by Josie Hunter
Summer was in full swing. As kids rushed to get in line for their favorite rides, the small amusement park at the end of the pier rang with laughter, and cries of excitement and thrills echoed in the night as the Ferris wheel circled ’round and ’round and the pirate ship swayed back and forth, higher and higher, until the very thought of it made Rosa light-headed. Robb had mentioned earlier they could take in the amusement park after dinner, but she intended to skip that ride altogether. She decided a round of bumper cars might be fun though.
A shadow fell over the table, and Rosa glanced up to meet the server’s eyes, a bright, pretty brown behind the black-framed glasses she wore. The girl gave her a friendly smile, and then, within a split second, that smile simply fell from her face as she dragged in a breath and drew back imperceptibly. Her nametag read Stephanie, and before the girl had said a word, Rosa knew Stephanie was a lepus shifter. They were always so perky and bright-eyed. Until a snake-shifter came into their personal space. Stephanie swallowed hard, trying very hard to recover. The smile skittered across her lips again, faltered, then locked firmly in place.
“Your server is on break. Are you folks ready to order dessert?”
Robb’s head swung up, his indecision plainly written on his face. Rosa almost laughed. He looked like a deer caught in headlights, one that would be nothing but stupid roadkill in a few moments. The server gave him a smile as well, but it was a bit more brilliant than the one Stephanie had given to her. Rosa noticed how the young woman let her gaze drift past his eyes to take in his throat, visible through the small gap of his black, collared shirt, and then the gaze drifted even lower to the napkin in his lap.
“Do you need another minute?” she asked, giving him another smile, this one even more dazzling. Rosa considered getting her sunglasses out of her purse to stem off blindness. When the server fingered her long, light blonde ponytail, Rosa figured it was time to show Miss Brown-Eyes who was in charge of this date, which included the handsome man.
“We’ll both have the key lime pie, Stephanie,” she said sweetly.
Robb glanced at her, smiled, and snapped the menu closed. “That sounds great. And two coffees.”
Stephanie glanced at Robb somewhat incredulously. She seemed disappointed. Either she didn’t care for the key lime pie, or she felt Robb was less of a man for allowing his companion to order for him. More than likely she thought he had horrible taste in women. She recovered quickly though because she realized the tip might be riding on it. “Yes, sir.” She glanced at Rosa. “Ma’am.”
She took the menus from the table and vanished quickly.
“Cute little rabbit-shifter,” Robb said.
“Yes, she was,” Rosa said. “Though she seems to have a bit of a problem with snake-shifters.”
“No offense, but doesn’t everyone?”
“Most do, though you seem to be a glutton for punishment.”
“My history speaks for itself.” Robb laughed. “I do like a challenge.”
Rosa let her gaze slide across the deck toward the door of the restaurant, where Stephanie stood at an outdoor serving station, punching in an order. Rosa tapped her lip. “It’s odd to see a rabbit-shifter in service. They’re friendly, of course, but they’re usually so skittish it’s tough for them to deal with so many types of shifters. She handled herself pretty well though, considering I took her by surprise.”
“She did,” Robb said. “Good call on the pie. I have a devil of a time deciding.”
“I could see that,” Rosa said with a laugh. “Do you have that much trouble with every decision you make?”
“Never,” Robb said. He slid his hand across the table and caressed hers. “I think you get me all flustered, Ms. Santos.”
Rosa threw back her head and laughed. “I don’t believe that for a minute. I think you’re just a sugar junkie and wanted all of them.”
His mouth lifted in a half smile. “Might be a bit of both.”
“So tell me, Mr. Jackson, how did you become a Tomcat? Every man I’ve spoken with seems to have a different story, but I imagine yours is far more interesting than the others.”
He tilted his head. “What makes you think that? I doubt people talk about me much.”
Rosa turned her hand and enveloped his warm fingers with her own. “That’s precisely why I think it’s probably interesting. No one says anything about you. All I know is you’ve been married to a black mamba-shifter, have a son named Bobby, have worked for Cougar for years, and became the first real Tomcat after Jillian’s death.”
“You’ve been asking about me, Rosie?” The little smirk on his face told her he was pleased.
She lowered her eyes. “A bit.” She glanced up, suddenly feeling shy. Dates weren’t her thing. She wasn’t even sure how to behave. She should have asked Carly for some pointers. She seemed to have her men wrapped around her finger. But then, Rosa decided maybe that wasn’t quite what she wanted. “Maybe more than a bit.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’m happy to hear that, but honestly, there’s not much to tell beyond what you know. I met Cougar in the Rangers, and we were deployed together. Except for those who stayed in the service, most of the shifters have joined him here, working security and such. As they say, ‘it’s good work if you can get it.’ So my story is much like every other Tomcat’s.”
“But you were the first Tomcat…after the pride, that is.”
He nodded. “True enough. When the first Mrs. Lucas died…” He paused, pressing his lips together.
“It’s okay. It’s been over a year, and I still miss her something terrible at times, but it’s okay to talk about her. In fact, I love talking about Jillian. I don’t want to forget her.”
“I don’t blame you. She was a lovely woman and a good alpha female.”
“She was, but Carly is coming along quite nicely.”
“That she is.” He took a sip of water. “After all that with Jillian and Ben, the alpha thought we needed more security in general, more training for our top squad, more surveillance…pretty much more of everything. I’d been working at Cattail, of course, but when Tyler put Cougar in charge, he decided we needed more of an elite team, members reporting directly to him.”
“Here you go, folks.” Stephanie flipped down a stand and laid her tray on it. She slid two plates of delectable key lime pie on the table, followed by silverware, two steaming cups of coffee, and a pitcher of creamer. Her gaze flicked between them as she refilled their water glasses, and then she whisked away their empty wineglasses. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No thank you, Stephanie,” Robb said in deep, sexy tone that sent flutters through Rosa’s stomach. Stephanie looked about ready to faint. Rabbit-shifters were perky, but they were also fairly easy to rattle. She bobbed a little curtsy, dropped the check folder, and left, but not before Rosa got a whiff of her arousal. Damn, he had a hold on women.
Rosa took a few moments to cream her coffee. Although the coffee looked far less muddy than the coffee she’d drunk at Cattail, she liked to be sure. She caught Robb watching her. She stirred it lazily and shrugged. “I really like coffee-flavored milk.”
“It appears that way.” He took a sip of his, completely black, and sighed. “It’s excellent. Almost like espresso.”
Rosa picked up the pitcher and dumped a bit more cream in, and Robb laughed. She allowed him several bites of pie before she couldn’t wait any longer. She had to know.
“You haven’t answered my question,” she said softly.
“You mean why I’m the first?”
When she nodded and took a bite of pie, he continued. “I guess Cougar and I have a special bond.”
She realized she might have to get a crowbar and pry the story out of him. “What kind of special bond?”
“I might have…” He shoveled another bite of pie into his mouth. “I might have…”
“You might have what?”
He mumbled something around the gooey deliciousness.
“What
?” Rosa tipped her head down trying to meet his eyes, but he kept his face almost planted on his plate.
“I might have saved his life once.”
This time she heard him loud and clear. “Really? How is it no one seems to know of this?”
He grabbed his water glass and downed it in one swallow. His glance darted left and right as though he expected to be ambushed by some sort of hero-worship cult with a trunkful of medals.
“Oh, some people know about it,” he murmured. “We just like to keep it on the QT. You know how shifters are, especially when it comes to their alpha and his family.”
“Of course,” Rosa said. “But why avoid the accolades from people who would be nothing but grateful? I’m sure every person in this town would love to tell you how they appreciate what you’ve done.”
Robb pushed his plate away and leaned back. “Yeah, I guess.” He didn’t sound very sure of it though.
“Is there a particular reason it’s been kept quiet?”
“Sort of.”
She peered at him over the top of her coffee cup. “And?”
“We were in a place we shouldn’t have been, doing something we shouldn’t have been doing. It was a mission that, to this day, isn’t on the books.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We got into a bit of a jam, and Cougar got captured. I managed to bust him out. I can’t tell you more than that.”
“He was wounded?” Rosa frantically searched her memories for any reference or indication that Cougar had been wounded during his tour. She couldn’t think of any reference to being hurt at all.
“Um…no. There’d been a trial, and, well, they were going to execute him.”
She bolted straight up in her seat. “Execute him?” she cried. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
Robb held up his hands. “No, no, quiet. Shh.” His gaze darted left and right again when several people swung their attention toward the table.
She lowered her face and leaned half her body over the table to whisper, “How could I not have known that?”
“God, Rosie, I can’t believe I just told you that. No one knows.” He clenched his hands against the tablecloth. “Fuck,” he whispered. “He’s going to kill me.”
“Tyler doesn’t know? Shane? No one?”
“Just Cougar and me and Dusty, of course. He can’t keep much from Dusty. And Marcus and Steve. They were there. And…now you. Fuck. How could I have been so stupid?” He scrubbed his hands over his face then met her stare. His skin looked ashen in the candlelight. “What kind of spell do you have on me? I’m suddenly spilling every secret I have.” He gave her a rather wan smile.
“I’d hardly call telling me one secret spilling everything.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve just put my life and future in your hands. Cougar’s too I imagine. If Tyler finds this out, Cougar’s either a dead man or he’s going to be locked up at Cattail for the rest of his natural life. Tyler was against him joining the Rangers in the first place, so you can imagine how he’d feel about this.”
“Yes, only Tyler is allowed to place himself in danger. It’s an alpha rule or something.”
Robb laughed. “Now that I’ve probably completely ruined my rep with you, what do you say you see me act like a complete idiot?”
“Sure,” Rosa said. “What did you have in mind?”
“I thought we’d hit the promenade and ride a few of the rides.”
“Sounds like fun.”
He glanced around the deck, but Rosa saw that Stephanie seemed to have vanished, and there was no sign of their original server. Just as he stood and picked up the bill, Rosa sniffed an aroma she recognized. It was the smell of sweat and bird-shifter. She wasn’t sure what sort of bird her new acquaintance was, but she sensed he was a large one, not that size made any difference to her. Black mambas could hold their own against just about anything. This man posed no threat at all whether he was eagle, falcon, or hawk. He had that craggy look all birds of prey shared and a steely internal strength that showed in his face. She could tell he’d once been a powerful man, even though she knew his body was less than perfect now, and his mind even less so.
She let her eyes roam over the boardwalk beyond the deck railing and saw the man in the wheelchair emerge from a small cluster of chattering young tourists, who all suddenly went silent and parted like the Red Sea to let him through, giving him a wide berth. Just as he passed the last man, as though sensing something, her new friend twisted his head toward her. He gave her a wide, slightly macabre smile. A little girl of about ten, holding on to her father’s hand, tightened her grip and huddled closer to her dad’s leg when she saw that smile, but Rosa had seen it once before. The scar that twisted over the man’s lips almost guaranteed any smile, no matter how pleasant, would be macabre.
He held up a hand in a hesitant wave, and Rosa leaned her arms on the railing, smiling down at him as he rolled toward them. She felt a wondrous heat against her back. Robb had come up to stand behind her. He leaned forward.
“Who’s your new friend? I saw him at the festival.”
“He’s new to town,” Rosa said. “Says he feels safer in a shifter community after the incident.”
Rosa glanced over his shoulder to see his forehead scrunch. “What sort of incident?”
“He didn’t say, but stop being so suspicious, Tomcat. I was at first, also, but he’s just a troubled, wounded man.”
“And a very strange guy. I watched him talking to a tree.”
“And I’ve seen you talking into thin air,” she said, referring to the earbud he wore on duty. She touched the arm he had braced beside her. “Relax, Jackson. We’re all a bit strange. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t.”
“True enough,” he murmured.
She shifted her attention to the raptor. “Hola, mi amigo.”
“Hey, Ms. Rosa.”
“How are you tonight, Larry?”
The man tipped his ball cap. “Just dandy, ma’am.” His gaze slid over her shoulder, and his gray eyes darkened to flint. He looked a bit jealous. “That your beau?”
“Possibly.” Rosa chuckled. “That remains to be seen.”
Robb snorted behind her and slid his hand along her arm. “No time like the present to find out.”
“Hmm,” Larry said, eyeing Robb with narrowed eyes. “Not sure I care for him, Ms. Rosa. Cats are always a bit of a problem.”
“He’s a pussycat,” Rosa said. “And I’m not your average girl.”
“No, ma’am, you are not,” Larry said. He shot another dirty look toward Robb then tipped his hat to her again. “You take care now, Ms. Rosa. Enjoy your night.”
Rosa pressed her lips together to stop her smile. “You too, Larry.”
Larry gave Robb one last withering glance then gripped the wheels of his chair. With one mighty shove, he’d rolled away and merged into the crowd.
“Possibly your beau, huh? How possibly?”
She dropped her eyes then glanced at him between her lashes. “Quite possibly.”
“Now that’s what I call promise.” Robb held out his hand, and she took it. “Now let’s go ride that pirate ship. I’ve been listening to the screams all night. It sounds awesome.”
“Sí…awesome.” Rosa retrieved her purse, trying to keep the lasagna and key lime pie in her stomach as it began to churn. Damn, of all the things he wanted to do, it had to be the pirate ship.
* * * *
The subtle fragrance of her perfume cast a heady spell over him as they left the river boardwalk and strolled into the darkness of downtown. The moon was absent tonight, and the streetlamps along Main Street always dimmed a bit as the evening progressed. Main Street held primarily daytime businesses, and most of the activity in the evening hours happened near the river. Since trolleys transported patrons back and forth from the parking areas to their fun, the lack of light wasn’t an issue, and it kept downtown relatively human-free at night. Now, close to midnight, small circles of lights spilled onto the sidewalk and around the
shop and office entrances. Yet as they walked between those glowing halos and fell into pockets of shadows, Robb could still see Rosa’s perfection. There was something to be said for a panther’s eyesight, and damn if it wasn’t coming in handy tonight.
The deep, rich latte of her naked shoulders still held the warm glow of sunset. The short cranberry-colored sundress hugged her generous breasts and flowed around her lithe body like gentle waves lapping the shore in a tidal pool. Each lift of the fabric against her body revealed another beautiful inch of sultry grace, drawing attention to her smooth thighs and that dark secret between her legs he desperately wanted to explore. The black silk of her hair swung across her bare back, the strands so long they skimmed his hand on her waist as they moved.
“Feeling a bit better?” he asked quietly.
She chuckled. “I suppose I should have warned you I can get motion sickness.”
“That’s a strange thing for a snake-shifter to get. Your family is so bendy and stretchy.”
“Perhaps,” Rosa said, glancing up at him, “but we stay on the ground for a reason. Now you know why.”
“No worries,” Robb said, “we got off the ride just in time. It would have been a crime to lose that fabulous dinner.” He ran his gaze over her face as she stared up at him. “Where would you like to go on our next date?”
“Are we having a next date?”
He ran his thumb over her mouth. “Possibly.”
“How possibly?” Her eyes mesmerized him with their dark intensity. When she lowered them, her long, lush lashes nearly touched her cheek.
“Quite possibly.”
“Bueno. Then perhaps I’ll cook for you. I make a wicked enchilada.”
“I’ll bet you do.”
He thought everything about her was probably wicked. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and touched his mouth to hers. When she didn’t draw back, he pressed a bit harder. She tilted her head, and her lips parted beneath his. His tongue swept into her mouth, enjoying the pleasurable tastes of creamy coffee and tart key limes. When he pulled away a fraction of an inch, she released a breath, which flowed warm and enticing over his mouth.