by Jane Jamison
She was caught in a tornado of sexual craving and a gut-level need for them. Gripping the counter was the only reason she didn’t get up and throw herself at them. Instead, she sucked in a long breath and held it, letting the odd sensations whip through her.
Oh, hell, yeah.
“Hi.” David’s appraising gaze slid the length of her. “So you found Lena’s place, right?”
She was happy for the question. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure she could’ve thought of anything to say. Her mind had gone blank, swept away with the electrical surge overpowering her. It was hard to talk when fighting to keep from drooling. They stood side by side, two sexy cowboys who could turn her world upside-down with only one touch. Hell, one look.
“Uh-huh.” So maybe she couldn’t put two words together yet.
“You’re looking good, girl,” added Darion. He tipped his hat back, then hooked his thumbs in his jeans. Boots, faded, and a denim shirt on a sexy body made the perfect image of a romantic cowboy.
“Get you two a beer?” asked Purdy.
“Yeah. The usual.” David’s gaze took in her untouched drink. “Are you a beer drinker or did Purdy talk you into it?”
“I like it okay. Although I’d rather have an Appletini.”
The men shared a chuckle. “Let me guess. Purdy told you we don’t do those kinds of drinks in Twisted.”
“Basically.” She started to wipe her brow, certain the heat they were generating had lit a fire inside her, then decided against it. If she was sweating, she didn’t want them to know.
“What were you and Purdy talking about?”
Shit. David asked the sixty-four thousand dollar question. She almost wished she’d never shown the bartender the video. Having Purdy think she was nuts was one thing. Having the Conroy brothers think so was unacceptable.
“She has a video of a wild cat roaming the land around our town,” offered the bartender.
“What kind of cat? A mountain lion?”
She met Darion’s eyes. Were there amber flecks in them like the ones she’d seen in Purdy’s? She glanced at the overhead lighting and assumed they were responsible for the strange color.
“A tiger. And not just any old tiger. She’s talking about a white tiger.”
Murmurs and soft laughter greeted Purdy’s loud statement, confirming that the others had not only been watching, but listening.
“A white tiger, huh? Running around loose in Twisted?”
“According to the video I have. Yes.” Was David making fun of her? She pushed aside the growing urge to spread her legs and beg them to fuck her. Whatever she was feeling, however she was feeling it, it was getting in the way of her doing her job. She was horny, that was all. Sexually starved. After all, it had been a long time since she’d been with a man. Far too long.
Yeah. I’m horny. It has very little to do with them.
She frowned at her thought. Lying to get information was one thing, but lying to herself wouldn’t work.
I’m horny as all get out for them.
Again, she fought her way back from her consuming lust to keeping the tiger on her mind.
“What video?” asked Darion. The easy-going manner he’d had moments earlier had vanished. Instead, his expression had grown tight.
She started the video again and held up the phone. They watched intently, not making any comment until it had ended.
“It’s obviously a fake. Probably someone’s idea of a prank.”
“Yeah. David’s right. Did you pull it off the Internet?” asked Darion.
“No. Someone gave it to me.”
“Like maybe your relative in Crosston?” Darion’s blue eyes mocked her.
She didn’t bother admitting she’d lied about visiting relatives. Why bother when it was obvious they already knew?
Sure, she’d known she’d have people mock her and tell her it wasn’t real, but she was getting tired of it anyway. “I know you think I’m stupid to think so, but my gut tells me it’s real.”
David leaned closer, wreaking havoc with her ability to think straight. She lifted her hand to flatten it against his chest. Seconds before she would’ve touched him, she forced her hand back to her lap.
“We’d never think you’re stupid, baby. Anyone with half a mind can see you’re an intelligent woman.”
She’d won awards in college and later praise from her boss, but no one had ever said anything sweeter. Her body hummed, thrilled to have his approval.
“But if you believe a white tiger is running around Twisted, then you’re not thinking clearly.”
And there went the thrill.
“Then you’re saying you haven’t seen anything? No wild animals?”
Darion eased close enough to put his arm around her. “We didn’t say we haven’t seen any wild animals. Hell, girl, most of the people in these parts are wild animals.”
“Very funny.” And yet, she almost believed him.
“How about we talk about something else?” Darion took her hand and pulled her onto her feet. “Even better, how about we stop talking altogether?”
“What are you doing?” If he’d been anyone else, she would’ve yanked her hand out of his. As it was, she was having a tough time not letting the delighted giggle rise up her throat.
He tugged her along with him toward the small area off to the side. A drum set was pushed to the wall along with two microphone stands. “We have a band come in a couple of times during the month, but the jukebox is the next best thing.”
Putting his arm around her waist, he pulled her close, getting her to sway along with him. A spark of alarm hit her. Dancing wasn’t her thing. Not with two left feet and an incredible lack of rhythm. “Darion, I don’t dance. I mean, I can’t dance.”
“Sure you can. You’re dancing right now.”
And she was. Surprise filled her. She moved along with him without even realizing what she was doing. He was easy to dance with, taking the lead, his body telling hers what to do.
“See? You’re doing great.”
She glanced down at her feet. “I am, aren’t I?”
He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’ll bet you do a lot of things great.”
“Um, I guess we all have talents in certain areas. Like when I’m investigating a story. I’m a reporter for a small cable news station.”
“We kind of figured it was something like that.”
She turned her head. Gazing into his eyes scrambled her brain. “Which brings me back to the question about the tiger.”
He pressed his fingers against her lips, forcing her gaze back on his, all while continuing to maneuver her around the stage. “Nope. We agreed. No more talk about the video.”
Had they agreed? She couldn’t remember.
“You know what they say, don’t you, baby?” David came up behind her, took her hand off his brother’s shoulder, and sent her twirling toward him.
She fell against his chest. His oh-so-hard chest. For a moment, she forgot about everything else except the tantalizing scent of his aftershave. Or was it really aftershave? The aroma was too natural, too fresh, too manly to have come from a bottle.
“Kristal? Did you hear what I said?”
“Something about a saying?”
“Yeah. You can tell how good someone is in bed by the way they dance.”
She couldn’t help dropping her gaze to his crotch. Suddenly aware of what she’d done, she jerked her attention upward again and found him smiling an all-too-knowing smile.
Oh, my.
She bit the inside of her mouth, bringing her mind back into focus. “Are you trying to insinuate that you’re good in bed?”
“No way, baby. I’m not trying to insinuate anything.” He brought his lips to hers, kissed her lightly, leaving her wanting more. “I’m flat-out telling you.” He winked. “I’m not just good, by the way. I’m fucking great.”
Wow.
She would’ve challenged any other man making such a bold statement,
but not him. Instead, she believed. Oh, how she believed.
Darion wasn’t about to get left out. “He’s okay, but once you compare him to me, you’ll figure out who’s really got what it takes. No brag. Just fact.”
They’d trapped her between them, their hard forms pushing, rubbing against hers. Their movements were sensual and seductive. Embarrassment swamped her as she caught the others once more watching, but the feeling soon left, washed away by a rush of sinful thoughts. What would their cocks taste like? Their cum? How would it feel to have their hands all over her? Their tongues sliding along her skin? Her body trembled and her breath hitched in her throat. Wetness dampened her crotch.
The sensation rippling between them lit her with sexual fire. Suddenly, she was transformed from an ordinary girl into a passionate woman, ready, willing, and able to take them both right there, on the dance floor, in front of a crowd. She reached up and cupped her hand around David’s neck.
“Kiss me again and mean it this time."
Chapter Three
As a rule, weretigers weren’t big on challenges. Most of the time, they’d slough off a dare and move on. They were secure enough not to have to prove themselves like werewolves and werebears did. What did they care what anyone else thought?
But when Kristal told David to kiss her and to “mean it this time,” he was more than ready to show her exactly what he could do.
He crushed his mouth to hers and felt her quick intake of air. Sweeping his tongue inside, he demanded she give him hers. He would taste every bit of her flavor and leave her wanting more of his. She melted against him, pressing her curvy body against his. His cock, already half-erect, jerked to full attention. With Darion still behind her, he couldn’t reach around her. Instead, he cupped her breasts, finding them a perfect fit for his hands.
He’d needed to kiss her from the first second he’d laid eyes on her. Her full lips had teased him, urging him to forget taking it slow and easy, and simply make them his. She groaned when he nibbled on her lower lip, tugging it out enough to give her a brief slice of pain, but not enough to frighten her. He groaned when she leaned closer and lifted a leg to wrap around his.
They were no longer dancing. At least, not to the music. Instead, the dance had transformed, their bodies moving together to form a sexual tango for three.
She was the one, all right. He’d sensed the connection when they’d met, but now the invisible bond that called intended mates together had grown a hundred fold. His inner beast roared its confirmation, determined to make the man do its bidding and take her right there, right then.
When he finally broke the kiss, he would’ve sworn she would curse him out. He chuckled.
Darion pushed against her, his hands cupping her sweet ass as the trio swayed with the music. His brother winked at him as he nibbled on her neck.
If only he could push her to the floor and fuck her. But he had too much respect for their intended mate to make her the object of a public display. Not that it hadn’t happened before in Roar. He’d seen enough to know better, but it wasn’t his style. He groaned again for an entirely different reason, and shoved his cat down.
“Let’s go back to the ranch.”
Darion had said what he was thinking, but he had enough sense to know it was too soon. He shook his head and shot his brother a pointed look. “Can’t. Not yet. Too soon.”
A growl rumbled out of Darion’s throat. Although he could commiserate with the urgent want, they had to be strong. If they pushed too hard, too fast, they could lose her.
Losing her was not an option they could live with.
And yet, he couldn’t find the strength to let her go. Instead, he kissed her again, seeking solace in her plump lips.
“Hey, buddies, who’ve you got there?”
David hated leaving her lips for anything. But to have to stop kissing her because Jacob Hinderson was getting in between them was too much to bear. Jacob had no respect for the connection or for another weretiger’s mate. Already in his late fifties, he’d never found his mate and had cursed the connection, calling it bullshit. Most of Twisted pitied him and, because of that, they made allowances for his out-of-line behavior. Bad behavior that was often directed toward women.
“Come on, pretty kitty.” Jacob’s bald head shone under the lights as he gripped Kristal’s arm and tried to pry her free.
He couldn’t help it. Neither could Darion. Interfering with a man’s mate was more than any self-respecting werecat would tolerate.
Surprising the obviously drunken Jacob, David took hold of his collar and shoved him away. His tiger roared to life and he could feel the change in his eyes as amber filled them. Teeth transformed into fangs and claws burst from his fingernails. He clenched his hands, both to hide his sharp nails from Kristal as much as to keep from digging them deep into Jacob’s flesh.
Jacob, however, didn’t catch on. Either that or he was too damn drunk to care. “Hey, pretty little lady. Dance with me.” His lip turned up into a sneer. “I want to grab your sweet ass, too.”
If Darion hadn’t hauled off and struck Jacob, David would’ve done it. Jacob stumbled backward, his fall broken only by the table. The weretigers seated there shoved him away, cursing and snarling.
“Stop! What are you doing?”
David’s tiger was too close to the surface to pay much attention to Kristal’s cries. Instead, he snarled then lunged at the man. He grabbed hold of him again and opened his jaws. He could already taste Jacob’s blood on his tongue.
“Damn it!” A loud crash echoed around the room.
David and Darion turned toward the sound to find Purdy striding toward them. He held a cattle prod out, ready to shock anyone who didn’t do as he told them. “Knock it off, you three.”
One look at his brother was enough to send David’s tiger back into submission. Fangs and claws receded, but he still wasn’t fast enough.
Kristal stood several feet away, her mouth slack and her eyes wide. She lifted a hand and pointed at him. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”
Fuck.
Pushing down the tiger inside was harder than it had ever been. His libido and his anger joined forces, letting his animal get a firmer grip. He did the only thing he could do. He turned away. Darion, whose eyes were as amber-filled as his own, did the same.
He heard her take off, moving as fast as she could toward the door. He ached to go after her, to stop her and explain what they were, but held his ground. Closing his eyes, he gathered his resolve, pictured the tiger raging inside him, and pushed it back into submission. By the time he had it under control again and opened his eyes, she was gone.
“Damn it all to hell and back.” Darion, his own beast controlled, dragged a hand through his hair. “We sure fucked that up.”
“Yeah. We did.” David glared at Jacob. Purdy led the drunken man toward the door, telling him to stay out of Roar. “But we had help. Fucking asshole.”
“True enough, but somehow it doesn’t make me feel any better. Shit. We almost lost it. Let’s go after her.”
“And do what? Make her listen? She saw our eyes. I’m not sure she didn’t see more. How are we going to explain what she saw?”
“We tell her the truth. She’s the one, right? You felt the connection as much as I did. From the way she reacted, she felt it, too.”
He nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” The bond between them was strong, more powerful than he’d ever dreamed it could be. “But we have to take it easy. I don’t want to blow it with her.” If they hadn’t already.
Darion’s grin filled his face. “Okay. Hell, bro. We did it. We finally found her.”
“She found us. But yeah, it’s happened.” As angry as he was at Jacob, he couldn’t deny his happiness. They’d waited years for the woman who was destined to become their mate to come along. So long, in fact, that they’d started talking about leaving Twisted to search for her. They would’ve rather spent the rest of their lives traveling the world than to believe
they’d never find their mate.
“We got lucky, too. I know looks don’t matter with the connection, but still, I’m relieved she’s hot. And smart. Feisty, too.”
Her looks were secondary. No matter what she looked like, the instinctual bond would’ve outweighed all other concerns. “Yeah. We got lucky.”
“Then what are we waiting on? Let’s find her.”
“Slow down, damn it. Like I said before, we have to let her ease into this. Let her get to know us a little first. Hell, we’ve already fucked up. We shouldn’t have gotten so close to her. She isn’t the type to make out on a dance floor. Once it hits her, she’s going to wonder what the hell made her do it.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Darion let out a string of curse words. “Shit. I’ll bet she saw our fangs. But I couldn’t help it. When Jacob touched her, I fucking lost it.”
He understood exactly how his brother felt. Another shifter, another man putting his hands on their mate was a reason to kill. “We both lost it. Let’s not make it worse by chasing after her and sending her running for good.”
“How do we know she’s not already headed out of town?”
“We don’t.” He strode toward the door, knowing Darion would follow. “I don’t think she’ll leave. She’s the type who wants answers. Once she calms down, she’ll start trying to get them.”
“Answers about us or about the tiger in the video?”
David led the way to their pickup. “Both. Which brings up another question. Who’s going to beat Boyd’s ass?”
Boyd Hodgens was a young, eighteen-year-old weretiger. Like a lot of young shifters, he didn’t like following rules. Most weretigers didn’t. But some of the rules, especially the one forbidding weretigers from shifting and running in full daylight, were essential to keeping the existence of weretigers unknown and the town of Twisted safe. He’d recognized Boyd in the video.
“I’ll leave it to his father to handle him. But if he doesn’t get a rein on the boy soon, we’ll have to bring it up to the council. He’s already screwed up once by letting someone catch him out in the open. I guess whoever it was took the video straight to the media.”
