Page 11 of Purrfectly Naughty
Chapter 6
Uh oh.
This was not fucking happening. Panic filled her chest as she listened to the man approach and heard him inhale deeply. The sexy little growl that played in his throat was making her crazy with lust.
Mate.
Fuck, no this is not happening right now.
Yes, it is. Mate,her Tigress growled insistently.
Most Shifters dreamt of the day they’d meet their fated mates, but Pamela had been down this road before. She’d given everything she had to a man and had been used and abused.
Fucking Blake, she shivered in disgust at the thought of the madman’s name.
The things she’d done and had been subjected to under the influence of the former Beta of the Maverick Pride, the man who had duped them all, but her most of all, used to make Pamela want to weep with shame. But. Not. Anymore.
Not since she’d learned she had real friends in the Pride. They’d showed her kindness and patience and she knew now that she had nothing to be ashamed of. Pamela had been a victim of Blake’s dishonesty and cruelty.
She thought she loved him, and he took advantage of her affection. He’d tricked her into thinking he was her mate and had used her and others horribly, but she would not regret it. That would mean regretting Paulie, and she would never, ever do that.
Her son was the most important thing in her life. She had steady work now at Cut It Out, friends, and a chance to make a place for herself and her son in the Pride. Being asked to come here to this event to represent them was an honor and, like Elissa said, she was going to make the most of it.
When was the last time she’d gotten dressed up and let her hair down? Never like this, she thought nervously and looked down at the beautiful dress Jessica had loaned her.
The stranger was still some feet away from her. Perhaps in the doorway. Though she was acutely aware of his presence, she did not tip him off to that fact. Not until she decided what she wanted to do.
Determined to put the past behind her, at least for the evening. Pamela worried her lower lip between her teeth. She had no intention of being tied to a man ever again.
But who was she to argue with fate? The man growled louder and her sex throbbed in need. Fuck. She should be angry, but she didn’t think he did it on purpose. If what she had scented was real, the stranger was just as helpless as she was.
Either way she needed to confront it, to confront him.
Her mate.Yikes.
Pamela straightened her shoulders and turned abruptly, running right smack into his pretty formidable chest. When the heck had he crossed the floor?
Strong arms wrapped around her waist to steady her and she gripped the lapels of the exquisite suit jacket tightly as the scent of sunshine, pine trees, and fresh mountain air reached her nostrils.
Dear gods!She swayed as the delicious scent seemed to send shockwaves of awareness careening through her blood.
“Easy, querida, I’ve got you,” a slightly accented voice whispered into her ear.
Pamela trembled involuntarily as moisture pooled between her thighs. That sexy, growly voice was filling her head with all sorts of naughty ideas. She moaned softly and licked her lips unable to stop her temperature from spiking.
His eyes flashed and she knew what conclusion he’d drawn from that slow intake of air, because the truth was, Pamela had come to the same one.
Mate.
“My name is Javier Auberon, and you, little kitten, are mine.”
Pamela’s eyes traveled up past his massive chest and shoulders to the perfectly trimmed shadow on his face, all the way until she reached his cocky grin and glittering eyes. The easy confidence in his eyes shook her and she narrowed her own at him.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I think you have mistaken me for a toy or a possession. I don’t belong to you. I don’t belong to anyone,” she stepped out of his arms and immediately missed his warmth.
“No, I am not wrong. You belong to me, kitten, why deny it?” he asked and she felt his confusion.
“Nuh uh,” she shook her head.