Tiger (New Species, Book Seven)

by Laurann Dohner

  “The human sheriff is always calling us for stupid things,” Slash explained. “We dread it. That is why Tiger just growled. It is annoying.”

  Tiger planned to kick Slash’s ass the first time they were alone. The man definitely baited him by bringing up how he’d met Zandy. He tore another piece of meat off the steak and focused solely on his food. He didn’t dare look her way again.

  He forced himself to listen and respond to the conversation at the table. Zandy wasn’t mentioned again but he couldn’t get her out of his thoughts.

  * * * * *

  “The east gate? But my car…” Zandy said.

  “Was moved. At the gate you had to hand over your car keys. This is why. We secure your cars to prevent the protesters from tampering with them. The protesters have been known to spray-paint bad words on visiting cars.”

  “Oh.”

  “You live closer to the east gate. It is saving you miles to work if you use it. In the morning return to it. Your escort will be waiting there.”

  “Will that be you?”

  He shrugged. “I do not assign duties.”

  She nodded. “Oh.”

  “Tiger does.”

  Shit.

  “Tiger is head of security.”

  Double shit. She’d molested the damn head of security of the NSO at Reservation. Just bitchin’. She hated herself. She really did. She sat in the Jeep quietly mulling that information and how uncomfortable Tiger could make her life if he held a grudge. They drove to the gate and Slash parked the Jeep close to the guard shack.

  She spotted four NSO officers patrolling. Two were inside the guard shack and two more were on top of the thirty-foot walls that enclosed the entire perimeter of Reservation. They carried guns.

  “I don’t see protesters.”

  “No. You won’t here. We recently bought the land adjoining this section. We haven’t extended the walls yet but plan to. It’s private property so when they arrive we have them arrested for trespassing. Just show up at this gate in the morning. Your car is parked over there.” He pointed.

  She saw a small parking area and her car. “Thanks.”

  Slash nodded. “I’ll get your keys. Stay here.”

  Zandy climbed out of the Jeep, grabbed her purse and waited. She watched Slash laugh and talk with the two officers inside the guard shack before he accepted her keys from one of them. He returned to her and handed them over.

  “In the morning they will let you in. Park your car where it is and leave the keys in the ignition. They need your keys in case it has to be moved at some point. It’s a security measure. They will search your car and go over every inch of it as well so no one messes with your car by planting a bomb.”

  Zandy just stared at him, too stunned to speak.

  Slash smiled. “Have a nice night.” He climbed into the Jeep and backed it up. He waved and then was gone.

  Bomb? Shit. No wonder the pay is so good. I’m getting hazard pay. She walked toward her car and noticed the two men on the wall watched her closely. She climbed in and tossed her purse on the passenger seat. She started the car and backed up. The gate was opened when she drove toward it slowly. One of the officers nodded at her and she left Reservation.

  She drove about a mile through the twisting, forest-surrounded road before she spotted the black NSO Jeep parked across both lanes. She hit her brakes, frowning, wondering where the driver was and why they’d blocked the road. Her gaze darted around the woods but didn’t she see anyone. She turned off the car, waited, and hoped the driver would return soon since trees prevented her from driving around the abandoned vehicle. Long minutes passed and she decided to call out to see if the driver would hear her.

  The sound of a man yelling reached her ears the second she opened the car door and stood up. She turned in the direction of the obscene curses and bit her lip as he came closer.

  “I swear I’m just lost, goddamn it.”

  “Right,” a male voice snarled. “Sure you were.”

  “You let me go right now, you son of a bitch. How dare you put your freaky damn paws on me? Fuck you.”

  “You’re trespassing and you’re going to be arrested for it.”

  “Drop dead, asshole. Let me go.”

  Zandy saw movement about fifteen feet to her left. She was tempted to climb back inside her car and turn it around. The gate wasn’t far and she was afraid of whatever kind of scene she’d come across. The man cursing seemed pretty belligerent. A rough-looking man in his twenties stepped out of the thick tree line. His face was red from anger but his hands were behind his back. Someone taller moved behind him, forcing him forward, and recognition hit as she saw that second face.

  She froze. Tiger didn’t see her right away, too intent on controlling the man he shoved forward. The angry man tried to make a break for it but Tiger moved, grabbed him by the shoulder of his jeans jacket and hauled him back.

  “Don’t make me chase you,” Tiger growled. “You won’t make it far with your hands handcuffed behind your back.”

  “Fuck you, freak. Let me go. You got no damn right to touch or handcuff me. I’m going to sue your damn pussy ass.”

  Tiger growled viciously. “Keep it up, redneck. I can file more charges against you. You’re trespassing on NSO property with a rifle. That doesn’t bode well for you at all.”

  Tiger lifted his head and met Zandy’s eyes. He blinked at her but didn’t seem shocked to see her standing there. He pushed the man toward the Jeep. Zandy was ignored while Tiger hauled the man up and dumped him into the backseat. The man cursed loud and long, making threats of a lawsuit. Tiger yanked out another pair of handcuffs and secured the man to a metal bar with them.

  “You goddamn pussy!” the man yelled. “Let me go. You got no damn right to do this to me.”

  “Shut up,” Tiger growled. “And since you’re going to jail, I wouldn’t be yelling pussy too much. I hear your kind like to bend your males over in there. If anyone else is as stupid as you are then they might take it as you offering to be one.”

  Zandy smiled, couldn’t help it, and knew it was wrong to find that funny. Tiger finally turned and met her eyes. She saw his nostrils flare as he approached her slowly. Her heart rate increased. They were going to talk and she had no idea what to say to him.

  “Where the hell are you going? You can’t leave me here, freak. I have rights.”

  Tiger ignored the man in the Jeep. Zandy didn’t move as Tiger closed the distance between them until he paused just feet away. They just stared at each other.

  “Hey, pussy. Let me go right now, damn it!” The man fought his cuffs.

  “Hi,” Zandy breathed, deciding to speak first. She was nervous enough to feel the need to say something, anything. “How have you been?”

  His beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. “I have been well. Have you been avoiding brawls?”

  She blushed at the reminder of her unwise decision to get toasted in a bar. “Yes.”

  “You are too small to get involved with men fighting.”

  “I wasn’t exactly involved. I was sitting at a table in the far corner when it broke out. It happened so fast that I found myself trapped and they started coming my way. I had nowhere to go but up on top of the table. I would have been fine there if someone hadn’t hit it and sent me to the floor.” She studied him closely, still certain he had to be the sexiest man she’d ever seen. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  He tilted his head a little, studying her closely. “Was that why you kissed me? To thank me?”

  She knew her cheeks reddened more, embarrassed that he wanted an explanation for her behavior. “No.”

  “Then why did you? I am curious.”

  “Do you really want to know the truth?” She stalled, trying to think of a reason that wouldn’t sound foolish, but couldn’t come up with anything. The man made her brain malfunction.

  “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know that.”

  “I…” She sighed, deciding to just be h
onest. “I was drunk and I thought I was dying. I woke up and was sure I had. You’ll think it’s stupid and I doubt you really want to hear where my head was.”

  “I do.”

  “I thought I died and there you were.”

  He frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  She wished a hole would open up under her but one didn’t. “I thought you were some kind of guide who’d come to take me to hell.”

  His mouth tensed. “I see. You believed I was a devil.” He looked pissed.

  “No!” She shook her head, hating the way he looked at her in that moment. She wanted to fix it. “I thought you were an angel.” She omitted the fallen part.

  His mouth relaxed and his eyes softened a little. “You always wished to kiss an angel?”

  “No.” Her face had to be flaming by now. “I thought, since I was going to hell anyway, that I might as well do what I really wanted to. That was kiss you.” And more. She left that part out too.

  “Why did you want to kiss me?”

  Does this guy ever stop asking questions? She wanted to avoid sounding even more irrational. She shifted her weight, her high heels making her feet hurt. She looked up into his face. Oh hell. In for a penny and all that. “I thought you were attractive and I just really wanted to kiss you.”

  “Thought? Past tense. Now that you aren’t drunk, I’m not attractive?”

  She frowned. “You are attractive. Don’t put words in my mouth.”

  “So you still find me attractive?”

  “You know you are.”

  He eyed her for long seconds. “Do you still want to kiss me?”

  She blinked a few times and decided she did, but she didn’t want to admit that. Drunk, she was pretty forward but that wasn’t the case when she was sober. She swallowed instead of answering his question and forced her gaze from his to glance at the Jeep.

  “Your prisoner over there is falling out.” Her gaze swung back to him.

  “I don’t give a damn. He might shut up if he falls and hits his head.”

  She smiled, liking him, and agreed it wouldn’t be a bad thing if the loud, crude man in restraints stopped muttering curses.

  Tiger suddenly stepped forward, invading her personal space. She gasped when two large hands gripped her hips gently to prevent her from backing away from him. Their gazes met and held. His eyes were just as amazing as she remembered, actually more gorgeous in sunlight since the golden rims of his blue irises nearly glowed, enhancing the blue parts. The catlike eyes, combined with his thick eyelashes, were remarkable.

  Zandy took a shaky breath, inhaling his masculine, woodsy scent. She didn’t resist when he gently tugged her closer until she had to tilt her head back to keep their gazes locked and her body pressed against his. Her hands automatically rose to flatten on his broad chest. The material of his black shirt was soft but the man under it felt very solid.

  “I am curious,” he rasped. “If touching you is as good as I remember. I’m going to kiss you.”

  Chapter Three

  Zandy knew she should say no and tug out of Tiger’s hold. She should… Oh hell. I’m only going to live once. The urge to kiss him was strong. She wasn’t going to deny it so she slid her hands higher, to his shoulders. They were the broadest ones ever. She pressed tighter against him and parted her lips in invitation.

  His eyes widened with surprise and he leaned in a little. A soft growl rumbled from his throat and Zandy’s belly clenched. He made the sexiest sounds. Her alcohol-hazed memories hadn’t been wrong about that and she closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss.

  The man softly purred when his mouth brushed hers. Zandy took a shaky breath against his lips and lifted on tiptoe to get closer. Their mouths met again and this time he didn’t just give her a featherlight tease. His tongue slid past her parted lips and fully possessed her with the kind of passion that would have made her melt to the ground if she wasn’t clinging to his shoulders. His arms tightened around her.

  Her being drunk hadn’t affected her senses after all because the man could kiss like nobody’s business. His tongue teased, savaged, and absolutely left her without the ability to think. Another growl came from him. Her nipples responded to the vibrations it caused with her chest pressed so tightly against him and she wanted to be even closer. Her hands wrapped around his neck and she barely noticed when her feet left the ground as he lifted her higher up his body to deepen the kiss.

  She kicked off her shoes, wanting them out of the way and needing to feel more of him. Almost instinctively her legs wrapped around his hips. Her back hit the side of her car and he wiggled closer until the hard ridge of his cock pressed against her underwear. She adjusted her hold on him with her legs, clamping her knees over his sides and locking her ankles together until her heels dug into his firm ass, urging him closer.

  Tiger’s hips ground against her pussy, making her aware of the rough material of his pants against her bare thighs…and that her skirt had ridden up. She didn’t care. Instead she kissed him frantically and arched her back, rubbing her breasts and clit against him where they were touching. She moaned, wanting him so bad it hurt. Her body was on fire.

  Tiger’s hold shifted from her waist to caress down to her ass. His bare hands cupped naked skin where her thong panties didn’t cover and he squeezed her firmly. He moved, slowly rocking his cock against her. Pleasure tore through her from how hard he was, how sensitive her clit was to just the slightest movement he made. She ached to come.

  It was insane how she reacted to him. No man had ever turned her on more. His mouth was pure sin. His body did things to her. He made her feel wild and needy and she wanted him to take her. She moaned louder, kissing him deeper as her fingernails clawed at him where she could touch his back. She wanted him now, against the car, in the middle of the road and she didn’t even care that they were in the open.

  Tiger tore his mouth away from hers, breathing hard, and she opened her eyes. “Don’t stop.”

  Pure passion made his eyes the sexiest things she’d ever seen. He flashed some seriously hot fangs at her and the sudden desire to bare her neck for him struck. She could totally go for him biting her. Even the thought of him nipping her with those babies made her hotter. I’m a sick person but I don’t care. He’s so damn hot.

  “I—”

  Zandy was afraid he was going to refuse. There was a lot at stake considering she’d never wanted anyone as much as she did him. Thoughts left her as she lifted up to place her lips over his to kiss him. He snarled, pressing her tighter against the side of her car.

  Her hand fisted in his hair, holding him in place as she rolled her hips. She moaned at the feel of his trapped cock against her pussy and bucked against him to show him how much she wanted him.

  “HEY! HELLO? What the fuck? Hey, pussy? Could you stop nailing the chick on the car and let me go!”

  Tiger tore his mouth from Zandy’s and they stared at each other, both of them suffering. He growled again and took some deep breaths as he watched her.

  “I have to deal with that asshole.”

  His voice was so rough, deep and sexy that she still didn’t want to let him go but she’d forgotten about his prisoner. Damn! If she had any shame she’d feel embarrassed but she’d passed that point when Tiger had kissed her. All she wanted was him and nothing else seemed to matter. Maybe I’m going through some kind of early menopausal thing that causes me to be super horny and lose my damn mind. That made her feel a little better but she didn’t believe it for a second. Tiger just made her reckless because there was something about him that pushed her “on” buttons.

  Tiger’s hold on her eased and she knew she had to release him, even though she didn’t want to. She unhooked her ankles and let her legs slide down his body. Her fingers had to let go of his hair and she missed holding on to him instantly as he backed away once she stood barefoot on the pavement. She actually felt cold and at a loss when they separated.

  “Let me drive him to the gate and t
urn him over to the officers.” He didn’t look away from her. “Wait here for me. Will you do that? It won’t take more than five minutes.”

  She didn’t miss seeing the worry that filled his gaze or the regret. An instant yes wanted to pass her lips but now that they weren’t locked together making out she could think. A smart woman would flee, she knew that, but she’d never met a man like Tiger before. He was worth some risk and doing something totally insane.

  “He had a gun or I’d allow him to go with a stern warning. I have to turn him in. He could have been here to shoot at my people and that means he poses a future threat.” Tiger inched closer but avoided touching her. “I will be gone five minutes at most. Will you wait here? Please?”

  Zandy nodded in agreement and he looked relieved. His gaze finally turned away from hers to study the Jeep as he stepped back. He cleared his throat before he glanced at her again. His voice came out more normal sounding and she missed the gruff intensity.

  “I’ll hurry. Don’t leave, Zandy.”

  He knows my name. She nodded, a little impressed that he’d taken the time to find out something about her. “I’ll be here.”

  He walked to his Jeep. She leaned against her car to prevent her shaky knees from giving way. They felt as if they just might collapse under her. The man had kissed her senseless and made her body turn to jelly.

  Tiger grabbed the man who had tried to climb out of the backseat. The idiot hung a little upside down where his handcuffs had kept him partially inside. Tiger shoved him upright. A growl came from the New Species as he shook his head and jumped into the driver’s seat.

  “You can’t do this!” the man yelled. “Let me go, you talking freak show! I’m an American citizen. This is my country and you don’t belong here. I demand a lawyer.”

  The Jeep reversed. Tiger twisted the wheel and glanced at Zandy as he punched the gas, taking off fast to return to Reservation. She watched him go, hugged her chest and silently wondered if she was making a mistake.

  Common sense dictated that she should climb in her car, leave before he returned and put some space between them. They were going to have sex if she stayed. She wasn’t naïve enough to think otherwise and it would probably be just one more thing to add to the long list of mistakes she kept making.