His Purrfect Mate (Mating Heat Book 2) Read online

  “Thanks. Come down to the bar so you can head her off.”

  “I can be there in ten minutes.”

  Anton hung up and ignored the smirk Glenda directed his way. “I’m going out hunting. Protect her. No one—and I mean no one—goes near her.”

  “Fine.” Glenda shrugged. “You’re the boss.”

  Chapter Five

  Nerves made Shannon’s skin itch while she paced the small apartment. The scent of Anton lingered inside the room but became almost overpowering near his bed. She licked her lips and decided to take a shower. She could smell him on her clothes and skin. It had been hours since he’d left and she had no idea when he’d return.

  The bathroom must have been recently upgraded because everything looked new. The only flaw in the design happened to be that there was no lock on the door. It made her leery of stripping naked but she longed to wash away Anton’s scent from her body, hoping it would restore some sense of normalcy.

  Hunger made her stomach rumble while she stood under the warm water pouring down her body. She’d skipped lunch and knew it had to be past her regular dinner hour. She’d always needed to eat more than other people, chalking it up to all the hyper energy that had plagued her throughout her life. She quickly washed her hair and then dried off.

  She bit her lip, stared at her folded, dirty clothes, but avoided them. Shannon listened by placing an ear to the door until she became certain Anton hadn’t returned. She eased it open slowly. All her senses seemed to have gone into hyperdrive since coming into contact with werewolves. It left her feeling disturbed, since she’d been so sure she hadn’t inherited that many traits from her father. Now it made her wonder if those abilities had lain dormant as a result of never being needed.

  The dresser contained nine drawers, which she stared at, wondering if anything he owned would actually fit her. It only took her seconds to decide she’d rather face the werewolf clothed than in a damp towel. She opened a drawer full of T-shirts, pulled out one, and dropped the towel. She tugged it on and it fell to mid-thigh. Anton happened to be really big and his shirt appeared as if it were a dress on her smaller frame. She opened another drawer, hunting for sweats.

  “Shit,” she gasped.

  Her eyes widened in surprise at seeing the boxes. There had to be hundreds of condoms in every color and variation. She slammed the drawer closed to yank open another one. Why does he need that many? Her next thought gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. How many women does he sleep with? The mental image of Anton with other women left her feeling unsettled and decidedly bitchy.

  The door beeped and Shannon spun around, straightened, and fear gripped her as she watched it swing open. Anton took a few steps into the room and then suddenly froze, his head jerking in her direction after he sniffed the air.

  “I hope you don’t mind but I took a shower and now I’m raiding your clothes.”

  She didn’t miss the tense expression on his handsome features or the way his body seemed to stiffen until his hands fisted at his sides. His intense gaze lowered down her body and his eye color seemed to darken as she watched. He said nothing, didn’t move, but seemed fixated on studying her bare legs.

  “Did you find the men you were looking for? Is it safe for me to go home yet?”

  He cleared his throat, refocusing his attention on her face. “No. It seems someone tipped them off that I was angry and they’ve gone into hiding. I’ll find them. They have to show up for a mandatory pack meeting at breakfast and I’ll be waiting for them when they do. I…” He lowered his gaze to her legs again. “I thought you might be hungry. I know I am.”

  “I’m starving.”

  “I’m having dinner brought up to us. It should arrive at any time. I called from my cell on my way back to let the cook know to prepare our meal.”

  “Thank you. Is there something wrong with my legs? You’re staring.”

  He met her slightly amused look. “Sorry.”

  “Do you want to tell me where you keep your sweats?”

  “You won’t need them.”

  That raised her eyebrows. “I do. This shirt doesn’t cover that much and I’ll be more comfortable wearing something under it.”

  His nose flared and a soft growl escaped his parted lips. “You’re not wearing panties?”

  A blush warmed her cheeks. “I’m starting to realize that you have a bad habit of asking really personal questions. Which drawer do you keep your sweatpants in? I don’t want to open any more of them, blindly searching for pants.” She glanced at his condom drawer, then back at him. “I’m afraid of what else I’ll find.”

  He grinned, obviously not embarrassed in the least. “All the other drawers contain clothing.”

  “I’m not even going to ask what you’re thinking.”

  “Go ahead.” He peeled off his jacket, blindly tossing it onto a chair by the still-open door. “What do you want to know?”

  After a slight hesitation, she decided she might as well ask since it did make her curious. “Why do you have a lifetime supply of condoms? Is there something wrong with buying them a box at a time like everyone else does?”

  “I told you, mating heat is approaching. I have no plans to take a mate and if I were to get a female pregnant, I’d be expected to commit to her. I’d rather have too many than not enough. I actually have more boxes of them stashed inside the bedside table.”

  Shannon knew her mouth dropped open as she gaped at him.

  Anton chuckled. “What?”

  “Those are some big boxes and that drawer is packed with them.”

  He took a step toward her. “And?”

  “Do you really need that many?” The idea of having enough sex to use them all had her belly quivering, and his shirt suddenly seemed way too small.

  “Mating heat is exactly the way it sounds.” He took another step, closing the distance between them. “Think of it as going into a complete frenzy for sex.”

  “Oh.” She wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

  Anton inched closer until he stood before her and she had to tip her head back to keep contact with his heated gaze. His hands unclenched and he reached for her. Shannon took a quick step back to avoid his touch but forgot the open drawer. The edge of it bumped against the back of her knee. She gasped from the sharp pain and would have lost her balance if Anton hadn’t suddenly lunged to grab her hips. He yanked her against his body.

  “Where are you going?” His voice deepened and he pulled her tightly against his larger frame. “You look as nervous as a kitten trapped inside a dog house.” He grinned at his joke.

  “That’s not funny.” She gripped his bare arms under his elbows and the second her fingers touched him, she gasped as a jolt of electric current seemed to spark.

  “You look good wearing my shirt.”

  “Thank you.” Shannon leaned back until her breasts weren’t smashed against his chest, unsure of why he kept hold of her. “Do you want to let me go?”

  “No.” He paused. “You’d look better without it.”

  Her mind blanked, distracted by his touch and how close he stood to her. “Without what?”

  “My shirt.” His fingers tightened on her hips. “Why don’t you take it off?”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Why not?” Amusement flashed in his sexy eyes. He appeared flat-out heart-stoppingly handsome when his generous lips arched upward to create a naughty-looking grin. “I know I’d enjoy the view.”

  “I don’t even know you and I don’t have sex with strangers.”

  That drew a chuckle from him. “Who said anything about sex? Is that what you’re thinking about?”

  Shannon frowned in response. “You expect me to believe you wouldn’t want sex if I were totally naked?”

  “I’m a werewolf. We’re comfortable with bare skin. If you’d been raised around shifters you wouldn’t think twice about nudity around others. I admit, I’m very curious to see every inch of you.” He slid his