Tall, Dark and Panther

by Milly Taiden

  “Wow. That’s. Wow.”

  Gerri lifted her cup again to take another drink. “I’m not telling you to tear your clothes off and tell him to come and get it, but I think you should have an open mind. At least I didn’t set you up with two.”

  Maya stopped the cookie she was bringing to her mouth mid-way to her face. “What? Two what?”

  “Men, dear. Don’t stare at me like that, child. Some women like to get their freak on with two males. In fact, some packs require a mate be shared between the Alpha and the Omega.”

  “I...yeah. Okay, so back to my petty problems with a single one of them. Noah is a lot more than I ever thought I’d find after my bad luck with men. I’m happy but nervous this is going to blow up in my face somehow.”

  Gerri nodded. “I understand. It’s hard to believe what you’re seeing, but that is who he is. In our world, a mate is cherished and protected. A mate is for life.”

  “I have so much to think about,” she mumbled.

  “Why not introduce him into your life? I don’t mean move him in, so stop looking at me like I grew a second head! I mean, take him to a family dinner. That could be the beginning of a way to see him around your people.”

  Maya snorted. “My people? Let me tell you something. My family is as dysfunctional as you get.”

  Gerri sighed. “Noah didn’t grow up with a normal family. He had me and my husband, but he always held back. He wasn’t a talkative kid. He knew he’d been abandoned and held his emotions in. I ached for him a lot. I wanted him to open up to me, but he never did. Maybe now he can open up to you.”

  TWELVE

  Noah decided to pick up some flowers for Maya. She’d been quiet for the past few days, not even dancing in the living room while she cleaned like he was used to. Something was wrong, but when he asked, she said she was fine. Instead of bringing the flowers to her himself, he chose to have them delivered to her job. He strolled from the flower shop down the street when he noticed a car parked outside the building.

  The guy inside the car had on a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap, but Noah recognized him immediately. It was Maya’s ex, Bud. He marched up to the car to confront the guy. Bud saw him approaching and jumped out of the driver’s side with a bat in his hand.

  “You! It’s your fault she won’t come back to me,” Bud yelled.

  Noah stopped a few feet away from the car, shoving his hands in his pockets. “She doesn’t want you. Do you know the meaning of the word no?”

  “She wanted me,” Bud spat. “Until you came along, she had nothing better in her life than me. She would have married me eventually.”

  Noah’s panther roared inside. The thought of Maya with this dickhead didn’t sit well. “She’ll never be yours now. She’s mine. And what’s mine, I keep.”

  Bud bared his teeth like a rabid dog. “I hate you! She was supposed to be the woman that took care of me and forgave me for making mistakes from time to time.”

  Noah yanked his hands out of his pockets, curling them into fists. “You’re fucking crazy.”

  “I’m not crazy. She was mine. You had no right to interfere!” Bud came closer, swinging the bat too far away to hit Noah, but close enough to slam it against one of his tail lights. The sound of the glass breaking crunched around them.

  “Put the bat down,” Noah urged. “You’re going to get hurt.”

  “Fuck you! Maya is mine,” he persisted. “You need to go find your own woman.”

  Bud swung the bat again, and Noah grabbed it mid-swing. He tugged hard, bringing Bud close enough that he could grab him by the shirt and toss him on the car, hitting the bumper with the impact.

  “She’s not yours. She’s never been yours, and she never will be,” Noah hissed. The panther pushed at the skin, ready for a fight.

  Bud groaned and slid off the bumper, his gaze meeting Noah’s. “You... You’re one of those animals, aren’t you?”

  The panther roared. “You could say that.”

  “I don’t give a fuck!” Bud screeched. A couple coming out of the building stopped to watch. “You can be whatever, but you’re not taking her from me.”

  Noah rushed him then. He picked Bud up by the neck and stared into his eyes. “That’s where you’re wrong. You lost her a long time ago, and I’m not giving her back. She’s not some woman to be used. She’s mine. Get used to it.”

  He tossed Bud on the wooden walkway by the car. Noah didn’t sense any danger from the man. He was all talk. In fact, Noah could tell he was more scared than angry. Probably frustrated that he wasn’t getting his way when it came to Maya. Too fucking bad.

  * * *

  Noah stared at the darkened apartment across his window with a frown. She hadn’t shown up yet. She wasn’t picking up her cell phone either. Something didn’t sit right with him. When his doorbell rang, he jumped to his feet to fling the door open.

  “Hello, darling,” Gerri greeted.

  “Hi, Gerri.”

  He turned around and returned to his desk, ignoring her and the work he’d been staring at all day without doing any of it. He had a deadline for a new game and was pretty close to being done, but instead of doing that, he was watching Maya’s apartment like her stalker ex.

  “What’s going on over there?” Gerri asked, coming to stand beside him.

  “Nothing. That’s the problem. She’s been gone all day, and I haven’t spoken to her since. I don’t know what to think. She usually answers my calls. And she’s never this late.”

  Gerri’s brows rose. “You sound a little paranoid there, dear. What’s going on with you two?”

  “She’s been acting distant.” He hated to admit it, but it was true. He wasn’t sure what he’d said or done to push her away. It was driving him crazy to think that she might not be interested in seeing where things went with them.

  “Well, of course she is. That idiot ex of hers doesn’t leave her alone,” Gerri said, point blank.

  He turned to face Gerri, his attention going from the window to the woman who raised him. “What does he have to do with anything? I haven’t seen him around here.”

  Gerri rolled her eyes. “I was right. Men don’t use their brains. Darling, he’s been harassing her via her cell phone and every way possible. She’s annoyed by it, because she’d prefer to see where things are going with you.”

  Fucking hell. That was not what he wanted to hear. “She’s pushing me away because of her ex?”

  Gerri shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Ask her. Would it kill you people to communicate once in a while?” She inhaled and let it out slowly. “It’s like talking to toddlers.”

  “What else did she say?” he asked with interest.

  “What are we, in high school? She asked about you and being a shifter and mating. I told her the truth on all accounts. Now stop stressing, and when she gets home, draw the woman a warm bath. She’ll probably be exhausted.”

  “Why are you here?” he asked, suddenly realizing she hadn’t called like she normally did.

  “So you finally noticed, huh? I came by to bring you some cookies. I wanted to drop some off for Maya, but since she’s not home I’ll leave them here with you.”

  Thunder boomed outside the window, and a quick peek showed the rain coming down in thick sheets.

  “I’m going to go before it gets worse. My driver is waiting, and I hate to leave the poor guy sitting there.”

  He walked her to the door. “Isn’t he used to you doing that?”

  She nodded and turned to face him at the door. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t rude. Now give me a kiss and remember what I said. Let the girl breathe.”

  He kissed Gerri on the forehead and watched her go. Restlessness took hold of him. The panther wanted out. The sound of the rain drew him to the outdoors. His panther wanted to shift and run. It was one of the things he loved to do on a dark stormy night.

  He ran down the stairs, all the way to the lobby, before passing security. The guys waved at him, used to his runni
ng out barefoot when he needed to let the panther roam.

  Rain flowed from the sky in warm droplets that soaked him in seconds. He ran across the street to the woods. He ran as a human at first, until he found a spot to take off his clothes and shift. The panther pushed at his skin. Bones popped, and dark fur coated his body. He dropped down to all fours and ran. He took off into the woods, unsure where he was going but letting the panther lead. This was the animal’s chance to control things. Like everything in nature, living as a shifter was about balance. He had to give the panther space to breathe, and the animal would follow his control.

  It took a few minutes before he realized he was running down a path that led to Maya’s workplace. He should have known his restlessness wouldn’t settle from a simple run. Tension flowed through him, pushing the panther.

  His paws sank into the earth as he ran. The scent of nature, rain, and earth mingled to make the panther purr. He enjoyed being out in the woods.

  “Fucking hell!”

  Maya’s voice in the distance stopped him in his tracks. He lifted his head up, searching for her scent to know which way to go. There. A slight breeze brought the taste of her frustration down his nose.

  He darted off, going farther down the path until he came face to face with a soaked Maya carrying her shoes in her hands. Her clothes clung to her, delineating her body in a way that left nothing to the imagination.

  THIRTEEN

  Maya blinked through the pouring rain at the giant black cat that suddenly showed up out of nowhere. Her heart hammered hard in her chest, almost tripping from fear.

  “Uh, nice kitty?” she said softly.

  She was dead. Big dead. The panther opened his jaw wide, his golden eyes gleaming in the darkness. Yeah, dead. There’d be no coming out of that one for her.

  The rain poured harder. Thunder and lightning shook the earth and made her tremble. She glanced over her shoulder, but she could barely make out the path. Should she run for it?

  A loud growl sounded from the panther. Fuck this shit. She took off into the woods, running for dear life. Branches poked and prodded, slapping her arms and face as she went. She gasped, trying not to fall on her ass in the slippery mud, but it was almost impossible. Her foot slipped on a rock, and she went down. She landed on her back, the rain falling hard on her soaked body.

  The panther came around her. She stayed motionless, hoping he couldn’t see her if she did. Then she sighed. Like the animal couldn’t see or smell her. She needed a fucking drink if this was her plan for survival.

  He brought his dark head down over hers, muzzle right to her cheek…and licked her. She gasped at the feel of the rough tongue touching her face. He did it again, and while she squinted at the rain falling in her eyes, the panther changed from a scary beast into Noah. Naked Noah.

  She glanced down at his human form, taking in his slick, wet body and the muscles that shaped him into an amazing beast.

  “Noah?”

  “Why are you walking this way, getting wet?”

  She gulped back the moan from his finger caressing her face. “It was an awful day.”

  He helped her up to her feet and proceeded to pick her up in his arms, not giving her a chance to struggle. “Let me carry you. You’re not used to walking barefoot outdoors.”

  She curled her arms around his neck and allowed him to carry her. “When I left my office, I had two flat tires, and my phone had died.”

  “Why didn’t you just go back upstairs?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t want to sit around waiting for a tow.”

  She didn’t want to admit she’d been dying to go home and spend time with him. He was the reason she’d ignored common sense and done something she never did.

  “So then why were you walking through the woods?”

  “At first, I decided to walk up the main street waiting for a taxi, but none showed up. Then a big group of guys left a bar and were really loud and kind of scary, so I dashed into the woods so they wouldn’t see me.” She pushed the strands of hair sticking to her face back so she could see better. “I figured I could walk the rest of the way since I know this path leads right by the building.”

  He held her tight to his chest, his warmth keeping her from growing cold from her wet clothes. “I worried when I called and you didn’t answer.”

  “I’m sorry. I think there’s something wrong with my phone. The battery drains too fast.”

  When they arrived at the building, she was surprised to see that neither of the guards batted an eye at his nakedness. Was this a normal occurrence? And where the hell was she when he did it?

  He helped her to her feet in the elevator and then led her to her door, taking the keys out of her shaky hands and opening it for her. Shudders racked her body. She started to feel really cold all of a sudden.

  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll draw you a hot bath, and you can lay in the warm water while I get you a drink.”

  He set the tub for her and left her in the bathroom to remove the wet clothes stuck to her body. The pile of wet clothes lay at the foot of the tub. She got into the water and sighed. Heat rose, warming her.

  She sat there, thinking about the horrible day she’d had. Bud had called again. This time he’d been smart enough to have his line blocked, but she knew it was him. The stupid man didn’t seem to get it through his thick skull that she wanted nothing to do with him. It was as if his brain had stopped working when it came to her. The crazy part was what he’d said on the ‘anonymous’ call. He’d said she was supposed to be his. Right. Because her unhappiness with him spoke of forever to his dumbass.

  A few minutes later, after her limbs had stopped shaking, a knock sounded at her bathroom door.

  “Come in.”

  Noah entered the bathroom with a pair of boxer shorts and a glass filled with amber liquid. “Here, drink this. It will help warm you from the inside.”

  She sniffed the drink, making a face when she didn’t like how strong it was.

  He laughed and pushed her hand up to her lips. “It’s not poison. It will help.”

  “I’m not a whiskey drinker.”

  “Try it. A few sips.”

  She did. Once the burning sensation stopped in the middle of her chest, she found herself mellowing out. She lifted the tumbler back to her lips and downed the rest. “That’s not too bad.”

  “Yeah. I think that’s enough of that.” He grinned, pulling the glass out of her hands.

  “What made you go out that way?” she asked, leaning back in the tub, not caring that she was naked. His gaze strayed from her face to her chest. Her nipples peeked above the water line, stiff and aching.

  “I like to let the panther run when I’m feeling restless. I was worried about you, and running was the best way to relax. The animal took me that way. He must have sensed you in the area and decided to go find you.”

  She smiled. “Your panther likes me?”

  “That’s one way to put it. He considers you his.” He placed the glass on the sink and grabbed his knees. “I wanted to ask you something.”

  She bit her lip, wondering what in the world he could have to say to her. “Okay?”

  “I have this event coming up. It’s to reveal a new game I designed. It’s...special. I’d like to ask if you could possibly attend with me. As my guest.”

  She tried to push down the instant joy bubbling in her chest. “I’d love to. Is this something you worked on recently?”

  He shook his head. “I met a boy not long ago, and he inspired the game. I wanted to do something special for him.”

  Wow. He was such a nice guy. Creating a game based on a kid he’d met. “I’d be honored to attend as your guest. There’s something I wanted to ask you,” she said with a smile. “I have a family dinner to attend this weekend. Would you...like to come with me?”

  She realized a family dinner was a big commitment, but decided to ask him anyway. It wasn’t like she had a normal family. She worried that he would realize there
was more than a little wrong with the other members of her family and decide it was too much crazy to handle.

  “Yes. I’ll go with you, if that’s what you want.” His lips lifted into a ghost of a smile.

  “Thank you.”

  He glanced back at her chest and then looked away. “I’m going to go. I’m happy you’re safe now, and I know you’re going to need rest.”

  She wanted him to stay and talk to her some more. Touch her. Make love to her. Love? Wait a second. “Yes, okay. You have a good night.”

  He nodded and shut the bathroom door on his way out.

  What the hell? Love? She had been seeing him for all of a week. Why would she think herself in love? Because you are. Dear god, she was in trouble. Love was one emotion she’d been trying to keep at bay when it came to Noah. She’d learned with every other ex, including Bud, that talking about love only turned things to shit if a man wasn’t ready.

  Her heart flipped at the reminder of Noah holding her in his arms, carrying her through the rain so she wouldn’t hurt her feet. Trying to push that out of the emotional side of her brain was impossible. Noah’s smile made her belly feel all kinds of warm and squishy. She couldn’t lie to herself. She was falling for him. Hard. That didn’t mean she had to tell him. The time they spent together helped her see he was the kind of man that would offer her his all, the kind of man she’d always wanted but had never found. Until now.

  The thought that she was finally with the right man both excited and scared her. She wanted him to be in love with her too. She knew so little of how shifters did things. Did mating mean he was in love with her? Physical attraction was one thing. Emotions were another. When she spoke to Gerri, there had been no mention of emotions. Now she wished Gerri were on her speed dial so she could ask all kinds of things popping into her mind.

  FOURTEEN

  Maya sucked her bottom lip into her mouth—a bad habit she’d yet to break. She was nervous, and there was no way to stop it. The number of people in the ballroom was staggering. Media and big names from the video gaming industry were all dressed to the nines. She glanced up to Noah’s serious face and smiled.