by Lynn Red
Bending at the waist and straightening one leg high into the sky, arms outstretched, Arnaud tried to breathe as instructed, grateful that this pose was more than a little painful. It helped cool his jets a little.
Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing. In, out, in, out. Namaste, motherfucker.
With the blood pounding in his head, he chanced opening his eyes to see if he could stand up straight yet. Just behind him and off to the side stood Katie, watching him intently. Her skin was pink and her breathing shallow. Was that a hint of sweat on her brow?
“Yes?” he managed to choke out from his strained position.
“Oh, yeah…” That made no sense. He was undoubtedly in good physical condition, but he was no yogi, and he didn’t fool himself into thinking he was holding the pose so well it warranted that kind of response.
“Um, am I doing the pose wrong, Katie?”
At his words, she blinked furiously and turned a shade of crimson he didn’t know existed in nature. That could only mean one thing: She was thinking about him, and not in a yoga-y way.
Uh oh.
Arnaud had come to accept the hard truth that he would never have another mate. It was the way of the eagle to mate for life, and that often included after the death of a mate. Oh sure, he’d heard of eagle shifter widows and widowers finding new mates — his friends and family were constantly reminding him of it — but he’d loved Ann too deeply, too completely. There was no way he’d ever love someone like that again, and anything less was a waste of energy.
Since Ann’s passing, he’d never even been remotely tempted by another woman, not seriously. Of course, it wasn’t like he spent a lot of time socializing, but he’d met any number of conventionally beautiful specimens of the last couple years. Even when every other male in the room was drooling over one, his eagle simply yawned and pretended to nap. He was slightly more polite to them — slightly — when declining their attention.
But Katie woke something inside him, an ember of something he thought was cold and dead. His bird even got agitated around her. Maybe it had simply been too long since he’d made love. Maybe he was a little lonely. Or maybe Haven was such a romantic, idyllic spot that his subconscious had fooled itself into thinking something more might be possible after all.
Sadly, it was out of the question. No one could compare to Ann, and he didn’t want anyone to try because it wouldn’t be fair to them. He certainly didn’t want to hurt anyone, especially Katie. He was going to have to nip this in the bud, now that it was clear she was attracted to him, too.
In his haste to unwind himself from the vulnerable yoga pose, he snapped his leg down a little too fast and felt something pop in his groin. All coherent thought ceased and was replaced by a searing, red hot pain.
So much for yoga.
Chapter 5
“Lie back and let me take care of you,” Katie commanded.
Her deep, dark guilty pleasure was telling big, strong, burly hunks exactly what to do and having them do it. It wasn’t like she wanted to be a dominatrix or anything, but it did give her a thrill when they bent to her will.
“Yes, ma’am,” Arnaud murmured, his voice tight as he lay back where she pointed.
“This is going to hurt you a lot more than it’s going to hurt me.” She couldn’t quite contain a burst of snickering at his whimper when the icepack settled on his groin.
“Such a big strong man! Can’t handle a couple ice cubes.”
“Oh, you want to try it? I’d be happy to help you discover just how delightful ice feels on your—“
He cut himself off and looked away from her. The light moment had turned tense, and now all she could think about was him running an ice cube down her body. If he were to do it at this very moment, it would probably sizzle and evaporate in a split second.
God, he was hot. Especially lying on the couch in the deserted Activities Office. Too bad he still had those baggy sweats on, but she couldn’t think of a legitimate reason to get him out of them. KatieKat purred at the very idea.
Get a hold of yourself! she chided herself as she hurried off to a cupboard to find a tube of Haven Heat, a healing cream formulated by Mr. Roarke. Even though he was working for Mr. Roarke and wasn’t a regular guest, it had been made very clear to the staff that Arnaud was to be treated like a guest, and therefore was off limits. If she made so much as a pass at him, it would be grounds for dismissal. He didn’t even have to reciprocate for her to get fired.
Besides, he hadn’t shown a hint of interest in her. In fact, every time she tried to draw him out of his shell and have a little fun, he withdrew even more, to the point of actively avoiding her. He tried to be subtle, but her momma didn’t raise no dummy.
Which was exactly why she needed to stop fantasizing about him, like, yesterday. She loved her job too much to jeopardize it. Competition for jobs at Haven was stiff, and she’d had no real experience as an Activities Coordinator, unless you counted a handful of keggers she organized after dropping out of high school.
She’d been living on her own by then — her mom had run off with yet another low-rent tom cat and she’d never known her father — and rent took priority over education. Kids wanted to party, so she happily arranged a safe and fun way for them to do that in exchange for a healthy entry fee.
From her humble alley cat beginnings to becoming a respected member of the Haven staff, Katie owed everything to Mr. Roarke. He saw something in her and took a chance on hiring her for the best job ever.
She truly believed she was put on this planet to make others’ lives a little more fun. From sketchy teenage keg parties to leading kayaking trips up a tropical island’s lone river, she knew how to show people a good time.
This was her dream job and, as much as she — and every other living creature, it seemed — was attracted to the man lying down on the couch behind her, she couldn’t imagine what she’d do if she didn’t work here.
Don’t fuck the guests, don’t fuck the guests, don’t fuck the guests.
“Did you say something?” Arnaud asked.
Shitknockers!
“Nothing, just trying to find the Haven Heat,” she called, slamming the last cupboard. She knew there was some in the office somewhere. It should have been in the medical kit, but it wasn’t. She checked her desk, the tiny kitchenette, the bathroom. Nada. Maybe Miss Prodo’s desk…
Funny. Katie didn’t even know the desk drawers locked. One extra hard tug and it opened, three tubes of Haven Heat sitting right on top of a bunch of papers. Who ever heard of hoarding pain cream? Weird.
Taking a deep, calming breath, she turned back to Arnaud. She could do this. She could be in his presence and not want to rip his clothes off. Well, she could at least not actually rip his clothes off. There was no controlling the ‘want’ part.
Looking at him lying there, all long and lean and tasty, didn’t help the wanting one little bit. Nope, not at all.
She shuffled from one foot to the other, fiddling with the tube before finally thrusting it at him awkwardly.
“Um, I’ll just be, um, over here while you, um…apply it.”
Her face was on fire as she spun around and pretended to tidy her desk, trying not to imagine herself rubbing the cream all over the ‘affected area’. Her small hands slathering the slippery cream on the inside of his thigh, upward to his…
“Done.”
She turned to find him smirking and holding out the tube to her. “I do have a favor to ask, though. I must have tweaked my lower back a little, too. Do you think…?”
He waggled the tube of cream at her, eyebrows raised. KatieKat was mewling in desperation to touch him, rub up against him, leave her scent on him. It was lost on her inner animal that said scent would be overpowered by the powerful aroma of the cream, but whatevs.
“You bet,” she chirped, her voice an octave higher than normal. It was something she would normally do for anyone, and she was desperate that he not realize the effect he had on her. Not only
would it be embarrassing, but she didn’t want him complaining to Mr. Roarke about the lovestruck yoga teacher who made him uncomfortable.
Arnaud carefully maneuvered himself until he was lying on his stomach. His shirt had mysteriously ended up on the floor during the process, revealing a well-muscled back, and his sweats were hitched low down his sweet, sweet ass. Reaching behind him, he pointed to a vague area low on his back, descending down one ripe cheek.
“Right in that area, if you don’t mind.”
He had no idea.
Though there was a nurse and doctor on staff at Haven — what a funny pair they were — it was far too early for them to be in the infirmary. Besides, it was just a pulled muscle. Katie knew enough to treat it with ice and anti-inflammatories. He could go see the doctor later, if he wasn’t feeling better. But shifters heal quickly, so he probably wouldn’t. Her wounds were both nearly healed already.
She squirted some cream into her hands and slowly rubbed them together to warm the goo before slicking them around his lower back to distribute it all. Her sensitive ears picked up the smallest of moans from him, which made her kitty purr like the maniac she was.
Down, girl! Of course KatieKat paid her no attention and pressed harder to be set free to rub against Arnaud. Visions of claw marks across his broad back flashed before her eyes, thanks to KatieKat, the bad, naughty kitty.
Her fingers dug into his back, searching out knots and tightness. They finally found a spasming muscle down low so she worked it deep and hard, drawing grunts of pain mixed with relief from the head of the couch. Suddenly she had a purpose, to release the spasm, and her filthy mind focused on that, rather than the warm man-flesh under her hands. Mostly.
Putting all of her weight into it, Katie drove the heel of her hand into the hard spot over and over again, her body lowering each time until her face was…right there, a couple inches from his rump. She barely had time to think about giving him a gentle nip — barely — when the office door burst open.
“What the hell is going on in here?!”
Katie jumped up hastily while Arnaud slowly rolled onto his back. Katie’s supervisor, Miss Prodo, stood in the doorway, an evil half-smile, half-sneer distorting her mouth. Propping his arms behind his head, he gave the woman a look that would freeze lava.
“Miss O’Meghan was helping me,” he said coolly.
Miss Prodo snorted. “I’ll just bet!”
Eyeing the scene, she focused on the tube of cream in Katie’s hand. “Where did you find that?” she snapped.
“In your desk. I looked everywhere but that’s all I could f—“
“How dare you get in my desk!”
The woman’s eyes turned bright yellow, and her canines and fingernails grew longer as her panther struggled to be released. Katie took a faltering step back under the hate-fire raining down on her.
Arnaud’s eagle screeched in anger at the overt threat to Katie. Arnaud didn’t take the time to consider what that meant, he simply acted, leaping up and pushing her behind him protectively. He favored one leg but was otherwise ready for a good old, knockdown, drag-out fight.
“One more step and we’re going to have a problem here, Miss Prodo.” His words left no room for misinterpretation.
Those hateful half-leopard eyes narrowed to slits as a rumble came from deep inside her chest. “Stay out of this, bird-brain. It doesn’t concern you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve already saved this young lady’s life once. Don’t make me go to the trouble of doing it again. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt in the process.”
He’d never fought a panther before, but he felt confident he could hold his own. Her animal was pretty average-sized, while his eagle was uncommonly large. If he had to wager, he’d bet good money that his talons were just as long and sharp as her claws.
She must have remembered his enormous size from the previous day because she blinked in uncertainty, her claws retracting. Her bark of laughter belied her sudden lack of confidence that she would come out on top. But that didn’t stop her from attacking with words.
“I wonder what Mr. Roarke would say about the scene I just walked in on,” she countered. “There are rules here about staff and guests fraternizing. It looked like that tubby little tabby was about to sink her teeth into your flank. I almost wish I’d been a minute later. Who knows what I would have seen then.”
He sensed Katie tensing behind him at the accusation and he knew it was true. His body reacted viscerally to the idea of her nibbling on his flesh, hardening in spite of the current awkward situation.
It was quickly tempered by a profound sense of guilt that he’d put her in that position to begin with. He knew she was attracted to him, yet he’d thrown caution to the wind by asking her to rub the cream on his back.
He couldn’t lie, he’d been dying to have her hands on him. His eagle was strutting around inside him like he was the cock of the walk because a pretty girl liked him. But Arnaud knew better. It could only end in heartache for her, and she deserved so much better. The best, in fact.
Which was why he wouldn’t tolerate this obnoxious woman’s treatment of Katie. “It’s curious that you bring up Mr. Roarke, because I’ve been wondering what he would think about a manager at Haven not only picking on a subordinate who was much smaller than her, but literally trying to kill her. Do you suppose he would approve?”
Miss Prodo’s eyes widened and face reddened at his implied threat. She shifted her gaze to Katie, who was peeking out from behind him.
“This isn’t over, Miss O’Meghan,” she hissed through clenched teeth. Spinning with a huff, she stormed out the door, slamming it behind her.
Satisfied that Katie was no longer in danger, at least physically, Arnaud relaxed and couldn’t help taking a jab at the woman. “She should be on a soap opera with all that melodrama.”
Then he made the mistake of turning around and looking at Katie. She was staring at him with a look he hadn’t seen in two years, at least. It was vulnerable and sweet and enchanting. She was looking up at him like he was her hero, her eagle in shining armor.
His damn bird squawked in response, ruffling his feathers and putting on a show, and instinctively, Arnaud reacted by standing a little straighter and puffing out his chest a bit. What are you doing?!
He had no idea because all he could think about was her plump lips, parting ever so slightly in invitation. She held his gaze firmly and inched her body closer to his, heat radiating off her in waves.
“Thank you for standing up for me,” she murmured as her body made contact with his. “No one’s ever done that before. You were…amazing.” She breathed the final word, making him instantly rock hard.
Her adoration was intoxicating, and before he realized what he was doing, his mouth was on hers, hungrily tasting her as if he was starving. And he supposed he was. He hadn’t kissed anyone since Ann.
His hands were glued to her face, pulling her into him so he had full access to her succulent mouth. He was only vaguely aware of her arms entwining behind his head because most of his focus was on her lips and the soft flesh crushed against his body.
A purr was coming from deep within her chest so he moved one hand down her neck to the flat of her chest to better feel it. It was such a new sensation, to feel a cat shifter’s purr of contentment. He wanted to lay his ear there and fall asleep listening to it.
Later.
Right now, his fingers were just inches from the mounds they’d itched to caress the day before, when she was lying naked on his couch, and he could no longer hold back. Katie mewled into his mouth when his fingers cupped her breast and skimmed across the hard tip.
His other hand skated down her back until it reached her deliciously rounded hips, pulling her into him, wanting her to know how much she affected him. Fingernails — or maybe claws — dug into his shoulders, urging him on.
In the next instant, she gasped and slipped out of his grasp. One hand shot up to her kiss-swollen lips
as she backed away from him toward the door, shaking her head. Her whole body was trembling.
“I’m so sorry, Arnaud,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I can’t…”
And then she was gone.
Chapter 6
Katie was shaking when she ran out of the office, leaving Arnaud standing there. She hated that he might think she was a tease but she had to get out of there right then or who knew how far things would have gone. No doubt all the way.
Good grief, she sounded like a teenager.
The bottom line was that, even though she wanted Arnaud more than anyone in her entire life, she couldn’t risk her future on a ‘summer fling’, or whatever season this was — they all sort of melted together here at Haven.
Even if Mr. Roarke hadn’t given specific orders that Arnaud be left in peace, he would be going back home sooner or later. Then she’d be left behind to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart and somehow try to move on. If things went much further between them, moving on wouldn’t be an option for her.
Regardless, he was off limits and she shouldn’t have thrown herself at him like that. But the way he protected her by putting himself between her and Miss Prodo had pressed all of her buttons — one very sensitive one in particular. It was still throbbing between her legs, in fact.
She was just thankful she had enough presence of mind to break off the kiss before it had grown any hotter. Not that it seemed possible to get hotter than that, but she suspected she’d barely had a peek into Arnaud’s arsenal of love.
Refreshed and relatively collected after splashing some cold water on her face, Katie decided on a proactive approach. She would stop trying to get Arnaud to join activities. In fact, she would avoid him altogether from now on. That should work out well since he always went to great lengths to avoid her. She just hoped his business with Mr. Roarke was almost finished because seeing him around Haven was going to be pure torture.