He nodded, and a lock of his blond hair fell on his forehead. “She might’ve been joking, but it makes sense to me.”
“It does?” I asked as he yanked the door open and carried me down the steps in front of Zeke and Allegra’s house.
“Yeah, baby. With you being a cat person, you’ll love my tiger,” he explained.
“Tiger?” I echoed, my eyes going wide in shock while I tried to wrap my head around him shifting into a freaking tiger. He was tall, with an athletic, lean-muscle build, but he wasn’t much bigger than Kace or Zeke. It’d been mind-blowing to see their wolves, and I couldn’t imagine Tane shifting into an animal that was at least three times larger.
“My tiger is a fucking beast at six hundred pounds, but he’ll purr like a kitten for you,” he assured me as he walked up the steps to a house across the street and carried me inside.
Six hundred pounds.
Whoa.
Tane must’ve caught the stunned shock on my face because he went over to the couch instead of heading up the stairs that I assumed led to his bedroom. After dropping onto the cushions, he settled me on his lap. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
“You’d think I would’ve gotten used to all the surprises by now,” I sighed, shaking my head. “I mean, Zeke and Kace shifted for me when I thought Allegra and Larissa were pulling my legs about them being able to change into wolves. But somehow, I’m more shocked that you can shift into a huge tiger than I was by that, even though I’ve had a month to get used to the idea of shifters and fated mates.”
His biceps bulged as his entire body tensed. “Zeke and Kace shifted in front of you?”
“Of course.” A muscle jumped in his jaw. I wasn’t sure why he was so bothered by this. “How else were they supposed to prove to me that shifters are real?”
“Fuck if I know,” he rumbled. “I can’t think straight when it comes to you. All I know is that I want to go hunt down my best friends and kick their asses because you saw them naked.”
I stroked my hand down his chest, trying to soothe him. “There’s no need to get into a fight with your friends. At most, I’ve only ever seen them without their shirts on. When they shifted for me, I turned around while they stripped down.”
“Thank fuck for that,” he grunted.
I tilted my head to the side, and some of my hair spilled over my shoulder and covered his hand. “I thought that wasn’t a big deal for shifters?”
“Anything to do with you is going to be a big fucking deal for me,” he answered as he gave me a little squeeze.
It felt as though butterflies swarmed in my belly. “That’s so sweet.”
“I might have a ferocious beast under my skin, but I’ll always be sweet to you,” he promised, his fingers toying with the ends of my hair. “I’ll also always be brutally honest with you, which is why I need to tell you that my stance on nudity isn’t the same as most shifters. My mom is human, so we weren’t as open about it in my family growing up.”
A surge of happiness raced through me. I liked knowing I already had something in common with his mom. Kace and Zeke both came from a long line of shifters, and I hadn’t learned much about the families of the other members of the Timber Ridge pack. “She is?”
“Yeah, and she’s going to love having you in the family,” he confirmed.
My lips curved up in a big smile. “Really?”
“Definitely.” He nodded. “And not just because you’re human. My mom has been waiting not-so-patiently for one of her babies to find their mate, so she’s going to be over the moon when I tell her about you.”
Tane referring to himself as one of his mom’s babies was so adorable. He was this big, strong guy who didn’t hesitate to show how much he loved his mom, and it gave hope to the little girl deep inside me who’d always craved affection. And as an only child who’d always wanted a brother or sister, I liked that he had at least one. My parents had never given me a sibling, but my mate was going to give me in-laws. “How many siblings do you have?”
Tane traced his index and middle finger over my thigh. Even through the thickness of my jeans, his touch spread goose bumps in its wake. “I have two older sisters. Tabara by two years and Trinity by one.”
“What was it like growing up as the youngest of the bunch?” I asked, leaning my head against his chest.
“My sisters can be bossy as fuck,” he chuckled. “It doesn’t matter to them that I’m bigger in both my human and tiger forms, they’ll always see me as the baby.”
I laced my fingers through his. “Maybe they’ll ease up a bit now that you’re the first one to find their mate.”
“Not a chance in hell.” He shook his head and squeezed my hand. “But you don’t need to worry about them being too much of a bother since my parents and sisters live in New York.”
I leaned my head back to look into his eyes. “The state or the city.”
“The city,” he answered with a grin. “My parents still live in the same house I grew up in on the Upper East Side, and my sisters have apartments right next door to each other only a few blocks away.”
With every detail he shared, I was getting the impression that his family was like the ones I’d always dreamed about having. “I’ve only been to New York City once when I was younger, but I loved it there. What made you leave the big city, your family, and your pack behind?”
“There wasn’t a pack to leave behind. The social structure for tigers is different from most shifters. We tend to stick with our families instead of larger groups,” he explained. “It was difficult for my parents and sisters to understand what I found in Timber Ridge since it’s so far outside the norm, but that didn’t stop them from supporting my decision. All they care about is my happiness, even if my path is different from what they want out of life. When I met Kace and he invited me for a visit, I followed my gut because it told me I belonged here. I’ve never second-guessed my decision, and now I get why becoming a part of his pack was the right call. It’s not because of the satisfaction I feel in being Kace’s third—being in Timber Ridge brought you to me.”
My heart melted at the sincerity shining from his eyes. “You’re too good to be true.”
“You have it backward, baby.” He shifted me on his lap to straddle him, tangling one hand in the back of my hair and cupping my chin with the other. His thumb brushed my lower lip as he added, “With a mate as gorgeous and sweet as you, I’m the lucky one.”
I felt his hard length pressing against my core, ratcheting up my desire for him several notches. “How about we agree to disagree and focus on the getting lucky part instead?”
His hold on my hair tightened, pulling my head back about an inch. A deep growl rumbled up his chest as he lowered his lips to claim mine in a deep kiss. I gasped, and his tongue swept inside my mouth. It felt as though he was devouring me, and my nipples hardened in response. When he pulled me closer, they rubbed against his chest. I felt the contact all the way to my core, making me whimper in need. He tore his lips from mine, and our gazes met. His dark eyes were full of lust, there was a splash of color on his cheekbones, and a muscle jumped in his jaw. I had no doubt how much he wanted me, even before he said, “I need to get you upstairs before I take you for the first time right here on the couch. You deserve better than that.”
I pressed my hands against Tane’s chest, and he stilled. “You know that thing Allegra said, about finding me a guy so I wouldn’t be too far behind Larissa and her in having babies?”
“Fuck, yeah.” His hips jerked up, pressing his dick harder against me. “I’m all for that idea, baby. But I want your gorgeous body spread out for me on my bed first.”
“Crap,” I mumbled, my body tensing as I worried about how he’d react to what I had to tell him before we went any further. Both of my friends had gotten pregnant super fast after meeting their mates, but as thrilled as I was for them, that wasn’t what I wanted for myself.
4
Calliope
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nbsp; Tane released my hair and stroked his hand down my back. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Um...I’m not really sure how to say this other than to just spit it out.” I squeezed my eyes shut so I didn’t have to see the disappointment in his. “I don’t want to get pregnant right away.”
“Okay.” He slid an arm under my knees and the other around my back, lifting me as he stood. I thought he was going to set me in the chair or something, and my heart dropped. Then he started moving, and my eyes popped open.
Gripping his shoulders, I peered up at him as he headed toward the stairs. “Wait. Don’t you want to hear why?”
“Of course, I do.” He smiled down at me. “I want to hear everything about you, but whatever you have to say isn’t going to make a difference to us as a couple.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “It’s not?”
“Nope.” He shook his head as we reached the top of the stairs and continued down the hallway. “You can tell me anything. You’re mine, and nothing is going to change that.”
His declaration overwhelmed me. That steadfastness was a huge part of why I’d wanted a hunky shifter of my own. As close as I was to my best friends, I’d never had anyone in my life who was all about me. A solitary tear slid down my cheek, but I wiped it against his shirt as he carried me into the bedroom. He kicked his shoes off—I hadn’t been wearing any—and climbed onto the bed. After he got us settled with his back against the headboard and me sprawled on his chest, he asked, “Why do you want to wait to have babies? Is it because this is going too fast for you? I don’t want to rush you into a mating if you aren’t ready for it.”
“No, it isn’t that at all,” I rushed to reassure him, stroking my hand up his chest to cup his cheek as I stared into his eyes. “I’m one hundred percent on board with being your mate. After meeting every eligible male in Timber Ridge, I was ready to give up hope on the possibility that fate had someone in store for me. Then you walked into Zeke and Allegra’s kitchen and made my dream come true.”
“Damn,” he sighed, shaking his head.
I started to pull my hand away, but he wrapped his fingers around my wrist and held it in place. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, it’s just a shame that I’m going to have to kick the ass of every unmated member of the pack.” His lips curved up in a smirk that said he had no concerns about being able to back up his claim.
“You can’t possibly be jealous.” I rubbed my palm against the scruff on his cheek. “None of the guys felt even the tiniest bit of desire for me since I’m not their fated mate.”
“I get that it might not be the most logical thing in the world, but fuck being reasonable when it comes to you,” he growled, his eyes filled with a possessive gleam. “They had time with you that should’ve been mine.”
I loved his reason since I’d always wanted someone who would look forward to spending time with me. “You just added more points onto your perfectness scale.”
“I have no problem with you thinking I’m perfect as long as you realize I feel the same about you.” He brushed his lips over mine. “Now tell me why you want to wait for babies.”
“I have another dream I’ve wanted to fulfill ever since I was a little girl, but I never want my children to feel as though they come second to anything else in my life.” I knew far too well the impact that had on a kid.
“What’s your dream, baby? I’ll do everything I can to make it happen,” he promised as he ran his fingers through my hair.
I flashed him a grateful smile. “Unless you have connections in the fashion world, this one’s all on me.”
“Tell me everything,” he urged with an answering grin. “You might be surprised by the strings I can pull when it comes to your happiness.”
“Ever since I was ten years old and my mom took me to New York City for Fashion Week, all I’ve wanted was to have a show of my own. I doubt I’ll ever get to Fashion Week, but a show in New York City would be a dream come true.” I closed my eyes, picturing the models strutting down the runway in spectacular outfits I’d designed. “I think I fixated on it because that trip was the only time she took me somewhere just the two of us. I felt so special, getting dressed up and having her all to myself.”
He brushed a kiss against my forehead. “You aren’t close with your mom?”
“I wish,” I sighed, blinking a few times to try to stop the tears filling them as I thought about my relationship with my parents. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as though they neglected me. I grew up in a huge house with all the things any girl could wish for. Heck, we even had another house up at the nearest lake and another in Colorado for ski season. But it was my nanny who took me to and from school, made sure I had new shoes and clothes when I needed them, took me to doctor’s appointments, and spent most of my vacations with me. I know my parents love me even though it tends to be from a distance because they’re so busy with each other and building the family business.”
“No parent should ever be too busy for their children.” He gave me a gentle squeeze. “And their business couldn’t need that much attention if they have three fucking houses.”
I shrugged. “What can I say? For my parents, there’s no such thing as being too successful. Appearances are very important to them.”
“Now you have my family and me.” He traced his fingertip down my arm. “They’ll either show up on our doorstep shortly after I tell them about you, or they’ll have all the travel arrangements set for us to go to New York. My mom and sisters will want to spend so much time with you that it’ll drive me up the wall because I want you to myself, but maybe I can distract them with your dream of having a fashion show. They’re an unstoppable trio once they’ve set their minds to something. I bet they’ll be thrilled to help.”
Tane was handing me everything I’d ever wanted—a man who would always want to be by my side, a family who’d welcome me with open arms, and support for my dreams in fashion design. Even though he’d be thrilled to knock me up our first time, he hadn’t thought twice about waiting since that was what I wanted. I hadn’t been overexaggerating when I’d said he was perfect for me. We might’ve only met less than an hour ago, but I didn’t want to waste another second in moving forward with our life together. Luckily, my friends had already filled me in on most of the shifter mating details. Knowing what to expect—and seeing how happy they were with their mates—gave me the courage I needed to jump into this relationship when I normally would’ve been too scared to take the risk.
Throwing caution to the wind and acting completely out of character, I wiggled out of Tane’s embrace. He jerked upright and reached out for me, but then my hands went to the bottom of my shirt, and he realized why I’d moved away from him. His dark eyes filled with heat as he watched me lift my shirt over my head. My breasts felt swollen, and my pebbled nipples pressed against the delicate, white lace of my bra. His gaze dropped to my chest, and his tongue swiped out to lick his bottom lip. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”
“It’s a good thing you think so because you’re stuck with me forever,” I whispered as some of my boldness left me, and a blush swept across my cheeks and trailed down my neck.
Tane’s hand snaked out to wrap around the back of my neck. Holding me in place with a firm grasp as he pressed his forehead against mine and stared into my eyes, he growled, “You still have it all wrong, baby. If anything, you’re going to be stuck with me. I’m going to be territorial as hell when it comes to you, with my tiger urging me to mark your delicate skin over and over again to warn off any dumb fuck who even thinks of trying to get close.”
I knew he meant it as a warning, but I had no problem with what he was telling me. “That doesn’t sound bad to me.”
5
Tane
The scent of Calliope’s desire grew stronger, leaving me with no doubt that she was more than okay with being paired with a possessive mate. Considering what she’d told me about her childhood, it made sense that she’d find co
mfort in being with someone who wanted her so much that they were greedy for her attention. I was determined to shower her with so much love that she never doubted her importance to me. Starting right now.
I loosened my hold on her neck and glided my hand lower. Sliding my finger under her bra strap, I gave it a tug before moving down to her jeans to unbutton them. “Take this off. I want to see all your gorgeous body while I kiss every inch of your soft skin before I sink my cock into your tight pussy.”
“Oh, wow,” she breathed as she twisted her arms behind her back to undo the clasp on her bra.
Her breasts sprang free, and my need for her punched up another level. I yanked her jeans down her legs, panties and all, and tossed them over my shoulder. My mate was naked in my bed, and I wanted nothing more than to fuck my come into her tight pussy before marking the fuck out of her neck. But I needed to get her ready before I tried to shove my cock inside her.
“There’s something you should know about tiger shifters.” I trailed the tip of my tongue along her collarbone.
Her delicate shudder had my lips curving up in a smirk as she asked, “What?”
“We tend to have a bit of an oral fixation.” I nibbled down her chest until my face was in the valley between her breasts. “One that means you’re going to need to get used to having my mouth all over you each and every day.”
I moved to the right and swirled my tongue around her pebbled nipple. She let out a breathy sigh and grasped the back of my head to press me closer. “If it feels as good as this does, I don’t think that will be a problem for me.”
“Good.” I sucked her nipple into my mouth and teased the tip with my teeth before letting it go with a pop. “Because I’m already addicted to your taste, and I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.”
She leaned back and murmured, “Yes, please.”
Her Tiger Page 2