Page 35 of Purrfectly Kissed

Jessica’s eyes closed against the light whispery touch. The promise of untold pleasures only he could bring teased her senses.

She shivered with delight. Sighing and moving her body every time his lips grazed her skin. He kept the pressure ever so light, almost as if he were afraid he’d break her if he pressed any harder.

His almost-kisses were a form of erotic torture, she decided. Heightening her already growing arousal and whetting her appetite for him in ways she had no idea how to handle. Her nails scratched his shoulders, not enough to break the skin, but enough to make him groan against her neck.

She felt so small up against the mountain of a man. Secretly loving the way he towered over her. He was practically bent in half as he trailed kisses along her clavicle. Jess bit her lip, silencing her whimpers as he dipped his head lower to graze the tops of her breasts.

Oh please, oh please, oh please.

Heat filled her lower belly, her sex dripped moisture, making her damp panties positively soaked. She couldn’t go inside the Pride House. Not now.

“Been thinking about this for days, kitten. So sweet, so beautiful,” he murmured, calling her a pet name for the first time ever as he kissed along the visible line of her cleavage.

“But you, you haven’t called me since lunch the other day,” she whispered, and some of her hurt seeped into her voice.

Dammit.

She squeezed her eyes tight and cursed herself for breaking the spell between them. It was time to put on her big girl panties and have a real talk with the man.

Gulp.

ChapterThirteen

She felt a gentle hand on her chin, lifting her face. When she finally opened her eyes, it was to find his almost black ones staring into hers. She scented his regret in the air, and again, wanted to pinch herself for ruining the moment.

Nah. The hell with that. Jessica had to know what was going on before this went further. It was her heart on the line here, and maybe, if she was lucky, his too.

“I want to apologize for my behavior, Jessica. I can’t give you any excuse or reason that would be good enough for why I behaved that way,” Brayden explained.

She knew he was being sincere. Her she-Cat could sense it in his mannerisms, in his eyes, and in the scent he carried.

“I know, I should probably stay away from you. You’re the Neta’s sister, and you are so much more than I could ever endeavor to deserve, but I don’t know if I can.”

“You don’t know if you can what?”

“Stay away from you,” he whispered, eyebrows furrowed as he cupped her face.

Brayden’s handsome face turned down in a frown. His black eyes glittered, fraught with concern. Jessica instinctively ran her hands over his shoulders and neck, wanting to soothe him and bring him comfort.

Now, why on earth would she want to do that? This man had given her so many mixed signals she didn’t know which way was up, but somehow, she could not help herself.

Mate.

Her Tiger pushed the thought into her brain and her chest tightened. It was true then, and time she acknowledged it.

As soon as the idea emerged, she felt it right down to her bones. This man, this gorgeous Bear, was her fated mate. Her destiny. No doubt about it.

All this time, he’d known it too. And he’d been fighting it tooth and nail. Anger and disappointment threatened to overwhelm her, but she pushed it down, refusing to let it interfere with the joy that bubbled through her at knowing she had a mate.

“Kitten,” he pressed his forehead against hers.

“I think you know what I am about to say. I can scent the subtle changes in you. You feel it too, don’t you?”

“I think so,” she whispered back.

It was useless for most normals to hide their emotions from Shifters since lies and other things had distinct scents. But for someone who was born and raised a Shifter, it was positively pointless.

Jessica knew better than to cover or hide the way she felt. She’d learned early that Shifters, especially her brother, were excellent at detecting people’s feelings and discovering naughty little she-Cat’s hidden mischief. Rather than risk getting caught in a lie, she’d developed a way of simply locking up her feelings.

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