Read The Lion Within (Ghost Cat Shifters #1) for Free Online

swirled in her center. She flexed into his touch, her hands running over the hard planes of his body. Their kiss went on and on. Her cat shimmered underneath, nearly purring with satisfaction at the feel of him under her touch.
    When he finally tore away, her breath came in heaves. Her sex was drenched with need, and she most certainly did not want to stop. They remained where they were. Daniel’s palm was resting on her low back, his other hand laced in her hair. Her head came to his shoulder, and she could feel the pounding of his heart against her. She tried to gather herself, the fuzz in her brain slowly clearing though her want for him didn’t abate in the least. A tad bit of reason prevailed, reminding her that maybe slowing down a bit would be wise. He stepped back a fraction, his hand sliding free of her hair. He tucked a few loose locks behind her ear, sending shivers in the wake of his touch.
    Just a kiss was the understatement of the century.

    ***
    Sophia knocked quickly on the kitchen door at her parents’ house before stepping inside. Her parents lived in the home where she grew up. It was located a few miles from downtown Painter on the edge of a small valley. Their home was a farmhouse built when her great-grandparents moved to Painter from Maine over a century ago. The home was elegant and simple, a colonial style farmhouse painted a soft gray with green trim. As she stepped into the kitchen, the sun was falling in bright rays through the tall windows, casting a sheen on the polished hardwood floor. The kitchen had been updated with new stainless steel appliances though it retained its original charm. Her mother had given Sophia her love of plants. The kitchen had ferns hanging in the corners and flowers on the windowsills.
    “Hey Mom!” she called as she walked inside.
    She heard a muted reply and followed it down the hall to the study at the front of the house. Her mother was standing up from her desk as she entered. Lila Ashworth’s hair was almost black and streaked with silver. It swung about her shoulders as she walked toward Sophia. Her eyes were dark brown and usually held a gleam of suppressed mirth, though that had been all but extinguished in the last year between Heath’s car accident and subsequent problems. The fog had started to lift and then Heath had been arrested.
    Lila walked to Sophia and slipped her hand through Sophia’s elbow. “I meant to be finished up in here. I’ve been grading papers all morning, and I’m ready for a break. I thought we could have a snack in the kitchen.”
    Sophia walked alongside her mother back to the kitchen. Lila immediately put out a small tray of cheese and crackers on the table, along with a pitcher of lemonade, and sat down across from Sophia at the small table tucked into an alcove of windows. The flower filled backyard stretched out in view.
    “I thought you weren’t going to do any teaching this summer,” Sophia commented as she filled the two glasses her mother set out with lemonade.
    Lila lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. “I wasn’t, but then the high school called because the teacher they had lined up to cover the summer school English classes quit. It’s only two days a week. It keeps me busy, so that’s a good thing,” she offered with a wry smile.
    Sophia held her mother’s gaze for a long moment. “Any word from Heath?”
    Lila took a sip of lemonade and nodded. “He called last night. He sounds better every time we talk. If he apologizes one more time, I might scream, but he keeps apologizing anyway.”
    After his arrest for trying to buy heroin, Heath had worked out a deal with the local prosecutor to go to rehab and do community service upon his return. If he stayed clean for the year after, his charges would be dropped. He’d been away in rehab for over a month now. Every time Sophia tried to wrap her brain around the fact that Heath had gotten so addicted to painkillers he went hunting for heroin, she felt like she