Very slowly his hands loosened in her hair. His eyes blazed down into hers. He looked hungry enough to devour her, and that was almost as thrilling as knowing she’d put that look on his face.

“So good, Kitten. Perfect.”

His voice was a rough velvet that sent tremors through her stomach. She felt his legs tremble when another shudder went through his body. He didn’t release her, not even when he sat down.

He leaned back in the chair, relaxing, even closing his eyes as she bent to him, lapping gently with her tongue. She liked the way the tension slipped from his face so she took her time, taking care of him while she had the chance.

His hand went to the top of her head. “You’re the most amazing woman in the world, Kitten. I never once imagined I’d ever have a woman like you.”

14

CATARINA Benoit would forever be his obsession. His love. Eli hadn’t known it was possible to feel the way she made him feel. He was totally at peace. He couldn’t remember a time, from the moment he’d entered puberty, that he’d ever felt at peace. Every muscle in his body was warm and relaxed. He could barely open his eyes, just enough to see her. To watch her.

She was the most beautiful, exotic woman on earth. He hadn’t expected her to care for him, not in the ways she showed him care. The minute attention to detail. She was meticulous when it came to the effort she put in lavishing attention on him.

He managed to slide his hand from his thigh to slip his fingers back into her long, dark hair. He’d spent a good deal of his life traveling the world looking for the right woman and he’d been close to giving up. There was only one. He’d known that from the moment he began having sex with women. He’d known because his leopard was doubly dangerous around the women and he didn’t always trust that he could control the animal.

The moment he’d laid eyes on Catarina, everything had been different, even the sex. Especially the sex. He’d had great sex before, but he’d never imagined the places her body could take him. Mostly, he never imagined the depth of emotion she could create inside him.

He was a difficult man. He knew himself very well. Shifters had to be in control at all times, especially the males. He lived for control, and he knew he was domineering. There had always been a part of him that feared a woman wouldn’t be able to take his rough insistence on dominance. More, he was rough and he liked his sex that way. He certainly hadn’t expected a woman who could take his kind of sex and give back the way she did.