Then he opened his mouth to say the words that would no doubt spoil it all.
Dean had no idea what he’d planned to say when Stacey placed a finger over his lips.
“Please, don’t. Let me bask in postcoital bliss without you ruining it.”
Postcoital bliss? Why the hell couldn’t the woman just say orgasm? Her familiar arrogance should have annoyed him, but he silently agreed with her. The prickly female would probably take anything he said the wrong way. And after having his circuits fried, he could barely string two intelligible words together anyway. Holy shit, or you blew my fucking mind weren’t the stuff of romance.
But hol-ee crap. Sex with Stacey had been better than anything he’d fantasized. Than anything he’d ever had. His cat purred with contentment, way too close to claiming the female as his own. And wouldn’t that be a colossal mistake. He was still pissed that she’d kept the truth from him, and more for putting herself in danger.
Yet her actions confirmed what he’d always thought. The woman had another side to her than the conceited persona she projected. She truly loved her family. The worry in her gaze, the clear scent of distress at the mention of them in harm’s way, had been real. It soothed a part of him that had worried she might be less on the inside than she was on the outside.
And what an outside. He clutched her tighter against his chest, completely enthralled with her breasts. He could suck on her tits for hours and not be satisfied. Yeah, Dean was a breast man. And she had a real set of perfect on her. Not to mention that honeyed pussy. Licking her had been incredible, not something to be endured to get his own happy ending. He’d come hard.
Inside her.
Without protection.
“Shit.”
“See? I knew you’d ruin it,” she grumbled, sounding like a snarly kitten before she yawned.
“Sorry. I was just worrying about…” He didn’t want to upset her, and he needed time to process what had happened. Stacey might be an aggravating princess, but in his arms, she’d been exactly what he needed. And really, what were the odds she might be pregnant from just this one time? He really shouldn’t screw up his chances for another go-round, one where he’d be more careful, of course.
He glanced down at his hands over her waist and wished he didn’t like the sight of them there so much. Even worse, his cat loved the thought of Stacey bearing his young. For a split second, so did Dean.
“Worried about what?” she asked, her breath warm against his throat. She nuzzled his chest and sighed against him, and his heart did a funny little flip in his chest.
“Uh, about the thought of the pride in danger.”
She tensed, and he stroked her shoulder.
“But if you trust this Quince guy, I guess I can too.” A lie, but the right thing to say because she relaxed.
“I don’t know that I trusted him at first, but I don’t think he’ll hurt me. I’m not so sure about you though.”
“How do you know?” He didn’t like her faith in this guy for several reasons he didn’t want to think too hard about. “You and he have a history or something?”
“With Quince?” The shock in her voice relieved him. “Hell no. He’s got a thing for Joy. You know, your ex-lover?”
Trust the woman to bring up that fiasco. While trying to help his clueless older brother nab the woman he’d been mooning over for months, Dean and Joy had hatched a scheme. They’d posed as lovers to throw his brother into Gabby’s arms. Except the sly woman had managed to turn the tables on them and made Dean and Joy a spectacle in front of the pride. “Ha ha. The thought of Joy and me in any romantic sense gives me hives and you know it.”
“Why? She’s cute.”
“Don’t get defensive. She’s cute, yeah, but so annoying. Always plotting and bossing me around.” He made a face. “Like a miniature Burke, but girlie.”
He could feel her smile against his chest. “So no chemistry there?”
“Don’t ruin my afterglow.”
She chuckled and stroked his shoulders with her nails. He loved the sexy red tips. When he saw them, he envisioned her wrapping those clever fingers around his cock, guiding him toward her mouth…
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She brushed against his erection.
“I can’t help it,” he growled. “You’re sexy, naked, and now I know how you taste. Only a dead man wouldn’t get a hard-on near you.”
“Oh, so it’s my body that has you so excited, hmm?”
He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she sounded less than pleased at his compliment. Women. “That and your stellar personality. That mean thing you have going on just flips my Bic, baby.”
“You’re so romantic.”
“And you’re so in a mess of trouble.” He couldn’t help it. The seriousness of the situation couldn’t be ignored, much as he wanted it to. “What if Lex’s cats get their hands on you? What the hell were you thinking to put yourself in danger and not tell anyone?”
“I didn’t want anyone else hurt.”
He leaned back to look at her. In the dark, her eyes glowed, and he could see the wariness she tried to hide. “Yet here I am, right next to you.”
“I didn’t want you involved either,” she snapped. “But I can’t keep living like this. I don’t like being a prisoner. I can’t go anywhere. My sisters are constantly looking over their shoulders, and my brother is stressed to the max.”
“Oh. So that’s why he’s been so unpleasant…for the past twenty years.”
Her lips twitched.
“Yeah. Try again, princess.” He liked arguing with her while naked. Despite being truly irked about her secrets, he’d never felt so close to her as he did now. God, he was seriously losing it. Ruled by his dick, no question about it. Because if he thought his heart might be involved, he’d run the other way and not look back.
“Okay, so Miles can be hard to swallow.”
“Unlike you,” he purred. “Or me. You should try it.”
She chuckled. “Cut it out. I thought you were mad at me?” She pressed closer, rubbing those lovely breasts against his chest.
“I am. Doesn’t mean I don’t want you.”
“Great. Horny Dean is back. I got to see responsible Dean for a little bit. Some angry Dean. But now it’s you again.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
She sighed. “Nothing. Let’s get up and get dressed.”
In a flash, he rolled her onto her back and gripped her wrists on either side of her head, effectively pinning her to the ground. “Hold on, sweetheart. First we talk about how we’re going to handle Lex and Quince and those asshole cats. Then we figure out how and when we’re going to do this again. ’Cause if you think this was a one-time deal, you are seriously one dumbass blonde.”
Her pupils dilated, which he found interesting. Did she like being held down? Or was it the thought of arguing with him that got her so hot and bothered, because he could smell her arousal flaring up again.
“Quince wants Lex. He doesn’t care about me or you. And he has the hots for Joy.”
He blinked. He’d thought she was joking about that. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Go figure. My meddling older sister and the enemy. How fun.”
“Joy?” Dean didn’t know if he liked that. “I can’t wait to see what Miles thinks of that.”
“Which is why Quince didn’t go to Miles. He came to me. I have a clear head.” Her superiority complex was showing again. “Unlike you males who only think with your dicks—I’m sorry to say—I’m much more pragmatic.”
He wanted to kiss the smirk off her face. “So how do we detect friend from foe?”