by Eliza Gayle
The man grabbed her by the elbow to stop her from leaving. A painful shudder crawled across her skin. Automatically, she glared down at the golden skinned hand that dared to touch her. “You should—”
A loud, angry snarl sounded from behind her. Shivers raced up and down her spine, this time of an erotic nature. The hand holding her arm tightened around her skin. The idiot clearly didn’t recognize a superior predator when he saw one.
“Carl, get your hands off her now if you want to live.”
His eyes grew wide seconds before he dropped his hand back to his side. “Hello, Malcolm. Long time no see.” Carl’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Chey, go wait in the Jeep for me.” At Malcolm’s sharp toned demand, she whirled around to face him. Who he thought he was ordering her around like that she couldn’t imagine, but when she opened her mouth to give him her opinion, she met his ice-cold gaze head on. Her heart stuttered in her chest at the rage and coldness she saw in the dark as night eyes that stared down Carl. It was no wonder the man was taking a step back.
She took a few steps away from Carl but didn’t move to leave the diner; she wasn’t about to leave Malcolm here like this. She knew that look, and if she left them alone there would be no one to stop him from a public attack. Then where would they all be if they ended up with two cougars trying to kill each other right here on the floor of the very public Waffle House?
“Why are you here, Carl?”
She watched the muscles bunch in Malcolm’s neck and back as he spoke, a damn good indicator of just how close he was to losing it at any second. And that dumb ass Carl didn’t even notice.
“I’m just here to observe.”
“She’s mine. Stay away from her.”
Carl’s eyebrows rose in surprise and she nearly choked herself. What the hell?
“You don’t belong here.” The venom in Malcolm’s voice continued to ratchet higher. Goosebumps erupted along her bare arms.
“Well, neither do you. I hope you’re at least maintaining your privacy in a place like this.”
“Oh, like you are by following me here.” At her voice, Malcolm turned and shot her a you better quit talking now look.
“Yeah whatever. I’m not here to harass your new bed buddy, Malcolm. I was just talking to her.”
Malcolm took another step forward. “No, you were touching her.” His voice lowered, sounding even more dangerous than before. “An act of aggression on my mate gives me certain rights, you know.”
“Your mate?” She wouldn’t keep quiet any longer. If she didn’t cut him off at the knees now his possessive behavior would spiral out of control.
Malcolm ignored her and reached for Carl. He wrapped his hand around the other man’s throat and squeezed. “If I see you near her again, I will kill you.”
Carl grabbed at Malcolm’s hand and fought to remove it from his skin, but Malcolm didn’t budge. The pencil pusher Kane had sent to watch her was out matched and they all knew it.
“I’m here on official clan business. This outrageous behavior could get you killed.” He croaked around the slight pressure Malcolm had on him.
“Malcolm, let’s go.” She stepped forward and pulled at his arm. That soft slide of skin touching was all it took for liquid heat to pool between her thighs, heat warming all of her long dormant womanly parts. What the hell was wrong with her? He stood in front of her behaving like a Neanderthal, yet the second she touched him, her only thoughts were of the kiss they’d shared earlier.
Malcolm’s head swiveled sharply in her direction, his nose flared. He obviously noticed the change in her as well. Heat filled her cheeks as she sought something—anything—to look at that didn’t include either of their knowing gazes. In a flash, Malcolm released Carl, took the one, long-legged step separating them to grab her arm and propelled her toward the door. Flames licked across her skin at the contact, her animal inside awakening for more.
Chey’s breath caught in her throat, leaving her speechless and unable to stop him from taking her outside. He easily lifted her onto the passenger seat of her Jeep, his fingertips trailing along the length of her leg from hip to ankle. Despite the denim of her jeans acting as a barrier, she might as well have been naked. She looked down at the dark tanned skin of his hand as he touched her. Sudden fear of what this could mean paralyzed her. She refused to meet his eyes. Her body was out of control with a mind of its own.
He’d been right—she should have run. Now she feared it was too late.
“Go home, Malcolm. We’re done.” She prayed for once he’d listen.
“You think so do you?”
She swallowed, trying to force the lump from her throat. “We are. With Kane sending his lackey out here to check up on me, I’m pulling myself off this job. As far as I’m concerned, you’re off the hook. If you choose to deal with him on your own that’s on you. I don’t play games or politics so your brother can kiss my ass.”
“No, actually he can’t. No one is ever going to touch you but me.”
She jerked her head up and met his all too serious gaze. Shocked that he seemed to mean every last word.
“What’s going on here?” She pushed at his hand on her thigh as it moved perilously close to the heated juncture between her legs. “You really need to stop touching me now.”
“Why?” His hand skirted along her hip to the flat expanse of her belly, leaving a trail of heat and desire in its wake. When he was about to graze her breast, she gasped and pulled his hand away.
“I’m leaving.” She wriggled away from him and threw her leg over the gearshift to switch seats. If he refused to stop then she’d take control and do what needed to be done, which right now was get as far away from Malcolm Gunn as possible before the animal inside her clawed its way out to reach him. Already, the cries in her head were out of hand and desperate. She’d been, unbelievably, about to push her hips into his hand when he’d moved around them instead.
Humiliation burned her cheeks as she considered that. It had just been too long, she tried to convince herself. That’s all. About to plant her butt on the butter soft leather seat, Malcolm grabbed her around the waist and yanked her back down into the passenger chair where he proceeded to wrap and lock the seat belt across her thighs.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Her lips curled into a snarl as her growing teeth poked at her lip. Shocked by the twin pricks of pain, she automatically looked down at her arms to see if any more of the change process had begun.
“Take a few deep breaths, darling, and relax. We’re just going to talk until you can calm her down and lock her back inside.” He glanced around the newly crowded parking lot. “Unfortunately this is not the place for us to lose control.”
“I never lose control,” she hissed.
“You will, darling, and very soon.” He quickly brushed his lips across her jaw before jumping out of her reach.
Everything he did and said incited the anger and need building inside her. Fortunately, at least a small section of her brain still worked properly enough to keep her mouth shut and her breathing even. It was her only hope of regaining control. With this level of sexual lust coursing through her, the slightest tussle with any emotion would do nothing but fan the flames and leave her a writhing mess. Then where would she be?
Fucking the most gorgeous man I’ve ever had the pleasure to hate in the middle of the parking lot of a flipping Waffle House, that’s where.
Chey pressed her lips together to suppress a groan. The last thing she needed to do was get involved with trouble, good looking or not. She ground her back teeth together when he hopped into the driver’s side and held his hand out for the keys. At this point, she and the cougar wanted to fight. Maybe they had different goals in mind but they were both frustrated and he was a great target. Chey resisted and dug into her pants’ pocket to fish out the keys. He slid them into the ignition and cranked her baby up, letting the engine warm for just a minute before throwing it into gear and hauling
out of the parking lot.
From the corner of her eye, she caught movement at the far edge of the building. The anger inside boiled higher. Carl had been watching them. Malcolm had recognized him immediately, and apparently not a lot of love was lost between them.
“Do you know him?”
The muscle in Malcolm’s jaw twitched and his lips pressed together in a grim line. Looked like her guess was right.
“Yeah, we grew up together in the clan, but we had a falling out a while back. I could have done without seeing him again.”
“I still can’t believe Kane sent the likes of him to follow me. A pansy ass cougar like him gives me the creeps. Why send someone who doesn’t even possess the balls to stand up to either one of us?”
“Kane didn’t send him here, and I better not see you and him anywhere near each other again.” His threat came on the wave of a low growl.
Chey pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead as the headache he’d been giving her since he showed up flared to an all-new high. “Your attitude is getting old, Malcolm.” She let her head fall back onto the headrest and slid her eyes closed. “Good thing I’m going home just as soon as I drop you off,” she muttered under her breath. An extra burst of tension radiated from him and she bit her tongue to keep from smiling. Why she wanted to poke him so bad she didn’t understand, but a childish satisfaction settled over her.
Now if her body would stop vibrating with sexual desire, she could go home and forget about him.
“Wait.” She sat up in her seat. “What do you mean Kane didn’t send him? How do you know what he said?”
“Oh, I heard what the little prick said. Trust me. If Kane wanted you or I checked up on he would never send Carl. He’s an untrustworthy snake in the grass who is only out for himself.”
The venom in Malcolm’s words startled her. “But if Kane didn’t send him then what is he doing here?” Confusion clouded her thoughts as she tried to understand.
“Finally she asks the right question.”
Chapter Three
On the drive back to Malcolm’s house at the edge of the Nantahala national forest, Chey’s skin crawled from doing nothing. She desperately wanted to glare at him, yell at him—hell, even jumping from the Jeep and disappearing into the early morning light just peeking over the horizon sounded good.
Arousal, anger and guilt were not a good combination and she needed some time to clear her head. It was the arousal more than anything that puzzled her. Her body burned for a man that was, for all intents and purposes, a criminal. The profile she’d compiled on him over the years spoke of a rebellious but loyal teenager who’d worshipped his mother. After she died, things began to change. For one, he’d met her. Unfortunately, she remembered the day as clearly as if it had been yesterday, not five years ago.
She’d crossed over into his clan’s territory on a dare and he’d hunted her. From the moment she’d scented him something shifted inside her. His presence tugged continuously at her mind. However, fear of a black cougar had practically been bred in her so she raced back to the neutral zone where she belonged. That first day she’d not seen him, but she’d known he watched her from somewhere close by. His scent enthralled her.
Chey’d returned every single night, playing chicken with a Death Enforcer. Until one night, he’d decided to capture her. He’d gone from cougar to man in an instant, pouncing on her before she even blinked. Every cell in her body had lit up that night and she’d been prepared to take him as her first. They’d wrestled and fought, scratched and bit until finally Malcolm pinned her to the ground belly down.
He’d entered her from behind in one dark, fast and thrilling thrust that made her scream from the glorious pain and pleasure. Their cries of passion and lust filled the night air until they were both lost in the frenzy. Then he’d frozen above her. He’d scrambled to his feet spewing insults she’d never expected from the man she’d inexplicably trusted. He shifted back to the sleek cougar she’d been awed by and disappeared into the woods.
Left confused and hurt, she’d curled into a ball and wept. She’d lost her innocence and ability to trust that night and all she heard in her head over and over were his parting words.
Not in this lifetime or any other would he mate with a half-breed.
Chey turned her face into the wind and let the rough air wipe away the tears dripping on her cheeks. Why she would shed a tear for him after all this time and not the family she’d so recently lost angered her. He deserved less than nothing from her.
The first year after that night was unbearable for her. Rumors of Malcolm’s quick descent from exalted enforcer to troublemaker filtered through to the neutral zone. Out of some sick fascination, she’d written down every scrap of information about him she could find. By the time the stories of dark magic and even darker sex made their way to her family, Malcolm had been outcast. Stripped of his rank and torn from his family as punishment for his outrageous behavior. Apparently his clan had no use for a man who couldn’t play by the rules. He’d become exactly what he’d feared that fateful night.
When the stories of his sexual conquests came pouring in, she’d locked away his file and moved on. Yet, he’d been like a magnet she couldn’t resist when the request from Kane came down. A year ago, her world had turned upside down and she no longer cared what anyone thought of her. Especially not Malcolm. Unfortunately for her, the sexual attraction she’d felt all those years ago had not died. Why did an irresponsible, demanding and often cruel man excite her? Couldn’t she ever do anything the easy way? He stood for everything she never wanted in her life again.
The crunching of the gravel under the tires as he swerved from the highway caught her attention and she opened her eyes to see where they were. His place again. She recognized the unpaved road and the already familiar scent. Or was that just the man sitting next to her?
When they rounded the final bend, his small cabin came into view in front of her. Things looked different in the light of day, starting with the little shack across from his home that said Park Station in black letters across the top of the building.
“You’re a park ranger?” Her voice quivered in shock. Not in her wildest dreams did she expect this.
“Don’t sound so surprised. What did you think I was?” He glanced over at her with hard, assessing eyes waiting for her answer.
“I don’t know what I expected, but it sure as hell wasn’t this.” She gestured to the ranger station.
“I’m surprised you missed it last night. But don’t worry your pretty little head, darling. I have no intention of shattering your illusions of what a bastard I am. I’m not a park ranger or at least not permanently. A friend of mine had an emergency out west and asked if I could stay at his place and fill in for a couple of months until he got things straightened out and could get back.”
Chey wasn’t sure what shocked her more. The fact that he had a friend or that he would actually help one out. His huge attitude rubbed her all kinds of wrong but now she felt a little ashamed that just the fact that he’d help out a friend was more than she’d expected from him. She really didn’t even know him, other than the spotty details of a misspent youth, the trouble he’d caused for his brother months ago and the heat burning just under her skin, aching—wanting.
Malcolm threw the Jeep into first and popped the clutch to park them right in front of his door.
“Guess I’ll be leaving now.” She hesitated, unsure. Despite her memories, she sensed something different about him. “If your brother wants you back, he can come and get you himself.” She unfastened the belt and moved to get out of the vehicle.
“The only place you’re going is inside with me. We have a situation to straighten out.”
Chey rolled her eyes. “What is there to straighten out? I’m letting you off the hook—at least until your brother sends someone else.”
He snorted. “Letting me off the hook? I don’t think so Chey. You know as well as I do there is a lot more going on t
han simply a job. I warned you not to come near me again and you didn’t listen. Now I can’t get your taste out of my mind for even a second and my dick has been hard since the second I scented you in my house.” He pressed his hand against the hard bulge in his jeans and stroked downward, a move she couldn’t take her eyes from. “This is not business as usual.”
Her tongue poked out and moistened her parched lips, her brain already losing focus as he continued to touch himself. Liquid pooled between her thighs and her nipples tightened painfully against her shirt. She looked up and met his gaze, not missing the change of his deep blue eyes to nearly black. Not to mention he stared at her like he planned to devour her.
She gulped at the stern lines of his face, the stark desire evident in the firm set of his jaw and fierce expression in his eyes. He wasn’t going to let her just walk away and she wasn’t sure she could fight that kind of determination. If she dug deep into her own psyche, she’d known this would happen and she’d chosen to come anyway.
“It’s just lust, Malcolm. I know you’re familiar with the concept. You’re a healthy, good-looking male and I’m a female who hasn’t had sex in far longer than is healthy for my breed. This is normal.”
“Then you won’t mind going inside to prove that.” He pulled her from her seat, pressing her against his big, hard body. The softer curves of her figure fit snug against the firm muscles of his chest and stomach. She melted against him. Want churned in her belly, along with need tinged with desperation. The heat of his touch burned through her clothes, setting off sparks of pure pleasure across her skin. He wrapped his hands around her waist as he turned and carried her from the Jeep.
“Wrap your legs around my waist, Chey.” His tone had changed. It was still demanding but delivered with a husky undertone of ragged need. She hid her smile when she buried her face in his neck. It felt incredibly satisfying and less scary knowing he struggled as well.
His hands slid to her bottom and his strength infused through her clothing, leaving her with a racing heart and a pulsing body. Would it really be that bad if she indulged just this once? Something about the dominant way he treated her had gotten under her skin and she definitely needed more. One day. If he didn’t have anything else to do today, then they could spend the day in his warm bed, naked, having mind-blowing sex they both seemed to want.