Authors: Nancy Corrigan
She reached a hand out to steady her shaky body. Damn. The
guy was good-looking. Was he a friend of Josh’s? Jazz pushed that thought away.
She didn’t care who he was. Hot guys didn’t have any place in her life. She
hopped off the chair and smoothed her halter-top.
Assured Josh would talk to her when he was done with the
tanned stranger, she faced Cindy. “I’m not lying. Everything is fine.”
“Do I look stupid?” She huffed. “You’ve been crying.”
With one hand on a flaring hip, Cindy pointed toward the
door. Knowing there was no escaping her friend’s probing inquiry and needing
the distraction, Jazz followed her outside.
The familiar sounds of the bar spilled out from the open
door behind them. It was 80s night, a big draw for the area. Hair bands still
lived strong among the locals.
Eye of the Tiger
, one of her all-time
favorites, started playing but even hearing the song she used to dance to with
a toddler on each hip didn’t ease her anxiety. She was a wreck.
“Okay, girlfriend. Spill. Are you upset about Tony?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’ve known you for a long time, Jazz. You get this little
tic in your jaw when you’re not being completely honest. So what is it?”
She shrugged and Cindy narrowed her eyes, not buying into
her hedging. As she gathered her thoughts—a necessity considering all the lies
she had to keep straight—she caressed the edge of the retro gas pump that stood
proudly next to the entryway. Josh had it custom-made with Jazz’s garage name
on it—
Classic Wyns
.
Free advertising
, he’d said and it matched
the theme of the bar. She couldn’t argue with the reasoning, especially when it
did send business her way.
“Are you worried about how he died?”
She sighed. Cindy was relentless. Jazz gave the shiny red
pump one last, loving caress. “Yeah, they’re saying it was an armed robbery.
Tony’s house is only a few miles from mine. What if—”
Cindy held up a hand. “The police are investigating.” She
reached forward and gave Jazz’s hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry. They’ll find him.”
“I suppose,” Jazz said, hoping to hurry the conversation
along.
Cindy flashed a bright smile as if everything was right in
the world now that she’d agreed with her. Cindy grabbed her hand and tugged. “Come
on. Dan’s brothers will be happy to see you. You never come out anymore.”
Jazz dug her heels in, stopping her. “I don’t feel like
socializing. I came to talk to Josh, then go home.”
“You never want to go out. Your life revolves around your
garage and your kids.” Cindy leveled her with a hard look. “You know, if you’re
not careful, you’re going to end up alone. You’re not getting any younger.”
Jazz groaned and glanced heavenward. “Don’t start, Cindy. I
am in no mood to discuss my love life.”
Cindy wrapped her arms around her stomach and openly laughed
at her. Jazz glared at her dramatic reaction. Her personal life wasn’t
something to laugh at.
“Please. You don’t have a love life.” Cindy wiped her eyes,
then waggled a finger at her. “Last date you went on was over three years ago
and that was only because I set you up.”
And what a disaster that had turned out to be. Her date had
walked her home and she’d ended up purposely tripping him so he didn’t see the
two small tigers sleeping on her porch. She’d decided then and there she wasn’t
getting involved with a guy. How was she supposed to explain to her boyfriend
that not only did she have kids, they weren’t human?
“I don’t have time for a relationship,” Jazz said for the
umpteenth time. They’d had this same conversation so many times over the past
few months it’d begun to feel as if they were rehearsing for a play.
“You can make time. Your restoration business is booming.
Hire an extra hand.”
“I don’t want anyone else touching the cars I’m fixing up.
Each one is special to me,” Jazz said. Besides, her garage was on her property.
The chances of her new helper learning her kids’ secret was too great. She
couldn’t risk it.
Cindy’s jaw worked back and forth. She blew out a rough
breath that stirred the edges of her bangs. “Yeah and just think where your
life would be if your pappy hadn’t taken you under his wings and taught you the
ropes. With the economy the way it is, a lot of the local kids are being forced
to move out after they graduate high school and most don’t want to. Give one of
them a chance, help them learn some valuable skills.”
She hated this. The lies. The secret world she had to live
in. Her life wasn’t meant to end up like this. But it had and it was damn
bittersweet. She had the two best kids in the world and nobody to share them
with. Well, she did have Mr. Wilkins, the only other person who knew what her
kids were, but her retired neighbor didn’t count.
Time to lie and move on. Cindy would never understand. “Okay,
you’ve got a point. I’ll look into it.”
Her eyes widened. “Great. Now you have time for a
relationship.” Cindy took her hand and yanked her back inside.
She chuckled. It was impossible not to. Cindy looked so
happy. “Don’t get any crazy ideas. I am not going out with any of your husband’s
friends. No more blind dates, thank you very much.”
“You don’t need any help from me, girlfriend. Once you drop
the ‘stay away from me’ glare you usually wear around members of the opposite
sex, you’ll have no problem picking up a guy.” Cindy looked her over, finger
tapping on her chin. “We might even have to beat them off you, especially if
you display your goods a little more.”
She tugged at Jazz’s shirt until the lacy edge barely
covered her nipples.
Jazz gasped and slapped her friend’s hands away. She quickly
righted her top and glared at her. She hated her
goods
. Her breasts were
too big for her frame but genetics was a crapshoot. You got whatever the DNA
mixing bowl dished out.
“Stop it. I am not enticing any lewd perverts with a showing
of my
goods
.”
Cindy raised her hands. “Just promise me you’ll keep an open
mind.”
She bit back her sharp retort. Cindy meant well. It wasn’t
her fault Jazz had to keep men at arm’s length. Wasn’t hers either, but those
were the facts. Until her boys were grown and out of the house, she couldn’t
risk a man’s involvement in her private life. But maybe there was one man she
could consider. She grinned.
“Fine. The next hot guy who shows any interest in me,” she
paused and thought about how Josh flirted with her every chance he got, “will
be the one I take home.”
“Ummm, now that’s an offer I can’t resist.”
Jazz pivoted and stared at the wide expanse of muscle in
front of her. A black tee stretched over a well-defined chest and stomach. Her
gaze slid down. A narrow waist met lean, denim-covered hips. She stared at the
growing bulge in his pants open-mouthed. An answering spark of arousal lighted
within her. Shivers of awareness, the same ones that had skipped down her spine
a few minutes ago, traveled from the hardening tips of her breasts to her clit.
The bundle of nerves seemed to suddenly take on a heartbeat of its own. She
squirmed and a low groan came from the man standing in front of her.
He tipped her chin up until she met his eyes. Her heart
skipped a beat. Exotic, up-tilted honey-gold eyes were framed by long blond
lashes. Specks of color floated in those oddly bright eyes—brown, blue, green.
Beautiful and downright captivating. She couldn’t tear her gaze from them.
Another low, appreciative sound spilled from him. Her gaze
dropped to his mouth. Full lips, parted slightly, glistened as if he’d licked
them. She swiped her tongue across her suddenly dry ones. Her breath came
faster and the fingers holding her chin tightened, not painfully, but more in
accompaniment of his moan. She slid her gaze to his and wondered if her eyes
betrayed her desire. His did. Half-lidded, dilated and drowsy, they mapped her
face before focusing on her mouth.
“Am I hot enough for you?” His thumb traced the lips she’d
licked. “Because you’ve caught my attention.” He bent closer and warm,
cinnamon-scented breath bathed her face. “I’m interested, little female. Very,
very interested.”
Jazz blinked but couldn’t make her mouth work. Up close the
man wasn’t just good-looking. He was gorgeous. She watched transfixed as his
amber eyes encompassed her vision. Cinnamon and the rich scent of sandalwood
filled her lungs. The world tilted but the hand holding her chin kept her
righted, anchored to him.
He brushed his lips over hers, back and forth. The light
touch tore a whimper from her throat. The tip of his tongue came next. He
swiped it over the seam of her lips and she parted them. He took the invitation
with a thrust of his tongue that was as controlled as the way he’d licked her
lips. Sure of his welcome, he twined his tongue with hers, guiding her, urging
her to open farther. She bent her head and matched his rolling movements,
drawing him deeper.
She swayed but this time the hand on her chin didn’t ground
her. Her weakened legs threatened to give out. She reached for his chest and
fisted his shirt. A low groan spilled from him to her. He tilted his head,
changing the angle of the kiss, and his sweeping exploration quickened. Her
pulse kicked up, matching the increased passion.
Hands on her hips yanked her away. Her back collided with a
wall of muscle. She gasped. Josh’s scent, a mix of cocoa butter soap and his
favorite shampoo, surrounded her, but his familiar fragrance didn’t comfort
her, not like it usually did. Her gaze locked on the man she’d just kissed, she
watched him straighten. He closed his eyes as if savoring her flavor and
another appreciative moan spilled from his throat.
Josh spun her in his arms and her wide-eyed gaze took in his
angry one.
Shit, shit, shit.
“Josh,” she mumbled, unsure of what to say.
Josh glanced from her face to the man she sensed still stood
behind her. His eyes narrowed and he breathed through flaring nostrils, but
when Josh looked at her, the same warm expression he often wore around her
returned. He rubbed a finger down her cheek.
“What do you want to talk about?” Josh asked.
For a long moment, she couldn’t remember. She squeezed her
eyes shut, opened them and blurted, “Megan.”
Josh grunted. “Seems she’s the topic of the day.” Gaze on
the man behind her, he asked, “What about her?”
Jazz glanced from Josh to the stranger and finally to Cindy,
who stood off to the side watching the exchange with interest. “Not here. I
need to talk to you in private.”
Josh sighed and set her away from him. “Not tonight,
Jasmine. I’m in no mood.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ll call you
tomorrow. Okay?”
He turned away but she couldn’t let him go without giving
him some basic safety precautions. The shifter world was a dangerous one. Granted,
she hadn’t had too many issues since she’d moved home but better safe than
sorry.
She grabbed his arm. “Wait.” Josh looked at her with pinched
brows. “Throw the dead bolts on the doors tonight and make sure the windows are
locked. And…don’t open the door for anyone you don’t know.”
Josh studied her with a deepening frown. “Why?”
“Because,” she shrugged, “I would feel better if you did.
Maybe…keep a gun handy. You know…just in case the robber decides to hit another
house.”
Or if the killer really was a shifter and after Megan, not jewelry.
God,
she prayed that wasn’t the case but until the cops caught the burglar she’d be
edgy.
Josh cupped her cheek and bent to give her a kiss on the
forehead. “Okay, love. I’ll call you in the morning.” He stepped away but his
hand lingered for a long moment. “You do the same. I want you safe too.”
Jazz watched him leave and held his words close. It was her
secret hope too but she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt safe.
Maybe she never would.
Rafe watched the exchange between Josh and the female he
called Jasmine and it took more control than he’d like to admit to keep his
inner predators contained. His lion had rammed his head into his chest over and
over in an effort to be set free. It didn’t like seeing the human’s hands on
the woman he’d just kissed. The tiger and jaguar he housed shared in its
displeasure too. They wanted Josh’s blood spilling over their tongue, a brutal
response, but one he was accustomed to. The laws of the animal world didn’t
always mesh with the human world. He was left as the liaison, ensuring both
were met when possible. But tonight he couldn’t give them what they wanted.
Josh had done nothing to deserve death, unless stubbornness
counted. Although Rafe hadn’t come right out and told him the truth, he’d
hinted at the fact that Megan was different, not quite normal. Josh had gone on
to deliver a string of curses involving his foot and ass. Amusing, but not the
most productive conversation he’d ever had.
Josh had agreed to meet him though. It was the best Rafe
would get unless he was willing to swoop in and take Megan from him by force,
which he had considered, despite Kade’s insistence they not rip Megan from her
family. Kade feared it’d be too traumatic. He wanted to assess the situation.
Rafe wasn’t so sure he agreed. Humans didn’t belong in their world. It was too
dangerous but the protectiveness Josh had shown toward the girl impressed him.
Intrigued him, frankly. For the moment, with Devin watching the house, she was
safe and they’d intervene if necessary.
Josh bent to kiss Jasmine and all three predators slammed
into him. Claws raked his insides. He swallowed a groan. He might be immortal
but being torn apart from the inside wasn’t a pleasant feeling. He snapped his
teeth together and pushed against their forceful wills. One by one they abated,
but he got the impression it wouldn’t take much to stir them to action.
Their reaction to the woman surprised him. Yes, she was
beautiful, tasted of a rich, sweet wine and had the body of a goddess. But she
smelled of another feline, a turnoff for most males. Not for him. He’d scented
her the moment she’d walked in the bar and when she’d stood on the chair and
waved her arms so her lush breasts swayed, he’d had to keep his head averted to
hide the emergence of his cats.
His vision had sharpened, the distracting vibrant hues faded
to variations of gray and the darkened room brightened. From experience, he
knew his eyes would’ve been feline—completely honey-gold, no white—and not ones
humans should see, especially the delectable Jasmine. She’d recognize them for
what they were.
Rafe waited for Josh to leave then stepped behind Jasmine
and slipped an arm around her waist, locking her to him. She molded against him,
softness to hardness, and was short enough to tuck under his arm. She leaned
into his embrace as if she’d done so for a lifetime, head tipped back to rest
against his chest. The easy way she accepted him pushed him to take more. With
a palm on her hip, he tugged her closer, pressed his engorged shaft to her
body. She stiffened and spun, blonde hair very similar in shade to his whipping
with the move. Wide-eyed, she stared at him. He loosened his grip but didn’t
release her.
Gods, she was beautiful. Gray eyes, dilated at the moment, a
few freckles on the tip of a slightly crooked nose and a mouth made for
kissing. Her rounded face with its finely sloped forehead lent her an angelic
quality, but the desire stamped on it ensured she’d be the wicked kind of angel,
given the proper encouragement. And he had every confidence in his ability to
bring out the vixen hidden behind her sweet exterior.
He thought about all the ways he could urge the siren out
and a grin spread. Oh the unveiling would be fun.
She shoved at his chest, didn’t move him, and huffed. “Let
go, buddy. We’re done.”
Her husky voice wrapped around him and the bite of
irritation in it appealed to him as well. He enjoyed feisty females—in bed and
out.
“But you didn’t answer me,” he replied, enjoying the
confusion making her brows scrunch. Tiny crinkles appeared by the corner of her
almond-shaped eyes. He liked how they looked there.
“What did you ask?”
“Am I hot enough for you?”
Her jaw dropped, but the evidence of her desire drifted to
his nose.
“Good. I’m glad I fit your needs.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.” He took her hand, linking their
fingers, and led her away from her human friend and the other males’
appreciative glances. He wanted her alone…to talk.
She hesitated at the entrance to the employee hallway. “What
a sec, buddy. I am not going anywhere with you.”
He tipped her chin up, met those hypnotizing gray eyes. “Name’s
Rafe. Rafe Alexander.”
She licked her lips. “Rafe,” she said.
Damn, his name sounded good in her breathless voice.
“Jasmine.” He tried the name out. It rolled nicely on his
tongue. “Walk with me.”
She shook her head but didn’t tear her gaze from his. “I don’t
think that’s a good idea.”
He leaned closer, brushed his lips against her cheek. Mouth
near her ear, he drawled, “I think it’s a very good idea. You taste of heaven,
Jasmine. And I find it’s a flavor I crave. I want more.”
Her exhaled breath wafted over his neck, heated his blood.
“Jazz, not Jasmine. I’m not a damn flower,” she said but
there was no animosity in the declaration.
He flicked his tongue to her earlobe. A slight shudder ran
through her body. The involuntary reaction pleased him. He tucked her closer. “You’re
pretty enough to be one.” A breathless laugh met his declaration, no denial. “Tell
me, Jazz, am I too late?”
She slid her hands up his chest, started to inch them around
his neck but stopped. She moved them to his biceps and skimmed them over his
muscles. “Too late for what?”
The scent of royal feline—a mix of predators—drifted to his
nose. Cheek pressed to the top of her head so he could breathe in her untainted
fragrance, he looked at the dainty fingers tracing his arm. He’d wondered what
part of her body had been marked. The location her owner had chosen eased the jealousy
that had flared when he’d first discovered it.
He lifted her hand, brought her wrist to his nose and
inhaled. Frowned. He sniffed again, open-mouthed to taste the pheromones laced
into the smell. Confusion settled over him. Two distinct signatures were rubbed
into her skin—a temporary claim that was nearly gone, washed off. Male. Of that
he was certain but he couldn’t tell anything else from it except that it wasn’t
familiar.
He licked her wrist. Her pulse sped. With slow swipes of his
tongue, he removed the scent. Her flavor filled his mouth, sweet and heady and
purely Jasmine. He laved her skin, enjoying the taste of her, but his tongue
roughened and the first hint of fangs slipped past his teeth. He turned his
head, her wrist pressed to his cheek, and breathed through the reaction. It
shocked him, left him a little unsteady. Never before had a female brought his
primal side out. He wasn’t quite sure he was happy about it.
“Too late for what?” she repeated.
He leaned back enough to look into her face. “To lay claim
to you.”
She studied him with scrunched brows. “You talk funny. Are
you European?”
“Originally, yes.” He took her hand once more and urged her
to follow him. She wavered a moment and flicked her gaze to the crowded room
but fell in step beside him. He tried the nearest door, found it open and the
room empty. An office, Josh’s going by the scent lingering there. No matter. It
was quiet and private.
She grabbed the doorjamb. “No way, buddy—”
“Rafe.”
She rolled her eyes. “I am not going in there with you,
Rafe
.”
He crowded her against the door. “Why not?”
“I don’t know you and I’m not the type of girl to go off
with a man. In fact,” she slipped under his arm, “I shouldn’t have followed you
out of the bar. I’ve got to get home.”
She stepped away. He followed and pulled her back against
his chest. “Wait, Jazz. Don’t leave. Not yet,” he breathed the words against
her ear. “I want to talk to you.”
She laughed breathlessly and turned in his arms, inching her
fingers up his arm.
“About what?” she asked.
Her owners. Why she was at Tony’s house. The fact that every
male in the bar had looked upon her with lust yet she’d only responded to him.
Who Josh was to her. But the question that came out had nothing to do with any
of those topics.
“About what it’ll take for me to find my way into your bed.”
She grinned, stood on her tiptoes and linked her hands
around his neck. “That’s a line I haven’t heard before.”
He returned her smile. “Will it work?”
She tugged his head to hers, pressed her mouth to his ear. “No.”
She pushed away from him. “I’ve got to get home.”
Rafe watched her walk away. A wave of panic hit him. She
couldn’t leave him. Two strides brought him in front of her. Hands on her hips,
he lifted her and pressed her against the wall. He swallowed her shocked gasp
with a kiss, one she resisted for only a moment before opening to him. Slipping
his tongue between her parted lips, he explored the wet depths he’d only
touched briefly in the bar.
He led the kiss with deep, rolling thrusts of his tongue,
forcing her to accept him. She did, following him in the raw exploration of
mouths. He licked her teeth, memorizing the uneven edges, the uniqueness of
her. He allowed the texture to imprint itself, before turning his attention to
her cheeks. With the tip of his tongue, he swept the inside, brought more of
her flavor into his mouth.
Her essence filled him, became a part of him. He widened his
stance to steady his legs and pressed her more firmly into the wall with his
hips. Instincts rose, ones he had no business feeling, but the need to leave
his mark on her grew with each breathy moan he pulled from her. The urge
worried him. But he couldn’t deny it, not when his skin tingled and ached with
the need to feel hers rubbing against it, sweat slickened and in the throes of
passion. It was lust—plain and simple—but the fear of dying if he didn’t get
inside her wasn’t a normal reaction. It was damn scary one. Didn’t stop him
though.
She sifted her fingers through his hair and tugged at the
strands until the tie slipped free. With her hands fisted in his mane, she
treated him to the same deep, sensual exploration he’d given her. The stinging
along his scalp betrayed how tightly she tugged his hair. He didn’t mind the
pinch of pain or the hungry way she kissed him. It pleased him. So did the
guttural groan she shoved down his throat. The raw sound appealed to his primal
side. It was also one he’d never heard a female make while kissing him.
While she loved his mouth, he traced her sides. The cotton
top made the tips of his fingers itch. He shoved it up until bare skin met his
touch. The tingles spread into his palm but with each inch of her body he
touched, the uncomfortable sensation turned pleasurable. More, he needed more.
He slid his hand around her sides to her lower back, then down to inch past her
waistband. Not resisting him, she lifted her bottom, giving him access. He
slipped one hand inside the tight confines of her shorts. The feeling of warm,
soft flesh under his palm quickened his breaths. He squeezed the rounded cheek
and she moaned, the cry muffled against his mouth.
The noises from the open bar behind them reminded him how
close they were to others, males who would look upon Jasmine with lust. He
growled, yanked his hand out of her shorts and urged her to wrap her legs
around him. She did, hooking her ankles at his lower back. With the help of his
cats and their heightened senses, he navigated the narrow hallway without
breaking their lip-lock and turned into the office.
In the back of his mind, he knew this was a mistake. The
woman kissing him as if she were starved for his taste was an unknown, somehow
involved with royal felines. She might even be associated with the group who
ran the trafficking ring that had decimated their species. The possibilities
chilled him. He allowed each scenario to surface before pushing them aside to
be dealt with later.
Jasmine was the first female to stir his instincts and bring
his primal side out. He needed to taste her arousal, swallow her desire. Nothing
else mattered.
With a kick, the door clicked closed, blocking out the
laughter and music. The rapid beat of her heart and the soft moans reflecting
her approval filled his ears, a sound that suddenly seemed necessary. He
carried her to the leather couch he’d spied earlier and lowered her without
breaking the melding of their mouths. Stretched over her, he slipped his hand
into the fall of her hair and cradled the back of her head. On and on they
kissed until her arms looped around him and one leg hooked over his waist. The
move opened her to him, an invitation that assured him she felt safe in his
arms, ready to allow him further access to her body.
He broke the kiss and skimmed his lips along her jaw to her
ear. He caught the tender lobe between his teeth and nibbled. Another shudder
ran through her body. A sensitive spot. Good. Finding each one seemed
necessary. He should be worried about why that was, but he wasn’t. The soft
moans she rewarded him with outweighed the concern.
While he sucked on the flesh, he reached for the button of
her shorts, popped it and pulled the zipper down. Her muscles tensed but he sat
up, hooked his fingers around the hem and yanked the denim down her legs. A
flick of his wrist and he tossed the material behind him. Simple white bikinis
covered her sex. Nothing had ever looked more tempting.
“What are you doing?”
She didn’t tell him to stop so he laid a palm over the
cotton and slid his fingers down her cloth-covered cleft. Dampened heat seeped
into the fingertips but he needed to touch her, feel the slickened lips. He
slid one finger under the elastic and groaned.