They spent a fun hour looking over the clothing choices available before they decided on what Katrina would wear for what they were calling her mating celebration. Deidre and Franny left in their Jeep with an admonishment not to be late to her own party, which was starting in just a couple of hours. Ren appeared in time to see the girls off and then reclaimed Katrina’s attention for a very slippery, very sensuous shower.
When they finally finished washing up—which took much longer than it needed to, but was very pleasurable, indeed—they dressed for the party. Ren was devastating in dark trousers and a dark green silk shirt that he left unbuttoned part way down his chest. The color reflected his eyes and made him look just a little bit piratical.
Katrina dressed in the bathroom, taking a few extra minutes to put on a small amount of makeup and fix her hair. When she emerged, Ren seemed to appreciate her effort, kissing the light layer of gloss off her lips with enthusiasm. She had to remind them both that they were expected at the party. Ren reluctantly let her go and ushered her to the vehicle that had sat in the attached parking spot since they’d arrived.
She was surprised when he took another path down into the crater of the dormant volcano, rather than heading back around the outside to the mansion. She’d just assumed the party would be at the mansion she’d first seen, but apparently, she was wrong.
He drove competently down a zig-zagging trail through the dense trees that brought them out into a flat section of the caldera where several buildings could be seen, blending into the surroundings almost magically. A motif of giant cats in a vaguely South American style graced the sides of the buildings, making her gasp at the beauty of the flowing lines. The buildings were scattered among the towering trees, with a large central area that was clear of tree trunks, but still sheltered, for the most part, by the leafy canopy. The clearing was where all the people—and big cats—were gathered.
“Shelly designed this part of our communal area. Those buildings are her designs, built by our people,” Ren told her with pride as he ushered her from the Jeep, which he’d parked alongside several others of similar color and vintage, in between the buildings. “This is the first really big party we’ve had in the community center area,” he went on as he took her arm and walked with her toward the crowd in the clearing. “It’s an honor that they’re doing this on such a grand scale for us. I think the entire Clan is here.”
He sounded impressed, which impressed her. This man had been to the crème de la crème of Hollywood gatherings. He’d been at diplomatic events around the world. She hadn’t really thought anything could touch him so deeply, but it seemed, the demonstration of love and appreciation from his own people was it.
A cheer went up when they entered the clearing and people recognized them. Katrina and Ren were surrounded quickly by well-wishers who seemed to want to hug them both with great affection. She’d never felt more welcome, even though she hadn’t officially met everyone yet. One and all, they seemed genuinely happy for her and Ren, and their joy in the celebration was heartfelt.
They were led to one of the tables set up around the perimeter of the central dancing area. Mark and Nick rose from the table, along with their wives, and came forward to greet Ren and Katrina formally. She felt the entire clearing grow still and silent while the leaders of Ren’s people looked them over. Nerves set in, and her mouth went dry, but Mark’s smile went a long way toward relieving her unnamed fears.
“We gather tonight to welcome a new member into our Clan,” Mark said in a voice that carried through the silence all around. “Our dear Ren has finally found his One, and we couldn’t be happier for them both. Welcome, Katrina, into the Jaguar Clan, forevermore.” He stepped forward and kissed her cheeks, one at a time, then stepped back to let Nick do the same.
Shelly and Sully hugged her close, and it was Sully who whispered, “Welcome to the club,” which made Katrina laugh.
Chapter Seventeen
Katrina heard the party get started again as everyone cheered, and Ren and she were seated with the two couples who led the Clan. Food was served, and drinks were placed before them. It was mostly cake and cookies, fruit juices and sparkling water, which fit her mood. She saw platters of finger food being circulated around the crowd, and everybody seemed to be having a great time.
Ren danced with her, first energetic dances to a driving beat, then more slowly, as the night wore on and the mood became more intimate. She saw frisky little jaguars change into sleepy children, who were taken by their parents to a special area set aside for the littlest members of the Clan. An older woman, who everyone seemed to call simply Abuela, appeared to be watching over the group of children and holding court with some of the other elderly members of the Clan. But the kids were free—and safe—to roam around, as well.
Two, in particular, had come up to Katrina to be introduced. A little boy named Miguel and a little girl called Kensi had run up to her at the table shortly after they were seated, to say hello. Mark grabbed them both after a few minutes and put them both on his lap until their parents came over to find the two, who had run off by themselves. Introductions were made, and Katrina was interested to learn that both of the little ones were related to Mark, who was cousins with the fathers of both children.
The mothers were human, and Katrina was intrigued to meet both of them. She would have liked more time to ask them about what her life was going to be like now that she was part of this group, but the crowd and the noise didn’t really lend itself to serious conversation. She made a note to seek out both women at some point in the future, if the opportunity presented itself.
The party went on for hours, and Katrina felt as if she’d met every single person who’d come to the festivities by the time the music and dancing started to wind down. People had left by ones and twos until only a few couples were left, dancing slowly to the romantic music.
Finally, Ren suggested they go home, and she agreed. The party had been wonderful, but it would be even more wonderful to be alone with Ren for a while. Preferably until morning. They were due to fly to England tomorrow, and she wanted to spend the rest of her time on the island with Ren, making love and enjoying the comfort of his beautiful house.
That night, in the sultry warmth of their private tropical oasis, Katrina got to try teasing her jungle cat a little and found that she was able to make him purr. They were naked together in his giant bed, and they’d already made love once. The dancing they’d done as the party wound down had been a facsimile of foreplay, so they’d both been ready for action the moment they were back at his house…alone.
Once the edge had been taken off their passion, there was time to savor, which she was doing at that moment. She’d run her fingers down his chest to his abdomen as he lay on his back, his hands raised above his head, stretched out and in recovery mode after their first round. His eyes had been closed, but they opened the moment she stirred and started stroking him. The swirling energy of his green eyes was almost luminescent in the dimly lit bedroom. Breathtaking. Magical.
The intimacy of the moment made her bold. Katrina stroked down over his hard-muscled abdomen, enjoying the indentations of his six-pack abs and sliding her fingers lower, inch by tantalizing inch. She held his gaze as she reached lower still, finding what she’d sought and taking him into her hand as he went from replete to hungry faster than she would have credited.