Lion in the Shadows Read online

  Dressed in Wranglers and scuffed boots, her gray hair covered by a grimy straw hat, Kate Massey leaned against a fencepost. “This is just how I found it this mornin’. Least this one wasn’t taken by drought. It was a faster death.” Her lined face was drawn into a fierce frown.

  “It looks like a lion did this, all right,” Rafe said.

  The ground around the carcass was free of tracks, which wasn’t unexpected due to the hard, graveled surface. But the calf’s throat had been laid open by a single, suffocating bite—the width consistent with the size of a mountain lion’s jaws.

  “My husband’s bringin’ the cattle into the corral tonight. We’ll keep watch in case he comes back.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “Danny McKelvey said he’d come out later and let his dogs loose. He hopes to find scent they can track.”

  Uncomfortable with the methods, but understanding the rancher’s concern, Rafe nodded. There wouldn’t be any calls made to the game warden if the cat showed up here again.

  “So, what’s your report gonna say?” she asked, blunt as a mallet, like always.

  “Mountain lion attack. I’ll have a copy ready for you tomorrow for your insurance claim.”

  “I’d be obliged.” She straightened and tipped back her hat. “So, Sheriff, do you think this is the same lion what killed that boy in McKelvey’s cave?”

  Rafe’s gaze narrowed. He wondered at the anger that sparked hot as a match to kindling. “The mountain lion didn’t kill Matt Costello—a fall did.”

  Kate nodded, but the grim set of her lips told him she’d already made up her mind that particular version of the tale had been manufactured for public consumption.

  Before he left the ranch, he called Lani’s number on his cell phone.

  “Hello?”

  Rafe closed the door of his cruiser and stared out his window. “It’s me.”

  “Rafe.” Her voice changed, turning softer.

  “Want some company?” He held his breath, hoping he hadn’t dreamed the new intimacy he’d felt growing between them over the last day and night.

  “Sure.” She drew in a breath. “Have you eaten?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll make dinner.”

  The conversation felt awkward, and she sounded a little shy. His mouth curved—he knew how to bring her out of her shell. “How’re you feeling today?”

  “Fine,” she said, a little too quickly. He knew her pale features would be glowing red right about now.

  Unable to resist teasing her a bit further, he said softly, “Not sore?”

  “Rafe!” She groaned. “You’re a wicked man. What do you think?”

  “I think we’ll have to take it easy tonight. Maybe watch a movie. Keep it at kisses.”

  “Think you can?”

  Her sexy drawl had his blood humming in a heartbeat. “I can be creative.”

  “Stop!” She laughed. “I’ll need another cold shower.”

  “If you wait, I’ll scrub your back.”

  “Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?”

  Her starchy tone had him chuckling. Then he cleared his throat. “Seriously, are you okay?”

  After a moment’s silence, she said, “Of course.” She cleared her throat. “Sitting isn’t very comfortable at the moment. I was afraid anyone who looked at me would know. I didn’t stay long at the station.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I think I’m wearing a permanent blush. And I’ve been thinking about…acts.”

  Recalling the sight of her lovely buttocks quivering beneath his hands, Rafe leaned back in his seat to ease the ache centered in his groin. His hand tightened on the cell phone. “Any one in particular?”

  “Maybe. I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

  “I said a lot of things.”

  “Yeah, and most of them X-rated,” she muttered.

  “Tell me you didn’t like it,” Rafe drawled, silently cursing the fact he was miles away.

  She groaned and let out a gust of laughter. “You’re impossible.”

  “So, what acts have you been thinking about?”

  “You’re going to make me say it?” Her voice rose at the end, a sure sign she was struggling with embarrassment and laughter.

  “Yup,” he said, a grin stretching his mouth.

  “Well…” Her voice dropped to a sultry, smoky growl. “It’s one that involves kisses…and tongue…”

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  “Make it fifteen.”

  He heard a click and dead air.

  Rafe jammed his hat on his head and cranked the engine into life. He churned gravel as he gunned his engine.

  Lani met him at the door wearing only a smile. The embarrassment was worth it. His jaw dropped, and the smoldering look that settled over his features told her she’d pleased him.

  He reached for her, but she danced away. “I promised you dinner first.”

  “And if I’m on a liquid diet?”

  Damn, if that growled double entendre didn’t do the trick. Her body blossomed, her pussy creaming in response. She shook her head. He was not going to change the course she’d set. “Food first. Take off your hat and your gun belt…and whatever else makes you comfortable.” She turned on her heels and headed to the kitchen, trying to ignore his low hiss and the snaps and slides that meant he was stripping at the door.

  Once inside the kitchen, she leaned against the counter and waited for her heartbeat to slow. She’d greeted him stark naked! A giggle bubbled up, and she clamped her hand over her mouth. She only hoped she had the courage to follow through with the rest of her plan. Rafe had already pledged his love to her. Tonight, she’d show him what was in her heart.

  She’d decided on simple, southwestern fare—Carne Asada, beef tips in spicy gravy, and tortillas. She poured a single glass of red wine and filled one bowl with the meat dish. Tonight, they’d share their meal, and she didn’t want too many dishes getting in the way.

  Pushing the door open with her hip, she carried the tray into the living room to find Rafe already seated on her sofa, unabashedly naked. Perfect.

  She set the tray on the end table next to them and climbed onto his lap, facing him, trying not to note how the hairs on his upper thighs tickled the insides of hers.

  Rafe’s chest rose with the deep breath he dragged into his lungs. His face hardened, skin stretching across his sharp, high cheekbones. A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Something smells delicious,” he said, his voice tight.

  She knew he wasn’t talking about the food but ignored his suggestive comment and the hands that closed on her hips. She reached for the fork and speared a chunk of meat, twirling it in the gravy. Then she lifted it to Rafe’s mouth.

  His gaze held hers as he took her offering.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  His gaze dipped, pausing on her breasts then sweeping lower to her spread thighs. “Like I said, delicious.”

  She took a bite for herself while fighting the urge to grind her open sex on his cock. She could feel it hardening against her open slit. Her nipples tightened to exquisitely sensitive points—but she held herself away from the light furring on his chest.

  While he remained watchful of her every move, Lani fed them both slowly, lingering over the meal.

  “I’m thirsty,” he said, nudging her open pussy with his sex in an unsubtle hint.

  She took a sip from the wine, put her hands on his shoulders, and bent to give him a drink, opening to let the liquid pass from her mouth to his. She chased the drink with a quick stroke of her tongue, and then pulled away.

  Rafe followed her, leaning forward. “Bruja!” he whispered against her lips. “Are you going to let me have you?”

  Her kiss was openmouthed, sliding over his mouth—but brief. “Baby, you’re dessert.”

  Rafe cursed softly.

  Lani laughed, setting the dishes aside, and rose from his lap. Her legs were unsteady, b
ut she was determined.

  Chapter 6

  Rafe watched warily as Lani stood before him. It wasn’t in his nature to submit, but he sensed tonight’s “taking” was important to Lani, so he’d suffer through it. Besides, he was delighted with the evening’s sensual turn. She had to trust him to believe he’d hand her the controls. He’d die before he disappointed her, however much his body screamed for release.

  When Lani knelt between his open legs, Rafe knew she planned to take him, just as he’d hinted he wanted earlier in the day. However, at the time, he’d been well-sated—his body languorous after their sexual marathon.

  Only now, he noted the early evening sun still gleaming through her open windows. Lani had set the stage well for her seduction, knowing the sight of her body limned in light would incite him. Her soft blonde hair was tucked behind her ears. Her body gleamed with a shimmering of gold flecks. The smell of a fresh-scented powder rose to tease his nose. Her lips still bore a faint trace of colored gloss and looked ripe and innocent at the same time.

  Christ, those lips! He tried not to think about what they’d do to him. He placed his arms along the top of the sofa and clutched the fabric, determined to withstand whatever sweet torture she meted out.

  Her gaze sought his for a moment, and color suffused her face.

  “You can change your mind anytime you want,” he said, praying she’d cry “uncle” now.

  She tossed back her head. “And miss dessert? I like my sweet after dinner.”

  “Well, I don’t know what you’ve been told,” he said, gritting his teeth to keep his tone light, “but it’s a little salty.”

  Her lips curved into a feline grin that set his heart pumping faster. “Trying to talk me out of it?”

  He took a deep breath and lied, “Oh, no.”

  “Nervous?” Her hands rested on his knees, her thumbs circling.

  Rafe blew out the breath, unable to form a word. His cock was straining upward, a drop of pre-ejaculate glistened on the tip.

  Lani’s gaze dropped from his face, and she licked her lips.

  Rafe groaned, conceding the game. “Sweetheart, I can only take so much.”

  “Oh? Before doing what?”

  “Before I fuck you all the way to oblivion.”

  She blinked, and then swallowed. Was her mouth as dry as his? “Maybe I have another idea.”

  His entire body was so hard with tension and desire, a throbbing pain had settled in his groin. All he could grind out was an honest, “Tell me quick, I’m dying here.”

  Lani licked her lips and held herself perfectly still. “Couldn’t we both have our dessert?”

  Rafe didn’t give her a chance to change her mind. He pulled her up and kissed her hard. Then he lay lengthwise on the sofa. “Baby, give me your pussy.”

  Lani gave a strained laugh and climbed over him. He “helped” by guiding her hips backward and placing her knees on either side of his shoulders. “Come to me,” he whispered, laying kisses on her open thighs as she scooted until her sex was just above his mouth. “There,” he said, sighing as he pressed his lips to her cunt. She was drenched and fragrant, and for a moment he let the scent of her feed his appetite.

  Lani was a fast learner and just as eager to explore. Her face and lips nuzzled his sex for long moments, and then her hands and mouth caressed his shaft.

  Rafe pulsed upward to show his appreciation then turned his attention to the sensual treat hovering above his waiting mouth. He licked and sucked her labia, lapping between to taste her honeyed pleasure. Soon her legs trembled, and she sank lower, seeking his caresses in trembling pulses.

  Rafe fought hard to pay attention to her need—his own rode him hard. Lani’s clever mouth and hands glided over his sex, squeezing, sucking, stroking. When her lips surrounded his cock and her hot mouth sank to take him inside, his mind and body froze, every bit of his attention flying south to savor the sensations—moist heat, the soft scrape of teeth, strong hands stroking his shaft and delivering a wicked little twist that had his hips rising off the sofa.

  Though it killed him, he kept his thrusts shallow. His reward was a strong suctioning that abated when Lani’s mouth slid down his cock and drew hard again when she came up.

  She moaned enthusiastically, the sound vibrating along his shaft. Her pussy pulsed on his mouth, and he remembered this was supposed to be a mutual giving. He renewed his assault on her moist, heated flesh, rimming her entrance with his tongue, bringing his hands into play to part her tender folds. Aware she suffered residual soreness from their long hours of lovemaking, he kept his touches gentle and well-lubricated.

  His efforts earned a quiver that began in her thighs and rippled through her sex. He carefully inserted two fingers into her vagina and kept on licking, while he pumped in and out.

  Her hips pulsed in time to the rhythm of his stroking fingers. His free hand gripped a buttock to steady her. Lani’s moans grew louder, and her head bobbed faster on his cock.

  Together, they writhed against each other’s mouths, and the sounds of their coupling filled the room—groans, wet slides, and kisses.

  Just when he thought he might last long enough to see to her pleasure first, one soft hand closed around his taut sac and gently kneaded his balls. Urgency tightened his thighs, and he bucked. His balls and cock clenched, and his release spurted into Lani’s hot mouth.

  As he shuddered in the throes of a powerful orgasm, Rafe kept only enough awareness about him to suction hard on Lani’s rigid, little clitoris.

  Fueled by her desire to please Rafe, as well as a niggling concern for her suede sofa, Lani drank his come. She slid down his cock, opening her throat to receive the hot liquid gushing into her mouth. His powerful thrusts lifted her whole body, and she clung to his hips as he glided his cock in and out of her mouth. Taking great pride in the fact she’d driven him past arrogance and control, she reveled in his masculine vulnerability.

  Then his wicked lips closed around her clit and sucked. All self-congratulatory thoughts of Rafe’s orgasm flew as she jerked and spasmed against his mouth.

  Her legs trembled while her body delivered fevered rolls of her hips. Still he drew hard until her whole consciousness centered on the bud of bundled nerves, sparking shocks that exploded through her core.

  When she drifted back to awareness, Rafe lapped lazily at her pussy. He drew his fingers from her vagina and gave her ass a squeeze. “Come back around here. I want to kiss your mouth.”

  “I can’t. I’m dead.” She rested her head wearily on his hard thigh.

  “Come here, and I’ll revive you.”

  “A little mouth-to-mouth?”

  “How about a lot of tender loving? I promise nothing’s gonna poke around your pretty pussy.”

  Galvanized by the recollection her pussy was what he was looking at, Lani scrambled to turn around. His arms opened, and she slumped against his chest.

  “That’s better,” he said, hugging her close.

  It was nice. His heart was just beneath her ear, pounding a comforting beat. The heat of his skin lulled her, nearly to sleep.

  “Wake up, baby.”

  Lani opened her eyes and realized she really must have dozed off. “I thought you guys always slept afterwards,” she said, feeling grumpy.

  “We were going to talk,” he said softly.

  Lani froze. That had been part of her plan. But she’d chickened out just before he got to the door and decided to go for “dessert” first. She rose, her forearms supported on his broad chest, and met his gaze. “I’m only going to say this once.”

  “Does it hurt that much, baby?”

  She nodded and blinked at the tears that pooled with his tender expression. God, where to start? “I’m not from around here.”

  “I know.” He arched one eyebrow. “I remember when you arrived.”

  Lani gave him a little, strained smile. “You didn’t so much as give me a glance when I stopped at the sheriff’s office for directions,” she scoffed. />
  Rafe let her have her tangent, knowing she was still screwing up her courage to say what needed said. “I followed your sweet ass sashaying all the way back to your truck.”

  “I don’t sashay.”

  “You did that day.” Her blush delighted him.

  “I knew you were watching me,” she admitted.

  Her honesty pleased him more. “Couldn’t help myself,” he said. “Knew I had to have you then and there.”

  “So, you’re into butts?” she quipped, then groaned and hid her face against his chest.

  Rafe laughed softly, knowing he needed to keep a little lightness in their conversation to help her get through this. “You know I am,” he growled. His heart ached for her. And if he could, he would take all her pain for his own.

  Her cheeks pink, but expression solemn, she said, “You know I come from Uvalde.”

  “You mentioned it once.”

  “It’s not very big. Everybody knows everybody else.”

  Rafe pushed back a lock of her hair from her cheek. “Sounds like here.”

  “Well, my daddy was the town drunk.”

  He held his questions, wanting her to offer her story.

  She sighed and laid her head on his chest. “He was mean after he polished off a case, and the house always smelled of booze and his sweat.”

  He fought the flare of anger that had his arms tightening around her. He kissed the top of her head to reassure her. “Where was your mother?”

  “At work. He couldn’t hold a job. Most days, he couldn’t get out of bed before noon.”

  “What about you?”

  “Mostly, I just stayed out of his way. If he fell asleep in the living room, I’d play in my bedroom or go play at the neighbors. I just tried to make sure I was…scarce.”

  Rafe glided a hand up and down her back, while imagining a blonde-haired little girl who had to keep beyond her father’s reach. “You said he was a mean drunk. Did he hit you?”

  “Not much, but I knew to stay out of his way. Mom never figured that trick out. She’d come home, see beer cans littering the living room, and light into him. Then he’d be yelling back.” She gave a cynical snort. “It was a very loud house.”