Tiger Born (17 page)

“That’s impossible!”

He grinned at her vehemence. “Potentially. You’re bound to me now, and you will always love me as your mate, just as Ward will always love my mother. However, he still loves Coreen. For me, I can only love you. You can love me and if I’m gone, you can love another. I physically cannot accept you with another man. That’s why I nearly killed your friend. He can’t touch you again, Deja.”

“I know that.” She rolled her eyes and tried for a smile that felt flat. “What you saying is you crazy, and there’s no coming back from it.”

He grimaced.

She hesitated and then stepped into his arms. He wrapped them around her waist and breathed deep as if he’d been holding it the entire time. A shudder passed through him, and she clung tighter. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I think I’m beginning to understand. It’s killing you, isn’t it? Being apart from me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t like not having a choice.”

“I know, but you do have a choice. You can let me suffer.”

“Yeah, right.” She raised her head to look at him. “Are you sure about this? You could be wrong. I know how much it hurts being apart, but sometimes people find a connection that feels like you could never move on. I feel like that about you sometimes.”

The pleasure in his expression made her want to bite her tongue. She gave the man too much power over her. He didn’t need to know she felt like she lived and breathed him sometimes. The feelings were too intense. Yet, if what he said was true, he felt it ten times more than she did. She’d seen the strain in him over the last weeks and assumed it was all about the new responsibilities. He looked like he hadn’t been sleeping, and now that she thought about it, he seemed thinner, and she’d been the one to walk out, not him. The idea that Heath could not physically leave her scared the hell out of her and gave her hope at the same time.

“I’m sure. Now, are we going to have some fun or not?”

“Last one in the water is a rotten egg!” She threw off her clothes as she spoke, and Heath chased her into the chilly water. She’d scarcely taken a few steps before his arms closed in around her, and he hauled her off her feet. Deja squealed and wriggled in his hold, but Heath didn’t let go for a moment.

“Now,” he murmured against her ear as he slid a hand down her bikini bottom, “who’s the rotten egg?”

Chapter Twelve

Deja didn’t remember feeling so happy or so content. She swam with Heath all morning and late into the afternoon. They ate their picnic lunch curled together in each other’s arms, and not once did they argue. In the evening, they returned to their house, and Deja showered before changing into a dress and heels for dinner out with her man. When she left the bedroom, Heath waited near the front door checking messages on his cell phone. He glanced up at the sound of her heels clicking on the hardwood floor, and pleasure suffused her being at the look in his eyes.

“Damn it, you’re so beautiful,” he groaned.

She laughed. “Why is it always a complaint?”

“I’m not complaining. I’m amazed.” His gaze dropped to her breasts, and she worried he’d notice they’d swelled a bit, but he just appeared hungry.

“Stop looking at me like that, mister. We are going to dinner and then dancing. You promised.”

He held his hand out, and she laid hers in his big palm. He closed his fingers, and a sense of safety poured down over her.

“I will keep my promise, but later I get to ravish your sexy body.”

She sniffed as she drifted past him toward the door. “I’ll think about it.”

He smacked her ass. “Tomorrow, I’m taking you shopping.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

They headed out to the truck, and Deja kept quiet all the way to the restaurant. She didn’t speak again until they’d placed their order and she sipped a soda, hoping Heath wouldn’t notice she hadn’t chosen wine or beer. “So Ward pays you well?”

“Well enough,” he commented, and sipped his own beer. “I still have plenty from what Tate left me, and I know your salary isn’t the best.”

“About that.” She wrinkled her nose. “I turned in my resignation. That job is so boring since Siberia’s smaller than back home. I felt like if I had to go in there one more time I’d kill myself.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Deja, you don’t have to work if you don’t want to. I have no problem supporting you, and you can live in as much luxury as you want.”

“Meaning you hate my apartment. I wonder how you would stand it if I insist we live there.”

“Don’t test me, I beg you.”

She laughed. “Well, I don’t need you to support me. I can take care of myself like I always have. I just need a little more time to find a better job.”

“I’ll talk to Ward.”

“No. I want to do it on my own, but I wouldn’t mind if I could take my time to find the right position.” She bit her lip, and he reached across the table to take her hand. They laced their fingers together, staring into each other’s eyes. She wondered how they’d stayed apart as long as they had. There was no way she would go back to her apartment tonight. Lying in his arms, falling asleep and waking up there in the morning, meant everything.
I love you
trembled on her lips, but she ducked her head and remained silent. They weren’t all the way back, but they were getting there.

“Whatever you want, baby,” he murmured.

“Thanks.”

The night went by in a blur of good food and great fun with the man she loved. Heath held her in his arms and stared down at her like she hung the moon, and the more he did, the more her heart swelled with happiness. He twirled her on the dance floor and stayed there with her while she gyrated her hips through every song. She laughed at his movements, and he glared at her.

“What? I’m doing it the way you said,” he complained with his hands jabbing at the air for whatever weird reason he’d come up with in his mind. Deja laughed and grabbed his arms to pull them closer to his sides.

“Like this, baby. Sway your hips. Whoa, cowboy, not that fast!”

She glanced around the dance floor at the other couples and two or three small groups. A few people looked at them, and some laughed. She thought any second Heath would storm off the floor, but he stayed with her.
He stays. That’s one thing I can say about Heath. He always stays.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and Heath’s grew wide.

“I’m sorry, Deja. Don’t cry. I’ll try harder,” he promised. “You’ve been helping me dance for years, and I should have improved by now.”

She smacked his arm lightly. “Idiot, I’m not crying about your dancing. Although, yeah, seriously, you should have improved by now.” She stuck out her tongue at him, and he leaned forward to capture it. She turned away, but he took hold of her chin and raised it. Deja forgot tears in the heat of his kiss. When his tongue slid between her lips, she didn’t care who watched or laughed. All that mattered was Heath.
I’m pregnant. Say it, Deja.

When he released her to draw a breath, she opened her mouth to tell him. He tensed, and she frowned up at him. “What is it?”

He led her to the side of the floor and found her a seat before checking his cell phone. Deja frowned. “You can’t leave that thing alone for one night?”

He spoke without looking up. “There have been some fights in town.”

“I’ve seen the evidence of it—broken windows. I even walked past one brewing one night.”

Heath did look up then, his expression darkening. “What were you doing out at night?”

“I’m a grown woman. We do that sometimes.”

“Deja, things are unsettled right now. I don’t want you out late. I don’t even want you out when the sun goes down, but I think you’d fight me on that. Promise.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “No, I won’t.”

He grunted. “Then I will assign a guard to you from sundown.”

“What?” she shouted, but he’d gone back to his cell phone.

“Damn it, Heath. I think—”

“I was afraid of this. Come on. We have to go back.” He took her hand.

“What’s going on?”

“I told you, fights.”

“That doesn’t tell me much.”

He clenched the steering wheel as he drove to Siberia, tension obvious in his bearing. Deja didn’t berate him. She waited for him to share, but he remained silent. Had the shifters been picking on the humans again? Had it progressed to something more serious than yelling in the streets or damaged property? She hoped not and worried about Melanie despite how the woman had told her not to come around anymore. Of course there was also Jake. Was he okay?

She took out her phone about to call him but paused. Heath had admitted he had just stopped himself from killing Jake, and he knew people didn’t turn off their feelings that fast. Heath might go ballistic if she sat there in his face and called another man, even though she didn’t feel that way about Jake at all. He was a friend, who could never be more. She worried her lip, trying to decide what to do.

“Heath, it’s not a human is it? Hurt or…or…”

He glanced at her, his jaw tight. “No, honey, it’s not one of your friends.”

She sighed in relief and then realized he didn’t know Melanie. “Not Carter’s girlfriend?”

His eyebrows rose, but he shook his head. “No.”

“Whew, that’s good.”

He took the turnoff from the highway that led to Siberia. “Listen, I’m going to take you to Dad’s.”

“Why? I’m not going out at night, Heath. I’m not an idiot. If something’s going down, I don’t want to be in the middle of it. I know there’re people way more trained than I am to keep the peace.” She had to think of the baby and laid a hand on his arm. “You be careful, please. We’re just getting it together, aren’t we?”

For the first time since he got the text, his face softened. “Yes, we are, and I promise I’ll be back as quickly as possible so we can enjoy the rest of our evening.”

“Stop slinging around promises every other word. Just come back.” She wriggled her eyebrows. “I’ll have something special for you.”

His hot gaze dropped to her cleavage. “Like what?”

“Use your imagination. Come back soon.”

“I will!”

Deja laughed, and Heath gave in to her wish to go home. She kissed him and walked into the dark house. Loneliness settled over her as his truck tires squealed out of the driveway. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed Jake. After three calls, he didn’t pick up, and she began to worry. No way Heath lied to her, had he?

Before she jumped to conclusions, she hurried to the bedroom and changed into a T-shirt and jeans. She removed her makeup and put her braids in a high ponytail at the back of her head. She’d told Heath she had something special and bet he wasn’t expecting this outfit, but if he’d lied and Jake was hurt, he would not hear the end of it from her.

Just as she was about to put sneakers on, her cell phone rang, and the display read Jake. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Jake! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Looks like there was another attempted abduction in McAllen.”

Deja gasped. “You’re kidding. How did you hear?”

“Well, Carter came into the bar and said it’s closed down for the time being.”

She frowned. “Huh? What does the bar have to do with the abduction? He doesn’t suspect you, does he?”

Jake laughed. Good one. “No, it’s rioting. Every night, there’ve been scuffles between shifters and humans, and he says they don’t have anyone to watch me at the bar. Plus, he says with people drinking, it can get out of hand faster.”

She shook her head. “They can’t be thinking of banning drinking in Siberia. That’s just dumb, and what are you supposed to do to make a living?”

“He says it’s just for tonight. They have to send some people out to McAllen to investigate the almost kidnapping.”

“Was it another child?”

“No, a teen.”

She went cold and shut her eyes. No, there was no way Heath wouldn’t tell her if one of his brothers had been attacked. “Do you know which teen?”

“I don’t know her.”

“Her?”

“Yeah. I don’t have any more details. Carter didn’t seem all that interested in talking to me. I had the feeling he didn’t care if I was attacked or not, but he was just following orders.”

“I’m sorry, Jake. I’m sure things will get back to normal tomorrow. If not, I’ll stop by, and we can commiserate together being poor and jobless.”

He chuckled halfheartedly. “Okay, talk to you tomorrow.”

Deja paced the house, waiting for Heath to come home. The hour grew later and later. A million times, she looked at her phone, wondering if she should call him or at least send him a text, but if he was in the middle of something serious, she didn’t want to be the one to distract him. Huffing and dropping onto her bed, she peered toward the closet. Maybe she should shower and change into the sexy nightie she’d intended to wear for him. She’d bought it the last time she went shopping on the off chance they spent a night together without fighting. After a few minutes of debating, she decided to wait and see.

The clock struck midnight, and she lay down across the bed, yawning. Maybe if she shut her eyes for a little while, time would pass, and he would come back. She yawned again and felt herself slipping off to dreamland. The next time she opened her eyes, it was to the sound of banging on the front door. By the time she identified the sound, Ward had wrenched her bedroom door open, calling her name. Deja rolled over and sat up rubbing her eyes. Good thing she hadn’t changed or he would have seen.

“What’s going on? Why are you here?” she demanded and looked at her cell. “Six. Wait, six a.m.? Where’s Heath?” She jumped to her feet, but Ward approached her, hands held out as if he needed to calm an animal about to go on a rampage.

“Easy, Deja. We’re going to find him. What I need you to do is go to my house and stay with Coreen and the boys.”

She glared at him, taking a step back, but there was nowhere to go with the nightstand behind her. “What do you mean you’ll
find
him? I thought Heath was with you last night.”

“We had a few different incidents, so we separated. One of our young ones was attacked—”

“I know about that, but she’s safe. What about Heath?”