by Jane Jamison
Another growl came. This time it was closer.
The tug at her pussy surprised her. She’d only felt that kind of sensation when she was close to Eric and Garron.
Suddenly, breathing became more difficult. Her heartbeat, already running at a heightened rate, picked up speed. Her body tightened in anticipation. Yet, although she felt the sizzle that hit her with the men, there was a lack of sexuality to it. In its place came an alertness, a readiness that set her on edge.
What the hell is happening to me?
Too stiff to run, she forced her legs to walk again. Her gaze slid from one side of the street to the other, then did the sweep all over again. She could feel eyes on her, watching her, following her.
I have to get home.
And yet, she couldn’t run. She needed to know what was keeping up with her. Was it an animal? Was it a man who’d seen her at Roar and thought she’d be willing to surrender to him? Or was she imagining the whole thing?
A flash of white caught the corner of her eye. Sucking in a hard breath, she spun toward the alley between the dress shop called the Cat’s Meow and another shop called Buster’s Computers and Gadgets. She concentrated on the darkness, willing her vision to see whatever was hiding.
“Is someone there?” Her chest rose and fell with her ragged breaths.
No answer came.
“Look, if you were at Roar, don’t get any ideas. I don’t do those kinds of things. I don’t know what came over me, but it won’t happen again.” She fisted her hands, preparing to ward off an attacker. “If you come at me, I’ll fight like a hell cat.”
Again she waited as the minutes seemed to drag on. Still no answer came.
Was it her imagination? She didn’t think so. Her skin tingled, letting her know she was right.
“You’d better stay away from me.”
Trying to act braver than she felt, she started walking toward her aunt’s house again. Her teeth ground together as she fought to hold back a scream.
Just get there. Keep walking and you’ll get there.
She was less than a block from her aunt’s house when the large cat landed in front of her. The scream she’d held back earlier wouldn’t come. Instead, she fell backward and landed on her rear.
This isn’t real.
Standing in front of her, its body hunched low, ready to pounce on her, was a white tiger. Black stripes enhanced the brilliant white fur. A broad face framed amber eyes. Slowly, it swayed its tail back and forth.
“Oh, God,” she whispered. I’m going to die.
Chapter Three
The white tiger snarled and padded forward on his huge paws. Getting to within striking distance of Jane, he suddenly stopped.
She couldn’t move, not even to get onto her feet again. Instead, she sat there and prepared for the pain of vicious claws tearing into her flesh that would precede her death. He crouched before her, yet didn’t strike.
He’s toying with me. Like a cat with a mouse.
And then the sizzle pounded into her as it had done earlier.
She wasn’t turned on by the animal, but she couldn’t deny she felt compelled to touch it. Knowing it was a foolish thing to do, but unable to stop herself, she reached out her hand. Only another couple of inches and she’d feel the animal’s fur between her fingers.
Amazing her, the cat lowered itself onto its stomach and rubbed its head under her fingertips. The fur was soft, like that of a kitten. At first, she kept her hand motionless. Then, after she drew in a hard breath, she moved her fingers and began scratching his head. Her fingers played with the black mark near his eye.
Purrrrrr.
The sound’s vibration rippled under her fingers.
He’s purring. I’m petting a white tiger and he’s purring.
The rumble of the sound reminded her of the groan Garron had made when they’d kissed. The energy streaming up her hand from the cat was intoxicatingly familiar. At once, the fear left her, leaving amazement in its place.
“You’re not going to kill me, are you?”
As though he’d understood, he rocked his head back and forth, then slicked his tongue along her arm. The coarseness of it felt strangely soothing, even comforting.
“Wow.” She stroked his head then eased her fingers along the back of his ear. Another louder purr came as her reward.
She giggled. She couldn’t help it. Even after all she’d gone through, finding herself sitting on the ground and petting a white tiger was too incredible to believe. Yet there she was, hand on fur, and enjoying the hell out of it.
“You’re not so scary, are you?” She leaned forward so she could scratch both of his ears.
The tiger moaned an all-too-humanlike sound and rolled onto his side. Stretching his powerful leg, he plopped his paw onto her foot. She jumped, and then froze, her breath halting for a moment before coming out in a rush of air.
The tiger’s gaze pierced her as his mouth grew lax, exposing sharp fangs. Still she had no fear he would use them against her. Instead, she shifted her position and got onto her knees.
If only I’d brought my phone.
Without photographic evidence, she doubted anyone would ever believe her. Even if she could’ve done a selfie with the tiger, they’d probably call it bullshit and claim she’d faked it. And she wouldn’t blame them one bit.
A noise drew her attention to the alley again. The tiger bolted up and was on his feet within seconds. Fear hit her again as he whirled to face the darkness and growled. She stayed down, hoping that whatever had threatened him would leave her alone. When another sound came, she scrambled to her feet.
The tiger’s growl flowed out of him. Taking one last glance her way, he bounded into the darkness.
She felt an almost overpowering urge to chase after him, but resisted and came to a dead stop. “I have finally and completely lost my ever-loving mind.”
She should’ve run. Every ounce of logic inside her told her to get moving. Yet she couldn’t. Instead, she stayed where she was for several minutes, hoping the tiger would return.
* * * *
Garron slammed Eric against the brick wall of the Cat’s Meow. He was angrier than he could remember being in a very long time. “Why the fuck did you do that? She just got to town. Are you trying to scare her off?”
Eric shoved off the wall only to fall back when Garron lifted his hands again. “Just hand me my clothes, will ya?”
With a snarl, Garron backed up, snatched up Eric’s clothes, and threw them at him. “If she hightails it out of town, I’m going to make you shift. Then I’m going to skin you alive. Damn it. You fucked it up but good.”
“No, I didn’t. Hell, man, didn’t you see how she reacted? She petted me, for shit’s sake.”
He wanted to wipe Eric’s grin off his face even though Eric was right. She’d taken to him in his tiger form. The connection drawing them together while in their human bodies was still strong in their cat forms.
“Besides, after what almost went down at Roar’s, I figured seeing one of us as our tiger wouldn’t make much of a difference. If she’s going to run, she’s going to run. But hell, man, she won’t leave. You know she won’t. She’s got more heart in her than that. Even if she thinks about leaving, the connection will keep her here.”
Maybe Eric was right. Garron sure as hell hoped so.
“It doesn’t matter. We were stupid. Hell, we would’ve taken her on top of the table right in front of all her future friends and neighbors. Didn’t you see her face? We embarrassed the hell out of her.” Garron wanted to blame Eric for the mistake, but he couldn’t. As soon as he’d seen her talking to Purdy, he’d wanted to lay claim to her. To fuck her and then sink his fangs into her neck, changing her forever.
“Yeah, she sure took off in a hurry. But I couldn’t help it any more than you could. If she hadn’t stopped me, I would have fucked her big time.” Eric held up his hands, warding off another attack. “Take it easy. It’s not like anyone watching would’ve b
lamed her or us. Shit, it’s not like it hasn’t happened before, either.”
Eric was right about that, too. The connection was so powerful that mates often couldn’t wait to get somewhere private before they had to have sex. He’d never forget the time they’d walked in on their high school teacher getting dirty with the principal in the middle of the boys’ locker room. If any of the human students had seen them, she would’ve ended up without a job. As it was, the shifter students understood that she’d lost control. It was just the way the connection worked.
“Admit it, friend.” Eric slung his arm around him and pulled him close. “You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first.”
Garron’s cat growled and scratched to be set free. But having a cat fight with Eric wouldn’t help matters. Instead, he shoved his beast into submission. Maybe he was right, yet again. Not that he’d ever let Eric know it. If he did, his friend would razz him until he finally shifted and tried to claw his throat out.
“Fuck no, I’m not jealous. Who got the first kiss?”
Eric’s smile died a quick death. “You did. Still,”—he darted away from Garron—“getting her to pet me first was just as good.”
Eric was off and jogging down the strip of land running behind the row of shops. Garron snarled and took off after him.
* * * *
Jane was still reeling when she took the porch steps two at a time. Which was more exciting? The fact that she’d seen a white tiger in the middle of a small Texas town or the fact that she’d actually petted the big cat? Was there a farmer who’d illegally raised an exotic animal? Had the cat escaped? Should she call the local authorities? Was Twisted on a 9-1-1 system?
She burst into her aunt’s house and was disappointed when she didn’t find Aunt Ruth still in the living room. Not much time had passed since she’d left, so where was she? Moving toward the hallway, she started to call for her.
“We can’t tell Janie anything. Not yet.”
Aunt Ruth sounded stressed and not at all like herself. Jane slowed her pace and quietly eased down the hallway toward her aunt’s bedroom.
“She needs to know. Hell, I’m worried about her being at Roar tonight. What if some idiot gets drunk and starts to change?”
Uncle Gunther was afraid for her? Other than alcohol changing a person’s personality, how would a drunkard change?
“Gunther’s right. We have to protect her.”
Uncle Bob’s footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor. Jane put her back against the wall. Why was she eavesdropping? Shouldn’t she ask them what they were worried about? She was bursting to tell them about the tiger, and yet she held back.
“She’s my sister’s child and I’m the one who’s making this decision. We keep quiet. No telling her anything about the tigers in Twisted. Not about them or anyone else. Do you understand?”
So they knew there was a tiger in the area? Yet they’d said tigers. As in more than one. How could an entire town keep quiet about white tigers running loose?
“We got it, Ruthie.”
Her Uncle Gunther’s voice grew lower, keeping her from hearing what else he said. She inched closer, then lurched back at the sound of footsteps coming toward the hall. Staying as quiet as she could, she rushed the several feet to her bedroom and slipped inside. She was just closing the door when her uncles and aunt came out of their bedroom.
Aunt Ruth pulled out her cell phone from the pocket of her housecoat and shot the men a hard look. She motioned them down the hall before she finally answered the call. “Hello, Ruth here.”
Jane held her breath as her aunt came to an abrupt halt. From the stunned expression on Aunt Ruth’s face, she could guess what the call was about.
“She did what? Right there on the table?”
Oh, no. And yet, hadn’t she expected the town’s gossipers to tell her aunt?
“Eric and Garron? Are you sure?” Suddenly her aunt’s expression shifted from surprise to delight. She listened to the caller a minute or two. “Then it must be them.”
What was she talking about? If Jane could’ve paid to hear the other side of the conversation, she would have. It didn’t take a genius to understand how much her aunt liked Eric and Garron.
“Hmm. Maybe Bob and Gunther were right after all. Maybe I need to have a talk with her.” Aunt Ruth paused to listen again. “I know. It’s fast but then again, it’s not all that unusual.” Her aunt started down the hall.
No. Don’t go. Jane inched the door open a little farther trying to hear more, but her aunt had already disappeared into the living room.
Exasperated, she closed the door and leaned against it. What wasn’t unusual? Making out on top of a table at Roar? Were the people of Twisted into exhibitionism? Was her aunt living in a town full of swingers?
* * * *
Jane snapped the clothespin over the line, hooking one shoulder of Uncle Bob’s enormous shirt to the clothes line. Once she was finished hanging out the laundry, she’d be done with the list of chores on the note her aunt had left her. She bent over and picked up another shirt from the basket.
Her mind wandered as it had done throughout the night and into the next day. She couldn’t get the tiger out of her mind. She had to tell the police or animal control. What if a child came upon the large beast? She couldn’t depend on the animal not attacking just because he hadn’t attacked her. And yet from what she’d overheard her aunt saying, the people of Twisted knew all about the tigers.
Tigers. As in more than one.
Wow.
But she’d made up her mind. Once her aunt returned from visiting a friend, she’d make her aunt tell her what was going on.
A tingle of desire flowed along her skin.
“Hey, sugar, how’re you doing?”
She’d felt them near her even before Garron had spoken. Trying to keep her excitement from showing, she adopted a pleasant, I’m-so-not-dying-to-jump-your-bones expression and turned to face them. “I’m doing fine.”
“Even after last night, huh?” asked Eric.
Embarrassment flashed through her. Whenever she wasn’t thinking about the tiger, she’d remember how close she’d come to doing the nasty in front of a bar full of people.
“About last night…” Words failed her. “I mean, I don’t know what got into me.” Which was pure bullshit. She knew exactly what had gotten into her. The need to have them. To touch them. To hold them. To fuck them.
“Don’t worry about it, sugar. No one’s going to think less of you because of it.”
She’d like to believe Garron, but it was hard to do. Still, after seeing her aunt’s reaction to the phone call, maybe he was right. “I hope so. Anyway, there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
Eric sauntered over to her and took the shirt out of her hands. He leaned close, his eyes landing on her breasts then sliding up to her face. “Forget about doing this stuff. Come with us to the lake.”
“I can’t. My aunt needs this finished.” She’d never had a problem telling any man no before, but with these two men it was different. Her body had steamed up as they’d approached and was growing hotter by the minute. Perspiration wet the back of her neck.
They caught her between them like two cats maneuvering a mouse into a trap. Garron skimmed his fingers along her bare arm, over the thin material of her sleeveless blouse, and under her hair. He smiled coyly as he brought his fingers out and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
“See? You’re hot. You need to get cooled off.”
Her knees almost didn’t hold her up when he snaked his tongue out of his mouth and licked his fingertips. Oh, hell yeah.
“Tell you what, baby. We’ll help you get the job done faster.” Eric took hold of one of the other shirts and started pinning it to the clothesline.
“Good idea.” Garron traced his wet fingers along her arm then snatched up her aunt’s nightgown. “Then you won’t have any excuse to turn us down.”
The last thing she wanted to do was to turn t
hem down. Knowing she was fooling herself and not caring, she made a silent promise to keep her wits about her. She wouldn’t lose control again. No way, no how.
“Okay. Deal.” She glanced toward the road and the other houses lining the street. “So you two aren’t afraid of someone seeing you doing woman’s work?”
Eric chuckled. “Woman’s work, huh? It’s what has to be done, is all.”
“Besides,” added Garron. “We’re secure in our masculinity.”
Witty and sexy. They had both assets in spades. She picked up another shirt and started pinning it to the line.
“Hey, guys, I don’t suppose you’ve ever seen a white tiger around these parts.” She paused, ready to see their reactions.
“A white tiger?” Garron frowned. “You mean like the ones in Vegas?”
“And in the wild. Yes.” Why was Eric keeping his head down and his gaze averted?
“You’re a Texas girl, aren’t you?” When Eric lifted his head, his smile had transformed into a smirk.
“I was born in Houston, so I guess I can claim to be a native. But what’s that got to do with anything?”
“Born in Houston, raised middle class, and works in one of the biggest real estate offices in Atlanta as an assistant to the broker.”
Now it was her turn to frown. “How’d you know all that, Garron?”
“We’ve heard a lot about you. As soon as you landed in town… Hell, as soon as Lena picked you up, people were already flapping their mouths about you. That’s the way it is in a small town.”
“Everything they said was good, so don’t go worrying.” Eric snagged another of her aunt’s gowns. “Why the hell do I keep getting your aunt’s nighties to hang?”
Jane wasn’t about to let him change the subject. “So? Have you seen any white tigers or not?”
“Sure we have.”
She froze and felt her jaw drop. “You have? Really?”
