MoonlightDrifter (4 page)

“Do you know what kind of tattoo
you want?”

“I was hoping you might have a
book I could flip through to get some inspiration.”

The woman motioned to several
books at the end of the counter. “The purple album is my work. If you want
another artist, you’ll have to come back after six.”

Allie drifted down to the end of
the counter and flipped open the purple book. There was a combination of
pictures showing tattoos and piercings. When she saw the Prince Albert
piercing, her eyebrows lifted.
Now that
would be fun to play with
.

There were a lot of flowers and
butterflies, more than three black panthers tearing through someone’s skin.
When she saw the white tiger under the waterfall, though, she knew she was on
the right track. Her gaze shifted to the Flash on the walls. Moving toward the
wall of wildcats, she reached up to stroke a particularly large Bengal tiger.
She really shouldn’t…maybe look at the wolves or something. And yet, there was
something about the tiger that called to her. Was it because Cain was on her
mind so much lately? It would be a way of having him without actually
having
him. She could keep a piece of
him with her always, without the issue of his macho bullshit.

The woman came up beside her.
“Find something you like?”

“How much would it cost to have a
tiger that started at my hip and wrapped down my thigh? Maybe have his tail
come up to my waist a bit?”

The woman’s eyebrows rose.
“That’s quite a piece. Normally, it would cost you about two grand, assuming
you want a lot of details thrown in. Maybe bark under his paws or lotus
blossoms around him or something? Your skin is a nice golden color, but
throwing in some pinks would really make the design pop.”

Allie shook her head. “I’ll have
to come back after I’ve started getting paychecks again. My savings has that
much in it, but it has to last me a little while.”

Of course, Connor had said rent
would be included, so that did save her a little bit. Still, two thousand was
just too much, no matter how much she wanted it. She had to be practical, as
much as it killed her. Getting a tattoo of that whacked out shifter was bad
enough, but shelling out two grand for it? Uh-uh. No way.

“I tell you what,” the woman
said. “You’re the first customer of the day, and since this is my place and I
make up my own rules, what if I did it for six hundred? I can certainly
commiserate with you about big apes ruining your life. My ex was a biker who
cleaned out my savings account and nearly cost me this shop.”

“You’d really do that for me?”

The woman nodded and held out her
hand. “I’m Candice. Candy for short.”

Allie’s gaze strayed to her hair
and wondered if the Easter egg she was wearing had anything to do with the
nickname. Her bobbed hair certainly looked like a pink jelly bean.

Allie shook Candy’s hand. “I’m
Allie.”

“Just give me a minute to lock up
and we’ll head to the back since you’ll have to strip down for me to do this.”
She smiled. “I don’t think you want to be in full view of the street with your
shorts and undies on.”

Allie laughed. She hadn’t really
thought about it when she’d requested the tattoo, but Candy had a point. As a
shifter, nudity didn’t bother her much, but she could just imagine the look on
some old lady’s face as she passed by the shop and peered in at Allie’s
half-naked form getting inked. The backroom was definitely a good idea.

Candy locked up, led her down a
short hall and pushed open the last door on the right. There was a black padded
table, a cabinet that looked like it was filled with inks, and a bunch of stuff
she didn’t recognize. After Candy shut the door, Allie began stripping out of
her clothes. She tucked her shirt up under her bra and climbed onto the table,
lying on her left side. She’d already decided she wanted the tiger on her
right.

She watched as Candy got
everything ready. “Don’t you need a stencil or something?”

Candy shook her head. “I do all
of my ink freehand. But if you’d prefer to see the design first, I can sketch
something for you.”

Allie shook her head. “I’ve seen
your work. I trust you to make it pretty without it being too girly.”

Candy smiled. “Got it. You’re a
tough chick and don’t want anything frou-frou. I’ll give you a tiger to be
envied and add some little feminine touches, without detracting from the ferocity
of the beast.”

“Deal.”

Allie breathed out as she heard
the buzz of the tattoo gun. When it touched her skin, she tried not to flinch.
She’d known it wouldn’t feel good, but she hadn’t known what to expect. It
wasn’t like she’d thought it would tickle, but the outline felt a little bit
like a knife skimming the top of her skin. She didn’t know how long she lay
there but, eventually, Candy switched out inks and began filling in the tiger.
Now it felt like a rug burn. Something told her she wouldn’t be sleeping on her
right side for a while.

By the time Candy was finished,
it was well past lunch, heading into early dinner time. Allie very carefully
dressed and followed Candy to the front counter. Paying and receiving her
aftercare instructions, she slowly walked out to her SUV. Her leg was burning
like a son-of-a-bitch, but she’d seen the design and it was well worth it. With
her shifter heritage, it would be completely healed in a day or two. Smiling,
Allie thought about wearing her teeny tiny black jogging shorts tomorrow, to
show off her new design.

She took her time returning to
Ashton Grove and went straight home. She had no idea what she’d fix for dinner,
but she had some pasta and a few chicken breasts. It wouldn’t be the first time
she’d combined them to make a good hearty meal. Parking her SUV in the shade,
she got out and slowly walked up to her apartment. The material of her shorts
was pressing on the tattoo and it was more than a little uncomfortable. The
first thing she was going to do was change into a nice, soft knit sundress. And
ditch the panties.

When she approached her door, she
froze, not quite believing her eyes.

“What are you doing here?” she
asked.

He lifted the pizza boxes in his
hand. “I brought dinner.”

Her gaze dropped to the sack at
his feet. “And that?”

“I wasn’t sure what you liked to
drink so I bought a six pack and some wine coolers. I figured you’d like one or
the other.”

He’d brought her dinner? And
alcohol? Was he looking to score or something? Get the little wolf drunk and see
if she rolls over and shows her belly? Or climbs onto all fours and begs for
the big, bad tiger to give her his cock? She had to admit, that one sounded
kind of good. If anyone could give her a wild ride in bed, she’d bet it would
be Cain. He seemed so untamed.

“Since you’re here, I guess you
can come in.”

She moved past him and unlocked
the door, pushing it open. When she stepped inside, the air conditioning
caressed her heated skin. Allie tossed her keys and purse on the table nearest
her and turned to face Cain. He’d stepped inside and was closing the door
behind him, with his delectable ass since his hands were occupied. She supposed
she should have offered to do that. Taking the drinks from him, she headed into
the small kitchen to put them in the fridge. When she turned around, Cain was
crowding her, having placed the pizzas on the counter.

He moved in closer, his fingers
skimming the edge of her bandage.

“Did you get hurt today?”

“No. I, uh, got a tattoo.”

Curiosity gleamed in his eyes as
he stared at the bandage, trying to pull up the edge of her shorts. “How far up
does it go?”

“To my waist.”

His gaze jerked up to hers. “You
got naked for someone to ink you?”

Allie rolled her eyes. “Relax,
macho man. A woman tattooed me and I don’t think she was interested in my lady
bits.”

A low growl rumbled from him. “Do
I get to see it?”

“Like I’m going to strip naked
for you to examine me.”

“Fine.” He looked around before
returning his gaze to her. “If you’ll tell me where everything is, I’ll get our
food set up while you change and wash your new ink. Do have everything you need
to take care of it?”

“I keep A&D Ointment on hand
so, yes, I have everything I need.”

He nodded and turned toward the
cabinets.

“Plates are to the left of the
stove and glasses to the right of the sink. I’ll be back just as soon as I’ve
showered.”

He turned, his gaze burning into
her. There was heat there, and more lust than she’d ever seen on man’s face
before. Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned the shower? Turning, she hurried out
of the room, closing her bedroom door behind her. She slumped against it a
moment, trying to gather her scattered thoughts and get her racing heart under
control. That man turned her inside out, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it.

Chapter Four

Cain banged around in the
kitchen, getting out two plates, loading them down with supreme pizza. He
opened the fridge and pulled out a wine cooler for her and a beer for himself.
She hadn’t specified which she preferred, but she seemed like the type to like
fruity drinks. Not that he thought she was a girly-girl, but the woman did fill
a skirt rather nicely. Even if he had thought it was too short. Well, too short
for everyone else to be staring at her. It was the perfect length for her to
entertain him in private. Yeah, like that would happen. He shook his head.

Gathering their things, he set
them up at the small table she had, then sat and waited. He could hear the
water running and knew she was in the shower. Just knowing that she was naked
on the other side of the door was enough to make him ache. Hell, he’d been
aching ever since he leaned against her door. Being near her, or her residence
apparently, was enough to do it for him. He’d never reacted so…eagerly to a
woman before. He knew his cock hadn’t gotten any action lately, other than his
hand, but the damn thing was like a divining rod, pointing straight at Allie.

He heard the water turn off and
heard her moving around in the bedroom. He waited as patiently as possible, but
his imagination was in overdrive. Would she wear some of those short shorts she
liked? He really wanted to see what tattoo she’d gotten. Something told him it
wouldn’t be anything ordinary like a butterfly. If he had a dollar for every
time he saw a butterfly tattooed on a woman, he’d be a rather rich man.

The bedroom door opened and he
looked her way, his breath freezing in his lungs, his heart nearly stopping.
She wore a short sundress that looked soft. The aqua material hugged her
slender curves, dipping over her breasts and flaring out at the hip, stopping
mid-thigh. As if that weren’t mesmerizing enough, there, in black and orange
ink, was a Siberian tiger crawling down her thigh. He could see the petal of a
flower sticking out from under her hem, but it was the tiger that arrested him.
It was like looking in a mirror, when he was in shifted form.

Cain clenched his hands, stopping
himself from rising out of his chair and going to her. He knew if he touched
her, he’d lift the hem of that short dress, exposing that exquisite tiger and,
hopefully, getting a glimpse of heaven while he was there. Briefly, he wondered
what color panties she was wearing. He could already tell she wasn’t wearing a
bra, which made his mouth water, just imagining getting his tongue on her perky
breasts.

She seemed uncertain as he
watched her, but she hesitantly took a step toward him. As the skirt of her
dress caressed her, he realized something. No panty lines. Cain stifled a groan
and wondered how the hell he was supposed to survive this dinner. The whole
time he was eating, he’d be thinking of laying her out on the table and
munching on something way better than pizza and beer. He’d bet she tasted
sweet. Just how many men had sampled the sweet nectar he could smell gathering
between her legs? It was enough to make him growl, thinking of other men
touching her soft skin, making love to her sweet body.

Allie sank into the chair across
from him. She bit her lip, drawing his attention to her plump, ripe lips. He
reached across the table and smoothed his thumb over her lower lip, pulling it
away from her teeth. Her eyes widened and he saw the pulse in her throat jump.
So, she was just as affected by his touch as he was of being in the same room
with her. Good to know. He’d have to file that tidbit away for later. Right
now, he needed to make sure she ate.

“I heard someone mention that you
liked supreme pizza,” he said.

“I do.” Her voice was low and
husky. It wrapped around his cock and Cain shifted in his seat, trying to
relieve the pressure behind his zipper.

“Eat up. There’s plenty. Keep
whatever we don’t eat and have it for lunch tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to feed me you
know. I’m perfectly capable of making my own dinner.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Really?
Because as I was getting plates and pulling our drinks from your fridge, I
noticed that it seemed rather bare. I think your cabinets have some noodles and
a box of pancake mix in them, and nothing else.”

A flush spread across her cheeks.
“I just haven’t been to the store yet. I had planned to go tonight after work.”

“Before I cost you your job.”

She nodded.

“I’d apologize but, honestly, I
didn’t like you working there. What if that asshole had waited for you to get
off work and had followed you to your car? You might be a wolf but, in human
form, you wouldn’t have been able to take a guy like that in a fight. He could
have done anything he wanted to you and you know, in that part of town, no one
would have paid attention to your screams.”

She visibly shivered.

“Connor said you were applying at
the strip joint today.”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I
couldn’t go through with it. I saw a man sliding his hands up a woman’s leg,
stuffing money in her G-string, and I realized there was no way in hell I could
let men like that touch me.”

He had to admit, he was relieved.
He hadn’t had a chance to call the place this morning and he’d worried all day
that they’d hired her. After seeing her leave Connor’s office, he’d tried to
talk to the alpha, find out why she’d been there. Connor hadn’t said a word
though, just smirked at him.

“So what are you going to do?” he
asked.

“Connor is making a spot for me.
I’ll be sort of a manager for the apartments and wolf dorms. If someone has a
problem, they’ll call me. If we have new blood join the pack, I’ll show them
where they’ll be staying.”

Cain frowned. “We don’t exactly
have a lot of traffic coming through here right now.”

“Connor said it would probably be
part-time starting out. But he did offer me a rent free apartment with the job.
Depending on what he pays me, I may have to find a part-time job to help pay
the rest of the bills, but I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”

Cain shoved his empty plate away.
“If you could do anything, anything at all, what would it be?”

She brushed her wet hair off her
shoulder, flicking it behind her. “I was always good at math. Back before my
parents died, I had planned to attend college and become an accountant.”

He couldn’t have been more
stunned if she’d smacked him with a two by four. “Accountant?”

“You can’t see me as one, can
you?”

“It’s just… I’ve met accountants
and, sweetheart, you are not an accountant. You aren’t the suit type. Those
little shorts you like to wear suit you just fine, and that dress you’re
wearing? It looks dynamite on you. If you were stuck in suits in an office
somewhere from eight to five all week, you would slowly suffocate and die. You
need freedom and sunshine.”

“You see all that when you look
at me? Just how hard have you been looking?”

He grinned. “Hard enough.”

His gaze skimmed her body, what
he could see of it. He wanted her, but damn if he wasn’t afraid of hurting her.
And it wasn’t just the new ink he was worried about. Compared to him, she was
tiny as a fairy. What if he got out of control and broke her? Wolves were
pretty hardy, but they were no match for a tiger. He’d always chosen larger
shifters as his bed partners. Teeny tiny things like Allie had never appealed
to him. Until now. Until her.

The musk of her arousal filled
the air, drawing him to her side. He slid to his knees beside her chair,
turning her to face him. His palms teased her calves, slid up to her knees.
Brushing the hem of her dress with his thumb, he fought for control. The beast
within was demanding that he strip, fuck her, mark her as his. Wolves had shied
away from marking over the years, but tigers…they were primal and the beast
wouldn’t be denied. Maybe just a little taste wouldn’t hurt.

He looked up and saw the fire
burning in her eyes, the blatant need. She trembled under his hands and he
wanted to stoke the fires, making them blaze out of control, until both of them
were consumed. What would she be like? Wild and reckless? Or would she be soft
and quiet, enjoying what he gave her, but holding back? He felt his fangs slide
down, denting his lower lip. His fingers burned as he fought against the urge
to release his claws. Tigers were notorious for partial shifts during times of
heightened emotions. Like now. The only thing holding him in check was his fear
of harming her.

He watched as his hands slowly
eased her dress up her thighs. The tiger and lotus flowers on her right leg
were beautiful. Seeing her body marked with his image made him feel far more
possessive than he was comfortable with, but this was Allie. The woman he
wanted,
needed. The one he desired above all others. She had
the tiger by the tail and didn’t even realize it.

His breath caught in his throat
when he saw her bare pussy. Had the minx known what she was doing, teasing him
by wandering around without panties? A purr rumbled in his chest and he slid
her thighs apart. Stroking the dewy lips with his fingers, the satin of her
skin against the rough pads of his fingertips had his cock twitching with need.
Her scent! It surrounded him, bombarded him from all sides. He pulled her to
the edge of her seat, shoving her thighs further apart. The lips of her pussy
parted, her little clit peeking out at him.

With a groan, he couldn’t hold
himself back any longer. His tongue rasped over her delicate skin as he
gathered her nectar, savoring the taste. He’d known she would taste sweet and
he couldn’t get enough. Parting her folds, he circled her clit, nibbling and
sucking on the little button. A moan tore from her throat and she pressed
herself closer, nearly grinding on his mouth. God but he loved a responsive
woman!

Her hands fisted his hair. He
plunged his tongue into her hot channel and she cried out, so close to coming.
Cain wanted that, wanted her to shatter for him. As he sucked and licked at the
pretty, plump lips of her pussy, he purred in satisfaction.

“Oh, God! Cain! I’m going to…”

He sucked her clit into his mouth
again and she rode him as her orgasm crashed over her. Tremors wracked her body
and he slowly lapped up her cream. He’d thought it would be enough, would sate
his tiger but, if anything, he just wanted her more. Now that he’d tasted her,
heard her cries as she came, he wanted it again. With his cock inside her.

He pulled her dress over her head
and tossed it across the room. Her breasts were perky and tipped with the
prettiest pink nipples. Leaning forward, he traced one with his tongue. Allie arched
her back, thrusting her breasts in his face. Cain was more than happy to accept
her invitation, cupping the sweet mounds. He latched onto one of her nipples,
sucking and lightly grazing it with his teeth. Her heart raced, its beat urging
him on. Switching to the other side, he lavished it with the same attention.

“Cain. Please don’t stop. Make me
come again.”

Her soft plea was music to his
ears, but he was determined the next time she came, he would be inside her. His
cock felt like it was ready to explode and he wasn’t sure how much more he
could take. Gripping her earlobe with his teeth, he growled.

“Unfasten my pants.”

He felt her trembling fingers as
she stumbled through unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. When she pulled the
material aside, his cock sprang free. He’d always thought underwear was
completely unnecessary and was happy he didn’t have any on right then. Her
small hands gripped him and he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. She
tentatively stroked him, like she’d never done it before. It inflamed him even
more, far more than a more experienced touch would have.

“Are you a virgin, Allie?” His
gaze focused on hers.

She took a shuddering breath and
nodded. “But I’ve, um, used toys before. I’ve just never been with a man.”

His tiger was more than pleased
to hear they’d be her first, and if they had anything to say about it, her
last. The thought of her body belonging to him and only him had his cock
hardening even more. She plucked at his shirt and he pulled it over his head,
closing his eyes in pleasure as her palms explored the expanse of his chest.
Her lips met his in a hungry kiss. Cain kissed her long and deep, pulling her
body closer to his.

Allie pulled back. “Take your
jeans off.”

He rose, kicking off his shoes,
pulling off his socks, and discarding his jeans. She traced his collarbone with
her fingertips, sliding them down his chest and abdomen to grip his cock. If
the musk coming from her was any indication, she liked what she saw.

Gripping her hand, he led her
over to the sofa, helping her kneel on the cushions. He placed her hands on the
back, knowing she’d need something to hang onto. Cain spread her thighs and
sighed in appreciation at the sight before him. Her sex was moist and pink,
more than ready for him, but he wanted another taste first. He rasped his
tongue over her clit, making her thrust her hips back as she silently begged
for more. His tongue dove inside, retreated, and then thrust into her again. As
he fucked her with his mouth, his fingers toyed with her clit until it was hard
and throbbing. He felt the tell-tale shaking of her body right before she came,
coating his tongue with her honey.

Cain nipped her ass cheek and
rose up over her. Gripping her unmarked hip, he guided his cock into her tight
sheath. Christ! He barely had the head in and already it felt like she was
going to squeeze him in half. Never before had anyone felt so tight or so
wonderful. Allie was perfection. As he eased into her, she wrapped around him
like hot, wet silk.

“Condom,” she panted.

“Fuck! Please don’t ask me to
wear one, Allie. I swear I’ve worn one with every other woman I’ve ever been
with, but not with you. I want to feel you.”