“I just might. She got them perfectly crisp. What were you talking about? Hurry and tell me so that I can finish eating. They’re so good but too loud to hear you talking.”

  Instead of talking, he ate the last two ravioli by putting them both in his mouth at the same time. Pouting at him, she told him he was unfair, and all he did was smile at her when he pulled a second plate of just the ravioli and handed it to her. The man was the best, that was for sure. She asked him what he’d been thinking about.

  “Making love to you.” She nearly spit her last bite all over him. “Yeah, I know that we do that a great deal. Making love is like a drug for me. But I don’t know that I’ve ever made love to you in this camper. Is it true that if you’re good enough, you might be able to make it rock?”

  “Hum, I have no idea. Why are you thinking about…never mind. You’re forever talking about sex. And thinking about it. Dreaming about it.” He laughed, and she joined him. “All right. But I need some food first. This is good and all, but it’s not nearly enough for me to be able to have sex…sorry, make love to you.”

  “Great. We can eat now and then again later.” He stood up and put out his hand. While she knew that the man was insatiable, she was too. There was just too much on her mind right now to race to bed. Standing up with his help, he pulled her up into his body and kissed her with so much passion that she was overwhelmed by it. And that got her to thinking.

  “We don’t do that enough.” He asked her what she meant, that he kissed her all the time. “Yes, you do. But it’s been a while since it was passionate like that. I know that we make love all the time and kiss during it, but when was the last time either of us simply pulled each other into our arms, or me, you for that matter, and showed with just our mouths how much we love each other. I bet a lot of people have forgotten that they need to do that, too.”

  “I love you. And you’re right. I think that after all this time, we sort of forget about passion. I love you so much, Lexy Tate. And will until the end of time.” They raced one another to the bedroom.

  He stood near the bed and was naked before she was. His cock was the first thing she noticed because he was incredibly hard and straining from his groin. When she reached for him, he took a step back and took a deep breath.

  “I’m going to bite you when we come. I’m going to mark you as mine. All right?” Was he kidding? She didn’t care at this point if he tore her throat out so long as he was inside of her. She nodded.

  He lifted her up and took her mouth. Her body was molded to his as he took them back to the bed, and his mouth was voracious. His tongue, soft and smooth, now touched deep and tangled with her own over and over. His hands tore at her clothes, and she at his flesh.

  When he took her nipple into his mouth, she cried out, lifting herself up to him to give her all to him. When his cock was at her entrance, she moved and shifted around until she felt his crown fill her. Moving again, she tried to take him all.

  He tore his mouth from her breast and looked down at her. “I know you need me right now, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been this hard before. Darling, I love you. And I need to fill you.”

  “Please. Please take me.” He punched hard into her. She screamed out in pain and held him. When he didn’t move, she looked up at him. Christ, she could see his concern but his lust as well. It was almost too much and not nearly enough. “Take me.”

  “I’m so sorry I hurt you, but I have never needed you this much before. I swear to you I’ll make it better for you next time, but I need to come inside of you.” When he moved again, it was slow and easy. “I’ll make it up to you, baby.”

  She felt her body adjust to his. His cock was thicker than she was used to from him, but he wasn’t hurting her anymore. She rolled her hips up to take more of him when he licked along her throat. Every part of her body, including she was sure her hair, felt it. Moving her head for him, she felt his teeth as they grazed along her skin. Digging her nails into his back to encourage him to do it, she felt his teeth at her ear lobe. All the while, he was moving in and out of her slowly, steadily.

  “You’re going to come when I bite you. Come very hard. I can hardly wait to taste you. Lick my tongue into your pussy and drink you.” Her hands moved to his chest, and she flicked her nail over his nipple. “Christ, do that again.”

  She did and drew blood. But instead of feeling bad for hurting him, she found that she wanted to taste him. Lifting her head, she licked the droplet and then covered her mouth over the tiny wound and suckled.

  Her climax tore through her, but before she could throw back her head and scream with it, Jeremiah held her to his chest and took her hard. Then he sank his teeth into her neck.

  The climax screamed through her body, taking her up and over a crest so high she saw stars behind her closed lids. Even as he lapped at her skin and her his, he pounded into her, over and over. Then he stiffened and lifted his head. As he snarled, she looked up and saw her blood on his chin, his teeth longer than before stained with it. She took his injured nipple again in her mouth and bit him as hard as she could and cried out when her mouth filled with his blood. As she swallowed, she knew that something had happened, something neither of them had expected. As the darkness took her, she thought he told her he loved her.

  When she woke, she was alone in the big bed. Not that she cared right now. Even if he had been in bed with her, she would have begged him not to move. Her pores hurt she was so sore, but she could feel a smile on her face that she knew was because of him. Sitting up, she finally made her way to the shower and turned it on to the hottest setting.

  She knew that Jeremiah had been in the shower recently. As the floor was still damp, and the hot water came out of the shower head faster than before. After getting dressed, she left their bedroom and had a funny thought. She wondered if they had made the camper rock and would have to ask him about it.

  Not only was Jeremiah not in the kitchen, but he didn’t seem to be anywhere in the camper. Reaching out to him, he asked her to come to the lions’ cage with him and she made her way there. After a few minutes, she was standing in front of one of the larger cages and was surprised to smell blood. It wasn’t until she saw the little cub that she took a deep breath.

  “Oh, she’s beautiful. Look at her tiny paws.” She asked permission to hold the cub and the momma, not a shifter, but her mate nodded her approval. “Oh, you’re a good momma, Tawny. She’s so fat and healthy.”

  “They want us to take her under our wings when we leave here.” She was only half listening to Jeremiah. “Honey, she can’t keep her.” That got her attention.

  “Why?” She looked from Leo, her mate who was human right now, to the momma. “I don’t understand. Why can’t she keep her with her?”

  “This isn’t a good place to raise a child. Especially a shifter cub. For the first year, she’ll have no control over shifting, and they’re afraid that she’ll shift around humans, and that would be really bad.” She could see that but wasn’t happy about separating a mom and her child. “Honey, she’ll come with us. The baby won’t be alone. The two of them will be with the leap on our lands, and we’ll raise her to be a human. Along with the other shifters in the leap.”

  “But she’ll come with us, Tawny, I mean. She’ll be there with us, too.” He hesitated just long enough that she was worried. “Tell me. I need to know what you’re dancing around.”

  “Tawny is twenty-three years old. She was actually thought to be too old to have a child. As you can imagine, it’s been hard on her.” She asked him to tell her again. “Tawny is dying. The birth took too much out of her, and with her age, it was too much on her heart. That’s why she wants us to take care that her cub is well-versed in being a shifter.”

  “No. No, I won’t have it.” The big lioness put her large paw on her hands while she still held her child. “No, Tawny. You can’t die. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to this circus. You’ve been here forever. I won’t allow you to die.”

  That got a laugh, sort of a snort from the lioness. When she lifted her head, Lexy could see how much that little movement cost her. Putting her forehead on hers, scratching her behind the ears as she cried. Lexy assured her that she would watch her child like her own. And that she was ever so proud that she let her and Jeremiah be a part of her life.

  It was, she thought, the hardest thing she’d ever done. Telling Tawny that she’d only allow her to die if she waited until they got her home again. Shaking her head, feeling her pain all the way to her heart, Tawny laid back on the fresh hay that was in her pen and closed her eyes. In no time at all, she was gone.

  Joel came with the rest of the family to pick her up. She’d be buried on the land that was used for the leap, and a lovely headstone would tell all that came upon it how Tawny had been a showgirl and that she’d been all over the world dancing into the hearts of all the people that had met her. Without mentioning the child, the headstone would only say that she was the best there was, too.

  When she was gone, her child in the arms of one of the leap ladies, she was loaded onto the private jet that would take her back to Ohio. Lexy sat and cried for over an hour at the loss of one so wonderful. The two of them had performed together over the last few years, and she was glad for the photos that had been taken so that she’d be able to remember their time together.

  By the next night, they were setting up in another town. The tent was put up, and things went on like the death had never occurred. It hurt her so much that she wanted to scream at the laughing people that a good-hearted cat had passed on. Jeremiah stood under the lights before the show and cleared his throat.

  “Today, we lost a great member of our cast. Tawny passed away earlier this morning and has been taken back to her home. She will be greatly missed.” He asked for a moment to reflect on her passing, and there wasn’t a dry eye on the tent. After that, the lions that were left, most of them shifters, bowed down to the audience before the show went on. Those words, the show must go on, meant more to her in that moment than they had ever meant before.

  The next day, the local paper ran a full-page article about the loss and people from all over the world sent their condolences. Some even sent money for the burial and headstone. So much love and support that she was sure that she would remember this forever. She knew that she would Tawny.

  The flowers too that came were used in the shows. They also were able to give away some of the planters. There wasn’t any way that they’d be able to keep them as they traveled. Also, a few of the larger donations sent vouchers for trees to be planted in her memory. Lexy thought that that had been the best gifts. She could see herself taking the little cub to visit the trees and then talk about her mom.

  The fruit was enjoyed by everyone in the circus. Some of the larger animals got a good portion of the fruits with their nightly meals. She came upon Leo washing one of the hippos that was a shifter too, and him talking to him. Lexy didn’t have long to think about if Leo knew that he was talking to another shifter like himself.

  “Ben, you know that I don’t mind giving you a bath right now, but you have to know that I’m not all here tonight. Why did you think that you needed a nice cleanup right now?” He must have answered him because Leo laughed. “All right. I guess I can see that, too. Wouldn’t want your pretty face all messing with tear stains. Yes, I can see that. You’re a good friend, you know. And probably just what I needed about now. I’m surely going to miss my missus.”

  Several years ago, about a decade now, Ben had found his mate. But the issue was, she’d been married to someone else at the time, and he stepped back. It was a small wonder that he knew just what to do for Leo. Giving the big animal a scrub-up, what he called it, got both of them out of their funk.

  Even though they were of different species, they were men who had lost a great deal. Lexy backed out of the tent they were in and set off to find her own mate. She wanted a hug in the worst sort of way.

  Chapter 8

  Joel watched the people as they made their way into the larger-than-life tent. But it was the children that he loved watching the most. The excitement on their little faces. The way they held onto their program. Even the few with balloons, shaped into odd shapes of animals, were going to be treasured items for a long time. And even though he was taking tickets right now, he still felt like he was a part of the expectations of every person. A real live clown taking tickets from them.

  “Hello, my dear.” He didn’t kiss Caitlynn even though he really wanted to. His excitement for this evening was too high for him to curb. He looked at her and saw that she was going to be the crystal ball reader again tonight. He knew that she loved that job as much as he did his. She could help people without them even being aware. One of the children in line didn’t have a ticket but held a scrap of paper that someone must have handed him. He said that he’d forgotten to take it from his mom. “Let Caitlynn the magnificent have that young sir.”

  After fixing his ticket, turning it from just a piece of paper to a real ticket, he handed the stub back to him when Caitlynn moved on. Christ, this was the most fun he’d had in decades.

  Jeremiah and Lexy ran the circus full-time now. Peabody had passed away, much to the heartbreak of everyone who knew her, one night after having a hard fall when she tripped over a goat. She’d gone out the way that she wanted, enjoying life all the way to the end. He thought that Jeremiah had been the most heartbroken when it was announced, and he didn’t want to go on anymore now that she was gone.

  For two weeks out of every four months, one of them, with their entire family, would come and work the circus with his little brother. It was a good way to see him, as he was seldom home now, and a way for the rest of them to blow off steam. Right now was his third day here, and he thought that he was already sleeping better and knew that his appetite was better too. Something about the fresh, clean air is what each of them needed. He also got to spend time with his lovely wife and their three children and eight grandchildren. There were more grandchildren than he could remember right off the top of his head, but it was wonderful to see them all having so much fun. Especially since there was no pressure for them to be working all the time. He’d seen one of his many granddaughters just this morning feeding the goats. Her parents couldn’t get her to feed their dog at home, so her doing this was a huge treat for him.

  When the line began to slow down, and he could see the end of patrons, Joel put out the sign that they were filled up and enter at their own risk. He wanted to be there for the opening act. It was his favorite. Watching Jeremiah and Lexy getting the crowd ready, him as his wolf and Lexy as her elephant could wow crowds like no other. He was always amazed and wowed by it, even though he’d seen it dozens of times.

  His clown was next. Joel and four of his brothers were to appear on the center stage to help with the netting under the trapeze artists. As he was terrified of heights, Joel still had fun when the artist flipped and turned just in time to capture the attention of the people. Their bright costumes were the perfect backdrop for the swinging ropes. Joel was also happy that he’d been cleared of having to help hang the ropes because as soon as he was at the highest point, he would have to be brought to the ground in magic. Hanna and his brother would tease him for days on end before he convinced Jeremiah that he couldn’t do it anymore without throwing up on everyone below him. He was glad when his son was able to take over for him in climbing ropes on this trip, too. This was indeed a family-run business in that every one that came to help out in their two weeks did more than their fair share and enjoyed every moment of it. At least he did.

  When the circus closed down, he sat with his brother and his wife while they talked about the issues that had come up during the performances. Joel, of course, had thought it was perfect, but some things happened that he wouldn’t have noticed. Not because he didn’t care but because he didn’t have as much experience as the others. Plus, he thought that Jeremiah and Lexy ran a tight circus and ran it so smoothly that when there was a glitch, it had been taken care of so well that very few would have noticed. Joel figured that was the point of practicing all the time.

  ~*~

  Layton was glad that he had a bit of an overlap to see Joel and Caitlynn. Not that he didn’t see them at home all the time, but being able to see them in the circus setting was much more relaxed and fun.

  Usually, they were all either coming or going. However, with this trip, they’d been asked to come a couple of days early so that they could see how Joel and his wife performed with the cars and tricycles. Mentally rubbing his hands together, he couldn’t wait to try something new for his time here. He thought that his baby brother was doing a bang-up job in running the circus. He thought that he ran it much like he did the school. Keeping on time and making sure that everyone was safe while having fun.

  He also wanted to hand over the book he’d been putting together for them. Layton daily scoured the internet for pictures and information about the Peanut. It had surprised him that the trip to Paris had been such a success. In fact, everywhere they went, people had nothing but good things to say about the time they spent at the Peanut Circus. And Layton truly did love the name of it. It was owned by Peanut Gallery Productions. A name that he came up with when his brother wanted to branch out into different things.

  “The stuffies that we sell now are a huge hit. You had a great idea in coming out with one seasonal one each year.” Jeremiah was quick to thank you for your help and made sure that no matter how shitty the show went, he, like most of the people that sat in the audience, knew nothing of the issues, which were very few that went on. “Lexy and I were talking about the employees, and she thinks that we should make trading cards for them. The profits would go to them, of course and it could be written up in any style they wanted. I guess there are several styles to choose from. Anyway, we were thinking that you could take the pictures. Peanut will pay you for them and—”