A small noise that sounded awfully like an animal-type growl had her lifting her gaze to Kye’s face. The heat she’d seen in his eyes before had returned. Hers narrowed slightly when she thought for a brief second that Kye’s mutedly glowed. But that couldn’t be right. She soon became lost in his hungry gaze, everything else not really mattering, except for the way he stared at her. Her pussy clenched with the need that thrummed through her, and she took a step closer to Kye.
“Ah hell,” he said, his voice a low, husky growl.
He closed more of the space between their lips and cupped her face in his large hands. He tipped her head up and brought his mouth down on hers. He slanted his more firmly to get a tighter fit while his tongue licked along the seam, as if asking her to open for him. Michaela didn’t hesitate. She softly moaned as he slipped inside, tasting her, pushing her arousal to even greater heights. He kissed her as if he wouldn’t survive his next breath without her.
She took a step nearer, wanting to be closer to Kye, her body aching for his, but the baby she held in her arms protested, letting out a small whimper. The sound brought her up short, and Kye abruptly broke away from her and dropped his hands to his sides.
Michaela watched his chest rapidly rise and fall as he panted for breath. She was no better off than him. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and desire still had her in its grip. She wanted Kye—almost desperately. No man had ever turned her on to this degree with a single kiss. He hadn’t touched her intimately, and Michaela felt as if it wouldn’t take much else to push her over the edge into orgasm.
“I want to see you. Alone,” Kye said huskily. “After you’re done with work.”
She nodded. “You can come to my place.”
Michaela didn’t normally invite men she’d just met over to her apartment, but Kye was different. She didn’t want him to slip through her fingers. This instant attraction that had flared between them, she wanted to explore. She usually had a good sense about people, and she had a positive one about the man who stood in front of her. The way he was with Nevaeh, he couldn’t be that bad.
He gave her a curt nod. “I’ll be there around seven. Nevaeh should be asleep for the night by then. Just give me your address.”
She passed the baby back to Kye and turned to the desk behind her. She searched the top of it with her gaze until she found a scratch pad and pen. Michaela scribbled her address on the paper and tore the top sheet off. She then passed it to Kye, who crammed it into the front pocket of his jeans.
“Seven will be fine,” she said. “I guess I should take you to the gift shop for a new t-shirt, then get back to work.”
He nodded. “I’ve monopolized your time enough already. I don’t want to get you in trouble. I could always go there by myself.”
“It’s okay. I don’t think they’ll look too kindly on you going inside without a shirt on, anyway. Plus, it’s part of my job to help the visitors at the zoo.”
Kye shoved his dirty t-shirt into the diaper bag, then picked it up and the baby sling. He followed her out of the office. Once they arrived at the gift shop, he gave her some money for a new shirt and waited outside with the baby while she bought it. When she returned, she held Nevaeh only long enough for Kye to put on the black t-shirt that had the name of the zoo stenciled across it, in large gold lettering.
“I should get back to work,” Michaela said. “I’ll see you tonight.”
He looked as if he wanted to kiss her again, but she took a step back before she became too tempted to let him. Outside where anybody could see them, it wasn’t exactly the place to let herself get carried away. Being caught kissing one of the visitors to the zoo was more than likely a surefire way to lose her job, or at the very least be reprimanded. She liked doing what she did. Even though some people wouldn’t think cleaning cages and looking after animals was a dream job, it was hers. And as she’d told Kye, she loved working with the big cats.
Kye nodded. “And I should finish looking at some of the exhibits, then get Nevaeh home. Though I think I’ll be returning very soon, since I’ve now found something here I like.” He gave her a heated look, which set her heart pounding once more. “I’ll be at your place at seven sharp.”
Michaela watched Kye walk away. He now had the baby safely tucked in the sling across his chest. There was something about a man that large carrying such a small infant she found even more attractive. With a sigh, she turned and headed to her next task. She just hoped the hours wouldn’t drag on before she was able to see Kye again.
Kye spent another half hour looking at the animals. Nevaeh, now fed and changed, peacefully slept in the carrier. As he wandered, his thoughts kept going back to Michaela. He’d found his mate. And to think she worked at a zoo. The fact she was an animal keeper gave him high hopes she’d have an easier time of accepting him as a werewolf. She was used to being around wild animals, and had even said she loved the big cats. Well, his wolf wasn’t nearly as large as those beasts, and nowhere near as unpredictable, since he retained human thought in that form.
He took a deep breath and was still able to smell Michaela’s scent on his skin. The mating urge continued to ride him hard and would do so until he finally claimed her as his. Fully making love to her would cause their souls to join, cementing the mating bond between them. After that happened, they wouldn’t be able to stand being apart. One hour away would feel as if a month had gone by, and their minds would play tricks on them, making them think something bad had happened to the other. And once they came together again, depending on how long the separation was, it usually ended with explosive sex, the best way to reaffirm the bond. Having never been mated before, Kye had no such experience with any of it, but having watched his brothers-in-arms as well as his sister-in-arms go through their matings, he knew what to expect.
Before he left the zoo, Kye debated on whether or not to see if he could find Michaela one last time. But in the end, he decided not to torture himself. And it wasn’t as if he wouldn’t be seeing her later. When he did, then he could indulge in his need to touch and taste her. He might not be able to make love to her fully, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t strip her naked and make her come. Oral sex would more than likely ramp up his mating urge. Still, it was a price he was more than willing to pay.
After getting Nevaeh strapped into her car seat, Kye drove to Roxie and Beowulf’s place. The baby just started to fuss as he parked in front of the garage. He quickly got out and pushed his seat forward to gain access to the back. As he took Nevaeh out, he made a mental note to sell his two-door car and buy a four-door, once he had a baby of his own. That thought sort of brought him up short. The idea of him having kids had really never come up before now. But now that he’d met his mate, the chances were good that they were an eventuality.
Kye headed toward the house with Nevaeh. He shook his head. He was getting a little ahead of himself. Having Michaela accept him as her mate wasn’t exactly a foregone conclusion. He knew she was the one meant for him, his mating urge wouldn’t have kicked in otherwise, but she didn’t know he was hers. And her being a mortal, he’d have to tread carefully to win her over.
Once inside, Kye found Dirk in the kitchen with his head stuck in the fridge. That was one thing Kye loved about Roxie—she kept a well-stocked refrigerator and allowed them to eat whatever they wanted.
“Hey, Dirk,” he said as he put Nevaeh, still inside her car seat, on the kitchen table. “Is Roxie upstairs?” The baby fussed, slowly working herself into a cry. Kye unstrapped her and picked her up. She settled and stared at him with her big blue eyes.