ram shuddered, his hands still caught in her hair as she licked her way up his neck and jaw. Daisy pressed her mouth to his again. This time she tasted of him. Of her.

She pulled away, a sexy, flirtatious smile playing about the corners of her lips. “God, you’re gorgeous,” he breathed.

Her cheeks turned soft pink and her lashes swept down to hide her eyes. “You’re the gorgeous one,” she murmured, skimming one of her hands over his chest. “Is this why you came looking for me?”

With her hands on his body Ram’s brain threatened to burn out. “No,” he forced himself to say, his arms sliding around her waist to pull her closer to him. “I wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday.”

She looked up at him, her dark eyes wide with surprise. “You’re apologizing to me?”

Ram frowned. “Well yeah, it was an asshole thing to say.”

Those amazing lips of hers stretched into a surprised grin. “I’ve never met anyone like you before. Most males I know don’t say they’re sorry so easily.”

He didn’t like hearing about other males, but on the other hand, she was with him, not them. Because they didn’t know how to apologize. Fuck, he’d tell her he was sorry from sun up to sun down if she kept looking at him like that.

She licked her lips and his cock leapt.

“What’re you doing tonight?” she asked him in a husky voice that called his erection back to life. With her tousled hair, those sleepy eyes and pert nipples she looked like every fantasy he’d ever had.

He almost dragged her down to the ground and took her like the animals they were. He could easily picture her on all fours, her back arched as he slammed into her. He reached for her—and then he remembered he was supposed to have dinner with her parents. His heart thumped as he stared at the female who watched him with hungry eyes.

Daisy and sex or her parents and finding out more about her? His body wanted to stay here with her, or even better, head back to her place and a soft bed. He didn’t want to miss out on a single second of this eager Daisy but their future was at stake.

He had to turn her down. “I’m having dinner with some, uh, friends.”

Her warm, brown eyes turned cold in a heartbeat, the scent of sated woman disappearing beneath a flash of anger and jealousy. Ram’s lion preened to know she was jealous, while his more logical self knew this was bad, bad, bad. But he couldn’t exactly tell her he was going to her parents’ house to scope out the enemy camp. She’d show up and he’d never learn anything about her.

To his surprise instead of going ballistic on him, she smiled, showing a great deal of teeth. “Well then, you have fun,” she said with false sweetness as she climbed to her feet.

Ram’s brain went on hiatus with her mound level with his eyes. He could still scent the sweet musk of her arousal and his cock gave another twitch of interest. Her hands swept over her body with quick, impersonal strokes that only whet his appetite for more. The worst part was she was pissed off, not trying to entice him. But she still managed it.

By the time she’d finished cleaning the soil and leaves from her body Ram was hard, harder than he’d been before. He was tempted to grab her and take her to the ground again. In fact, he’d just reached out to snag her when she flipped her hair over her shoulder with another one of those smiles.

“I have to head home and shower anyway,” she said as she turned away. “I have a date tonight.”

Ram blamed her jiggling ass as she ran away for his slow response to her words. He was so mesmerized it took her disappearing from sight for him to recall her taunt. His roar of outrage shook the woods, followed by the throaty laughter of the female bear who drove him insane.

*

She painted her toenails. Daisy stared at the fire-engine-red polish and bitched at herself. She never painted her toenails because it was something Kyle used to like, yet here she was primping herself for a lying, stinking lion. A lion who was out right now with someone he didn’t want her to know about.

God, she was so pathetic. She’d very nearly begged him to come home with her and he was busy going out with someone else, had made plans to be with someone else. After he gave her another intense orgasm and let her suck him off.

The bottle of polish made a cracking sound when it made contact with the wall across the room. Damn, she’d have to paint that spot. And her little fit hadn’t relieved her anger any.

She should’ve gone to her mama’s house and gorged herself on food. That wouldn’t have made her feel better but if she was in a food-induced coma she couldn’t think about how betrayed she felt by a male she only wanted to fuck.

The strident ring of her phone broke into her furious thoughts. Hoping it was a telemarketer because she really needed to roar at someone, she grabbed the cordless and hit talk.

“What?”

There was a moment of silence and then, “I can’t believe you didn’t call to tell me Ramsey Reinhardt bought Red House!”

Daisy flopped back on her sofa. “Hey, Kitty.”

Kitty, her first cousin and best friend, didn’t even bother greeting her back. No, once Kitty got going, nothing stopped her until she left you bleeding and broken in her wake.

“You know how much I love their music and you couldn’t tell me they played the festival? Or that you’re on friendly terms with Ramsey? God! Or how about the fact that it looks like you’re mated to him? Sometimes I swear you’re a man with the lack of communication we have going on between us. I’m supposed to be your best-fucking-friend, not to mention I’m your only cousin on our mamas’ side of the family. How could you do this to me?”

“Wait, hold on and back up. Where did you get the idea that I’m mated to him?” Daisy demanded in a near roar.

A long, frustrated sigh filtered through the receiver. “Hello? Mama told me because Aunt Claudette told her. That’s why Ramsey’s over at your parents’ house right now, to formally ask your daddy for permission to mate you.” She sighed again, but this time it was dreamy. “That’s so sweet, by the way. Why can’t I meet a male like that? Someone old-fashioned, rich and sexy? I’ve run into some of all three, but never any who were all those things. Lucky bitch. Why, when I think…”

Daisy tuned her cousin out, her brain processing the information. Surely her mama hadn’t actually told Aunt Francine that. The only person who might suspect Ram had marked her was Monk. Her heart thundered. The bastard. So this was how he got back at her for scratching his car, huh? Calling her cousin? The same sweet cousin who’d sobbed her heart out over him?

“I’m going to kill him,” she growled into the phone.

Kitty paused in her long-winded monologue. “What? But I thought you liked Father Bryan.”

Daisy frowned. “What? No, not Father Bryan. I’m going to kill Monk. I can’t believe he called and told you about that.”

“Oh please,” Kitty snorted, “I wouldn’t have answered the phone if Monk Badeaux had called me. No, it was Mama who told me, no lie. As if I’d even share a phone line with Monk,” Kitty continued in a grouchy rumble. “That pussy has avoided even looking at Mama since I left home. I know because she said…”

An uneasy feeling washed over Daisy. She climbed off her couch and walked to the windows facing the pasture and her parents’ house. When she peeked out, she almost crumpled to her knees. The house she’d grown up in was lit up like a Christmas tree. Her daddy’s cruiser was out front next to her mama’s truck, but next to both of those vehicles was a fancy truck she knew didn’t belong to any locals. Oh fuck. Dark dots danced in front of her eyes and she thought she’d faint.

“So? Why didn’t you tell me, Daisy?” Kitty finally asked, a note of hurt in her voice. “I mean, this is exciting, not just because of whom you’re mating, but that you’re mating a lion.”

“I’m not,” she croaked as she stumbled back to her sofa and fell on it. “I don’t know why Mama told Aunt Francine that, but we’re not getting mated, Kitty.”

“I can’t see her making that kind of assumption without some solid evidence.”

Sometimes Kitty sounded more like a cop than a fashion designer, but then she’d spent a lot of time at the Pointe-Aux-Chat Sheriff’s Department when she was a kid too. Daisy gnawed on a claw, not sure how to answer her cousin without sounding like a complete idiot. Unfortunately everything she thought of made her sound like a melodramatic shifter who might need psychiatric evaluation.

“Daisy,” Kitty said in a warning tone.

“Okay, so I had sex with him!” Kitty sucked in a sharp breath and Daisy spilled. “Twice. Or…maybe three times? I—I—Yeah, three times and he bit me. Without asking! Can you believe that? And he’s been following me around. Okay, no, he hasn’t been following me around. He bought Red House and I was pissed off when I found out, so I went over there and he kissed me right in front of Monk.” She leapt off the sofa to pace around her living room, the entire story flying out of her mouth with the force of a geyser.

When she finished, Daisy was out of breath and tears trickled down her cheeks. Horrified at her loss of control, she sucked in a deep, steadying breath and wiped at her wet face with the sleeve of her nightshirt. Kitty hadn’t said a single word through the whole confession and Daisy waited for her to say something.

Finally, she couldn’t take the silence anymore. “Well? Am I crazy?”

“Daisy, I had no idea you were that hurt after the thing with Kyle,” Kitty said, her voice soft and hesitant.

“This isn’t about Kyle, Kitty. This is about Ram. I mean…he’s a rock star, you know? What if this is just his way of alleviating the boredom? I’ll get attached and when he leaves, I’ll be devastated,” Daisy confessed.

“He isn’t Kyle though,” Kitty pointed out. “He’s not some young, barely mature lion who wants to prove his manhood by collecting females. Ram doesn’t need to have a pride for that.”

“Exactly.”

“Seriously, where’s the real Daisy Lynn Picou and what have you done with her? You’re not a coward. You’re the same bear who took out the whole McCabe pack when they threatened to break our tree house.”

Daisy found a smile at that reminder. “I was eleven.”

“You were fearless. Can’t wasn’t in your vocabulary. And then you met Kyle and you, I don’t know, you changed to suit him.”

“I did not!”

Kitty snorted loudly. “Please, don’t make me pull out the incriminating e-mails and love letters, or the ticket stubs you saved when you first started seeing each other, because I still have them, sucker. You became a sap.”

Her cheeks burned at the memory of how stupid she’d been.

“If it hadn’t been for the fact that you seemed so happy with him, I would’ve had you checked out by a psychiatrist, but you were happy. You changed for Kyle, tried to make yourself out to be what he wanted. And when he pulled that shit with the pride you almost joined, didn’t you?”

Daisy closed her eyes because yeah, she’d almost caved. She’d conveniently forgotten that part of the incident but there was no denying her stupid, nineteen-year-old heart had broken at the thought of not having Kyle in her life. “God, I was so stupid,” she muttered.

“Well yeah, but you were young. You’re forty-five—”

“Hey! I’m only thirty-three.”

Kitty’s snicker was very welcome and helped relieve some of the hurt in Daisy’s chest. “My point is you’re not the same starry-eyed kid who fell for Kyle. You’re more mature and settled now. And what’s to say Ram is going to leave? I doubt he goes around marking every female he has sex with. It would’ve been plastered all over the tabloids if he did.” She let that statement settle in for a minute before continuing. “And if he does leave, nothing says you’ll never get over it. There is life after heartbreak. I know that for a fact.”

Daisy bit her lip, frowning at her brightly colored toes. “Do you…still think about Monk?” she asked hesitantly. No one had hurt as much as Kitty had after Monk destroyed her when they were teenagers. If her cousin could overcome that then Daisy could as well.

“Of course I still think about him, he was my first love. But I don’t measure every male I meet by his actions either. I can’t. Unlike you, I’m not ready to settle down yet so I just enjoy the chase and lots of good sex. But when I am ready, Monk won’t even factor into it.”

The strength in Kitty’s voice helped Daisy find her backbone again. “You’re right,” she said on a sigh. “I really do feel drawn to him, you know. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before, but this…fear I have that he’ll break my heart keeps holding me back.”

“Always being afraid isn’t the way to live, Daisy Lynn. You know that, which is why part of you is fighting to take whatever you can get from him. I say go for it. Enjoy him while you have him and if it ends, you’ll at least be able to tell your grandkids you made it with a rock star,” she said jokingly.

Daisy sighed, a smile on her face. Kitty always made her feel better, no matter what kind of mood she was in. “Okay, so what else is going on with you? We haven’t talked in a couple of weeks.”

Kitty launched into a description of her latest clothing line and the runway show coming up, then mentioned some of the people Daisy had met while in New York. After Kitty caught her up on all the gossip in the fashion industry and wrung a promise out of her to visit at some point in the near future, they said their goodbyes.

“Oh,” Kitty said before Daisy could hang up. “By the way, having a guy go down on you while you’re on the phone with your mama? I never knew you were such a dirty girl.”

Daisy’s face exploded with heat but Kitty hung up laughing. “Brat,” she muttered as she tossed the phone to the side.

Still, she huffed out a laugh and stretched her muscles, surprised to realize they’d been on the phone for nearly two hours. Curious to see if Ram was still at her parents’ house, Daisy shuffled to the window to peek out.

She looked right into a very pissed-off-looking green eye. She shrieked in surprise, jumping away from the window. Angry at herself, Daisy saw red. She recognized that eye. Fury caught her by the throat and dragged her to the door. She wasn’t rational, if anything she was acting just like a rabid bear, but she couldn’t stop herself. Seeing him on her porch after getting off the phone with Kitty was enough to throw her into the same all-consuming rage she’d felt when she heard the other kids snicker about “Pretty Kitty’s kitty”.

Daisy flung open the door. “You!”

Monk got in her face. “You crazy bitch!”

Things went downhill from there.

*

Ram stood on the Picou’s porch after a delicious, informative meal. Claudette and Thomas were interesting people. Ram got the idea Thomas would’ve preferred to have the conversation in one of his interrogation rooms, but in the end, Daisy’s parents seemed pleased. Well, Claudette was ecstatic and Thomas was distrustful. Ram figured they balanced out to pleased.

Thomas had also warned him about the calls the station had been fielding from the press. They all wanted to know if it was true he was staying in Maison Rouge. So far they’d been able to keep from saying anything but Ram knew that wouldn’t last long. They’d show up and his plans of getting Daisy to commit to him would be shot once she got a load of the circus that was his life. Not that he’d have an easy time of convincing her anyway. The conversation he’d had with Claudette had eradicated that thought.

Daisy’s heart had been broken by some big-city lion. Ram rubbed the back of his neck as he strolled to his truck. He’d never been in love before so had no basis for comparison, but it seemed as if that kind of hurt couldn’t be dismissed so easily. He really did have his work cut out for him.

He slid onto the leather seat of his vehicle and started up the engine. His lion urged him to seek her out. The damn cat had purred nonstop when Claudette pulled out the family albums, showing him picture after picture of Daisy as a child, then later as a very hot metal head. Ram grinned at the memory of one picture in particular.

Daisy’s arm had been flung over the shoulders of a slightly taller female. They’d posed in the middle of a crowd of shifters and humans sporting crazy hairstyles, wearing chain wallets, spike collars and bracelets. Both females had darkened their eyes with liner, painted their fingernails black and wore collars themselves. They’d each had their fingers positioned to make devil’s horns and their tongues sticking out.

Ram laughed. Claudette had apologized for the picture, saying she wasn’t sure how it got into the album full of Daisy’s christening pictures. Ram suspected his sly bear had done it on purpose.

If he hadn’t seen her at the festival, her eyes bright with excitement as she helped protect the moshers, Ram wouldn’t have been able to reconcile the deputy with the metal head youth. He tried to put the pieces together and suspected Daisy had locked up her joy when she had her heart broken, or maybe before. Claudette hadn’t met Kyle, but she said he’d been a stockbroker type, very big on appearances and proper behavior. Had Daisy shunned her love for hard, fast music to fit in with what Kyle wanted? It made sense. She’d only been nineteen or twenty when she hooked up with the bastard. Kids were impressionable and when it came to their hormones, they did all kinds of crazy shit.

He flexed his hands on the steering wheel and stared in the direction of Daisy’s house. Her lights were still on, so she was up. Was she with another man right now? His rational mind reasoned that she’d only told him she had a date because he’d been a shitty liar. The irrational animal who’d marked Daisy as his demanded Ram go over there and make sure she was alone.

As he was trying to decide if he would give in to the lion’s possessiveness, a set of headlights bounced over the landscape as a car bumped along her driveway. It was a muscle car of some kind. The kind a male spent hours restoring and took great pride in. The son of a bitch stopped in front of Daisy’s house. A long, lean figure climbed out of the car and started for the porch.

Ram didn’t even stop to think about what he was doing. He slammed the truck in gear and tore out of the Picous’ driveway. His claws sprang out, his fangs scraped his lips, and goddammit, his mane was sprouting again despite the trim Claudette had given him after dinner. He was going to kill the bastard.

Chapter Six

Gravel flew when Ram slid to a stop next to Daisy’s house. The door was closed but grunts and groans accompanied by thumps reached his ears the minute he got out of the cab. He paused for one second, scenting a very familiar cougar. His eyes narrowed on Daisy’s door, his hands curling into hard fists.

He climbed the steps of the porch and tried to calm his breathing, but with the stink of another cat near his mate and the sounds of what could only be shifter sex thundering through the house, it proved impossible. He kicked in the door with a roar, tearing into the house like a freight train.

At first he didn’t see them. Then he heard grunts and pants on the other side of the sofa. Springing the seven feet between the door and the couch, Ram landed on the cushions prepared to tear Monk away from his female.

The cougar shifter had Daisy pinned to the ground. She’d somehow twisted her body so she could lock her legs around Monk’s head. Neither of them could move much, holding each other in place in a stalemate. If either of them had one less piece of clothing on, Ram would’ve killed the cougar immediately. As it was it took him a few minutes to realize they were both fully dressed and there wasn’t the slightest scent of arousal in the air.

“What the hell is going on?” Ram demanded, plucking the cougar off his female and flinging him across the room.

Ram followed Monk who hit the opposite wall, sliding down to slump on the floor. He could have let it go—Monk didn’t smell lustful—but the way he’d had Daisy pinned meant he’d left his scent all over her lovely body, which as far as Ram was concerned was punishable by pain. Lots and lots of pain.

He picked the slightly smaller male off the ground by his throat and banged him against the wall a few times. His lion wanted to tear the cougar’s throat out for touching his mate, but Ram had enough wits about him to keep from shifting. He didn’t want to kill the male, just hurt him. A lot.

A firm but soft hand gripped his shoulder. “What the hell are you doing?” Daisy demanded as she pressed hard in an excruciating spot that forced him to drop his prize. “You can’t kill him!”

He spun on her, noting how utterly adorable she looked with her bright-red toenails, soft lounge pants and thin shirt. Her nipples pressed against the cotton of her top. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Snarling, he went for Monk again.

“Hey! Seriously, I will arrest your ass if you lay one more finger on him,” she warned with a slap to Ram’s shoulder.

“I thought you wanted him dead.”

She scowled. “I do, but what we want and what we get are two different things. I was just going to rough him up a little.”

Monk choked, interrupting Ram and Daisy’s discussion. “You were trying to kill me,” he accused, his dark-green eyes flashing.

“If I wanted you dead, I’d have just shot you,” she defended herself.

Ram didn’t like the continued interaction between them and wrapped his arm around Daisy, pulling her hard against his body until they fit together like a puzzle piece. She glared, no doubt ready to tear him a new asshole, but he stopped her angry words with a kiss.

The minute their lips met, she melted. Her mouth opened to allow his tongue entry and her arms slid up to encircle his neck. Her easy acquiescence lit a heat in Ram’s groin that should’ve set his pants on fire. He gripped her round ass in his hands, kneading and squeezing roughly.

“Do me a fucking favor and mate her before she kills someone,” Monk said.

Daisy broke off the kiss and lunged at the cat, claws out. Ram snagged her around the waist, holding her away from Monk, who was trying to straighten his clothes. The heat of his need left him a little fuzzy around the edges and he wasn’t feeling too kindly toward the cougar for interrupting them. He roared a clear warning at the other cat.

“Sorry,” Monk said with a twitch of his lips that suggested anything but remorse.

Daisy almost got away from Ram but he caught her again and tried to soothe her. “What’s going on here, dammit?” he demanded of the cougar. “Did you attack her?”

Monk’s jaw dropped. “Are you fucking kidding me? That crazy bitch clawed my car!”

The cougar’s outrage burned away some of Ram’s anger. “What kind of car?” Ram asked curiously. “I noticed it across the pasture, but was in too much of a hurry to check it out.”

“1965 Mustang with the original paint job until Fast Claws McGraw touched it.”

Ram whistled. “Nice. Original engine?”

Monk grinned. “It’s mint from top to fucking bottom. Took me a few—”

“You sold my house!” Daisy cut in, still struggling in Ram’s hold. “You’re lucky I didn’t castrate you.”

Ram winced at the statement even as his balls tingled with the need to make his mate submit. The lion did not like the cougar’s scent coupled with the scent of her anger. It wanted her on all fours, ass in the air and pussy dripping with desire.

Monk’s retort shook him out of his lustful thoughts. “It was mine to sell. And you know this isn’t just about that.” He wiped a hand over his face, suddenly looking exhausted. “I was eighteen years old. Cut me a little fucking slack, dammit.”

Daisy’s gasp almost knocked her off her feet. “I’m supposed to forget you fucked my cousin and then told everyone at school about it? That you broke her heart and made sure she’ll never want to come home again?”

“You beat the ever-lovin’ shit out of me for it!”

“I wish I would’ve castrated you instead!”

They were nose-to-nose, glaring at each other and bristling with anger. Ram frowned. “All of this is over something that happened, what, twenty years ago?”

Two sets of eyes swung around to glare at him. “Fifteen,” they both spat and turned back to weigh each other with their stares.

Ram rolled his eyes. “Okay, fifteen years ago, Monk hurt your cousin’s feelings, you beat the shit out of him for it and you’re still fighting about it?”

“He’s an asshole,” Daisy announced with clenched fists.

“And you’re a psycho bitch,” Monk shot back. “All the shit you’ve pulled over the years I’ve let go because I know how close you and Kitty are. I figured I deserved it, but goddamn it, Daisy, we’re too old for this.”

The tension in Daisy’s body suggested she strongly disagreed, though she said nothing. Ram didn’t trust it. He also didn’t want to get involved in the feud between them, but this was the second time he’d been witness to it. And as much as he loved Daisy when she was pissed off, he also scented a touch of hurt.

His plans for stripping his mate and riding her until dawn flew out the window. He sighed. Ram thought he’d never see the day when a rock star was more reasonable than a couple of small-town shifters. The world had gone crazy.

“Let’s talk about this like adults, okay?” Ram suggested, tearing Daisy’s attention away from staring a hole through Monk’s skull.

“What?”

He shrugged. He wore a polo shirt with a pair of khaki slacks and dress shoes. He’d obviously done himself up good to look less like a musician and more like a successful, acceptable mate for her parents. She bit back a dreamy sigh. He was so damn sexy no matter what he did— or didn’t—wear.

“I just think you two need to talk out this…” he waved his hands between Monk and Daisy, “thing and get it off your chests.”

Her jaw dropped and all thoughts of his sexiness dissipated. “Are you out of your fucking mind? I have nothing to say to that jackass.”

“Because you’d rather act like a spurned lover,” Monk shot back.

“I wouldn’t touch you with someone else’s hand!”

Ram roared loud enough to blow Daisy’s hair back. When he finished, she glared at him, though she didn’t open her mouth again. Her ears were still ringing.

“We’re going to sit down and talk about this,” Ram said in a dangerous tone that sent desire dancing through her body.

He grabbed her around the waist, hoisted her off her feet and carried her to her brand new sofa. Daisy was too stunned by his strength to fight. No one had ever picked her up as if she were as substantial as a pillow. Hell, she couldn’t remember anyone outside of Ram ever picking her up.

Her body went liquid at the thought of how he could use his strength in bed. She wouldn’t have to pretend to be weaker than he was. He also wouldn’t whine if she got a little overexcited and squeezed him with all of her strength. Ram was a prime male unlike Kyle who’d complained when she hugged him too hard.

He dropped her on the sofa and settled in next to her. He took up a lot more room than he should have. Monk edged closer as though making sure Ram had a good hold of her before he eased onto the recliner across the room.

Daisy turned her nose up at the cougar. She didn’t want to hear anything he might have to say. He’d been a thorn in her ass for years. Yeah, she probably should just ignore him, but baiting and annoying the hell out of him had been her way of making him pay for hurting Kitty for so long it’d become habit.

Ram slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her snug against his side. He was warm and sturdy. She stifled another dreamy sigh. Could she really do what Kitty said and just go with the flow? She studied Ram’s profile while he stared at Monk with hard eyes. If she went along for the ride he’d break her heart.

He glanced over at her, catching her gaze with his warm, amber eyes. “Now tell me what happened,” he said calmly.

Daisy shook her head. She wasn’t going there. She couldn’t. She wasn’t sure she could begin to explain her dislike for Monk.

“We all grew up together,” Monk said in a tired voice. “Me, Daisy Lynn and Kitty were inseparable. We did everything together until we got to high school.” He dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling. “But I always loved Kitty.”

“You have a funny goddamn way of showing it,” Daisy spat.

He looked at her with tired eyes. “You think I don’t regret any of what happened? I didn’t just lose Kitty, I lost you as well.”

Ram let out a sub-vocal growl. “Mine.”

Monk rolled his eyes and went back to staring at the ceiling. “It wasn’t like that,” he muttered. “Daisy was my friend, Kitty was…” He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m no good at this touchy-feely bullshit.”

Daisy frowned at Monk and for the first time saw the misery etched onto his face. He looked a lot older than his thirty-three years, the time carving deep lines around his mouth and eyes. It was hard to see the kid he’d been, the one who’d let her tag along behind him while Kitty was taking piano lessons. He was right. They had been friends, very good friends, for most of their lives. It was only the betrayal of knowing how badly he’d hurt Kitty that had turned Daisy against him.

“Why did you do it?” she demanded without meaning to speak at all.

He met her gaze and then looked away, his mouth turning down into a deep frown. “It doesn’t matter now.”

Daisy’s temper, always on a short fuse, ignited. “No, don’t pull this bullshit again. If you want me to stop fighting with you, you’re going to tell me exactly why you took Kitty’s virginity and then bragged about it.” Her fingernails cut into the palms of her hands. “You were our friend, Monk! We trusted you, Kitty loved you, and all you wanted was another notch on your fucking belt.”

He jumped out of the recliner and glowered. “I love Kitty!” he roared, the tendons in his neck standing out. “I’ve always fucking loved her. I was going to mate her as soon as she graduated high school.” He paced, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “After we—afterward I went home and told Dad my plans and…” His words stalled and a muscle bunched in his jaw. “You know how we always thought my mom died when I was a kid?” he asked suddenly.

Daisy frowned, wondering what that had to do with anything. She shrugged against Ram’s warm body. “Yeah, she had cancer, or something.”

Monk shook his head. “She didn’t. Dad finally told me that my mom went…nuts. Flat-out crazy. She tried to kill me when I was young. He had to lock her away and told everyone she died.”

“But…what does that have to do with Kitty?” Daisy asked in a soft voice.

He cleared his throat, his eyes shifting away from Daisy and Ram. “Because it’s happened before on the maternal side of my family and Dad worried I might try something similar with my own cubs.” He turned away from them to stare out the window, his shoulders tight. “I’d never do anything to hurt Kitty, but when I found out my blood was tainted, I couldn’t mate with her. I knew how much she loved me because I felt the same. The only way I knew to make her hate me was to act like I just wanted to get in her pants.”

Bitterness and self-hatred dripped from his every word. As a kid she’d always felt bad Monk had grown up without his mom, but if what he said was true, he had an even bigger burden to bear. Her heart softened despite her lingering resentment of the way he’d handled things.

“You could’ve told her,” Ram said, surprising Daisy. She glanced at him to see his face darken with anger. “You fucked up big-time, man. If Kitty was anything like Daisy, she wouldn’t have cared.”

Okay, if he kept this up, she’d do something stupid and fall for him because she couldn’t help her heart melting at his words. Damn the lion to hell.

“That’s exactly why I did it,” Monk countered. He looked at Daisy. “Do you think it’d be fair to burden her with something like this? She would’ve stayed with me despite my tainted genetics and then we’d both have to live in fear that I’d try to kill my own children one day.”

Daisy stared at the man she thought she knew so well. As Ram said, he’d fucked up. But he’d done it to protect Kitty and their children. Maybe he wasn’t as awful as she’d thought. As the thought crossed her mind she detected a hint of vulnerability in his gaze. She now had a weapon to use against him that would destroy his family’s name in Maison Rouge. The entire town had mourned with the Badeaux family when word came that Carla had died of cancer all those years ago. They’d feel betrayed and Monk wouldn’t be able to hold his head up in town ever again.

But she wouldn’t use it. Dammit, in this moment Monk reminded her of why she’d considered him one of her best friends.

She sighed and slumped against Ram, needing his strength for the moment. “You do realize Kitty’s a grizzly?” she asked in a bored tone.

Monk frowned at her. “Of course.”

She rolled her eyes. “Do you honestly think a grizzly bear would let anyone harm her cubs? Even her own mate?”

The dawning realization in his eyes was gratifying. Even better than clawing his paint job. He looked equal parts stunned and disgusted with himself. She nodded. “You’re a moron.”

“I was eighteen, Daisy Lynn, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead,” he muttered as he flopped into the chair again. “Cher bon Dieu, I really did fuck everything up, didn’t I?” He groaned and threw an arm over his face.

Daisy opened her mouth to agree, but Ram squeezed her ribs hard enough to compress all the air out of them. He shook his head. “Could I get something to drink?” he asked when she stared at him.

She frowned and shot a look between him and the still grimacing Monk. He was trying to get rid of her. She shook her head, but Ram nodded firmly. She growled and he snapped his teeth at her in warning.

“Fine!” she huffed and flounced off the sofa. Let them have their little male-bonding moment. The minute Monk left, she’d let Ram have it.

Ram waited until Daisy was in the kitchen before he looked at the pathetic excuse for a cougar across the room, groaning and grimacing as if he were dying. “God, get over yourself,” he said in disgust.

Monk dropped his arm to glare at him. “You didn’t destroy a young girl’s heart because you were trying to protect her.”

“Yeah, because I’m not an asshole in love with some fragile female,” Ram shot back.

“Kitty isn’t fragile.” The words came out a challenge as Monk sat forward. “She’s strong and independent. She went to New York with nothing but a dream and made something of herself. Don’t ever talk that way about her.”

Ram sat back, satisfied. “If she’s all that, then why are you treating her like she needs to be protected like some goddamn fragile flower?” He shook his head when Monk gaped at him. “Look at you, man. You gave up your mate because you didn’t think she was strong enough to deal with your problems. You didn’t give her any choice—you just let her go without giving her options.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, well, I’m starting to realize that thinking when it comes to a mate is overrated. That’s Daisy’s problem, she keeps thinking things to death and it isn’t something you decide to do. You just do it, you know?”

Monk said nothing. He stared at Ram for several seconds with the sound of Daisy slamming things around in the kitchen in the background. “What do I do now? She won’t want to see me and even though Daisy knows, I don’t think she’s going to help me with Kitty.”

Ram shook his head. “You’re thinking about it all wrong. Is she your mate? Did you mark her?”

The cougar hung his head. “Yeah.”

“Then she’s your mate. You either go get her, or you wait for her to come to you.” Ram glanced over his shoulder to make sure Daisy wasn’t behind him. He leaned forward. “In fact, wait for her to come to you.”

Monk sighed impatiently. “She isn’t coming back here. She swore she wouldn’t.”

“She’d come back if Daisy got married,” Ram countered smoothly.

Monk blinked as though Ram had lost his mind. “Daisy’s getting married? To…you?”

“Well yeah, she’s my mate.”

“Does she know this yet? I mean, have you actually asked her?” Monk asked with a dubious look on his face.

Ram didn’t like the doubt one bit. He crossed his arms. “She’ll accept.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She will. She’s just being stubborn right now because she thinks I’m here to start a pride or some crazy shit like that. I’m not and once she realizes that, everything will work out.” He leaned back again. “That means Kitty will come home if they’re anywhere as close as Ms. Claudette suggested.”

Monk looked intrigued. “They’re as close as sisters and tell each other everything so yeah, she’d come home for that.”

Ram smiled. “And when she does, you fix it. Simple as that.”

“I don’t know, man, that seems…pretty simplistic. Does that work for you? The whole doing what you want and having them just give in?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

Monk snorted. “That won’t work with Daisy. She’s not like one of your groupies, you know. She doesn’t give a shit if you’re famous or not, she won’t give in just because of who you are.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle her.”

“Oh you will, huh?” a silky voice said behind him.

He glared at the cat across the room. “You couldn’t have told me she was standing there? Where’s the fucking loyalty?”

Monk shrugged as he got to his feet, keeping plenty of distance between Daisy and himself. “I’ve known her longer and while you’d probably just kill me, she’d torture me. Sorry, man.”

“And on that note, you can carry your happy ass home,” Daisy told Monk, coming around the sofa with a glass of something in her hand. “I’ll stop by your office some time this week so we can talk about this some more without Dr. Phil over there to referee.”

Monk shot her a startled look, but the warmth in his eyes was unmistakable. “Sure thing, Daisy Lynn,” he said with a slow smile.

“And stop fucking calling me Daisy Lynn!” she shouted at the cougar as he opened the door.

Monk laughed, the door slamming shut behind him. Seconds later, they heard the contented purr of a fine-tuned engine. Daisy sighed. “I’m gonna have to pay for a new paint job, huh?”

“Probably.”

She rounded on him, her dark eyes narrowed. The scent of her anger peppered the air around them. “And you’re going to handle me, huh? How exactly are you planning to do that?”

Ram gently removed the glass of whatever it was from her hand and peered at it curiously. “What is this?”

“Your drink.”

He sniffed it, his stomach turning at the combination of scents. “Are you trying to poison me?” he demanded.

“It was a thought, especially after the way you acted with Monk.” Her frown deepened. “What the fuck are you doing here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be at my parents’ house kissing ass?”

Ah, no wonder she was so pissed off. “Did Monk tell you I was there?” Because he’d have to hurt the cougar for ratting him out.

Daisy snorted and moved away to sprawl in the recliner. “As if I’d have believed anything he said.” Her face twisted. “Well, before tonight.” She ran a hand over her face. “Cher bon Dieu, I can’t believe he didn’t tell us about his mama,” she whispered. “I’m still pissed about how he went about breaking things off with Kitty, but…he’s right. She would’ve stuck by his side anyway. God, what a mess. How do I tell her?”

Ram plopped down on the sofa, idly noting it was new. “You don’t.” Her glare should’ve killed him, but he wasn’t worried. “It isn’t your business. It’s between Monk and Kitty. If it works out, it works out, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. You can’t be involved.”

“She’s my cousin! My best friend,” she argued. “He almost killed her with that stunt.”

“And you,” Ram inserted softly.

“What?”

He stretched out his legs and folded his hands over his stomach. “His actions meant he wasn’t your best friend anymore either. He didn’t just hurt her. You trusted him. He hurt you too.”

She stiffened. “I had no idea you were such an expert psychologist. Tell me, did you get your degree between fucking groupies?”

Daisy knew it was a bitchy thing to say, but she was so stunned by his words, his perception, she went on the defense. Because he was right. Monk hadn’t just broken Kitty’s heart—he’d broken hers as well. She’d never been romantically interested in Monk, but she’d loved him as a close friend, as a brother. His betrayal had hurt her as deeply as it had Kitty. But that didn’t mean she wanted Ram Reinhardt analyzing her. It scared her that he could see her so clearly, she reacted, lashing out at him in a bid to protect herself.

It didn’t help that he looked so smug sitting there, as if he had her all figured out. And he probably did. Daisy knew she wasn’t the most complicated female on the planet. Hell, most of the time she didn’t understand other females because they confused her. She liked to keep things simple. If someone pissed her off, she was pissed off. If someone hurt her, she hurt them back. Simple, effective and direct. Everything with Ram left her mind fluttering all over the place as if she was…well, like other women. It was so annoying.

“I’m a musician,” he said easily. “I spend a lot of my time people watching. Always have.”

“Why am I not surprised to find out a lion shifter likes to sit on his ass and watch everyone else?”

“You also go on the attack when you’re feeling uncomfortable,” he replied with a smile she wanted to wipe off his face with her fist.

“What are you doing here?” she muttered.

“I’m here to be with my mate after I had an interesting meal with her family.”

Daisy fought to stay in place. She knew it! She’d known her parents wouldn’t be able to keep the Kyle incident quiet. Not when they were looking at adding a lion to their family. No, her mama would’ve wanted to smooth over Daisy’s rough spots by explaining why she’d become abrasive. God. The last thing she’d wanted was for Ram to find out about Kyle and how she hadn’t been enough for him. He’d pity her.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” he asked, his amber eyes gleaming with satisfaction and something else she couldn’t identify.

She squirmed and folded her arms over her chest. It was a defensive position but fuck it. She felt defensive. “I was hoping you wouldn’t,” she mumbled.

“Oh yeah, they told me and all the pieces came together,” he continued as he glanced around the room, his gaze lighting on her entertainment center. “And the proof is right there for me to see. I didn’t notice it that first night because, well, I was more worried about diving into your pussy, but I see it now.”

Daisy frowned. Proof? Of Kyle? She peered over her shoulder. She was almost positive she hadn’t left any pictures out, not that she had many of the bastard. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, just her stereo system and music and movie collection. She turned back with a scowl.

“What proof?”

He nodded. “I can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t find out.”

He was driving her fucking insane! “Find out what?” she almost shrieked at him.

Ram’s lips curled into a sly smile. “You’re a groupie.”

Chapter Seven

Daisy blinked at the smug lion. “What?” she squeaked.

“I saw the pictures of you and your cousin hanging out at rock concerts and then I saw Saber CDs on your shelf over there. I’ve got you all figured out, honey. You found out we were playing at the festival and managed to plant yourself in front of the stage to seduce me.” He shrugged. “It worked. You drove me nuts and next thing I knew, I had to have you.”

Her jaw had to be somewhere on the floor. Of all accusations Ram could have made, this one hadn’t appeared anywhere on her radar. “Are you crazy?”

“I’m crazy about you, yeah. You made sure of it.”

“I was working!”

He snorted. “Yeah, you were working that uniform all right. Do you always wear it so tight?” he asked in a disapproving tone. “I like looking at you in it but you’ll have to get a different size when you’re on duty. I don’t want males staring at you and thinking about what they’d like to do with your handcuffs.”

Daisy surged off the sofa, not sure if she was pissed off, flattered or going crazy. “You—I—no, you can’t tell me how to dress,” she stammered, unable to concentrate. Ram had completely thrown her for a loop and it was taking a while to regain her balance. “I had no idea you were playing that night. And I’m not a fucking groupie.”

He lifted his hands in a calming gesture. “There’s nothing wrong with showing your love for your favorite musicians, baby. You just happened to catch one on a permanent basis. You don’t have to hide it anymore.”

She gaped at him, flummoxed. “I’m not a goddamn groupie!” she screamed when she found her voice.

Eyebrows raised in blatant disbelief, he muttered, “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.’”

Daisy attacked. She couldn’t help herself. He looked so smug, so sure he was irresistible. She lunged at him, hands reaching for his throat. She wasn’t expecting him to be prepared for her attack. Every conversation she had with him turned her brain into a murky marsh of confusion—she couldn’t be expected to think rationally around him.

Before she even touched him, Ram caught her around the waist and flipped her onto her back on the sofa. The sudden change in direction punched the air out of her lungs and he had his body wedged between her legs before she could blink or breathe. His heavy weight came down on top of her, his heat burning her through both their clothing.

She blinked up at him and saw amusement in his amber eyes. If she’d had her wits about her, she might have taken offense knowing he’d taunted her into this position, but his hard cock pressing against her core finished off what few brain cells she had left.

The purr rumbling out of his chest vibrated through her. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?” he murmured against the side of her neck.

Given the size of the lead pipe pressing against her, Daisy had a very good idea how much he wanted her. “Why?” she blurted when he seemed content to sniff her.

He lifted his head, his nose inches from hers. “Why what? Why do I want you?”

Way to look insecure there, Daisy Lynn. Why don’t you just start sniffling and crying about how you were never asked to prom? She stiffened her spine. She refused to let him intimidate her but she couldn’t let it go. “Yes. I’m not like the females you’re probably used to.”

Ram’s eyes softened, his pupils expanding.

“No, you’re not like the females I’m used to.” She felt his gaze like a stroke over her skin. His hips started up a slow churn, bumping and rubbing his cock against her. “You call to my lion. He doesn’t know what to do with himself when you’re out of sight. He wants to pounce on you, mark you for his. He’s never given a shit about anyone or anything before.”

While all that sounded great, he hadn’t mentioned how he felt. Daisy knew some shifters followed their animal instinct no matter where it led them, but she never had. She didn’t want to be one of those people who did something stupid and immediately blamed it on the beast. She was completely cognizant while in her animal form. She did listen to her bear but she didn’t let it rule her.

Ram shifted against her, one of his hands sliding through her hair to cup the back of her skull. “But the lion’s wants are nothing compared to my feelings,” he rasped, drawing his lips over her cheekbone and the bridge of her nose. “The minute I saw you, the instant I smelled you, I knew you were mine.” Her scalp stung when his fingers tightened in her hair, but the fire in her blood turned even that slight pain into pleasure. “You’re mine, Daisy. I never thought about taking a mate, never wanted to until I saw you.”

His words and the scent of his arousal combined with the fire he stirred in her body to wipe all doubts from her mind. She knew they’d come back, she thought too much about everything, but for now she’d let it go.

“That’s good enough for me,” she muttered and grabbed his slightly longer mane to tug his face closer. “Fuck me.”

Ram dipped his head and kissed her with all the strength of ownership he could muster. She made him so hot, so ready to mount her at every chance, he could barely think straight. He’d purposely stirred her anger, diverted her from the pain he’d scented and this was his reward.

I’m a fucking genius. He slid his tongue against hers, delving deeper into the honeyed recesses of her mouth. He wanted to crawl inside her, merge his whole self with her until they couldn’t be separated again. He admired everything about her, from her stubbornness to her five-alarm temper to the curve of her cheek. She was amazing and she’d turned him into a sap.

A sap about to fuck her on the sofa. Again.

He reluctantly pulled away from the scorching kiss, his body burning, his cock twitching with the need to release into her. She protested when he levered himself off the sofa but he turned a deaf ear. If he listened to his mate, he’d have her here. He was determined to prove he had a little more restraint even though he hadn’t displayed much in any of their encounters.

She pouted her kiss-swollen lips. “Where are you go—” He cut her off by scooping her into his arms. She let out a startled gasp before she threw her arms around his neck. “God, don’t drop me!”

Ram laughed, hoisting her higher. “Not gonna happen, baby. Now which way to the bedroom?”

“Down the hall, on the left.”

He started across the living room, heading for the narrow hallway. He didn’t even glance at the pictures lining the walls but promised himself he would when he didn’t have sex on the brain. That might take about five years, he figured, maybe longer if she always nibbled on his neck the way she was doing now.

By the time he found the bedroom and staggered in, his cock was knocking on the zipper of his slacks and his breath was coming out in loud pants. She had a wicked tongue, one he well remembered from earlier in the day. She flicked his ear, his neck and the edge of his jaw while the scent of her arousal wafted to him.

Her room was on the small side, but it smelled strongly of her, the mixture of bear, woman and flowers he’d come to associate with Daisy Picou. The bed had no headboard and looked as if it was only a little bigger than a twin, proof that she didn’t share it on a regular basis. It would be hell staying on the tiny mattress, but he couldn’t contain a pleased rumble at the idea she had no need for a larger one.

The springs protested when they landed on the bed. Ram propped himself on his elbows to see his female better. She looked ready to rip his clothes off. As though she’d read his mind, she sprang, her mouth plastered against his as if she couldn’t contain herself any longer.

On board with her aggression, Ram kissed her back as fiercely. Fabric tore beneath sharp claws, fangs pressed and nipped, beads of blood welled against lips, clothing flew in every direction and the air filled with the sounds of dangerous, animal attraction.

She felt silky smooth against his rougher skin, the soft swells of her breasts pillowing his chest as the kiss continued. Her thighs parted for him, her long legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him to her. It was only as he found the hot, wet folds of her pussy with the head of his cock that her earlier words came back to him.

That’s good enough, she’d said. He pulled back to look in her lust-dazed eyes. She blinked up at him in confusion, but it was as if Ram finally saw the light. She didn’t believe him when he said she was his mate. She didn’t think this was for forever.

“You’re mine,” he rumbled, paying more attention to her face than her body.

The lust was still there, but a flash of disbelief flared before she hid it behind a smile. “Okay.”

Her voice held a hint of skepticism. She didn’t believe him. He’d have to make sure she did because there was no way in hell Ram was going to let her go. He admired her stubbornness but it was a roadblock to the future he wanted with her.

He’d have to prove to her, somehow, that he wasn’t going to hurt her like Monk or the other lion had. That he wasn’t going to choose other females over her, and that he wouldn’t just walk away when he was finished with her. It was a long list of things to show her, but he swore to himself she would never doubt where she stood in his life.

In a short time she’d become the focus of both the man and the lion. Both sides of his psyche wanted her like nothing else and he knew he’d never want anyone else. He just had to show her. Somehow.

“What’s wrong?” she asked with the softest hint of vulnerability.

He shook his head. “Nothing,” he sighed as he lowered himself over her again. “I just realized I haven’t done half the things I wanted to with you.”

Gold-flecked black eyes studied him. “Like what?”

Ram couldn’t fight his smile at her suspicious tone. He glanced over at the belt she wore with her uniform, his gaze drawn to the clip holding her handcuffs. Maybe it was time for him to fulfill the fantasy he had concerning this confusing bear he called mate.

“I’m going to do everything I’ve wanted to do since the day I first saw you,” he promised, enjoying the way her gaze followed his.

Her eyes widened in alarm. “What?”

He gave her a hard, quick kiss. “Don’t worry, baby, you’re gonna love every minute of it.”

Daisy didn’t know what caused the sudden change of plans and she wasn’t sure she liked it. In fact, she was downright uneasy when Ram leaned over her to snag her work belt. He took the gun out and carefully placed it on the nightstand. She didn’t worry he would hurt her. She’d done enough shit to enrage him and he hadn’t resorted to violence. No, her concern came from the wicked gleam in his lazy, amber eyes.

He slid the belt around her naked waist and tightened it carefully so it was snug against her skin. She glanced down. It looked weird without clothes on. She looked back up in confusion.

“You want me to wear the belt?” she guessed.

He shook his head, his warm hands stroking the soft swell of her stomach. “I have something else in mind, mate.”

Her womb clenched at the word mate but Daisy forced herself to hide her reaction. He didn’t mean it. Well, maybe he did. Now. But it wouldn’t last. She’d decided to simply enjoy what she could with him and thinking about tomorrow would only ruin what she had now.

She forced a flirtatious smile. “Oh really?”

“Oh really,” he purred.

In the blink of an eye he had her wrists caught in both of his hands. The brush of cool steel and the distinctive click of metal was her only warning that she was about to experience Ram’s idea of different.

She lifted her arms and sure enough, her handcuffs encircled her wrists. “You do realize these are parish-issued handcuffs? This is like…in violation of my office.”

Or something. She really couldn’t think straight. Her heart pounded hard enough she thought it might pop out of her chest. She’d always wondered what it would be like to be handcuffed and at the mercy of a male, but it’d seemed like such an impossible dream. None of the males she knew had the balls to do something like this. Except for Ram.

“You can write yourself a ticket later,” he hummed in satisfaction as his big hands stroked up her stomach to her breasts. “Do you think the scent of your arousal will stick to the metal and every time you use them from now on, you’ll remember this moment?”

Think? He honestly thought she could do that now? With his fingers plucking and teasing her nipples? “Uh.”

“Probably not. I’ll just have to make sure you can’t forget this,” he murmured as he pressed her arms over her head, leaving her vulnerable to whatever he wanted to do.

His breath feathered over her nipple seconds before he took her into his mouth. He tugged with his teeth, a slight sting that made her melt into the mattress. She wanted to touch him, pull him closer or redirect him to her other nipple, but with the cuffs and his strong hold on her arms, she couldn’t.

She couldn’t control this. The realization sparked a fever in her blood. “Ram,” she panted, squirming beneath him. “Please don’t tease me.”

He released her nipple for a moment. “Do you believe you’re my mate?”

“Huh?” What kind of question was that?

“Do you believe you’re my mate, the only female I’ll have for the rest of my days?”

Daisy barely held back a snort. Yeah, right. She nodded. “Sure.”

His lips firmed, disappointment darkening his eyes. “Wrong answer.”

“Wh—”

He flipped her with as much effort he would a pancake, making her bounce on the mattress. He slapped her ass. “That’s for lying to me.”

She arched her back and shot him a surprised look over her shoulder. “What?”

“You don’t believe me when I say you’re my mate, that this is forever,” he growled at her as he straddled her hips, disappearing from her sight. “You think this is some game for me? That I’m indulging in a little fuck with a local before I leave?”

Daisy had retained enough brain cells to know answering in the affirmative was a bad idea, but she wouldn’t lie to him either. She didn’t think this was going anywhere. In fact, she knew it wasn’t. He didn’t belong here any more than she belonged in his world.

Sharp fangs nipped at her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts. “You’re mine, if I have to mark every inch of your body. If I have to drench you in my scent until I seep into your pores, you’ll accept me,” he rasped in her ear.

Her eyes widened in shock at his words. He couldn’t possibly think she’d just let him…what, bite every inch of her skin and come all over her? It should have disgusted her but her thighs tensed against a wave of uncontrollable lust.

“You’re mine, Daisy,” he whispered as his mouth coasted down her spine.

The slight rasp of his rough tongue combined with the soft abrasiveness of his barely there beard shot electric jolts of desire through her. Her pussy clenched on nothing, moisture gathering along her channel for his thick cock. He made another pass from the cleft of her ass to her nape, causing her back to arch for more. She dropped her head on the pillow and panted through the pleasure he forced on her. She’d never known how sensitive her back was, but under Ram’s careful touch she became a walking erogenous zone.

He paused next to her ear, letting his breath wash over her. “I smell how ready you are,” he murmured softly. “Say you’re mine and I’ll end this now.” Daisy promptly opened her mouth, but shut it when he said, “And mean it.”

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

The baby-fine hair on her nape danced under the force of his sigh. “I’m actually a little glad you’re not ready to submit,” he stated huskily. “I want to play with you, see how high I can bring you before you give in. And you will give in.”

She promised to detest herself for letting out a little whimper of need and fear. Later. Right now her body felt too big for her skin as Ram slid down, separating her legs as he went until he was right between her thighs. Teeth scraped over one ass cheek before nipping the other. Daisy jumped, her face burning at the husky chuckle that wafted over her slick folds.

“Now this is pretty, but hmm, something isn’t quite right.”

Daisy’s head popped off the pillow. Ignoring the strain of her muscles she craned her neck to see what he was talking about. He shifted on the bed, doing something she couldn’t see. He returned, one of his arms sliding under her hips and lifting up. He stuffed something soft and cool beneath her. A pillow, her brain processed. A pillow that propped her ass in the air and forced her legs to sprawl open.

“Cher bon Dieu,” she whispered, dropping her head down.

His chuckle sent a shudder of dark pleasure through her. “Now that’s perfect.”

Lightly calloused hands skimmed up the backs of her legs, tickling the tender spot at the backs of her knees before sliding higher. His thumbs caressed her inner thighs until he framed her ass with his hands. More heat poured through her, embarrassment and arousal warring for dominance as she pictured what he was looking at.

A stream of warm air blew over her slick sex, making her shift uncontrollably. She grew wetter at the delicate touch. Daisy couldn’t help but squirm, enjoying the abrasion of the comforter rubbing against her aching nipples.

“Your scent is intoxicating,” he murmured behind her. “And look how wet you are for me, like a pretty flower glistening with dew.”

It was such a corny line but it made her hotter. She panted into the pillow but didn’t want to give away how close she was to submitting. Her brain knew he wouldn’t stick around, but God, the rest of her wanted to believe, to grab this chance to claim a male for her own. She kept reminding herself it was a stupid, gut-clenching reaction to the sexual power he had over her. This wasn’t love, this wasn’t mating, it was sex. Just sex.

She chanted those words over and over in her mind while Ram’s thumbs found the lips of her sex and spread them wide, his breath washing over her in new spots. She chanted them when he murmured erotic words about how beautiful she was, how perfect for him, how he would make her his forever. But when his mouth pressed against her, when his tongue swept over her slit to circle her clit, all thought ceased and she became a beast at the mercy of her mate.

“God!” she panted into the pillow as he mapped out every inch of her sex with his tongue.

He hadn’t stopped purring and the small vibrations sent shock waves through her when he pressed his lips to her clit. Her body convulsed in pleasure. Her muffled moans and cries were a perfect accompaniment to Ram’s continued praise as he prolonged her orgasm with worshipful flicks of his tongue.

Daisy’s body slumped into the mattress, her bones liquefied by the pleasure he gave her. She couldn’t even protest when he continued teasing her with his mouth. Only an idiot would bitch when a man seemed determined to eat her alive. In fact, the longer she lay there wrapped in her cocoon of sated pleasure, the more her body warmed with renewed need.

“No,” she whined. She tried to crawl up the bed despite her legs being reduced to gel. “I can’t.”

Ram pulled her back. They briefly wrestled for her placement in the bed until he dragged her—and the damn pillow under her hips—to the edge of the mattress. Hanging on to the mattress with her cuffed hands, her legs were suspended in air, leaving her very little leverage to move again.

“I’m not letting you go until you realize you’re mine.” He spoke against her thigh, his fangs scoring the skin. “Forever, Daisy. Not just for right now. You’re mine.”

The last words were spoken in a big cat’s snarl as two of his fingers thrust into her, unerringly finding her G-spot and rubbing it. She cried out, her hips bucking as he fucked her hard and fast. Fangs sank into her leg at the exact moment her pleasure peaked. She screamed through the near-painful clenching of her inner muscles, her body trying to suck him into her.

She fell back on the bed, feeling as if she’d been hit by a train, but Ram wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot. He worked her with his fingers, adding a third when she relaxed around him. Tears burned her eyes as her body prepared for more pleasure. Every time she thought she couldn’t take any more, he proved her wrong. Her third crest came quickly, though it was a less powerful orgasm, rippling through her body like an aftershock.

Daisy quivered from the excess pleasure, her muscles twitching from the power of her orgasms. In the back of her mind, she was awed by his determination. If he was this set on having her, maybe she was wrong. It seemed like a weak argument, but the thought fermented in her brain, growing in strength the longer he teased and tortured her with her body’s response to him. He removed his fingers and returned to lapping at her. Low, growling purrs sent ripples through her.

He pulled away after what felt like forever, pillowing his head on her ass. The only sounds in the room were her raspy sobs and Ram’s harsh breathing. His big body trembled against her, proving he wasn’t immune. Wedging his arms beneath her and the pillow, he hugged her to him.

It should have been awkward. There was a male hugging her bare ass, after all, but it seemed sweet and adorable, as if he couldn’t help himself and only wanted whatever he could get.

“I want you so much,” he whispered suddenly. “I know it sounds like bullshit, but I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you. It kills me that you’ll take sex from me but nothing else.” His arms tightened around her, squeezing hard. “I’ve had more females beg me to mark them, to take them as a mate, than I could name. I turned them all away. Is this my punishment for being so arrogant?” he asked in a low, absent voice.

Something alien stirred in her soul. She locked her teeth to keep from shifting at the thought of other women touching him, loving him. Her beast stirred, the possessive protectiveness of the bear beating a rapid tattoo against her chest. She wanted to find every single female and slay her, wanted to tear them apart for daring to touch what was hers.

Daisy sucked in a shocked breath at her possessive thoughts. Oh God, she loved him! He’d somehow wormed his way into her affections and taken up residence. She squeezed her eyes shut, stupidly trying to ignore the truth of her cowardice. And she was a coward. She’d fought her instincts, fought Ram, and fought her heart, piling excuse after excuse up to shore her weakening resolve. Even now, when she realized the depth of her feelings for him, part of her—the cowardly, cringing part—reminded her she didn’t know Ram very well. He could be lying. He could be throwing her practiced lines to win her over.

But why would he go this far? What male would bare himself so completely and leave himself vulnerable to a female he felt would reject him? The bear gave her the answer. Only a male who desperately fought for what he truly wanted.

“If I thought for one minute I could forget you,” he continued in a hoarse tone, “I’d go back to my old life, to the one-night stands and—”

“Mine!” Her outraged shout echoed around the room cutting Ram’s words off.

Chapter Eight

Ram froze at the enraged scream. His heart thudded with excitement and hope. He hadn’t consciously mentioned other women to get her jealous. He’d known she was stubborn, but bringing her to climax numerous times without her giving in had left him feeling helpless. Doubt had reared its ugly head, taunting him with the notion she didn’t want him for anything but what pleasure he could bring her.

Her body vibrated with fury, her skin running hot as she struggled with her animal. The scent of woman and bear intertwined, growing stronger the longer she fought. Soft grumbling sounds emerged from her throat. She wasn’t just jealous. She was pissed.

Feeling like a kid on Christmas, Ram lifted his head. “Am I, Daisy? Am I yours?” he asked softly.

She stopped moving, her growls growing lower and lower until only the sound of her harsh breathing remained. He pressed a soft kiss to one lush ass cheek and did his best not to hold his breath.

“Mine,” she said after a few tense seconds.

Ram’s sigh emptied all the air from his body. He went limp against her, weak with relief. Thank God. He couldn’t have taken it if she denied him again. No, he would have taken it because he couldn’t live without her. The female made him desperate with lust and love and…

Holy shit. He was in love with her. No wonder he was so fucking miserable and happy at the same time.

A sudden surge of strength overcame him. He needed to complete this mating before she changed her mind. Roughly fitting himself to her soaking-wet folds, he slid in to the hilt in one smooth thrust. Ram’s eyes closed at the exquisite heat and tightness of her hugging every inch of his cock.

Her small moan of completion soothed his pride. She felt it too. What they had between them was something special. Sex had always been a means of getting off, but with Daisy it became something so much more. He needed her like he needed air to breathe. Being inside her in any way was better than the most outlandish sex he’d had with other females in the past.

He didn’t move immediately, savoring the way her pussy gripped him like a fist. The silky skin of her ass pressed up against his lower abdomen. He withdrew slightly and saw her juices glistening on the thick base of his cock. His breathing hitched at the erotic sight and he thrust back inside her.

“Yes,” she breathed. “Fuck me.”

Ram slipped his arms from beneath her hips and gripped the belt he’d fastened around her waist. “I plan to.”

Holding tight to the leather he started a hard, fast rhythm. He powered into her tight sheath, his heart beating harder with every thrust.

“God, you’re perfect,” he bit out through choppy breaths.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted the harder and faster he fucked her, the clap of their bodies punctuating her words.

He fell forward, pressing her to the mattress and used the strength of his legs to pound into her. Bracing his arms on either side of her, he gave his mate everything he had. She was so tight, so wet and hot, he was almost afraid he wouldn’t last.

Daisy arched her back, forcing her ass even higher and changing the angle of his thrusts. Her breathing hitched. Ram grinned, though the effort was strained. He deliberately slowed his pounding rhythm, taking every care to stroke his cock over the slightly rough patch of tissue at the front of her sheath.

“Ram, oh Ram, oh god, oh god,” she whispered even as her inner muscles twitched and rippled in warning. “I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna—”

Her body tightened around him, the friction driving him mad. He lunged deeper, humping her hard and fast as his fangs sank into the tendon running between her throat and shoulder. The minute he broke skin, she screamed, her pussy clenching around him in a hard, milking rhythm he found impossible to fight against.

His balls tingled, ready to shoot his seed into her. The taste of her blood and skin on his tongue intoxicated him as much as the flavor of her arousal. He purred around the bite, his hips snapping forward faster and faster and—

“God, I love you!” she screamed.

A millisecond later her fangs pierced the skin of his forearm, the brief pain sending a shock wave of pleasure through him. Fearing he’d hurt his mate he let go of Daisy’s neck and threw his head back with a roar that shook the walls as he came like a tidal wave. His hips churned against her as he shot his seed into her over and over again.

When Ram came to, he was slumped over his mate. Neither one of them was winded. Anymore, at least. He didn’t want to move but knew this couldn’t be a comfortable position for her. He heaved himself up, his legs protesting the movement with pins and needles.

Grunting, he forced himself to keep moving. Daisy was out like a light, her soft snores charming him even as he felt like a bastard for leaving her like this. She’d linked her hands together and pressed them beneath her head to use as a pillow. He pushed her hair off her forehead. Her face was streaked with his blood, her cheeks flushed from her orgasms.

God, but he loved her. And she loved him back. He glanced down at the perfect mark of her fangs on his arm, pride and possession warming his heart. They were bound together. He didn’t kid himself into thinking everything would be perfect from now on. She still had issues about lions and prides and possibly his rock star status, but those were things they could work out together.

After taking off the belt—and damn, he might have to test that fantasy out again later—and unlocking the handcuffs, he swept Daisy beneath the comforter and tucked himself in bed beside her. It was a tight fit on the narrow bed but he didn’t care. She mumbled something, nuzzling his chest as she found a comfortable spot.

He closed his eyes, feeling a contentment unlike anything he’d ever known before. She was his. He was hers. Forever.

*

Daisy stretched her sore muscles and enjoyed a sense of well-being she hadn’t known for a long time. The warmth of the body cuddled close to her reminded her of the male she’d screamed her love to.

She paused in mid-stretch, her eyes popping open. Her bedroom light was still on, their clothing scattered all over the place like confetti after New Year’s Eve. Carefully turning her head she glanced over her shoulder to see Ram’s eyes closed.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed. She needed a moment or two to remind herself why this wasn’t a permanent relationship. Yes, he made her body sing and she loved him but he hadn’t repeated those words back to her. He’d never said anything about staying here. It was all about her belonging to him. It was hot in a caveman sort of way but it wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want to be someone’s possession because possessions could be traded out for something new. She wanted love.

“Did you always want to be a cop?” Ram’s deep voice rumbled behind her.

Daisy squeaked and would have fallen out of her bed if he hadn’t had such a strong hold on her. Heart pounding quadruple time, she glanced back. His eyes were still closed, though now he had a small, satisfied smile on his face.

Facing forward again, she stared at the far wall. “No, not always.”

His fingers stroked over her stomach in a slow, rhythmic motion. “What did you want to be when you grew up?”

She shrugged. It wouldn’t hurt to tell him. “When I was thirteen, I was taller than everyone in my class and a good many of the boys a couple of years older than me. It was awkward. Then one day I read an article in one of those fashion magazines Kitty always had lying around talking about the average height for a model was five-foot-eight. I was five-nine at the time and decided to be a runway model.” He didn’t laugh and say how ridiculous it sounded. She kept going. “Since Kitty planned to be a designer it made sense, she’d need someone to model her clothes.”

“And what happened? Why didn’t you become a model?”

Daisy whipped her head around, nailing Ram in the chin. He grunted but she was too stunned to apologize. “Have you looked at me? My ass is huge! I talked to my guidance counselor about it and she suggested I play basketball instead.”

Ram rubbed his chin, looking a little dazed. He shook his head slightly and frowned at her. “What an idiot. Not you, your counselor. You’re gorgeous, Daisy. You have beautiful clear skin, an arresting face and I love your ass.” He nudged her with his hips, letting her feel exactly how much he liked her ass.

She grinned, flattered to the tips of her toes. “Well, it didn’t happen and I decided to become a cop.” She turned around and rested her head on his biceps. “What about you? You said you were in choir, did you always want to be a singer?”

He nuzzled the back of her neck. “I was a skinny, short kid when I was fifteen with the biggest crush on all the tall girls at school. I would’ve fallen mane over heels for you,” he confided with a nip of her ear. “I was in choir but when I started going through puberty and my voice changed, I left. I couldn’t sing like I used to. Like all males with too much testosterone and not enough brains, I started playing guitar to look cool.”

Daisy closed her eyes, picturing him in her mind. He would have been adorable.

“It didn’t work. I sucked at instruments, so I turned my attention to writing songs, lyrics mainly. When I graduated and moved to California I saw an ad one day for a singer of a rock band. I joined up with Nick, Craig, Trick and Leland and we’ve been together ever since.”

She frowned. He didn’t say a thing about the women he’d been with, the fame or fortune. He acted as if it wasn’t a part of his life. On one hand she was glad he didn’t mention it. She didn’t want to hear about all the females he’d been with, except it left her no room to ask him about it.

So instead of grilling him, she wiggled closer to him. She’d take what she could get and force herself to be happy with it.

“Are you gonna use that thing, or what?” she asked in a husky whisper.

In answer to her question, he gripped her leg and pulled it over his, spreading her open for him. Her heart thumped. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. She wasn’t sure she could take him again so soo—

He slid into her to the hilt, the coarse hair of his groin brushing against her ass. “God, you feel so good,” he purred in her ear. “I could stay in you all night.”

Daisy’s head lolled on his arm, pleasure arcing through her. His cock massaged every sensitive inch of her pussy, stretching her in the best way. She moaned when he started a slow thrust and retreat.

“You’re so wet,” he whispered against her skin, his tongue flicking across her earlobe. “But you’re always wet for me, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she panted as he tortured her with his body.

She strained to get closer, to pull him deeper, harder, but he kept up a slow, steady pace. His hand coasted up her leg, bypassing her throbbing clit. Daisy twitched, she wanted him to get her off now. The damn man kept going until he’d cupped her breast, his fingers plucking at the nipple in time with his thrusts.

“Ram,” she protested. “I need to come. Please.”

“Touch yourself,” he whispered in a voice filled with sin. “Touch that pretty clit while I fuck you.”

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, yet her hand slid down her belly until she came in contact with her sleek sex. Ram continued powering into her in his lazy rhythm but she needed release. The first tentative stroke of her finger over her clit made her shiver.

“That’s right, baby. Do it again. I can feel your pussy clamping on me.” He plucked at her nipple again. “Come for me, Daisy. Let me feel you milk my cock.”

Mindless from the sound of his hoarse voice commanding her to pleasure herself, Daisy circled her clit with her finger. She moaned in the back of her throat, her head falling back. She stroked the tender flesh faster and faster, her body racing for completion. Ram’s thrusts remained slow and steady, compounding the pleasure shrieking through her with the force of an F5 tornado.

“Ram!” she screamed when she slipped off the edge of the world.

Her body shuddered, her inner muscles clenching around his cock, sparking off another wave of pleasure so intense she almost blacked out. Ram groaned behind her, the sound vibrating through her.

With rough hands he rolled her to her stomach, grabbed her hips and pounded into her. The sharp slap of skin on skin punctuated her wails of pleasure and Ram’s grunts of effort. He slammed into her faster and harder before diving deep, his hips pressed hard to her ass as his cock jerked inside her. His hands gripped her hips hard, no doubt leaving bruises, but she’d worry about that later. His loud, prolonged groan sounded around the room when he emptied into her body.

He slumped over her, both of them breathing heavily. Daisy melted into the mattress, unable to feel anything except a pleasant throb from the aftermath of her pleasure. She groaned when he separated their bodies. He flopped next to her, nearly edging her out of the bed. He caught her and spooned her up tight against him.

She rested her head on his hard biceps with a loud yawn.

“Sing me one of your favorite songs,” she murmured.

He huffed out a breath. “Damn woman, I can barely breathe. Besides, I roar and scream more than sing these days.”

“I don’t care,” she insisted. “Sing me your favorite.”

He cleared his throat a couple of times before he crooned, of all things, Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. His voice wasn’t smooth like Bob Marley’s but she loved it. The deep rasp lulled her into sleep where she dreamed about waking up with Ram every morning, his hair spiked around his head, his amber eyes sleepy and content.

*

A tapping sound broke through Daisy’s panty-wetting dream about Ram and handcuffs and feathers. She frowned without opening her eyes, soothed by the warmth of the body next to her and the arm wrapped around her, anchoring her in place.

She knew what had happened between her and Ram hadn’t been a dream. The throbbing in her neck and the almost painful sensitivity between her legs was enough proof that she’d allowed him to claim her the night before. The faintest hint of copper in her mouth assured her that she’d left her mark on him as well. A smile of pure enjoyment curled her lips. They were mated. But the smile faded. There was no going back now.

Sure, mates could deny each other, could live separately but they would always long for each other. They could have sex, but it wouldn’t be fulfilling with anyone but their mate. She and Ram had cemented their commitment to each other in the most basic, animalistic way shifters could. She knew several shifters who waited years before marking their mates to make sure they were compatible.

The tapping continued, interrupting her slightly panicked thoughts. She squinted against the bright light in her bedroom then closed her eyes again. It had to be nearly noon judging by the sunlight cascading through her window.

The tapping sound grew louder and faster. She frowned and forced her eyes open. Blinking rapidly against the bright light, she tried to pinpoint the sound. If her faucet was leaking again, she’d—

“Daddy?” she squeaked, grabbing for the covers with frantic hands.

She woke Ram, who stretched his whole body with a contented groan. Daisy couldn’t even look at him, her entire focus on her father standing in her doorway. Ram’s arm snaked around her waist again as he nuzzled her throat.

“Mornin’, baby,” he mumbled in a low, intimate tone.

Thomas’ face went from angry to furious. A muscle ticked in his jaw and his soft brown eyes narrowed on the lion wrapped around her like a python.

She nudged Ram with her elbow, shooting him a dark glare, though it was damn hard to look pissed off when confronted with his sexy smile. Her heart stuttered in her chest. His rumpled hair fell over his sated amber eyes. A dark shadow lined his jaw. He looked sexy and dangerous and happy. But it was the glow of warmth in his eyes that threatened to make her melt into a puddle.

Daisy almost blurted out she loved him but her daddy cleared his throat loudly.

Ram froze and the warmth in his eyes disappeared behind anger and ice. He swiveled his neck to look over his shoulder.

“Shit,” he whispered.

A hysterical giggle threatened but Daisy swallowed it back. Neither male would appreciate her humor at a time like this. Maybe later she could share how funny she found it that her lion lover seemed intimidated by her much smaller, bobcat dad.

“Sheriff Picou,” Ram said in a respectful voice as he sat up, the sheet pooling around his hips.

“Lion,” Thomas drawled in a low, dangerous tone. “I’d like to know when you’re plannin’ on marryin’ my daughter.”

Daisy gasped in outrage. “Daddy!”

“I don’t wanna hear it, Daisy Lynn. I’m talkin’ to the lion and he better be answerin’ me the way I want,” he warned as his hand rest on the butt of his service revolver.

“I have every intention of marrying your daughter,” Ram said to Daisy’s utter shock.

She blinked at his profile, noting the set of his jaw. He was serious. Shaking her head to clear it of the insanity going on inside, she tried again. “Daddy, I’m thirty-three years old. I think I’m allowed to decide these things for myself.”

Ram stiffened, pivoting his head to glare at her. “You’re not going to marry me?” he asked incredulously.

Okay, now she was getting pissed. “You haven’t asked me! You and my father are talking about it. No one ever mentioned it to me.”

“Dammit, Daisy, are you trying to get me killed?” Ram accused when Thomas growled.

She wouldn’t let him distract her. She rolled out of bed, keeping the sheet wrapped around her. Ram snatched the comforter before it fell and pooled it over his lap, glaring at her all the while.

“I’m not getting married to anyone just because my daddy threatens to shoot them.”

“Daisy Lynn Picou!” her mother shouted from the hallway.

The scent of angry mama bear preceded her, nearly knocking Daisy off her feet. Her mother appeared in the doorway behind her husband, easily able to take in the room over her mate’s head. Her eyes swept over Ram, lingered with appreciation and then landed on Daisy.

“Looks like you marked your mate and he marked you,” her mama observed in a satisfied tone. “The only thing now is to get married. I’ll call Father Bryan to reserve St. Patrick Church as soon as possible. Ramsey, cher, are you Catholic? I forgot to ask last night.”

Ram shook his head. “No ma’am. I’m uh, Baptist.”

Daisy wanted to hit him.

Her mother looked disappointed. “Well, that’s okay I suppose. Now, do you have anyone you want to invite to the wedding? I’ll have to send out invitations soon.” She pulled a little tablet from her purse. “I need to call Francine and tell her Kitty’s gonna have to come home to make Daisy’s dress. She promised to do that if my baby ever got married. And I’ll have to call Zack Trahan to order the cake. I swear that tiger makes the best wedding cake I’ve ever tasted,” she sighed as she scribbled her notes.

“I’m not getting married!” Daisy screamed at them.

Ram’s lips tightened and a flash of hurt crossed his face before it settled into an impassive mask. Her heart ached. She wanted to marry him. Well, she thought she did. She couldn’t really be sure since it wasn’t something they’d talked about. Everything was too sudden. She’d only come to the realization that she loved him last night. The mark they’d given each other was more binding than human marriage anyway.

She didn’t understand why her—

Her mother sighed, “I was afraid we were gonna have to do this. Get her, Thomas.”

Daisy’s wiry father tackled her to the ground and slapped handcuffs on her showing he still had it to be sheriff.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“We’re only doin’ this for your own good,” Thomas said with a stiff smile. He pulled his ticket book out of his pocket and started writing. “Now, I noticed your parish-issued handcuffs mixed in the bedcovers and I can only assume you used them for uh, non-official business. I’m lockin’ you up until you’re really sorry about abusing your office, or you agree to happily marry this lion.”

Daisy blinked at her father, then over at her mother, who was still writing in her tablet. “Mama? What the hell is going on?”

Her mother sighed again and closed her tablet. “You always were more stubborn than any Lebeau in history, except maybe Fleur, Daisy Lynn. And you overthink everything. It was cute when you were four or five but you’re gettin’ too old to pussyfoot around anymore. I want grandbabies and this lion loves you enough to put up with your crankiness. We’re giving you to him.” She turned to Ram whose jaw was hanging open. “Just to let you know, Ramsey, there are no refunds and no exchanges once you marry her.”

Thomas pulled Daisy to her feet. She wanted to fight him, but respect for her parents had been drilled into her head since she was a baby. Instead, she settled for glaring at her dad first, then at her mother, her bottom lip sticking out in a resentful pout.

Her mama shook her head. “Wipe that bourder off your face, cher, this is goin’ to work out fine.”

But they weren’t finished yet. Thomas pulled her cuffs off the bed and slapped them on Ram’s wrists. Daisy’s mouth fell open in shock.

“What’re you arresting him for?” she demanded as she struggled to hold her sheet up.

Thomas grinned. “For assaulting an officer of the law.”

“What?” she and Ram shouted at the same time.

Her daddy ignored them, motioning to his wife. “Baby, could you hold the lion for me? I don’t think he’d be stupid enough to give you trouble.” When her mother was in place, beaming at a startled Ram, Thomas turned back to Daisy. “And don’t think I didn’t see that mark on your neck or your butt. He assaulted one of my deputies and he’ll pay for that.”

Embarrassed and stunned by the sudden turn of events, Daisy looked at Ram. He was frowning, but looked more thoughtful than angry.

When their gazes connected, he shrugged. “I did bite your ass,” he confessed with a sharp grin.

Her daddy’s face darkened. Well, hell.

Ram felt no shame to be led out of his mate’s house with his hands cuffed in front of him. There were no reporters waiting for them, though he was sure it would get out soon. Not that he cared at this point. Daisy was his and always would be. The only thing he was grateful for was the clothing he wore. It was one thing to be handcuffed naked with your mate and another to be handcuffed and naked with her parents. Claudette had tossed Ram his boxers, which were the only things Daisy hadn’t managed to shred the night before, insisting she was too old to see what he had to offer.

Daisy had gaped at her mother, her eyes wide with shock. Her father had allowed her to put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She hadn’t looked at Ram once since he admitted to biting her ass. It didn’t matter.

They were mated. All that was left was to marry her. If her parents hadn’t interrupted when they did, he would’ve already had her agreement and none of this arresting bullshit would have happened.

He glanced over at his mate once they were loaded in the back of the cruiser, but she stared out her window. She kept her body stiff as a board to avoid leaning into him. Ram clenched his back teeth together to keep from snarling. She had to be embarrassed to be caught in bed with a male by her parents. She had to be mortified to be carted back to her place of work like a criminal. He repeated those things to himself the entire drive to Maison Rouge and tried to appease his lion who wanted to break the cuffs and grab his mate.

He could almost feel her slipping away from him. When he thought about how perfect things had been before they fell asleep the second time, he wanted to bang his head on the window. He should have asked her to marry him then, but he’d been too charmed by her dream of being a model and outraged on her behalf. Oh, and drained from the amazing sex.

What was wrong with the people in this town anyway? Why couldn’t they see what a treasure she was? Not that he would have wanted her to show off her amazing body on a runway for thousands of people to see. And she wouldn’t have been the same person without being a cop. Just like he wouldn’t have been the same person if his dad hadn’t been such a douche.

Ram sighed and turned to look out his own window. She might be furious and embarrassed now, but he’d get around it. She belonged with him and neither Ram nor his lion were about to let her go.

Chapter Nine

Daisy glared over at Ram in the next holding cell. He’d stretched out on the long bench, his big body relaxed. He’d gone to sleep as soon as her daddy locked the cell door behind him, leaving Daisy to sit in silence. She glared at the camera above the door leading back to the offices.

God, what was she going to do? The love she felt for Ram was a hundred times stronger than anything she’d ever felt for Kyle. She wanted to marry him, she was pretty sure she did at least, except he hadn’t asked her. He’d only mentioned marriage when her daddy showed up with his gun riding his hip.

A loud yawn and groan broke into her thoughts. She glanced at Ram to see him stretching on the bench. “Sleep well?” she asked in a tight voice.

He swung his legs around and sat up on the bench. “You wore me out last night.”

The distant sound of snickering and laughter floated from the direction of the station. Her coworkers no doubt loved this, seeing Daisy Picou locked up with a male because of illegal use of parish property. Her cheeks burned. Before bringing them into the holding cells, her dad had tossed Ram a bright orange jumpsuit. Thank god because sitting next to him in the car with him wearing nothing but his boxers had driven her insane.

“So, have you made up your mind yet?” Ram asked around another loud yawn.

Daisy jumped at the question and stared at him hard. “What do you mean?”

He peered at her with raised eyebrows. “Marry me or stay in jail? Have you decided which you’re going to do?”

She clamped her lips shut and refused to answer, looking away from his perceptive amber eyes. She refused to marry anyone who was forced into it. That would be just as bad as mating someone who mated you on accident.

Sure, Ram had seemed happy to wake up with her this morning but that had been the aftereffects of great sex. It didn’t mean he still wanted her as his mate. Forever. Her brain kept hearing his husky voice whispering that word over and over again. She wanted forever and happy-ever-after and everything. But she wouldn’t have it if his hand was forced.

After a while he stopped asking her questions or trying to talk to her. She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he’d go back to sleep and she could somehow talk her dad into acting like a police officer instead of an outraged father.

Silence descended, punctuated by the ticking of the clock against the far wall of the cellblock. Daisy fought the urge to look at Ram, despite sensing his gaze on her. If she looked at him, she’d cave and beg him to marry her.

Then he started singing softly, the words a bare whisper of sound. Her body instantly heated as he sang Three Little Birds in his husky voice, reminding her of what they’d been doing before he sang it for her last night.

She twitched with the need to move closer. They were under surveillance by her coworkers and probably her parents. They were in jail because her father wanted him to marry her. She couldn’t trap him that way. She refused to.

“Please stop,” she whispered, tormented by the sheer sensuality of his voice and the lyrics.

The song stopped abruptly, leaving a charge-filled silence behind.

“I’m so sorry,” Daisy whispered.

Ram hadn’t taken his eyes off her since the moment he’d awakened. She hadn’t moved the entire time, sitting on the bench with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms clinging to her legs. The baggy sweats and oversized T-shirt she wore made her look petite and somewhat fragile.

“For what?”

She waved her arm. “This.”

He shifted on his bench in a bid to get comfortable. “Why are you sorry? You didn’t call them, did you?”

She’d acted distant from the moment they’d been loaded in Thomas’ car, as if she wanted nothing to do with him. It hurt like a son of a bitch.

Her eyes widened. “Of course not! I have no idea how they even found out, unless they saw your car.”

“Or they heard me when I came,” he said helpfully, delighting in her blush. “And I’d do it all over again. Handcuffs included.”

She cleared her throat and looked away. Muffled laughter sounded from the front of the station again.

Ram decided to change tactics since she didn’t seem ready to talk about last night. “Did I ever tell you how fucking sexy you look in your uniform?”

She stared at him, her dark eyes wide. “You’re joking, right?”

“Hell, no. In fact, I wasn’t lying when I said you need to get a bigger size.”

A look of feminine fury crossed her face. “Are you trying to tell me my ass looks big in my uniform or something?” she gasped

“Fuck no, baby, I just don’t want anyone else to see you in it.” He winked. “You can wear the one you already do when we play cops and robbers.”

“Idiot,” she muttered in what he hoped was an affectionate tone.

Their banter died off, leaving behind a more comfortable silence than the one they’d had since they’d gotten into the car. Ram didn’t know what game her parents were playing but he wanted to hug them for it. With the bars between them, they would be forced to talk. Not that Ram was the one with the conversational issues. But now there was nothing else to do but talk.

“Are you sorry?” he blurted after the silence had gone on too long, cursing himself silently when she jumped at the unexpected sound.

“Sorry about what? Being locked up?”

“No, about last night.”

She shrugged one shoulder and her cheeks flushed again. “No, it was fun.”

He shook his head. “That isn’t what I mean. Are you sorry about marking me, or that I marked you? Again?” And made this permanent, he wanted to add, but figured he’d ease into these uncharted waters.

She said nothing for a long time, staring at her arms as if she couldn’t figure out who they belonged to. “I don’t want to be mated to a lion,” she finally whispered. She glanced up, her eyes wide. “I’ve been down that path before and only got out because I wised up in time. You…” Her hand flopped at the air. “You have the power to hurt me a hundred times worse than he did.”

Well fuck. He supposed he should be relieved she’d finally confessed some of her past to him, but on the other hand, he didn’t like knowing she believed he could so easily hurt her. His fucking chest ached.

“You didn’t want to mate with a lion, but are you sorry you did?”

She cleared her throat a couple of times. “No,” she said slowly. “I just…”

“You just what?” he pressed, feeling as if his head was about to explode. “You don’t care about me?”

“I don’t know why you wanted it so badly,” she admitted. “You’re this…rock star and I’m just a deputy with plans to become sheriff one day. And I don’t want you to have to marry me because my parents are pressuring you.”

He wanted to beat his head against the wall. He was an idiot. He was pretty certain he’d told her he loved her last night, almost positive he had. He growled. “I love you, woman, and I can’t imagine my life without you.”

The look she gave him was so disbelieving he squirmed. All this touchy-feely shit was not his way. He should’ve just kept her locked up and fucked her into doing whatever he asked. Damn.

“I’ll never be part of a pride,” she finally stated with a glower. “And if you even think to ask, I’m going to cut your balls off.”

“God, woman, do you honestly think I could keep up with a pride with you in my bed? Did you, or did you not drain me so dry I didn’t even notice your parents were in the house?”

More laughter sounded from the other room.

Her face flushed again but she doggedly pressed her case. “Yeah and what happens a few years down the road when you get bored with me?” She dropped her legs and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to sit at home while you fuck your way through every groupie in the United States, Ram.”

His fury escalated. “I don’t want any goddamn groupies!”

“And another thing, where are we supposed to live, huh? My home is here and yours is in California. I had plans, big plans before you showed up and wrecked them.”

Now he was pissed. Ram sprang off his cot and stalked to the bars separating their cells. He grabbed them in a white-knuckled grip to keep from strangling his mate. “I bought a house, you know,” he said in a deliberately low tone. If he started shouting at the stubborn woman, he wouldn’t stop. “I was hoping my mate would want to live with me in it. As for California, I don’t really need to go back except for meetings and stuff.”

A crease formed between her eyebrows. “You’re quitting the band?”

He stared at her. “What?”

She glared, coming to her feet and stomping up to him. “How are you going to cut albums and go on tour if you’re living here, dammit? How are we supposed to have a fucking life together if you’re never here?” She poked him in the chest through the bars. “How am I supposed to compete with all the females—”

He gripped her by the back of the head and pressed her face to the bars, his lips reaching for hers. It was awkward to say the least, but sufficient to quiet her. Their tongues dueled, the bars pressing against Ram’s cheeks. He didn’t care, he needed her, needed her to know they were meant to be together.

Remembering the cameras aimed at the cells, he broke off the kiss, breathing like a winded horse. He stared into Daisy’s stunned eyes.

“I love you.” She stared at him blankly so he gave her a little shake. “I love you, Daisy. Do you think this is easy for me to say? I’ve never said that to anyone except my mom. I grew up watching her try to cope with pride life. I watched my father hurt her every time he took another female into his harem and I swore I’d never do that to a female. Even before I met you, I knew the only way I’d mate anyone was if they were everything I wanted. You’re everything I want, Daisy. You. No one else.” He swallowed hard. “I want to marry you and only you, forever,” he whispered hoarsely.

She searched his gaze as if she were trying to read his mind. After an unbearably long time, her face softened and a warm glow lit the gold flecks of her eyes. “I love you too and…” she swallowed hard, “I want to give it a try.”

Ram shook his head. “No trying. We’re going to do this and we’re going to succeed.”

Her smile was a little shaky but she nodded. “Okay. We’re going to get married.”

Fierce joy sent Ram’s blood pressure skyrocketing. He dragged her back to the bars and kissed her with everything he had. He didn’t care what happened from here on out, she was his and always would be. She kissed him back eagerly, soft moans pouring into his mouth.

His mate.

The door leading to the cellblock creaked open, signaling someone had finally decided to approach them.

Ram reluctantly pulled away from Daisy but couldn’t let go of her. He glanced over to see her father’s face red and disgusted, but there was an unmistakable gleam in his brown eyes.

“Well? Have y’all worked things out?” he asked in a gruff tone that didn’t fool Ram for a minute. The old bobcat had been watching and waiting for this moment all day.

“We’re…” Daisy paused and took a deep breath. “We’re getting married, Daddy.”

Thomas’ face softened for his daughter. “I’m glad and I think the lion will make you very happy.” The or else was implied. “Now we just need to give him enough time to grow his mane back before the wedding.” He stepped forward to unlock their cells. “Can’t have him meetin’ the whole family lookin’ like that, can we, boy?”

Ram had given up trying to explain his hairstyle last night when he had dinner with Thomas and Claudette. “I’ll do my best, but I’d like us to get married as soon as possible.”

The sheriff pulled open his daughter’s door first. “I just bet you would, but you’ll let my little girl have the wedding she deserves, right? Claudette’s really lookin’ forward to getting everything organized and we have to get Kitty down from New York to make the dress.”

Daisy stepped out of her cell in a daze. Was she really doing this? She glanced over at Ram who was still trying to convince her father that the marriage should happen much sooner. The parish-issued jail uniform strained to contain the bulge of his shoulders and chest. His mane fell into his eyes as he looked down at her dad, working his charm to no avail since Thomas refused to let him out of the cell without agreeing to a spring wedding.

Ram glanced up and caught her staring at him. The annoyance and frustration in his amber eyes softened when he looked at her, causing everything in her to still. No male had ever stared at her with such longing, lust or yes, love. Her heart leapt into motion again, thudding harder than ever as she realized he really did love her, flaws and all.

She didn’t know what expression she had on her face, only that Ram reacted with a loud purr. Her dad followed Ram’s gaze, staring at her over his shoulder. His face softened.

“I’ll talk to Claudette and see if we can move things up to around Mardi Gras,” he muttered as he quickly unlocked the cell.

Ram didn’t respond to Thomas’ concession, brushing by him without a glance, all of his attention on Daisy. The love she felt for this amazing male made her skin feel a hundred times too small and her heart swell.

He snatched her off her feet, his mouth brushing over hers in a series of soft, promising kisses. Daisy threw her arms around his neck. Her legs wrapped around his waist when he cupped her butt. It was inappropriate, but who cared? This male was her mate. Hers. A part of her still wanted to urge her to use caution, to hold something back, yet Ram had proven to her and her beast that he could knock down her walls. And the best part was she wanted him to.

“I love you,” she gasped when he let her up for air. He rested his forehead against hers, their breath mingling, their gazes locked. “I didn’t want to because you scare the shit out of me, but I do love you, Ram.”

The skin around his eyes crinkled when he grinned. “Same here, baby. I’m never letting you go.” He squeezed her ass, tugging her even closer. “You’re mine, Daisy.”

She kissed him lightly on the lips. “And you’re mine.”

*

“I can’t believe you’re getting married to Ramsey Reinhardt!” Kitty squealed in Daisy’s ear.

She’d finally emerged from her haze of love and lust two days after being released from jail. As soon as Thomas let them out, they’d raced to Ram’s house—soon to be her home—and proceeded to christen every room. The big brass bed in Fleur’s old bedroom had become their favorite and Ram had enjoyed every minute of being handcuffed to the headboard.

She stared out the windshield of her cruiser, smiling at Kitty’s excitement. Going back to work as if nothing big had happened proved impossible. The entire department had cheered when she walked through the door. They’d plastered every available surface with still shots from the surveillance camera of Ram and Daisy kissing passionately.

Hell, it still made her cheeks burn to think of it, but she found it was more with pleasure and happiness than embarrassment. Her mother was ecstatic and already driving everyone crazy with wedding plans. Poor Zack Trahan had threatened to leave town if her mom didn’t give him some space.

“Measurements so I can get started on your gown,” Kitty said, breaking into Daisy’s thoughts.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Kitty laughed. “I said, you need to give me your measurements so I can get started on your wedding dress,” she said slowly and carefully. “Aunt Claudette is only giving me a couple of months to make it, you know.”

“But I thought you were coming down for the consultation and stuff?” Daisy asked, trying to hide her disappointment.

“I know and I planned to, but I had something come up and I won’t be able to get out there except right before the wedding.”

It was a plausible reason for Kitty not coming home sooner, but Daisy’s ears detected something else in her cousin’s voice—dread. She closed her eyes as some of her happiness faded.

She hadn’t been to see Monk yet, not after the arrest and euphoria, but it hadn’t been for a lack of thinking about him. Ram still insisted she couldn’t do anything to mend the breach between Monk and her cousin. Daisy didn’t like it, but she agreed. What had happened had hurt all of them. She might have forgiven Monk for being so arrogantly stupid, but Kitty might not. While Daisy understood his reasons, she didn’t know if Kitty would.

Instead of telling all, she asked, “You’re still coming to the wedding though, right?”

“Well, you know how things are, spring collections coming up and—”

“You promised to be my maid of honor,” Daisy reminded her with ruthless precision.

“I was eight when I made that promise.”

“And? I never asked anyone else and I never would. You’re like a sister to me. You have to be there.”

Daisy knew she was playing dirty, but there was no way she could get married without having her best friend at her side. If Kitty proved stubborn, she’d call Aunt Francine and cry.

“I—”

She didn’t hear what Kitty said because a stretched-out Hummer rounded the curved highway leading to Maison Rouge. Daisy stared at it. She’d seen them while in New York and New Orleans, but nothing like it had ever appeared in Maison Rouge.

The limo slowed to a stop on the road next to her car. The driver’s window rolled down and revealed an older man with a confused look on his face.

“I’m looking for Ramsey Reinhardt’s house. Do you know where it is?”

Of course they were looking for Ram. He was the only one in the entire tri-parish area who might know someone who’d travel like this. She instantly thought about the reporters who’d kept calling the station.

“I do,” she admitted. Something stirred in her stomach, a queasy knot of dread she tried to ignore. “Who’re you driving?”

The older man’s eyes rolled. “A gift from one of his band mates.”

The window at the back of the Hummer slid down and a heavily made-up face appeared. “Just tell him where we can find Ram, officer.”

Daisy’s heart stopped. “We?”

The female rolled her eyes and mumbled something like, “Stupid small-town cops” to someone else in the vehicle before turning back to Daisy. “Yeah, me and the other girls.”

“Daisy? What’s going on?” Kitty asked loudly, reminding her she held the phone to her ear. “I heard someone pull up and you growled.”

“If you’ll just tell us where we can find Ramsey, ma’am,” the driver inserted with another roll of his eyes, “we’ll be on our way. I have eight of them back there and they’ve been driving me insane since we left the airport.”

“Eight what?” Kitty demanded to know, her sharp hearing picking up the driver’s voice, but not the woman’s.

The backdoor of the Hummer opened and a foot clad in a five-inch heel landed on the pavement of the highway, followed by another. And another. And another as women spilled from the limo. Their skintight dresses barely covered their breasts and asses. They all wore more makeup than Daisy had owned in her entire life and had bodies like the ones she saw on television.

“Kitty?” she rasped in a low tone as the flock of women started toward her car.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“I’m about to kill someone.”

*

Ram frowned at the lyrics he was working on, not sure he’d picked the right words. It was missing something, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He dropped his pencil on the sheet of paper and sat back on the sofa to look at Fleur’s painting.

He couldn’t write pissed-off songs when he was happy. And he’d never been happier than he was now. Daisy was everything he could ever hope to have in a mate. The last two days had been, for a lack of a better word, perfect. Just because she’d agreed to marry him didn’t mean she was meek and submissive.

In fact, he’d discovered his mate had a very strong dominant streak and he loved to let her exercise it in bed. He grinned at the painting and remembered how close he’d come to losing his voice beneath her brand of “retaliation”.

A knock interrupted his daydream. Heaving a sigh, he got up to answer it, figuring it had to be another one of the people of Maison Rouge. They’d been stopping by the past couple of days to wish him and Daisy well, or to meet him to make sure he was good enough for her. Ram found it frustrating, yet amusing the way the townspeople had reacted to Thomas and Claudette’s announcement.

He opened the door and grunted when he saw Monk standing there. “What do you want?” he asked without interest as he returned to the living room.

“Is that any way to greet the male who helped you win your female?” Monk asked as he entered and closed the door behind him.

Ram frowned. “What are you talking about? I didn’t need your help for anything.”

“Au contraire, who do you think let your future in-laws know you were at Daisy’s house?” he asked as he sprawled into a high-backed chair.

“What?”

Monk didn’t seem bothered by Ram’s ominous tone. “After we talked the other night, I started thinking you were right. The only way I’m going to work things out with Kitty is for her to come home.” He shrugged. “So I stopped by Daisy’s parents’ house the next morning and had a nice chat with them about the two of you.”

Ram blinked at the self-satisfied smirk in the other male’s eyes. He and Daisy had figured her parents had stopped by for an impromptu visit since Ram had parked his car out of sight but neither of them had thought for a single second Monk was responsible for it.

“Brilliant, huh?” Monk boasted with a grin.

“I don’t know whether to shake your hand or beat your face in,” Ram wondered aloud.

“No thanks needed. But when Kitty comes home, I want Daisy to stay out of it.”

Since he’d already talked about it with his mate, Ram had no problem agreeing. “Sure. But if you ever interfere in my relationship with my mate again, I’ll rearrange your face. Got it?”

Monk snorted. “No problem, man. Now that Daisy’s settled, I won’t have to worry about her temper—” The peal of Ram’s cell phone interrupted the rest of what the cougar had to say.

Ram grabbed his cell because the ringtone was Daisy’s. “Hey baby,” he said, ignoring Monk’s rolling eyes.

“Ram,” she said in a cold tone that made his skin pebble. “I think you need to come out to the highway, there’re some people who said they’re here for you.”

“Ram!” a female voice called out. “It’s Tiffany from Shooters!”

He froze, his eyes wide with horror. Shooters was the name of the club Saber always used for their album release parties. It wasn’t unheard of for their parties to leak over to one of the band members’ houses where it became a free-for-all of sex and drinking. Of course that hadn’t happened in at least five years, but the females were always clamoring for a “thrust from a Saber”.

“Yes, Ram,” Daisy said in a deceptively sweet tone that barely masked her cold fury. “Tiffany, Katherine, Tina—what was your name honey?—Jennifer, Amanda, Kimberly, Lydia and Beth are all waiting for you to come.”

The feminine laughter that followed her words was cut off by the click of the call ending. Ram stared at his phone in horror. He didn’t recognize any of the females’ names, but when he’d fucked his way through the Shooters waitstaff, he hadn’t asked for them. Any of those females could be telling his mate about his wild past right now.

Suddenly Monk was in his face, his eyes bright. “What the fuck happened?”

Ram stared at the cougar, unable to focus on him. “I think my present from a band mate came in.”

The other male frowned. “And that’s why you’re as pale as a ghost? What kind of present is it?”

“The kind that’ll destroy my life with Daisy.” He sank onto the sofa and buried his face in his hands. “They’re groupies. Well, they’re waitresses at a club the band goes to frequently. I haven’t been there in years, but it doesn’t matter. I’m pretty sure Trick, my bass player, sent them here to help with the sexual famine he obviously thinks I’m suffering from.”

Monk sprawled next to him. “And they’re no doubt telling Daisy all about the wild life y’all have back in LA,” he supplied without any inflection in his voice.

But Ram heard the condemnation in Monk’s voice. “Yes, dammit! I’ve had sex with a lot of groupies over the years. I’m in a rock band for fuck’s sake! But none of them matter, they never did. We all got what we wanted; just a quick fuck for fun and that was it. Daisy isn’t like that for me.”

“Have you told her that? Does she know she’s more than that?”

He squinted a dark look at the cougar. “She knows I love her.”

“But does she believe it?”

Ram stared at the cougar, looking for some hint that Monk knew something he didn’t. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re going to have to show her how much you love her or she’ll never believe you.”

The seriousness in Monk’s voice and face told Ram this would be the most important moment of his life. He had to make it count.

“I need to make a few calls and then I need you to drive me out to the highway.”

There was no way in hell he would let Daisy go because of some stupid stunt his friends pulled. He didn’t care what the females told his mate, she wasn’t leaving him.

Chapter Ten

Daisy was cold down to the marrow of her bones. Kitty must’ve called her mom and dad because as soon as she’d hung up with Ram, three squad cars rolled up along with her mama’s truck.

The stripping troupe stood next to the Hummer staring at the cops protecting them from a very pissed-off mama bear.

Her dad was doing his best to calm her mother but with little result. Daisy’s mama seemed determined to teach the “mate-stealing hussies” a lesson in manners. Though most of the females were shifters, none of them made a move to confront the pissed-off bear.

Her mama started to rant again, but Daisy stepped up and touched her shoulder. “It’s not their fault,” she said quietly despite feeling the need to go on a mauling rampage. “They’re doing what they’re used to doing.”

Sorrowful brown eyes lingered on Daisy’s face. “Cher,I’m so sorry,” her mom rasped, dragging her into her arms. “I will skin the lion for doing this to you.”

“It isn’t his fault either,” she sighed. “This is the kind of life he has. It’ll always be this way with women chasing him.” Daisy wasn’t nearly as calm as she let everyone think. Her fury burned like ice and settled deep in her bones. If these women thought they were going to take her mate, she’d show them why bears were apex predators.

“That’s bullshit. He’s your mate and he needs to do something about this.”

Daisy silently agreed. Ram needed to be here to settle this before she did. She didn’t want to think that he would accept his “presents” with open arms, but it was hard to let go of years of distrust toward men. On top of that, to have this happen in front of her colleagues and parents was like something out of a nightmare. At least when she’d cut things off with Kyle, they’d been alone. His harem hadn’t come out to taunt her and he hadn’t introduced her to them. Knowing each of the females standing next to the limo had touched, tasted and enjoyed her mate was worse than any pain she could have imagined.

She’d had to purposely turn off her emotions to keep from slaughtering them. The bear roared, furious and vengeful, but Daisy held her beast back. If she let the animal loose, she’d destroy what little dignity she had and wind up in jail.

The sound of a familiar engine roared along the highway. Daisy pulled out of her mom’s arms, determined to stand on her own. If he’d known about this, there was no way she’d take Ram back after this. They would be through. If she had to, she’d move. Maybe go to New York and get a job with the NYPD. Kitty would put her up.

Monk’s Mustang roared around the curve followed by three news vans. Daisy blinked. Great, just fucking great. Her mortification would be complete now, aired all over the country.

The news vans sped up to beat the Mustang to the scene, people spilling out before they came to a full stop. Daisy watched numbly as cameras were set up and microphones tested. She actually recognized a couple of the reporters from television. Joy. Two of the crews were shifter and the other human, which meant everyone and their mother would know by six o’clock tonight. Even better.

The Mustang screeched to a halt close to Daisy’s cruiser. The passenger door flew open and a body as familiar as her own unfolded from the seat, slamming the door behind him. All the emotions she’d kept in check squeezed her heart when Ram turned to look at her. His eyes were dark with regret, and a muscle jumped in his jaw.

Before he could get to her his “gifts” saw him and squealed. They shoved their way past the deputies, making straight for Ram like glittery arrows.

“Ram!” they all sighed as they fluttered around him.

“Trick said you were all alone out here.”

“We’re here to cheer you up.”

One of the more daring females touched his chest, stroking across the muscles Daisy had come to love so much. “We know just what you need,” she purred with a lick of her lips.

Daisy tuned their words out, unable to listen any longer. No doubt the cameras were catching everything. They were aimed right at Ram as he walked toward Daisy, his crowd of females surrounding him like a silicone guard.

He didn’t even look at the females, his gaze locked on Daisy. She tried to turn away from the sight of those porn-perfect bodies touching her mate. She didn’t want Ram to see how agonizing this was for her, didn’t want anyone to know. Her beast roared, wanting out, wanting to take on all eight females for daring to think he would turn away from her.

Ram stopped in front of her, the females still buzzing around him like bees. He reached out and pushed the two blocking him from Daisy to the side. They visibly shuddered when he touched their shoulders but moved as he directed them.

“Daisy,” Ram said once he stood directly in front of her. The width of his shoulders blocked out the sight of the other females, something she was grateful for, though it did little good. “I didn’t know they were coming.”

Her heart caught at the roughness in his voice.

“I know.”

Because they’d told her they were a surprise from one of Ram’s band mates. She wanted to find the bastard and gouge out his eyes but this was only the start of what looked to be a very long life filled with her fighting off females who wanted her mate.

“I can’t do it, Ram,” she whispered past the knot in her throat. She dropped her gaze from his to focus on his shirt. She’d thought she could handle seeing other women covet him, but having it shoved in her face this way showed her just how wrong she was.

The females crowded closer, she could smell their lust and jealousy when they realized Ram wanted to talk to her. It would always be like this.

He hooked his finger beneath her chin to tilt her face back up to his. “You can’t do what?”

She swallowed hard. “This,” she said with a wave of her hands to the women on either side of them. “It’s taking everything I have not to attack them, possibly kill them. I don’t want to live like this.”

He cursed under his breath. “Baby, it won’t always be like this. Once everyone knows, once we’ve announced that we’re getting married and that we’re mated, they won’t dare.”

“They won’t ever stop.” It hurt to look at him. Ram’s face was tight, his eyes dark with some strong emotion. “They want you.”

He shook his head. “They want what they think I am. You’re the only person who’s ever wanted me for me.” He captured her arm in his spare hand and brushed his thumb over the skin of her wrist. “But the most important part is I don’t want them.”

“Of course you do,” she countered, slanting another glance at the women crowding closer. “Any man would. They’re everything men want.”

“Not this one,” he replied in a deep, sure voice.

“What?”

One of the bitches reached out to touch his hair, the hunger in her eyes unmistakable. Ram snapped at her, his fangs extended. The female gasped and pulled her hand back.

“Don’t ever touch me,” he barked at the females, the lion evident in his voice. “This is between me and my mate.”

The females took a quick step back, giving Daisy and Ram a little more room. Eight surprised gazes swung from Ram to Daisy and back again.

“She’s…your mate?” one of them asked with disgust plain in her voice. “She’s not even pretty!”

“And did you see her figure?” another added.

Some of the others chimed in with criticism over Daisy’s looks, fashion choices and anything else they might have noticed in the brief skirmish they’d had. Through the entire recitation, Ram’s hand never left hers, his thumb stroking over her skin in a soothing rhythm that caused heat to pool in her stomach despite the bitches around them.

“And you told me you’d never mate,” one of them announced, silencing everyone.

Daisy froze, her eyes swinging over the group to see who’d spoken. It was the lioness, a model-thin female with high cheekbones, collagen lips and silicone breasts. She was pretty in a plastic way. Her eyes glittered at Daisy with triumph.

“Yes, I’ve fucked him several times, honey,” she crooned and licked her lips. “I don’t know what game he’s playing with you, but Ramsey Reinhardt swore he’d never get mated, not when there are always females available to him.”

This female had had sex with her mate. Daisy’s bear rumbled in warning. But Ram spoke before she could shift and ruin her uniform.

“She’s not pretty,” he agreed and Daisy’s heart froze. “She’s beautiful. She’s not skinny. She’s lush. She doesn’t dress to seduce. She doesn’t need to.” He looked up at Daisy, snagging her wide-eyed gaze with his. “She’s perfect for me. I’d take one of her over a hundred of you any day of the week.” He lifted her limp hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I love you, Daisy Lynn. I want you to marry me.”

Oh. My. God. She knew her mouth was hanging open, she just couldn’t make it close again. The women stared at her as if they were trying to understand what Ram could possibly see in her but in that moment Daisy didn’t care about them.

“I love you,” she whispered, her voice shaky with emotion.

He tugged her closer, a sexy grin on his face as he bent down to kiss her. Daisy could only watch as his mouth came closer and closer until her eyes crossed. There was a crowd of people around them, but the instant his lips touched hers, they faded from her mind. This was her mate and he’d just claimed her in front of the very women who’d come here to seduce him.

She knew this wasn’t the end, despite what he believed, but it was okay. Her brain swirled with the memory of Ram ignoring the females crowding around him. He hadn’t looked at them, concentrating only on her. On his mate. It wouldn’t be easy living with him knowing women would throw themselves at him. But as long as he always looked at her like he did now, as long as he kissed her the way he did now, she could survive.

He cupped her face in his palms, holding her in place as he slanted his mouth to kiss her deeper, more passionately. Daisy fell under his spell as she always did and loved every minute of it.

Daisy sagged against Ram when he pulled away, her breath choppy. He held her tight, his hands cupping her ass. She knew this wasn’t the most dignified position but the thought dissipated as contentment crept over her. Who cared if people saw her mate embracing her?

“This is my mate,” Ram rumbled, his chest vibrating.

Voices pummeled her ears, reporters, the females, her parents, all of them spoke at once, but Daisy’s mind centered on her mate.

“What’s her name?”

“What kind of shifter is she?”

“Will she go on tour with Saber after you release your next album?”

“I think we’re going to have to move the wedding up, Thomas.”

“I can’t believe he mated her, did you see the size of her ass?”

“I think it’s sweet,” another female said in a soft, dreamy voice. “Maybe the other guys will be ready to mate soon.”

Everyone went silent. Daisy even roused enough to lift her head from her mate’s chest to look at the female who’d spoken. She had a thoughtful expression on her face as she studied Daisy.

“I’m going back to LA and I’m going to see if Leland wants to settle down,” she stated. “I’m tired of chasing these guys.”

“God, me too!” another female said and looked around as though she expected to be pelted with rotten vegetables. Then she straightened her shoulders. “There’s a guy I grew up with who wants to mate me, but I thought I wanted a rock star.” She glanced at Daisy and Ram and shrugged. “I still wouldn’t mind one but I’d rather have a love like you guys do.”

The females seemed to forget all about Ram as they tripped their way to the limo and the long-suffering driver. The deputies let them pass, though not without trying to get their numbers. Daisy rolled her eyes at her coworkers as they practically salivated over the groupies.

Ram’s arm stayed snug around her waist as he turned her to face the reporters who’d crept up behind them. The gleam of excitement in their eyes told Daisy this wasn’t over yet.

Her mate held his hand up before they could start pelting them with questions, halting the reporters in their tracks.

“This is my mate, Daisy Picou. She’s a Pointe-Aux-Chat Parish Deputy and a bear shifter. We’re getting married sometime soon and we’ll be sure to invite a few select members of the press to attend the ceremony,” he stated. “We’ve only just become mated and there are still things for us to work out, but as soon as any decisions are made we’ll hold a press conference. For now though, we’d like a little privacy to celebrate with her family.”

The reporters didn’t seem happy with that, but Ram promised to take a few scheduled phone calls to answer any questions before they agreed to leave. For now.

Daisy watched the vans disappear in the direction of New Orleans. The deputies had cleared as well, leaving Daisy, Ram, her parents and Monk in the middle of the road.

“Well, looks like my work here is done,” the arrogant cougar drawled as he stepped forward to shake Ram’s hand. “Good job, cousin,I might have to take some pointers from you.” He turned to Daisy before she could ask him what he meant. “Daisy Lynn, you’ll make a beautiful bride.”

Her mom sniffed loudly, turning everyone’s attention to her. She stood with her dad’s arm wrapped around her waist and dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief he always carried with him. “I’m so happy,” she bawled, blotting her cheeks.

Ram walked Daisy over to her parents and they exchanged tight hugs and allowed her mother to drown them with tears. “My baby!” she cried. “My baby’s getting married. I’m so happy.”

Daisy grinned through her own tears. “You kind of demanded we get married, Mama.”

“But you’re so in love with each other,” Claudette said, ignoring Daisy’s picking. “You’re going to be so happy together. I just know it.”

“Yes we will,” Ram agreed and gave Daisy another tight hug. “But do you think we could make sure it happens a lot sooner than you originally planned?”

“No later than February, I promise,” Claudette swore with a beatific smile. “Kitty has to make the dress, but everything else will be ready to go whenever you’re ready to set the date. Now, I want to talk about the guest list…”

Monk watched them from a few feet away feeling, not for the first time, left out. He’d always felt something of an outsider but Daisy and Kitty hadn’t ever let him feel that way for long.

His heart clenched at the thought of his mate. He had a lot of making up to do, but it would be well worth it in the end. If Kitty ever looked at him the same way Daisy looked at Ram, as if she didn’t want to take her eyes off him in case he disappeared, he’d be pleased with his life. He’d never seen his childhood friend look so happy. She deserved it.

The low vibration of a cell phone interrupted his thoughts. It wasn’t his. He stood close enough to Daisy’s squad car that he figured it was hers. Not wanting to interrupt the happy chatter going on in the middle of the highway, Monk ducked into the car and snagged the phone from the seat.

A quick glance at the phone made him freeze. Kitty Chambers’ name and number flashed across the tiny screen. His heart pounded and his mouth dried.

He darted a look at Daisy to see her snuggled up against Ram again, her face shining with happiness. It would be wrong to interrupt them, right? Besides, he and Daisy had mended their differences, so she shouldn’t have a problem with him answering her phone. Maybe. He wasn’t entirely sure if he trusted this new truce with her, but he’d damn well take the chance to talk to Kitty while he had it.

Monk turned his back to the small group and hit “answer”.

“Hello?”

There was a long pause. “Who’s this?”

He closed his eyes, savoring the sound of her voice. It had changed since the last time they spoke. She sounded seductive and sophisticated, her drawling accent almost completely gone. She wasn’t the young girl he’d hurt, but a woman full grown who’d moved to a massive city and made a life for herself.

The phone casing cracked in his hand.

“Who the hell is this?” she demanded again with a snap in her tone that suggested she was used to being obeyed.

“Hi, Kitty,” he murmured.

She gasped. “Monk Badeaux? What the fuck are you doing with Daisy’s phone? Is she okay? Did the other deputies arrive in time? Did those bitches hurt her?”

He couldn’t help but smile. That was one thing he’d always loved about Kitty. When she wanted to know something, she didn’t let anything stand in her way. She’d been a complete chatterbox as a kid and a teenager, asking inappropriate questions because of her insatiable curiosity. At one time he’d been the person she’d gone to with everything.

His cock hardened at the memory of the way he’d taught her about attraction and love.

“Calm down, darlin’, Daisy’s fine. She’s with her mate right now.”

“Don’t call me darlin’,” she shot back at him. “And she’ll kick your ass for touching her phone. Hell, the thought almost tempts me to go down to Maison Rouge to see it.”

Monk pinched the bridge of his nose, an ache situated somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. “You’re still mad at me.”

“Mad doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about you, Monk Paul Badeaux. I’ll call Daisy back when she doesn’t have mangy cats hanging around her.”

She hung up on him.

Monk dropped the phone back on Daisy’s seat, as hopelessness overwhelmed him. She wasn’t going to forgive him so easily.

“Don’t give up,” Ram said from behind Monk, startling him.

He glanced over his shoulder. Daisy was still talking with her parents.

Ram shrugged. “I overheard your conversation.”

“Was it worth embarrassing yourself on national television to get Daisy to marry you?” Monk asked. He had a feeling he’d have to do something more humiliating to win back his mate.

“I’d do anything to make sure Daisy knows I love her. You know you’re going to have to do the same. You’re going to have to show Kitty you care about her.” He shrugged, looking distinctly uncomfortable with the conversation. “But don’t piss Daisy off doing it. I don’t want her upset by you and Kitty anymore, got it?”

Monk couldn’t help but grin. “We’ll be the very soul of discretion. I promise.”

“If you’re anything like Daisy and I were and probably always will be, that’s one promise you won’t be able to keep,” Ram shot back. The satisfied look in his eyes suggested he didn’t mind in the least.

Daisy glanced up just then, catching her mate’s eye and smiled, her face creasing with joy. Yeah, Monk wanted that same thing with Kitty. And he’d get it. Nothing would stand in his way.

*

“How does it feel to be the most hated woman in the United States?” Kitty teased later that night.

Daisy leaned back against her pillow, watching Ram sleep. Pauvre bête, she’d worn him out when she got home. It’d taken a bottle of chocolate syrup, a pair of handcuffs and a couple of hours to knock him out. She stifled a yawn and smiled contentedly. Okay, he’d worn her out as well and all she wanted to do was follow him into sleep, but she’d heard Kitty’s ringtone and had to answer.

“It feels great,” she finally answered, her eyes on her mate’s gorgeous body. “Mama recorded it for me and I think I might have cried when I saw it.”

Kitty chuckled. “I did cry. In fact, I’m almost positive every female in my apartment building was sobbing by the time the clip was over. He really loves you.”

Daisy smiled. “I know and I love him too.”

“What are you going to do about the media? His life is more chaotic than mine.”

Ram’s arm gripped her around her hips, pulling her up against him. He was sound asleep but had apparently missed having her next to him. Daisy stroked her hand through his mane, marveling at how fast it’d grown.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do about them,” she admitted. “I don’t like the idea of my privacy being invaded, but Red House gives us a lot of protection from prying eyes.”

“They’re going to delve into your past,” Kitty said softly.

Daisy thought about that, waiting for the familiar ache to return to her chest, but it wasn’t there. She breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t care. I don’t have anything to hide.”

“Good. I was hoping that’s what you’d say.” Satisfaction rang in Kitty’s voice. “Now, what’s this shit about Monk answering your phone? I thought you’d been hurt or something and then he answers the phone. Oh and when I watch the footage, guess who’s there with Ram?”

Shit. “Uh, well, Ram bought Red House from Monk.” Truth. “I think Monk was there to talk about the house when I called and he offered to drive Ram to meet me.” Partial truth. She couldn’t tell Kitty what Ram had told her.

That was another reason she loved the man to pieces. He’d told her about every conversation he’d had with Monk, of which there’d been a few it seemed, because he didn’t want any secrets between them. That was fine with her, she hated secrets too. Unfortunately, her openness with her mate didn’t extend to Kitty who’d have a shit fit if she found out Monk was going to try to win her back.

Fuck, she hated complications.

“Are y’all friends again?” Kitty asked, her voice carefully neutral.

Daisy cleared her throat. “Well, he’s not awful. And Ram has become friends with him since he’s been in town.” Now that he knew Monk wasn’t interested in her, at least. “He was nice enough to congratulate me and Ram and even told me I’d be a beautiful bride.”

The memory still choked her up. He was a charming bastard when he wanted to be.

“Yeah, Monk’s charming,” Kitty said, echoing her thoughts. She sighed deeply. “I thought about it some more and I’m not going to let him bother me.”

Daisy stepped cautiously. “What do you mean?”

“I’m coming home in a couple of weeks to measure you myself and work out the details for the dress. I can’t stand the thought of sending inferior work down the aisle, especially when it’s your wedding dress.”

Daisy squealed, startling Ram, who woke with a grumble. He glanced around the room for the threat. She shook her head at him. “Sorry,” she told her mate before turning back to the phone. “I’m so happy!”

Kitty chuckled. “Yeah, well, it’s the only way I can be sure Ram is the right male for you. If he isn’t, I’ll teach him a few things.”

Since her mate was currently running his hand up her thigh, Daisy had no doubt he’d pass muster. “O-okay,” she breathed into the phone.

“And I can get all the details on Nick Gamble. Rar, that is one hot tiger.”

Daisy licked her suddenly dry lips as Ram’s fingers circled the entrance of her pussy with slow, lazy intent. “Uh-huh.”

“You think he’d like to play with a grizzly?”

Ram slid two fingers deep inside her. She spread her legs wider in a silent plea for more. He chuckled against her hip, placing tiny love bites along her skin as he slowly fucked her with his fingers.

“Daisy Lynn, are you fucking that lion while I’m on the phone with you?” Kitty screeched.

“Mmm.”

“Oh my God! Y’all are perverts! I’m gonna talk to you later.”

The phone clicked and Daisy dropped it somewhere next to the bed. The thump told her it hit the floor but she didn’t care, not when Ram was slowly driving her crazy with his fingers.

“I think I’m going to like your cousin,” he murmured into her slick folds.

Daisy grunted out something inarticulate, her fingers tunneling through his thick mane as he laved her with his tongue. She didn’t care who he liked as long as he kept loving her.

His mouth left her as he rose above her, his cock sliding into her in one smooth stroke. “I’ll always love you, Daisy,” he promised. “Always.”

“I love you too,” she breathed as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Forever and ever.”

He groaned loudly, his thrusts speeding up. The bed springs squeaked and the headboard banged against the wall in time with their breathing. It was music, a song as primal as the animals they each held in their souls. A song of lust and possession, but most of all it was a song of love.

About the Author

Danica Avet was born and raised in the wilds of South Louisiana where mosquitoes are big enough to carry off small children and there are only two seasons: hot and hotter. With a BA in History, she figured there were enough fry cooks in the world and decided to try her hand at writing.

Danica is the lucky pet of a compulsively needy dog and two cats. The pitter-patter of little feet has been known to make her break out into a cold sweat.

Writing is how she gives the voices in her head a way out. When she isn’t writing, working or contemplating the complexities of the universe, she spends time gathering inspiration from her insane family, reads far more than any sane person would want to, and watches hot burly men chase an oblong ball all over a field.

Danica welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think

We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email the author directly or you can email us at Comments@EllorasCave.com (when contacting Comments, be sure to state the book title and author).

Ellora’s Cave Publishing

www.ellorascave.com

Primal Song

ISBN 9781419941085

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Primal Song Copyright © 2012 Danica Avet

Edited by Grace Bradley & Elizabeth London

Cover design by Fiona Jayde

Photos: Chris Humphries, Cindy Costelloe, dw photos, and SerG La Krushe/Shutterstock.com

Electronic book publication August 2012

The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

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Table of Contents

PrimalSong_1

PrimalSong_2

PrimalSong_3

PrimalSong_4

PrimalSong_5

PrimalSong_6

PrimalSong_7

PrimalSong_8

PrimalSong_9

PrimalSong_10

PrimalSong_11

PrimalSong_12

PrimalSong_13

PrimalSong_14