Free Destined Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #4) by J.H. Croix

sight of him. Deep inside, the pull to him was so strong, so intense, she quivered. The connection between them stitched tighter as he stood there, his caramel eyes locked to hers. She stood and stretched on the boulder and leapt down to his side. The air was alive around them. In the quiet, she turned and began weaving her way back down the mountainside. When they crossed into a field, she broke into a run, pounding across the distance. Hayden stayed on pace with her. She gloried in the feel of the air through her fur, the freedom from her human confusion. Here and now, she knew only one thing—she wanted Hayden and no one else.

    ***
    Hayden raced alongside Shana, pulsing with energy and primal desire. He hadn’t known he’d find her out here. He’d returned to the guesthouse this afternoon to find it empty. He’d been unsettled and out of sorts ever since the interview with Theo at the jail. Trying to wrap his brain around the fact that the truth of the power behind the smuggling network might have been sitting under his nose every day in the form of his boss made him sick. He sought the escape and freedom his lion offered and had followed a worn footpath to the edge of the forest behind the guesthouse. Once out of view, he shifted and took off. It didn’t take him long to catch the scent of another lion ahead of him. He immediately knew it was Shana, so he followed her trail until he found her.
    He glanced sideways. She ran at his side. She was breathtaking in her cat form, lithe and sensual. When they reached the edge of the trees, she shifted back into human form. He followed. The light was fading, the air chilly. He turned to see her already gathering the clothes she must have left behind. He followed suit, though it almost caused him physical pain. As he glanced around while they walked back to the guesthouse, he realized they were in full view of Dane and Chloe’s home. He wryly considered it probably wouldn’t be the wisest plan to take Shana under the circumstances.
    She was quiet as they walked. Her hair fell in disarray around her shoulders, her breath misted in the air. When they stepped into the guesthouse, she turned to him. Her smoky eyes held his steadily. He considered what to say and decided against words. He closed the distance between them, slid a hand into her tangled hair and brought his lips to hers. She went taut for a split second before her body went pliant against his.
    Hayden let loose the fierce desire inside, taking her mouth roughly. His hand laced into her hair and tugged, exposing her neck. Nipping at her earlobe, scraping his teeth down her neck, he could barely maintain his control. He stroked down her back, cupping her bottom and pulling her against his arousal—hot, hard and aching. The sound of her breathing drove him on. He tore at her clothes, as she did his. When they were bare, he pressed her against the door and plastered himself against her. Her soft curves gave against the hard planes of his body. He pulled back and just looked at her.
    Her honeyed locks fell in a tangled mess around her face and shoulders. Her silvery eyes were dark with desire, her lips swollen from his kisses. Her full breasts rose and fell rapidly with her breath. He cupped her breasts in both hands. Her mouth was slightly parted, a whimper escaped when he thumbed her nipples. He leaned forward and drew one and then the other into his mouth. As she arched into his touch, he bit down sharply. The ragged cry that fell from her lips notched the lust pounding through him even higher. He leaned down, snatching a condom out of his jeans and rolling it on swiftly.
    Hooking a hand under her thigh, he lifted it high and stepped into the cradle of her hips. Her breath came in pants, his heart battered against his ribs. He stroked into her folds, which were soaked. He groaned at the feel of her slick desire around his fingers when he delved inside.
    “Hayden…I need…”
    He couldn’t get inside of her fast