“Oh god, Bayon, I’m close,” she gasped.
“Yes,” he muttered, guiding her back so he could position her over his straining erection.
Then, slowly he penetrated her damp channel.
Keira purred as she pressed herself ever deeper. She’d known he was large. Hell, she’d had him in her mouth. But she hadn’t realized what it would mean to have that delectable hardness stretching her to the limit. Now she groaned in fierce approval. She could become addicted to the sensation of being speared by such a large cock.
Oh, yeah.
Size really did matter.
Spreading her knees, she allowed him to sink even deeper inside her, smiling with wicked satisfaction when he hissed in approval. She liked to reward excellence. And Bayon was truly a master at pleasing a demanding female.
Savoring his slow, steady pace, Keira at last placed her hands on his chest, holding his gaze that had gone cat-gold. With one swipe, she deliberately allowed her claws to pierce his skin, marking him from his collarbone to just above his nipples.
His roar of shock shook the air, vibrating through her as her cat stretched toward her mate.
“Mine,” she breathed.
“Mine,” he panted. “Forever.”
Lifting herself until the tip of his cock was nearly at her entrance, she sharply plummeted downward. His hips jerked off the ground, his snarl of pleasure sweet music to her ears.
Keira chuckled, euphoria at the sensation of being bound to this male bubbling through her like the finest champagne.
This cat meant to be hers for all eternity.
How could she ever have tried to push him away?
Refusing to dwell on how close she’d come to losing this strong, loyal, astonishingly compassionate man, she concentrated on the sensation of Bayon’s deepening thrusts, her soft pants filling the air as her muscles clenched in preparation for her impending orgasm.
Bayon tightened his grip and buried his face in the curve of her neck. Then, still pumping into her at a furious pace, he sank his claws into her lower back, marking her at the same time he catapulted her into a shattering climax.
Keira quivered in ecstasy, convulsing around him as he gave one more thrust and cried out with the violent pleasure of his own orgasm.
Chapter 5
Bayon wrapped Keira tightly in his arms as they sprawled beside the pool, lazing in the fading rays of sunlight that peeked through the narrow opening at the top of the waterfall.
Mate.
The word seeped into his soul, filling the empty void that had made him feel half alive for far too long.
This female completed him in a way that defied explanation.
Nuzzling the soft skin of her temple, he sensed the instant her mind cleared of the sensual fog that had held her enthralled. Lifting her head, she eyed him with a guarded expression.
“Well, that was—”
“Marvelous, stupendous, the best sex you’ve ever had?” he helpfully supplied.
She licked her lips, sending a jolt of raw lust through him. He’d just had the best orgasm of his life, but his cock was already hardening for a second round.
“Unexpected,” she said.
He frowned, a sudden stab of fear piercing his heart. “You don’t regret becoming my mate, do you?”
Her brows lifted in genuine surprise. “God, no. It’s something we should have done a long time ago.”
“Yes, it is,” he muttered, relief searing away the knot of dread in the pit of his stomach. Keira had battled against their mating for so long he hadn’t been entirely confident she might not bolt in horror when she realized she’d actually done the deed. “So, what’s bothering you?”
“I feel selfish.”
“Selfish?”
“Our people are in danger.” The emerald in her eyes darkened with concern. “You should be out on the hunt for our enemies, not pandering to my needs.”
His hand cupped her bare ass, pressing her against his thick shaft. “I like pandering to your needs.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Bayon.”
With a chuckle he kissed the tip of her nose. “Trust me, Keira, everything possible is being done,” he assured her. “When Talon has located a name or an address I’ll return to the hunt.”
Her still-pale features tightened with a surge of emotion. “I need to help.”
Bayon had known this moment was coming. Keira was too dominant to willingly remain in these caves.
“Keira.”
She stiffened, clearly preparing herself for his protest. “What?”
“You’re not ready.”
“Be careful.” There was a golden flash of danger in her eyes. “Just because we’re mated doesn’t mean you can start giving me orders.”
The scent of angry female puma filled the air, but Bayon wasn’t just another Hunter who relied on brute strength. His mother had taught him that keeping his prey off guard was always preferable to direct confrontation.
It worked the same with a powerful woman.
“I may be occasionally dense, but I’m not stupid,” he assured her, his fingers absently trailing up the curve of her spine. “I have no intention of giving you orders. I was trying to point out that until your full memory returns you’re a liability.”
She hissed at his blunt words, but even as her lips parted to inform him that he was a total jerk-wad she snapped them shut, grudgingly accepting he had a point.
“You’re right,” she at last managed to rasp. “We can’t be sure what they did to me. I could be programmed to betray the very people I’ve sworn to protect.”
Bayon held her gaze. It might be shitty to use her loyalty to her people to keep her from charging after her kidnappers, but Bayon knew he’d have to use every trick he possessed to handle this female.
She was cunning, strong, and utterly independent, and she would walk all over him if he wasn’t careful.
“For now it’s more important that you try to piece together how you were kidnapped,” he murmured softly. “That might lead us to someone who can give us info on the bastards.”
With a sudden shove, Keira was out of his arms and seated on the edge of the pool with her arms wrapped around her knees.
“I’ve tried,” she muttered.
Taking care not to startle her, Bayon moved to sit beside her. He was painfully aware that while his mate was physically healed, there was still a part of her that was dangerously fragile.
“Do you think they had a method of erasing your memories?”
“No.” Her gaze was locked on the droplets of water that sparkled like diamonds, as if they held some clue to her missing memories. “I think it’s me.”
“You?”
“I think there’s some reason I’m blocking the memory.”
His gaze skimmed her fragile profile. Keira’s personality was so forceful it was easy to forget just how delicately she was built.
“Then we wait until you’re prepared to face it.”
She gave a sharp shake of her head. “No.”
He growled low in his throat. Damned stubborn feline.
“Keira—”
She turned to meet his annoyed glare, her expression one of grim determination. “Listen to me.”
He didn’t want to. He wanted to tell her that it was too dangerous. But one look into the shadows that lurked in her eyes and he knew that Keira didn’t need a protector. Not now. She needed to know he would support her.
“I’m listening,” he said.
“For the past twenty-five years I’ve been forced to feel helpless.” She shuddered, the days of being locked in the cell still raw in her mind. “It nearly destroyed me.”
Bayon reached out to brush his fingers over her pale cheek, his heart squeezing with pain. Only a Pantera with Keira’s mental strength could have survived.