Her Undercover Panther : A Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance

by Jasmine White

  She laid her eyes on him and lunged forward, tackling him and dunking him in the water with a suspicious lack of effort. She was pretty sure he’d let her dunk him, but it didn’t matter. She was having a good time, and it was good to blow off some steam. They’d seen all they could tonight until morning, and it didn’t hurt to have a little fun when you were supposed to be pretending to do exactly that. After all, Luis’ job was to seduce the cub reporter so that she wouldn’t find anything of substance on the island and she would leave with a fluff piece that only brought good press to GRE and the Shifter Island Resort.

  When Luis popped out of the water, she had her arms around his shoulders and her legs wrapped around his waist. She lowered herself down, looking up startled when she felt his manhood pushing insistently against her leg.

  Luis shrugged.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, and I’m having fun getting to know you,” he said, pulling her close and embracing her.

  She hugged him back. Her chin was resting on his shoulder when the hair suddenly stood up on the back of her neck. She stiffened, keeping her head still as her eyes scanned the shoreline. Finally, she found him, standing behind a tree near a bench that sat beside the walkway.

  She didn’t make eye contact, but instead brushed her lips against Luis’ ear as if she was nuzzling.

  “Is someone watching us?” he asked.

  “Uh huh,” she muttered, still toying with his ear. “Follow me. I have an idea.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Tara led Luis out deeper in the water, until she was chest deep in the water. Luis was significantly taller, so the water only came to just below his ribs, but it would work for what she had in mind.

  “We can’t go much further; the drop off is about one hundred yards away.”

  “We’re not going any further,” she said.

  She pulled him close, her arms going around his neck and her lips pressing gently against his.

  “I’m afraid to ask what you’re doing,” he said, his voice thick and heavy.

  She could still feel his erection against her thigh.

  “Making sure that they think you’re doing your job,” she said, capturing his mouth with hers and kissing him deeply.

  His arms went around her, sliding down her back and cupping her backside under the water that swirled around them where they stood just beyond the breakers. He pulled her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist and then held her as she moved against his body with the swells that moved around them both.

  “He’s pretty far away,” he growled into her ear. “You don’t have to be that convincing.”

  “I’m not good at faking it,” she said, kissing him again to punctuate her claim.

  “So, what’s your plan? To just have sex because someone is lurking in the shadows and expecting us to do just that?”

  “No,” she said, but her need was already growing and had been since they’d left the hut.

  “Are you sure? Because if you keep doing that, I’m going to have a hard time walking out of this water.”

  Tara laughed at his double entendre, then giggled when he gave her a light slap on the butt cheek for laughing at his pain.

  “Whoever he is, he’s still there.”

  She kissed him again, holding tight with her legs and grabbing his face in both hands. He opened his mouth to her, letting her explore his heat with her tongue and moaning into her mouth. When she finally pulled back, he was breathing hard and his eyes were flashing with his need.

  “You have sex with women all the time, no strings attached, right?”

  “Yes, what are you getting at?”

  “I’ve been fantasizing about sleeping with a shifter since I was a teen.”

  “A specific shifter or any shifter?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “A shifter closer to my age, not Martin. I just always imagined that a shifter would come into my life and whisk me away to a fairytale, happily ever after.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re getting at?”

  She was still rubbing against him, but her movements were slow now, and deliberate. She was no longer putting on an act for the man hiding behind the tree.

  “I don’t want to have to spell it out for you. But I want to live that fantasy here with you. Even if it’s just for this moment and then we’re going to go back to reality and get our job done.”

  “Are you sure?” he wanted to know, looking into eyes that were as blue as the ocean around them and making sure that she meant what she said. “You’re not just falling for my animal magnetism?”

  “Don’t overthink it,” she said.

  She threaded her fingers through his hair and looked into his eyes. Her eyes were filled with heat and desire, and in his eyes, she saw the same reflected back to her. Whatever hesitation he was feeling was only to protect her. He wanted her as badly as she wanted him.

  Feet now firmly in the sand beneath them, she moved one hand down his muscled back until her fingers found the leather strings tied together like a shoelace that held his garment on. She pulled, releasing him from the leather garment and dropping it into the water to float beside them.

  Her free hand went to his manhood, wrapping her hand around it and sliding gently up and down the rigid shaft.

  “You’re playing with fire,” he growled, his lips pressing against her neck and biting her softly.

  “Who’s playing?” she quipped, squeezing him more firmly while she continued stroking.

  His hand was on her backside again, fingers digging into her flesh, his head tilting back in pleasure as she worked him into a frenzy. He grabbed her hand, putting it on his shoulder and lifting her up again so that she had no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist.

  Her body was on fire in the chilly waters of the Pacific, her stomach clenching in excitement when she felt the head of his shaft slide across her thigh. Using one hand, he pulled her bathing suit bottom to the side and gently stroked her between the folds of her sex. His eyes caught hers, and he smiled.

  “I see you weren’t playing,” he said. “I’m a little surprised. I thought you were going to spend the entire week treating me like a leper.”

  She laughed, pressing herself into his hand and holding onto his shoulders while he worked the tiny nub between the folds of her sex. Moving against his hand, she kissed him slowly, passionately, one hand coming up to thread fingers through his thick, black hair.

  Satisfied that she was ready, Luis finally lowered her down his body, sliding inside of her and letting her body rock with the motion of the waves swelling around them in the deep water.

  Slowly, he began moving his hips, working himself inside her and watching her face as she gave in to the feeling.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, lowering his head to her neck and kissing her hot flesh tenderly.

  She mumbled something unintelligible, clearly distracted by his attention. He laughed again, working his way down her neck and over her collarbone before burying his face in her ample cleavage.

  She giggled, her nerves on edge and extra sensitive in her heightened state of arousal. Her hips drove against his, her legs wrapped tightly around him as she rode him shamelessly in the waves, the fading light of day giving her smooth skin a golden glow.

  “Our audience has left,” he whispered, the words somehow still sounding seductive.

  “Huh?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

  “You were convincing. Whoever it was left.”

  “Oh,” she said, not even stopping her movements momentarily. “I had completely forgotten about him.”

  It was Luis’ turn to be confused, but Tara was focused on their bodies, her mind off in the ether, their bodies communing in a way that neither of them had ever experienced with another lover.

  Luis set his feet apart and leaned back so that he could get a better angle with the rising and falling water just behind the breaking waves. His eyes locked with hers again, and he thrust harder and f
aster, driving into her and enjoying the expressions that flitted across her expressive face.

  He was ready for her climax, holding her tightly when it washed over her and guiding her as she rode his rigid manhood frantically, chasing her release with wild abandon.

  When his own climax threatened, he braced himself, bearing down and pulling her even closer. He buried himself within her, his wet, naked body pressed against hers. He groaned softly then covered her mouth with his, pushing her mouth open and kissing her deeply.

  He shuddered one last time then held her in his arms, still standing in the waves and letting the water rock their bodies back and forth, Tara’s body still wrapped around his, his manhood buried inside her.

  She smiled at him, quickly kissing his lips and laughing with unbridled joy.

  “I take it you enjoyed yourself,” he teased her, sliding her off of his manhood and lowering her to her feet.

  “That was only about twenty times better than how I’d fantasized about making love in the waves.” She treated him to another quick kiss that was almost shy. “Thank you.”

  “I feel like I should thank you,” he said. “That was amazing.”

  He looked around in the water, trying to locate his undergarment and coming up empty-handed. She saw him looking around and giggled.

  “Just go back naked. I’m sure no one will mind.”

  “Least of all you, right?” he said, winking at her.

  “Well, I wouldn’t mind one bit. But the others might find you a little intimidating.”

  “Just a little?”

  “I was being kind to them.”

  He laughed, sweeping her into his arms and giving her a kiss on the lips.

  “You’re fun. I would have never guessed that about you just based on our initial encounters.”

  “I know. I’m sorry about that. I promise that I’m nice once I let my guard down, but I’m slow to warm up, and I know that can be a little off-putting.”

  He was carrying her now, holding her within the crashing waves and against his bare chest. The sensation of the water flowing around her, cooling her overheated skin and gently lifting her up, was magical. Everything about the moment was pure magic, and her expectations had been so far exceeded that Tara had to concede that her fantasies hadn’t even come close to measuring up to reality. And a big part of that was Luis.

  You mean, all of that was Luis, she corrected, her cheek pressed against his broad chest, his heartbeat strong beneath her ear.

  He set her down on the shore, and together, hand in hand, they walked up the sand to collect their things. Tara thought that Luis was going to put his jeans on despite his missing undergarment, but he just slung his shirt and pants over his other arm and grabbed the large shell.

  “You’re just going to walk to the hut naked?” she asked, her skin coloring slightly at the thought.

  “I have to shower,” he said matter-of-factly. “Why get dressed just to get undressed and then dressed again?”

  “I guess that doesn’t make sense,” she admitted. “It’s just strange to see a man just walking around naked at sunset where anyone could see him.”

  “Not around here it isn’t.”

  She lowered her voice, trying to make sure that it didn’t carry, just in case their observer was still lurking.

  “Did you get a look at whoever it was that was watching us?”

  “I did. It was Eric. We are going to have to change our plans for the morning.”

  “Why is that?”

  “He wasn’t watching us until we came to the side of the island that’s closest to Isla Escondida.”

  “We were also near the Forbidden Jungle.”

  “We were, but he wasn’t watching us then. He wasn’t interested enough to follow up that far. He might not be able to prove it, but he knows that something is up. We have to come up with another plan.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I don’t know yet, but it won’t be until morning anyway. And he’ll be busy with that investor tomorrow. It should be pretty easy to slip under his radar and leave the island tomorrow, though we will have to be careful. Whatever I say, just follow my lead. I’ll think of something.”

  “Okay,” she said, trying not to mull over the day to come. “I have a question, though. If Arnold and Ian said to give me free access to both islands, why does it matter to Eric if we even go to the other island?”

  “I don’t know. Eric is usually more suspicious than the rest of us, but this is above and beyond, even for him. Maybe he’s hoping that we won’t go over there, or he has something specific to hide that he doesn’t want us to find out about.”

  “Could it be about Martin?”

  “Anything is possible. Eric was on the team that went to capture the escapees. Nothing would surprise me at this point, and I have long suspected that Eric had a very direct hand in Martin’s capture and his disappearance. It’s possible that Ian and Arnold don’t even know what’s going on and he’s afraid that we will find out and blow the lid off whatever he has going on.”

  “That makes sense. I bet that’s what it is. He’s hiding something from GRE, or for GRE, and even Ian and Arnold don’t know about it.”

  “I find it hard to believe that Ian doesn’t know, but I would be willing to bet that Arnold isn’t supposed to know. He’s a relatively new addition to the GRE elite, and I’m sure that even Ian is still guarded around Arnold. It could be any number of things, and wracking our brains to figure it out isn’t going to help us.”

  They were at their hut, a soft light aglow in the sitting room.

  “Did you leave the light on?” Tara asked, a little nervous but not showing it outwardly.

  “Of course not. They went through your things. I’m sure they didn’t find anything or else they would already be here, dragging us away in handcuffs.”

  “What is he hoping to find?”

  “If he knew, he would have found it. Don’t worry about it.”

  Despite his casual attitude, Tara could see that Luis was on edge, moving through the hut in front of her and carefully examining everywhere that had been searched. Tara was worried that they were going to have more issues than they could handle alone if their cover was rock solid yet Eric was already suspicious enough to follow them to the beach in case they intended to leave. And now, someone had gone through their entire room and through all of Tara’s things. That level of scrutiny and suspicion didn’t bode well for their chances of getting to the other island undetected.

  They went through the doorway to the bedroom, and Tara’s stomach dropped. Her laptop, which she’d left in her bag, was sitting open and powered up on the little desk in the corner of the room.

  “I see they helped themselves to my laptop.”

  “Does it matter?” he asked, genuinely worried about the device that he knew wasn’t a standard laptop.

  “Doubtful.” She pulled up a chair in front of it, then turned to Luis and pointed to her bag. “Will you hand me the cellphone out of the inner pocket in the middle, please?”

  “Sure,” he said, opening the bag while Tara clicked around on the decoy desktop.

  “They looked at the start of my article. I guess since they didn’t erase it, that it wasn’t that impressive.”

  She was laughing.

  “Did you start the article?”

  “I sure did, just to have something there.”

  She pushed the screen back when he brought the cellphone to her so that he could read the first page of her piece on Shifter Island.

  “Wow,” he said, whistling low under his breath. “That’s just awful.”

  Tara laughed and then opened her phone to see if the ERH had sent her any updates. The only text read “bug free last sweep” and gave a timestamp of a few minutes before Tara and Luis had walked into the hut.

  “All clear,” she said.

  “So. This article?” He grimaced dramatically, pulling more laughter out of Tara.

  “Of c
ourse it’s awful; I’m not a writer.”

  “Perhaps now that he’s seen this, he will realize that your journalistic aspirations are no threat to him and whatever he is hiding.”

  “One can hope.”

  “I’m going to hit the shower. Care to join me?”

  She looked him up and down, weighing the pros and cons and deciding that she had nothing to lose.

  “Sure. I haven’t had my hair washed by someone else in ages, and that sounds like pure heaven right now.”

  “Are you sure that you can keep your hands off of me?”

  She followed him into the bathroom and stripped out of her bikini while he fiddled with the water’s temperature on the double-headed shower.

  “It will be a struggle,” she said sarcastically, “but I think that I will manage.”

  “Don’t hurt yourself,” he said with a mischievous grin, tugging on her hand and pulling her into the shower with him.

  Luis carefully washed her long hair after carefully releasing it from its loose braid. Once untied, it hung almost to her waist in perfectly straight lines. Her hair was like silk, and Tara could feel Luis taking his time with her long strands, working a coconut-scented shampoo deep into her scalp and to the end of her hair.

  She stood in the warmth of the massaging sprayer, just enjoying the moment when he started to talk with her as if they both weren’t standing there, inches from each other, soapy, wet, and completely naked.

  “So, did you always want to be a journalist when you grew up?” he asked, but his meaning was clear. It was a common question. Did she always want to be an FBI Agent?

  “No,” she said honestly. “That came after I was attacked and the man who saved me disappeared, and the man who tried to kidnap me almost got away with what he had done. Once I started taking self-defense classes and really empowering myself to feel less like a victim, I decided that my line of work would be a better fit. And I make more than I could have if I had become a musician.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, a concert violinist makes about one hundred thousand a year, but you have to start pretty low to get to that point. The starting pay can be as low as twenty thousand a year, and I can’t survive off of that. The high end average is seventy-two thousand, and with my current career, I make about that much without all the auditioning and the instability a performance-based career can bring.”