know it in here.”
Rome tapped lightly on her chest with his fingertips, then let them slide down to feather over one turgid nipple. “In your heart you know where you belong.”
She sighed, arching her back to welcome his touch.
“And you know now to whom you belong.”
Without warning Kalina moved toward him, using her palms to push against his chest until he fell back on the rock she’d just been lying on.
What she knew right now was what she wanted. Under the dark cover of night she wanted her mate. Her pussy pulsated, swollen lips dripping with arousal. Her breasts were heavy, nipples painfully erect. What she wanted was right here and she planned to take every inch of it.
Rome watched her steadily, his hands reaching up to cup her face.
“My gato inferno,” he whispered. She let the endearment roll over her body, let the hunger of the cat take over.
With long, slow strokes she licked at his chest, felt the ridge of his pectoral muscles, the tight bud of his nipple beneath her tongue. She moved along slowly over the ridges of his abs, determined to taste every inch of him. From above the rain tickled her back, provided a slight reprieve to the heat boiling inside her.
Moving down his torso, she licked at his muscled thighs, loved the light sprinkle of hair that tickled her lips as she did. His erection was thick, long, hard, and as she moved along she loved the feel of it on her cheek, over her face, whispering past her lips. Her fingers roamed, touching lightly the base of his dick then moving down to coddle the heavy sack of his balls. Dipping her head lower she put the sack into her mouth, moved each one over her tongue, suckled deep, then released and licked again.
Rome was groaning low, the sound mingling with that of the jungle and the light pitter-patter of the rain. Her tongue continued its assault until her thirst for more brought her mouth upward to his thick length. She licked him from the base to the tip like a fudge ice cream pop. Her tongue stroked over him hungrily, drinking in the scent of their union as she did. His hands were in her hair now, pulling the short strands, gripping her head, guiding her to take him deep. She didn’t want that just yet, was content to lick him for a little longer.
When her tongue slid over the tip she paused, pressed into the tiny slit of his dick, loving the taste of his arousal as it slid smoothly over her tongue.
Rome’s hips jutted forward at the sensations ripping through him. Moving his hands to her shoulders, he pulled her away from his dick before he exploded right then.
When she looked up at him in question he simply shook his head. “You little temptress. Now I’ve got to punish you for that stunt.”
Kalina licked her lips slowly. “Punish me, huh? I’m so afraid.”
“Oh, it’s not fear you’re going to feel, baby. Nothing but pleasure for you, I promise.”
Lifting himself up off the rock, Rome turned Kalina so that her palms splayed along the smooth, wet surface. With his palm to her back, he pushed her forward. Spreading her legs, he sank his length into her with one deft stroke. She hissed then turned to cast him a satisfied glare over her shoulder.
His gato inferno, he thought as his thrusts began. She was tight and hot and sweet as hell as he fucked her here, in their home, in the Gungi. His palms smacked the wet cheeks of her bottom as she thrust back to meet his deep stroking. And just when Rome felt the first tremors of her thighs, knew she was about to come, he pulled out. Falling to his knees, he moved his face between her legs to lick and stroke her plump folds, capturing her release into his mouth with a satisfied groan.
“My turn,” she whispered once her release had racked through her body not once, but twice, and his mouth continued to feast on her.
Moving out of his grasp, she found his still-burgeoning arousal and took the length into her mouth, suckling hard and deep continuously until he was roaring in the air with the other night animals. His release came in thick hot spurts that she took wantonly, loving the essence of him moving through her body.
Lying on the damp floor of the forest, they caught their breaths and stared up into the night.
“I love you,” Rome said, reaching for her hand.
Kalina would never know if it was his words, or the oils Magdalena had used to cleanse her, or her mother’s necklace, or the scent of the Gungi itself. At this moment it didn’t really matter what one thing had pushed her over the edge of indecision. None of it mattered anymore.
She let his fingers wrap around hers, relishing the feeling, the sense of belonging that filled her so completely. The Gungi was not only a place, it was the birthplace of her parents, it was where the man she loved originated. It was her home. And she was a Shadow Shifter; her cat lying languorously sated inside her proved that point.
“I love you, too,” she admitted out loud for the first time.
Seconds later they both shifted, running through the forest, beneath the sheets of rain now dropping around them, finally free.
Epilogue
Nick heard the night sounds and cringed at the thought that Aryiola was out there somewhere. He had no doubt that Sabar had taken her, if not personally then by orchestrating the mission.
He wished to hell Kalina would have shot his ass that night in the row house. But she’d frozen, a mixture of fear and confusion at what had happened around her taking control. He understood but still wished Sabar were dead. Then he couldn’t have taken Aryiola, he couldn’t have touched the one thing in Nick’s life that he couldn’t control.
Getting up, he went outside, let his cat rip free, and charged into the depths of the jungle, roaring his displeasure as he went. He hoped Sabar was near and heard him, prayed that fucker knew he was coming for him. Because Nick vowed not to leave the jungle again without the woman he loved.
About the Author
A. C. Arthur was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where she currently lives with her husband and three children. An active imagination and a love for reading encouraged her to begin writing in high school and she hasn’t stopped since. Her debut novel, Object of His Desire, was written when a picture of an Italian villa sparked the idea of an African-American/Italian hero. Determined to bring a new edge to romance, she continues to develop intriguing plots, sensual love scenes, racy characters, and fresh dialogue—thus keeping the readers on their toes!
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
