by Rosanna Leo
“The vacant horny look,” said Soren, jostling Bart. “Doesn’t he look vacant and horny?”
Bart grinned. “Definitely horny and more vacant than most.”
“Eat my shorts, wolf man.”
Bart made a puking noise.
“I’m serious,” insisted Soren. “I can see it in your eyes, Killian. You like Nina, in a I’m-gonna-take-you-hard-from-behind kind of way.”
Bart pursed his lips and put on a falsetto voice. “’Oh, Killian! Do it to me again, you big, bad, jaguar man. Rub those whiskers all over me.’” He and Soren fell over themselves, hooting with laughter.
“How old are you beasts? Twelve? Go on, laugh, you animals.” Feeling the burn of a bad ribbing from good friends, Killian clenched his fists. He then decided it might be fun to give them a healthy dose of their own sick medicine. “Hey,” he teased, pointing at the group of women. “Who’s that big dude flirting with your wives?”
Three heads whipped around in lightning-fast fury. He wasn’t sure who looked more ready to kill, Ryland, Soren, or Bart. When they realized no one accosted their women, they turned and glared at him.
“Not funny,” Bart muttered.
“Oh,” Soren persisted. “He’s just trying to deflect attention because he’s afraid to admit he has a hard-on for Nina.”
He snuck another look at her and, just like that, he got a hard-on. Holy hell. Chalking it up to the power of suggestion, he turned and adjusted himself, even as his spirit animal fell backward, laughing at him like a hyena instead of a dignified jaguar.
Bart continued to bait him as well. “Look at her, Killian. She’s a pretty lady.”
This time, he took a longer look, allowing himself to dwell on each small detail. A body that wouldn’t quit. Ripe and round in all the right places, perfect for grasping. Soft, dusky skin. And those incredible eyes, looking to him for explanations and solace.
Ridiculous. She was just a woman. A human woman. Not his type. He preferred to restrict his liaisons to shifters. They understood him. Most shifter women knew a night of mind-blowing sex was not necessarily the precursor to love and marriage. Human women got funny ideas. They wanted to sleep over and cuddle while watching The Bachelor. They wanted promises and white dresses and weddings with a thousand people in attendance.
No, he’d given up on human women a long time ago. Perhaps part of the reason had been his parents’ animosity toward the species. He couldn’t subject his partner to that kind of hatred. Better to get out his sexual frustrations with shifter females than introduce a human woman to a world of pain and regret.
Only this human woman smelled too good. Really good. Like cherry blossoms in full bloom. She filled his senses, even from a distance. Her fragrance cut right through the smells of bacon and coffee and sausages. Each time she took a few steps, her scent teased him, making him think spring had already arrived.
Ry stepped in, his face crinkled in unease. “Look, right now, all I want to know is if you think Gemini Island is in danger from the Alpha Brethren.”
“Right now? No.”
“But we should still plan for any eventuality?”
“I don’t think it could hurt.”
“Okay,” Ryland said. “Bart, we’ll talk security later and bring in the other men.”
“Don’t we have to be careful who we talk to?” asked Bart. “Killian said Crane has spies everywhere.”
“Exactly,” said Killian. “For now, let me talk to my brothers and see if they’ve heard from dear Mom and Dad. We can go from there. I wouldn’t say it in front of Nina, but maybe Janine had it all wrong.”
The other men frowned. None of them believed Janine had exaggerated her circumstances. He didn’t believe it either.
“And Nina?” inquired Soren, his eyes rounding in fake innocence.
“It’s obvious,” he replied, as a sick, stabbing pain assaulted his insides. “She has to go home. If Janine was hassled for being with a human, Nina can’t stay on a shifter island. It wouldn’t be safe. Besides, it’s not as if she has a function here. She only came to find out what I know about her friend and I’ve told her. She’d be better off returning to her human life. There’s…nothing for her here.”
As he finished his statement, his jaguar sounded an alarm inside him, hurling its weighty body at him in protest. He put a hand to his ribs, in an attempt to soothe the pain lancing through his right side. What the hell was wrong with the stupid cat?
“Jaguar upset with you?” asked Bart, his face deadpan.
“My jaguar can go to hell,” he spat. As it launched another internal assault, he spoke to it directly. “Yeah, you. Mangy beast.”
When he realized he’d spoken out loud, he looked at his three friends, only to find them staring at him.
Ryland said, “Are we going to have to talk about the shifter birds and bees?”
As he muttered his thoughts on the birds and bees, he stalked back to the table, ignoring their laughter.
* * * *
He filled the doorway to the private room, heading toward her like a storm on the horizon, gathering strength with each step. Nina reached for her coffee mug and took a sip, needing to hold something, needing to feel grounded. Whenever Killian was near, she floundered. Pasting on a smile, she asked, “Did you get your espresso?”
“You need to go home.”
“Killian,” Lia, Gioia, and Charlotte cried as one, their eyes wide.
“What?” he demanded, turning to them. “Nina got her information. She stayed the night, and now it’s time for her to go.”
“I wouldn’t say I got all the information I came for,” she interjected, setting the coffee back down. “All you’ve given me is theories. There’s no proof the Alpha Brethren went after Janine, no real evidence they led her to kill herself. All I have is a note from a distraught woman.”
“Based on what I know…”
“You don’t seem to know anything about her actual death. You’ve made guesses and conjectures, scaring a lot of people in the process. But you haven’t given me any facts, Killian. The only thing I know for sure is Janine thought it was important to write your name on her suicide note.”
“Because she knows my connection to the Brethren.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not good enough.” Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the other men re-entering the room to join their wives. Their gazes were trained on her and Killian, as if preparing to break up a fight. “And I’m not going anywhere until I’m satisfied that’s how she died.”
“My instincts never fail me. You have to take my word for it.”
“I don’t have to take anything from you.”
He stood over her, clenching his fists. “Look. If things escalate, it won’t be safe for you here. You’re human and you can’t defend yourself like we can.”
She gave him a look of disdain. If she could defend herself from Mrs. McFarlane’s nasty Standard Poodle, she could defend herself from an angry shifter dude. “Oh, please. I’m not a little girl. Don’t treat me like one.”
The minute the words escaped her, Killian’s face contorted, twisting into a mask of gorgeous fury. He opened and closed his mouth like a dying fish, grasping for air.
From somewhere to her right, she saw Lia lean into Ryland. The other woman gaped at them, unbelieving. But then Lia narrowed her eyes, as if seeing something for the first time, and whispered, “Is she his…?
“Oh, yeah,” Ryland whispered back. “Totally.”
Lia’s jaw dropped. “I hoped, but didn’t believe it.”
“Didn’t believe what?” Nina asked.
Lia smiled. “Nothing. You guys just remind me a lot of Ryland and I when we first met. The hostility. The stubbornness. The sexual tension.”
Killian’s eyes popped and he pointed at his friends. “Enough of that! You guys don’t know what you’re talking about.” He then made a grunting noise and bent over at the waist, as if suffering from
internal injuries.
“What the hell is going on here?” she asked, eyeing him in case he fell to the floor. Considering his size, she’d have trouble propping him up.
“Nothing is going on,” he muttered, clutching his waist. With difficulty, moving like a ninety-year-old instead of a man in his prime, he stood up straight. “I just don’t see what more you want from me. I’ve answered your questions. I’ve told you the truth about shifters. Hell, I even showed you my jaguar face.” He seized a breath. “I’m sorry about Janine. She was a good woman. But now it’s time for you to go home.”
She stared at him, sensing something underneath his antagonism. His brusque words camouflaged a very real fear, fear for…her. She could see the dark desperation in his eyes.
He worried about her. How bizarre.
She liked it.
And knowing it, she just didn’t feel like going home right now. He’d have to get over his concern.
There was a whole lot to explore on Gemini Island. Even more to explore between her and Killian, good or bad, happy or sad. She’d never been one to back down from a challenge. Besides, she wasn’t sure she was ready to say goodbye to the jaguar man. She liked looking at his muscles too much. He was like a living, breathing male fitness calendar.
She smiled at him and nibbled a slice of bacon. “Actually, I’m enjoying myself here. I could use a bit of rest and relaxation. I think I’ll stay.”
He let out another savage grunt and departed.
* * * *
Killian spun around, wanting to escape the open mouths on all his friends’ faces, wanting to escape her smug smile. Why couldn’t she take his word for it? Why didn’t she believe him? Certainly, as a shifter, he knew more about how their world operated than she did. She might think herself cute with her ballsy attitude, but confronted by a pissed off wolf or bear, she’d be helpless.
His friends were no help. They seemed more concerned about getting him mated. Their amusement sickened him, made him want to strip out of his clothes, let his jaguar loose and go hunting in the woods. He didn’t want to hear their opinions about his feelings for Nina, and he certainly didn’t want to talk to her anymore. It was bad enough he had to see her.
He left the lodge and closed his eyes as the bracing air hit his face. Taking a deep breath, he turned toward his cabin. He’d head home, lock himself in, shutter his windows, and ignore them all for the next hour or so while he reached out to his brothers. It had been a while since he talked to Percy and Byron, and they needed to know the situation with the Brethren. They were just as much at risk as he was. Their parents had never been able to leave their darling boys alone for long.
With that in mind, he reached for his cell phone and dialed Percy’s number.
His younger brother picked up after a few rings. “Bro,” he said by way of greeting. “Not a good time. Can I call you back?”
“Where are you?”
“On the mainland, picking up supplies.” He called out to someone. “Be careful with that canvas.”
“Is Byron with you?”
“Yeah.”
Of course. When were the twins ever apart? “Well, I need to see you guys.”
“We’re here for a couple of days, stocking up on garden supplies and shit.”
He let out a sigh of frustration. “All right. Text me when you’re back.” He paused. “Take care, okay?”
Percy chuckled. “Oh, okay, big brother.” He made kissy noises into the phone.
“Piss off, sprout.”
“I’m bigger than you.”
“You wish.” He laughed. “See you later.”
Tucking his phone into his pocket, Killian stared into the veil of trees.
Just go home. Clear your mind.
Only he didn’t make it to his cabin. He’d barely disconnected from his call before Nina’s face materialized in front of him, along with her spectacular curves. As dream-Nina taunted him with a hand on her fleshy hip, he leaned against a tree and looked around to make sure no one watched. And then, powerless to resist, Killian reached inside his shorts, stroked his length and focused on her sweet lips. In the image, she began to disrobe, dangling bits of clothing from her fingers as she stripped. Before she even made it to her underwear, he’d shot his seed into the undergrowth in an orgasm that shocked him with its ferocity.
“Fuck.” As he recovered, he tucked his painful cock back into his shorts. Shaking out his legs on the first tenuous steps, he proceeded home.
With each uncomfortable stride, his jaguar raked its claws down his spine, wanting to return to the breakfast room. Wanting to return to her.
* * * *
The next day, Nina felt the icy fingers of apprehension grip the back of her neck as she headed to meet Killian. Mostly because he had no clue she was coming.
After his strange reaction to her the previous day, she’d chatted with Lia, Gioia, and Charlotte some more. It was nice to have them fuss over her in a show of support, warning away the other men, claiming they needed some “girl time.” They’d ended up spending the whole day and evening together and she’d had a lot of fun, even though a part of her wanted to chase Killian down and demand he tell her what his problem was. Nevertheless, she’d remained with the women, bonding with them at a fast and furious pace. They’d assured her Killian did not hate her guts, as she suspected. He just got stressed easily, as their mates tended to do.
“Shifter men are strange that way,” Gioia said. “They bottle up their emotions until they burst, much like a can of Coke someone has shaken.”
“You can’t forget,” Charlotte warned. “Our people are part animal. We all tend to get a bit territorial when our environment is threatened.”
But did Killian see her as the threat? She didn’t want him to see her in such a light. She just wanted answers and to understand Janine better. Somehow, she couldn’t help feeling the people on Gemini Island could shine a light on her friend’s secret lifestyle. Killian was the only one who knew her, so she had to direct her questions at him.
It just made sense.
“I know,” Gioia suggested. “Why don’t you shadow him while he does his teen mentoring? You’ll see him when he’s more relaxed and he can answer any other questions you have.” Gioia then grinned at Lia and Charlotte as if she’d suggested a way to repair the dialogue between warring nations.
She had a sneaking feeling the ladies of Gemini Island were trying to play matchmaker. With any other man, she might have turned her head with indifference. In this case, she had to admit she rather appreciated the help.
Who was she kidding? He’d already ensconced himself deep under her skin.
Ryland told her Killian would begin his session in one of the lodge meeting rooms. She set out nice and early, wanting to catch him before he got too busy. As she approached the room, she breathed in and out, willing calm into her bones. However, as she opened the door and spotted him, her sense of serenity quickly fizzled. In fact, her serenity dripped from between her now-tense shoulders, down her back, onto the floor and under the rug. He put her on edge. The last thing she wanted was another public confrontation but she geared up for it.
No. Today is a new day and I refuse to let him get my goat.
She entered the large room where he was already ensconced with a group of teen shifters. They sat on a series of couches arranged in a cozy grouping and he stood before them. Wearing a clingy T-shirt and a pair of grey fleece jogging pants that hugged his substantial thighs, he looked like the sexy gym teacher on which every school girl had a crush. Nina slipped through the door, cleared her throat and attempted to drag her gaze from his muscled legs. “Hello, Killian.”
He met her at the door and narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
Boy, the man sure had a flare for greetings. “Ryland said it would be okay if I hung out with your group today. I figured you could tell me more about your friendship with Janine.”
“Ther
e’s nothing more to tell.”
“Well, I’m here anyway.” She offered him her sweetest smile.
A vein throbbed at his temple. His gaze dropped to her boobs and back up again, so quickly she convinced herself it didn’t happen. “Fine.” He aimed his gaze at the kids. “Guys, this is Ms. Suzuki. She’ll be shadowing me today. Make her feel, um, welcome.”
The kids, being teenagers, grunted their hellos.
“Well, howdy, Ms. Suzuki,” one of the boys said in a come-hither voice, ogling her breasts.
“Roy,” Killian shouted. “Gimme fifty. Now.”
The teen dropped to the floor and proceeded to groan his way through fifty push-ups.
Nina suppressed a smile. Had that little display been an example of Killian teaching a young man to respect women, or had he simply not liked another male checking her out? Perhaps he had a little jealous streak. Even though the notion shouldn’t please her so much, she felt a bloom of heat across her face.
He glanced back at her, and his face wrinkled with what could only be confusion. In that moment, his tanned face reddened and his eyes flashed with warmth. With true interest? She couldn’t say for sure. However, as soon as she spied the light, it flickered again and was gone, rendering his face a blank slate once more.
As she glimpsed the quick change, something snapped in Nina. She determined to get to the bottom of Killian Moon, to understand what made him tick. Maybe to even put some of that Alpha man jealousy into action. Inspired by her sense of challenge, she smiled.
He stared, frowning, but as he saw her smile, something in his face twitched. His taut lips, compressed by doubt, relaxed. She thought she saw traces of a smile at the corners of his mouth, but he looked away, leaving her unsure.
“All right,” he said to the kids. “Let’s get out and get at ‘em. Five laps around Lake Gemini to start the day.”
She almost joined in the collective groan. Five laps? Running laps? She looked down at her khaki pants and ballerina flats. “Um, Killian. I didn’t really come prepared to jog.”
He stalked over to her. “I don’t jog. I run. And so does my class. I believe in adhering to a strict physical regimen with my teens. Shifters need an outlet for their frustration, and there’s no better way to do it than running in the woods, pushing your body to its limits. If you want to take part in my class, you’ll need to run too.” He allowed his gaze to roam over her outfit and fingered the ruffle on her georgette blouse, the pretty one Lia had loaned her. “Looks like you need to change. I guess you’ll have to catch up to us now.”
