You have a visitor, the bland female-sounding computer voice announced as Tabitha stood staring at her likeness, feeling sorry for herself.
It could only be Charly. Who else besides her sister or Deno would stop by at this late hour? She could assume it wasn’t Deno. She’d practically emasculated him before she’d run back to her cabin.
She tossed the wet cloth onto the counter and headed for the door. Smoothing her hair back, Tabby opened the door, surprised to see Deno staring down at her.
“Oh, it’s you again.”
“You’ve been crying.”
“No. I haven’t. I accidentally rubbed my eyes after handling an onion.”
He couldn’t prove she was lying. She could have made an onion with the replicator, so there. She lifted her chin in the air. Let him stare. Maybe her red-rimmed eyes would turn him off, and he’d leave her alone... but she didn’t want that, did she?
“Little liar.” The accusation was gentle and maybe a little bit soft, something she hadn’t expected from him. “I came to apologize. I didn’t mean to alienate you all over again. I really wanted to start over.”
“Yeah, right. You just want to apologize because I’m the only available female on board, and goodness only knows how much longer we’re going to be cruising around the galaxy. Heaven forbid you should stay celibate for a week or two.”
“I wanted to apologize because I am attracted to you, and well, it took me off guard when we first met.”
“Are you sure you aren’t just trying to get on my good side so we can help each other pass the time while we’re out here flying around in space?” She waved her arm. “I hope you don’t expect me to believe you were serious.”
“I am serious, Tabby. I want to get to know you better. Much better.”
Tabby stared a Deno. If he’d just revealed that he had two penises, she couldn’t have been more shocked. She glanced down at his crotch and immediately looked away, her face burning.
“I wish you’d believe me. I was wrong to push you away. I was wrong to think I didn’t want to get to know you.”
“What about your desire to remain single?” She pressed her lips together. “I seem to recall you saying something to that effect.” She tilted her head. “I don’t want or need a female permanently in my life. I like my freedom. I like dating a different woman or two every week. You know, they do say variety is the spice of life. There is no variety when you have a mate, and the last thing I want, or need, is a nagging female crimping my style.”
“Wow,” Deno said with a low whistle. “I think that was verbatim.”
“It is. I have a photographic, or maybe it’s eidetic memory. I see words. That is exactly what you said.” Tabby crossed her arms beneath her breasts and gave Deno a level stare. “And since it’s obvious that you have an aversion to a monogamous relationship, you can’t possibly want to have children.” She snorted. “Unless you plan on spreading your proverbial oats all over the world. In that case, good luck with that.”
It was all she could do to say that without bawling. Keeping her head high, Tabby held his gaze, waiting to hear what he had to say. She hoped he’d hurry. She needed him to leave so she could close herself up in her cabin before her nerves got the best of her and she broke down and cried in front of him.
What was the matter with her anyway? She wanted a man in her life less than she wanted a case of the shingles. Why did she care that he didn’t want her? A better question was, why did she care now that he’d said he did?
Besides, it didn’t matter what she thought. As soon as they got back to Earth, he would return to his man-whoring ways, and she would be alone again. The man was no better than the tomcats she’d had to outrun while she was growing up. It was just lucky for her, every time one of them had managed to corner her, all she’d had to do was change back to her human form. Feral cats never stuck around long after that. To them, humans were dangerous, and they would run shortly after her human self made its appearance.
She wanted nothing more than for Deno to leave so she could flop down on the couch and curl up into a little ball.
“I won’t stay long.” Deno reached up and cupped her cheek, his calloused thumb brushing the puffy crescent under her left eye. “I just wanted to let you know that I was serious about wanting to start over. I was an asshole to say those things to you. I just hope you can accept my apology.”
He moved closer. His big body dwarfed hers and must have sucked up all the oxygen around them because she suddenly found she couldn’t breathe.
Robbed of breath, Tabby stared up at him, her eyes wide, body trembling, and her legs feeling as though they might buckle at any moment.
Deno held her gaze as he drew closer.
She licked her lips, waiting for him to kiss her. All the while, her inner alarms screamed for her to back away, to run. He was like every other man she’d ever encountered. First, he would kiss her, and then, he would sweep her off her feet and make love to her. After he finished, he’d leave, and she’d be alone... again.
Tabby closed her eyes when his face was less than an inch from hers. He was going to kiss her, and damn it to hell, she was going to let him.
Warm lips brushed her cheek then her eyes. It was incredible that the touch of his lips was so light, she wasn’t even certain he’d kissed her.
Keeping her eyes closed, she waited for him to press a kiss against her lips. When he did, he would sweep her away on a passionate ride, and she’d lose herself somewhere along the way.
A moment passed then another. Tabby opened her eyes and stared up into his intense amber gaze. “I thought—”
“You thought I would kiss away your protests?”
“Something like that.” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, her stomach clenching when it drew his gaze. His eyes darkened, making them almost the color of whiskey.
I want nothing more than to do that, but I also want to convince you that I’m serious. I want to get to know you better. As difficult as it might be for you to believe, I want more than sex from you.” Bending, he brushed a feathery light kiss against her lips. “Do you believe me?”
“I... I want to.” God help her. She did want to believe him. What was wrong with her, hadn’t she learned her lesson the first time?
“Well...” He smiled. “That’s a start, isn’t it?” He backed up a bit. “I’ll see you in the morning. Would you care to have breakfast with me?”
“That sounds okay.” Tabby moved to close the door. “Have a good night.”
“I will now. You do the same.” Deno stood just outside her door until she gently closed it. It was almost as though he wanted to be certain she was safe behind her locked door before he left. It was a strange thought because the only people on board were his family.
Exhausted from the night’s events, Tabby curled up on the sofa, her arms around her knees.
“Why is this never as comfortable when I do this as a human?” Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her cat and felt her body changing. Fur sprouted along her arms and legs. As her body absorbed the material of her clothing, she expected to feel herself shrink into the beautiful black cat she’d been most of her life.
Instead, she felt her bones grow longer and denser as the pelt she grew turned to gold with black stripes. Why had she changed into a tiger?
Dammit! She growled, and the sound startled her. She’d changed into big cats before but nothing so large as a tiger. The couch groaned beneath her as she stretched and slid slowly to the floor. She hit the coffee table in the center of the room, and it tipped over, displaced by her new bulk.
Why am I a damned tiger? She thought of Deno and his brothers. They were tigers from another planet. They resembled Saber-Toothed Tigers, but they weren’t orange and brown. She’d seen them. They’d shifted when the Argarians attacked. They were light blue with darker blue stripes. If anything could have convinced her they were alien, it was their color.
She closed her eyes again, concentrating on
the little black cat she knew could sit on the furniture without breaking it. She wanted—needed—to spend the night as a cat, and she wasn’t about to sleep on the damned floor when she had a perfectly good couch and bed where she could curl up and sleep.
The little black cat refused to appear. Tabby lifted her upper lip in a silent snarl and padded into the bedroom. The bed looked sturdy, but she wasn’t sure it would hold the weight of a full-grown female tiger.
Talk about being overweight. Tabby grimaced. I am soooo not stepping on a scale now.
Well, there was nothing else to do but sleep in tiger form or sleep in human form. She cast a longing glance toward the bed and sighed.
Human, it is. Once again, she closed her eyes. This time, she concentrated on becoming human. She felt her bones contract as her body absorbed the thick pelt of the tiger. She concentrated on how her clothes felt covering her too-wide hips, slightly thick waist, and large breasts. Soon, she was her human self again.
Looking in the mirror, she slid her hands over her body, framing her lush curves and sighed. If a person could look past the differing colors of their hair, it wouldn’t be difficult to tell Charly and she were sisters. They both had their mother’s thick, hourglass figure, height, and startling violet eyes.
What did Deno think of her more-than-generous attributes? Was he turned off because she was larger than what society said was good, or was he just that addicted to one-night stands? As much as she wanted to believe he wanted to get to know her, she couldn’t shake the thought that she was a convenient piece.
“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t want you. You’re whole without a man. You always have been.” She stared at her body and smiled. “You’re beautiful just the way you are, and if he doesn’t see that, that’s his problem.”
She turned toward the bedroom with a sigh. Tabby hadn’t slept in human form more than a dozen times since she was younger. Sleeping as a human always left her feeling vulnerable and unsafe. Still, if she planned on being physically comfortable, she had no choice.
“Well, there’s no time like the present.” She made her way to the bed and rested her head on the pillow. It was strange. Her body was so large while in human form. Her eyelids grew heavy. She was exhausted. She hadn’t slept well since they defeated the reptilian aliens that had attacked them and Deno’s father had given her a cabin. Privacy was nice in theory. However, since she’d never been alone for more than a few hours at a time, having a place to herself wasn’t as pleasant as she’d thought it would be.
Was she worried about her sister, or was she just lonely? She’d befriended many people during her years alone. They were old ladies, mostly. Older women who took her in as her feline self who fed her tuna and salmon while they ate rice and chicken. She wouldn’t have minded chicken once in a while. God, she hated fish.
Tabby closed her eyes and relaxed. When sleep came, she’d be ready for it. With any luck at all, she wouldn’t dream. Her dreams sucked. They were always filled with a happily ever after she knew she would never have.
Three days later, Tabby met Charly for lunch in the common dining area.
“How was your date with Deno?” Charly took her breakfast from the replicator and headed for their usual table.
“He never showed.” Tabby picked up her own tray and followed her sister. “I’d hoped we’d be getting along better by now, but everyone keeps telling me he’s been busy tuning up the ship or something.” Trying not to sound disappointed wasn’t easy.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I thought you two were working things out.” Charly sat and motioned to the seat across from her. She fiddled with her napkin, her fingers twisting the paper until it tore. “I have something to tell you.”
“Okay.” Tabby settled into her seat and placed her napkin in her lap.
“I’m moving in with Xeno.” Charly took a sip of her coffee. “I didn’t want to break it to you like this, but there’s no other way. I’d hoped that you and Deno would have gotten past your differences by now.”
It was then that Tabby’s life seemed to come crashing down upon her. She tried not to hyperventilate, but she wasn’t sure she’d succeed. Taking her time, she carefully arranged her fork on the left side of her tray and her knife on the right. With trembling hands, she placed her coffee at two o’clock and her orange juice at ten o’clock, just the way her mother had taught her to do.
Of course she would have hoped that. Who want’s their big sister hanging around while getting hot, alien nookie?
She tried not to think about the time she’d sneaked into the bedroom in Charly’s quarters and seen more than any sister should see of another or their boyfriend. She shuddered at the thought. Tabby had climbed in through the opened window, hoping to find her sister in the small apartment. She’d finally found her sister, but she’d also gotten scarred in the process.
“I understand.” She did get it. “I wouldn’t want you hanging around if I wanted to do the nasty with someone either.”
“Well...” Charly’s face turned a remarkable shade of red. “He... he asked me to marry him.”
“Oh, honey! Congratulations!” Tabby leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Charly’s neck, and squeezed. “I’m so happy for you.” Pulling back, she held her sister’s shoulders and met her gaze. I really am happy for you.”
“You are?”
Charly’s eyes had filled with such hope that Tabby wouldn’t have had the heart to answer in the negative, no matter how she felt about the matter.
She’d hoped to have things worked out between herself and Deno, but the big jerk had thrown away his second chance when he ditched her instead of showing up for their breakfast date.
“Yes, I am happy for you.” She hugged Charly again and gave her the biggest smile she could muster.
It didn’t matter that she’d had less than two years with her sister. It didn’t matter that she would be left alone with nowhere to stay. She’d manage somehow. She always did.
At least she’d know where her sister was and that she was safe, even if they weren’t living together anymore.
“When’s the wedding?”
“How did you know I said yes?” Charly raised a brow.
“Honey, you wouldn’t be moving in with him if you’d said no.”
“Oh.” Charly giggled. “I suppose that’s true enough.”
“Ya think?” Tabby tilted her head. “So, when’s the big day?”
“We thought to have it sooner rather than later. I mean, after all, Birgit is having her baby in November, and we don’t want to take away from that. We figured sometime at the end of September or maybe the beginning of October.”
“That doesn’t give us much time for planning.”
“Planning what? Neither one of us has any money.” Charly shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. All I need is Xeno, a preacher, you and his family. I don’t need a big wedding and reception.”
“You’re sure?” Tabby wasn’t sure how she’d manage it, but if her sister even hinted at wanting a big wedding, she’d make it happen somehow.
“I’m sure.” Charly hooked her arm through hers. “Now, tell me, are you still fighting your attraction to Deno?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I have no attraction to Deno. The man is a pig of the male chauvinist variety.” She’d wanted to change her mind about the man, but he wasn’t doing anything to convince her he was serious about getting to know her.
“He’s not as bad as he seems. Apparently, according to Xeno, he thought loving you would make him weak. He was only thinking of protecting his family when he said those horrible things to you. He should get a little credit for that, don’t you think?”
“I don’t think it excuses what he said.”
“Perhaps not.” Charly bit her lip, deep in thought. “It’s just that I’m so happy with Xeno. I guess I just hoped you’d be happy with his brother.”
“I don’t know Deno. I don’t even know how old they are, and I’m not sure I could
manage to get past an age difference if I was attracted to him. I am eight years older than you, you know. Besides, he’s been avoiding me the past few days, and that’s fine with me.”
“I don’t think his age is going to be a problem. They don’t measure time the same way we do. They might only be in their mid to late twenties in their world, but it might work out that they’re in their mid to late thirties in our way of measuring time. And he hasn’t been avoiding you. Their father has been keeping him busy. He’s been keeping all of the younger brothers busy. I think it’s got something to do with some kind of rite of passage the unmated males go through.”
“He’s not that young, is he? I mean, going through a rite of passage is for adolescents. Deno can’t be that young.” He didn’t appear to be too young for her, but then again, she didn’t hang out with shifters enough to guess.
“Whatever it is, he’ll come around soon. I’m sure of it. Just give the man a chance, Tabby. You two have done nothing but argue since you changed back into a human after the attack.”
Charly was right. She hadn’t been a cat much since the Agrarians attacked them a few weeks before. It wasn’t that she was shunning her animal side. It was just that every time she shifted, she ended up a tiger. A big, clumsy tiger who broke things. She was afraid the next time she tried, she’d break her bed then she would have nowhere to sit in her rooms but the easy chair and the floor.
As embarrassing as it was going to be, at some point, she was going to have to tell someone about it.
“So... are you going to give him a chance?”
“Maybe,” Tabby replied with a shrug. “I don’t know. Life is easier as a cat.” She sighed, knowing deep down that she could no longer rely on that. Being a cat was out of the question if she wasn’t living with her sister. Someone else might expect her to eat cat food, and that stuff was just plain nasty.
Tempting Tabitha Page 4
