CHAPTER FOUR
Nik blinked and the entire world was fuzzy. He was thankful she had warned him. Otherwise, he would have had a moment of panic over his eyesight. Cats need their vision and use it perhaps more than any other creature of the night, and his was an invaluable tool for locating the enemy in the dark. He knew there was an enemy out there, one that was seeking to hold him hostage again, to take away every part of him that made him human.
If the woman hadn’t untied him when she had and hadn’t taken the time to put him at ease, he would have lost his mind when he realized he was once again a prisoner. There was something about her soothing manner, the way she was caring for him that let him know she was no threat. When she explained herself, it all made sense. He couldn’t be trusted not to hurt her when he was in tiger form.
Light was the first thing to flow into his line of vision, small blocks of light, more than likely streaming in from windows. It was daytime. As his vision started clearing, his other senses awakened as well. First his hearing as the sounds of various birds floated around him. Then his sense of smell, which had not vanished before but seemed heightened now. That woodsy earthy scent he had smelled earlier, the scent that was unmistakably
her
permeated the room and crashed all around him.
His cock hardened beneath the sheet, straining even more than it had before, making it painfully obvious how much he wanted her. He didn’t even know her name, but it didn’t matter. What he felt pulsing through his veins was primitive, part of his makeup as a male and as a tiger. Part of the way he operated in the world. He was alpha, first born. He was the kind who took what he wanted.
She stood across the room, arms folded across her chest, narrow shoulders making her look downright breakable to him. Her trim waist and shapely legs made his mouth go dry as he took in all of her, letting his vision return with her as his first image. Long, dark hair flowed down her back and looked as soft as it had felt against his skin earlier. The way she was standing accentuated her breasts, which were ample enough, but not overly large. They would fit perfectly in his hands, he thought. His breath lodged somewhere in his throat as the need coursed through him. A low rumbling started in his chest and threatened to erupt from his mouth, but when he turned his attention to her face, he swallowed the primal call.
Terrified. Her face was terrified, eyes wide, lips parted, pupils dilated. Her hands gripped her biceps as she held her arms tightly to her chest as if she was waiting for him to pounce on her, waiting for the animal to come out and eat her alive. Her back was to the door, but she was within two steps of it, her feet turned so she could make her escape quickly if need be.
“I won’t hurt you. I swear it.” He pushed himself off the bed, his feet making contact with the floor. Dragging the sheet with him more for her sake than his, he stood on wobbly legs and had to catch himself using the bedside table. “See? I’m too weak to hurt you even if I wanted to.”
Her teeth pulled on her bottom lip and her forehead wrinkled for a second before she let out an exasperated sigh and came to his aid. “I believe you. Now that you’ve proven yourself, will you get back in bed?”
Her hands were on him, brushing against his chest, wrapping around his arms, guiding him to the bed. Oh, yes. This was exactly what he wanted. Her leading him to her bed, her hands steady and certain as she ran them along his skin. Only she wasn’t stroking him. She was simply helping him back into bed.
He swallowed a curse before his backside came into contact with the soft mattress. “I feel like death.”
She grinned. “You sort of look like it, too. If you think you can eat, I’ll fix you some soup, then we’re going to take it easy. You can have a bath later and I’ll change the sheets. I swear you will feel more human then.” She blushed at her words as if she hadn’t realized the irony in them at first. “Sorry. You know what I mean. I’m not trying to say you’re not human…”
“You blush easily.” He reached out and touched her cheek, then instantly realized what a mistake that had been. She was so soft he just wanted to bury himself inside her and never come up for air.
“I’m just tired. When I’m tired I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve.” She shrugged, then turned away from him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with some soup. Try not to move until I get back.”
He nodded and settled against the pillows, letting the room come into view even more clearly. It was starkly decorated and looked nothing like the women’s bedrooms he had been in before. Rustic was the best way to describe it, with the solid oak furniture and handmade quilts hanging on the wall and tossed over the foot of the bed. There was a small oak dresser with a weathered mirror on one side of the room and two doors, one of which she had slipped through earlier. He guessed the second to either be a closet or a restroom, which he suddenly realized he needed.
His cock strained again, but this time it was for a more human urge, and he realized the fire in his lower belly was from the need to piss. Shifting on the bed, he wondered if he was strong enough to make it through the second door, to take the chance that it was not a closet. There was no way he was going to call for her help even though he knew she’d had her hands all over him, helping him relieve himself while he had been unconscious. That thought made his head spin as he imagined how weak he must have been, unable to even care for his basic needs.
Pulling himself from the bed, he used the nightstand, then the wall, then the dresser to make his way to the door. His feet didn’t want to move and each step seemed to take more effort than the one before it. When he finally reached the door, he stopped to catch his breath and realized sweat was beading on his back and chest. Mustering up his strength, he pushed the door open and stepped into the restroom, wondering if he would be able to make it back to the bed before she returned.
Relieving himself had never felt so good, and he’d had to sit down in order to do it, for fear he would fall if he didn’t. Using the wall again, he pulled himself up to standing and began making his way back to the bed. His hands had just made contact with the dresser when the door opened and she stepped inside.
“What are you doing?” The tray she was holding was forgotten as she tossed it onto the dresser and moved to his side, her arms wrapping around him again. He fell against her, letting her carry the weight of his body.
“Had to pee.”
“Well you could have said something,” she scolded, taking each step slowly, allowing him to adjust to being back on his feet.
Cool air brushed over his body and he realized he was completely naked. And his morning wood had nothing at all to do with the fact that he needed to pee, but everything to do with her having her hands on him.
If she was aware of his erection, she ignored it as she led him back to the bed. When he was tucked back in, he fought the urge to pull her in behind him, to press his body against hers, to feel how soft she would be flush against him. Her lips would open for him as his tongue delved inside. He would pull her T-shirt over her head, revealing a plain white bra. Then he would dip his head lower and…
He let out a groan, unable to stop himself this time. The sound vibrated from his throat and ended in a primal mating call, one he could not take back. He wanted her. It was as simple as that. And before all this was over, he would have her.
CHAPTER FIVE
Juliette had convinced him to sit up in bed instead of coming to the table as he’d wanted to do. So far, having an unconscious tiger was much easier than having one who thought he could do everything himself. When she had been in control the last few days, everything had been clinical. He was a patient. But now that he was awake and virile and looking at her with those soulful blue eyes, it was becoming more and more difficult to see him as a patient.
Of course, his body had fascinated her before, but he was a forbidden fruit, someone who she couldn’t think of as a man. He needed her help. She was there to offer it. End of story. But now…she looked over at him as he lifted the bowl to his lips to drink down the broth, his eyes never leaving her face. Now he was a predator and she felt more like prey than she ever had in her entire life.
This was dangerous. She couldn’t get close to people. Someday, those who sought her out would find her and she would be forced to leave this place if she was able to get out alive. There was no way she could risk another person, even for short term. But deep down inside she knew she’d already put him at risk by keeping him here this long. If she had been attacked while he was unable to defend himself, he would have died, but she also knew that if she hadn’t acted when she did, he would’ve died in the swamp. She at least wanted to give him a fighting chance.
When his bowl slammed against the wooden tray a little harder than he had perhaps intended, she jumped from her reverie.
“Didn’t mean to startle you.” His voice was still scratchy, but was coming back.
“I was just thinking about how much danger you are in being here with me.”
“There’s danger all right. But it has nothing to do with anything outside this room.” The way he stared at her made her feel as if he could see straight through her, as if he had undressed her and was looking into her soul. Yeah, he was right. The danger was right here and it was staring her in the face, its lips turned up in a half smile.
“You wanted a bath.” She stood and began picking up their dishes. She had eaten in here with him, thinking it would be rude to eat in the other room, but the way he watched her turned dinner into something unexpectedly carnal.
“Yes. I did.” He looked up at her. “But I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to do it myself. Weak ankles, you know.”
“I’m sure you will manage. After all, you disobeyed my orders earlier by getting out of bed. Don’t worry; I promise not to let you drown.”
He grinned, giving her a good look at his teeth, at the fangs that were longer than canines should be, reminding her that he wasn’t human. At best he was a lethal machine and at worst, he enjoyed killing. Do tigers kill for pleasure? Could a man who was also a tiger live without killing? There were so many questions, none of which she felt were her place to ask, especially considering they hadn’t even exchanged names. Good. When he left, she didn’t want a name to cry out in her sleep. She just wanted him to remain part of her darkest fantasies, the man with no identity.
“I’ll get everything together for you. Please wait for me to help you to the bathroom.”
He nodded his agreement even though she wasn’t one hundred percent sure if he was agreeing to sit still until she was ready for him. Flicking on the bathroom light, she was thankful for the generator that allowed this place to be mostly modern, running water, electricity, air conditioning when the summer got too hot to live without it. This place was a rare gem in the swamps and she dreaded the day she would be forced to leave it behind. But she knew that day would come. Her enemies wanted her and would stop at nothing to find her. Even now she should be looking over her shoulder instead of playing nursemaid to a man who had become the embodiment of her fantasies.
Luckily, some of her brother’s clothes had been packed away in the storage room off to the side of the cabin. It had been their grandparents’ cabin years ago, so there were all kinds of sentimental items around. She had packed most of them away, trying to let go of her past, a life she couldn’t go back to. Logan and the stranger were about the same size, so his clothes should fit well enough, even if they weren’t exactly stylish anymore. Of course, jeans and T-shirts never really went out of style, right? Pulling an arm load of clothes from a box, she headed back to the bathroom to check on the water.
Pouring a mixture of patchouli and other herbs into the bath water, she watched as the steam rose off it, the oils drawing rainbows in the water. He would sink his body into it soon, his naked body. The water would lap over him like a lover’s tongue, inviting him in, caressing him, bringing a moan from his lips. She wanted to pull those emotions from him, tear a moan from him, feel him growl beneath her as he plunged into her.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to erase the image but it was there as if it had already happened, solidly implanted in her mind. Her above him, his face twisted in a mask of ecstasy, her hands trailing across his chest. Pushing herself away from the tub, she stood on shaky legs, aware of the need pulsing between her thighs, aware that he needed to leave soon before these fantasies got the best of her.
“I’m ready for you,” she called from the door, her voice strained as she tried to quell her desire. When he stood, he left the sheet behind. It was just as well. She had seen him naked before. Plenty of times in the past week. But she’d never seen him naked and moving toward her with such intense focus, his predatory gaze making her want to run and hide.
“Thought you were going to help me.” He stood near the dresser, moving much easier now than he had before.
“I got you some clothes. They’ve been in storage for a while, but they are clean.”
“So?” She had ignored his question and she knew it. “Are you going to help me?”
“Figured you made it this far, you could probably handle it on your own.”
“What if I slip and fall?” He raised an eyebrow, challenging what she had said earlier about not letting him drown.
“I think you’ll be fine. It’s not like you can do much more damage than what has already been done to you.”
“True. But this time it would be on your watch. Do you really want to be responsible for me getting hurt while you’re supposed to be caring for me?”
She jutted out her chin and folded her arms across her chest. “Fine.” Reaching for him, she realized her mistake as soon as her hand came into contact with his body.
He pulled her to him, his movements much surer than earlier, his hold much firmer. He healed quickly. When her chest came into contact with his, all the air went out of her lungs, leaving her head spinning. His scent surrounded her. Manly, virile, dangerous. The low rumble in his throat vibrated against her cheek as he bent down and nuzzled against her ear. It took every ounce of strength in her body not to respond, not to wrap her arms around him and let her hands explore the skin she had seen so many times in the past several days.
“Join me…” He stopped and looked her in the eyes, confusion covering his face. “I don’t even know your name. How is it that I feel closer to you than I ever have to anyone else and I know nothing about you?”
“You were injured. I healed you.” She used the moment to pull away from him even though it was the last thing she wanted to do.
“So? Your name?”
“It’s not important. Now that you’re healed, you will leave soon. It will be best for both of us.”
He opened his mouth as if he were going to protest, but instead just grinned. “I may leave, but I promise you I’ll be back.”