Authors: Tressie Lockwood
* * * *
Whisper shifted and moaned. She came alert slowly, registering the sounds around her. With Alec and the man he’d called Max speaking above her, she came to realize that she was in Alec’s arms being carried. All she could think about was how heavy she must be and her big butt in those stupid shorts hanging in midair for all the world to see.
She opened her eyes and glanced up at him. His mouth was set in a determined line, and his brows hung low over his eyes. The anger that radiated off of him couldn’t be missed, but he seemed not to have broken a sweat or to be straining carrying her. She started to ask him to put her down when she peered across to Max who walked next to him. The man who had done something to her shoulder was sporting a black eye.
“I can’t believe you sided with her over your own brother,” the man complained.
His brother? No wonder they looked alike. So maybe they weren’t gay. They were still crazy, and now that she’d calmed down enough to think rather than react, maybe she could get herself out of this mess.
“It’s not a matter of siding,” Alec answered. “You hurt her, a defenseless woman. You used to show a lot more finesse than that, but I’m not going to cover for you any longer. Time to wake up and take responsibility for your actions.”
The other man sneered. “Excuse me for grieving the loss of the only woman I’ll ever love.”
“Grieve all you want. Hurt Whisper again, and I will rip your arm off and feed it to you.”
His brother gave a dramatic shiver. “You almost have me believing you care about her. But that would be impossible for the consummate bachelor, Alec Macgregor. Unless of course she was your…mate.”
“Shut up!” Alec groused.
Whisper mulled over all they’d said. On the one hand, she couldn’t help the warm and fuzzies at the way Alec protected her. He’d actually hit his brother, whom he must have known all his life, for her who he’d just met. She mentally shook her head. No, he was crazy, and she couldn’t forget the part about Alec being a consummate bachelor or that Max had said all Alec wanted was to get her in bed. Why her when he could have Sheila in a heartbeat? Thinking of her friend, she remembered the two of them in the laundry room. That tossed cold water on her thoughts, and she looked up at Alec with a frown.
“You can put me down now,” she demanded more than asked.
Alec stopped walking and hesitated. He seemed to be puzzling over something as he stared at her. Whisper fidgeted, and he at last gave in. Once on her feet, she missed the warmth of his arms. The night had grown slightly chilly, and the two big men were cast in shadows no matter how much the path they were on was lighted. Only the stars illuminated the sky because the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.
“I want you to know I’m pressing charges for assault,” she announced and then regretted it. How many times had she yelled at a heroine in a novel not to say stupid stuff when she was in the middle of nowhere with the enemy? She couldn’t count the number of times.
Alec stood stiff and unreadable. “You’d be in your right to do so, but can I ask that you forgive my brother? I will make up for what he did in any way necessary.”
Whisper swung her gaze from one man to the other. Max didn’t appear in a hurry to apologize. In fact, he seemed quite content for Alec to take the weight of it. She hated people with relationships like that. She couldn’t respect them. The person being used was just as bad as the user.
She couldn’t help putting her hands on her hips and sassing the man. Her common sense must have gotten knocked out of her head when she hit the ground. “Make it up how, by offering yourself to me?” Embarrassment almost knocked her out again at the amusement on both their faces. She
so
couldn’t play the games that Sheila played with men. “I mean…”
“If that’s what you want,” Alec told her without hesitation, “I’m all yours.”
She had to save face some way. “Yeah, no thanks. You’re not my type. I don’t know what kind of freaky game you and your brother play in the park at night, but I want no part. Let’s pretend tonight never happened, but stay away from my friend. Good evening, gentlemen.”
She spun on her heel and marched away with her head held high. All the time, she expected to hear laughter behind her or some cruel remark about her weight and figure. She heard nothing and sighed with relief when she made it back to her car without any more incidents.
* * * *
Whisper woke in the middle of the night. She held still in bed wondering what had awakened her, but no sound reached her ears. The bedside table sat visible in the pale moonlight, and she noticed that she’d forgotten to bring in her nightly bottle of water. Her room was always too dry, so her throat hurt. Water alleviated the issue, so she kept it near. After tossing back the covers, she rose and yawned, heading toward the kitchen. That’s when she heard it. A mewl like an animal in pain.
Without thinking, she rushed to the door, turned the locks, and wrenched it open. There in the hall was the same big cat she’d seen that first night. The beast lay in front of Alec’s closed door with its head down and whining like the world had come to an end. Whisper couldn’t have said why afterward, but she stepped into the hall and made a clicking sound with her tongue at the roof of her mouth. She held out her hand to the cat.
“Come here, sweetie. It’s okay,” she called. “Come on, baby.”
The leopard lifted its head and peered in her direction. Tiredness must have made her wonky because she could have sworn the cat raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. He looked toward Alec’s door and back at her, and then hefted its hugely muscled body to stand. Whisper’s heart beat hard in her chest as it neared, but she didn’t back off. The cat drew close and nuzzled her hand. A rough tongue lapped her palm, tickling a little.
Whisper turned and headed back into her apartment. The cat watched where it stood. “Coming?” she asked him, and he padded inside. She shut the door promising herself to give Alec a piece of her mind for locking his pet outside like that. He had to have heard him crying.
She led the leopard to her bedroom and pulled a blanket off the bed to toss onto the floor. “You can sleep here. Don’t poop or pee in my place, or you and me are going to have a problem.”
Again the cat gave her a look like he wouldn’t sink so low. Whisper laughed. Tonight, once again, she’d worn the thong panties and a long tee. The shirt rose as she climbed into bed, but she didn’t bother pulling it down. The cat didn’t know anything. As soon as she’d tossed the covers back and settled in, the leopard leaped in one fluid motion to her bed and laid a big head in her lap.
“What the hell? No, you get on the floor,” she commanded. He ignored her.
She rolled her eyes and lay back. If he didn’t want to move, there was no way she’d budge him. That was another thing she would skin Alec for, her loss of sleep.
Day came too soon with someone banging at her door. Whisper sprang up, got tangled in the covers, and fell face first over the side of the bed. The leopard mewled behind her and ran his scratchy tongue over her exposed butt cheek. She slapped his muzzle and freed herself.
The banging started up again, and this time Alec called out through the door. Whisper swore. “Is he serious? Got the nerve to have an attitude?”
She stood up. This time, she drew on a robe before going to the door. “You come on. You’re probably in big trouble,” she said to the cat. He followed, not looking sorry in the least.
“Where is he?” Alec demanded, brushing past her. Whisper suppressed the shiver that raced over her spine from the man’s arm touching her nipple. She crossed her arms and followed him.
“Don’t mind me. I just live here,” she snapped.
Alec ignored her. “Max! What the hell were you thinking?”
Whisper’s eyes widened. “Max? You named your cat after your brother?”
Alec seemed confused for a second, and then his expression cleared. He focused on the cat. “Get back to the apartment now!”
Whisper thought his pet wouldn’t go, but then it padded past, moving with grace and controlled power. When it reached her, the cat allowed its thick body to brush her leg. The fur was so soft and comfortable, she didn’t move. All the fear she’d felt that first day was gone for some reason. Whisper bent down and let her fingers run over the fur as he passed by.
After the cat disappeared around the doorjamb, she looked up to find Alec glaring at her. The way he clenched his hands at his sides, she thought the man barely kept himself from violence, and she took a step in retreat. Something was messed up about this situation. She should be more afraid of the wild animal.
Alec advanced and stood towering over her. “Don’t encourage him. He’s not allowed to sleep here.” He paused and looked around. “Just where did he sleep?”
Whisper put her hands on her hips. “As if that’s any of your business.” She frowned. “Goodness, it’s not like we’re talking about another man and like you’re my boyfriend. Max slept in my bed. You have a problem with it, maybe you shouldn’t lock your pet out and ignore him when he cries to get in.”
If anything, her words seemed to outrage the man more. He stepped closer and grabbed her arms, hauling her to his chest. Whisper couldn’t have predicted the kiss, with him being so pissed off, but when his mouth descended on hers, she didn’t complain about it either. Alec punished her with his roughness, in the way he devoured her lips and forced her head back.
She tried catching her breath, but he made it impossible when his tongue swept across her bottom lip and then plunged between them. She would have gone on to surrender all to the man if he didn’t come to his senses first and release her. Whisper stood there dazed, teetering on her feet and running the back of her hand across her numb lips.
“You had no right…” she began, but who was she kidding? She was all in just as he was a minute ago. She shook her head to clear it and stood straighter. “Why did you do that? No, don’t answer. It’s bad enough that you have a leopard as a pet, but at least treat him right! I don’t know how you got out of the super finding him because it’s not like his big butt can fit in any of these apartments’ closets, but I will find someone to take him away if you do that again. You better be glad the other tenants on this floor are elderly and can’t hear a hurricane let alone a mewling cat in the hall.”
To her surprise, Alec chuckled. “Let me take you to dinner.”
“Wha—”
“Dinner,” he repeated and moved closer. Whisper backed up. She hit the wall, unable to go any farther unless she wanted to look like an idiot scooting along the narrow entry leading to her living room.
“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she began.
“What’s a good idea?” Sheila stood in the doorway. “Wait, Whisper, shouldn’t you be at work by now? I came by to get my pink blouse I left over here last time. Thought you’d be gone. It’s almost nine.”
“Oh crap.” Whisper spun on her heel, leaving Alec standing there and ran toward her room. She was already late, and if her boss was in an ugly mood, she was in for it. That’s all she needed.
Inside her room, she stripped off the robe and followed it with her T-shirt and thong. With the shower going, she went through her morning regime for her face. Sheila came in and stood in the doorway watching. Whisper fidgeted. She loved her friend, but she was glad she’d slipped a towel on.
“So what was he doing here?” Sheila asked. Whisper picked up on the irritation beneath the casual question.
“Looking for his cat,” Whisper told her.
Sheila rolled her eyes. “Well stay away from him, girl. He’s bad news. Trust me on this. I know men, and it comes off him in droves.”
“Really?” Whisper eyed her friend in the reflection from the mirror. “Because it looked like in the laundry room y’all were about to get to it.”
Sheila sucked her teeth. “Please. When I go after a man, he’s gotten. I’ve never been turned down because I do the dropping before we even gets to that point.”
Whisper had no idea why Sheila would be talking about being turned down and dropping. They weren’t talking about that, but she let it go. Sometimes there was no understanding her friend’s mind, so she didn’t even try. “Well don’t worry about it. I’m not trying to go out with Alec Macgregor or his crazy ass brother.”
Sheila frowned. “Brother?”
With a grin, Whisper dropped her towel and hopped into the shower. Although it was a hollow victory that didn’t mean a thing, she felt pretty good at getting the last word in a discussion with Sheila. The feeling wouldn’t last long, but it was nice for now. Besides, she hadn’t lied. She and Alec weren’t a good mix even if he was an excellent kisser.
Chapter Four
Whisper pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed her eyes. They burned something fierce, and all she wanted to do was go home and soak in a hot tub before falling into bed. Of course she had to work late. She suspected the whole “urgency” of the project she was working on was because she’d come in late, and her boss wanted to punish her for it. Still, she couldn’t complain. The man hadn’t fired her. With so many people out of work and looking, this was not the time to be messing up.
“Whisper, how’s it going?”
She jumped when her boss’s hands came down on her shoulders. Damn, she hated touchy-feely people who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. Especially bosses who got a little too happy with it.
Trying to be subtle, she wiggled away from his touch and leaned forward to grab a sheet from her desk. “It’s fine. I just finished this last spreadsheet. We can go over it tomorrow morning if you want.”
He came around from behind her and perched on the edge of the desk. “Why don’t we discuss it over dinner?”
Whisper tried not to focus on the glare coming off of his bald head. She thought some men without hair were sexy, but Mr. Peters’ head was shaped funny, not hot in the least. The man didn’t believe in wiping down the sweat either, which seemed to collect up there.
“Oh, I can’t.” She thought up a lie. “My boyfriend has been holding dinner for me. I can’t disappoint him again after working so late every night the last few weeks.” There, she’d thrown in that she’d gone way beyond the call of duty.
He reached for her hand with an insincere smile if ever she saw one. “Cancel one more time. This is important.”
“No.”
The muscles in her stomach tightened.
This is not the time to make a stand, Whisper. Just say yes and get it over with.
The thought of spending even half an hour in a casual setting with this man was more than she could deal with. In fact, she slipped her hand from his as quickly as she could. Rumor had it that Mr. Peters’ last assistance went to Human Resources about his inappropriate behavior and had gotten fired for it. She suspected there was a lot more to the story, namely the assistant being unable to prove a thing. She wasn’t going down that same road, and so far she’d been able to avoid situations like this. Sometimes she felt like Mr. Peters bided his time for when she messed up to take advantage of it, or to collect data to use against her.
At her words, his bushy eyebrows rose. “No?” He apparently couldn’t believe she would turn him down.
She heaved a deep breath and searched for an excuse, but somehow nothing came to mind. Enough was enough, and she just couldn’t make herself smile and put him off again. His attitude added to her stress, and it wasn’t fair. Even if she didn’t have proof and it was his word against hers, she couldn’t take it anymore.
Thinking that way brought tears to her eyes. Tears of frustration more than anything. She lowered her gaze to her desktop and stared at her hands. Sometimes when she was really angry, her fingers shook, and she cried a little. She hated it because it came off as a sign of weakness, which she resented. “I—”
“Whisper.” The rumbling tone sent chills of delight down her spine and brought with it the memory of the kiss they’d shared that morning. “You’ve kept me waiting long enough, don’t you think?”
Her mouth dropped open, and she turned her head to peer in the direction of Alec’s voice. He stood near the bank of elevators, which wasn’t far from her cubicle. She couldn’t remember hearing the ding of the elevator arriving. Most people had gone for the day about half an hour before, so she couldn’t imagine how Alec had gotten in or who had told him which floor she was on. The small company’s directory hadn’t been updated yet, and her unit had moved from floor two to floor five.
“Alec,” she murmured. Why did the use of his name have to sound so breathy and sexually excited? “What—”
He pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against and started toward her. She could only watch his progress, along with her boss, in silence. Something about Alec’s presence kept them in wait for his next command, as if they were under his spell. Alec moved with the same quiet grace as his leopard. Maybe they’d practiced together. The thought would have been funny if she wasn’t mesmerized by the strain of muscle in his thighs, discernible with each step he took. She tried not to notice the thickness of his package at the front his slacks. He might not be erect, but he was definitely working with more than the average man.
When he reached her, Alec extended a hand similar to what her boss had done. This time, Whisper was compelled to put her hand in his. He pulled her to her feet, and she found herself pressed to his chest. He lowered his head in one smooth motion to claim her lips. For a second, she thought he would kiss her as deeply as he had done that morning. That would be embarrassing and inappropriate for where they were. Alec brushed her lips with his in a swift but sensual kiss. Just as before, it swept her breath away.
His hot gaze met hers when he lifted his head. “Let’s go.” Alec flicked his gaze from Whisper to her boss, and the open desire from a second before turned hard. “I’m sure you don’t have a problem with that?”
How could so much threat be stuffed into one question? She didn’t know, but it was plain in Alec’s bearing and his words. Mr. Peters shifted his shoulders to cover a quiver. The fact that anyone could take the man’s power in a heartbeat blew her away. She had to thank Alec for that if nothing else.
“No-no, of course not,” Mr. Peters stuttered. “We’re done for the night. I was just telling Whisper to go on and get out of here. Can’t keep her boyfriend waiting.”
Alec made an affirmative noise before focusing on Whisper. At his questioning expression, she hopped to gathering her things. She couldn’t believe she was getting out of there at a reasonable hour, and she hadn’t had to go to dinner with Mr. Peters.
Within a few minutes, they were in the elevator heading down to the first floor. She turned to Alec. “I never agreed to have dinner with you.”
“I took it as an understood,” he replied but didn’t take his eyes off the floor numbers lighting up as they passed.
“Arrogant of you,” she quipped.
He didn’t deny it.
Out on the sidewalk, Alec gestured to his car, a sporty number. Whisper hesitated but then got in when he opened the passenger door. Hell, she didn’t have to go to dinner with him, but it was late, and she didn’t feel like driving.
Sure, girl, tell yourself that. You know damn well you want to kiss him some more.
They moved out into the traffic. “Anywhere in particular you’d like to go?” he asked.
“Not really.”
He chose Ruby Tuesday, and she didn’t have a problem with it. Once they were seated in a booth, Whisper hid behind her menu trying to calm her racing pulse. She’d been on plenty of dates, and some of the men were fine. For some reason, Alec both scared and excited her at the same time. She didn’t know if she wanted to run away from him or pull him closer. Either way, her body desired more of his touch and the kiss that stole all resistance with a single caress.
“So why the leopard?” she asked after they’d placed their order and Whisper was sipping a cosmopolitan while Alec was having sweet tea. She felt bad for him, but admired his dedication to not drinking and driving.
At her question, he flicked his gaze over her as if speculating on how to answer. “Why aren’t you afraid of him?”
Whisper rolled her eyes. “Please, I’m scared of him all right. He’s monstrous huge, and when I first saw him, I thought he was going to eat me. I don’t know. There’s something in his eyes. I guess that look might be why you talk to him like he’s human. He understands everything you say, doesn’t he?”
While she spoke her tone heightened, and she got excited by what she was saying. She found it to be true, that she liked the big cat, and her fear had lessened. Somehow he had communicated to her that he wouldn’t hurt her, which was absurd, but she believed it. Whisper looked at Alec for confirmation, and he nodded.
“He won’t hurt you. Max knows I would gut him.” He focused on her after draining his glass and setting it down. “I don’t want to talk about my brother…uh…or the cat. Tell me more about you.”
Whisper smirked. He wasn’t getting off that easy. She fully intended to ask him about the naked park running, which was what she concluded they were doing the other night. She still thought it was creepy and weird, but she couldn’t deny she was still attracted to Alec.
“Nothing really to tell. I don’t have much family. My parents passed years ago, and they were each only children. I have a sister I’m not close to. I hardly ever see Trinity. Sometimes we break down and see each other at Christmas, but that’s quick. It looks like you and your brother are close, and I admire that.”
Alec acknowledged her words with a gesture but seemed to refuse the bait of talking about Max, so she went on.
“As you saw, I work for a small international trading company. I’m an assistant.” She frowned. “How did you get into the building anyway?”
“I have my secrets.”
She pursed her lips. “Picking locks included?”
He chuckled, but she noticed he didn’t deny it. “I’m good at influencing people when I want to.”
“Yeah, uh huh.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, that’s all I can think to say about myself. Pretty boring, I guess.”
He took her by surprise when he reached a hand out to stroke her cheek. Whisper froze. She liked the sensations he created a little too much. No, he couldn’t possibly want her, especially after he’d been about to get Sheila. How could she forget that little fact?
“You’re far from ordinary,” he commented when she drew away.
Whisper lowered her eyes to her plate. “You keep coming on to me, but I don’t mess with my friend’s men, and she doesn’t mess with mine.” The statement wasn’t wholly true, but she didn’t care to revisit the past.
“I assure you, I’m not your friend’s man.” The bite in his tone startled her. She stared at him, and he softened his tone. “What you thought you saw in the laundry room wasn’t what it looked like.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.
“I’m interested in you, Whisper,
not
your friend.”
In which of my fantasies?
“I’m flattered, but I’m not really looking to get into a relationship right now. I have to get work straight, and I’m planning to go back to school the minute my schedule is predictable.”
“I wasn’t offering a relationship.”
Of course not.
“I’m not looking for casual sex either.” She leaned back and gathered her purse, about to rise. He stopped her with one of his big hands covering hers. To her embarrassment, it trembled under his. She wasn’t sure if it was anger, disappointment, or excitement. Maybe it was a mix of the three. They never wanted more than a roll in the sack. Where did the women who were married to amazing guys for years find them? Whisper’s selection of men was way less than Sheila’s, but she couldn’t count on one hand the ones who had wanted a real relationship. That was because there hadn’t been any. She sometimes feared if she found something long term, she wouldn’t know how to handle it.
“You drive a hard bargain,” he complained with a half smile that did funny things to her insides.
“This isn’t a negotiation.”
He released her hand and sat back when she didn’t bolt. The way he studied her with those dark eyes made her want to fidget. She didn’t want him to know how he affected her, so she held perfectly still. Only after her itching nose tormented her did she think about how false that looked, too.
“Five dates,” he announced at last.
“Excuse me?”
He grinned. The man must have used that smile to fell many stronger women than she. “Promise me five dates, and if after the fifth you don’t want to sleep with me, then I will walk away. I won’t pressure you at all.”
Whisper pursed her lips. “Are you for real? You’re going to sit there and put a number of dates on when I have to sleep with you? Every smart woman knows she doesn’t sleep with a guy until she’s sure he doesn’t just want her for her body and nothing else.”
“And I’ve just dispelled the question for you by saying it
is
what I want,” he countered. “However, like I said you don’t
have
to sleep with me. You can walk away. I want casual. You don’t. At the most, you can enjoy my company, get a few free dinners out and maybe have some fun. All without obligation.”
Whisper frowned and shook her head. “Something about this is jacked up. I can’t put my finger on it. I guess I have to give you props for getting the whole thing out there in the open, but I should be running for the hills.”
He gestured toward the exit. “You are free to leave at any time.”
She made as if to go to see if he’d stop her again. He remained seated, relaxed, and too damn sexy for
her
own good. She should be pissed off at him saying some mess like after five dates, he wanted her to put out, but somehow the reaction wasn’t the same with him being honest and straightforward about it. Maybe this was the way he lured women in, with twisted proposals they couldn’t wrap their heads around. Then again, glancing at his full head of silky dark curls, the strong line of his jaw and full lips, the awesome build, he didn’t need a line to get a lot of women to spread their legs. Whisper was tempted to say, “Fuck it, my place or yours.” However, there was the question of her body. Alec was perfection itself. She was a whole other matter. With little money, dreams of a tummy tuck was just that—a dream. Her boobs were saggy, and she couldn’t even blame it on having kids. She was just plain chunky and scared to show him her body. He could run out of the room in horror.