She took in a deep breath, let it out. He was still holding her eyes and she couldn’t look away, so he would see how important it was to her. “I’ve never been truly free. If my leopard can do that, it might just be the greatest thing in the world.”

Eli’s heart turned over. She was right, whether she knew it or not. She wouldn’t be free of him—not ever. He wouldn’t let her go. If she tried to leave him or run, he would find a way to make her stay and work overtime to try to find a balance with her. She didn’t understand yet about the way leopards mated for life. She was holding herself back from him. He knew she didn’t trust him, but he’d work on that. Still, she wasn’t going to leave him.

He knew what kind of man he was. He didn’t try to hide it from her now. He was the head of his home. The man. That wasn’t politically correct, but he couldn’t be anything other than who he was. He was alpha all the way. He liked to be the dominant in all things, including in bed. He enjoyed taking care of Catarina. He liked doing little things for her and wanted her to feel special. He wanted her to make his house a home, her home. Later, down the road, when they were married with several children and he knew she wasn’t going to have one foot out the door, he’d carve a sign and hang it on the gate. Cat’s Lair. He’d already made up his mind to that.

“You can run free in your leopard form,” he said. “And you’ll be there with her. You’ll experience it with her. And you’ll love it, Catarina; I do.”

He let his hands fall away because he wanted her all over again and she needed to heal. Fast. His leopard was pushing close to the surface all the time now, aware of her leopard so close to emerging.

“Will you then? Let me see him?”

“If I’m in leopard form, I won’t be able to stand in front of you and shield you if you get too scared, but if you call my name, I’ll shift back immediately.”

Her eyes lit up, although her hands trembled, her fingers twisting together nervously. “Then you’ll really do it, Eli? Let me see him?”