“I wish, honey, but the sad truth is, I’m selfish. I want to wake you up tomorrow morning or maybe an hour or two from now.” Drake laughed and nudged her legs over. “I’m coming in with you.”

She leaned her head back against the porcelain. “I’ll probably drown, or we’ll soak the floor, but I’m fine with that. This is very relaxin’. Maybe I can sleep right here.”

He placed her feet in his lap and began a slow massage under water. “Go ahead, Saria, I’ll carry you back to bed.”

“Tell me where you grew up,” she encouraged, opening her eyes to look at him through her long lashes. “I think you would have made an interestin’ child.”

“I come from a lair in the Borneo rain forest. Children there are pretty much taken care of by everyone. We run free and have no idea we’re learning skills that will come in handy later on in life. Survival, hunting, basically, all the things you learned here.”

“School?” she asked.

“Mandatory. We have teachers in our villages and then later we are required to go to outside schools. We’re encouraged to travel to other lairs in search of true mates. That keeps our lair strong as well as the others.”

She frowned, sitting up a little straighter. Her breasts floated temptingly and Drake stroked one creamy swell to the darkened tip. Her nipple hardened under his touch.

“Is that what we should have done? All of the children when they grow up, search out other lairs?”

“Of course. Bloodlines get weak or they marry outside the lair and produce children with leopards who are unable to shift.”

Drake knew he sounded distracted, but she had beautiful breasts. He leaned forward, cupping the slight weight on one palm and drew her nipple into his mouth. His cock jerked, and a warm, pleasant feeling of exquisite happiness filled him. This, then, was how it should be. He knew the terrible craving for her would rise, an urgent, almost brutal need, but there was this—comfortable—right—relaxed contentment.

She ran her fingers through his hair. “I love the way you look at me, Drake.”

“Good, because I love looking at you.”

“You make me feel beautiful.”

“You are beautiful.”

She made a small derisive sound in the back of her throat. “My mouth and eyes are too big for my face. And I’m sort of . . .” She looked down at her body and made a face. “Curvy.”

His thumbs slid over her nipples, sending a shiver through her body. “You’re so responsive—and I love your curves.”

She wiggled her toes. “I rather like that foot massage you had goin’ . If you’re gettin’ all hot and bothered again, I’m sleepin’ through it this time.”

“Clearly I’m going to have to improve my skills.” He took her foot back in his hands. She looked exhausted—happy—but exhausted.