thebower | Peeping Tomcat

Oh my god, listen to yourself! Someone else has been in my house and you immediately think I'm sleeping with them? What is wrong with you?

[ She took a couple of steps closer to him, feeling more secure now that they were talking.

Well. She was getting close to yelling, actually. ]

And it means that you don't get to come here acting like a brute about it, because if I you can have "business" with people I can bloody well have a friend sit on my couch.

[If he was in a form with a tail, it'd be lashing furiously. He glowered, hands curling into fists to keep from moving. From picking up the couch and throwing it out her door.]

Clearly you haven't been learning enough about my kind if you think there's any veracity in anything you just said. Your friend hasn't just sat on your couch, Cassandra. He's bloody well erased every trace of my scent in this room. If I didn't know better, I'd think I'd never been here. Shall I take you to the markings outside? Show you the ten other suitors that have decided to stake their claim?

[She truly had no idea, and that was the part that infuriated him the most.]

Would you like to place a bet on whether or not your friend did the same thing in your room? In your bed?

[Lucas was certain of it. Whether or not she'd been active in letting the wolf scent all over the house, he wouldn't put it past a shifter that had crept into another's territory to sneak in and mark his territory over a previous scent. Either when she was occupied in another room or sneaking in while she was out. He might have done it himself if he'd had the right incentive.]

And that gives you a right to start acting like an asshole? You trust scent markings more than me, but I'm the problem here?

[ Honestly, even if she could have picked up all these scents, she would still be furious at him. ]

I am not acting li- augh!

[He turned away from her, hands up in his hair as he fought not to just pull it all out. Pricks of pain went through his head and he realized he'd let his claws slide free again, his control startlingly poor at the moment.]

It's not about- you just don't- bloody hell, woman! Imagine if you walked in my home and saw panties and bras laying over everything. Is that a human enough analogy for you? There's a message in-

[The rest of the sentence was an inarticulate grumbling snarl that sounded like a jaguar roar. How could she mingle with his kind and know so little? It wasn't just the scent, it was the flavor of it. The intent. The definite deposit of semen somewhere outside that implied more than she knew.]

For all I know that is what I would find at your place!

[ In spite of his slipping control, she still trusted him to not be a danger to her, which was why she marched up to and around him so they were face to face again.

For all that he was being an ass at the moment, he was still Lucas, and if she couldn't challenge him in moments like these there was no future for them anyway. ]

[When he snarled at her, his canines were slightly longer, more pointed, eyes still that blazing yellow as he stared down at her. Hurting her didn't cross his mind. It wasn't her he was furious with. It was the interlopers.]

You've never even asked to come to mine, so why would you care what is or isn't at my place? And for the record-

[He leaned down and bumped his forehead against hers, words almost lost in a growl as he replied.]

-you wouldn't.

[ Well, that was an unexpectedly tender gesture considering the snarl that preceded it.

She gently put her hands on his upper arms, not sure if she wanted to push him away or hold him in place. ]

Why do you care?

[It took a moment of breathing, and then his arms were around her, lifting her up as he crushed his lips to hers. His hands moved over her, his tongue licked at her lips, nipped at her, his teeth morphing back to something less lethal as he all but devoured her in a kiss.

When he broke it, he was panting, shaking a bit as he set her back down.]

Why the hell do you think?

[ Part of her was a bit annoyed with herself for how quickly she melted into that kiss, but she couldn't help herself. She needed it too.

She took his face between her hands, thumbs stroking his cheeks as she looked up at him. ]

There's no one else. I don't want anyone else.

[He rubbed against her hands, his coming up to cover hers as he finally managed to get the all but glowing yellow of his eyes to calm to blue.]

I think we may have to have a bit of a talk. Affirm and clarify some things. And I'd very much like to thrash your 'friend'. You can be excused for it, but he knew what he was doing.

We do need to talk. Also, Stefan really is my friend, so... go easy on him?

[ She was not going to argue with Lucas about whatever message he thought he was picking up here, but she still didn't want anyone to get hurt.

Well, maybe whoever left semen around. Lucas could punch that guy. ]

He's never been in my bedroom. If that helps.

I'm willing to bet he snuck in. Your friend knew what he was doing, pet. And it was more than just tugging my tail. I have his scent now, we'll have our chat on our time.

[Oh, he'd be tracking the wolf down. And he'd have more than a little chat.]

What the bloody hell happened between eight days ago and now that has a barrage of suitors leaving tracks on your property?

[Yes, there was still annoyance there, but there was concern as well.]

[ Cassandra couldn't help it, she rolled her eyes, but filed it under "shifter stuff" and decided to let it go for now. ]

I'm working a case. And would you stop calling them suitors?

Darling, if you could smell what I smell, you'd call them that or something less... savory. One of them left a rather fertile present for you.

[If she didn't know, she should. Not just because it would let her know that she had others interested in her, which she had a right to, but that one was a bit more persistent and potentially dangerous than others.]

You met a jackal? Unless you're genuinely interested, you need to give him shit.

That one, you have my blessing to thrash. Gross.

[ She shuddered with disgust. Cultural differences or not, that was just nasty. ]

Look, I know some of the shifters I've been spending time with are interested. Believe it or not, sometimes humans are too. It happens. "Suitors" just sounds... I don't know. Like I'm interested too. Which I'm not.

I'm sure they'd love to think otherwise.

[He lifted his hand to her hair, petting it and leaning over to kiss the top of her head before he let out a sigh.]

I'm going to have to apologize for being so utterly male, aren't I?

[ That actually made her laugh, which was such a relief that she had to mean against him as a bunch of tension left her body and left her just a little weak in the knees. ]

Definitely. I should probably apologize for not exactly making things easier because of my own jealousy.

Ah, is that what that was? And here I thought you were just being snippy in retaliation. I think we should have a cup of tea and have that talk before I decide to try to distract you.

Well, it was that too.

[ She got up on her toes to give him a quick kiss, and then stepped away from him to lead the way to the kitchen.

She put the kettle on, smiling to herself about his "threat" of distracting her. ]

[He followed her into the kitchen, but as he did so, he pulled his shirt off over his head. And as she went to put the kettle on, he stayed a little too close to her back, hands on her hips as if he was guiding her, but he was just enjoying the contact. This? This was a start at distraction, but he liked the idea of getting more of his skin in a place where he could leave more of his own scent markers to cover up her erstwhile wolf friend.]

I'll take care of the jackal. As for the rest... perhaps I'll have to accompany you at your next... whatever it is you're doing where you're meeting them.

[ Her smile grew wider when she turned in his arms to find him shirtless, her arms wrapping loosely around his neck while the water set to boiling. ]

I would've asked you to come from the start if you hadn't been out of town. It's just hanging out with people, nothing dramatic.

Darling, have I taught you nothing? It's always more than it is with shifters. We speak with more than words. Body language, scent, even just the way one looks at you. They likely think you know more than you do if you've one as a suitor- like the word or not. If I'd known you were meeting with any, I'dve given you a crash course.

[He turned his head to nip lightly at the skin on her arm, licking at it after.]

We are a strange group to humans. And when one of you dallies, you become fair game.

I don't mind calling you that.

[ Well if he was going to do that, she felt pretty justified in pulling his head down so that she could give him a long, thorough kiss. ]

I did consider just saying "yes" when they asked if you're my mate to make things easier but I didn't want to shove that ruse on you without asking first.

I didn't think that you'd be put in the position where it'd come up. I suppose that's my own fault.

[He chased after her mouth, drawing the kiss out as he moved her over to a part of the counter that wouldn't put her back against the oven.]

It's different with humans. There's a foot in, foot out aspect to it and some shifters like to push along that edge to see which way they'll fall. I truly didn't think it would come up.

[ She hopped up to sit on that counter, resisting the temptation to just get right back to kissing him again. ]

It's not your fault that you can't predict the future.

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