Tempting Tabitha

by Tianna Xander

  “You look tired. Didn’t you sleep well?” Charly winked at her and took one of the seats on the other side of the table.

  “No.” Tabby rested her chin on her hand and suppressed a yawn. “Deno and I watched a movie and then had a long talk.”

  “Right. A long talk,” Charly said with a knowing grin.

  “I’m serious. We necked for a minute then Deno thought I should know that his tiger was already imprinting on me, and if we went any further, we’d be mated.”

  “Really? That’s awesome!”

  “Is it?” Tabby yawned and stretched in her seat. She wasn’t so sure.

  “Of course, it is unless you don’t feel the same.”

  “I don’t know how I feel.”

  How could she? Even though she wanted him, she wasn’t sure falling for him was a good idea. In the cold light of day, she questioned if she was really falling in love with him so soon. Hell, she’d only met the man a few weeks ago. It wasn’t as though they’d spent a lot of time getting to know each other after that.

  “It’s not like we’ve really been able to chat. First, I was a cat; then, after I shifted to this form, he insulted me and I avoided him. Now, he says his tiger is falling in love with me and he wants us to get to know each other better.”

  “At least he wants to move slowly. That’s a good thing, right?”

  “I suppose.” Tabby sighed. “I just don’t know how slow he plans to take this or how long it’s going to take us to finally get to a point where we can decide being together is a good thing.”

  “I hope you’re not worried about how he feels.” Charly tilted her head and pressed her lips together.

  “What do you mean?” Of course, she was worried about how he felt. What if there was a way he could stop his tiger from finishing the imprinting process, would he? He might have told her his heart followed that of the tiger’s, but he hadn’t said much about his mind. Did he really want a relationship with her, or had he just decided to go along with it because it was something he couldn’t choose to ignore?

  Maybe asking that question wasn’t fair. Maybe she was just being picky and didn’t want a man who would rather not have a woman around for the rest of his life. Was it so wrong to want to be sure that the man she fell in love with wanted to be with her in the first place?

  “What I mean is he did have a choice. When you first met, he had a chance to walk away, to never see you again. What keeps bringing him back to you is his desire to be around you. His tiger can’t do anything until you’re mated or until your life is in danger. He can’t shift his shape or even use the strength of the tiger. His tiger has no influence over anything he does until he can shift his shape. Even after mating, the tiger can try to take over, but usually, unless their mate or children are in danger, the human part of them always has mental control.”

  “His tiger is already imprinting on me. Deno told me that last night.” Tabby raised her chin and met her sister’s gaze. Don’t tell me it can’t do anything. It’s already tying us together.”

  “Only because he’s allowing it,” Xeno said as he stepped behind Charly and rested his big hands on her shoulders. He hadn’t had to make contact with her sister for Tabby to know which of the twins stood before her. She didn’t know how she and Charly could tell the twins apart when no one else could.

  “What?” She frowned up at him. “He said he couldn’t stop it.”

  “He can’t, now that he’s decided he wants you as his mate. His tiger doesn’t know the difference between him wanting you and not being able to have you. You can still say no. But, to Deno’s beast, his mind is made up.”

  “Are you saying that he loves me?” How could he? They didn’t even know each other. Hearing him tell her he was falling for her and having someone else confirm it had already happened, was something entirely different.

  “At some level, he must. His beast would never take that risk otherwise.”

  Tabby felt a strange warmth growing in the center of her chest. It was as though a bright ball of light had settled there and had started spinning faster and faster. Was it love, or was she going crazy?

  Whatever it was, it wasn’t indifference. It wasn’t dislike. Something strange and wonderful was growing inside of her, and if she didn’t know better, she might have called it love. But she couldn’t love Deno. She barely knew him. Maybe it was the attraction she felt. She was tempted by the big alien, that was all. Wasn’t it?

  “He can’t love me.”

  “Why are you clinging so tightly to denial?” Xeno crossed his arms with a frown.

  “He can’t really love me, can he? I mean, we barely know each other.” Tabby wasn’t sure if she liked the thought or hated it. “Last night he told me he was falling in love with me.” She twisted her fingers together.

  “Did you believe him, or did you assume he was only saying it to get you into his bed?” Charly stared at her, her eyebrows raised in question.

  “I...” Looking down, Tabby stared at her hands. Her fingers twisted the hem of her blouse. It was going to look horrible after that. “I don’t know.” She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “I think I want to believe him.”

  She swallowed thickly. What if what he said was true? She wanted him. She’d even been prepared to sleep with him... but for a lifetime? She wasn’t sure she was ready for a forever kind of commitment. Did she want him to love her? Did she want a man in her life, telling her what to do, where to go, after all the years she’d lived alone?

  The lump in her throat grew as she wondered what she should do. Should she go to him, should she stay away? Should she ask her sister or one of the other women on board their advice? It was annoying that she couldn’t seem to make up her mind. In fact, it was beginning to piss her off. She’d never been so indecisive in her life. If this had been one of the ramances she’d read, she probably would have chucked the book across the room by now. As a heroine, she sucked.

  “How have things gotten so screwed up over the last few weeks, and when did my life get so complicated?”

  “Life is complicated if you’re doing it right. If it were easy, we wouldn’t know the difference between the good and the bad.” Charly reached over and squeezed her fingers.

  “What’s wrong with that?” Tabby sighed, wishing things could be a little easier if only for a little while.

  “Nothing, if you want to feel as though you’re spinning your wheels and going nowhere. The things that cause resistance in our lives are the very things that tell us in which direction we should go.” Her sister was rather insightful, now that she thought about it.

  “If there’s resistance, we shouldn’t go that way?”

  “What are your emotions telling you?” Charly tilted her head and held her gaze. “Are they telling you to run, or are they telling you a relationship with Deno is a good thing? How do you feel?”

  “I feel wonderful when Deno smiles at me, when he holds me and kisses me. Then, I think about leaving, and I feel horrible like it’s the worst thing I could ever do.”

  “Then that is your answer, hon.” Charly reached over and rubbed her shoulder. “Your intuition is telling you what to do, and you don’t even realize it. Your heart is telling you to stay with Deno. Listen to your heart.”

  “I’m not sure it’s that simple.”

  “It’s always that simple.” Her sister smiled softly. “Do you think it was easy for me when I first met Xeno?” She shook her head. “It wasn’t. I wanted to forget I’d met him. At first, just looking at him reminded me of everything I lost. My job, my home, everything I’d worked so hard to attain was gone the moment I met him.”

  “Then why—”

  “Do you think he wanted to be held a prisoner in that research facility, living his life in that glass cell like a fish in a bowl?” Charly pressed her lips together. “He didn’t want to be there any more than I wanted my career and life as I knew it to end. He needed help, and I was the only person who could help him. And as much as I mourn all
that I lost, I don’t regret what I did for a moment.”

  Charly rested her hand on Xeno’s before giving him a loving glance.

  “It never bothered you that he was an alien?” Tabby’s cheeks heated up a bit. After all, Xeno was standing right behind her sister, listening to every word. How could he not be offended by what they said?

  “Maybe a little at first, but it didn’t take long to come around. After all, he’s more of a gentleman than most other men I’ve met.” Standing, she gave Xeno a quick kiss before wrapping her arm around his waist.

  “True.” Tabby had to agree with that. The alien males had been hospitable and protective every moment of every day. Not once had any of the twins’ family tried to incarcerate them for something beyond their control. Nor had they treated them as outsiders even once.

  “I should probably make up my mind, huh?” Tabby sighed and stared at the table, unable to meet Charly’s gaze as she stood next to Xeno. “I’ve never had such a difficult time making up my mind about something in my life. When I decided to stay out of the system and try to find you, it was a decision I made in an instant, and I’ve never once regretted it. I decided to live as your cat and protector when I found you. It took me all of about fifteen seconds to decide that. Why can’t I decide to take a chance and let myself fall in love with Deno?”

  “Maybe it’s because you’ve always had to keep your feelings to yourself. How many times throughout the years could you let yourself love someone?”

  “I tried once.” Her face burned at the thought. “It didn’t work out well. The guy was a jerk.”

  “Once.” Charly pulled her arm from around Xeno and bent over the table. Lowering her voice, she whispered, “It’s no wonder you’re finding it difficult. Don’t judge Deno by another man’s mistakes, Tabby. Give him a chance.” She glanced back toward Xeno. “If he’s anything like his brother, he will do whatever he can to make you happy.”

  Stretching across the table, Charly kissed Tabby on the cheek.

  “Go find him and give him another chance. You both deserve it.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Pass me a wrench, will you?” Deno reached out from under the console, his hand waving in the air. “What’s taking so long, dammit? It’s not like I don’t have other things to do after this. For one, I’d like to get back to my cabin and take a shower before dinner time. I have a date.”

  The wrench hit his hand with a slight sting, he wrapped his fingers around it before pulling it into his workspace and putting it to the nut he’d just installed. Wasn’t it just like one of his brothers to slam the damned thing into his palm, as though it was his fault they were slow and he got snarky with them?

  “Pass me the particle separator.” He tossed the wrench through the small opening. It clattered to the floor as he, once again, held out his hand. After a few seconds, he wiggled his fingers until it hit his hand and he pulled it under the console with a blink.

  “This isn’t the particle separator, you idiot.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Which one are you, Rowen or Ronin, because I’m having a talk with Dad after this. You need an education on ship repair.”

  “Neither.”

  Deno sat up at the sound of Tabby’s voice.

  “Ow, dammit!” He slid out from under the console holding his head. “I don’t know what the hell I just hit my head on, but it’s bound to be easy to find.” He pulled his hand away from his bleeding head and started to wipe his hands on his pants.

  “Don’t do that!” Tabby grabbed a rag from on top of the console and handed it to him. “You’ll ruin your pants.”

  He didn’t tell her it wouldn’t matter. He’d put the pants into the waste receptacle later, and tomorrow, they’d probably be resequenced into a pair of underwear or something.

  “Thank you.” He took the rag and held it to his head. “I’m sorry about the language.” Why was it getting so hot? Clearing his throat, he met her gaze. “How long were you standing there?”

  “Long enough to know you needed a wrench for something.” She smiled. “I’m glad to hear you’re worried about making your date. No woman likes to be kept waiting.” She raised a brow. “But I don’t remember us making a date for tonight. Is your liaison with someone I know?”

  “You know I wanted to get back to my cabin to be with you.” He pulled the wad of material from his head and checked it. “I think it’s stopped.”

  Tabby leaned over him, her delicious scent surrounding him, nearly making him drool. “Yeah. Me, too. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you hit your head.”

  “It’s not your fault.” He grabbed the particle separator, held it up with a smile, and then crawled back under the console. “It was mine for assuming my brother hadn’t deserted me. He’s probably off playing a video game in his cabin.”

  “Would that be a bad thing?”

  “Only if his work isn’t done, and it isn’t.”

  “How do you know? He could have finished his work while you were under there.” She had to try to stick up for the young man, didn’t she?

  “I know because this is his work. I was helping him finish it. He should be here watching me, so he knows how to do this the next time it needs to be done. I should have known better.”

  “Give him a break. He’s just a kid.”

  “A kid?” Deno laughed. “I’d bet good money that kid is almost as old as you are. We don’t age the same way humans do. We age a lot slower than you do.”

  “I’m not human either.”

  “Okay. Let me rephrase that. We age a lot slower than Earthlings do.” He grunted when he hit his head again. “I hope that doesn’t start bleeding again. I have enough of a mess to clean up down here.”

  “That’s amazing,” she said with a laugh. “You could be bleeding down there, and you’re not worried about your injury, you’re worried about cleaning up a little blood?”

  “You try to get blood off the inside of a console once it’s been baked on there.” He twisted around, trying to see if he’d gotten blood on anything that would get hot. “Oh, good. It’s not bleeding.”

  “Good. I’m glad. I was worried that you could be losing too much blood down there and I’d never know because I can’t see you.”

  “You’d care?”

  “Of course, I’d care.” She nudged him lightly with the toe of her shoe. “Do you think I’m totally heartless?”

  “Not heartless... Just thoughtless.”

  “Oh, you brute!” She gave him a swift kick. “I should just leave you to bleed out on the floor.”

  He would have been worried about that, had she not had so much trouble saying it through her laughter.

  “I’m glad you think I’m so funny.” He hoped she could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Well... I knew you had to be joking because you wouldn’t be enough of a jerk to actually mean it after... after we’ve been getting along so well.”

  Deno wondered if she’d been about to say after he’d told her he was falling in love with her.

  “So... are we on for a date tonight?”

  “Are you only asking me now because you think I’ll feel sorry for you because you cracked your head open like a coconut?”

  “Do you?” He probably shouldn’t have asked that.

  “Not one bit. You’re a big boy. You should be able to bleed a little without crying.”

  Laughing probably wasn’t a good idea, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “Are you laughing at me?”

  “No. Never. I would never laugh at you. That is a promise.”

  His work—or should he say Rowen’s or Ronin’s work—was done. He slid out from under the console and met her gaze so she would know he was serious.

  “I might have done many horrible things in my life, but I have never laughed at a woman to be mean.”

  “Then, why were you laughing?” She crossed her arms, the toe of her shoe tapping lightly against the deck.

  “I was laughing because I
love doing this with you. I love this light banter between us because it means we have finally moved beyond that which we have agreed not to mention.”

  “Oh.” She cast her gaze to the floor for a moment, her discomfort visible in the pink of her cheeks. “I’m glad.” She met his gaze and nibbled the corner of her bottom lip. “I kind of like it, too.”

  If only she knew how sexy she was when she looked at him with those wide, violet eyes and her full lip between her teeth.

  He wanted to do that. He wanted to suck that full, bottom lip into his mouth and thrust his tongue between her teeth. He wanted to hold her body tight against him and rub his scent all over her, claiming her as his own.

  “Now that I’m finished doing my brother’s job, I think I’ll make a date with the med bed, the shower, and a clean change of clothes.” Sitting up, he wiped his hands on the cleanest part of the towel she gave him. “Will you be in the cabin or with your sister?”

  “I’ll be waiting for you.” She crossed her arms and raised a brow. “Don’t be too long. I might think you’ve decided to stand me up.”

  “I don’t understand.” He frowned up at her. “Stand you up against what?”

  “You’re so funny.” She laughed and backed toward the door. “I’ll see you in the room in a few minutes, okay?”

  “I’m serious. What does that mean?”

  He might have been dating, but he hadn’t made any of his women stand up against anything. What did that even mean?

  “I’ll see you later.” She wiggled her fingers at him and slipped through the door.

  “Shit.” He’d have to hurry now. He had no idea what she was talking about, but whatever it was, apparently had something to do with being late.

  Of all the times he’d taken women out, not one of them had ever accused him of standing her up. Well, there was the time he’d been in a hurry, and he’d nailed his date against the wall. Was that it? Somehow, he didn’t think so.

  Maybe, if his luck held, he’d run into one of his brothers, and they would know what the hell it meant. Otherwise, he’d have to just rely on his bad luck with Tabitha and take his chances.