Love Defined - Contemporary Paranormal BBW Erotic Romance
As a Child of Gaia, Mattias Kilgrey has the ability to shift from human to snow leopard with his goddess’s permission. Tired of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, he needs a break. Mattias snags a reservation at San Pallo Exotic Animal Sanctuary - as a snow leopard.
Dr. Virginia Taylor jumps at the chance to help a snow leopard in need. If only she could find her glasses. What’s a girl to do when the snow leopard she’s called to help turns into a hunk she’d like to bed? Run! If only she’d stop tripping over herself.
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Excerpt
Leaving the door to the sleeping quarters open, she made her way across the room, stopping mid way to stare at the open window in confusion. Had she remembered to open the window when she was done cleaning? Darn it, she hated running herself so ragged that she couldn’t remember doing things. It didn’t do a bit of good for herself or the animals.
“Miss Ginny. I mean now, young lady.”
Milo was working himself into a lather over waking her up. Stumbling as she wiped sleep from her eyes, she padded to the outer office door. Wrenching the door open, she took one step and tripped, falling flat on her stomach and catching her weight on her hands. She bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain as small rocks and twigs dug into her palms and knees. Moaning, she rolled onto her back, pushing her glasses back in place as she stared into Milo’s concerned eyes.
“Morning, Milo.” She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.
He gave her a hint of a smile in return, eyes flicking from her face toward her feet and back again. A low growl emanated from a few feet away, near her feet. The vibrations traveled up her legs and through her body until her hands shook with the force of the sound coursing through her.
She didn’t want to look. Really, really didn’t. But the curious, and generally dumb, portion of her brain wouldn’t let her not look. Bringing her hands down, she pushed up onto her elbows, eyes closed. That was one step closer to looking, right? The curious part of her brain should be appeased at that. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Slitting one eye, she couldn’t believe what she saw. Both of her eyes flew open before she had a chance to stop them.
There, at her feet, was a snow leopard. Not just any snow leopard. No, it was the one she was sent to the sanctuary to help. Mattias. She could tell easily. After studying notes on the animal most of the night, she could tell by his markings that, without a doubt, Mattias was the one who lay casually at her feet.
Casual was an overstatement really. While he may have been lying down near the office doorway, she could see that every muscle was tense, and he was just short of baring his teeth. Ginny couldn’t tell if the growl was meant for her or Milo or both.
Not wanting to agitate the animal further, she slowly scooted away. Milo reached down to grab her arms.
Mattias’ growls increased in volume, and he gained his feet in one fluid motion. He took two silent steps forward, baring his teeth.
“Back away, Milo. Slowly,” she whispered, barely moving her mouth. She, better than anyone, knew what animals were capable of. Hell, in the wild, a snow leopard would kill its own mother for territory. There was no telling how Mattias would react to them, and so far, things didn’t look good.
Even with the animal’s aggressive stance and behavior, she took a moment to admire the beauty of him. Pale gray fur covered his body from nose to tail, and black spots ringed in dark gray created the perfect camouflage for life in the mountains. Too bad they were in the tropical climate of Florida, where green and browns were the typical colors year round.
As Milo eased away from her, the growls subsided to a low rumble. If her heart wasn’t ready to burst from her chest, she’d almost call it a purr. That thought had laughter bubbling deep in her chest, and she couldn’t hold back her smile. Yep, she’d officially lost it. She was lying on the ground with one very pissed off snow leopard looming over her, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Where were the guys with white coats when she needed them?
Mattias tilted his head to the side, staring at her as she grinned like an idiot. At least he didn’t look as though he was ready to make her breakfast anymore. That was good, right? Eyes locked with hers, he lowered his head to her legs and sniffed. His whiskers and nose twitched as he skimmed her skin. The tiny hairs on his muzzle tickled the daylights out of her, and any second she would curl into a ball with the giggles. His cold, wet nose touched her knee a second before his sandpaper tongue snaked out to lick her inner thigh.
Ginny couldn’t stop her body’s response. Her knee jerked up, but she managed to catch it before she hit him in the nose. Its eyes met hers as he lowered his head to her knee, rubbing his muzzle and head on her body.
“Oh, Mattias. You’re just a big lover, aren’t you? How am I going to get you back inside your habitat?”
Until Milo answered her, she hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud.
“Well, Miss Ginny, I think I might have something with me that could help.”
Mattias moved his body further up hers and lay down next to her. Silky fur pressed against her leg from thigh to ankle, and his tail moved to settle between her thighs. It had been so long since anything beside her own hand had been there that her body tensed at the contact. No matter how innocent or innocuous the touch was coming from the animal, it alarmed her. The snow leopard’s tongue snaked out again, licking and nuzzling the skin on her arm. When the low rumble began anew, she knew for a fact that it was a purr.
“Something that could help with what?” She had no idea what Milo was talking about. She hadn’t bothered to pay attention. Her mind focused on the sensations the snow leopard’s gentle caress caused. Never again would she be granted the opportunity to be this close to a conscious snow leopard. Any other time she’d been near a wild animal had been with the assistance of other keepers or after the animal had been tranquilized. She’d remember this experience forever.
Still resting on her elbows, she turned her hand palm up, offering it to Mattias. The animal accepted the invitation and rubbed its head on her hand. She took advantage of the leopard’s affection and allowed her fingers to sink into the silky, warm fur. Once in a lifetime. She sighed, enjoying the vibrations coursing through her body from the Mattias’ purr.
Milo cleared his throat, drawing her attention from the animal. “Miss Ginny. Did you happen to find any notes about Mattias here? My Janie made him a great big pot roast for breakfast this morning, and that might be just the encouragement he needs to get back in his habitat.”
Oh. Right. Mattias was a borderline wild animal that should be caged. Got it. Was it horrible that she didn’t want to cage the animal again? Instead, she wanted to lie here as long as he was willing, and enjoy the softness of his fur on her skin.
“Miss Ginny?”
Oh, yeah, Milo. Notes. Notes on Mattias. That’s right. She’d read some notes detailing the animal’s diet and the fact he liked his meals cooked, not raw. Ginny questioned the directions at first but then remembered that even house cats could be picky eaters. Who was she to say that a hundred and twenty pound cat couldn’t be as well? She had already written a reminder before she nodded off to cook breakfast for the big guy to see if that got him to eat.
“That sounds like a good idea, Milo. I’ll wait for you to get back. It’s not like he’ll let me go anywhere.” She laid her head back on the ground and closed her eyes. At least if she were to meet her maker, she’d do it happily.
Mattias watched Milo’s retreating form until he turned the corner at the end of the path, and then his attention was solely on Virginia. His Ginny, as Milo called her. His body pressed against hers gave him the opportunity to touch and be near her as he wished he could have the night before. True, he was still in his snow leopard form, but he’d take what he could get.
He pressed his face against her arm and chest, her breasts pillowing his head. His tongue crept out for another swipe of her exposed skin. For the love of Gaia, he was lost. Ginny tasted as good as she smelled. Vanilla mixed with new fallen snow met his tongue as he laved the sweet skin of her arm. He’d never been one to purr, but he couldn’t help himself. His beast was overjoyed by the contact it had with its mate and never wanted to stop.
He rubbed his chin along her forearm and licked the inside of her elbow. Her body jerked beneath his, and he repeated the motion, looking into her eyes when he finished.
Restrained laughter danced in her eyes, and she bit her lip. Turning back to her arm, he continued to assault the sweet spot he’d found. Giving her pleasure of any kind was his first priority now. He’d found his mate, and his goal was to keep her happy, always and in all ways.
“Oh, Mattias. Such a sweet boy, aren’t you?” Her other hand rose from the ground and, with infinite care, she brought it to his neck. Her fingers sifted and glided through his fur. His beast was in heaven, while his human nature told him to make his move. It wasn’t time though. His beast knew it and held tight control. While curiosity may have killed the cat, patience got it an elk dinner. He hoped patience would get him his mate.
Ginny’s body continued to relax against his as her breathing became deep and even. She wasn’t asleep, her hand still stroked is neck, but she was definitely relaxed. Part of him wished he could enjoy the embrace as a human man, but he knew it was impossible. His little doctor wouldn’t be able to take such a shock. Hell, most humans couldn’t. It took a special, open-minded individual to accept that there were things that ventured beyond the explainable.
He placed his chin atop her breast and watched as her eyes flitted close. She sighed as her hands explored the top of his head and around his ears. He didn’t mind her exploration and loved that she loved touching him. Lost in her touch, he didn’t hear Milo return.
“Mr. Mattias.”
Mattias’ eyes flew open, as did Ginny’s, both of them looking in Milo’s direction. Milo stared at him with wide eyes and mouth hanging open. Without thought, he spoke.
“What’s wrong, Milo?” Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! He was human! Damn Gaia for forcing the issue and changing him without asking! He couldn’t have shifted without her permission or assistance, and here he was, lying on the ground on top of his mate, naked. And damn his cock for growing hard. A great big round of damns all around!
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Excerpt #2
The word was barely out of her mouth before Mattias captured her lips for another kiss. Sweet. So sweet and sexy, his little kitten. Her body melted beneath his lips as he explored her. His tongue tasted and licked the seam of her lips. His body warred with conflicting feelings. His beast wanted to savor the first taste and smell of its mate, while his human mind wanted it all. Now.
His beast won, for now.
She sighed into his mouth, granting his tongue entrance. He slid carefully through her parted lips, savoring the first explosion of her taste. Their tongues twined and danced in each other’s mouths as their kiss deepened. Soft whimpers and moans came from low in her throat as his tongue delved into her, discovering every sweet secret she held. He skimmed his hands up and stroked her neck and shoulders in a moment of indecision. He wanted to sweep her into his arms but was afraid of moving too fast. Hell, he’d already moved too fast, he just didn’t want to scare her away after making so much progress.
He pulled back from their kiss before it could go too far. He nibbled and suckled her lips amid her whimpers of protest. Damn, his kitten was sexy.
This time her tongue swept out for a taste, the touch devastating his control. She was the aggressor now, taking all decisions from him with one, swift movement. Her body, with cat?like grace, shifted until she straddled his lap. Her warm heat settled and pressed against his erection as she bit his lower lip, tugging lightly. His cock hardened fully, filling to capacity, trying to reach through his shorts to her core. Her body was so hot. He had no doubt that his questing fingers would find her dripping and ready for him. But was she ready for what he proposed? Before it went any further, he had to find out. He did something he never thought he would ever do. He stopped.
“Wait.”
Ginny’s mouth moved along his jaw, exploring his growing five o’clock shadow with her tongue, before traveling to his neck. She was not waiting. Her hands skimmed and kneaded the muscles of his arms and chest, testing his control.
“Ginny. Wait.”
He had to catch her hands with his own. Once the woman got started, it seemed she didn’t want to stop. Truth be told, he didn’t want to stop either, but he wouldn’t make love to her for the first time on a cement bench. Her hands locked in his, she didn’t have a choice but to give him her attention. He laid his forehead against hers as they both worked to catch their breaths. They had gone from zero to sixty in less than a second, and it took time to slow back down.
“Gotta slow down, kitten.”
Her eyes were still closed, and he wished like hell he knew what she was thinking. But if there was one thing he’d learned, it was that given time, she’d tell him herself.
“Don’t wanna.” A whimper escaped, and she poked her lower lip out in a pout.
“Gotta.” He sucked her lower lip into his mouth. She ground her pussy against his erection in response, making him groan. Oh, he was never going to stop if she kept doing that.
Just as quickly as she’d mounted him, he had her sitting on the bench next to him, and she let out a squeal.