This entirely original, exclusive, free-to-you story has been brought to you by… me! Play on, playaz…

WARNING: There is dirty naked sex within. Please do not proceed if you will be offended by graphic descriptions of sexual situations. Just kidding. It’s Rated R at best. I don’t even know if I used the word “cock” except in this instance.

Please read chapters one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve if you haven’t already.

After five years, Daisy Sawyer has finally come home. Not that she’s too happy about it. She had a great life in LA: rubbing elbows with celebrities, hopping from one exclusive bar to the other, and best of all, she didn’t have to answer to anyone. But when a drunken night of partying lands her in jail, the only person she can count on is her estranged brother, Alec, the leader of a powerful were-leopard clan. Forced to choose between a prison sentence or face the life she abandoned years ago, Daisy returns… but she doesn’t have to like it…

Christian LeBeau owes Alec Sawyer his life. He will do anything for the man, even babysit his bratty baby sister. But Christian never imagined that Daisy could grow up to be so beautiful… and forbidden in more ways than one. His mind tells him she is the one woman he can never have, but his body refuses to listen. All he has to do is take care of Daisy until Alec finds her a proper were-leopard to marry, then Chris could wash his hands of her and get on with his life… but fate seems to have other plans.

And now, I present to you… Chasing Daisy…

Chapter Thirteen

“Daisy, look at me.” He cupped her chin gently in one hand and lifted her head.

She would never admit it out loud, but from the moment she had met this man, she had always been a little afraid of staring deep into his eyes. She directed her gaze to the spot between his eyebrows. Why was she so shy with him now when she had practically thrown herself into his arms and begged him to take her just hours ago? She could never think straight when she was with him. And she certainly didn’t know how to feel about him. She looked at the spot between his neck and shoulder. God, all she wanted to do now was rest her head there, wrap her arms around him, and never let go. It wouldn’t solve anything—it was the worst idea in the world to get involved with him, but it would go a long way in making her feel a hell of a lot better.

She pressed her arm tighter against her breasts as a gust of wind blew through her hair, raising goosebumps all over her skin. She had never felt more vulnerable than she had at this moment. How many times had she ever found herself naked and kneeling in the mud in front of the guy she drooled over? Okay, twice or three times before, but college was different. And it involved a lot more alcohol. “What are you doing here?”

Christian reached behind a rock and pulled out a bathrobe which he extended to her. “I followed you.”

“Why?”

“It is my duty to watch over you.”

Daisy smiled ruefully. “Is that all it is? A duty?”

“You know it isn’t.”

Daisy gratefully accepted the terrycloth robe and shrugged into it, pulling the two panels over the front of her body and securing the belt over her stomach. She touched the knot she had made and frowned. After a moment, she looped one end of the belt over the other and made another knot. She as considering making another when Christian placed a hand on her wrist to stop her. She looked up and met his gaze. In the moonlight, his eyes were no longer green, but silver. On an inhale, her breath got caught in her throat. He was inhuman in his ethereal beauty, like an angel. Not one of those cute cherubic things, of course, but the warrior type with the golden breastplate and flaming sword over his head ready to smite down the infidel.

“What do you want from me?” The voice that came out of her mouth surprised her. It sounded more like Kathleen Turner’s after a cigarette and a shot of whiskey than her own.

Christian’s fingers circled her wrist and tugged until she released her hold on the belt of her robe. His free hand swept up her arm over her shoulder and cradled the nape of her neck. His thumb brushed the tip of her ear, making her shiver. He brought her wrist to his lips and softly kissed it before letting it go, his eyes never leaving hers. Lowering his head, he touched his nose to her jugular and inhaled deeply as though breathing in a glass of vintage wine. For a moment, Daisy didn’t think he was going to answer. He continued to trace the area between her ear and shoulder with his lips. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her as his teeth grazed the sensitive skin there and gasped as he sucked a bit of flesh into his mouth and bit. She raised her shaking hands and placed them on his chest. His heart, strong and steady, throbbed against her palm. Their eyes met. Whether she meant to push him away or draw him closer she no longer knew because as both of his hands slid down her spine and cupped her buttocks, any thought that resembled resistance faded from her mind.

“I don’t know,” he said after what seemed like forever. He touched his forehead to hers and sighed. His soft, dry lips brushed her eyelids, her nose, then her mouth. “But I know that I can’t fight… whatever the hell this is anymore. Every second you’re near me and I can’t touch you, a tiny part of me dies. I’m supposed to protect you, to guard over you until your brother chooses a mate for you… but how can I do that when I want you for myself? Tell me how I’m supposed to let you go.”

Daisy couldn’t think of an appropriate response. Every thought that came to her sounded too childish or insipid to say out loud. Nothing seemed to do it. What the hell was she supposed to say to that? The man had just admitted something that he seemed to have wrenched from the depths of his soul and all she could think to say was, “Me, too!”? God, she had never been good with words. All she wanted to do was to lick every muscled inch of him, to feel that sun-bronzed, granite-hard body under and over her, and when neither of them could stand it anymore, to take him so deep inside of her that no one would be able to tell where one ended and the other began.

She was saved from having to answer when Christian suddenly kissed her. He tasted like mint and grass and something headier that made her head swim. She plunged her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer, parting her lips to invite him inside. He groaned as his tongue touched hers, tightening his hold on her butt as he swept in and tasted her. Daisy was sure that if his arms had not been around her, she would have melted right into the ground. Never before had a kiss made her bones feel like jelly, made her feel like she was in a roller coaster without a lap bar and her arms flying over her head.

In her mind’s eye, she could see those silver snakes again, dancing over and around each other before joining to tangle and entwining themselves into a knot. She had seen them once when he kissed her the first time. What did it mean? Was his kiss making her hallucinate? That’s certainly something she had never experienced before she met him. But then again, she never imagined a kiss could feel like taking a fork and sticking it into a power socket… in a good way, oddly enough. It was an electric thing that made her skin tingle. She was sure the hair on her head was standing on end.

And yet while he thoroughly made love to her mouth in a way that made her toes curl and her ladyparts sizzle, he still had not moved his hands from her butt. Didn’t he realize that the seatbelt sign was officially off and he was now free to roam around the cabin? She wondered how he would react if she moved his hand to her breast. She had a crazy thought as his mouth left hers for a moment to nuzzle her throat and ears before returning to her lips again. Maybe he was a virgin and didn’t quite know what to do. Breathtakingly gorgeous as the guy was, she had no idea what made him tick. All she really knew about him was that he kissed like his life depended on it and made her ache to be touched and squeezed and caressed by him.

Oh, for the love of Pete, touch me! Inside her body, the leopard growled in agreement.

She allowed her hands to slide down from his neck to his chest. He froze as her thumbs flicked at his nipples and her fingers began to softly trace the contours of his muscled torso. God, he was just so hard all over. He was as toned and defined as the statues of Roman gods that she saw when she went to Italy for a semester in college. So goddamned perfect. As her hands descended toward his abdomen, she became very aware that while she was still wearing a robe, he was very much naked. In fact, she could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against her belly. She pulled her mouth from his and looked down. In the pale moonlight, she could see everything. And gulped.

“Oh,” she said faintly. “Lordy.”

His penis stood proudly from a nest of thick dark hair. It was long, almost as wide as her wrist, and angled toward his navel. He dropped his arms to the sides and watched silently as she reached for it, groaning softly as she made contact. It was hot to the touch. She looked up at him in time to see his eyes drifting shut and his head falling back. She encircled it with one hand and discovered that the tips of her thumb and index finger didn’t quite touch. He sucked in air through his teeth. She used her other hand to stroke the plum-shaped head and that did it. In a lightning quick move that not even her leopard reflexes could follow, she found herself on her back with her robe suddenly spread open and her breasts bared to the cold air and Christian’s ministrations.

Christian lowered his golden head and laved her nipple with his tongue, keeping his gaze leveled on her face as he did so. He captured the other with his fingers, alternately rolling and pinching until it peaked to a nub. Daisy bit her lower lip to keep herself from screaming out loud as he drew her nipple into the wet heat of his mouth and suckled. She hardly noticed the sharp rocks and sticks digging into her back. She could only bury her hands in Christian’s hair as he continued his sensual assault on her body, taking his time to discover areas that were particularly sensitive. Daisy never even knew that the undersides of her breasts were so ticklish. And still he kept going until Daisy was moaning and begging and shivering though not from the cold.

“Chris, please…”

His voice was pure gravel when he said, “But I haven’t even begun.” And proceeded to plant feather-soft kisses from the base of her neck to her belly button, occasionally nipping lightly, swirling the tip of his tongue into her navel before starting back up again. His hands kept her hips in place even as she squirmed and bucked in an effort to land him exactly where she needed him.

And then she couldn’t stand it anymore. With a growl, she grabbed his shoulders and flipped him over her head so that he landed with a thud on the ground and an “oof!”. It was easy enough afterward to raise her hips and boost herself up into a handstand. Once she was turned around so that she was facing him, she landed so that her feet were on either side of him, then knelt so that his abdomen was trapped between her thighs.

His white teeth flashed in the moonlight as he grinned up at her. She only had a moment to enjoy his smile before her head was pulled down and her mouth was once again mashed against his. Christian took that opportunity to reverse their positions, cushioning her fall with his arms. He propped himself up on his elbows over Daisy’s head so that she was looking directly at him.

“You are mine now,” he whispered.

Daisy gasped as he grabbed her thighs and firmly pulled them open. There was one moment seemingly frozen in time and space when the two of them could only stare at each other. Daisy could feel her own heart thudding in her throat, could see the vein in Christian’s neck throbbing in response. She touched his face. With a smile, he bent his head and captured her mouth with his own once more. Daisy broke off the kiss and bit into Christian’s shoulder as he slowly began to ease himself into her body. The white-hot invasion that bordered on pain was enough to rob Daisy of her breath. He didn’t stop until he was fully sheathed within her, whispering words that sounded like French in her ear.

He braced himself above her with his elbows and peered at her face. “All right?”

“Yes.” She tilted her hips upward in order to accommodate him better. God, it was such a tight fit. She coaxed her lips into a smile in an attempt to hide her discomfort. “I’m good.”

“Wrap your legs around my hips,” he said huskily.

Daisy did as she was told, planting her feet on his rock-hard butt as he slid his hands under her and lifted her hips. And then he began to move. Gently at first, then harder as Daisy felt herself getting slicker around him. She could only hold on for dear life as he began to thrust earnestly into her, burying her nails into the flesh of his back. And then suddenly, she was in the air as he twisted around so that she was on top of him.

“Ride me.”

After that, it didn’t take her long to come at all. The crescendoing, tingling feeling that swept over her body like liquid silk started in her toes, slid up her legs, swirled like a tiny tornado in her middle, and escaped out of her mouth in a scream of pure pleasure. She tossed her head back as her orgasm continued to build and build. And build. She rode crest after crest as Christian buckled under her, grabbed her hips, and thrust into her one last time as he too reached his peak.

Light-headed and a little more than giddy, Daisy started to fall forward but was immediately caught by Christian who was pushing himself up into a sitting position. She sighed, resting her forehead in the crook of his neck as his arms wrapped around her and he brushed her ear with his lips. With Daisy’s legs still wrapped around his hips, Christian boosted himself up on his hands and easily crab-walked the both of them to a spot a few feet away, which was next to a giant rock. As Christian leaned back against the rock, Daisy sagged against his chest and allowed herself a moment of rest with his heart beating in her ear. She didn’t know how long they stayed that way, but at one point Christian must have found the robe and covered her with it.

“Hey.”

She opened her eyes and lifted her head. Had she fallen asleep butt-naked in the middle of a field where anyone could have found her draped across the body of her lover like a Snuggie? She swiped her hand across her mouth in search of a tell-tale sign of drool and was relieved when she didn’t find any. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and was mortified to find Christian watching her with a small smile on his handsome face. Jesus, she was still sitting on him. And he was still tucked deep inside her. And getting hard again.

She bit her lip and fought the urge to grind against him, which felt like the most natural thing in the world to do. When he reached up to kiss her, she turned her face away.

Okay, she was so not up for a second frolic on the grass. It was just not a good idea. Rounds two, three, and four should happen on a bed somewhere. Preferably far, far away from Alec’s reach. Thinking about her brother, sanity returned in full force. Yeah, Alec was going to kill her for sure. Sleeping with the bodyguard was definitely not on her brother’s list of Things Daisy Should Do To Get Back In My Good Graces.

“Umm…” Grateful for the bathrobe hanging from her shoulder, she ducked her head and busied herself with putting it on. She should probably stand up. Christian wasn’t comfortable to sit on. The man was made of granite and concrete. “We should probably get going. I smell rain. It’s monstrous on my hair. You wouldn’t want to see it. It grows like the Hulk on steroids when the air is all muggy like this.”

“Daisy, stop. Don’t do this.”

Bracing one hand on the rock behind him, she pushed herself up, wincing at the sharp little aches in her knees and lower back as she stood. She was way too old for frolicking in a meadow with a man who could probably bench-press a luxury sedan. She paused in the act of twisting her heavy hair into a bun with her free hand and looked down where he was still sitting. “Do what?”

But she knew exactly what she was doing. She had accused him once or twice of mentally distancing himself from anything that resembled emotions and yet here she was, getting ready to push him away. She shoved both of her hands in her hair and turned away from him. In front of her were acres and acres of preserve owned by the Sawyer family. There were trees and grass and other night creatures like herself. Suddenly, she had the urge to beat feet and see how fast she could run.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as a pair of arms slid around her waist from behind. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and tried to kill the temptation of melting into him and allowing him to carry her away. If she really possessed any X-Men type of skill, she sure could use it now. Alone, there was no way she would have the self-control to walk away.

“We did nothing wrong,” he said, stroking her hair.

With a shriek of frustration, she stomped on his foot, jabbed her elbows into his stomach, and used a Judo trick a friend once taught her to twist out of his embrace. One thing she had learned about him was that he was very good at schooling his features so that they hid what he was really feeling and yet there he was, staring at her looking surprised and hurt.

“What, just because we had sex you think that gives you the right to tell me what to do or how to feel?” It was straight out of the crazy bitch’s playbook and one of her favorites. Nothing made a guy want to bolt faster than a nutty dame accusing him of things that didn’t make a lick of sense. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

He dragged one hand over his face. “Daisy, I don’t even know what you’re talking about right now. Let me take you back to the house, all right? You’ve had a hell of a night. First, there was that leopard that almost killed you and then you and I–”

Daisy froze. “Wait, what?” Her memory was total shit during her leopard mode. As soon as she transformed back into human form, everything she had heard or seen as a leopard usually faded into nothingness like a fleeting dream. She would not have remembered a fellow leopard trying to kill her.

“It was nothing. I managed to drive him away before he could do any real damage. It was probably some overly excited kitten who got carried away with playtime. I’ll speak to Alec about it.”

The dangerous glint in his eyes and the sound of his jaws grinding together told Daisy he was lying. This was the same guy who was suspicious of any critter or bug that dared approach her. Why would he casually dismiss a supposedly life-threatening incident? She propped her hands on her hips and watched as he pulled a bag from behind the rock, brought out some items of clothing, and began to get dressed. Soon enough, he was standing before her in a pair of a black jeans and a t-shirt that was blindingly white in the moonlight. “Oh, for God’s sake, someone just tried to kill me. Is it more important for you to gussy up than help me figure out which one of my brother’s people attempted to murder me?”

“You can’t play Sherlock Holmes when you’re too busy fighting off pneumonia.” He reached into the bag again, pulled out more clothes, and tossed them at her. “Put on some pants.”

She glared at him and considered throwing them back at him, but thought better of it. Angry or not, her butt was starting to freeze. She slipped on the drawstring sweats and pulled the robe over them. How was it possible that she was writhing with pleasure under this man just moments ago? “Well, did you see who it was?”

Christian gave her a blank look.

“Oh, what, all leopards look alike to you, is that it?” She knew how ridiculous she sounded, but found herself unable to stop. Sometimes she truly believed she had more issues than a year’s subscription of Psychology Today.

“Shut up, Daisy.” He sighed and shook his head. “Come on, let’s get you back in the house. It’s not safe for you to be out in the open like this.”

“Says the man who ravished and took advantage of my weakened state. Out in the open. For hours.” She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

“I did not—” He shoved one hand through his hair and gritted his teeth again.

“Admit it, Lebeau, you risked my life for the opportunity to fuck me.” The words spilled out before she realized what they meant. Christian’s stricken look was like a blow to her stomach. She opened her mouth to apologize, but didn’t know how to start.

“Think what you want.” He shouldered the bag and grabbed her hand. “But we’re going back to the house even if I have to carry you on my back.”

As they walked back toward the Sawyer estate, Daisy avoided looking at Christian. She played back the last ten minutes in her head and her face burned with shame. The man could be the most arrogant, most infuriating prick she had ever met, but the one thing he had never failed to do was protect her. What the hell kind of a psycho was she when she could lash out and hurt the one guy who could make love to her with equal parts tenderness and searing passion?

She chanced a glance at him and found that he had gone back to his super-alert bodyguard mode. He held her hand in a death-grip and seemed to be scanning the immediate area for anything that might jump out of the bushes and attack them. She wanted to make a joke, to cajole him out of his scary-grim mood, but her sense of humor seemed to have abandoned her for the evening.

“Wait.” Christian shoved her behind him and stopped.

She gripped the back of his shirt and looked around. “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” His hand disappeared into the bag again and when it came out, it was holding a gun.

Daisy gaped. “Um… that’s a gun.”

“It sure is.”

Daisy took a step back away from him. “Can you put it away? I’m not a big fan.”

“Daisy…” Still he clicked on the safety and tucked it into the back of his pants.

“Hey.” She gave him a slight shove. “What’s going on? You look… Oh, God, what is that?”

The breeze that swept over their faces brought with it a coppery smell that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Daisy had never been very squeamish, but there was something about the smell that was worse than blood. It was the stink of fear.

“The stomach must have been perforated,” Christian muttered. “That’s what we’re smelling.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at something that Daisy couldn’t see. “Wait here.”

Daisy grabbed Christian’s arm. “No, you can’t leave me here. I’m going with you.”

“Goddamn it.” Christian shook his head. “All right, but stay behind me. You do not move, speak, or take a breath unless I specifically order you to do so.”

Daisy would have argued, but she was suddenly too afraid to do so. Not of Christian, but whatever it was that lay ahead, just waiting to be discovered. She nodded and followed him, keeping her hand in his. They had only taken a few steps when a wave of dizziness overtook her, making her sway on her feet.

Christian stopped and looked at her. “Hey, are you all right?” He gave her a slight shake. “Daisy?”

“It’s Julie,” she said in a faint, high-pitched voice she herself didn’t recognize. And then the ground was rushing toward her face and she knew nothing more.

To be continued…

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Dionne Galace lives in Newport Beach, California, just a few minutes away from the beach. She enjoys body-surfing, swimming, hiking, and trolling around comic book stores. She is a huge fan of The X-Files and lives in hope that she will see Mulder and Scully get married… in any shape or form. She is not a fan of hulabaloos or tomfooleries, but is quite fond of shenanigans. She is always working on something, but can never quite finish it. Yes, this is a known issue.

Stealing is not cool. Ask Jane from Dear Author, if you don’t believe me. Props to April Martinez for the fabulous cover. She is one talented, gorgeous babe. Join me in giving her a terrorist fist jab over these internets.

Note: Hey, other writer-types, do you want to contribute to The Serial? If so, holla at yo gurl and I’ll hook you up, yo.

Till, then… Love, peace, and snarkage, my babies. Peace!

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