Tigers Like It Hot (6 page)

Gentle lips pressed soft kisses against her eyelids and she sobbed harder. Even now, when she was so broken, he was trying to initiate sex. What was wrong with the man?

“I won’t have sex with you. If you force me, I’ll have you arrested. We aren’t in Langston with Billy and Bobby’s dad still the sheriff.” She didn’t want to start on the Anderson twin’s dad who was the DA for the county. There was no real justice in Langston, not for foster kids, anyway.

“Sh…baby. No one is going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do other than stay in this room until we have a chance to explain things better. We don’t know a Billy and Bobby or a set of twins from Langston, wherever that is. We
really
are shape shifters and you really
are
our mate. We only need a few more minutes to prove it. We only need to know that you won’t run screaming from us once we do.”

“Okay.” She swiped her arm across her eyes and met his gaze. “If I play along, you’ll let me leave afterward?”

“Yes.” Mac nodded. “Now, answer my questions. What will you do once you finally realize that Gareth is a white Caspian tiger and I am a red Caspian tiger?”

“I don’t believe this.” She shook her head and smiled through her tears. “This is crazy, but if it will get you guys to leave me alone and let me and Kelly be on our way, I’ll play along and tell you that it’s been one of my fantasies since I read my first paranormal romance.”

“What has been your fantasy?”

“I read that these shape shifters love and protect their women above all else. Their women are everything to them—their life. What sane woman wouldn’t want that?”

“What about with two of us?”

She snorted. “Are you hard of hearing? I’ve already told you that I have done that before. It would be awesome to have
one
man who would love me forever. Two would be more than I could ever hope for.” She sighed. “Tell that to those assholes when you report back to them.”

“You were going to suspend your disbelief,” Gareth reminded her.

“I never agreed to that. I only told you that I knew what the term meant.” She sniffed.

“I’d appreciate it if you would try.” Gareth glowered. “I don’t want to scare the hell out of you when I shift.”

“You’re really going to take this to the end, aren’t you?” She shook her head and slid off Mac’s lap. “No offense, Mac, but as nice as it felt to have you hold me, I’m a big girl and I don’t need
that
pressing into my hip reminding me of what I’m going to turn down in a minute.” She pointed at his crotch.

“I hope you don’t turn us down, baby. You’re the first woman that we’ve met in over one-hundred years who could possibly be our mate. While there could be others, it could take just as long, or longer to find another. Not to mention the fact that…” He let his words trail off and hung his head.

“Not to mention what?” she prompted.

“That I think we’re both a little in love with you already,” he finished. “Love comes to mates quickly. Sometimes we don’t even know each other and we feel as though we have known each other for years and can’t live without our intended mate.”

“Right!” She drew the word out. “Like I’m going to believe
that
.”

“I hope you do, when you see that we aren’t lying to you and we aren’t delusional.” Gareth took off his shirt. “I’m undressing because my tiger form is much larger than my human form and I don’t want to ruin my clothes. I also don’t want to scare you with the magic of what we are just yet. It’s going to be enough to deal with the fact that I can shift my shape.”

“I hope you’re not taking those off because you think I’ll fall at your feet when I see what kind of hot body you have. I can see you’re hot already. I don’t need to see you naked to reinforce it.” She couldn’t help but stare, her mouth dry, as he peeled the t-shirt off over his head.

“You think I’m hot?” Gareth asked with a grin.

“I think you’re both hot and you know it.” She crossed her arms with a scowl. “Can we get this over with?”

Jessi found it interesting that removing his shirt didn’t disturb his mask or take any of the make-up off. She frowned as he reached for his belt buckle. “I mean it.” She pointed at his crotch. I’m telling you now, while I’m in my right mind. No means
no
and I mean
no
!”

She knew that once she saw him naked, she was likely to jump his bones. She hadn’t had sex in years. What she did with her toys didn’t count. She might lie to herself and Kelly, but her threesome days weren’t that far behind her. In fact, they were packed away in her suitcase with two huge vibrating dildos and a bottle of lube.

“Don’t do it. Don’t do it.” She shook her head. How would she ever resist the man once he was naked? She was horny, damn it!

Slowly, he unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned the fly on his jeans and slid them down over his lean hips.

“Commando!” She met his gaze and Gareth smiled and winked. “I don’t believe this.” Fanning her face, she looked away. If she didn’t, she’d be unable to stop staring at the impressive package that grew larger by the second. “I’m in a hotel room with a naked man and I keep saying
no
.” She shook her head.

“Look at me.”

Jessi turned her head at the strange, low rumble of Gareth’s voice. It sounded almost like a growl. Her eyes widened when she saw the tail that she had assumed he’d had attached to his pants whip around his body as though brushing at flies.

Her mouth dropped open when his face changed, his jaw widened, elongating into a snout. His ears changed, shifting upward toward the top of his head. White fur covered his body, followed closely by the black stripes he’d had in his hair. His arms and legs changed, thickened with sinewy muscle. His entire body shifted and changed until a beautiful white tiger stood before her staring at her with Gareth’s blue eyes.

“I-I…” She covered her mouth with her hand and stared at him. Her fingers trembled against her lips, her legs shook and she wasn’t sure she could stand any longer. Reaching toward Mac, she stumbled into his arms as he rushed to catch her before she fell. “I can’t believe it. That’s—it’s so cool!” She smiled up at Mac. “Can you do that, too?”

“Yes.” He nodded, though he didn’t smile as Gareth changed back, his form becoming fully human. “Though, I cannot shift all the way back like Gareth can.” He reached back and grabbed his tail. “I have a permanent injury that keeps me from losing this. I will always have the tail not matter how many times I shift. Does it disgust you?”

Mac’s face shifted to his full human form and Jessi could do little more than gape at the man. Though she could tell the two were handsome beneath the masks she’d thought they wore, she hadn’t been prepared for the true beauty of the two men. Both had strong square jaws. Mac’s nose looked a little flatter, more like a tiger’s nose. It might have had something to do with the injury that kept him from ridding himself of the beautifully soft tail that he brushed against her arm. Reaching out, she grasped it.

Mac’s entire body jerked with the contact and he groaned. She dropped it immediately.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No.” he shook his head with a laugh. “Actually, our tails are an erogenous zone. A lot of males will make love while partially shifted to bring those zones into play during lovemaking. Will that turn you off?”

“Turn me off?” she asked with a snort. Reaching down, she grasped it again, and gently stroked the soft fur. “Hell, that turns me on more than you could possibly believe.”

Mac closed his eyes and groaned again. “I like that you like it.” He glanced at Gareth who had just pulled his jeans up over his hips and was currently tucking his impressive package beneath the thick denim. “He’ll like it, too.”

Jessi shifted her gaze to Gareth. “Does it hurt to do that?” She wanted to know everything. Ever since she’d read her first paranormal novel, she’d wished there were shape shifters in the world.
Real
shape shifters, and not the people who pretended to be, or who thought they were shifters.

“No. It doesn’t hurt.” He smiled. “Actually, it kind of tingles.”

“After we mate will I be a tiger shifter, too?” She wanted to know what to expect. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be a shifter, but like Mac said, the bond between them grew with each passing moment. “It’s not a deal breaker either way.” She tilted her head and smiled. “I mean, I’m not sure I like the idea of becoming a shape shifter.” She wrinkled her nose. “I can’t imagine a fat tiger is all that attractive.”

Gareth moved so fast, he was nothing but a blur. One second he was a good twelve feet away, standing in front of the window and the next, he had his body pressed tight against hers, his hand cupping her cheek.

“You’re perfect. Do you hear me?” He practically growled the words.

Mac moved in behind her, his hard body pressed against her rear. “We love you just the way you are. And make no mistake, Jessi. As impossible as it might seem, I already love you. I can only imagine that Gareth feels the same.”

“I do.” Gareth leaned forward and pressed soft kisses against her forehead, eyes and cheeks before covering her lips with his.

Jessi relaxed into the embrace, reveling in the feel of their hard bodies pushed so tight against hers. She felt their impressive erections through their clothes and wished that she didn’t have that first date rule.

As much as she didn’t want to abide by it, she knew that she couldn’t abandon it. To do so would leave her in a bad, bad place if they decided this mate thing couldn’t work. After having a one-night-stand with these two men, she might revert back to her old slutty habits if she didn’t stick to her guns right now, when it counted.

Gareth pulled back, sucking her bottom lip as he did so. Jessi groaned as he ended their kiss. It was probably a good thing he did so. She’d kissed him twice already while Mac was left to watch.

With his groin against her, his erection riding in the cleft of her rear and his hands sliding up and down her body from her breasts to her thighs, he might have been watching, but he’d kept himself busy.

“I love the feel of your body beneath my hands.” He whispered the words in her ear before gently pulling the lobe between his lips and gently sucking. “You’re soft in all the right places, and I love it.” He cupped her mound, grinding the palm of his hand against her mons.

“We can’t—I can’t do this. Not now. Not today. I-I have a strict code of conduct of my own. I can’t—I
won’t
have sex with you today. I never have sex on the first date. It’s bad enough that I’ve kissed Gareth twice already. I never kiss on the first date, either.” However that was a rule she could live with breaking. She didn’t know if she could survive the night if she couldn’t kiss them.

“What if we don’t have sex?” Gareth pressed his cock against her lower stomach. “What if we spent the night petting?”

“Oh, God…” Jessi panted as their hands skimmed all over her body, exciting her more and more with every stroke. She shook her head. “I-I can’t. I’ll give in to you. I know I will, and then I’ll be no better than the wanton slut I once was.”

“Stop that! Why call yourself names?” Mac growled against her neck, biting gently at the sensitive flesh where her neck met her shoulder. “Men have sex with multiple partners all of the time and no one calls them names.”

“It’s different for men. I don’t know why, but men can be the biggest man-whores in the world and people just snicker and hide their laughter behind their hands. They save the name-calling for women. I can’t—I
won’t
become that again.”

She pulled away from them, ran her trembling hands through her hair and sighed. “I’ll get a room here. We can count this afternoon the first date. We’ll call dinner tonight the second date and tomorrow…” She smiled. “That can be the day.” She turned and headed for the door. “One of you come with me, please, or I’m liable to melt into a puddle in the elevator if I’m by myself.”

Mac accompanied Jessi to the front desk, where she rented a room and they gathered their driver’s licenses and car keys. “I’ll run these to Zach and Derek while you get settled in your room.”

“I’ll do it.” She smiled softly and put her hand against his chest. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but Kelly has the same rule, and if she feels even half of what I do, I’ll need to go save her from herself.”

Mac smiled as they walked to her car to get the women’s bags. “Just the two bags?”

“For now.” She smiled back. “The rest of our things are in storage in Langston.” She waited for him to lift the bags from the trunk, then pushed it closed. “We wanted to find a place to live before we brought it with us.”

“You’ll have a place to live if you agree to be our mate.” Mac turned and led the way back into the hotel. Even with his hands full, he managed to hold the door open for her. Her smile of thanks made it well worth the effort.

He took a deep breath as she walked by. He loved the way she smelled. He loved whatever soap she used and the residual scent of her arousal. “I love the way you smell.” He almost groaned as she walked by him, bathing him in her scent once again.

“Thank you,” she replied with a smile. “I love the way you smell, too.”

He resisted the urge to smell his pits. “You can smell me?”

“Only when you press that hot body of yours against me.” Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, as though remembering how he smelled as he’d pressed himself against her.

“Oh.” He grinned. “You had me worried for a minute.” He waited until the elevator doors closed. “Humans can’t usually smell us.”

“I’m sure they can if you get as close as you did with me.” She chuckled at his expression. “Don’t worry. You don’t stink.”

They rode the elevator up to the sixth floor. Apparently, all of the rooms on the other floors were already taken. It was the town’s busy time of year. The hotel was almost full. It was a wonder there weren’t people running about everywhere.

He carried the bags to her room. “Where do you want these?” he asked as she set the small bags she’d gathered from the backseat on the beds. He wasn’t sure, but they looked like laptop bags.