My Cat Burglar Read online

  “To you, I’m an open source document, sweet cheeks.”

  A spasm of irritation marched across her face. “I thought we had a deal. I told you my name so you didn’t call me that.”

  “What?” Jonno aimed for innocence and suspected he failed.

  “Sweet cheeks.”

  No mistaking her tone for anything except disgruntled and pissed. Jonno restrained his natural humor, so pleased with his prospective mate he wanted to cheer. “Laura, I’d be happy to answer your questions. Anything,” he added, stressing the word and ratcheting up the tension in the room.

  Damn, she was fun to tease. He wondered if she’d be fun in bed and decided yes, because despite the tightening of her sensual mouth, her blue eyes shone with heat and a hint of yearning.

  “This way. We’ll grab a beer and sit outside.” Bed needed to wait while he reassured his woman. He could do this—wait for longer—since they’d have years together. Now was the time to exercise patience.

  Jonno strode down the passage to the kitchen without waiting to see if she’d follow. If she turned and walked out of the house, leaving him alone…well, he didn’t want to know right now because he balanced on a slender thread of control, just restraining his urge to pounce and drag her off to his bed. Knowing and admitting he had to finesse her first wasn’t appeasing his feline. Randy bastard.

  In the kitchen, he switched on the light and made his way over to the far side, near the scarred countertop. He opened the old fridge and pulled out two cans of beer, relieved at hearing her hesitant footsteps. Good. He’d hoped she’d overcome her natural instincts to run. Somehow, he didn’t think his mate was a quitter. “Do you want a glass?”

  “No, the can is fine.”

  Jonno handed her one and opened a door to step outside. The house was an old one and nothing flash, after accommodating numerous bachelors. A previous occupant had built a patio area outside the kitchen. Overlooking the valley, during the day he could see clear to the river. Jonno liked to sit outside and listen to the sounds and soak in the countryside. He enjoyed the solitude and open spaces after sharing a house with the Mitchell twins and two other students in Dunedin.

  “Take a seat.” Light from the kitchen spilled outside, enough to let Laura see with ease. He decided a little chitchat might relax her and again thanked his mother for the way she’d taught him social skills. The right way to treat a lady. It still beat him why she’d marry a man like his father, someone so dominant and set in his ways. He’d clashed with his father at his first shift—age thirteen—and things hadn’t improved with the passing years. They didn’t play well together.

  Jonno snorted. An understatement. They didn’t agree on anything, which was why he’d left home, that and the fact his father had wanted him gone, insisting on his departure.

  He smiled at her. “Where did you live before you moved to Middlemarch?”

  “Dunedin.” Laura sank onto the wooden patio chair with a soft sigh.

  “How long were you there?”

  “Almost two years.”

  “What made you come to Middlemarch?”

  Laura took a sip of her beer before answering. “I don’t want to talk.”

  “Ah, a mystery.” Curiosity surfaced, lingered while he observed the fleeting emotions on her face.

  “There’s nothing mysterious involved. Why don’t you tell me what you were doing inside the Miller house? Reassure me letting you go was a good idea and that I won’t find the Miller diamond or any of the other missing jewels in your possession.”

  “You know I don’t have the diamond. It might be hard for you to believe, but I swear it’s the truth.”

  Laura’s glance speared to him. Her cop face. Tight mouth. Piercing eyes that saw everything. Her chin lifted a fraction and set in a stubborn line. “If you tell me you’re the thief and possess a cat burglar calling, I’m gonna sock you in the jaw.”

  Jonno had to bite his lip to keep from laughing aloud. She had the cat thing right. “Why do you say cat burglar?”

  “Because I do not understand how the thief obtained access to the properties. He or she needs to have a good head for heights, that’s for sure.”

  “I’m not a thief. I told you Saber Mitchell and the local council asked me to investigate and learn what I could of the thefts. They’re concerned it might stop people attending the functions they’ve organized to draw tourists to the town.”

  “And I told you they can’t take the law into their own hands,” Laura snapped. “I should arrest the lot of you.”

  “A hint, sweet cheeks. It might make you a trifle unpopular if you arrest the community leaders. Some of them are grandfathers.”

  “My name is Laura,” she gritted out. “Don’t worry. I know politics and rules and how they’re bent to suit the individual, especially if said individual has connections in the right places.” Bitterness tinged her words and stirred Jonno’s curiosity. There was a story here, and he’d wager it related to her employment in Dunedin. She gave the impression of a woman with ambition. A job in small town Middlemarch screamed of a sidestep rather than promotion.

  “This is a country town. Everyone knows each other—the usual residents at any rate. With the balls and other functions the town is organizing plus the tourists from the Tairei Gorge train, there are more strangers around the place. Saber and the rest of the council are concerned locals are involved because the thieves seem to know when the homeowners will be away and have inside knowledge of what to steal.”

  “Did they think to report it to us? Stopping thieves is in our job description.”

  “No offense, Laura. You’re new. Charlie hasn’t been here much longer than you and you’re both unknown quantities. The crimes were reported to you.”

  “What about tonight? Did you see anything?”

  “The thieves had left by the time I arrived. I don’t understand why the Millers didn’t have an alarm,” he added. “Their safe comprised of a locked cupboard. No trouble for the thieves to break the lock.” He made a mental note to mention this to Henry Anderson and Gerard Drummond who ran a local security business. They were both away, working on a big month-long job in Dunedin, but they’d probably appreciate more business.

  “Thieves? There’s more than one?” Laura considered him carefully and decided he held something back. “There’s something else.”

  “You’re good.” Admiration filled Jonno. His mate didn’t miss a trick.

  “Changing the subject won’t help. Spit it out.”

  “Yeah, more than one. A gang perhaps. Although I didn’t see them, I caught their scents.” He expected skepticism and received it.

  “Come on! What are you? A sniffing dog?” Laughter curled across her lips, lighting her face and enticing him to share the joke at his expense.

  When Jonno didn’t so much as crack a grin, her humor faded to confounded.

  “You’re serious.”

  “Yes.” His feline made a protesting sound, irritated by the laughter. Jonno had known she’d doubt him. He set his beer on the ground near his chair and stood. “Sit there and don’t move. I want to show you something.” This might rate as a stupid move. Too bad. Laura was his mate. Instinct told him he could trust her. Besides, if she tried to tell people around Middlemarch, they’d laugh at her. As a newly arrived cop, spreading tales of cats might come close to professional suicide. No, he’d calculated the odds and figured showing his feline wouldn’t cause any problems, not unless she hated cats.

  With deft movements, he slid off his socks and straightened to lift his T-shirt over his head.

  “Wait a minute,” Laura said. “What’s with you and the stripping?”

  “I like to show off my body to you,” he said, knowing it was nothing less than the truth. “But this time I want to show you something else.”

  “Okay, I’ll just sit back and enjoy the show. So far I see nothing objectionable. A warning though—I will report violations to the relevant authorities.” Glints of humor twin
kled in her expression, and he found himself charmed over again by this sassy woman. She sipped her beer before setting it aside in clear expectation.

  Jonno shivered as her fascinated gaze ran over his upper body. His feline pushed at him hard, eager for both mating and release. He wanted truth between them. He wanted Laura to know what she faced by sleeping with him. Yes, he’d be putting himself at risk. He wanted to embrace that risk and go with his gut instinct. Laura was a cop, not easily frightened. Already she’d shown her fighting spirit and willingness to listen, even if it went against her professional training. Jonno unzipped his jeans and shoved them down his hips.

  Laura clapped her hands with enthusiasm. Her lips pursed in a sharp whistle of appreciation. “Don’t I get any fancy moves?”

  “All in good time.” Jonno kicked his jeans out of the way and couldn’t stop from striking a pose for her viewing pleasure. He flexed muscles and got a real buzz out of the entire situation, even knowing things could head south fast.

  “Very nice,” Laura approved. “Can I touch?”

  “Soon.” Taking a deep breath to settle the onset of nerves, Jonno pictured a spotted leopard in his mind. Discomfort flashed through him as his body fought the first stages of the change. This gave way to complete upheaval as fur rippled across his skin and bones reshaped. Vaguely aware of Laura’s sharp gasp of horror, he fell to all fours, his jaw reshaping and sharp canine teeth flashing into prominence. He watched her reaction. Shock—yes. At least she hadn’t run. Feeling as possessive as he did, he wasn’t sure he’d let her leave. Perhaps this hadn’t been a good idea.

  The magical glow of the change faded, and Jonno turned to face her squarely, unable to prevent the lash of his tail through the air. He knew he appeared scary because of his sheer size. But hell, he was a pretty feline with a glossy coat and cute spots. It wasn’t all bad news. Jonno padded toward Laura, taking it easy and giving her time to process.

  “Jonno?” His name sounded scarcely louder than a whoosh of air from her lips.

  Moving closer still, he rubbed his head against her knee and let out a soft purr as the gingerly stroke of her hand ran along his back, ruffling his fur. Elation fueled the next purr since her touch held more confidence. Everything would work out. Now that he’d exposed his true self there were no other alternatives.

  Chapter Three

  “Are you the cat burglar?” The words burst from Laura before good sense quashed them. The hairs at the back of her neck stirred while her heartbeat took flight.

  A leopard.

  He was a bloody big leopard, and while the great lug purred now, nothing guaranteed he’d continue in the same vein.

  Her gaze dropped to his claws—lethal weapons capable of great harm. Sharp white teeth gleamed, and her breath caught in her throat. Holy crap.

  Jonno—the cat—drew back a fraction with an indignant snarl. Damn, he’d turned into a cat right in front of her eyes. Surreptitiously, she wiped them and blinked to refocus. A big leopard still rubbed against her, regarding her in a regal manner. Every single bit of her education and upbringing told her shapeshifters didn’t exist, yet she’d seen him change from man to beast. And she hadn’t been drinking—well, not much. She forced herself to breathe slower, her nerves to settle. He hadn’t hurt her. Yet.

  “If you’re not the cat burglar, then who is?” Somehow concentrating on the thefts helped her stay calm. Her instinct to run passed, replaced by curiosity and fascination along with a healthy slice of unease. “Can I stroke you again?”

  Jonno let out a purr, sounding full of pleasure. She stood, almost losing her knees. Maybe she wasn’t as cool as she’d thought. It wasn’t every day a woman discovered her beliefs regarding fact and fiction needed amendment.

  He rubbed his head against her thigh, and Laura crouched beside him to run her hands over his back, treating him much as she did the family cat. She scratched behind his ears and petted him, glorying in the plush fur beneath her hands while keeping an eye on his teeth and claws. He purred before pushing her aside and backing away.

  Laura let out a started cry as she found herself sitting on her butt. A glow surrounded the cat, and she watched in fascination as he shifted again, seconds later, appearing as a naked man in front of her. A very aroused naked man.

  With two long strides he reached her side and scooped her off the ground.

  “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m fine,” Laura said, dazed, her nerves still doing a number on her knees. A girl didn’t find herself fully clothed in the arms of a naked man often either.

  He strode into the house and headed away from the kitchen without bothering to turn on lights. Seconds later they entered a room, and she found herself in the middle of a large bed. With rapid moves he unfastened the uniform shirt and divested her of it. Her bra followed, his competent fingers brushing the straps down her arms and releasing her swollen breasts. He groaned. The masculine sound of appreciation worked magic on her body, her nipples drawing to taut crests.

  Laura did nothing to protest or to help. She couldn’t do a thing, mesmerized by his eyes. They glowed, and while she couldn’t see much in the dark room, she could imagine all too well. A leopard. The reality kept rearing up to tease her mind. This wasn’t such a good idea, having sex…

  “Could we have light?” she asked, picturing many things, including being split open by a forked cock. Yeah, she’d seen him earlier. She’d tried not to look then. This time she’d scrutinize him in case of barbs or anything else alien and alarming.

  Seconds later a bedside lamp softened the darkness, allowing her to see him. Her stomach turned in a slow somersault when she focused on his erection. It seemed huge.

  He glanced up on hearing her gasp, and she knew he’d notice her wide-eyed and apprehensive expression, although he didn’t stop removing her clothes. Excitement laced with trepidation raced the length of her body, sensitizing nerves and bringing a tremble.

  “What are we going to do?” Stupid question, Laura. One glance at his swollen cock provided the answers she needed.

  “We’re going to have fun. Mutual pleasure.” He unbuckled her belt and worked the buttons and zipper free, a slight smile of anticipation on his lips. She wondered again if she should protest. Her breath eased out in a soft pant. Yeah, like that would happen. She didn’t want to halt him. Sleeping with a man who transformed to a cat should’ve scared her silly. Something in Jonno encouraged trust, in his human form at any rate. It was clear Emily Mitchell knew him, liked and trusted him.

  “Is Emily the same as you?” Emily ran the local café. She cooked. The locals liked her so she didn’t present a danger.

  “No,” he said without hesitation, urging her to lift her hips so he could remove her trousers. He tossed them aside before returning to her side.

  “Oh.” There went that theory. “Are there others like you?” Someone I might know already so I have a rational reason to continue down this track without freaking…

  “Yes. Do I frighten you?” Warm hands slid her socks off her feet, leaving her dressed in skimpy black panties.

  “No…a little bit.” At this point honest reactions were good.

  Jonno nodded, serious for once. “I prefer honesty, which is why I demonstrated my special skills. I don’t like starting off a relationship with lies.” He stroked his hand across her bare breast, coming close to her nipple but stopping short of touching it. She quivered, the need in her building to urgency and unlike anything she’d encountered before.

  “We don’t have a relationship.” The truth, besides she didn’t know about this cat thing. It might work in the movies or in a book, but real life? Not so much.

  “We will. You’ve wanted to fuck me ever since we first saw each other.”

  Heat suffused her cheeks. Had she been so transparent? And worse, had Charlie noticed? He knew of her disgrace in Dunedin and the reason for her placement in Middlemarch, although he didn’t seem one to gossip. Laura shifted a fraction on t
he bed and registered the burning arousal in her body continued to grow rather than dissipating.

  Large hands, capable of harm, stroked her hair. “It’s no need for embarrassment. I craved your touch from the minute I saw you. There’s a reason for that.”

  “There is?” She suppressed a shudder at the stroke of his finger across her cheek. Yeah, she was stark, raving mad. Got it in one.

  “Felines mate for life. You are my mate.”

  Whoa! No way. She didn’t believe in love-at-first-sight shit. “It sounds like a corny romance. I don’t believe you. You’ve done something, performed weird magic.”

  “Not magic. It’s more hormones. The desire between us, the electricity whenever we touch. I dare you to lie and say you feel nothing.” His expression held frustration along with heat and a longing so palpable she wanted to rub against him, to placate him and stir the hunger to greater depths. Like a…like a cat in heat.

  A flush moved across her face, and she couldn’t hold his intense gaze. She had to glance away, each breath coming in a harsh pant.

  “It’s not magic or compulsion?”

  Jonno nuzzled her neck, his warm breath making her squirm. “No magic,” he repeated. “It’s hormones and the yearning to mate.”

  “Not like any hormones I’ve encountered before.” She twisted away from him to study his face, battling both fear of the unknown and her own desires. Something told her if she gave in to the compulsion to touch all would be lost. “I don’t understand. Why did you show me? What if I go around telling everyone you’re a cat?”

  Jonno smirked. “I doubt they’d believe you. Besides, I don’t want secrets between us. I believe in candor right from the start. Lies are no way to start a relationship.”

  Laura scowled. He kept mentioning relationships. The man had rocks in his head if he thought this was about anything other than scratching an itch. “I don’t do relationships.” No way, no how. Not after the travesty with Mike.

  “Okay. We can stick to sex and friendship at the moment.” And with that he pounced, caging her with hands placed either side of her shoulders. His eyes, full of laughter, glowed, and now that she knew he could shift forms, she could see the feline in him—the power and grace whenever he moved.