Her Tiger To Take (12 page)

“Nick!” Her voice was deep and husky, the
sound fueling his lust.

He couldn’t taste her enough. No spice, no
dish, no food had ever tasted so perfect. When she tightened and
trembled, he gripped her closer and pushed her to an orgasm that
had her shaking against him.

“I could spend years just like this,” he said
against her thigh. Sweat dripped between her breasts, drawing his
attention. He moved up her body, kissing her as he went, savoring
her little jumps and gasps when he hit sensitive spots. “I want to
know everything, find everything that makes you come.”

“You’ve made one hell of a start,” she moaned
as he took her nipple into his mouth again.

“Not enough. This is going to take some
time.”

She chuckled, but the sound was strained and
tight. “Fine. Just… Oh!”

He smiled against her skin. Apparently, her
waist was as sensitive as her breasts. He filed that away for
future use, then rose up to kiss her. She wiggled under him,
pushing and tugging to get him where she wanted him. Then she
wrapped her legs around his hips and arched up to bump against his
cock. Her invitation was clear, and he wanted to be inside her so
much, it never crossed his mind to resist.

She was hot and wet, her body stretching and
taking him as if they made love all the time. He lifted onto his
arms enough to watch her as he rocked against her, into her. The
way her eyes fluttered open and closed, the way her lips parted,
the way she gasped and panted, the feel of her fingers digging into
his arms, everything about her was perfect,
beautiful…
his
.

Her orgasm tightened her inner muscles around
him and dragged him toward his own release too quickly. He held out
just long enough to watch her come, the flush that rose across her
chest and into her cheeks, the way her jaw clenched, the sound of
her cry reverberating through his bedroom. Then he let go and
followed her, unable to resist her or refuse her anything now.

After, he held her close, pulling his
blankets up around them and tucking her head under his chin so he
could savor her scent. He didn’t want this moment to end. He
certainly didn’t want to think about the future.

She rolled a little to look out the window,
then groaned. “Almost sunrise. You have to work today?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I should have let you sleep earlier.”

“Right. That’s what I wanted. Sleep.”

She snorted. “You need to sleep now. At least
a few hours.”

He didn’t really want to sleep. He was afraid
he’d wake up and find this had all been a vivid hallucination.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll sleep. But I want to wake up with you
here.”

She snuggled against him. “Not going
anywhere.”

He tightened his hold, to keep her close and
to reassure himself that she was really there. Then he closed his
eyes and gave over to the exhaustion he’d refused to acknowledge.
Their combined scents stayed with him, sending him into the most
restful sleep he’d ever had.

Nick didn’t want to wake Tiana when he rose
for work, so he left her a note by the bed and a light breakfast in
the kitchen.

In between cooking, he had to answer
questions about Tiana’s wellbeing more than once. He realized with
no little surprise that the people of Eirene were adopting her,
making her one of their own already. She hadn’t even been here a
week, yet everyone was concerned for her and spoke of her as if she
was already a town fixture.

He could keep her here, wake up to her scent
on his skin every day, keep her delectable body pressed against
his, and savor her sighs and moans and laughs and growls each
night. He could claim her as his, marry her, and have a family with
her here in this place he felt so at home. The temptation was
overwhelming. All he had to do was return to the Mate Run, beat off
the other males, and get her pregnant. Then she’d be his. No one
could dispute his claim.

Easier said than done.

Also not the real problem.

The specter of his father’s madness hung over
him throughout the breakfast shift. Fear for the delicate, easily
shattered future he wanted with Tiana dogged him through lunch.

He went home after the lunch hour to find
her, trying not to think about all the problems they faced. He was
surprised she hadn’t come into the diner for lunch, so an edge of
worry followed him home, taking precedence over his other fears. He
didn’t think the wolves would actually come into his territory to
get her, and he couldn’t smell them anywhere nearby. He could feel
her still in his home so he knew she hadn’t gone off anywhere. But
after yesterday, he was edgy and anxious to be with her again.

“Tiana?” he called as soon as he stepped
inside. He opened himself to her and realized she was in his small
office just off the dining room.

“Back here,” she said.

Something in her voice had him hurrying to
her, worry making him frown.

He rounded the door and immediately glanced
around the small room, looking for any threat. He couldn’t scent or
feel anything. As far as he could see, she was alone and safe. He
faced her, about to ask what was wrong when he noticed a piece of
paper in her hands. For several moments, he had no idea what she’d
find so interesting in here. Receipts for the diner?

Then he realized—he’d left the box out, the
one with all her emails and letters in it.

“You have everything here,” she said, her
voice husky. “Emails printed out. Everything I sent. You kept it
all.”

He blew out a breath and put his hands on his
hips. What could he say?

“Why? If you weren’t going to run, if you
weren’t going to even write back, why save all this?”

“Fuck. I don’t know. They were from you.”

“Oh, Nick.”

Her bottom lip trembled and panic shot
through him. If she cried, she’d break him.

Instead, she set down the letter she’d been
holding and hugged him, tightly. He hugged back instinctively, then
with a lot more emotion, his hands clenching the material of her
shirt.

Again the temptation rose. He could have her,
keep her, make her his.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Another jolt of emotion roared through him.
But before he could form enough presence of mind to actually speak,
she pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

“Don’t say anything. Not now. Just… You need
to know how I feel, but I don’t expect…” She shook her head and
kissed him.

Need took him instantly, mixing into a
volatile brew with his other emotions. He held her so tight, if
she’d been human he might have broken her. But Tiana wasn’t the
type to be easily broken. She was strength and passion and
everything he’d never thought to hope for, everything he’d believed
he couldn’t have.

When she pulled his shirt off, he couldn’t
object. He was too busy tugging off her clothes.

“Why didn’t you come to the diner?” he asked
as he pulled her pants down. She was wearing a pair of his sweats
and the realization made his head spin.

“You ripped my jeans last night, and I wasn’t
sure you’d want me to show up at the diner wearing your
clothes.”

The thought of her strolling into his
restaurant wearing his clothing, things covered in his scent, made
every possessive cell in his body roar with triumph. Aloud, he
said, “I wouldn’t have minded.”

She smiled and tugged him up so she could
push his jeans off. He’d barely toed his boots off and stepped out
of his jeans when she gripped his cock. All thought dissolved under
the exquisite feel of her hand on him.

He had to be inside her. Now. It was beyond
desperate. It was as important as his next breath. Just the few
hours he’d been away from her had been too much.

How the hell could he let her go when he
couldn’t stand to be away from her for half a day?

He lifted her and settled her over his
erection. She wrapped her legs around his hips, wiggling closer.
Her movements drove him mad. He spun to brace her against the
nearest wall, then slid into her. Being inside her heat was like
coming home, but a home he’d never experienced before, a place of
safety, security, balance, freedom. Love.

Groaning into her neck, he held her for a few
moments, just savoring the feel of her. She nipped his shoulder, a
none-too-gentle bite, and his blood fired. He stroked into her in a
hard, steady rhythm, not fast but not slow. Relentless. He licked
the pulse in her throat, and she shivered, a trembling he felt all
the way to his cock.

He rocked into her until she panted, until
she pleaded, and still he didn’t increase his pace. Her entire body
clenched, her arms and legs clamping around him, her back arching,
pressing her full breasts into his chest. He squeezed her ass and
pumped until her tense muscles shook. Then he pulled back to watch
her come—a sight he would never grow tired of. She was the most
stunning thing he’d ever seen. When she shattered, she gasped his
name, her body jumping and shivering against him.

The feel and sight of her orgasm broke his
control. He pumped harder, faster until his own release ripped
through him, robbing him of everything but a sense of her.

After he settled enough to be aware of his
surroundings again, he hugged her, breathing in their combined
scents. Emotions beyond his ability to name wrapped around his
chest and held tight. He refused to think about it. He was too
content, too at peace. He just wanted to savor that for a little
bit longer.

He released her enough that she could stand
but kept his arms around her as she wobbled.

She smiled, an almost shy expression, when
she said, “Shaky legs.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Though he would have preferred to keep her
naked, they both slipped back into their clothes. Watching her
dress was as sexy as stripping her—especially when she was wearing
his clothes.

“You must be starving,” he said. “Or did you
make yourself something to eat?” He walked her out of his office to
the kitchen, keeping his arm around her waist.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“After two.”

Her stomach growled in response and she
grimaced. “I lost track of time. I am pretty hungry.”

“Great. I get to cook for you again.”

“That’s great?”

He took her face in his hands and kissed her
lightly. “I love cooking for you.” He dropped his hold and
contemplated his closed refrigerator. “What would you like? I have
some leftover chicken. I could make a mean sandwich with that.”

“Perfect. But…”

“What?”

“You’ve been cooking all day. I really don’t
want to put you out.”

“Stop, or you’ll piss me off. What did I just
say?”

She grinned that shy smile again and
shrugged. “Fine. But can I help?”

He put her to work washing vegetables while
he prepped the chicken, cheese and bread. Working with her in his
kitchen, preparing a meal, felt so natural, so…inevitable.

They ate in the dining room again, and he
told her about his morning and all the people asking after her.
“They were worried.”

“That’s very sweet of them. I’m surprised
they care.”

“They’re good people.”

“Yes. They are.”

After the meal, Tiana sat back and patted her
tummy with a satisfied smile. Then she yawned. Her eyes widened.
“Sorry. You’d think after sleeping most of the morning away, I
wouldn’t be tired now. Guess the big meal did me in.”

“Just the meal?” He raised his brows and she
laughed, a sound that charmed him. He could spend hours listening
to her laugh and enjoying the way her shoulders and breasts shook
with her amusement.

A low level hum of desire wove through his
gut. He just couldn’t get enough of her. He was about to pull her
back up to his bed when her expression changed, her lips
flattening.

“What’s wrong?” He reached across the table
for her hand, but she pulled back. Something close to terror
pierced his chest. “Tiana. What is it?”

She swallowed and stood, pacing the length of
the small dining room twice before stopping in front of the table
again. Uncertain of her mood, he rose to face her, bracing himself
for… Well, he wasn’t sure, but he felt like he needed to meet
whatever she had to say standing.

“Nick…” Hesitance made her brow crease. “I’ve
made things…complicated by being here.”

“Wasn’t that the point?” He tried to smile to
lighten the mood, but she didn’t smile back.

“If anyone finds out I’m here, what we’ve
done…”

“No one will.”

“I’m going to leave,” she blurted.

He opened his mouth to object, but she raised
a hand to silence him.

“I’m going to leave. Now. And in a week and a
half, I’m going to run.”

He held her gaze, waiting. He knew he
wouldn’t be able to turn her down if she asked him to run again.
She was his. He’d be damned if he’d let another tiger have her now.
But the specter of his father hung over his shoulder, and fear kept
him silent.

“If you come to my Run, I’m yours,” she
continued. “I love you. There won’t ever be anyone else for
me.”

Hearing the declaration again made his chest
swell. He started to nod, but again she stopped him.

“Wait, please, let me finish. If you don’t
come to the Run, I will understand. I mean it. I won’t be angry. I
won’t begrudge you the decision. It
has
to be your decision.
I don’t want you to feel pressured anymore. Don’t, don’t say
anything right now. I want you to take some time. You need to
really think, really consider what it’ll mean to come back to the
Run, to return to our world.”

“Have you considered it? Have you really
thought about what it’ll mean, having me back, being my mate?”

She blew out a breath, rocking gently from
foot to foot as if standing still was beyond her. “I’ve thought of
nothing else since I first caught your scent. I’ve made my choice,
and I’m happy with it. But I won’t force anything on you. I’m…I’m
sorry I tried. I didn’t think about what I was doing at the time,
just that I wanted you and couldn’t let you go. I still do.”