Changing Her Tune

by Brandy Walker

  Thanks to his height, he could see the tiny blonde’s head bopping around the kitchen. The same head Tess made a beeline for. With some quick thinking, he grabbed her by the arm, spun her around, and tossed her over his shoulder. Bounding up the stairs, he hooked a right at the landing, and then went straight into her room. He deposited her on the bed, kicked the door shut, and locked it behind him.

  A huge sigh of relief escaped him as he leaned back against the door. Crisis averted…for the moment.

  Chapter Four

  Austin had dropped her on the bed like a sack of potatoes he couldn’t get rid of fast enough. She bounced, hair flew in her face, and when it all settled, he stood in front of her door, feet spread apart, hands resting on his waist. Did he think she would try and escape? That she could get by him? The guy was a giant compared to her. His six-foot-four, muscular frame wouldn’t even notice a hit from her five-foot-six wimpy self. She was a band geek, not an athlete.

  They stared at each other with narrowed eyes.

  All night long she’d tossed and turned, as she lay awake thinking about him. Her life was a cosmic joke. It had to be for her to find her mate in a Laundromat. A tall, sexy, football superstar mate who, if she wasn’t mistaken, had abs she could bounce a quarter off. If anything, they should have met at one of the football games. She spent enough time there with the band, before and after the games.

  She scanned his body, imagining she could see through his clothes. His dark-blue T-shirt stretched across his shoulders, molding to his chest and biceps. She wanted to strip the shirt off and lick every inch of his sculpted chest. He would taste like honey, she bet. Delectable, sticky-sweet honey she would have to spend hours trying to clean off.

  She groaned in response to the vivid images in her head. Austin reclining back on her bed naked, except for his boxers. She would leave them on so she could torture him, tease him through the fabric, scraping her teeth along his length, getting him nice and hard.

  Even though she hadn’t had sex in forever, it didn’t mean she knew nothing about it. Porn and sexy books had fueled her imagination for quite some time. She’d be adding one exquisite hunk of man to the rotation.

  The slam of Blaire’s bedroom door shook Tess out of her daze. “Fuck,” she muttered, not caring if he heard her.

  Austin’s eyebrows raised, but he didn’t say a word.

  How had her world gotten so turned around? How she could be so pissed off at the entire male population for months on end, then have one measly encounter with her mate and be ready to forget it all?

  ’Cause he’s our mate, her cheetah chimed in. You admitted it not two seconds ago.

  No, that couldn’t be it, she thought. And it had nothing to do with his looks. Any woman would find him handsome, as long as she liked prime specimens of chiseled man. Thick, muscular thighs strong enough to hold a girl against a door as he pounded into her. Large, rough hands to tweak her nipples, bringing gasps of pleasure from her lips.

  Heat filled her face as her arousal flooded her panties. No doubt her cheeks were bright red and her eyes beginning to glow. She shook her head and looked away from him.

  Freaking cheetah living in her soul. The other part of what made her who and what she was. She tried to take over and get what she wanted when at her most vulnerable.

  Her cheetah took her moment of weakness to ripple beneath her skin. She shimmied along nerve endings, aching to get out. She liked the man and the cheetah beneath, sight unseen. Thought they smelled wonderful and would make a fantastic mate. The beast figured if the woman wouldn’t go to the man, then she would lure out his beast.

  “You okay over there, Tess?” He changed positions, dropping his arms and widening his stance.

  Tess pushed to the edge of her bed, looking everywhere but at him. She wasn’t okay. She burned with desire for him, and she didn’t know what to do about it. Didn’t know what came over her whenever he was near. Then the voice in the back of her head told her falling for him would be a mistake. Reinforcing what she thought. She wasn’t ready to let a man back in her life, not even one who had the ability to capture her heart with ease, which would happen. His nice smiles and genuine concern. His eagerness to get to know her. Then those damn gentle kisses while holding her tight within his arms. It wouldn’t take much to break her.

  Those thoughts couldn’t be voiced. He would see her resolve to keep him away crumbling. For fuck’s sake, he played football. He could read defensive plays and react before getting tackled. Yeah, he could tear her walls down barely lifting a finger.

  “I’m not going to try and escape, ya know.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. You look ready to bolt. I swear I came here to talk. Nothing else.”

  Yeah, I bet he says that to all the women right before their clothes fall off. Not that I’d mind him sweet talking me out of mine. Yes, she would. Damn it. “Talk,” she muttered.

  “Yeah, I realize we got off to a bad start last night. There’s no excuse for it. I was a dick and shouldn’t have assumed Blaire was my mate. If I can, I’d like to start over.”

  Tess snorted and pressed her lips together to suppress a smile. In her world, it was rare for a man to know and admit he’d made a mistake. He had been a dick. She’d heard him call dibs on the blonde. No girl, who isn’t the blonde, ever wants to hear a man say that. It hurt her feelings and left another dent in her ego. She thought she had fallen as low as she could go. Then pick yourself up, girl!

  Could she? Her cheetah was adamant they were mates, and he seemed to want to make a go of it. What would it hurt to start over? Take a little time to talk to him. After a couple dates, maybe he would realize they weren’t meant to be.

  Or maybe you’ll realize he’s right. Her cheetah pranced off in a huff, burrowing in the recesses of her being.

  Austin resisted marching over to Tess and pushing her back on the bed. He wanted to crawl on top of her. Press his hard planes against her soft curves. Feel the way they fit together and discover what made her blush and pant with need. God, he wanted to bury his dick in her, connecting on a primal level he knew they both needed. Lust had gleamed in her eyes during her perusal of his body, and it inflamed him.

  She licked her lips, and he was thrown back to the night before to the quick, chaste kiss that wasn’t even close to quenching the fire building in him. It only served to fuel the flames growing inside him. His need to be close to her. The desire to make her submit to him.

  Taking her to her room and locking them in together may not have been the best idea if all he wanted to do was talk. To make matters worse, she sat on her bed, scrutinizing every inch of him. When her gaze landed on his crotch, he had to run plays through his head to keep his dick from responding. It didn’t work, considering the tightness of his jeans.

  Her arousal tickled his nose, and even though she averted her gaze, she couldn’t hide the glow in her eyes with each peek at him she made. The excitement and pleasure reflected in them as she looked at his body. The vain part of him smirked and knew she liked what she saw. Thank fuck for that. It would be one less obstacle in the way to winning her over.

  Too often women told him how much they loved his body and strength. They rubbed against him like cats in heat. He enjoyed every moment of it, too, but a part of him deep inside wished they wanted to spend some time with him out of bed. After a while, he became oblivious to their advances.

  Tess wasn’t bowled over by his cocky, I-can-have-you-if-I-want attitude. The one where he oozed charm and grinned with wicked intent to get a girl to drop her panties. She took one look at him and dismissed him.

  It had to be the best reaction he’d ever gotten. Even if he hadn’t thought that at the time.

  When he recalled their first meeting, pleasure pulsed through him knowing his mate wouldn’t bow down to him and let him get away with a shitty attitude. As his mate, she deserved more than what he gave other women in the past. He looked forward to every argument they would have and even more to maki
ng up.

  All he needed to do was get her to talk to him. Get her to believe him when he said they were mates so they could start a life together. Whether she liked it or not, he wouldn’t be going away. Not when he knew she was attracted to him. Shallow as it may seem, it got him a foot in the door.

  As much as he wanted to take her to bed and fuck the ever-living daylights out of her, he wouldn’t. Not yet. He swore he came to talk and they would—come hell or high water. “What’s it going to be, Red?” he asked, knowing she didn’t like the name. “We’re mates. I know it deep in my soul. If there’s something holding you back, then tell me. We can work it out.”

  Firming her lips, she looked him in the eyes. He didn’t know what she saw. Did he intimidate her? Did her ex of an ass-hat still have a hold on her affections? Could she be displeased in him as a mate? The silence ate at him, but he refused to show his frustration. The slightest indication she would soften toward him and he’d be a bumbling mess trying to get to her. Some might say he already was.

  “Okay,” she said at last. Her eyes were clear of arousal, the golden glow dimmed to a light halo. “Let’s get to know each other. But not here. It’s too”—she waved her hands around—“intimate,” she finished on a whisper. “I don’t think that’s what we need right now.”

  Every bone in Austin wanted to disagree. Intimate was what they needed at the moment. The two of them alone with no chance of interruption would solve everything. They could cozy up on her bed where he could tease her into relaxing with kisses along her neck and jaw. Taste her lips again and again before he moved over her, fitting his aching dick against her soft feminine core. He could ensure his scent lingered on her body and warned others off. Let every shifter near and far know this woman was taken.

  He swallowed hard. His jeans went from tight to bloody hell uncomfortable in a split second. He adjusted himself, not caring if she saw. As a matter of fact, he wanted her to see the affect she had on him. There would be no mistaking who put him in such a hard state. Her eyes lowered from his face to his crotch. They rounded, and he felt a sick sense of satisfaction. Looping his thumbs in his belt loops, he let his hands frame his dick. Showing her what she could have. She licked her lips again, a soft moan escaping her. Yeah, baby, I’m fucking hard as hell for you.

  “Intimate sounds good to me. I’m not going to lie, I want you, Tess.”

  “I…. Chugs.” She bolted from the bed.

  He straightened from the door. “Excuse me?”

  “You asked last night if I wanted to go, so let’s go.”

  “Definitely not intimate there,” he grumbled.

  “What was that?” she asked, her owlish gaze on him.

  “Nothing. It’s a bit noisy there, don’t you think? Might make it difficult to talk.”

  She gathered her purse, tossing her phone inside. He made a mental note to get her number and to make sure she had his.

  “But there are plenty of people, and I would be more comfortable.” She gave him a genuine smile, sending a fresh wave of lust through his body. A new mission entered his mind: get her to smile at him every chance he could.

  “Before we go, there’s something I need to do,” he murmured.

  When she stopped in front of him with a questioning look on her face, he pulled her in close, surprising a gasp from her. Slanting his mouth over hers, he wasted no time pressing his way inside. Devouring her, tasting every inch he could reach. He about came in his pants when her tongue grazed his then retreated. He chased it back into her mouth where they dueled.

  So much better than last night.

  A groan escaped from him when her hands slid over his chest, light fingers skimming the fabric leaving heated trails in their wake. He wanted those hands pressing into him. Holding onto him, gripping him like he was her lifeline. Those light fingers stopped moving when she tangled them in his hair, sending sparks of pleasure radiating outward.

  Tightening his hold, he ground his erection against her mound, wishing he could follow through on the compulsion to pin her against her door and fuck her. Not yet. Slow down.

  With copious amounts of regret, he pulled back, sucking in a much-needed breath. He looked into his mate’s face and smiled. Her features had softened, her cheeks turned pink, and her lips were swollen. She was the picture of a sexy, aroused woman…all due to him.

  He reached behind him, unlocking the door. Threading their fingers together, he tugged her out of the room. Any more time spent there and his plan to take it slow would go up in flames.

  “Let’s go eat.”

  Chapter Five

  Tess and Austin walked through the door of Chugs, and Austin immediately wanted to turn around and leave. The place was stacked to the gills with bodies. Even for a Friday night, it seemed to be beyond capacity. His desire to leave had more to do with him wanting at least a semblance of being alone with his date, than the amount of people packing the tables and dance floor.

  Spying two empty seats near the bar, he took off in their direction, not noticing when Tess stopped by the bouncer at the door.

  He backtracked in time to hear the big man ask Tess about her housemate.

  “How are Avery and Declan doing? We haven’t seen them around much since they got together.”

  “They’re doing good. They’ve been tucked away in the town house, having sex nonstop when she isn’t in class and he isn’t working. I’ve been told that’s how it goes when you find your mate.” She shrugged, glanced in Austin’s direction, and then snorted in disbelief.

  Austin reached out and grabbed her hand. He wouldn’t allow her to brush him off. If he’d had it his way, that was exactly what they would be doing instead of standing in a crowded bar. The more time he spent around her, the more insistent the need to mark her, fuck her, and claim her. One way or another, he would get it through her skull they were mates. Then it would be no holds barred when it came to inserting himself into her life.

  “I’ve heard that, too. Have yet to experience it myself.” The bouncer’s narrowed brown gaze landed on Austin. “I see you’ve gotten over the asshole you called a boyfriend. It’s about time, sweetheart. The man wasn’t good enough for you.”

  “Sure,” she said, not sounding very convincing.

  “Is he your rebound?”

  Tess’s answering grunt wasn’t what he’d call ladylike. She didn’t even bother looking at him as she tried to pull her hand free of his grip.

  He’d had enough. He needed his scent on her. Stepping next to her, he draped his arm across her shoulders, dropping a kiss on her head. “Not a rebound,” he gritted out, forcing a polite smile.

  The guy’s eyebrow rose before his face lit up in recognition. “You’re Austin Shaw, star receiver on the Shifter U football team. You guys have a great chance of winning the All-Shifter Bowl. I fully expect you’ll pound the UC Spartans into the ground.”

  Austin relaxed a little but knew he needed to stay aware of the situation. The guy was massive. Bigger than anyone he had ever seen on the football field, and there were some big guys playing across the US. If Austin had to guess, the man topped out at seven feet tall. Beefy, muscle-packed arms and a body to go with it. A bear shifter without a doubt. Those bastards fought nasty when they needed. Great to have in a bar fight—unless they were your opponent.

  “Nice to meet you.” Plastering his game face smile on, Austin stuck out his free hand. “Yeah, I can’t wait. They won’t know what hit them. Franklin has been working out nonstop and packing on some major muscle. He’ll clear me a path every time.”

  “Franklin is a beast and my cousin. My brothers will be heading out to Four Corners to offer some family support. I’m staying here and setting up for a weeklong tailgate party, culminating in a huge game-day shindig.” They shook hands. “I’m Nik Braun. I own the bar with my brothers, Levi and Landon. I don’t recall seeing you in here much.”

  “No, football takes most of my time. Hard to take a break when classes and practice eat the day
away.”

  “I know it did when I played. I liked the off-field antics more than playing. Decided to walk away while I still could.”

  “I know what you mean.” They both laughed, and Austin relaxed even more. Nothing bonded men more than talking sports.

  Tess cleared her throat, garnering their attention. “Well, it looks like you two have made a love connection, why don’t you go cuddle in the corner and whisper sweet nothings to each other?” Tess jeered. “I’m going to head home and go on with my life like none of this ever happened.” She spun out from under Austin’s arm.

  “Not so fast.” He caught her by the upper arm, halting her escape.

  She turned and gasped, shock written all over her face. Nik pushed between them, breaking Austin’s hold. Gone was the friendly, football-loving guy from before.

  “If the lady wants to go home, then you need to let her,” Nik growled.

  The sound vibrated through Austin, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. Another man came hustling over. He resembled a younger version of Nik.

  “Everything okay over here, bro?” The new man planted himself on Austin’s side, blocking Tess from his view.

  The cheetah in him scrambled to the surface. His mate was too far away and trying to leave.

  Not again.

  Fur sprouted on his hands as the beast got the better of him. His teeth elongated, punching through his gums. Claws shot from the tips of his fingers in the blink of an eye.

  There was a gasp and then a flash of red hair turning yellow. His vision wavered between his human and feline side. Fuck! He wanted to roar out but couldn’t get his human voice to work.

  Tess pushed between Landon and Nik to find Austin transitioning between human and feline. “Oh shit,” she exclaimed. She had never seen someone do it bit by bit before. Unsure of what to do, she stepped close to him, resting her hand on his chest. “It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.” She looked at Nik over her shoulder. “Austin didn’t mean anything by it. He caught me off guard.”