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Sonja and Derrick.
    Derrick turned back to face Sonja. “I take it you don’t have
full control over your power yet?”
    Sonja shrunk back into the chair. The tilt of her chin and
flutter of her eyelashes gave her a softer, more feminine look that made her
appear smaller. She bit her lip and looked at the ground before speaking. “I’m
still learning.”
    Out of the corner of his eye, Derrick watched Max’s
response. The other pumas gave no sign of emotion, but Derrick knew he’d seen
something. Max never missed anything. Still facing Sonja, he gave her thigh a
squeeze. “It’s okay. We’re all a little stronger than humans.”
    She lifted her head and stared at him, pursing her lips
together. “So am I.”
    He grinned playfully. “I gathered that.”
    She seemed less bold, now that he’d discovered her secret.
    Derrick leaned in and rubbed her thigh again, keeping
contact with her. “It’s okay. Is there anything we can do to help?”
    Her shoulders stiffened. “No. It’s all me. But I feel…”
    An idea formed in his mind. Slowly, Derrick relaxed, pouring
sexual tension into her. He figured out quickly last night that if he could
control his emotions then he could help her. No place relaxed him more than his
favorite cigar lounge. He met her gaze with kindness of his own, trying to calm
his mind and the flow of information the body conveyed.
    She blinked slowly, then normally.
    Derrick’s smile softened. Energy steadily flowed from him to
her.
    Then it rushed through her eyes, a clarity of some sort.
“How did you?”
    He held up the cigar. “This is relaxing for me.” He pointed
at the half-full glass of port, still able to smell the raisin notes though her
scent floated closer to him than the port. “I figured out last night, when you
hit me with all the extra baggage from your crowd, I needed to stabilize
myself. It took some thought. Pumas are notorious loners. We get used to being
with our own subconscious messes, so it becomes easier to deal with others when
we can separate the two.”
    She caressed his chin.
    “But we survive. And…” He let the thought trail off.
    She moved in closer, her face now mere inches from him.
    Did he lean forward and initiate the kiss?
    Or did she?
    It didn’t matter. Her lips pressed softly against his,
swiping her tongue across his lower lip and stealing his coherent thoughts.
Derrick smiled into the kiss, glad for another taste of what he considered
perfection. There it was, the sweetness of her lips combined with the heady
scent of her arousal that he was sure his friends could smell.
    If any one of them so much as made a move, he’d tear his
throat out.
    She pulled back, her eyes half open, irises dancing with
obvious lust. “We could take this somewhere else. Finish what we started.”
    He saw her entire face. The way her hair fell on both sides
emphasized the roundness of her face and the sparkle of her eyes. “I’d love to,
just as soon as I finish my smoke. Tobacco Nazis abound outside this
establishment. And this, while not a rare treat, will help us with
anticipation.”
    “So hurry up!” Defiant confidence returned along with her
demanding tone. Yup, her power had been sated with sexual energy and the peace
this place inspired. She was just a regular human now, not charged with extra
baggage. She smelled of the shower; he could pick out her scent even through
the thickness of tobacco smoke.
    Oh, and of course, he’d never mistake the aroma of
unmitigated lust that was just her.
    Despite his body’s reaction, Derrick managed a polite smile.
Then, he waved his hand behind him at the large wooden wine storage unit. “I’ll
hurry. Port? Wine? My treat.”
    By this time, Rocky had resumed his natural, somewhat
pretentious posture but showed his unease by flipping the top on his torch.
“You sure that’s a good idea, Derrick?”
    “Let the girl have wine if she wants.” Erick rolled his eyes
and spoke in a deep, menacing tone.
    She chuckled