Eye of the Tiger

by Nicole Austin

  “Damn,” he gasped. “Feels like home.”

  They fell into a natural rhythm of give and take, reacquainting their bodies. With each driving thrust his cock head tapped against her cervix. On the withdrawal it dragged along her G-spot creating the sweetest friction. His girth stretched her delicate tissues, which closed in around him, fighting to hold him deep within her grasping body.

  Jenny held on tight, enjoying the flex and play of his firm muscles beneath her hands as they moved together. Passion mounted and tension coiled in preparation of a stunning release. Their hands were busy touching every inch of flesh they could reach.

  Nash was right there with her, matching thrust for thrust, taking her higher than ever before, giving her mind-blowing pleasure. His musky scent enveloped her, the slap of sweat-slicked skin a sensual music for this erotic dance.

  The sudden tensing of her body stunned Jenny, arriving faster than she wanted, hurtling her into ecstasy beyond compare. Nash jerked once then thrust hard twice and filled her with hot jets of cum. His shout of completion guided her back down to earth. Tender fingertips smoothed the damp hair away from her face.

  “My Sunshine!”

  The words were filled with heart-wrenching sentiment. She watched in amazement as it happened. Like a bolt of lightning piercing a dark, cloudy night, Nash’s face cleared and he began to tremble. Myriad complex emotions passed through his dark eyes—recognition, grief, tenderness and bewilderment.

  None of it could top the jumbled feelings assailing her. Seeing the flash of memories burst through the fog clouding his mind made her heart soar and lifted some of the horror of his disappearance. The past weeks melted away.

  She had met Nash through mutual friends. They became lovers, fell for each other hard and fast, gotten married within months of meeting. They’d shared a great life in a beautiful beach bungalow on the Gulf of Mexico. Everything had been wonderful right up until Nash got out of the military and joined a company conducting scientific research. The work was so hush-hush he had not been allowed to tell her anything about what he did. And with each day she’d watched as he become more withdrawn and distant, until the day he vanished.

  In the intervening weeks Jenny had talked to anyone who would listen, and hounded many others who refused to hear her out. She’d known there was no way he had left her without a word, no matter what the evidence showed.

  The police had been sympathetic at first while laying out the obvious facts. Nash had made a large withdrawal from their joint savings account. A suitcase and some of his clothes were missing from the closet. His car was gone and there had been no signs of foul play. It appeared to everyone as if he’d left her, but she’d known better. He would never willingly leave her behind.

  “Why did you leave? Where’d you go? Where have you been all this time?” In her urgency, the questions spilled from her, one blending into another. She glanced at the white circle of skin on the fourth finger of his left hand. “And where is your wedding ring, Nash? God, what happened to you?”

  Nash rolled to his side, gasping as even more vivid memories rushed through his mind. He wanted to answer all her questions, but wasn’t sure how to explain it all or what to say.

  “It’s complicated. I’m still trying to catch up and don’t know where to start.”

  “Why don’t you just start at the beginning? There’s no need to rush.”

  What a mess! He’d gotten too close, discovered too many company secrets, and seen what the scientists were doing. “Actually, there is a big need to rush. We don’t have much time.”

  They were looking for him. And no matter how much he longed to tell Jenny everything, doing so would put her in danger. Nash wasn’t willing to put her at risk.

  “It’s better that you don’t know most of it. There’s a laboratory somewhere not far from here. The scientists are messing with recombinant DNA, stem cells and gene-splicing. The test subjects are not there on a voluntary basis.” He paused, stared down at her confused expression. “I saw too much, Sunshine. They’ll be coming after me.”

  Nanotech’s plan was genius. Abduct homeless people from the streets, men and women who won’t be missed. Take them to a containment lab in the mountains and play with their DNA to see if a race of powerful soldiers was producible. By skipping years of testing and not applying for government approval, Nanotech stood to make a quick and tidy fortune.

  He’d been assistant supervisor in charge of security and had not even known about the laboratory facilities. Finding out what his employer was doing sent him into a panic and Nash had gotten sloppy. The bastards had easily caught him and then taken precautions to make it appear as if he’d left Jenny. They inducted him in their diabolical project, adding tiger DNA to his own.

  Hell, it sounded insane in his mind and he’d lived it. Jenny would never believe him.

  He gazed down into her sweet, beloved face. His wife. The love of his life. Somehow, the bastards had managed to expunge her from his mind. A chill raced along his spine at the idea of never having remembered her and the love they shared.

  Erased wasn’t the right explanation for what had happened because his memories were back. It would be more accurate to say they’d locked his memories away behind a thick barricade. She was the key that had unlocked the door.

  Being back with her was wonderful, but she wasn’t getting back the man she’d known. They’d altered him, turned him into a bizarre freak of science. Making her understand was not going to be easy.

  Nash vividly recalled the shock of shifting into an animal for the first time by accident. One second he’d been a man standing in the holding cell, the next he’d morphed into a new form, falling down onto four paws. His hearing had sharpened, distinguishing the lowest levels of sound. Colors had dulled from his widened field of vision, which sharpened into contrasting shades of gray. The tests had revealed incredible night vision better than with any enhancement goggles he’d worn as a man.

  The lab had been taxing on the animal’s acute senses. Strong antiseptic smells wreaked havoc with his nasal passages and created intense headaches. On the trips they’d taken into the mountains, the carnivore had come alive. The urge to hunt had been irresistible. Nash had stalked smaller animals, captured his prey with an innate skill and ripped apart the carcasses with sharpened claws, devouring the warm meat with pointed teeth.

  As a tiger, he moved with grace and stealth, able to get close to the scientists without them detecting his presence. Put him in a rocky area and he became almost impossible to locate due to the uncanny ability to blend into his surroundings. His captors never had any problem keeping up with his whereabouts though. The bastards had implanted a tracking device beneath his skin and used a shock collar to control him. To get away, after removing the collar, he’d shifted and chewed through his thick pelt in order to remove the chip, which now rested at the bottom of a steep ravine.

  No way would Jenny believe any of the insane events of the past weeks. She’d figure it was paranoia, a conspiracy theory or that he’d lost his mind. Until he got to the right people and found a way to shut down the lab they were both in extreme danger. He had to keep his mouth shut. Without the details, she didn’t present a threat to his former employer.

  Jenny’s trembling hand fluttered over her mouth, holding back her horror.

  “The scars? Wh-What did they do to you?”

  This would be really hard. Would she turn away from him when he’d just found her again? Hell, would she even trust him or believe anything he said if he told the truth?

  He made a mental note to figure out how they had ended up in the same place. It was too big a coincidence to ignore.

  “I don’t know much about the science, but they did things to make me…stronger. And they messed with my memories. While I was in the lab, I didn’t remember you, my job or our home. I was kept heavily drugged to make me pliable for their experiments and testing.”

  Nash didn’t want to think about the things they’d done
to him, much less tell Jenny. Eventually, he’d have to reveal the beast hidden beneath the exterior of the man, but he’d have to figure out the best way to ease her into this new, altered reality.

  “I managed to escape when someone messed up.” Another odd occurrence he’d have to think about. He left out the fact that the tiger had gutted a man and left him for dead, too. “I ran all night through the woods trying to figure out where I was and how to get help.” There were still big questions he needed to answer for himself.

  “Where are we and what are you doing here?”

  “I-I had to have a break. Between the stress of school, work and you… No one would listen to me. They all said you’d left me and I needed to accept it, to move on. I needed to get away from…everything.”

  Her words were cut off on a sob. Nash offered comfort, wiping her tears and holding his wife until she once again calmed.

  “It’s going to be all right now, Sunshine. I’m here and I won’t let anything hurt you.” Nash prayed he could live up to that promise.

  He had to get in touch with the one man in the company he trusted. Micah Lasiter would help him sort this mess out. As long as they hadn’t gotten to Micah he still had hope. If they had—

  He shook his head to clear away that unthinkable idea.

  It was urgent he make contact, but not as important as reassuring Jenny. The rest of the world melted away when he was in her arms. For this one precious night, which could be their last night together, he would focus on her. Live a lifetime in a few short hours.

  How she’d ended up here didn’t matter. They’d figure everything out in the light of day. Right now, he needed to hold on to his wife and bask in the warm glow of her love.

  His cock jerked to attention as she brushed against his hip. Nash had a lot of lost time to make up for, and he planned on starting right here and now. The romantic setting couldn’t be any more perfect—a cozy cabin in the mountains, lying on a bearskin rug before a roaring fire. They had both been in a desperate rush earlier. He intended to slow things down and make love to his wife.

  “Want to fool around, Sunshine?”

  Chapter Four

  Jenny took in her husband’s come-fuck-me expression and melted. His heavy-lidded eyes had darkened with lust and his sensual lips sported a naughty grin. The rapid recovery surprised her since in the past he’d required a few hours to be ready again.

  A little alarm bell rang in the back of her mind, insisting this was important and had something to do with the changes in Nash. She ignored the warning.

  “Already?”

  His smile broadened. “Mmm-hmm,” he purred.

  “There’s a hot tub on the back porch. I’ve been daydreaming about it since I signed the rental contract.” Her thoughts scattered as she pictured water glistening on Nash’s body in the moonlight. She imagined licking each drop of water from his tanned skin.

  “Come on.” Nash helped her stand. “You go climb into the hot tub. I’ll fix us a snack and join you in a few minutes.”

  He leaned forward and took her lips in a slow, seductive kiss with none of the previous urgency. His tongue made a lazy exploration, delving into every recess of her mouth, teeth nipping lightly. Jenny leaned into his strong frame, enjoying the slight abrasion of his chest hair over her beaded nipples. Tingles started in her breasts and spread outward, bringing every sensitive nerve ending to life. Liquid heat gushed from her core and her renewed arousal dampened her thighs. By the time he broke the kiss they were both gasping for air.

  “Go, woman.” Nash turned her with a gentle push to get her moving in the right direction. “Get moving or I’ll be fucking you against the wall.”

  She failed to see anything wrong with the idea.

  His hand came down on her ass cheek and she yelped, more from being startled than the small sting created in the fleshy globe. She put extra sway in her hips then paused to give him a salacious grin before opening the door. “Don’t take too long. It’s cold out there.”

  Nash’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. When I join you in the hot tub, I’ll have you heated up again in no time.”

  Once outside, Jenny wrestled the cover from the tub and figured out the controls for the jets. Her nipples tightened almost to the point of pain in the chilly air of the enclosed porch. She dropped into the warm churning water with a blissful sigh and leaned back, resting her head on the padded edge. “Damn, now this is worth every penny of the rental fee.”

  The tub had more than adequate room for her to stretch out and float on the surface. Languishing in the hot water, her body and mind relaxed. Tense muscles eased and her thoughts drifted, for once not fretting over every little thing.

  “I am one hell of a lucky man!” Reverence and honesty rang clear in Nash’s husky voice.

  “If you’d get that fine ass in here you’d be getting lucky.”

  Nash laughed and the happy, throaty sound soothed her battered soul.

  “Yes, ma’am. But no funny stuff until you’ve eaten. It’s gonna be a long night. You’ll need your strength.”

  “Yeah, right. After round two you’ll be sawing logs until well after sunrise.” Two go-rounds had always been his limit.

  He set a large tray laden with food on a nearby table, dragged it closer to the tub then slipped into the water with a hiss. “Damn, that’s hot.”

  “Which is the whole idea, honey.”

  Large hands grasped her hips and tugged, drawing Jenny closer. Nash cradled her in his lap, one arm supporting her back. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “Open,” he commanded as something cool and smooth brushed her lips, which parted for him. Her teeth pierced the fleshy piece of fruit. The rich sweetness of the red grape burst over her tongue.

  Jenny’s jaw dropped when she glanced over at the tray to see what other treats he’d prepared for them. Grapes, strawberries and banana slices overflowed a large bowl. Thick ham and cheese sandwiches were stacked high on a plate. He’d opened her stash of Oreo cookies and next to the package sat a jar of peanut butter. The fact he remembered her favorite treat touched her heart and made her tummy gurgle in hunger.

  “Jesus, Nash. That’s about three days worth of the food I brought. You’ve got enough there for six people.”

  He gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. “I’m starving!”

  They took turns feeding each other bites of food. As their bellies became full other appetites arose and eating became teasing foreplay. Nash dug his index finger deep into the peanut butter then held it out to her. Knowing how it would affect him, she tipped her chin down and held his heated gaze from beneath her eyelashes. She licked down one side of his finger, up the other and circled the tip with her tongue.

  “Suck it, Sunshine.” His rough groan set off tremors low in her belly.

  Nash basked in the glow of his wife’s innate sensuality. Jenny’s lips parted and she nibbled on the tip of his finger, driving him to distraction before slowly sucking the digit into the warmth of her mouth. Her busy tongue twirled around the length until she reached his last knuckle. As she reversed direction, she sucked hard, hollowing her cheeks. He pictured her taking his cock between her lips and the rock-hard organ jerked against her hip. It had been too long since he’d felt her talented mouth suck him to the back of her throat.

  Surging to his feet, he sat on the cushioned edge and placed Jenny between his spread legs. Dipping two fingers into the jar, he painted his cock from root to tip with the salty treat.

  Jenny didn’t need any further enticement. She enjoyed her ability to bring him to his knees by pleasuring him with her sexy mouth. The fingers of one hand circled the base of his cock while the other cradled his balls. Her wet tongue lapped at him, devouring every last drop of the peanut butter before drawing the crown past her lips.

  “Damn, that’s good.”

  Sharp teeth nipped at the sensitive rim sending sparks shooting straight to his balls, which drew taut. She
flicked her tongue into the slit, hummed while tasting his pre-cum. Nash’s head fell back between his shoulders as her tongue circled the head then probed the most amazing spot on the underside.

  During their years together she’d learned how to take him right to the edge and keep him teetering there. Putting her skills to good use, Jenny used every trick she knew. Nimble fingers rimmed his anus, stroked his perineum and massaged his balls. She used her lips, tongue and teeth—sucked, licked and nibbled. Even the noises she made were a tool of pleasure, loud slurps stoking his arousal higher, and her hummed moans vibrating through his flesh.

  When his climax would be held back no longer, Nash didn’t bother to warn Jenny. She knew how to read his body and was be prepared for the hot jets of cum hitting the back of her throat. Her convulsive swallowing drew out his pleasure. He couldn’t prevent the loud roar from rolling through his chest any more than he could stop the release of his semen.

  The tiger pulled at its leash. Nash gave in to the untamed instincts and acted on the impulses bombarding his body. He didn’t pause to catch his breath. One fast sweep of his arm cleared the remnants of their feast from the small table. Plates shattered and the tray landed with a resounding thunk on the wooden deck.

  “Nash!”

  Jenny quivered as he turned toward her. His wild and hungry eyes had become so dark they appeared black. His jaw looked more prominent, his expression savage. A jolt of panic shot through her, but she pushed it aside and focused on her excitement.

  This was Nash, her tender and loving husband, not someone to be feared. The whole beasty routine started having a very different effect on her. She found this new primal edginess was a major turn-on.

  He lifted her out of the water as if she were lighter than a feather and laid her on the table with her bottom resting at the very edge. The primitive intensity radiating from him in waves made her think of a cartoon animal putting on a bib and sharpening a knife as it prepared to dine. That image failed to lighten the impact of his carnal stare.