Snippet Saturday – Midnight Rider
Jul
14
2012

I’m choosing to take this one as some paranormal badassery and so how about an excerpt from BENEATH THE SKIN?

de La Vega Cats: BENEATH THE SKIN by LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2012, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, Samhain Publishing

“I’d like to speak to you about this. Do you have the time?”

She looked him over carefully. “All right. You can give me a ride home.”

Given the way she looked like she needed to eat and nap, he’d add some dinner in to the mix too. “Drew, thank you for your service. The jamboree will see to it that you’re reimbursed for any time you had to close today and any damage caused by the bullet.” He shot a look to Mia. “And any medical bills you might incur.”

Drew laughed. “It took being in a coma for her to seek medical assistance. Getting shot isn’t going to do it.”

Then he yelped when Mia punched his arm. “Hey, Chatty Cathy, don’t you have plans?”

Drew rolled his eyes at his sister and left the room.

“You’re sort of scary.”

“Says the male who just threatened to shoot someone.”

“You’re not afraid of me.”

“I’d shoot you back.” She raised one shoulder and his cock twitched happily. Stupid penis. She was not appropriate for him.

“You need to eat as well. Consider it part of the fee I owe you. I have a place I think you might like if you’re a meat eater.”

“That’ll do.”

He allowed her to open and then lock the door after them and ushered her to the car. Dario had taken his back to the building where they’d house the prisoner.

She took in the SUV. “Nice. This could be in a movie about guys in dark sunglasses charged with protecting the president or something.”

He opened the door for her and would have helped her up but she had an expression that told him he’d be in danger if he did.

“I don’t need dark sunglasses with the windows so tinted. But I do protect the equivalent of the president.”

She shrugged and he caught sight of that leg again. “At least let me see the wound.”

“I’d have to take my pants off for that and you haven’t even bought me dinner yet. In fact, stop by my apartment so I can change. I can’t very well go into a public place with bloody pants.”

If she’d been intimidated by issuing an order to the Bringer of her jamboree, she didn’t show it. And God help him, he found it attractive.

He found a place to park near her building. “I can carry you. It’s not a big deal. If your leg hurts too much, that is.”

She opened her door and slid to the ground and he sighed, getting out to join her.

“It hurt for the first half an hour. Now it’s just a dull throb.” She unlocked the outer door and they went inside.

Once in her apartment, he noticed several things. It smelled like a male lived there, which made him frown. He had the idea it was a relative, but he wasn’t quite sure why.

She shuffled into the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Her leg did hurt, though she wasn’t going to say so. He’d been shot three times and was up within twenty minutes. She could deal with a thigh wound, for goodness sake.

Only it was hard to peel the pants off, and she had to get into the shower to do it. And then of course she fell with a yelp and cracked her elbow on the tile.

Which would have been embarrassing enough. Until he burst through the door, a snarl on his lips, his teeth bared. And she, laying naked from the waist up, her pants now wet and tangled around her calves.

“Get out! Jeez!”

“Are you all right? Did you fall?” He ignored her orders to leave and helped her to her feet. Then he knelt to get a better look at the wound, which wasn’t bleeding at all by that point. But his breath on her skin and her state of near nakedness made her want to giggle. Or hit him. But she resisted both.

“It’s looking like you’re healing well. Have you changed?” He stood and looked at her breasts. He wasn’t supposed to do that. Shifters were pretty nonchalant with the naked thing. But this wasn’t a casual perusal. This was a boy-type person looking at her boobs.

“I was trying to, but then the pants got stuck to my skin because of the blood and you didn’t mean my clothes.”

“I don’t think you should go out. I know of several restaurants nearby who’ll deliver.”

Then he started getting naked.

“What are you doing?”

“You need to change and then you need to clean up. Once that’s done, we’ll get you some protein and rest with your leg up so you can heal better. And during that you can tell me the story of what happened today in your shop.”

She’d planned to argue, but he grabbed her throat. Not to hurt, but to collar and get her attention. And boy did he get it. But not as a cat. Her nipples hardened, and the rest of her was equally pleased by the action.

Too late to blush.

A smile curved one edge of that mouth up, and she shivered and licked her lips.

He growled, but it wasn’t a scary one.

He was…well, he was a whole lot of male and holy shit did she like it.

“You need to change. Let your cat heal you.” He got very, very close, his teeth grazing over her shoulder, sending a shiver of delight through her body.

At least as a cat she could stop blushing. She let the change come over her. The world of her cat reigned now. Scents, especially his, tickled her senses as the wound on her back leg tingled. She stretched, rumbling her enjoyment when the man slid a big, strong hand over her head and down her throat. He spoke in human words and she ignored all but his tone. Her cat liked his tone.

He knelt and looked into her face. The words he spoke brought the woman to the surface, brought her back, the pain of such a quick change pricked her skin.

“There you are.” He helped her up. “Better?”

“You’re almost naked.” She was queen of random today, apparently.

“I was planning on changing with you. You seem to have issues with authority, and I knew my cat could bring yours. But you surprised me by obeying.”

“How about you leave now so I can finish this shower? There are takeout menus in the drawer under the phone.” She nearly managed sarcastic. But they both knew her heart raced.

He took one last, lingering look and sauntered out, his clothes in his hands. “Try not to fall again. You have enough injuries for one day.”

Be Sure to Visit Today’s Other Snippeters!

Megan Hart:Read in bed!
Leah Braemel
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Mandy M Roth
Lissa Matthews
Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Taige Crenshaw
Shiloh Walker
Delilah Devlin
HelenKay Dimon
Lauren Dane
Shelli Stevens
TJ Michaels

4 comments to “Snippet Saturday – Midnight Rider”

  1. Christine
    July 14th, 2012 at 1:44 pm · Link

    Love this series can’t wait for the next installment.



  2. Diane
    July 14th, 2012 at 3:17 pm · Link

    Ok after reading the snippet I have got to check and see if I have the book on my e-reader; if not, time to get it!!!The book is hot! 😆



  3. Suzanne
    July 14th, 2012 at 7:39 pm · Link

    I have the book, but have not read it. With that snippett it gooes up on the TBR list. Cats, I love cats. 😉



  4. Blanche
    July 14th, 2012 at 9:33 pm · Link

    I love your Cats Lauren! Great snippet!