by Anya Nowlan
“It’s not a question of shifters in general, but tigers. Do you know how they mate?” Teresa asked, curiosity mingling on her features.
“I, um… no?”
“Well, they don’t like the information to get out much, I guess. You see, tiger shifter Alpha males only have one period in their life when they can imprint on a mate. They don’t usually get a choice. She’s decided for them through some family deal or some streak power struggle to build better ties between streaks,” Teresa explained. “But some of them don’t agree with it. Like Slate. Like Atlas. They chose the possibility of never having children, of never having a mate over having one chosen for them.”
“So you’re saying,” Layla started, her eyes going wide in surprise, “that… that I’m… his mate?” she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.
Teresa’s expression changed immediately and she stepped closer to Layla, putting her hands on Layla’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry, I thought you guys had already come to that understanding! With you here, and Adrian… but, yes, you’re right. He chose you, because he had free will. He got lucky that you found you at the right time, and that you had the baby.
“You’re the only woman he can have children with again and by the way he looks at you, I don’t think he could think of anyone else anyway. He’s been in Shifter Grove for over a year and I haven’t heard of him hitting on anyone. And Slate keeps an eye on his kind.”
Teresa smiled at that, and even Layla managed a semblance of one, though there was a shiver running through her. She’d come to Shifter Grove hoping to mend the relationship between her son and his father, and maybe hoping to rekindle something she didn’t feel was quite finished between herself and the man she’d come to think of so fondly. But being his mate? Being the only one he could ever want to be with? That was a heavy responsibility!
“I’m… I’m just surprised. Thank you for telling me, though,” Layla admitted, reminding herself to breathe through her nose, to center herself.
But Teresa didn’t look entirely convinced.
“Tell you what, honey. How about Slate and I pick up Adrian for tonight? I have two of my own and my girl is around his age, so I think they’d have fun together. If you trust us, that is. I think you and Atlas need a chance to really talk things out, hmm?”
Layla’s brow furrowed slightly as she considered the option, her heart a fluttery bird in her chest. It was a lot of information to take in all at once. She had to curse herself for not being more careful, for not doing her homework and knowing what she might have been getting into. Not that it would have changed much. She would have come anyway.
We haven’t even kissed since I came here, she thought, a streak of worry in her.
His house wasn’t big, but it was big enough to give her a private room with Adrian. Atlas had been nothing but courteous and kind to her, making breakfast when he got up first, playing with Adrian any moment he could get, laughing and chatting with her. But it always felt like there was this tiny bit of tension between them, this lack of certainty on how to move on. Maybe an evening together could change that?
What if he was regretting his decision, and the woman he chose? What if he wished he had gotten someone different, someone who would have tried harder to find him? What if…
Layla shook her head. No. Worrying about it would not get her anywhere. She looked up at Teresa, smiling faintly.
“Thank you. I think that would be great! I don’t want to impose, though.”
“Oh, honey! It’s no imposition. We love having a bunch of kids in the house. The present view should confirm that much,” Teresa said, sweeping a hand over the crowded yard of little shifter kids running around and playing, all warm and bundled up.
“In that case, I accept,” Layla said with a grin, hugging Teresa.
Tonight, she was going to make the effort to do everything right. She wanted to know whether there could be a real chance with Atlas and whether he’d be open to it, putting aside the fact that he was apparently almost expected to want her now. It would have to be mutual, and she had to be sure he wasn’t regretting anything. That was the only way it could work.
I hope it’ll turn out right, she thought, allowing herself a small smile.
What Layla didn’t know was that she wasn’t the only one looking forward to a confrontation. But she was the only one with truly good intentions.
Seven
Layla
“You sure about this?” Atlas asked for the umpteenth time, settling in on the couch with a glass of whiskey while Layla whirled around in the kitchen, cooking a chicken and roasted potatoes with greens.
“Completely,” she assured him once more, smiling to herself.
She’d put up her long dark hair in a messy bun and was wearing a teal dress that hugged her curves just right, accentuating her ample cleavage. Usually she was a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl, but tonight, she wanted everything to be just right. Not only for Atlas, but herself as well, and that meant feeling as good as she could about herself, driving away any of those nagging insecurities that wanted to take root in her when she spent too much time worrying.
“Okay then. But I’d love to help,” he grumbled in a good-natured way, giving her a slight glower that made her smile.
“Well, the chicken should be done. Can you take it out and carve it?”
“Finally!” Atlas said with obvious relief, taking a big gulp of his drink before setting the glass down.
She kept an eye on him as he stood up, big and broad as he was, loving the way he seemed to make the room dwarf around him. He had a tiny kitchen-living room and it was a tight fit to have them both in the kitchenette. She could feel his presence right behind her, sometimes bumping against her, and it made her skin tingle. He was so damn sexy it was difficult keeping her hands off of him, but somehow, she’d managed.
She was a tiny bit more disappointed that he had, as well.
Atlas took the chicken out and put it to rest for a moment, giving Layla a look. She could feel the intensity of it when she turned around to look at him. She was a good many inches shorter than he was, so she ended up staring up at him. She smiled lightly.
“Yes?”
“I keep feeling like there’s something you wanna talk to me about,” Atlas said finally, leaning against the counter with his expression somewhat thoughtful. “Is there? Is that why Teresa took Adrian? Should I be worried?”
“No,” Layla said with a blush, trying to turn back to her cooking.
But Atlas caught her gently by the arm, turning her back to him. She gasped, feeling the warmth of his rough palms on her arms.
“Look at me,” he said, and she did. “Good. You’re leaving in a few days and I hate it. If there’s anything on your mind, I wanna talk about it now, okay?”
“Okay,” she said with a coy nod, biting her lip.
“Okay,” he echoed, turning her around to face the couch and walking her there, the dinner forgotten.
They sat down and Atlas stayed close to her, which she liked. She always felt so safe with him by her side. He took her hand and she looked up at him, eyes a tiny bit watery.
Oh God, you haven’t even said anything and you’re already almost crying!
“So what’s on your mind, Layla?” he asked, tipping her chin upward to look at him.
He kept his hand there and it felt oddly soothing. It felt right.
“Why do you have tears in those beautiful eyes of yours?” he asked, his voice softer than she’d heard it since the night they’d spent together.
“I… I talked to Teresa today,” she said, stammering a little. “And she told me… about…”
“About?”
“About how it is for tigers. The heat. And the mating.”
Her words cut off there because of the look of surprise in Atlas’s eyes. He was taken aback, obviously, and then immediately remorseful, leaning in closer to her, their faces inches apart now as he squeezed her hands with both of his. His
palms were so big that hers disappeared in them.
“Listen, baby. I didn’t want to scare you, that’s why I didn’t tell you. It’s a big thing to deal with and I wanted to give us a chance to get to know one another. So you could know me, and I could know you. I figured if you didn’t feel anything, I wouldn’t press it. It’d be hell, but I’d be glad to be in Adrian’s life and in yours without having more. I chose a life of probable loneliness instead of the love I might never find. I was prepared. I figured I’d just have to see it through.”
Her brows knitted together in worry and she felt goose bumps on her skin. Love? It was a very big word… or maybe it wasn’t big enough? She couldn’t keep a straight face, had she tried to claim that she didn’t feel a lot for him, and had ever since their night together. It was only distance that had made the separation bearable, but now, having been with him again, she couldn’t imagine leaving.
“I didn’t know I was your… that you didn’t…” She couldn’t get the words out properly, and stopped to take a breath. “I really care about you, Atlas. I have since we met, and it killed me to not find you. I didn’t want to force myself on you either. I didn’t want to make it weird. It was bad enough that I showed up with a kid you didn’t know.”
She had to hold up her hand quickly, smiling as he began to protest.
“I don’t mean it like that. I mean that there was enough uncertainty between us. But… I really want to try and make this work, if you do too. I’d like to get to know you better. To maybe build a life with you, if it works out that way. But I need to know that it isn’t just the… ‘connection’ that makes you want this as well, but that you think there would have been a chance for us with or without it.”
Layla had thought she’d seen him smile before, but nothing could compare to the wide, beaming smile Atlas gave her now. Instead of words, he let go of her hands and brought his palms to her chin, cupping her face as he leaned into her. When their lips met, sparks flew.
Layla gasped, her hands clutching onto his wrists, as if hanging on for dear life to him. She kissed him back hungrily, his tongue dipping into her mouth and hers meeting his eagerly, loving the way he tasted. So familiar, so masculine, so… right! She smiled through the kiss, until he pulled away a little bit so he could look into her eyes and she into his.
“The one who chose you was me. No one made that choice for me. I saw you and I knew you had to be the one, me and my tiger both. If I could go back and kick my own ass for letting you go, I would. I thought it was the hormones making me crazy and seeing things that might not be there. But the longer I missed you, the more obvious it was. Layla, you’re my mate. I’ll do anything for you and Adrian. That’s not going to change,” he said, his voice husky.
She bit her lip again, a tear rolling down her cheek in earnest now. For sixteen months, she’d been thinking about this man almost constantly, imagining what their life could be like, how they could end up together, or how she’d end up living a lifetime without him. And now he was here, confessing his love for her, telling her that nothing could tear them apart. She believed every word, because she felt every single one of them.
“I want to make this work,” she whispered again, looking into his eyes, imploring him to understand just how much it meant to her.
Lily, I owe you so much, she thought feverishly, as Atlas smiled wide and leaned in to kiss her again.
This time, she wasn’t going to be shy at all about it. Her hands went to his hair, fingers stroking through his luxurious dusty-blond mane, her nails scraping at his scalp slightly. He let out a throaty growl, his own hands moving down her body now, over the curve of her waist and then up to her breasts, before slipping behind her back.
She started unbuttoning his shirt, and by the time she could push the plaid button-up off his shoulders, he’d unzipped her dress.
“Stand up for me, baby,” he said, his voice gruff and commanding.
She practically hopped up, letting the dress fall down her body, revealing her thick curves. He let out a grunt of appreciation, dragging off his undershirt and undoing his belt, all the while his eyes raking over her luscious curves. He licked his lips. Layla let out a little mewl as she took in the sight of his shirtless body, all hard ridges and dips, raw strength packed tightly under straining skin. God, he looked good. Probably even better than last time, because he’d obviously been working hard lately.
Maybe to put me out of his mind, she thought with a grin. I can change that.
As he reached for her, she slid into his lap easily, her arms around his neck, kissing him as his hands trailed over her ass and down the back of her thighs. She hovered above him, nimble fingers going down to his zipper, undoing it and pressing his jeans lower. He complied easily enough, and when her hand curled around his cock, she let out the breathiest little sigh.
“I missed this,” she said, her eyes hazy with need.
“Good. I don’t intend to let you miss it again,” he answered with a wicked grin, undoing the clasp on her bra and tearing it off of her.
She pressed down on his jeans and he let them scoot lower, one hand pushing aside her thong before Layla straddled him. She groaned audibly, her pussy already wet with need as she rode against him, slowly rubbing herself up and down his length. Fuck, he felt so good, thick and hard and throbbing. Like he hadn’t had anyone but her since their last night together, just like she hadn’t been with anyone else either.
It dawned on her that it was probably the truth, and that just spurred her on.
Atlas’s strong hands lifted her slightly, so he could maneuver the head of his cock to press against her slit, and he let her grind herself against it. One of his hands was on her breasts, pinching her nipples taut, grabbing the handfuls with a wicked, wolfish grin on his face as Layla moaned softly. She sunk down on him, inch by inch taking him in, until he was stretching her wide halfway in.
There she paused for a moment and Atlas grabbed her by the back of the head, kissing her with need, shoving his tongue into her mouth. His free hand went to her hips and when he thrust up into her, Layla turned into a shivering mess. He pumped into her hard and fast, filling her up with his cock, and all that Layla could do was hold on, kissing him back and squealing into his mouth for him not to stop.
The tightness in her core reached a fever pitch and she was gasping, short of breath in no time. Both were dotted with sweat, beads of perspiration on their skin as they grabbed for one another, kissing and biting and feeling, making up for lost time as if they were both afraid that time would be robbed from them again.
When he moved one hand down to tease her clit, Layla couldn’t take it anymore. With a scream that sounded more like a whimper, she came, her pussy contracting around his cock, milking it, wanting him to cum too. Atlas’s eyes flashed gold, and through her orgasm, Layla grinned. She had him now.
She bucked down hard and when he roared his release, Layla pressed her body against his torso, riding out the magnificent waves of their coupling. His seed filled her, and she kissed his neck time and time again as he shuddered and shook beneath her, every twitch of his cock making her quake as well.
He was just the right level of rough, and she’d been needing it so badly that she couldn’t even put it into words how good it felt to finally be with him. Gasping, she stayed there, on his chest, while his cum slowly leaked out of her. She’d never felt quite as satisfied.
“I think we are forgetting about dinner,” she mumbled drowsily.
“I’d rather eat you instead,” Atlas said, his voice a perfect growl in her ear, before he deposited her on her back and did just that.
Leaving Idaho was beginning to look like less and less of a choice she could make.
But as usual, Layla’s fate wasn’t only in her own hands.
Eight
Atlas
The feeling of being watched had been hanging over him for days now, getting worse the moment Layla and Adrian had arrived. At first, Atlas had thought that it was just
his nerves getting the best of him, neurotic energy floating around him that made his tiger hiss at every odd noise and every questionable shadow. But the longer it kept happening, the less he figured it to be any sort of a coincidence.
It was like he could smell something—something dangerous, just at the edges, not close enough to be detected but not far enough to stop posing a problem for him. Atlas couldn’t exactly roll out of bed and go make sure he wasn’t going crazy, not with Layla and Adrian in the house, but tonight, the feeling got worse.
Layla was still in his arms, lying in his bed, sleeping soundly. Adrian was with Teresa and Slate and though Atlas would have preferred to have his kid under his own roof, he figured that he was as safe as he could be with another tiger shifter. Though there wasn’t a lot of species-related tension in Shifter Grove—other than the general ‘everyone hates wolves!’ thing—most shifters still felt best around their own species.
That went double for trusting their young with someone.
Atlas had been lying awake for at least two hours now, staring at the ceiling, listening to even the tiniest of noises outside. He couldn’t help it; something was wrong. It was only when he heard the very distinct crackle of a branch, not hard enough to be broken, but definitely stepped on, that he let his tiger take over.
He slid out from beneath the covers silently, making sure that he didn’t disturb Layla, and pulled on his jeans as he made his way out of the bedroom. His cabin was situated a good mile away from anyone else, since most of the big predators preferred to be farther from anyone else. What it meant was that he knew there couldn’t be anyone around. Or at least there shouldn’t have been.
Grayve, if it’s you, I swear to the spirits above… he thought glumly, feeling adrenaline begin to course through his veins as he opened the back door, looking out to the porch.
