All Michael could do was shrug. “We’re roommates, but we don’t spend every waking minute together.”
“I know.” Abby’s eyes sparkled. “You spend an awful lot of them with me.”
The affection and appreciation in her voice inflated Michael’s confidence. He knew that if he moved now—or soon, thanks to their guests—that Abby would be his.
But before that could happen, he was going to have to deal with their unexpected visitors. With any luck, they wouldn’t stay all that long.
They’d better not stay that long, he corrected himself.
Michael wasn’t sure the tiger within him could wait.
Chapter Nine
Tiffany nearly tumbled out of her car in her haste to escape it, and as disappointed as Abby was to know that her dinner plans were effectively ruined, she couldn’t help but grin. Tiffany regained her balance before she fell, dusted off her jeans as if to detract from her embarrassing situation, and then power-walked up to the porch and the newly repaired stairs.
They no longer creaked and groaned, Abby realized. And that rotten third step she was so sure would snap under her weight was strong again. The cabin really was coming along, and it was all thanks to Michael and his generosity.
Abby still wasn’t convinced that her dinner dates and the conversations they shared was compensation enough.
“Hey,” Tiffany called as she crossed the lawn. Jason was rising out of the driver’s side seat, but she left him in her dust. “The place is looking good. Someone’s been hard at work.”
“That’d be Michael,” Abby said. “He’s been working day in and day out to get this place back into shape. I couldn’t have ever done it without him.”
“That’s interesting,” Tiffany said, voice a little too high-pitched to be normal. Abby frowned—it sounded like her best friend was strung too tightly and was about to snap. “Why don’t you take me on a tour of all the repairs? There’s got to be some inside, right?”
“Um.” There were, but Abby found herself startled by Tiffany’s determination. Tiffany took her hand and led her through the front door without waiting on an answer, breezing past Michael without saying hello, and leaving Jason still on the lawn.
As soon as the door closed behind them, keeping the men out, Abby brought her to a stop.
“Tiffy, what’s going on?” she asked. “You’re not acting like yourself.”
“No, I’m not,” Tiffany said in a frantic whisper. “I’m freaked out. I don’t know what to do.”
“Do about what?” Sensing that whatever had happened was bad, Abby led Tiffany up the stairs and into her room. They would have their privacy there. “What’s going on?” Abby demanded again, seating Tiffany on her bed so she could catch her breath and pull her thoughts together.
“It’s Jason,” Tiffany replied. “I mean… Ugh. He’s a really good guy. He’s attractive and funny and good with his han—”
“What’s the but,” Abby insisted.
“But I’m afraid.” Tiffany buried her head in her hands and took in a shuddering breath. “After what happened to Derek, I don’t want to get attached. What if the same thing that happened to Derek happens to Jason? Jason doesn’t deserve that. He doesn’t deserve that at all.”
It sounded like Tiffany was close to tears, and all Abby could think to do was sink down next to her on the bed and draw her into her arms to soothe her. Losing Derek had been traumatic, but it wasn’t Tiffany’s fault. Abby knew that Tiffany’s past was littered with misfortunes, but that didn’t mean that she was destined to be loveless her whole life.
“It’s not going to happen.”
“But it feels like everything I love dies,” Tiffany argued back, her voice breaking as she buried her head against Abby’s shoulder. “When I was little, every dog I had ended up either getting hit by a car or getting sick and dying right away. And remember in the seventh grade when I went on a date with Fred and he literally broke his arm on his way home after? And then Derek, and…”
“Are you afraid you’re jinxed?”
“I’m cursed!”
“Tiffy, you’re being ridiculous. You have a right to feel what you’re feeling, but you’re not cursed,” Abby said. “You’re not. Everything’s going to be fine. Nothing’s happened to Jason yet, right?”
“No,” Tiffany warbled. “But he wants to take me away on a trip this weekend. We were on our way out of town when I just couldn’t take it anymore and I told him I needed to come talk to you right away.”
Was it Friday already? Time had slipped away from Abby. With Michael there every day working on the house, and her writing not requiring a hard schedule, she often forgot the date.
“It’s okay,” Abby promised. “You’re not going to hurt him, or cause him to be hurt.”
“I’m scared.”
Abby’s arms tightened around Tiffany, and for a while they embraced each other in silence.
“Then take this to heart,” Abby whispered to her after a while. “I’ve known you since I started coming to Cub’s Cove when I was little, and I’ve loved you so much over the years, but nothing bad has ever happened to me like that. And I know you’re going to say it’s not the same, but hear me out.”
Tiffany pulled back to look at Abby as she spoke, and Abby hoped that what she was saying would come across as sincere instead of patronizing.
“We’ve shared so many good times together, so many laughs, and so many heartaches, that I know we’re good friends. Carmen, too. The three of us are peas in a pod, and if there was a curse on you meant to wreak havoc on the things you love, it’d go after those most important to you, wouldn’t it?”
Tiffany sniffled, but she didn’t otherwise reply.
“Carmen and I are fine. We’re living normal lives. Carmen is married, and now I think I’m seeing Michael, and the both of us are great. So all you need to do is live your life and follow your heart. Be bold. You deserve love as much as anyone, Tiffy, and you can’t let what happened to Derek stand in the way of that.”
There was a pause before Tiffany smiled, but when she did, it was sincere and vibrant and filled with joy. Abby knew just by looking at it that what she’d said had hit the mark.
“Whoa, listen to me talking. It wasn’t too long ago that you were the one who dragged me out of my pajamas to conquer new love. ‘It’s Raining Men’ didn’t exist, you said. Well, the two of us got hot guys and now you’re chickening out. I think you just got a jitterbug. You’ll be fine and everything is going to be all right.”
“You think so?” Tiffany asked.
“I know so.” Abby patted her knee. “Why don’t you and Jason join us for dinner, and you can get your head on straight, and from there you can decide what you want to do.”
“Thanks, Abby. You’re a good friend,” Tiffany said with a smile. She hugged Abby one last time, and Abby returned it just as fiercely. “Thanks for talking me through that.”
“You’re welcome,” Abby said. “So let’s go get dinner served? I made pot roast. There’s plenty.”
The two women left Abby’s room together, hand in hand, and went downstairs to invite the men for dinner. A double date wasn’t what Abby had been anticipating, but she couldn’t turn Tiffany away.
And if Michael was right for her, he’d understand that she needed to be there for Tiffany.
Right for her. Geez. Abby blushed as she made her way down the stairs.
All they’d done was kiss, and she was already thinking about the long term? It was crazy.
But with a man like Michael, crazy felt right.
Chapter Ten
Time slipped away from the dinner, and every time Michael tried to redirect anyone’s attention to it, no one took the hint.
The beast inside him had never felt more caged.
Abby, beautiful in the same yellow summer dress she’d worn on their first breakfast date, sat at his side and stroked his thigh beneath the table. The touch of her fingers drove him insane with desire, and Mi
chael almost wanted her to stop. If she kept it up, he wouldn’t know how to contain his alter-beast.
That couldn’t happen.
“So what were you planning on doing this weekend?” Abby asked their guests. Her attention was focused on Jason, but Michael saw how she looked at Tiffany out of the corner of her eye, as if she was encouraging her to say something.
“Well,” James looked over to Tiffany, as though asking for guidance. “I asked Tiffany if she wanted to come out with me this weekend to my folks’ cabin about two hours east of here. It’s by a lake, a real pretty little place.”
“And I said of course,” Tiffany smiled. Something passed between her and Abby that Michael couldn’t figure out. “And it’s a long drive, so maybe it’s better we get going now. Isn’t that right, hon?”
Dinner was finished, but they’d been chatting for hours. It was dark outside.
“Oh, I guess you’re right.” Jason glanced out the window, startled. “Good lord, time does fly by, doesn’t it?”
“Mmm hmm.” Tiffany took him by the arm. “Thanks for dinner, Abby, and it was nice to see you again, Michael. I’ll always remember our little chat.”
How could Michael forget a threat like that? Michael managed a smile. “Of course. Me, neither.”
“I’m glad you stopped by, Tiff,” Abby said. She rose as well, and Michael followed her lead. As a group, the four of them walked to the door. “Have fun this weekend, okay?”
“I will.” Tiffany kissed her cheek, then pressed herself up against Jason’s side. “Talk to you later!”
“Goodnight,” Abby and Michael bade them.
Jesus Christ. They were finally alone. An immense relief washed over him.
“Whew. They came unexpectedly,” Abby said. She locked the door and leaned back against it, looking straight into Michael’s eyes. “I’m sorry about that. Tiffy needed my advice.”
“At least you cooked a big dinner tonight,” Michael replied. He closed some of the distance between them and ran his fingers down Abby’s cheek. “Although I could have gone hungry, so long as you kept stroking my thigh like that beneath the table.”
“Oh.” Abby blushed. She was so easy to rile up, and Michael found it intoxicating. “I guess I wasn’t even thinking. Lately it’s just been… I’ve been thinking about you a lot, and…”
Michael ended her struggle for words, claiming her lips in a hot, fiery kiss. She tensed in his embrace but quickly loosened, clinging on his shirt. She returned his kiss with the same fiery passionate kiss. She might be shy and reserved on the outside but she would turn to lust incarnated in the flesh once he ignited that fire. He discovered that when he kissed her for the first time.
Who would have thought?
She wrapped her arms around his neck and held herself close against his body. The soft swell of her breasts and all of her feminine curves made his tiger impatient. He kissed and kissed until she looked like she was about to faint. She was so fucking beautiful—he couldn’t get over that fact. Ruby lips. Sweet, pink tongue. Delicate, white throat.
Fuck. He could never get enough of her. She was like an addictive drug that flowed in every vein of his body. Without her, he was sure he wouldn’t survive the withdrawal.
He fisted her silky, glossy hair as he deepened his kiss, telling her that she was his to possess. Their kiss was a symphony of lust that cadenced into a fast tempo of thrill.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot, too,” Michael whispered against her lips. “I’ve been thinking it’s time to show you how I really feel. I want you, Abby. I’ve wanted you since the first day we met. I could never get you out of my mind.”
A small smile blossomed on her pretty face. “Really?”
“Really.” Michael couldn’t hold back the possessive growl that rumbled deep in his chest and vibrated in his throat. The tiger had been on high alert all night, and his resolve was short.
There was no way that she could dismiss the sound as human.
And yet she didn’t pull away. She stared at him with those doe eyes, full of ardor, rosy cheeks, wet red lips, ready for anything he had in mind. A woman in heat, his to plunder. To claim.
Fuck. She’d never look so tempting. He must have her.
He must have her now.
Chapter Eleven
As though she weighed nothing at all, he swept her off her feet and carried her into the living room. Abby had never been carried before, it felt awkward. She wasn’t exactly a pixie but a full-figured woman, and yet, Michael did it without a blink or grunt. She didn’t think he was that strong.
First the growl, and now his inhuman strength. What are you, Michael? She was surprised by her inner thoughts. She called him what instead of who. She’d always felt that Michael was much more than he appeared. Beneath his warmth, patience, and sweet disposition, he was lethal and dangerous. Yet, despite all of that, she didn’t feel threatened at all. Never afraid. She felt as if she was the one who could tame the beast in him.
Oh, how ridiculous that sounded, she mused.
Michael laid her on the couch and then straddled her hips before he kissed her again. His deft hands worked quickly. One by one he shed her clothing until she was naked. His intense gaze roamed all over. She shivered in anticipation. Usually she felt self-conscious about being nude in front of her boyfriend in a well-lit room, but with Michael . . . That feeling didn’t bother her. Instead, she was empowered. She wanted him to see her as she was. Love her as she was. Her beauty and her flaws. Her voluptuous breasts and full-figured body.
See me as I am . . .
Michael drank it all with his eyes. Greedily. Another growl curled out of his masculine throat and it sent an electric thrill all over her body. Him. The beast. He wanted to devour her in a very bad way.
And she didn’t mind at all.
Oh, yes, yes, fuck me. Fuck me hard, you sexy beast.
He touched her. Those rough, calloused hands from hard labor. Yet, she liked it very much. Too much, perhaps. He touched and caressed and groped as if he’d die if he didn’t. Heat sparked on her skin, intensified the longing ache in her sex. She moistened so she pulled her legs together to hide it.
Michael wouldn’t allow it.
He pushed her thighs apart and slid his hand on her sex. He let out a delighted noise when he found her wet. “Nice,” he hissed. With that he pulled his hand and licked his finger, tasting her feminine liquid with starving expression. “Delicious.”
She trembled.
Michael kissed her lips, a sweet-salty kiss, and went lower. He licked, nipped, grazed his teeth on her fevered skin.
My. She gasped. She loved the way he made her feel. Now she was fucking horny. She’d never been so ready to fuck in her life as she was then. When Michael licked her nipple, she’d almost lost it.
Good didn’t even come close.
It was fucking sublime.
He squeezed her breasts and sucked her. She couldn’t help but moan. With acute clarity, she cataloged sensation after sensation: pleasure, pleasure, and more pleasure. From the way he dragged his tongue around her areola. The way he gently bit her nipple. The way he sucked her nipple, trapping her bud between the roof of his mouth and his tongue.
Fuck, fuck, yes.
She heaved and gasped. The way he did it, she almost climaxed at once.
But the parade of pleasure didn’t even come close to the blinding ecstasy she felt when Michael licked her pussy.
A small yelp came out from her. She wasn’t prepared to receive this much pleasure. Her reaction made her close her legs but he wouldn’t have any of it.
“Abigail,” he warned, voice rough, hoarse and dangerous. “You’re mine, aren’t you? I want to taste what is mine.”
She let him push her legs open even further, baring her for the world to see. He smiled. Pleased. The smoldering heat from his gaze made her pussy clench. Sexual liquid rolled out of her from her arousal. He claimed her sex with his mouth. She threw her head back from the blinding e
cstasy.
Fuck. . .
He licked along the seam of her sex like a cat licked his cream. He then plunged his tongue into her core and licked inside of her. Digging and sucking for her precious juice.
He pushed her thighs wider to give himself better access and licked and sucked her pussy lips before latching onto her clit. Her mewls turned into a small scream of pleasure. He inserted a finger in her, as if he was testing her readiness. God. So good. It was the stroke she desperately needed to soothe the aching in her pussy. She was more than ready for anything he had in mind. Her pussy was wet and slicked.
Fuck me. Fuck me and make me your woman.
Michael withdrew his hand and hastily undressed. Shoes, socks, pants, boxers—all gone in a blink, landing on the wood floor around him. His cock bobbed. Her eyes widened.
Oh God. He was huge. Her mouth started watering. Totally hunkalicious.
She watched him with hunger as he stroked his cock, one, two, three times and positioned himself at her entrance. Her pussy contracted on first contact. She quivered with anticipation.
“Abby, look at me. . .” he called to her. Lust dripped in every syllable.
The moment she was distracted, Michael thrust in.
Her moan turned into a silent scream. Her body went rigid. She thought she was ready, but she miscalculated. He felt so much bigger that she almost couldn’t breathe. She clawed his shoulders, didn’t care if her nails were digging into his skin.
Fuck. Oh my God. . .
He sheathed himself until he was balls-deep inside her. His cock throbbed and felt so hot, like hard flesh encased in velvet. And she was slick, so slick. . .
He stared deeply into her eyes as their bodies became one. She trembled from head to toe as his gaze bore deeply into her soul. “Abby . . .” he whispered hoarsely. He then started to move.
God. It was so fucking good. How can sex be this good? She couldn’t believe what she missed all these years. She always thought sex was overrated. So-so. In reality, she just had not found the right man. Michael. Seeing her reaction, he rocked faster. Words failed her. If he kept his pace, she’d come in no time. “Kiss me,” she begged.
Tiger Speed Dating: BBW Paranormal Weretiger Romance Page 6