by Misty Malloy
Tristan sighed and glanced at his phone again. Thank God, only a few more minutes. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings even more, but he didn’t do relationships.
A few more people entered the classroom and hurried to find seats. Some giggling sorority girls. A frazzled guy with a backward ball cap. A girl with a purple ponytail.
And…the beautiful blonde. Her hair rippled in waves nearly to her waist.
She didn’t seem to give much of a damn about being late for class. She gave the TA an easy smile then carefully scanned the room, finally selecting an empty desk near the front.
She moved with confidence and with a poise he could only describe as feline. With her golden skin tone and honey-colored hair…. Damn. Most definitely lion.
Her tight black T-shirt and dark jeans showed off a petite, yet strong body. He wasn’t the only one that had noticed, either. The gazes of almost all the guys in the room were planted on that lithe, sexy frame. Tristan sniffed the air…. Oh, yeah. Male pheromone overload.
A sudden primal urge threatened to take control. He imagined himself behind her, gripping her hips, pulling her toward him as he got ready to plunge inside her. A rush of blood flowed to his cock, and it stiffened.
Whoa. Down boy. What the fuck was wrong with him? He felt like a teenager getting turned on by his first porn magazine.
Jenna kicked his foot and glared at him. “Are you checking that girl out?”
Tristan moved his foot out of Jenna’s reach and didn’t say anything. Relief washed over him when the TA held up a clipboard, ready to start class.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Callie,” she said. “Welcome to chemistry lab. I’m going to start with roll call to make sure everyone’s in the right place.”
The teaching assistant called out names of students, while Tristan’s gaze returned to the gorgeous blonde. Her mane of hair cascaded across the back of her chair.
“Mia Carmichael?”
“Here.”
Her husky voice caused his balls to tighten. Okay, get a grip, man. The girl was hot, but there were plenty of other hot girls that didn’t make him get an erection in class. For some reason, he couldn’t take his gaze off her.
“Tristan Tanner? Is Tristan in the room?”
He noticed with a start that people around the room were looking at him. How long had the TA been calling his name? “Yeah. Here.”
“Well, maybe you’d rather be over there,” Jenna whispered, “with Miss Sexy Pants. By the way, do you have a hard-on?”
Tristan ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. He had to give Jenna some credit—she was totally right. Obviously, he didn’t want to admit it to her, unless he wanted to get punched in the nuts. Next time, he’d sit as far away from her as possible. And maybe even far away from this blonde bombshell that insisted upon giving him a party in his pants.
Okay, Mia Carmichael. Who the fuck are you, and why are you giving me a bulge in chemistry class?
Chapter Two
Cold air blasted Mia in the face as she opened the door to her apartment. The smell of something she couldn’t quite put her finger on tickled her senses. Something sweet, and grassy, and almost…tasty. Oh shit. Her roommate had moved in, and she most definitely wasn’t human. She followed the sounds of the blaring heavy metal to the bedroom next to hers.
The door was propped open, but Mia knocked anyway. “Hello?”
The door swung all the way open to reveal a tall, blonde girl, her silvery hair long and straight. She wore skin-tight black jeans and a black tank top. “Oh, hey. You must be Mia?”
“Yeah.” Mia smiled at her. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Andrea, right?”
The girl nodded but didn’t smile back. “Right. My friends call me Drea.” She leaned against the side of the bedroom door and regarded Mia curiously with ice-blue eyes.
“Okay. Cool.” Mia grinned again, trying her best to be friendly. Did her new roommate ever smile? And why was it freezing in the apartment? Mia shivered and rubbed her hands alongside her arms. She sniffed delicately.
“Yup. Arctic fox. I could tell you were wondering.” Drea narrowed her eyes at her. “And you’re feline. Panther?”
“Lion.” Mia made a mental note to herself…. Never, ever shift into lion while her roommate wore her foxy form. Although she had very good control of her cat, she would be absolutely mortified if she tried to turn her roommate into a yummy snack.
“Ah. Lions. You guys always love it warm. I turned up the air conditioning, though, so hope you don’t mind.” Drea finally broke out in a big grin. “Well, anyways, welcome! Go get yourself ready. We’re leaving in twenty minutes so I can show you around town.”
***
“Okay, so let me get this straight.” Drea paused to take a big gulp of her beer. “You’ve never lived away from home? And you’re how old now?”
“Twenty-one.” Mia took a drink of her own golden lager. From the corner table at Killian’s Pub, they were in the perfect spot to see all the activity going on in the bar. The pub overflowed with students back in town for school.
“Wow. I got the fuck outta my house the second I turned eighteen. I couldn’t wait,” Drea said with disbelief. “And then, on top of that, your dad expects you to come home again? And be happy with some dude he wants you to marry? That’s crazy. What if you don’t like him at all?”
Mia shrugged. “Well, that’s something I’ll have to deal with, I guess. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” The mates her dad had picked out for her sisters seemed like nice guys. She couldn’t imagine he would choose anyone she truly disliked…. Would he? She pushed the thought out of her mind.
“But what if he has a super-tiny penis? Or is absolutely horrible in bed?” Drea made a face.
Mia giggled and shook her head.
“Okay, okay, I get it. Lions are good in bed. And well-endowed in the manly department. But seriously…. So then what? You make little baby cubs with your new hubby, and your dad gets to go golfing with his new alpha buddies from the other prides? Then they get together for whisky and cigar night?”
Mia burst out laughing. “Yeah. Sometimes. But it’s more than just that. They go into business deals together. Investments. There are other prides we don’t get along with, and having alliances helps keep the good guys together. It keeps our pride strong.”
“Well, don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not a sappy kind of person,” Drea said. “But no one in your pride ever gets to marry for love? You know, true mates and all of that?”
Mia shook her head. No, it didn’t work that way at all. Marrying for love wasn’t an option. The pride had always done things this way, and no one seemed to consider it an issue. Her parents had been paired together a long time ago, when her grandfather held the role of alpha. They liked each other, didn’t they? Maybe even loved each other?
Mia didn’t know if she believed in the idea of true mates, and, even if they existed, she didn’t really have a choice in the matter. She could only think of a few instances in which a pride member had married someone of their own choice, and they had never been welcomed back.
The server swung by to drop off their food—a chicken sandwich for Drea and a burger for Mia. Drea picked up a french fry and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “Well, no big deal. There’s tons of sexy guys here to keep your mind on more exciting things. See?” Drea waved another fry in the general direction of the bar. “And they’ve been checking us out since we’ve been here.”
“Mmph,” said Mia, her mouth full with a big bite of her burger. She nodded while chewing. This small college town had plenty of good-looking guys, and she had no doubt she would be plenty entertained. The neighbors she had met earlier at the pool had turned out to be cute and friendly and had already invited her for some pool time the next day.
“Okay, so let me give you the details on who’s here tonight. Sitting at the high top over there are Ken and Dillon. They’re twins, if you can’t tel
l. And wolf shifters. Only one of them is single, but I can’t remember which one. And then…. Do you see that table with the four guys? Well, they’re all on the rugby team. Hot, I know. Oh! And over there….”
Drea’s voice faded into a faint buzz. Her full attention riveted on the dark-haired guy walking up to the bar. She recognized him immediately as the guy she had seen earlier in her lab.
Tristan something or other.
He ordered a drink from the bartender. Um…wow. His broad, muscular back and shoulders tapered to a slim waist, down to where his snug jeans hugged his ass and thigh muscles in all the right places. Her mouth watered. He turned to talk to a friend, giving her a side profile of his body, and she bit her lip. She imagined running her hands across his pecs, then along his biceps that bulged enticingly from under his shirt. Holy shit, she wanted to rip his shirt right off his body, along with everything else.
“Your burger is dripping.”
“What?” Mia’s gaze dropped to the table. The ketchup on her burger dripped messily onto her plate—but, thankfully, not in her lap. “Oh. Shit. Thanks.” She set her burger down and wiped her hands off on her napkin. What was wrong with her? Totally zoning out and drooling over some random guy at the bar.
“Well, no worries. I don’t blame you.” Drea nodded toward the bar. “That’s Tristan Tanner, and the ladies love him. He’s hot stuff for sure.”
“Yeah, I met him earlier today. He’s in my chemistry lab.”
“Hmm. Lucky you.” Drea frowned. “Well, be careful with him. He’s a jaguar shifter and has the reputation of a player. I’m not saying he’s a jerk or anything. He’s a cool guy and a lot of people like him…but he’s not the relationship type.”
Mia grinned mischievously. “So, you’re saying he’s the perfect guy for a fling?”
“Right. Just make sure that’s what you want…. I’ve heard about many girls on campus that have had their poor little hearts crushed.”
“Oh, please.” Mia put on a dab of lip gloss and took a quick peek in her compact mirror. “Don’t worry about me. A boyfriend is the last thing I want.”
“Oookayyy.”
Tristan still waited for his drink at the bar, and, to her surprise, she found herself the focus of his attention. He held her gaze for a moment, and Mia’s belly fluttered. For some silly reason, she felt nervous, but she brushed it off. She was a lioness, for fuck’s sake! He might be a jaguar, but she could roar just as loudly as he could.
Her lioness prowled close to the surface. She wanted to saunter up to Tristan and rub herself all over him. Okay, chill out, kitty. She finished the last of her beer and looked around for the server. Or…maybe she should take the faster option and make her way to the bar.
And have the perfect excuse to say hello to the guy currently making her panties wet.
Hmmm. Yes! She ignored the ridiculousness of the situation—she’d made up her mind. She pushed her chair away from the table.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to get us a few more beers.”
“Mmm. I see.” Drea pursed her lips to make a pouty kissy face. “Good luck.”
“Oh, stop.” Mia tried to give her new friend the sternest face she could but instead burst into laughter when Drea made loud smooching noises.
Another girl scooted herself next to Tristan as Mia approached the bar. Mia edged in on the other side of the girl then, realizing she couldn’t remember what kind of beer Drea liked, ordered two domestic ales from the bartender. She listened to the girl’s giggling and the low murmur of Tristan’s deep voice.
Mia chatted with the cute bartender for a minute while he poured the beers from the tap. Her skin prickled as if someone stared at her. She peeked over to find Tristan’s dark and steady gaze focused intently on her. Eyes like dark-emerald pools dared her to march her little kitty cat ass toward him. Her heart rate quickened, and a shiver of excitement traveled down her spine. The other girl, perched on a barstool next to him and still chattering away, appeared to have no idea his attention for her had wavered. He gave Mia a sexy grin.
Mia returned his grin with a playful smile of her own, before turning her attention to the bartender. She took out money from her wallet to pay.
“Hey, Sam,” she heard Tristan call over to the bartender. “Put those on my tab, please.”
“Right. Well, you’re all set then,” said the bartender, winking. “I think you’ve got yourself a new admirer.”
Mia laughed. Thank you, she mouthed to Tristan.
He shook his head. No problem, he mouthed in response then gave her another grin that made her bones want to melt into a puddle on the floor.
The other girl, still lingering in between them, stopped in mid-sentence. She swiveled her seat around to see Mia, and the cheerful expression on her face crumbled. Now disgruntled and annoyed, she rolled her eyes and rose to chat with another guy farther down the bar. Tristan shrugged and motioned for Mia to come sit next to him.
She moved in closer, and he towered over her. God, he was huge. She had never felt intimidated by men before, even other shifters, but there was something about Tristan—a simple, subdued power she couldn’t quite describe. Part of her wanted to lower her eyes and let him take charge, while the other part of her wanted to challenge him, to put her hands all over him and claim him as hers. Thankfully, she held a beer in each hand and wasn’t able to submit to any whims of impulsivity.
“So, are you going to drink both of those?” he asked with a low chuckle.
“One’s for my friend.” She winked at him and froze, mesmerized by his eyes. Warm amber-brown speckled the green around the pupil. His musky, spicy male scent wrapped itself around her. Her blood thundered through her veins, her senses in overdrive. She couldn’t think straight with the sudden spike of lust flowing throughout her, sending out white-hot tendrils to every cell in her body.
“I’m Tristan,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
It took all of Mia’s willpower to resist the urge to kiss his full, sensuous lips right then and there. She wanted to lick her way down his neck, maybe nipping a bit here and there, continuing on to his broad chest.
Instead, she sat on the stool and took a long, deep drink to try to cool the heat emanating from her body. She smiled up into his handsome face. “I’m Mia, by the way.”
***
“I don’t need her phone number.” Tristan scowled at his best friend over the rim of his beer glass. He looked wistfully at the barstool to the left of him, where, until about a half hour ago, Mia had been sitting. Now a bearded dude occupied the spot, and he wasn’t nearly as sexy nor desirable as the lioness.
“Okay. Sure,” said Dane, sitting to his right. “But just a little while ago, the two of you were sizzling up those seats right there. I was expecting a hot and heavy make-out session at any moment. Or maybe even a porn scene to unfold on that countertop.”
Tristan took a deep chug of his dark stout, enjoying the rich taste and coolness of the brew. He set the glass down with a satisfying thump. “Dane, I would never have sex on a bar counter.”
“No. Seriously. I’ve never seen you give your full attention to a chick like that before.” Dane shook a shaggy brown lock out of his eyes and grinned. “You totally like her. And then you let her get away without getting her digits. Who is she, anyway?”
“Mia. She’s in my chemistry class.” Tristan sighed. Mia had chatted with him for a few minutes but then excused herself to go back to her friend. He wished she would have stayed. He wouldn’t have minded talking to her some more…. Well, maybe a little bit of talking, but then spending the rest of the evening doing other activities, mostly involving no clothes and his face between her thighs. “And, no. I’m not into her like you think. I mean, I’d love to see her naked, yeah. But that’s it.”
“Right. That girl waltzed right over here and wrapped you around her little finger. What happened to Tristan, the ladies’ man?” Dane guffawed. “Here, let
me wipe that drool off your face before you scare away any more girls.”
Tristan made a face. He didn’t understand why Dane kept going on and on about this. Obviously, Mia turned him on. What was the problem with that?
Okay, so he had to admit she turned him on more than he’d expected. First in class and now here at the bar. That sweet-honey scent that emanated from her—oh God, he hungered for it. He ached to grab her and pull her to him, crushing his mouth against hers. He didn’t know how he’d resisted tonight. He would bet a thousand bucks this little hell-kitty tasted amazing.
He swiveled his barstool around, letting his gaze move around the pub. He didn’t see her anywhere. Ten minutes ago, he’d checked the table she and her friend were sitting at and discovered they were gone.
Why hadn’t she come to say good-bye before she left? He growled low and swiveled his seat back around.
“Hey. Don’t be so pissed,” said Dane, shrugging. “Maybe the drooling is a cat thing.”
“A cat thing? Kind of like a dog thing, like when you lick your own balls?” Tristan grinned.
Dane had just taken a big swig of his beer, and his face turned bright red. It was about all Dane could do to not spew his beer all over the place.
Dane finally swallowed and bellowed out a loud laugh. He clapped Tristan across a broad shoulder. “Not all coyotes lick their balls, bro. But I have to admit, I’m sure I’ve done it a time or two. Probably during one of the same nights you had a hairball and vomited all over the place.”
Tristan laughed, too. “Jaguars don’t have hairballs. I think you’re mistaking me for someone else, dog breath.” He had good memories of being Dane’s roommate during their freshman year of college. A jaguar and coyote shifter in the same dorm room might have seemed like a recipe for disaster, but they had surprisingly hit it off and had remained friends since.
“So, tell me for real. Are you going to hook up with her later or not?” Dane asked.
Tristan shook his head. “Nah. I don’t think so.”