His lips curled into a sly smirk. “You’re looking at me as if you want to eat me for your next meal. Do you want to touch?”
Oh yeah. She wanted to touch all right, but that didn’t mean she’d obey the impulse. Ambar ripped her gaze away from the male bounty and closed her eyes to concentrate on her feline. She pictured a tiger in her mind and felt the shift take her. Bones shifted, lengthened. Muscles and sinew reshaped as hair grew rapidly to cover her naked skin. She dropped to all fours, reveling in her enhanced senses—the scents of the distant animals, the green of the fauna and Hari.
Part of her wanted to turn to survey him in tiger form. She refrained, instead forcing herself to pad away from the shed. With a flick of her tail, she picked up her pace, moving into a slow lope, leaping across small piles of rock. The air ruffled her fur and happiness soared through her. She heard Hari running behind her and quickened her pace. Males were always faster, but she knew a thing or two, her fitness levels high after participating in regular soccer games with some of the other Middlemarch shifters. She darted left, circling a pile of schist too large to leap over.
Before she cleared the schist, Hari leapt on her. They tumbled together, growling and baring teeth, mock fighting. Both were careful to keep their claws sheathed as they rolled over and over, finally coming to a halt with Hari holding her down, his teeth gripping the back of her neck.
Ambar froze, feeling the prod of his cock. The chase had excited him. She melted inside but growled. Instead of backing off, he mischievously rubbed his chin over the top of her head, playful and a little boisterous. Her growl was a rumble deep in her throat, and they both knew it was mere show with no anger attached. Somehow all the remaining resentment had leached away during their frantic scamper across the tussock and replaced by something else entirely.
Honest desire.
Hari had crashed into her life, creating chaos. If she were in her right mind, she’d send him packing, but she was tired of fighting him and so sick of battling the physical urges constantly rippling through her. A soft sound of submission whispered past her sharp teeth. The tension seeped from her muscles. She was about to sin, except what she felt for Hari didn’t seem like a sin. The man was as smooth as the best rich, dark chocolate, and she felt in sudden charity with Jake. Her heart thudded in an erratic manner while she waited for him to make the next move.
Hari rolled off her and circled her until he could see her face. His musky scent filled her every breath along with the hay-like bouquet of the grasses. In the distance, a dog barked and cattle called to each other. Hari stared at her before stepping away and shifting.
Spellbound, she watched his body re-form into sexy human. He crouched beside her, sliding his hand across her head and down her spine. A purr erupted from her and he chuckled, a rich sound that she liked enough to want him to repeat it.
“Shift,” he ordered in a voice that didn’t brook refusal.
Chapter Seven
Despite being more than a little drunk the previous evening, Jake remembered everything now. The sexual things he’d done with Hari. Heat flushed his face as images flooded his mind. He didn’t have the excuse of over-imbibing this morning when he’d repeated the crime. Whistling his dogs, he trudged back to his vehicle with his mind on Hari and how the other man had made him feel—so hot and hungry. When he should have felt disgust, instead there was eagerness to explore more forbidden things with Hari.
Confusion filled him as well because Ambar still figured prominently in his thoughts. God, he’d turned both kinky and greedy. He wanted Hari and Ambar. Alone. Together. He didn’t care.
Pleasure-tinged embarrassment punched him when he visualized the three of them together, his cock hardening to a painful erection. After a quick visual sweep of the trees and shadows, he cupped his shaft through his jeans, stroking. Rubbing. It wasn’t enough. Biting his bottom lip, he freed the button and zipper of his fly and lifted his cock from his boxer-briefs. A shudder shook him as he imagined Hari kneeling before him, taking the head of his cock into his mouth. He visualized Ambar cupping and massaging his balls. His eyes closed as he sank into his fantasy. The warmth… He could feel the tight heat of Hari’s mouth, the tight suction. Ambar’s fingers and her nibbling kisses on his flesh. A tongue traced the ridges and whorls of his shaft head, making him wet and progressively harder.
A groan ripped up his throat. The clasp on his cock edged on painful, his languid strokes increasing in speed. Lightheadedness seized him, pressure gripping his balls. Faster and faster his hand slid easily across his flesh, his climax building and building. Another pained cry escaped, his heart pounding as semen exploded from him in an arc, spurting to the ground at his feet.
“Bloody hell.” Feeling weak, he leaned against his vehicle before tucking himself back in and zipping up his jeans.
His soft laugh echoed in the stillness, broken only by the wind in the trees. That was a first—whacking off during work hours and thinking about a man while doing it.
Fuck, he had to tell Ambar, even if he’d included her in his fantasy.
Confess.
As much as he liked Ambar, he couldn’t continue this way. He refused to lie or cheat behind her back even if it changed their relationship. The thought scared him. Ambar was the one woman he could imagine in his future. That made this situation all sorts of fucked up because he didn’t want to walk away from Hari.
Jake whistled the dogs for a second time, this time fastening them on the back of his vehicle. He might not be gay, but experimentation with Hari hadn’t thrown him either, which baffled the hell out of him.
The urge to see Hari beat at him, a need to clear the air and search for explanations. His mind had dwelled on Hari all morning, and it wasn’t as if he was concentrating worth a damn. He might as well see what Hari was doing.
Jake climbed behind the wheel and backed from under the trees, turning for home.
Halfway down the road, he slammed on the brakes with a curse.
The bull was down. The prize bull his father had purchased. Julius Caesar IV had cost a bloody fortune. He pulled farther off the road and leapt the fence to check on him. The good news was his bull was still alive. The bad news—his gashed leg looked infected. Jake sighed and pulled out his cell phone to ring Gavin Finlay, the local vet. Another damn bill he didn’t have the money to pay.
“He’s slashed his leg on something and can’t get up. He seemed fine yesterday. An hour? Thanks.” Jake gave directions and decided to take the dogs home before returning. He drove slowly, cursing when he noticed several other cattle were loose. Luckily, it didn’t take long to round them up and return them to the paddock. A bit farther along the road, he saw the fence was down.
“Fuck.” That was three strikes. Surely nothing else could go wrong today. Sighing, he mentally rescheduled his day yet again. He’d have time to do a makeshift repair, stop at home to get more fencing supplies, drop off the dogs and make it back to meet with Gavin.
Despite the day’s setbacks anticipation buzzed inside at seeing Hari again. After stopping to collect the mail from his box, he parked beside Hari’s rental car, locked up the dogs, checked their water and strode inside.
“Hari?”
Silence greeted him.
Jake’s shoulders slumped as he realized how much he’d counted on seeing the man, touching him and gaining comfort from his presence. He wandered into the kitchen with the mail and scanned the envelopes, wincing at the number. Apart from a bank statement, they were all bills—one for repairs on the tractor, another for the essential fencing materials and the next rates installment. Hell. With a bad taste in his mouth, he tossed them aside, knowing exactly what sort of picture the bank statement would paint. A bad one.
He wasn’t only sinking. The debt was way over his head and drowning him. Something had to change, but hell if he knew how to turn the downward spiral into positive.
His phone rang. “Yeah.”
“It’s Kiran. Gavin and I are on our way
now.”
“Right. See you there.”
Gavin and Kiran were waiting for him when he arrived.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“We’ve just arrived,” Gavin said.
“My bull is down here. Can you take a look at the cows in the next paddock for me while you’re here? They’ve lost condition and I can’t work out why.” What was one more bill in the sum of things? He needed to sell these particular heifers to help settle some of his debts, and they wouldn’t fetch a good price until their weight picked up again.
“Kiran will take a look at the cows,” Gavin said. “I’ll check on the bull with you.”
“They’re quiet,” Jake said. “You’ll be able to walk right up to them without a problem.”
Kiran nodded and jogged away from them.
“What do you think?” Jake said while Gavin checked over the bull.
“Nasty cut.” Gavin pulled out his bag and grabbed supplies, working while he chatted.
“Do you think he’ll be all right? I’m kicking myself I didn’t check him at close quarters. I’ve seen him from a distance and knew he had plenty of feed and water, so I didn’t worry too much.”
“I’m more worried about him being down,” Gavin said. “We’ll try to get him back on his feet before we leave.”
Jake nodded, mentally working logistics if they couldn’t move the bull. It was another four hours before he finished. Fixing the fence so the cattle didn’t get out again had taken a good hour plus much cursing. They hadn’t managed to get the bull on its feet, which worried him, but at least it was eating the hay he’d taken it. He’d check it again after dinner. The heifers had worms, according to Kiran, after he’d recently drenched them. Guess the cheap drench hadn’t been such a good idea.
The first thing he was gonna do when he arrived home was clean off the worst of the dirt and soak in the tub. Then, who knew? He thought he’d play things by ear.
* * * * *
Ambar didn’t even think about refusing to shift when Hari ordered, calling her human form to mind immediately.
“God, you’re beautiful.” His hot gaze skimmed her body leisurely, as if he wanted to commit every dip and hollow to memory.
Trepidation danced in her mind, but her body wasn’t having any of it, reacting with heat and desire. She wanted Hari, and this time she wouldn’t run even if this was a mistake. Ambar hesitated, knowing one thing for sure. If she fled again, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.
“I’m going to fuck you now.”
Fuck her. She winced inwardly. Talk about a lack of romance. A streak of disappointment hit her on hearing his emotionless statement. His words were hard with fact and brutal truth.
“Ambar?”
“Yes.” She quivered on hearing the new, husky note in his voice, suddenly wanting him so much she could ignore her unease…for the moment. The big picture—a connection with Hari would mean she couldn’t continue ticking off items on her life list. Her entire life would change and, as far as she was concerned, not for the better. The small part of her that wanted romance she’d worry about later and analyze her need when she was alone. This was sex and simply two felines scratching an itch.
“Come.” He clasped her hand and led her to a rock-free area where the tussock grew in soft clumps. “I’ve fantasized about you sucking me off. We’ll start there first.” Hari placed his hands on her shoulders, encouraging her to kneel in front of him.
“A little presumptuous, aren’t you? I’m not a toy for you to play with.”
“I don’t play games.” Hari met her gaze with an unwavering one. “I want you to touch me, take me in your mouth. Please.” They stared at each other for an instant longer. It felt as if she’d known Hari for months rather than mere days, and it was this sense of familiarity that made her decide to trust him.
She sank to her knees and stared up at him, peeking through the long locks of her hair. Impatiently, she brushed them from her face, tucking the strands behind her ear.
“I like your hair loose like that. The shine reminds me of sari silks.” He ran his fingers through the length, sweeping it away from her face and fisting the strands in his hands. It didn’t hurt and wouldn’t unless she attempted to move.
“Are you always like this?” she blurted.
He scowled down at her, his golden-brown eyes darkening. “Like what?”
“Demanding obedience. Expecting your partner to submit.”
“I thought you’d find it easier if I ordered you.”
Ambar considered his words and silently agreed. “And if I don’t want easy?”
“You want to own your actions?” He sounded surprised yet approving.
“I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m not sure it’s right, but I’m not gonna pretend I don’t want you inside me now.”
“Good girl. Would you like to suck me off?”
“Did Jake suck you off?” The careless note in Ambar’s voice did nothing to conceal the lingering jealousy still simmering inside her. The image of the two men looking so cozy together on the couch kept circling her mind, slow and determined like a tiger stalking prey.
“No.” Hari paused. “But I’d like him to in the future. Is that a problem?”
Ambar averted her gaze to study her hands. They’d clenched when she thought of Jake and Hari together. The green-eyed monster stalked through her mind again. “Hell if I know. I don’t know what to do or feel when I think about the two of you together.” But she didn’t want to stand aside. She knew that much, but it was tugging her in two directions.
“Jealous?”
The man was too perceptive for his own good. He’d better stop prodding—if he knew what was good for him. “Yes, I resent the idea of you and Jake. Is that wrong?” She lifted her head to look him in the eye. She’d considered Jake hers, thought Jake was enamored with her. Learning about Hari and Jake, actually seeing them together had bit at her pride. She glared, not hiding any of her roiling emotions or her uncertainty.
Hari smiled then, his dark brows rising. “You don’t think I felt jealousy when I had to listen to you and Jake the other night and again in the morning?”
“Is that what this is about? Going after something that isn’t yours? A game? A chance for revenge?”
“That’s the second time you’ve accused me of game playing.” Hari drew back, releasing her hair, his top lip curling upward in distaste. “If you believe that, you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
“Oh please! You really believe the three of us can work together? Have a relationship, I mean.” People would stare, ask questions. Speculate. She’d heard them discussing Leticia, Gavin and Charlie. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to deal with that sort of public interest and gossip.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. I wanted you from the moment I first saw your photo. That feeling solidified when I saw you at the store.”
“And Jake?”
“We hit it off when we met in the cafe. I’ve never had the same reaction to a man before. He smells good. Gets me hot.”
Ambar made a scoffing sound. “You like him because of his smell?”
“Come up here.” Hari lifted her to her feet with easy strength. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her against his naked body. Her mind leapt instantly to sex, and she rubbed against him, a rumbling purr erupting before she even formed a thought. Being naked and with Hari felt natural and right. And she sort of understood what he meant when he mentioned Jake’s scent. She really liked Jake’s smell. Her brows furrowed. Hari’s scent did it for her too, curse his striped hide.
“Last chance, love. If you want to leave, you need to go now.”
He was placing responsibility in her hands. Instead of answering, she drew his head down and kissed him. Although she’d intended to go slow, need escalated into desperation almost from the first touch. Hari took over the kiss, holding her head firmly while he ate at her lips. Sweet yet demanding, he increased the assaul
t on her mouth while his hands skimmed with purpose and skill, mapping her curves and seeking out sensitive spots.
“That feels so good.” Pleasure suffused Ambar when he slid his hands down her back in a long, luxurious stroke. The slide of a masculine thigh between her legs and the firm kneading of her bottom had her nerve-endings singing in delight. Then Jake slipped into the mental picture, setting her heart pounding. It was difficult not to compare the two men. Jake acted more playful while Hari demanded and conquered.
She let out a disappointed groan when Hari pulled away. Her fingers curled into his biceps, trying to hold him in place. It didn’t work. He was stronger and they both knew it.
“You’re beautiful.” His breath caressed her face as he glanced down at her breasts.
“So are you.”
“I have scars.”
“I don’t notice them now.” It was nothing less than the truth because his personality grabbed the focus once the initial shock of his scar ended.
He ran the back of his hand over her collarbone and halted on the upper slope of her breast. She shivered and silently willed him to continue, to cup her breast and pinch her nipple.
“Take me,” she said.
“Good idea.” Hari lifted her with ease, despite her height and sturdy build. He made her feel small and dainty. Feminine. He placed her on the grassy area and followed her down, holding her in place with his muscular chest.
“Offer me your breast.” His husky voice lured her to obey.
She cupped one breast, feeling the weight of her flesh, the softness of her skin. Licking her lips, she watched him. He maintained an enigmatic expression, but the glitter of his eyes gave him away. As much as he wanted her, he didn’t intend to hurry. This was going to be a feast rather than a quick, dirty roll in the grass.
“I feel as if I’m betraying Jake,” she burst out.
“I keep telling you—it doesn’t have to be either me or Jake. You don’t have to choose. You could have both of us if you play your cards right.”
Tiger by the Tail Page 10
