She arranged his omelet and hash browns mixed with ham onto his plate and set it in front of him with his silverware. The way she arranged everything with such care made his heart melt around the edges. She liked taking care of him. He hadn’t had anyone want to take care of him since his parents had died when he was a boy. She liked it. He could tell by the way she put a napkin out for him, checked his coffee and put the basket of fresh, hot beignets in front of him before she settled with her own food across from him.

“Never going to give you up, Catarina,” he said firmly. “Not ever. I’m going to take such good care of you, you’ll never want to leave me.”

She sent him a small smile and pushed her hair out of her face, tossing the long strands over her shoulder in a purely feminine gesture. She was sexy without even trying. Still, she had an expression that told him she wasn’t certain he meant what he was saying.

Eli leaned across the table toward her. “We’re shifters, Cat. Shifters mate for life and beyond. It’s said we find one another over and over, that sometimes we can even remember things about one another. Leopards smell lies and that makes it impossible for mates to lie or deceive one another.”

She frowned. “Why didn’t I know you were a cop?”

“Because your cat wasn’t close enough to recognize mine. I didn’t know you were leopard and you didn’t know I was. But we’re mates. You’ll know. So will your leopard. I’m not telling you lies when I say I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Or the sexiest. Or that I want you every fucking time I lay eyes on you. Or when I tell you I’m never going to give you up.”

Her eyes searched his for a long time. “Then I guess I made the right decision. I think you’re so beautiful you take my breath away.”

He tried not to let the sound of her voice and the way she said the words, the ring of absolute truth get to him—but it did. His heart turned over. His belly knotted and his cock was as hard as a damned rock. Love and lust mixed into some terrible combustible chemical, just waiting for a match. “Baby. Men aren’t beautiful.”

“You are. The way you move. Your eyes. Your mouth. Especially your voice.” She sent him another small smile. “It doesn’t hurt that you have a scorching-hot body and you know how to use it.”