But there was plenty of time to mull that over later. Silas had more important things to think about. Like how many minutes it would take her to wake up. Then again, he didn’t think she would mind being kissed awake. He’d tried to get to every inch of her last night, but they had to sleep sometime.

  A shame.

  She was far too beautiful and sensual to be overlooked in the least. His brainy little admin assistant was a wildcat between the sheets.

  Who knew?

  Lucky, lucky Lion that he was, he’d indulged in her sweet flesh again and again until, worn out, they both fell asleep. Still, Silas was pretty certain he’d neglected her fantastic breasts the night before. Something he should rectify. Now.

  Grrr.

  And that was how he started his day, with her ripe, berry-colored nipples in his mouth and his hand playing at the cleft between her thighs. Larissa gasped and moaned, eyes blinking awake in time to see him release one puckered nubbin with a slight popping sound before he kissed his way down her soft belly to the blonde curls that teased him so mercilessly.

  “Silas,” she whispered his name, hands winding their way into his hair. “What are you doing? We have to go to work,” she protested with a strangled gasp.

  For a second, he worried she was going to deny him, but her hands were not pushing him away. On the contrary, she was pulling his head closer to her sweet pussy, which was coincidentally where he wanted to be in the first place.

  Mine.

  “I forgot how much I like cream in the morning,” he said, blowing cool air on her sensitized flesh.

  Larissa bucked her hips slightly, and he grinned in anticipation. Then Silas nuzzled her slit with his nose and lips. The honeyed sunshine flavor that was all Larissa engulfed him, heating his skin, sharpening his senses. He was attuned to every nuance of movement, and he had only one goal, one focus, and that was to bring her pleasure.

  His chest rumbled with the deep growl of his beast, the Lion in agreement. His inner Cat was intent on bringing their mate maximum pleasure. Silas’ heart thundered in his chest, beating double time. She’d claimed him last night. Something he never anticipated, but now that he wore her mark, he wouldn’t want it any other way. True, his Lion was even more possessive now.

  What started as a perfunctory mating was turning into something much more. But he wasn’t going to worry about that. Not when she was spread out before him like a feast. So trusting, soft and sweet.

  How could he think of anything but her in that moment?

  Then he started licking her and thinking was no longer on the table.

  Mine.

  Hours later…

  * * *

  On the way to work that morning, Silas had made plans to have Larissa’s apartment packed up and shipped over to his penthouse. He had plenty of space and near empty rooms for her to decorate with her furniture and things. He wasn’t concerned with it at all.

  “Are you sure? My stuff is hardly high class,” she’d protested.

  “Do you like your stuff?”

  “Well, mostly,” she’d hedged.

  “Then the movers will bring everything and what you don’t like we can replace. How’s that?”

  The soft blush that stained her cheeks afterward told him she was pleased by his concern. It was nothing really, he was just being practical. But if it made her happy, awesome. It was odd how suddenly the desire to make her happy seemed paramount.

  He’d already called the company lawyers and told them to start drafting contracts. He wanted Larissa’s name next to his as co-president of Safia Inc. and looking back over their history together, he’d realized she truly was the biggest asset to his company.

  She’d worked side by side with him for years on various greening projects. Now that they’d landed one of the largest construction firms in neighboring New Jersey, Maverick Development, she would be needed more than ever. The Tiger Pride that owned the firm was known for their tough as nails men and their equally feisty mates. Larissa would help him deal with the other Alpha without them butting heads.

  It was the gift of mated pairs. To calm and soothe one another. But he wasn’t so worried about that. If anything, he was concerned by his Lion’s constant need to be near her, to touch her. All morning he could hardly stand to be more than a foot away from her.

  “Larissa,” he called through the intercom to her desk.

  Sure, he could see her through the glass walls, but he wanted her with him.

  Here.

  Now.

  Always.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  “Yes?” she asked before he could come up with an answer.

  “What time is your new desk arriving?”

  “Oh, um, I didn’t call yet. I wasn’t sure—”

  “Never mind, then, I’ll call,” he replied. “Come in here, please.”

  He pressed the button to bring down the blinds as she walked in, her tablet in hand. She was obviously working on something, but that could wait. After all, he was the boss.

  “What is it?” she asked, big amber eyes blinking at him.

  She was just so beautiful.

  He wondered why he’d never realized it before. Maybe he had. Maybe he’d worked to ignore it. Yeah, that seemed to be closer to the truth than he’d have liked to admit. But there she was, soft and stunning in knee-high boots and a wraparound knit dress in dark red that looked really good with her coloring.

  Silas reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward until she was straddling his lap on his big office chair. He was suddenly glad he’d splurged on the ten thousand dollar piece of furniture.

  “Silas,” she laughed, placing her hands on his shoulders, having dropped the tablet on his desk.

  “Kiss me,” he instructed, and she didn’t have to be told twice.

  One thing he’d learned about her last night, Larissa loved to kiss. That was just fine with him, as he’d also discovered in the middle of their mutual claiming of each other, Silas loved kissing her too.

  He kneaded her shoulders and neck while he kissed her, sliding his hands up and down her back, then settling on her waist. Fuck, she was a beautiful handful, and he loved every inch of her curvy shape. Larissa was the perfect foil to his hardness. A warm, safe place for him to land.

  For a moment, he wondered what her beast looked like, and he realized he’d never seen her shift. Not that odd since he didn’t run with the local Prides. He had his rooftop garden for that. Picturing her up there with him had him grinning from ear to ear.

  “You look like the cat that ate the canary,” she teased, giggling when he kissed her chin and neck.

  A knock at the door brought both their heads up, and with the cat-like reflexes ingrained in her, Larissa slid off his lap and stood up smoothly just in time to see their unannounced visitor enter.

  “What’s with the blinds, Silas?” The huge grizzly stalked into the office, nostrils flaring before his gaze flashed from Larissa to Silas and back again.

  “Hello, Mr. Orson,” Larissa greeted Niels with a friendly smile that made his Lion snarl.

  Jealous much?

  Shit.

  Silas was not expecting the surge of the green-eyed monster just because Larissa smiled at someone. One of his two best friends in the world, no less. Speaking of the two of them, Niels surprise visit was followed by Keeton and his new mate Marilena. The blushing bride waved and stayed close to her mate’s side, where the Eastern Mountain Lion wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. Good to know it wasn’t just him.

  “Hi!” Marilena waved exuberantly at Larissa, and she smiled and greeted the sweet human female in kind.

  “What brings you two to New York?” Silas asked, shocked at the surprise visit.

  “We came in to pick up some antique molds Marilena found online at an estate sale and thought we’d pop in,” Keeton replied with a rare smile on his newly trimmed, bearded face.

  He’d been a loner for as long as Silas had known him. Hated the city and crowds in general, but look at him now. Being mated had truly changed the man. It should’ve felt alien, but Silas could not help but think Keeton looked happy. He was glad for him.

  Niels took a step closer and snagged one chair in front of Silas’ desk. He inhaled again and looked from Larissa to Silas and back again. He tensed, waiting for the Grizzly to ask his fucking question already.

  “Did we miss something?”

  “Huh? What?” Keeton said, sliding into the other seat. He pulled his mate onto his lap, and Marilena rested easily on him. Their love so natural and even though the relationship was somewhat new, it was strong and vibrant.

  For the first time ever, Silas wanted that for himself. A glance at Larissa, and he knew he’d fucked this up already. But somehow, someway, he would fix it. She deserved that from him.

  Hell, she deserved everything.

  “Dude?” Keeton said, interrupting his thoughts.

  Silas grimaced. He hadn’t prepared for his friends to barge in on him and did not know what to say. After all, he hadn’t discussed it with Larissa. In fact, he was pretty damn certain he should tell her he was wildly in love with her before he announced it in front of his friends.

  Gulp.

  Oh Shit.

  Did I just use the L word?

  He swallowed loudly, taking a long pull of water from the bottle on his table. Silas’ hands were shaking as he replaced the water on his otherwise pristine desk. He was fucking trembling like a damn cub.

  Shit.

  He really did love her.

  Fuck.

  He loved her.

  Yes.

  Mate.

  Realization dawned, hitting him like a heavyweight champion just sucker punched him in the stomach. He couldn’t breathe, much less speak.

  He LOVED her.

  “Dude? You okay?” This time the interruption was from Niels.

  Oh shit.

  What was going on?

  Was he supposed to say something?

  He’d been aware of voices but had no concept what they’d said or asked of him. Silas was in love for the first time in his life. As terrifying as that should be, fuck him if all he felt was pure fucking joy.

  Ha! I love her!

  How about that?!

  Niels was staring at him, eyebrows raised. He nodded his head toward the suddenly stiff as a board Larissa. His sexy little Lioness was frowning at him. Hard.

  Uh oh.

  He knew he’d better say something, and fast. But before he could speak up, she turned to face his friends.

  “So, I am guessing the Shifters in the room scented the new mating bond between Silas and myself. Allow me to explain,” she began.

  Larissa spread her hands and faced them as if she were talking to one of the many clients she’d addressed over the years. With a calm confidence and assertiveness he found damn sexy, except, wait what the fuck was she saying?

  “I was in a bit of a pickle with one of the local Prides. The Alpha was interested in getting me to mate his son and I was decidedly against that.”

  “But that is terrible!” Marilena gasped. “I mean, they can’t do that, right?”

  “Technically,” Keeton spoke to his mate. “They can’t, but I have heard of some groups where the leaders don’t necessarily allow for diverse points of view.”

  “Actually, they were trying to force me to submit to a scenting test,” Larissa said quickly. She turned her head, embarrassment burning her cheeks until they were a bright shade of crimson.

  “What is that?” Marilena voiced her question over the angry hisses and growls that filled the room.

  “It’s, well, you used the word barbarian, and that is pretty accurate, honey,” Keeton told her.

  “It’s old school crap is what it is, Marilena,” Larissa spoke through gritted teeth, and Silas’ Lion’s hackles rose in response.

  The need to soothe his mate rose strongly as she recited the atrocities the Seneca Nation Tribe had tried to force on her.

  Scenting test?

  No fucking way was that shit happening.

  He’d kill any man who tried.

  Grrr.

  “A scenting test is something Shifter groups dominated by males used to force upon females who were not mated at the cusp of adulthood. Basically, they—” She faltered, frowning hard with distaste, she cleared her throat. “They strip the female, spread her thighs forcibly, and line up the males to sniff her sex to see if her unique pheromones call to anyone in particular. They do it to see if she is anyone’s fated mate. Even barbarians did not like to piss off the Fates.”

  Larissa’s blunt speech belied the anger that filled her. But Silas knew. He felt it in the very air surrounding them. It was tangible, and before he knew it, he had his hand on the small of her back. Feeling her tense, he withdrew his hand, but even that single slight touch was enough to light fires in his blood.

  Mine.

  “And if she wasn’t?” Marilena asked, returning his focus back to his unclaimed mate’s explanation.

  “If she was not destined for anyone present, she was basically auctioned off to the highest bidder.”

  The silence in the office was deafening, but Silas’s ears thundered with his Lion. His beast was roaring savagely. The idea of anyone touching, sniffing, or even thinking about Larissa evoked feelings of rage and fury like he’d never experienced. One word was clear above all.

  Mine.

  Yes, he already knew he loved her. But his Lion had been telling him something from the very beginning. Larissa Clark was his fated mate.

  “I was going to leave the city,” Larissa explained to his best friends, while he struggled internally with these new revelations.

  Shit.

  Fuck.

  Grrrr.

  Silas had to talk to his mate. Like, now. He wanted everyone gone. He wanted her to himself. She was so perfect, and so his. He’d claimed her body with his last night and again that morning.

  Now, he wanted to claim her heart.

  Never at a loss for words, it burned his ass that he was dumfounded in front of his oldest friends and the woman he finally realized he loved. His gaze flashed to the Grizzly’s, and he saw Niels’ nod. He’d expected some ribbing from the know-it-all who’d told him weeks ago that he had it bad for this sweet and curvy female. But he saw none of the arrogance or teasing he’d expected. Niels was quiet for a change. And unless Silas was mistaken, the Bear Shifter seemed downright sad.

  His mind was racing. He had no time to address his concern for his friend. Larissa was still explaining their unique mating to them, and fucking hell, the woman didn’t seem to realize it was more than a business deal! His Lion chuffed and dropped to the floor in his mind’s eye. The great beast, seemingly embarrassed by his epic fail to proclaim his feelings.

  Well, what the fuck was he supposed to do?

  Was he just supposed to spout poetic all of a sudden?

  Shit.

  For the first time in his life, he felt his ever-present confidence sap out of him. He was like an idiot teenager, fidgeting at his desk and trying not to cringe with her next series of words.

  “Silas offered a much better arrangement than the one the Alpha had in mind. You see, he’s finally realized I’m a valuable employee,” she tried to joke, but it came out stale to his ears. “Anyway, he’s offered to make me a partner at Safia Inc. and, uh, well, that is, we got mated to seal the deal, professionally and personally.”

  “I, um, well, when did this all happen?” Keeton asked.

  “Last night, actually.”

  The Shifters in the room were all still and quiet. Discomfort filled the space and Silas wished a hole would open up and just swallow him.

  How the hell was he supposed to fix this mess?

  The sound of Marilena elbowing her mate brought his head up, and he could see the normal was not at all happy with the series of events.

  “Uh, Larissa, let me be the first to congratulate you, then,” she smiled warmly, and stood up. Marilena opened her arms wide, and Larissa stepped into them, allowing the embrace.

  “Of course, man.”

  “Congrats, bro.”

  Niels and Keeton both stood to shake his hand. He returned their gestures but was busy watching as Larissa hugged Marilena back. The two women looked at each other, and Marilena narrowed her eyes before grabbing Larissa’s hand, and announcing that they were headed to the ladies’ room. The brief reprieve would at least give him a chance to collect his thoughts.

  “What the fuck, dude?”

  “You mated her so she wouldn’t walk away from a job?”

  “NO!” he snarled the words and both Keeton and Niels backed away from his desk.

  “Explain, then,” the Bear said.

  “Do you know how degrading a scenting test is? I’d fucking end up in a war with the whole damn Seneca Nation Pride if it had come to that,” he spat out the words.

  The bitter taste they left in his mouth made him frown in anger and disgust. It was the 21st Century, for fuck’s sake. No modern Shifter group would stand for such behavior. Much less one that called New York City their home.

  “Do the Tigers know?”

  “No.” Silas shook his head.

  “I am not sure you could stop war from coming if the Alpha okayed this, Silas,” Keeton warned.

  “At the very least, we should inform the old unit,” Niels added.

  Silas nodded. They were right. The Shifters in their old black ops units would want to know, to be prepared, in case violence was unavoidable. But far as Silas knew, the Island Stripe Tiger Pride had little to do with this. Tigers and Lions shared the city, but they hardly ever got together. And the Lions who ran the 134th Precinct dedicated to Shifter matters, probably knew fuck all about the Seneca Nation Pride’s doings.

  Shit.

  The Shifter Council was going to want to know as well.

  “Aside from all that political stuff, Si, what the fuck were you thinking mating her?” Keeton asked.

  “What?”

  “He’s right. You didn’t have to claim her to keep her safe,” Niels added.

  “I know.” Silas nodded.

  He turned to his friends, listening with his supernaturally sensitized hearing for signs of the women’s return. When they were not forthcoming, he turned to his friends. Finally, he could admit the truth

 

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