by Dale Mayer
He might just prefer this version, but he'd rather not have anything to do with either.
Abruptly Tabitha pointed to a door off to the side and said, "There's the bathroom. I think you should have everything you need."
Then she turned to go.
"Just a question, if you do get attacked tonight, are there other animals here that I'm likely to come face to face with on my way to your room?"
She hesitated at the doorway.
He narrowed his gaze and felt his heart pound. What the hell was she hiding?
And why?
Then she laughed, a light easy laugh that made his suspicions suddenly seem foolish. "Nope, there's just the three of us here."
Dare he ask? Shit, he really needed access. And he didn't need to argue with a damn tiger when he was fighting to save her life. "And Tango? Will you lock him up in case I have to come to you?"
"He'll be in my room."
"And if he won't let me near you?" He glared at her. "Do you really want to put a cop who's going to be more concerned about saving you against a tiger that won't give him access?"
She stiffened and glared right back. "I'll be fine."
"And yet you weren't."
She walked to the doorway then paused, turned and said, "If that happens again, there won't be anything you can do about it." She was silent a long moment. "Just in case you do come across me in an odd state, try not to physically touch me."
And she walked out.
***
Fez stared into the back of the truck, hating the booming in his head from the noise. "She isn't calming down. Shit. She's been given so many drugs she should be fucking sleeping." She was going to hurt herself this way. God help him if that happened.
Where the hell was Roberts? He was the one who always dealt with this shit.
Fez knew nothing about this part of the job. He sure hoped the boss did. And Fez didn't need that added worry right now. He'd only stopped to check on her because he wanted to make sure she was okay. Now he wished he hadn't. What could he do? Nothing. Roberts had the stuff to knock her out. He did those jobs.
Not Fez.
Best thing would be for him to get back inside that truck and go straight to the warehouse. That might calm her down. And the others.
The look in her eye just then.... Jesus, that had scared the crap out of him.
"If you'd calm down and just sit quietly, it will go so much easier on you."
She still glared at him with that look in her eye... But she stayed quiet.
He was kind of glad about that. He'd listened to her complain enough already. Her throat had probably been screamed raw. If he was lucky, she'd lost her voice.
The guys he'd picked the shipment up from said she'd been tranq'd and would be asleep for hours. Not true.
Now he didn't know what to do. Shit. He closed the back of the truck, threw down the level to lock it in place, walked to the front of the truck and hopped up onto the driver's seat.
He could really only do one thing – carry on as he'd started.
Chapter 7
Saturday, late evening
Ronin and Tabitha were finally sleeping under one roof. Just not the way she'd hoped. Tabitha strolled back to her own huge bed and pulled the covers back as much as she could. Tango had taken up most of the space. "Move over, boy."
Instead, he rolled toward her on his back, presenting his belly to be scratched.
"That's not quite what I meant." She smiled. "Then it seems males always interpret what I'm saying in their own way."
Tango's engine kicked in. Tabitha sat down and scratched the tiger's velvety fur. "What am I going to do when you're gone?"
It would devastate her. Losing Tobias had been difficult. She'd understood her grandfather's lingering despair months later. They'd been closer than father and son. And she was closer to Tango that she was to her own father.
Tigers had been the missing link for both generations.
Her grandfather had spent the better part of his life being a servant to the large cats. She was following in his footsteps. For the most part, she was fine with that. But she didn't want to be alone forever. Her thoughts once again returned to Ronin, sleeping so close, and yet so far away. That short distance somehow made her feel even more lonely than if she had been there, alone in the house. Knowing that they were so damn close to taking their relationship to the next level also made it difficult.
She'd been falling for him for weeks. That long slow glide of attraction that was both special and disconcerting. Sure, he had this thing about cats...but when she needed him, he'd done well with Tango. Many people would have taken one look and run.
"Just you and me, huh, boy." At least for the moment.
She slipped under the covers, shoving Tango over. Not an easy task, but he rolled back the way he'd been earlier with a contented snort.
Regardless of where Ronin slept, Tabitha had to admit she did feel better having Ronin staying there. It felt right. With that thought, she turned off her lamp and slid lower under the covers.
***
It was the middle of the night when she woke. Her heart pounded in her chest with a ferocity that had her panicked and searching the corners of her bedroom. She’d also woken alone. Tango had slipped out of her room sometime in the night. She glanced at her clock. It was 2:34 am. She'd managed less than three hours.
A shadow crossed her nervous system, accentuating the feeling of wrongness.
Then she understood. Shit.
Someone was out hunting… She was the prey.
Again.
Taking a deep breath, she sank energy lines down her legs, through the heels of her feet and deep into the ground. She had to be grounded. She desperately wanted to jump ship and hide in the ethers, but she didn't dare leave her body alone and unprotected. Not if she was the prize. Well, she wasn't going to make it easy on whoever was doing this. Not this time.
Knowing it was foolish, but unable to resist the instinctive move, she scrambled out of bed and raced to the spot behind her bedroom door. She understood it was a psychic attack, but that didn't mean her attacker wasn't here physically as well.
Except that neither Tango nor Tripod had raised the alarm. And they would have if there was a stranger in the house.
"Tabitha?" The male whisper slipped into the room, so soft it was almost silent.
Ronin? How did he know?
"Yes," she whispered.
"Are you okay?" His voice deepened as he moved closer.
She didn't know what to say. That his interruption when she'd just acknowledged that her attacker could be here physically was disconcerting. She was certain it wasn't him. There was no way. She'd have known Ronin's energy anywhere. That didn't mean someone couldn't be using him to attack her though. Stranger things had happened. And she'd let him inside the house.
A basic rule. Another of her grandfather's rules broken this last week.
But anyone who could do what this guy had almost done last time, most likely didn't need to be inside her home. He could be outside prowling the grounds. He could be miles away.
Trusting her instincts, she peered around the door. Ronin stood there in his jeans, bare chested, his gun in his hand.
Shit.
Why wasn’t Tripod having a fit over the gun?
"Are you okay?" he repeated.
She took a deep breath and brushed a long strand of hair back off her face. "Yes. I think so. I just woke up a few minutes ago." She motioned to the firearm. "What are you doing here – and with that?"
He glanced around her room as if still searching for something wrong, then glanced down at the gun in his hands. "Tripod sounded the alarm."
She stared at him, then at the massive dog that strolled into her room, looking unconcerned. "Really? And what alarm was that?"
The frown as he glanced down at the dog sitting quietly, calmly at his side, was telling. "He woke me up, started whining and wouldn't quit until I followed him here."
"Interesting," she murmured. Since when had Tripod taken to a stranger like that? Normally he'd have barked until he lost his voice. Or called to her telepathically. She eyed the dog suspiciously, asking mentally, What are you up to?
He stared back with an innocent look on his canine face.
But she knew him. And he'd done what he'd done for a reason. The end result was he'd brought Ronin to her rescue. To her bedroom.
And she had woken up with that sense she was being hunted. Maybe Tripod had brought Ronin here in response to her own fears…
"I had a bad dream. That's all." She managed a natural smile. "Tripod must have picked up on it."
"What kind of a bad dream?" His voice hardened. "And don't lie to me."
She could just imagine him in an interview room. He was a good cop. And suspicion wove through his voice. He needed an explanation. She likened him to a bulldog, not willing to let go of something he wanted.
She gave in with grace. "I had the feeling I was being hunted."
His gaze narrowed. "As in an intruder, a nightmare or a psychic attack?"
She winced. "A nightmare – I hope – but...there's no way to tell at this point."
"Do you still feel that way?" He glanced around the inside of her room, those sharp eyes peering into corners looking for hiding places. Then he spun around to check in the direction of the hallway and other rooms behind him.
She shook her head. "No. The air is lighter now. The sensation is gone."
He studied her.
She stared back calmly.
"Good. Then try to get a little more sleep." And he walked around the side of the bed, placed his weapon on the night table and lay down on top of the covers. He closed his eyes.
"Uhmmmm?" She stared at him in shock. "What are you doing?"
"Going to bed. I suggest you do the same. If anyone is going to hunt you, they'll have to go through me," he muttered before a yawn took him. He rolled onto his side and looked ready to fall asleep.
She didn't know if she was outraged or honored. That he'd want to protect her went along with his cop image, but she didn't want him here in her room if it was just professional…
Wait. Of course she did. She didn't want to be attacked, but at the same time she wanted it to be more than for just a professional reason on his part. She hesitated then asked, "What if I don't want you sleeping here?"
"Too bad. Besides, I've wanted to sleep here for a while. Now's my chance."
She gasped at the smirk in his voice. She'd been wanting the same thing, but not like this.
She didn't know what to do. What to say.
He rolled over, grabbed the corner of her bedding and pulled it back so she could get in. "Come on, sweetheart, get over it. Get some sleep. You need sleep, time to heal."
She crawled into bed, her movements stiff and hesitant. "And who says I'm going to get over it?"
"I'm telling you to." He yawned again then added in a sleepy voice, "And do it fast."
She'd have gasped in outrage but he appeared to be asleep already. Damn, how could he do that? She never fell asleep so easily. She pulled the covers up to her neck, rolled over and closed her eyes. And couldn't sleep.
Frustrated, she tossed and turned.
"What is your problem?" he asked. "Do you want Tango here, instead of me? Well too bad."
"Ha!" She sat up again taking umbrage at his tone. "What is your problem with cats anyway? You seemed to handle Tango just fine tonight."
"Because I stayed the hell away." He chuckled softly. "Besides, I like some cats – I like you, kitten."
"Oh no, you don't." She glared at him, but inside her heart was softening. He'd always been able to do that to her. Make her go gooey inside with that deep-throated chuckle and the soft sexy tones. "This is important. I thought we had something special going on here. But cats are a huge part of my life."
The laughter fell from his face. He propped himself up on one arm so he could look at her. His bare chest gleamed in the moonlight. She swallowed, wishing she hadn't noticed. But now that she had, she couldn't think of anything else but that huge expanse of muscled body displayed in front of her. With effort, she tore her gaze away and focused on his face.
"As far as I'm concerned – I'm in," he said suddenly. And damn if those eyes of his didn't deepen and pull her into a mental embrace.
She sighed happily. "Okay then." And fell silent, not knowing where to go next.
His lips quirked in a small intimate way that sent her heart racing. She leaned back against the headboard and tugged the covers up to her waist. He reached out a hand and gently smoothed out the wrinkles of the top blanket. A heavy sigh escaped and he said in a troubled voice, "I don't really understand why, but something happens when I see cats." He stared out the window. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm not allergic, but my chest doesn't seem to understand that. It locks down and I can't breathe. At the same time, it's emotional overload. It's how I imagine a panic attack would feel. I get headaches and a lot of times there’s a horrific buzzing in my head."
Now that was a different story. And one that gave her hope. "So it's not that you don't like them, but you don't like the way you react to them?"
He shrugged. "Something like that. I can handle it, but it's not exactly comfortable. And given a choice of never being in the same room with one, I wouldn't be."
"And yet you were in the same room with Tango."
"It's not as if you gave me much choice." His face twisted into a mock grin. "Besides, I didn't want to look a fool in my lady's presence. Not exactly manly."
His lady? Her insides wiggled. Maybe. Maybe this was something they could work around. And his reaction to felines, such a strong reaction pointed to several options. An undiagnosed allergy, or her favorite theory – a traumatic event in his history. Even if he didn't remember the event, his body might. And that was something that could be worked on. She'd have to mention it to Stefan.
"Do you remember when this started?"
He groaned and flopped down on his back beside her. "You know there are a lot more fun things I'd like to be doing in the middle of the night while lying on a huge bed with a beautiful woman at my side instead of talking about my problems, right?"
Tabitha grinned. What the hell... "And if I still want to talk about this?"
He snorted, glanced at the watch on his wrist and said, "Then get over it. You have 30 seconds, 29, 28, 27..."
She reached for her pillow and hit him over the head.
He laughed, snatched the pillow and tossed it. Then he tugged her free of the bedding before flipping her over. He quickly tossed his leg over hers, trapping her beneath him.
She was too surprised to move. Damn, he moved fast and sooo smoothly.
Then he lowered his head.
She gave in happily as his warm lips moved gently on hers. Questing, seeking, asking.
This is not where she thought the night would end up. Yet maybe she should have. Is this what she wanted? Hell yes. Was it the right time? Maybe not. But she didn't think that mattered anymore.
He lowered his head again. This kiss was no longer as gentle. It sought answers, asked permission, all while offering a taste of what was to come.
She swiftly fell under his spell. She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him close, deepening the kiss. He resisted, keeping himself ever so slightly up and away, his lips still on hers but not devouring. He lifted his head and looked at her. "Are you sure?"
She blinked at him. Then smiled. "Yes."
His lips quirked. "In that case…"
The touch of his lips this time was sure, confident, knowing. She sighed happily and slid deeper into his embrace. She wanted him. She wanted it all.
He slid his lips across her skin, leaving a wake of heat and coolness behind. He traced the shape of her ear then dropped tiny kisses down her neck to her collarbone. Tabitha arched her back, giving him better access. He threaded his fingers through her long hair. She twisted gently beneath
his gentle caress, her fingers stroking his wide shoulders and back.
He trailed his lips up her throat to reclaim her lips. His lips plundered and caressed and teased, and she was a willing victim. She shifted restlessly.
"Easy," he murmured.
"I don't want easy," she whispered hoarsely, digging her nails into his back.
He reacted swiftly, grabbing her hands and pulling them over her head where he held her gently. She didn't try to get away. Instead she twisted, dragging her lace cami across his bare chest. He bent his head and took the silk-covered nipple into his mouth and suckled. She gasped and arched even more.
