Titus (Big Cats Book 2) Read online

  “Oh, no. I sleep with you. The doctor said so.”

  “That’s hardly necessary.”

  “Twenty four hours of up close watching, then you can be on your own.”

  Beth fought a yawn, but it won. “Fine, I’m getting some more sleep.”

  Thankfully, he decided to let her sleep because she was exhausted. They turned in with Titus going naked while Beth wore a thin sleep shirt. Once they were asleep, she worried that their bodies would gravitate to each other.

  When Beth woke, she knew she was in trouble. Her nightshirt had rode up revealing the inside of her thighs. She was wrapped around Titus’ naked body with one leg thrown over his hip. The tip of his rock hard cock was pressed to the sopping wet opening of her honey hole. Her body was moving pressing against him.

  Nothing would feel better than letting him sink slowly inside her. She knew if she allowed this, it wouldn’t end with just one beautiful night. Beth tried to back away from him, but he had a tight hold on her, even in his sleep. Instead of separating them, he’d begun to move in deeper. He growled in his sleep every time she tried to move away. His cat must be aware on some level even if the human wasn’t.

  He moved and it was all over but the crime. It was a tight fit, but he was all the way in. His eyes popped open staring straight into hers, the amber of his cat glowing bright. Bad kitty! “Goddess!” Titus said then he rolled on top of her to love her completely.

  This was nothing like the soft kiss he had given her before. This kiss was a branding one paired with what his cock was doing as he pounded in and out of her. Her body responded, arching to meet each thrust. It felt amazing to be claimed by her tiger as he whispered sweet words in her ear. Friction caused tension which brought them both closer to their release.

  “Oh, my God!” Beth screamed as her orgasm hit hard.

  “Goddess, yes.” Titus said as he released a jungle call.

  Beth’s heart pounded and she struggled to catch her breath. Thank goodness Titus hadn’t mated her. She wasn’t ready for that, not now. He rolled them over so she was splayed across his chest while he rubbed her back. It felt nice, she couldn’t deny it. Somehow, as their breathing calmed, they both fell asleep.

  Beth woke to find light streaming through the window. The scent of coffee and bacon filled the air. Her stomach growled like a monster. She hurried to the bathroom to shower then dressed quickly. Stepping into the kitchen, she saw Titus had finished cooking breakfast putting most of the food on two plates. Grabbing a mug, she filled it with coffee adding a squirt of cream. Sipping it, she sighed in contentment.

  “Thank you for fixing breakfast.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Titus said shooting her a look of adoration.

  It made her worry that it was too late to get out of this thing. She knew what they’d done last night and she couldn’t deny she felt a connection. Beth just didn’t want to act on it. Being a mate became the most defining part of a female’s personality. That’s what happened to her cousins over and over. Right now, she wanted to discover herself.

  Helping other people was important, but what about her? Beth didn’t want to lose herself. Titus wanted a mate. Did it matter who it was as long as they could fulfill his needs? He’d liked Beth the teacher, but not enough to ever mate her. Boss was the one he’d truly wanted. While Boss was part of her, so was Beth the teacher.

  “You’re thinking too hard.” Titus said. “Eat and if something worries you, ask me.”

  “You want Boss, not Beth.”

  “Beth and I were becoming friends. Isn’t that part of any solid mating? I knew I could count on her if I needed her. She also listened to me and spoke her mind. She wasn’t sexy, but she tried hard not to be. Will you blame me now because she was good at hiding that part of herself?”

  “Shouldn’t you have known? You’re a shifter.”

  Titus laughed. “My cat knew, but he refused to share with me the reason we were drawn to Beth. Don’t you think the little test you did sets up a male for failure?”

  “Maybe.” She said after a moment’s thought.

  “You know what I want, but I’m willing to be patient and date.”

  He spit out the word like it was a four letter dirty word. Yeah, she knew shifters didn’t date. But he knew humans did. It was a compromise few alphas would consider. “Deal.”

  “What do we do today?” Titus asked as he continued to eat. Wolves tended to shovel their food in, but cats seemed to be daintier eaters. Beth watched in fascination. “What are you looking at?”

  “I’m glad you have good manners. It’s unusual in males in general.”

  “Okay.” He said looking at her suspiciously.

  “Today is Saturday?”

  “Sorry, Sweetheart. It’s Sunday.”

  “I lost a day?”

  “It seems like you did. Don’t worry, I’m sure Ariel picked up the slack.”

  “I hate to add to her burdens.”

  “I suspect she would say family isn’t a burden. My family will come eventually and I look forward to it.”

  “Do you have a big family?”

  “My mother died several years ago. My dad is around here somewhere, but he loses ground every day. I have two sisters and a pile of brothers. My parents had a streak all on their own.”

  “Not me. I have the white wolves, but the other side of my family isn’t close. All I had was Daryn and he got hooked on the blood drug. He killed himself. That’s why I have to help Dale, his little brother. I just can’t lose him too.”

  “Between the two of us, we’ll take care of it. Dale needs a firm hand and a male to guide him.”

  “Hm, what about love and caring support?”

  “They are both needed equally. The boy is still a child in many ways.”

  “I can’t disagree with you. You’d think with the parents that they had they would have been tough and self-reliant, but no.”

  “Their parents?”

  “My aunt tries, at least most of the time. She took me in when my mom died even though I wanted to live with Ariel. My aunt insisted. Her husband is a mean drunk, the only one safe in the house was me. Those boys got the hell banged out of them.”

  “That doesn’t make them tough, just desperate to escape.” Titus observed. “A real male doesn’t beat on women and children.”

  “Exactly. I think he hated himself. Both the boys look like him.”

  “Only two children?”

  “Thank God, yes. I don’t know what he’d have done to a girl.”

  “But not you?”

  “They think I don’t know Ariel gave them money for me every month. When he’d get drunk, he’d call me his little money maker. I never could understand why my aunt put up with that.”

  “They still together?”

  “He died. She went out and found another one just like him.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard to understand why people do what they do.”

  “Let’s talk about something more pleasant.”

  “Okay, what do you want to talk about?”

  They just looked at each other until Beth started laughing. “Let’s do the dishes first.” It was hard to force a conversation so they did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen without talking.

  They sat down and both of them had a mug of coffee. “Tell me about your streak, it is streak right?” Beth asked.

  “My kind, cats of all kinds really, have spread out instead of congregating as we did in old times. Hunters began to claim too many even generations ago. My family was one of the first to leave even though we were leaders. We spread to Europe and North America because we were heavily hunted for our fur in Africa and Asia. Even some that knew of our kind hunted us. Rival groups sent hunters to take our people out. My mother’s people lived around Italy, but my father’s family came to the U.S. We started out in New York and spread south and west.”

  “How did you end up coming here?”

  “Seb contacted Ariel and asked her if she would
help. She agreed, as long as we would be allies. Now with Seb and Andi’s mating, that alliance is even stronger. I suspect all the cat leaders will fall to white wolves.”

  “Aw, you’re just saying that to tease me.”

  “I enjoy teasing you, but I truly believe it will be true. It amazes me how white wolves mate such useful males.”

  “Not just males. Our males have been mating into important families too.”

  “How could I forget that? There just haven’t been many of those.” Titus said.

  “I couldn’t say how many.”

  “Perhaps you and I will be the next?”

  “Time will tell. I usually do remodeling on Sundays if I don’t work. Do you prefer working inside or outside?” Beth asked.

  “It’s a beautiful day outside.”

  “I knew you’d say that. I’ll get my boots and gloves and meet you back here.”

  She hurried putting on her socks and work boots. Her thick leather gloves were next and she carried them with her. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  She handed him some gloves then Beth led him outside where a stack of supplies waited next to a concrete foundation that went up two feet. “What’s this for?” Titus asked.

  “I need a chicken shed and a storage house. I’ve been debating whether or not to have a concrete foundation like this in a chicken house.”

  “What are the reasons for and against?”

  “The main reason for is so possums and raccoons won’t dig under the walls and get all my chickens. The main reason against is concrete is hard on chicken claws. Of course I’d cover it with saw dust, but there’s more to remove when you clean the floor every few months.”

  “I don’t see that you have a choice. You need your chickens safe first.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Are you ready?”

  Beth pulled up the two by fours the walls would be attached to. She had left holes in the concrete to fit the boards into. It was tight, but they fit all of them in. Once they were all standing upright, it was time to connect them to other boards. It was always amazing to watch a building go up. The roof would be a bit harder since working up off the ground was dangerous. She’d be happy if they got the walls up today.

  Titus was good to work with. Construction wasn’t his area, but he was competent and learned quickly. It showed her he would be easy to work with in other areas. That was one thing she needed in a mate. She’d already given him points for helping in the house. Once they went on a date, she would decide if he was romantic. By supper time, the walls were up and they were tired.

  Beth went in to wash her hands before preparing a frozen lasagna. Something faster might be better time wise, but she didn’t feel like a lot of prep work. While it baked, she took a shower. When she was done, she came out and fixed a tossed salad with the last of her lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Titus came in with his hair wet smelling fabulous.

  “Can I help?”

  “All that’s left is to put the garlic bread in and add cheese to the lasagna when it’s almost done. We can eat our salad now while we watch a move?”

  “What movie do you want to see?”

  “Surprise me. Do you want a beer or tea?”

  “I’m fine with tea.”

  Beth got them each a glass of tea and carried the bowls of salad in to him. He’d selected an action adventure movie on one of the subscription channels she rarely used. Once she was settled on the couch, he joined her and turned the movie on. She could admit it gave her a sense of belonging to be here with him like this.

  They both wiped out their salads fast. Good thing the lasagna was family size. She’d hoped the leftovers would work for supper tomorrow, now she wasn’t as sure. The movie was on hold for a few minutes. The garlic bread was done and it was time to cheese up the lasagna. It was great when it was drowned in cheese.

  Taking some garlic bread into the room, Titus turned the movie back on. Ten minutes later the alarm went off and the lasagna was done. Once it went on plates, they went back to the movie to watch the rest of it.

  Chapter 6

  A New Life

  Everything had changed over the last couple weeks for Titus. He was sure it was the same way for Beth. There was still more than a month before school started, but Dale was coming back soon. His room was on the third floor to give him privacy. It had been remodeled as soon as Beth knew he was coming the first time. There was a bathroom up there and a small kitchenette, but they were shared with the other guest bedroom. An attic area allowed for storage of unused items.

  Beth shared the history of the house with him and it explained why it was so big. It had previously been owned by a reclusive millionaire along with the land that came with it and even more land that had been sold off before Beth had found the place. After his death, the children had fought over the estate and the land had been parceled off and sold in plots. The house and the last plot didn’t sell for years. Finally in the mid nineteen hundreds, it sold to a lady from California who thought she got a great deal. She began to remodel, but ran out of money.

  The house sat empty again for thirty years until it was bought by a land speculator who rented it out until he had a chance to do something with it. He died before he did anything. His wife held on to his properties just renting them out until she died ten years later. It sat empty while her estate was settled among squabbling relatives because she had no children and the will wasn’t clear. Three years ago, Ariel discovered it. The sale had been arranged for Beth.

  “Ariel did you a big favor.” Titus said. If he ended up living with Beth, she’d done him one too.

  “I’m aware, Big Guy. Favors go back and forth in our family.”

  “So Dale arrives tomorrow?”

  “I have to pick him up, but Marissa is taking me. She has a new SUV and it is neat.”

  “I’d like to go as well.”

  “Would you really? It seems like it’s tying up everyone’s time.”

  “When I spend time with you, I never consider it a waste.”

  “That’s sweet, but you’d have to sit in the back. The back seats are nearly as good as the front.” Beth assured.

  “Why do I have to sit in the back?”

  “Sometimes I get carsick. Since I already feel nervous about Dale, it’s almost a sure thing.”

  “When we mate and you change, that will be in the past.” Titus assured.

  “Trying to tempt me?”

  “No, when we mate, it will be because you can’t resist my charms.”

  Beth had nothing to say, but he’d noticed her sexual side had come alive lately. He didn’t stay with her every night, but he stayed more and more often. She wasn’t ready yet, but he didn’t know why. He, on the other hand, had been ready for a while now.

  Things at school were moving along with nearly a hundred kids enrolled. The area would soon be flooded with families in need of homes. As soon as the streak house was complete, a large apartment building would be built nearby. It wouldn’t be enough. The lions had claimed most of the available homes, both rented and bought. The tigers would claim the rest leaving the other cats without any options, but building places to house their people.

  With the boom in the population, local businesses were already struggling to keep up. Even the large mall Moe had built, wasn’t handling everything completely. Titus had put in a laundry mat and the business was booming. Ariel had helped or he’d never have managed it. At her suggestion, he’d put in a vending section. It had sandwiches, fruit, and other items as well as chips, pastries, and drinks.

  The place would be paid for in three months at the rate of income it was producing. Now he would have to wait to see what he would do next. The laundry mat employed four of his tigers. Two teenagers worked their days around to be there to monitor things. A couple worked four nights a week after closing taking in laundry, mostly from single guys. Charging by weight, it was a lucrative business. So far most of his tigers had found work in the c
ommunity especially through Ariel with the building boom on them currently. The town desperately needed a full sized grocery store. Once more people arrived, he was ready to build one if no one else did it first. The town was too small for two.

  Sitting down in Beth’s kitchen, he turned his computer on. It was time to check his emails. He had over a hundred. That made it time to consider an assistant, but he had hoped to wait to hire a tiger. Scanning through them, he immediately picked out the one he needed to open first. It was from Saria, his oldest sister.

  I’ve decided to relocate to your area. Even though the invitation didn’t come directly from my beloved brother. I’ll need a house ready to move into in two weeks with a studio for my art. Don’t let me down.

  Love Saria

  It was just like her to drop everything on his shoulders and set a short deadline. He leaned back with a sigh.

  “What’s the matter?” Beth asked from where she was at the stove cooking breakfast.

  “My sister Saria is moving down here.”

  “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

  “She’s an artist.”

  “And that means what?”

  “She doesn’t live in the world everyone else does. Saria will be here in two weeks and she wants a house with an artist’s studio ready and waiting.”

  Beth smiled. “That might be doable, or nearly so. I just bought an old house at the edge of town where we can set up living quarters upstairs and the business downstairs. She could have a store front with a studio in back. It needs remodeled, but we could do the upstairs first. That way she’d have input on the studio portion.”

  “That would save my relationship with my bossy sister who forgets who is the alpha.”

  “Who is the oldest?”

  “I am first born, she’s a year younger. Cats aren’t as patriarchal as wolves. They consider females if they show leadership and fighting abilities.”

  “Sounds like she’d be a good second.” Beth observed.

  “She’d have to fight Morris.”

  “Would she win?”

  “I don’t know. She used to be a good fighter. Maybe she’d make top five if she kept up her skills.”