Page 55 of Covert Affections (Shadow Agents/PSI-Ops #5)

Chapter Forty-Two

Jesse

Jesse wanted to shout and tell her the truth, that it had all been real.

That he’d claimed her and that she was his mate.

Since he couldn’t actually speak in cat form, he tried to push his thoughts at her, but he was in such a panicked state he couldn’t.

He wasn’t even sure it would have worked had he been able to try.

A thickness settled in his chest. Every part of him screamed to be understood. For her to know what had occurred between them.

Lindy leaned over the side of the bed. Her dark hair tumbled forward, framing perfect breasts that made his cat form want to do very un-catlike things to her, especially since he knew how those breasts tasted in his mouth.

His focus narrowed, and his tail went in her direction, as desperate to touch her as the rest of him. And just like that, his dick was hard again.

Dammit.

Focus.

He did, and his erection eased. When Jesse finally calmed himself enough to try communicating telepathically with her again, he was met with what felt like a wall.

He should be able to communicate with his mate on a shared mental path reserved only for her.

Why wasn’t it working? Had the claim not worked like he’d thought it did?

Doubt churned in his gut, festering, building with every second ticking by. He tried yet again to no avail.

"Fluffy, are you okay? Did you fall off the bed?" She reached for him, completely unafraid.

His beast purred at her touch, while his human mind spun. She thought she dreamed of being with him?

Did he tell her the truth? Did he shift back and show her?

Yes, and have her run screaming. Genius idea, idiot.

This gorgeous, naked goddess was quite possibly his mate. The other half of what made him whole. But how could he be sure? He'd never experienced anything like this before—this all-consuming need to claim and protect.

He moved to a seated position, leaving his shoulders and head well above bed level with as large as he was in cat form. That gifted him a perfect view of Lindy—fully naked.

She scratched behind his ears, and his dick picked then to make itself more than known. There was no way to hide the thing. It was big, erect, and bright pink, complete with penile spines he had while in shifted form but not human form.

Lindy’s gaze snapped right to it. She reached for her glasses on the end table and put them on.

Her eyes widened. “Mountain lions get morning wood? So strange, yet oddly fascinating. Charley always leaves out the cool details about animals. I’d have paid far more attention to her ramblings if she included penis information. She should have just led with that.”

She tipped her head, getting a better view of his cat erection. “It’s big and…weird.”

Mortification filled him. That’s exactly what every man wanted to hear—that his dick was weird . Sure, while shifted, it didn’t look like a human male’s dick, but it was hardly weird.

Jesse didn’t dare move as he tried to will the thing down. Of course, it didn’t budge. Why would it? Lindy was naked and right in front of him.

She laughed softly as she rolled onto her back on the bed. “I really need to figure out a way to feed my succubus side, or I’m going to end up overthinking your morning kitty wood. Not cool, Fluffy. Not cool at all.”

He nearly laughed.

Lindy grunted softly. “Oddly, I haven’t felt this recharged in months. Okay, ever. I’m tired but not bone tired. So weird. Feels like I fed my darkness. Whoa! Sex dreams about hot blonde dudes can take the edge off? Why didn’t Teresa ever tell me that?”

Jesse stiffened, part of him wanting to shift and confess the truth, the rest of him happy to live the lie.

“Come on back to bed, Fluffy,” said Lindy, patting the mattress. “It’s too early to be up.”

His cat side was totally on board with hopping up there with her. He purred, easing forward, putting his head on the side of the bed.

Lindy rolled onto her side and smiled at the sight of him there. She began to pet his head again.

He purred more. He nudged her hand and eased his head forward more, going for her face.

She didn’t roll away or tense.

He licked her cheek.

She giggled and scrunched her nose. “Gross.”

Jesse snorted.

Her eyes widened. “Did you just laugh?”

He stayed there, his face close to hers, their gazes locked.

He wanted to tell her exactly who he was and that the sex hadn’t been a dream, but shifting back into human form was proving harder than it should have been.

The violent, uncontrolled shift he’d gone through had been too much on his system.

It would more than likely be hours before he’d be able to return to his base—human—form.

Lindy rubbed behind his ear. “I know I said this last night, but your eyes are just like a guy’s who showed up at my man-meat market. The same guy I just dreamed I was having sex with.”

Man-meat market? That’s what the woman called her job fair?

He snorted again. She was perfect from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.

Jesse was about to give in and leap onto the bed with her once more to cuddle when he heard the sounds of a vehicle approaching. Its tires crunched over the gravel as it turned onto Lindy’s driveway.

He tensed, and a snarl tore free of him at the thought it might be Peters or the hybrids. Reason kicked in, and he relaxed some. They wouldn’t drive to her. They’d come in animal form to attack.

Lindy sat up and looked toward the window. She gasped and flung her legs around, standing so fast that her crotch ended up right in Jesse’s face.

Fucking hell! The woman is going to leave me doing something I shouldn’t.

She touched the top of his head. “You have to be a good boy and promise not to make any noise in here and don’t come out of my room. Please. Robert won’t be okay with this. He might do something drastic like shoot you or change into a wolf and hurt you that way.”

Jesse wasn’t sure what time it was, but he knew it was late—still night. Really fucking late. Why was Robert here, and why wasn’t Lindy rushing to get dressed? She wasn’t planning to greet him naked, was she? This wasn’t a late-night booty call, was it?

A growl rumbled in his chest, and for a minute, he sounded more like a wolf shifter than a cat one.

Lindy bent before him, her hands going to the sides of his head. “Fluffy, please. I don’t want either of you hurt.”

Dammit.

Jesse couldn’t tell her no. Not a great sign if she was his mate. It meant she’d have him wrapped around her finger.

He licked her cheek and moved around her, going right for her open closet door. He bit the end of a silk robe that was hanging and tugged.

Lindy moved up behind him and took the article of clothing from him, staring at him with a shocked expression. “Those wildlife documentaries never once mentioned how smart you guys are.”

Jesse nudged her, wondering when, or if, it would dawn on her that he wasn’t a normal mountain lion. That he was a shifter, like the man he really wanted to kill, but was going to be on his best behavior because Lindy begged him to be.

She put the robe on and tensed. “He’ll smell you on me. He’ll smell you here. Crap.”

Lindy twisted around fast and went for her dresser.

She grabbed one of the bottles of body spray and held it out, dousing the room in what smelled like her—honey and melon but with hints of cinnamon undertones.

She sprayed so much he nearly choked on it.

Then she walked through the mist, coating herself with it.

“Lindy?”

At the sound of the man’s voice and the knowledge he’d let himself in without knocking, Jesse bared his teeth.

Lindy pointed at him and mouthed the words, “Bad kitty.”

With a large harrumph, Jesse jumped onto the bed and lay down like an obedient, domesticated animal. The woman had turned him into a fucking house cat and he was going along with it.

This fucking blows.

She left the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

The cat pulled back rapidly, shocking Jesse as it released its hold on him so he could change forms. Jesse managed to make it a whole thirty seconds before he leaped off the bed and shifted back into human form.

Clearly, he sucked at being obedient, especially when his mate was out there with her ex—a man she’d been intimate with.

A man who knew what it felt like to be buried in her.

A man he wanted to rip the throat out of.

He fought a snarl, knowing the other shifter male would hear it.

While Jesse was totally fine with having it out with the male, he knew Lindy wouldn’t forgive him.

Plus, he’d have to explain to her exactly why he was naked in her bedroom, where Fluffy had gone, that he actually was Fluffy and that the sex dream she’d had, wasn’t a dream at all.

Oh, and that he’d claimed her, meaning they were husband and wife.

None of that even touched on the shared history they had and how he’d need to admit to all of it as well.

Probably best to be fucking quiet and come up with a better plan.

His cat, who really, really want to challenge the wolf-shifter, drew back some, clearly agreeing their best course of action was not to dump everything on their mate in such a manner.

Jesse caught sight of his reflection in the mirror above the dresser. He looked as crazed as he felt.

The damn body spray Lindy had doused the room in was aggravating his nose and giving him a headache. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he continued to pace.

Lightning flashed outside, and he walked toward the window. He opened it fully, hoping it would help rid the room of the overwhelming smell of body spray. He’d smell like a perfume factory barfed on him for a while, but the room would at least clear.

“You all right?” asked the wolf-shifter, his voice grating on Jesse’s last nerve as he listened with ease to their conversation.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” Lindy returned, her voice soft.