Tiger by the Tail

by Shelley Munro

  “But what will people say? What will they think?”

  “Does it matter? Your brother isn’t exactly traditional. My family isn’t here and neither is Jake’s.”

  “That’s true.” And just like that, her lingering reservations faded, turmoil stilled. For now.

  Holding eye contact, she lifted her breast for him. The peak pulled tight and her stomach muscles trembled as she strained toward him. His mouth closed around the tip, delicately at first with a slight tug. The pull became hard suction that sped straight to her pussy.

  “Hari.” His name was a plea for more, and they both knew it.

  He lifted his head to laugh softly and pinched her other breast, the shooting pain adding another layer to his touch. “I don’t have any condoms. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “Gavin gave me some birth control shots.” With felines, pregnancy was the only issue when it came to sex, something Ambar appreciated. They were lucky compared to humans who had to watch out for all sorts of nasties.

  “Good.” He lowered his head again, his mouth hot and wet. With lazy strokes of his tongue, he tormented her until sensual tension grew, coiling like a spring about to burst inside her. His loving felt different from Jake’s, and if she closed her eyes, she’d know it was Hari making love to her. Each touch felt good in a different way.

  She parted her thighs, silently requesting he touch her more intimately. She craved his fingers trailing over her folds, pumping into her pussy, needed it now that he’d awakened her hunger.

  Despite her urgency, the frantic tilt of her hips, he kept the pace slow, touching her everywhere but where she wanted it most. She could feel the moistness of her labia, the liquid roll of desire preparing her for his possession, but still he dallied, taking a nibble here, a lick there.

  “I knew your skin would feel soft.” Hari dragged calloused fingers over one hip, and her stomach hollowed. He nuzzled the delicate crease where leg and torso met, running his tongue downward.

  She almost cried when he stopped short of his goal. “Keep going.” Her hands gripped his shoulders in alarm. “Please, don’t stop.”

  “There’s no hurry. No one requires our presence.”

  “I require your presence,” she snapped. “Here.” She slid a finger down her body, over her mound and into the hot, needy flesh between her legs. A groan escaped when she grazed her swollen clitoris. “That feels good. It would feel even better if you did it for me.”

  “Stop.” Hari grabbed her hand and lifted it to his mouth. He paused and studied the glossy juices shining on her forefinger before taking it into his mouth. Her pussy pulsed when she felt the lap of his tongue cleaning her finger. The suction of his mouth felt naughty. A gasp escaped at the sheer sexiness of it.

  “Put your hands above your head.”

  Another order. Ambar hesitated, wanting to touch and explore his body. The palms of her hands literally itched at the thought of stroking his hard chest and the contrasting silkiness of his cock. Her mouth watered.

  “You don’t follow orders well.”

  “Not since my parents died,” she confessed.

  “Following my instructions now doesn’t mean I’ll expect you to obey me all the time. I like your independence. Your audaciousness. I don’t want a traditional woman, someone who will cling or expect me to do everything for them.”

  Ambar didn’t know how to react to his declaration. Did he really think they had a future? She tried to read him, to weigh his response before slowly raising her arms above her head to wait for his next move.

  Straddling her hips, he took his time, his hot gaze traveling leisurely across her face, lingering at the base of her neck and smiling when he finally reached her breasts. A prickle of sensation licked her pussy, just from having him look at her. Oh he was good. A quick breath lifted her breasts, the pregnant pause while she waited for him to touch almost unbearable. Begging words banked up in her mind, the bite of her teeth on her bottom lip the only thing keeping her silent.

  And then he touched her.

  Just a graze of contact, a barely there stroke she sensed instead of physically felt. A sizzle burned her skin when he repeated the caress, a brush of his knuckles across the curve of a breast. She couldn’t hold back the inhalation of shock, the jerk of her hips. She parted her legs farther, shamelessly exposing her sex to the cool air.

  “Am I doing better now?” Her gaze arrowed in on his throat and cruised down to the place where shoulder and neck met. In her mind’s eye she saw herself leaning over, licking that delicate area until it shone and the blood pulsed beneath his skin.

  “Hell,” Hari cursed softly.

  She felt his thighs tense, muscles straining while he fought for control. Then she visualized her teeth sinking into the pad of skin and imagined the taste of blood. Ambar shuddered, a low moan coming from deep in her chest. What the hell? First Jake and now Hari. If she wasn’t careful she’d end up with a mate. She gripped his arms, attempting to push him away.

  “Ambar?”

  She blinked, gaze connecting with his as she primly closed her legs.

  “What’s wrong, love?”

  “I want to bite you. God, what is wrong with me? I wanted to bite Jake too. It was so close the other morning. I nipped him but didn’t break the surface.”

  Hari growled and she risked a glance before looking quickly away.

  He captured her chin with his fingers, forcing her to focus on him. “I want that. I want to mate with you. I want to mate with Jake. But if you think I’m not confused about it, think again.”

  “But don’t you see? I don’t want to mate with anyone. When my parents were alive, I had to follow their orders. They intended to hand me over to a man, giving me to him so I had to follow his orders. I had no choice. As much as I loved my parents, respected their opinions, I don’t intend to obey anyone. I like my freedom, and I’m not willing to give it up. I am not a slave to my hormones, dammit.”

  “If I promise not to expect anything from you except pleasure, would that work?”

  “You’re a male. You’re just saying that. Don’t you understand? I don’t want to stay in Middlemarch forever. There are things I want to do, places I’d like to visit.” Yes, she could imagine wandering along a tropical beach, splashing in the warm turquoise sea.

  “I’m not stopping you from doing anything,” Hari said, a sharp note in his tone. “All I’m asking is to share some mutual pleasure.”

  She stared, trying to weigh his response and decipher his expression. “Okay, but a warning. Don’t try to force me because you won’t like the result.”

  He nodded immediately. “I accept. Put your hands back over your head.”

  She frowned but acquiesced, noting the way her breasts shifted when she raised her arms.

  “Spread your legs again for me.”

  She did as he requested, part of her amused at the constant orders. Jake really was so different. It struck her as weird, comparing two men while she was naked, planning on having sex with one of them.

  Hari moved over her, fitted his cock to her entrance and slid home in one seamless thrust. Her sheath pulsed around him, the hard throb and unexpectedness of his abrupt move feeling so good she wanted to purr.

  “Okay?”

  “Very.”

  Hari pulled back and thrust smoothly until he filled her.

  Ambar did purr this time, shifting her arms to hold him close.

  He stopped moving. “Hands back above your head.”

  “But I want to touch you.”

  “I can’t guarantee my control if you touch me.”

  “So I’m never allowed to touch you?”

  “Are you going to let me make love to you again?”

  “It would be sex,” Ambar said sweetly. She clenched the muscles of her vagina, subtly taunting him because he wouldn’t let her touch.

  “Lie to yourself if you want, Ambar, but you know as well as me this is more than mere sex.”

  Ambar open
ed her mouth to snap at him, but he started to move again, the angle of his thrust clipping her in just the right spot. Instead of a complaint, her throat rumbled with a satisfied feline mew.

  He nuzzled her neck, licking across the mating site, hands skimming her arms, fingers pinching one nipple. The nip of pain jolted her, smoothing out with a burst of pleasure when he slickly stroked into her body. In and out. In and out. The pleasure bloomed as he played her body like a musical maestro.

  “Hari, please.”

  “Please what?” His warm breath teased her ear, detonated another explosion in her pussy.

  “Please make me come.”

  “Fuck you or make love to you?”

  “Both. Either. I don’t care.”

  Face hardening a fraction, he increased the pace, snapping his hips with relentless surges that jolted her entire body. He ceased his tender touches, and she missed them. Subtly, he was showing her the difference. Ambar didn’t care. Maybe she would later, but now all she wanted was to come. Never before had she felt so tightly wound, like a spring ready to explode.

  Sweat beaded on their bodies, the liquid sounds of fucking loud. Hari surrounded her yet something was missing. She watched him and his expression softened, the harsh line of his scar relaxing.

  “That’s it, love.” He dipped his head to kiss her, the fevered meeting of lips the catalyst she needed to relax. Hari surged into her again and the pleasure started to unfurl. Another smooth thrust pushed her over, and with a cry, she shattered. She was vaguely aware of Hari coming, or at least he stopped his thrusting, and rested his weight on her for an instant.

  “Can I move my arms?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Ambar stroked a hand across his damp back, savoring the feel of his body surrounding hers. She threaded her fingers through his black hair, taking pleasure in exploring and petting him.

  He withdrew and moved away from her. Ambar made a grab for him and yanked his body back against hers, needing the contact and wanting to kiss him. Their lips met, lingered. She closed her eyes to focus on her surroundings. She heard the rapid beat of Hari’s heart and the soft purrs of satisfaction that came from him even though she sensed he preferred to keep them hidden. The cry of a bird flying somewhere overhead and the rustle of the breeze through the dried grasses added to her well-being. A sense of peace fell over her, and she knew this was right. Of course that didn’t mean she needed to accept Hari or the future he offered. She’d meant it when she’d told Hari she wanted to travel and explore the world.

  She frowned as she considered Jake. He was tied to his farm and wouldn’t travel any time soon. Besides, she thought he had money problems after buying out his parents. Not that he’d ever mentioned anything. It was more of an impression she’d gained when she noticed he didn’t go out as much and tended to stay at home if possible.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “Jake. I think he has money problems.” She half expected him to show jealousy, but he surprised her.

  “I’m sure he does. That won’t be a problem. I can help him.”

  “You have money?”

  Laughing, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Is that such a surprise?”

  “You don’t act like you have money.”

  “You can come with me when I return my rental car and splash out on a new vehicle. Would that convince you?”

  “Are you going to Dunedin?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d love to. I haven’t been to the city for ages. I wouldn’t mind a new dress to wear to the Middlemarch Singles’ Ball.”

  “Shopping doesn’t scare me,” Hari said in a dry tone. “I have lots of cousins. Female ones.”

  Ambar sat up and clicked her fingers. “Damn, my cunning plan didn’t work.”

  “If you want to send me packing, love, you’ll have to try a lot harder than that. You’re not the only one who wants to bite.”

  Ambar scrambled away from him in alarm. “If you mark me, I’ll never forgive you.”

  Hari rolled to his feet with pure feline grace. “I will never mark you without your permission.”

  Ambar surveyed him uncertainly, trying to gauge his sincerity. “I’d make a formidable enemy,” she said finally.

  Hari grinned and stretched with unconcern. “I’m sure you would, but I have no intention of upsetting you. I suggest we take this back to the house, after another quick run.” He extended his hand and waited, showing more patience than typified a human male.

  Ambar’s stomach roiled at his words, but in a good way. Her nipples, already pert and stiff, prickled with a wave of heat. Giving in to the urge she couldn’t explain, she took the hand he offered, softening in a purely feminine way. “All right.”

  It was a step into an uncertain future and they both knew it.

  Hari released her hand unwillingly and stepped back to call his tiger form. Ambar was unsure of the situation. He recognized her uncertainty, but that wouldn’t stop him from claiming his mates. Intuition told him all he needed to do was get the three of them together and let nature take its course. Ambar had already admitted she’d wanted to mark Jake and instinct had urged her to do the same to him.

  The pain-pleasure of the shift forced a growl from him as bones lengthened and muscles reshaped. He fell to all fours and embraced the change, the enhanced senses and the scent of his mate. He barked a command at her, and when she ignored him, he crowded her, nipping her flank.

  Ambar snarled a warning and lashed him in the face with her tail. Hari grinned. It would take more than that to cow him. He admired the swish of her tail while she padded away and thought about mating with her in tiger form. Maybe farther into their relationship. She needed to trust him first.

  With a feline smirk, he zipped up behind her and sped past, enjoying the whistle of wind rippling over his fur and whiskers. He heard the thud of paws behind him and increased his speed. God, he loved Middlemarch. He didn’t think he’d ever leave.

  Back at the barn, they shifted and retrieved their clothes, dressing rapidly. They were both silent during the drive back to Jake’s house. Hari had no idea of Ambar’s thoughts, but he was busy planning his courtship of Jake and Ambar. This was their future and he intended to prove it to them.

  Hari pulled up outside Jake’s house, a little disappointed when he didn’t see Jake’s vehicle.

  Ambar sighed heavily.

  “Something wrong?”

  “I can smell you. It’s as if I had a cold and now I can smell everything again. You want me.”

  He turned to her with a grin, knowing it would come across as predatory. “Never doubt it, love.”

  She sighed again, an unhappy sound that made him frown. “Let’s go,” she said in a sharp voice.

  Hari hesitated then held his silence. Patience. Ambar would come to accept this new arrangement. Besides, he was very good at compromise.

  Chapter Eight

  “Jake?” Hari called when they entered the house. There was no reply.

  “He’s been here. I can smell him.” An appreciative smile curled her lips as she pulled Jake’s scent across her receptors. Her nose twitched and her eyes glowed as a purr escaped. “I don’t know why but he smells better than he ever has before. The mail is on the counter.”

  Hari wanted to stare at her and soak in her scent, yet the urge to touch governed most of all. “It’s because you’re actually embracing the idea of Jake as a mate.” And him. Hari liked that part most of all, but he wasn’t stupid enough to tell her and risk more of her skittish behavior. She didn’t think they’d manage to work around their problems. Early days. She didn’t know or trust him yet, but he looked after those he cared about.

  Ambar and Jake.

  Trying to focus on something other than Ambar and the tantalizing scent wafting from her body, Hari scanned the mail rapidly and saw they were mostly bills. If Jake had money problems, he’d offer financial help, hopefully without upsetting any pride. It would be a way of showing the oth
er man how serious he was about him, about them. He glanced at Ambar and reached for her hand. “Let’s go and play.”

  “Oh, is play the new word for fucking?”

  “We can do that as well.” Instead of going to his room, he led her to Jake’s.

  She planted her feet and jerked him to a stop. “We can’t do it in there. That’s Jake’s room. It’s plain wrong to have sex in Jake’s bed. It’s bad enough now because I feel as if I’ve cheated on him. This would be like rubbing his nose in it.”

  “My bed is a single.” Hari was determined to make love to Ambar in Jake’s bed. He wanted Jake’s scent to surround them. There were other reasons too, more complicated, that he didn’t want to explain to Ambar. He was working to plan and she didn’t need to know he was managing and finessing both her and Jake.

  Ambar balked again just inside the doorway. Hari tugged her into his arms and started his seduction. He kissed her softly on the lips and trailed kisses and nibbles down her throat, taking care to stay away from the marking site so he didn’t spook her.

  He let his hands wander her body, learning and memorizing her ample curves. When she started purring, he led her to the bed and pushed her down. He dealt swiftly with her clothes and his own before joining her. Jake’s scent lingered on the sheets, adding a new element to their togetherness. He inhaled, the combined scents driving his lust. Blood filled his cock, excitement like a throb in his veins.

  Their three scents entwined in his mind.

  Perfect.

  He couldn’t wait for Jake to join them. His canines lengthened, the need to mark his territory a siren song whispering through his mind.

  “Do you smell Jake?” His husky voice rippled with anticipation.

  “Yes, I smell him.”

  “Are you at least curious about how hot it will be with the three of us together?” He knew it would be good. Just thinking about the three of them together and touching each other made his cock steel-hard.

  “I don’t want to be.” But her words belied the tinge of excitement flashing in her eyes, the scent of arousal that came from her when she fidgeted beneath the weight of his chest.