Hell, he wished he’d let her win now that he thought of it.
She took him by the hand, and he followed, somewhat marveled by how good it felt. His hand in her smaller one. Letting her take the lead. He would’ve expected his alpha nature to balk at this change of dynamics, however temporary, but it seemed natural.
He frowned. Similar to his relationship with Isabela. His mate had wrapped him and Juan around her little finger. Like Isabela, Heidi had a way about her that made him want to see her smile, watch the joy he caused light up her eyes. But Isabella had never been the one in the lead. Heidi was unique in that. Strong willed, stubborn and bossy. He grinned as he followed her as meekly as a kitten.
He was out in the parking lot before he realized their destination. “Where are we headed now?”
A smile was his only answer, so he circled the vehicle and got in, looking to her for a verbal response. After their trip to her special place, they’d spent the morning hours strolling the sidewalks of the more touristy areas of the Bavarian-themed town and had a tasty lunch at a locally owned restaurant. Everywhere they went, Heidi was greeted by people she knew, making him amused. He better understood her love of the town and its people.
Then they’d played the afternoon away at the amusement park and arcade. He couldn’t remember spending an hour at leisure, not in a very long time, much less a whole day spent in the pursuit of recreation. He had to give Heidi credit for reminding him of the importance of just...living.
She backed the Land Rover out of the parking lot. “Do you like wine?”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“My dads are investors in a local winery, which is a benefit for us.” Her grin brightened. “Free tours and wine tastings—if you think you can handle it.”
“Oh, I think I’ll be just fine.”
* * *
Heidi set the wine glass down when her cell phone buzzed, interrupting her for the third time. She couldn’t keep ignoring Axel, so she excused herself and put space between her and Javier as she answered the call.
“Hello, brother.”
“I’ve had the shifter’s car moved from Dads’ driveway to the hotel parking lot.”
She gritted her teeth and bit back the sharp retort on the tip of her tongue. “Why?”
As if she didn’t already know. She didn’t bother asking how he’d known where Javier was staying or how he’d managed to get access to the car. Axel had ingenuity in abundance. And what he couldn’t do through legitimate means, Kelan could do with a lock pick and a little sleight of hand.
She knew she’d been pushing her luck by not returning home at night, not to mention having Beth cover for her at the clinic. Word was sure to get back to Axel. Even at thirty, she would only be allowed to push her independent streak so far when it came to matters of the opposite sex and her overprotective family. And although she’d been glad to see they’d given her some space—after all they hadn’t shown up knocking on the hotel room door yet—she wished that just this once Axel would step down from his alpha perch and have a little more faith in his only sister.
“You’ve had enough time to nurse your stray back to health, Heidi.”
“His name is Javier, not shifter, not stray. And I don’t need you butting in where you don’t belong.”
She was more than capable of taking Javier back to her dads’ to retrieve his car. Or at least she’d intended to do that...when the time was right. Axel might be the alpha of the family now, but that didn’t give him the right to bulldoze over people to get his way on his schedule.
“Heidi—”
“Goddammit, Axel, I mean it.” She tried to keep her volume down. “I love you, brother, but you’ve gone too far this time. Butt out of my life.” She hung up and turned her phone off for good measure.
“What’s wrong?” Javier asked the instant she returned to the wine tasting.
She tried to smile, but knew she didn’t pull it off when concern wrinkled his brow.
“Nothing. Let’s just...where were we?” She grabbed her glass and downed the burgundy sampler in one swig, but when she reached for his glass, he caught her wrist.
“Excuse us, please,” he said to the winery employee. “And thank you for everything. They are all spectacular wines.”
He guided her outside and didn’t release her arm until they were at her vehicle. Opening the door for her in a gentlemanly gesture that made her want to cry, he waited for her to plop in behind the steering wheel before he got in the passenger side.
“Tell me what has happened.”
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and refused to look at him until she got her emotions under control. “My big brother’s just being an ass. Nothing new.” She dared a glance his way and tried to change the subject. “You hungry? I thought maybe we could grab a bite of dinner before going back to the hotel.”
He stared at her for several nerve-racking seconds. Then, he nodded. “Let’s get drive-thru.”
“Fine by me.” Relieved, she started the engine and pulled out, heading for the nearest fast food place.
When they arrived at his room, however, he made it clear he wasn’t ready to let the phone call go after all. “Your brother arranged to have my car brought here.”
Of course he’d notice his own car. Heidi set the bag of burgers on the dresser and chose to stare out the window at the parking lot. Javier’s Jag stuck out among the rainbow of sedans and SUVs. “Yes,” she admitted reluctantly.
Javier’s chuckle made her spin to face him.
“I don’t find this funny, and I’m surprised you do.”
He cupped her face. “It makes perfect sense.”
She crossed her arms. “Oh, and I suppose all big brothers are arrogant assholes who overstep their bounds.” Her sarcasm apparently amused him because his annoying grin got even bigger.
“If I were your big brother, and trust me, I thank God that I am not, I would do everything in my power to get a man like me as far away from you as possible.”
“A man like you?”
His smile faded, and he released the tender grasp he had on her face. “If I were honorable, I would’ve left at sunup today.”
“But...”
“But I wanted one more day with you.” He nudged her chin up with a fingertip and then kissed her lips with a brief brush of his own. “One more night.”
Moisture stung her eyes. “But...” She hated asking the question, hated knowing their time had to end.
His cheerless smile pained her. “But we can’t always have what we want.”
“It’s not fair,” she muttered, hating the petulance in her defeated tone.
He thumbed her cheek and remained silent, although she could almost hear his thoughts, read them in his eyes. Life’s not fair.
“I don’t want you to go.” There. She’d said it, admitted her heart’s desire, and tried to ignore the replay of what he’d just said in her mind. “We can’t always have what we want.” She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the inevitable.
“Heidi...” He waited for her to look at him. “I must.”
His words crushed her hopes and made her body shudder as if from a physical blow. The first teardrop escaped her lower lashes, and she didn’t give a damn.
She’d been born to a shifter line, carried the gene in her DNA, but she got none of the benefits. Her brothers could shift at will while she remained human. Her brothers could find their mates, father future generations, while she was left without any hope of a happy ever after.
No husband.
No children.
And for what?
“Fuck fate.” She threw herself against his strong body and kissed him for all she was worth.
He didn’t shove her away as she feared he might. Instead, he took everything she had to give and returned her passions tenfold. Their clothes disappeared, discarded in haste along a twisted path they took to the bed.
Falling to the mattress, Javier blanke
ted her nakedness with his own and fingered a lock of hair from her eyes. His expression showed a mix of concern and compassion, need and resolve.
“One more night.”
And then goodbye, she thought but shoved the words from her mind. She didn’t want to think about what would happen tomorrow. If all they had was one final night together, she would take it and pray for time to stand still.
“Then make it last.”
He dipped his head for a surprisingly chaste kiss and then began a slower, gentler journey along every curve and concave of her body. God help her. The way the man could touch her, kiss her... He brushed his thumbs across her pebbled nipples, massaged her breasts and planted a trail of moist kisses along her cleavage. The heat of his breath and feathery touch of his fingertips tantalized her.
When he explored her navel with his tongue, her need grew. Although she raised her hips in a silent plea, she enjoyed how he refused to be prodded into a rushed finale.
He took his time traveling from her lips to her toes, and by the time he once more lay over her with his mouth mere centimeters from her own, her senses tingled with pent-up desire. But neither did she want to just take and not give, so she pushed him on the shoulder and smiled when he rolled to his back.
His cock stood proud and more than ready to finish what they’d started, but she aimed for other targets as she laced their fingers together and kissed him breathless. The sweet friction of her nipples rubbing against his chest drew a deep moan of longing from her lungs.
Teasing him, she inched down his body, planting licks, nibbles and kisses along his flesh. His soft bass rumbles of encouragement were music to her ears. But when she bypassed his eager cock to kiss his thigh, he growled with frustration.
“Heidi...”
She gave in and drew nearer to his heat. Taking his ball sac in her hand, she licked the length of his erection, pressed a soft kiss to the tip and tasted his salty essence.
“Heidi.” His tone was more urgent, so she sucked in as much of his cock as she could and tilted her face up to look at him.
His dark, passionate gaze burned into her memory before he turned away to press his head back on the pillow. He freed her hand to grab the back of her head and hold her in place while his hips lifted.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he said before pulling her off him a mere two strokes later.
With impressive strength, he raised her up and rolled her beneath him in one quick motion.
A smile tugged at her lips. “You didn’t like that?”
“I liked it very much...too much.” He kissed her hard before she had a chance to draw breath, but the kiss was short-lived. “Stay there.”
He climbed off the bed and retrieved a condom.
She wanted to ask him to leave it off, to give her the children only a male shifter could, but she bit her tongue, refusing to voice such needs when he’d made it clear he would leave her tomorrow.
Still, she couldn’t hide the tear that escaped a corner of one eye.
After he crawled over her, he thumbed the dampness from her temple and stared into her eyes, a frown of unease on his face. “Do you want to stop?”
She shook her head and cringed when a second tear fell. He began to push up. “No.” Unable to say more, she cupped his nape and pulled him down for another kiss. She didn’t want her emotional turmoil to ruin her last chance at happiness, if only for one night.
After a brief, heart-stopping hesitation, he settled over her again and returned her kiss with keen interest. His entry was slow and tender and brought renewed moisture to her eyes.
“Shhh... God, Heidi, please don’t cry.” He cradled her head in both hands and kissed her eyelids.
“I can’t help it.” She drew in a shaky breath. “You feel too good.”
Unlike the fierce outer shell he showed the world, the tough alpha unwilling to let anyone near his heart, he could be so gentle with her. He was a contradiction that confounded her, attracted her and destroyed the defenses she’d erected around her own heart.
He nudged deeper even as he kissed that most sensitive of spots on her neck, beneath her ear.
“Your tears unman me, chata.”
She wrapped her legs and arms around him as if she could hold him to her forever. “You don’t feel unmanned.”
His chuckle was a deep rumble against her chest. “What am I to do with you?”
She hugged him closer. “Just love me, Javier.” Her voice dropped to a needy whisper. “Love me.”
He kissed her then, her eyes, nose and mouth. And he rode out his passions within her body, driving her own arousal to new heights, until they each found the physical release they sought...if not the poignant bond of a true mating she desired.
Chapter Twelve
Just before sunrise, as dusky light seeped in through the partially opened curtains, Heidi awoke and wondered for a moment if she’d ever actually fallen asleep. Her body was pleasantly achy all over, and her tummy rumbled from the lack of dinner. The burgers they’d purchased the night before had been left untouched on the dresser, and she decided she’d toss them on her way out. But first, she spent several minutes staring at the deliciously naked man beside her.
He slept peacefully, his handsome, almost exotic features softened in slumber. She was glad whatever nightmares normally plagued him had left him alone overnight. Perhaps their exhaustive sexcapade, which had stretched into the early morning hours, had helped him find one night’s peace.
A part of her wanted nothing more than to remain exactly where she was, maybe wake him up and...
But no, she couldn’t. Axel, and even Javier himself, had made it clear their time together was limited. And that time was up. Deciding not to remain for a painful goodbye, she slipped from the bed, dressed and left without a word or note of farewell.
Two hours later, she walked into the clinic. Having showered, dressed and grabbed a bite to eat at her dads’ house, she felt somewhat refreshed if not prepared to face the day...without Javier. She missed him already but was determined to go on with her life without him. She had no other choice.
Was he already gone? Maybe. Would she ever see him again? Probably not.
She wished she’d at least gotten his cell phone number or an address where she could write to him.
Then again, a long-distance pen pal wasn’t what she wanted either. Better to make a clean break, let him go and move on.
Best way to do that was to keep busy.
Mrs. Blake greeted her with a smile. “Good morning.”
Heidi took a stack of mail from the pleasant receptionist, combining it with a couple of personal letters she’d brought from home and had not yet had the chance to read. “Thank you for opening up this morning.”
“No problem, dear.”
“Where’s Beth?” Her sister-in-law had left home a while before her. She should’ve arrived already, but her vehicle wasn’t parked outside.
“She called to say she was dropping the boys off at the outfitters, and I asked her to pick up some office supplies. We’re out of paper clips and manila envelopes.”
“Ah, okay. Pretty slow this morning,” Heidi said, noticing the empty lobby. It was still early.
“When’s our first appointment?”
“Not for another hour, but there was a gentleman who stopped by right after I opened up.”
“Oh?” Heidi held her breath but couldn’t prevent the sudden, hopeful acceleration of her heartbeat.
“Who?”
Before Mrs. Blake could answer, the door chime sounded and Heidi turned to see who the customer was.
“Javier,” she whispered, praying he wasn’t a hallucination.
As thrilled as she was to see him, his enigmatic expression confounded her. Questions flooded her brain. Why was he here? Why did he not look pleased about it? Had Axel done something stupid? If her brothers had threatened him...
“Where is he?” He took a deep breath and eyed her with such seriousness, He
idi quivered.
“Where’s who?”
Instead of answering, he stalked past her into the hallway that led to the back of the clinic and took another deep breath. He looked at Mrs. Blake. “You said a gentleman was here.” His tone made the term sound more like a curse than compliment.
“You heard that?” the bewildered receptionist asked, and Heidi realized Javier had heard their conversation before he’d even entered the clinic.
Javier didn’t answer the woman’s question but asked another of his own. “How long ago?” His stance and expression—hell, his entire demeanor—dominated the space and brooked no argument.
Flustered, Mrs. Blake glanced at Heidi, who nodded. “Well, I’d say about twenty-five or thirty minutes ago. He arrived right after I turned on the Open sign.”
“What did he look like? Did you get his name?” Heidi asked, aware that the man’s scent must be what had Javier so riled.
“No name. He wasn’t as tall as this one here,” she said with a gesture toward Javier. “Leaner too, but well groomed. Wore a dark suit and sunglasses. Made me think of an FBI agent or those characters in the Men in Black movies. Seemed pleasant enough. Strong accent, maybe Russian? He said he came by to inquire about the wounded cat that was in the news.”
Heidi could tell by Javier’s scowl he didn’t like what he was hearing. “What did you tell him, Mrs.
Blake?”
“Just that there was no big cat being held here for treatment, but if he wanted to leave his contact information I could have you call him about it when you arrived. He refused. Said he’d come back later in the day. Here, I wrote it down.” The receptionist handed Heidi a small sheet of paper. “You know him?”
“Not exactly. Excuse us, ma’am. I need to speak with Heidi alone.” Javier grabbed her arm, but she easily pulled free and read Mrs. Blake’s notes.
Foreign man... Russian? FBI? Asked about black jaguar. Not a reporter. No contact info, but may return later today.
The man knew the black panther was really a jaguar? That the news hadn’t been a hoax? “We can talk in my office.”
Javier hesitated and, before she could stop him, crossed the lobby and flipped off the neon Open sign then locked the front door.
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