Page 14 of Striping Hot

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

GIANNA

Gianna let Rex press her against his chest. She couldn’t resist the warmth of him, the strength of his arms. She didn’t know what to make of the whole fated mates deal, but having him close felt very, very good.

She closed her eyes and leaned into him, feeling his heart beating against her cheek. It was steady, deep, and even as if he were calm and confident. She wished she could feel the same way, but she was rattled by the recent attempt on her life and even more shaken up by the fated mate talk.

Being a wife and mother had not been in her plans. She was a career woman, and she’d never harbored jealousy if her friends got married and had never liked a man enough to consider marrying him, anyway. She felt kind of trembly inside as if part of her was breaking free. A part of her she didn’t even know she’d hidden from the world and from herself.

She looked up at Rex, his clear green eyes staring steadily down at her. She had to admit that her reservations didn’t matter. Nothing did. The only thing that mattered was how her body felt pressed up against his.

I feel … alive!

She felt alive in a way she never had before. When he bent down to kiss her, her heart leapt into her throat and made her head swim. She relaxed in his arms, lips up, ready to be taken.

His lips pressed softly against hers. There was enough space and time for a short, needy cry to slip from her mouth before he deepened the kiss. As his tongue found hers and his hands tightened on her body, a kind of arousal she had never known flooded through her.

She tightened her hands on his strong arms, pressing herself against him. She returned his kiss with equal heat and passion, encouraging him to release his lust and enslave her.

Every time I touch him, it just gets better, more exciting. I never imagined that sex could be like this!

Rex trailed his lips down to her neck, where he began to nibble with his teeth right under her ear. She tightened her hands on his shoulders and cried out as a bolt of arousal shot through her. She was burning and aching between her legs.

Surely, her panties were utterly soaked. She tried to hold on, tried to maintain her sanity, but it was like standing in front of a tidal wave and praying not to get washed away.

Prayer can’t save me, and common sense has no meaning here. Not in this kind of love.

Love?

She moaned as she rubbed her body against his, feeling his big hands roaming her waist and hips. One arm slipped around her waist and squeezed her butt almost too hard. His other hand found her breast, and when he tightened his fingers, she let out a gasp that was almost a scream.

She reached up with her lips, finding his mouth again. His hands were everywhere at once, and his hot tongue was stroking hers like a flickering flame. As she relaxed and gave in to him, he took two quick steps forward and slammed her against the wall.

She opened her eyes in shock and saw the look on his face, a primal, predatory expression. For the briefest of instants, his eyes changed, the shape of the pupils and the hue of the iris.

Her breath caught in her throat as fear raced across the edges of her arousal.

He’s a cat! A great big hungry cat …

Her hands slithered around his waist, giving her purchase as she opened her legs and pressed her hips against him. Seeing his predator only made the arousal ten times as strong. She didn’t care if he wanted to tear chunks off her, just so long as he fucked her senseless and made her come until she had no breath left in her body while he did it.

She was ready to do just that, right here, right now, on his office floor, when there was a sharp rap on the nearby door. Rex had the shutters closed for the window that looked into the office, so they couldn’t see who it was. He frowned and took a step back.

“No one should have gotten up here without someone calling me about it. What the hell is that secretary doing …”

He didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence. The door slammed open, splintering around the lock. Gianna screamed as three huge men burst into the room, all of them going straight for Rex. She staggered backward, fell over a chair, and landed in a heap behind the desk.

She was winded and could only gasp for a few seconds as she tried unsuccessfully to get up. She managed to turn to the fight. At first, all she saw was a few pairs of very expensive, highly polished men’s shoes.

Do they all shop at the same store?

She had been in enough difficult situations to know that random, ridiculous thoughts like these were normal in a state of panic. She didn’t get very long to think about shoes, though.

“A thief is in here. The scent leads directly through that door,” one of the men said. “Who is she?”

“Get out of my office,” Rex growled as he scooted away from the desk she was behind. “Tell Agrippa if I see him, I will take him down for hurting my mate.”

At first, there was a little shuffling back and forth that reminded her of dancing. Then she heard the heavy thuds of punches being thrown and hitting their mark.

She grabbed the edge of the desk, trying to get up. As she dragged herself to her knees, she saw Rex throw back his head and roar. It frightened her so much that she stumbled backward and was only saved from falling on her butt again by his office chair.

Before the roar could wind down, the change took him. Almost too fast for the eye to follow, his skin flowed, black fur taking over his pale skin. There was a faint cracking sound as his bones rearranged, and, within the blink of an eye, a massive black tiger stood in Rex’s place.

She blinked, her breath barely moving through her chest. He was all black, but he was most certainly a tiger. Panthers were actually black leopards, and they were a completely different shape than tigers.

If she looked closely, she could see the typical stripe pattern marked on his coat like shadows cast on ebony that could only be seen when the light shimmered across his fur.

The other three guys shifted, too. One was a lion, one a gorilla, and the other a bear. The office seemed way too small, suddenly.

Gianna felt slightly ridiculous sitting in Rex’s office chair behind his desk while the laptop continued to hum innocently and the phone constantly flickered as if they weren’t in deadly peril.

The bear leapt at Rex. He met him in the air, and Gianna screamed as he disappeared underneath it. The lion and the gorilla stood back, waiting for the bear to finish the job. There were growls and squeals, the sounds of flesh ripping and blows hitting home. A puddle of blood began to spread across the floor.

Gianna watched, eyes wide. Her breaths were short and quick, her skin tingling with panic.

He’s dead. I’m dead. Fuck!

The gorilla and the lion turned to look at her at the same time. The bear rose, big shoulders rolling as it sat up. Gianna watched in sick fascination as the bear stood, waiting to see evidence that her lover was dead, and she was going to immediately follow.

A shattering roar burst through the room, loud enough to make the blinds shudder. Rex appeared, covered in blood. It looked like he’d torn out the bear’s throat while he was underneath it. The bear hadn’t been standing up at all … Rex was throwing off its dead body.

Rex leapt at the lion, and they fell to the floor, twisting and writhing. Their powerful claws slashed at each other, sharp cries tearing the air as both drew blood. The gorilla roared in its own primal threat display, moving toward them with his fists high in the air.

She knew he was just waiting for his moment, then he was going to bring those fists down right on top of Rex’s head and crush his skull like he would a ripe melon.

She launched herself off the chair, grabbing a letter opener as she flew across the desk. She almost slipped but kept her feet under her long enough to bounce off the balls of her feet and land on the gorilla’s back. She jammed the letter opener into his shoulder and hung on with all her strength.

The gorilla howled and began to dance around the room, his big hands bobbing in time to his jumping. It would have been comical if she wasn’t clinging to his back, trying not to get crushed.

It probably looks hilarious, though. No denying that.

This is just another completely random thought that flies through the panic of a life-or-death situation.

Gianna was very aware of the gorilla’s fur, and small details leapt out at her as they jiggled around the room. Even with hyper-awareness in high gear, she didn’t notice how close they had gotten to the long line of windows that made up one side of the office wall.

She reached out and twisted the letter opener, making the gorilla howl. He threw himself back, breaking the glass and landing awkwardly on the sill. Gianna realized she was on the wrong side of the window at that exact moment. Her hands were jerked free of the gorilla’s neck.

She screamed, her body tumbling through broken shards as gravity tore her away from the jagged hole that now gaped on the side of the building. She had enough time for a moment of complete, blind panic as she tumbled through the air. Just as she was beginning to wonder what it would feel like to hit the ground, she was slammed by an impact from below.

At first, she was sure she was dead. Maybe, she just didn’t know it yet. Carefully, she opened one eye, then the other.

Blue sky, glass windows … What? Am I flying?

She raised her head and saw that she’d been caught by a window cleaners’ scaffold. She sighed so hard it came out as a laugh.

This is my lucky day. If getting attacked multiple times can be called lucky.

From somewhere above, there was an incredible roar. Gianna looked up and saw, to her horror, that the gorilla was falling toward her. She couldn’t tell if he was alive or dead, but he was definitely going to hit the platform.

Sobbing in pain, she reached out and grabbed the edge of the railing, wrapping her arms around it as tightly as she could. She closed her eyes tightly, held on, and prayed.

The gorilla hit the scaffold with incredible force. The metal sang as it stretched, a tortured sound of wires being warped out of shape and the ominous pop of screws pulling free. For a second or two, the platform jiggled up and down … Then, the far corner where the gorilla had fallen broke apart.

He fell like a rock to the ground, debris from the platform plummeting down after him. Gianna screamed and screamed as the scaffold fell apart underneath her, leaving her clinging to the rail, the remains of the platform swinging back and forth on the lines that had been holding it up.

She looked up and saw the cables were unraveling. The gorilla’s weight had taken out all the supports. The platform itself was now dangling, held by only one support that was quickly disintegrating.

“Rex,” she whimpered hopelessly. She didn’t even know if he was still alive. She tried taking a breath and thought about climbing up to grab the cable itself. Then, when the platform gave out, she wouldn’t fall.

Yeah, and then what? Rappel out of here like an action hero?

She pulled herself up with one hand and tried to climb higher so that she had a chance of reaching the cable. Just as she reached up to grab it, the platform shuddered as it slipped down, almost throwing her off. She screamed, locking her arms around the rail again.

What can I do?

Desperately, she looked back up at the broken window. Now, it was so far above her that she didn’t know if Rex could even reach her.

If he’s alive.

He has to be alive!

Suddenly, the shape of the lion came flying out of the jagged opening. He was definitely alive, twisting and hissing in the air. He had obviously been thrown with great force because he flew far past the scaffold. He’d been launched into space by someone of incredible strength.

Rex.

She saw him appear in the window, his tiger face staring down at her keenly. He looked up and down the cable, then stood, shifting back into human form.

He reached for the cable.

“No, Rex! It’s not stable! It’s not …”

He stepped out into space, one hand on the cable. He reached out with one hand to stabilize his drop and put one foot against it as he slid. He twirled around as he fell, barely slowing his descent with pressure on the fraying line.

He was falling as fast as it was coming apart. She couldn’t tell if he was going to make it. She had no idea what his plan was, but she threw one hand up, instinctively feeling what he needed her to do.

The instant the cable hissed and gave out, he was right above her. She felt his warm hand grip hers as the platform fell, clattering down the building and hitting the ground with a tremendous crash. Nothing was left but a pile of twisted metal. She stared at it for a few seconds, terrified.

Then she looked up into Rex’s eyes. His smile was calm and confident, his gaze even a little amused.

“I got you, baby,” he whispered. She sobbed with relief.

Yes, yes, you do. You got me.

Forever.

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