Cat and Mouse

by Shelley Munro

  “You wanted to scratch an itch?”

  Lana nodded. “Exactly. I told you that straight up. Whew, for a minute there I thought you had misunderstood me. I’m not looking for anything serious.”

  Duncan nodded thoughtfully. Not if he had anything to do with it. Thanking the instinct that had told him to remain quiet about his retirement, he pondered his options and kept coming back to the same one. He’d have to woo her to his way of thinking.

  “Lana, I know you don’t want serious. That’s no reason to deprive both of us a night of fun.”

  “I don’t know—”

  “Come on, babe. It’s one night and the next day we’ll go our separate ways.” But not for long. He was already tired of the cat-and-mouse game.

  “I…I’ll think about it,” she said finally.

  A challenge. A goal to work toward. He knew all about those and responded well to challenges. “I’ll be my persuasive best,” he promised.

  “You don’t own me,” she snapped, her tone sharp and jade green eyes flashing with temper.

  “Of course I don’t.” Surprised, he studied her closely. What the hell had gone on between her and Jamie? He’d seen them together when he came home for visits. They’d seemed happy enough. Not that he’d cared to look too closely with his emotions involved. No, instead he’d played hard and full-out, trying to forget the one woman he couldn’t have. “I’d like to spend tonight with you.” Pulling her close again, he moved them slowly around the floor, just enjoying having her in his arms.

  The song finished and someone tapped him on the shoulder. “I’d like to dance with Lana,” Rick said.

  Lana smiled. Duncan’s hands tightened fractionally on her shoulders before giving the man a curt nod and stepping back. He forced himself to walk away and struggled to contain the possessive reaction flooding through his body. Even so, a feral growl escaped, luckily covered by the start of the next song. He prowled across the floor, hands fisted at his side, his gums aching as canine teeth pushed to the surface. Damn, he had to get control of his feline. Part of him wanted to leave while the other part wanted to return to the dance floor and tear Lana from Rick’s arms. He did neither. Instead, he strode over to the table where Emily and Saber sat and claimed one of the empty chairs.

  Aware of their silent scrutiny, Duncan dragged in a deep breath, clutching at the tabletop while trying to regain control. When he glanced down, he noticed his claws were visible beneath his fingernails and hurriedly stuffed them out of sight beneath the table. Hot damn. He hadn’t had problems like this with control since the age of thirteen, during his randy teenager stage. His attention wandered to the dance floor and he caught a glimpse of Lana. Her partner’s hand strayed downward until it covered her ass. A snarl squeezed past his clenched teeth and his knuckles turned white.

  “Problem?” Saber asked.

  Duncan blinked and realized both Saber and Emily watched him closely, aware of his turmoil. “No problem,” he said before changing his mind. “Lana.”

  “Oh,” Emily said with a grin. “Good choice.”

  “All she wants is a fling,” Duncan said carefully, trying not to let his discouragement show. He’d hate for them to think less of Lana because she wanted casual sex.

  Emily’s grin widened to delight. “And you want more.”

  “You’re a doomed man if you’re at that stage,” Saber said. “Nothing to do except follow through.”

  “He’s already followed through,” Emily said tartly. “You heard them as well as I did. It’s the stickability that’s the problem.”

  “Not on my end,” Duncan said. “Do either of you know much about her marriage to Jamie?”

  “From what I could see they were happy,” Saber said. “We didn’t see them very often in Middlemarch.”

  “I didn’t know Jamie. He died before I met Saber. Lana hasn’t mentioned him much. We normally talk about girl stuff and our businesses.”

  “Aren’t men girl stuff?” Duncan asked.

  Emily picked up her glass of wine to take a sip. “You might come into the conversation. Sometimes.”

  “So you haven’t heard anything at all?” Duncan thought she sounded a trifle evasive. Perhaps Lana had told her something in confidence. He wouldn’t ask, but it gave credence to his theory. Jamie and Lana hadn’t had the perfect marriage.

  “No. Have you checked with Jamie’s friends?” Saber asked.

  Duncan shrugged. “I don’t want anything to get back to Lana.”

  “How can you have a relationship with Lana anyway?” Emily asked. “You’re following the rodeo circuit and she has her restaurant.” Her eyes narrowed. “Surely you don’t expect her to give up her business?”

  “It’s not public knowledge yet. I’m retiring from rodeos. I’m sick of the constant moving and I miss being with other felines.”

  Saber nodded, understanding in his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve purchased some land not far from Cromwell. I hope to breed cattle suitable for the rodeo circuit and go into the stock contracting business, maybe have a school where I can teach novice cowboys who want to go into bull riding.”

  “Does Lana know?” Emily asked.

  “I wanted to tell her. She seemed so skittish I decided not to.”

  Emily frowned. “She probably won’t react well if she learns you’ve known for a while and didn’t tell her.”

  “No matter which way I approach the problem she’s going to be pissed,” Duncan said.

  “I’d suggest you dance with some of the other girls. Don’t make it look as if you’re stalking her,” Emily said. “Besides, a little bit of competition might do her good.”

  “Make her jealous, you mean?”

  “No, I wouldn’t go that far. Just make it seem as if all you have in mind is a casual relationship and she might relax more,” Emily said.

  “Saber, you have a very devious wife.”

  Saber took Emily’s hand in his and winked at her. “She’s going to come in handy finding mates for the twins. I haven’t had much success on my own.”

  “Where are your brothers? I thought they’d be here for the rodeo,” Duncan said. “I was looking forward to meeting Leo and Felix’s wives.”

  “The twins are in Dunedin and Leo dragged Felix up to Wellington. They had tickets for the Sevens rugby tournament. Tomasine and Isabella decided they’d tag along and do some shopping.”

  “I guess I’ll catch up with them over the next few months,” Duncan said. The music ended and Duncan saw Lana was dancing with another man. It looked like Samuel, one of Saber’s friends. “I might as well take Emily’s advice and ask someone else to dance.”

  Duncan wandered off, leaving Saber and Emily alone.

  “I thought the mating heat kicks in if a couple is compatible,” Emily said in an undertone.

  “Generally a man can sense his mate and feels compelled to claim her. I didn’t feel any undercurrents between them, although Duncan is having trouble controlling his feline. That’s a sign something is up.”

  “Duncan has traveled a lot and would need to suppress his feline. Maybe his control is so good that the normal signs aren’t present yet,” Emily suggested.

  “I’m just glad it’s not me.” Saber scooted his chair closer to Emily’s. “Would you like to dance, Mrs. Mitchell?”

  “I’d love to, Mr. Mitchell.”

  “Maybe we could take a walk afterward?” His eyes gleamed with both heat and mischief.

  “Maybe we could, Mr. Mitchell. I will take custody of my panties,” she said as a distinct afterthought.

  Saber chuckled. “Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe not.”

  * * * * *

  Lana watched Duncan walk over to a group of women with conflicted feelings inside.

  “Lana?”

  “Oh sorry? I didn’t catch that,” she said to Saber’s friend. Dang, she had to stop thinking about Duncan.

  “I wondered if you’d like to go for a walk.”

>   Heck, what was with the males tonight? They all wanted to get her outside and alone. They all had one-track minds. “Thanks, normally I’d like that. I’ve arranged to meet with friends,” she lied smoothly. “I’d hate to miss them.”

  “One more dance?” he asked.

  “Sure.” He tugged her closer, and she decided it would be better to strike up a conversation rather than letting him smooch. She didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. “What sort of stock do you raise on your farm?”

  He started to talk and she relaxed, finding him a good conversationalist. The topic drifted from farming to friends in common. Lana answered easily, able to concentrate on both the other dancers and her partner. A familiar face made her stiffen—Duncan on the floor, dancing with another woman. The blonde clung to him. Lana bit down on her inner lip, aghast at the surge of jealousy blindsiding her. Basically she’d told Duncan to go away, so why should it matter if he was with another woman?

  The bracket of songs ended and her partner escorted her back to the table. Unfortunately Emily and Saber had disappeared, but Duncan arrived not long afterward. He took a swig from his bottle of beer.

  “Do you mind if I leave you alone?” he asked after her partner disappeared to buy drinks. “I see a friend over there and wanted to ask her to dance.”

  “Of course I don’t mind,” Lana said, forcing a smile. She was not jealous. She was not.

  “Great.” Duncan strolled off without looking back, and Lana stared after him in shock. Heck, what was she thinking? She had no claim on Duncan. The male had followed the rules she’d set for him, so how could she complain?

  Another of Saber’s neighbors asked her to dance and she accepted because of politeness. That’s what she told herself. In truth, she really wanted to watch Duncan in action. She slipped into the man’s arms and wished the band would start playing the faster numbers again. Duncan and his partner were dancing way too close. Her hands curled into her partner’s shoulders as she watched the woman reach up to press a quick kiss to Duncan’s mouth. A growling rumble rippled through her before she could control it.

  “Are you okay?” Her partner gave her a strange look and didn’t hold her quite as tight.

  Lana blinked. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? Your fingernails are digging into my shoulders.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Mortified, Lana curled her fingers into her palms and continued dancing. She winced at the sharp claws that had bled through from beneath her fingernails and instead smiled, moving gracefully with her partner. The lapse helped her come to a decision.

  Her and Duncan. Tonight.

  When he asked again, she wasn’t going to say no. And if he thought her indecisive, too bad. It was a woman’s prerogative.

  Another hour passed and Lana lost count of the number of men she danced with. In between she chatted with Emily and Saber and reacquainted herself with some of the Middlemarch locals.

  “Have you thought any more about tonight?” a voice whispered in her ear.

  Duncan. She could tell by his scent, although the floral perfume didn’t please her. “Yes,” she said in a flat tone.

  “Great. You don’t sound very pleased about it,” Duncan said, taking a seat beside her.

  “I’m a bit tired.” And jealous.

  “You’ll have to make sure you get plenty of sleep.”

  Lana chuckled, attracting attention. “How am I going to do that?”

  “Private joke?” Emily asked.

  “Lana said she’s too tired to dance with me,” Duncan said.

  “I’ll dance with you, Duncan.”

  Lana turned slowly to see a beautiful blonde woman. She looked familiar although Lana didn’t know her name.

  “All right, Jennifer. Lana, Emily, this is Jennifer. She’s a barrel racer.”

  “I thought you looked familiar,” Lana said. “You won the barrel race event today. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” Jennifer said. “Come on, Duncan. This is one of my favorite songs.” She took Duncan’s hand and dragged him toward the dance floor.

  “Lana, you’re growling,” Emily whispered.

  “Damn. I don’t feel well,” Lana said. “I might see if Duncan will take me back to your place after this dance.”

  Emily nodded, her eyes twinkling. “That might be a good idea, but don’t forget about the prize-giving.”

  “Bother. I’ll try and hold on until then.”

  Emily checked her watch. “They’re starting in another five minutes.”

  “I don’t understand why they didn’t have it earlier,” Lana muttered.

  “They wanted to make plenty of money on the ticket sales and bar.”

  “Of course. How silly of me.”

  The band finished their segment and took a break. The president of the Middlemarch Rodeo Club strode up to the mike standing on the small dais while a svelte redhead, who Lana didn’t recognize, sashayed over to the prize table that had been set up to the right of the bar.

  The prize-giving seemed endless. Lana waited impatiently for it to finish, clapping dutifully for each recipient even though her head throbbed. Duncan beamed when he received his check and plaque for first place in the bull ride.

  “Way to go, Duncan!” one of the women he’d danced with shouted.

  When the ribald comments started, females openly comparing bull riding and sex, Lana started growling.

  “Lana,” Emily said, following up her warning with a kick under the table.

  “Ow!” She glared at Emily, and when she glanced at Rick, she noticed he was looking at her very strangely. Cripes, she’d never had this problem before, always being in total control of her feline. Aghast, she reached for her drink and took a swig of wine. This night couldn’t finish soon enough. Tomorrow she’d return to her own turf and her life would be in total balance again—just the way she liked it.

  When the presentation ended, she grabbed her bag and stood. “My head is pounding so I’m heading home. See you in the morning.”

  “Wait, Saber will take you,” Emily said.

  “No, don’t worry. Duncan said he’d take me back. I’ll just go and find him.” She wandered toward the exit, searching for Duncan, giving her feline senses full rein to find him quickly. Her feline might as well be of some use today! She found Duncan standing outside with a group of his rodeo friends. Several were smoking, wisps of white spiraling into the air when they exhaled.

  Lana strode over to them and came to an abrupt halt when her heels sank into the grass. “Hell and damnation.” She yanked her shoes from the dirt, hot anger taking a tighter grip on her. Her eyes stung and for an awful moment she thought she might cry. Aghast, she swallowed and thought of her restaurant. What on earth was wrong with her? With everything right in her world and her restaurant coming along nicely, she should feel happy and full of beans. She’d had some great sex and lots of fun spending time with Emily, so why did she feel so unsettled? “Maybe I need more sex.” Shaking her head, she moved closer and saw the blonde barrel racer talking to Duncan again. Lana paused, hesitating before approaching them.

  “Come back to the motel with me, Duncan,” Jennifer said. “It was good last time. Really good.”

  Lana heard despite the chatter and must have made a sound because Duncan’s head jerked up.

  “No, Jennifer,” he said without taking his gaze off Lana.

  “Why not?”

  “Because he’s with me.” Lana hoped she wasn’t stepping in where she wasn’t wanted. He’d already said no. Duncan would realize she wanted to help him out and nothing more. Just one more night of sex, she thought. One more to tide me over for another year or so.

  “Oh, I thought…never mind.” Tears filled Jennifer’s eyes and she turned away, pushing her way through the people loitering at the marquee entrance.

  “I hope I didn’t butt in where I wasn’t wanted,” Lana said.

  “No. Your timing is perfect. Jennifer and I went out a couple of times. Nothing se
rious. We’re just friends.”

  “She was crying.”

  “I know. I have no idea why. It’s a new trend,” Duncan said, frowning after Jennifer. “I don’t know what that was about because she knows we’re friends and nothing more. Did you want something?”

  No use prevaricating. Besides, if she didn’t hurry up, another woman would arrive to drag off Duncan. “I’m ready to go back to Saber and Emily’s. I wondered if you’d like to come with me.”

  “Yes.” Duncan took her hand and the anxious race of her heart settled. He hadn’t hesitated.

  “They say sex is actually good for a headache. I’m hoping that’s true.”

  “So I’m gonna get lucky after all.”

  Lana snuck a quick glance at his face and couldn’t work out his feelings on the situation. His mouth did bear a slight grin though. She’d bet his mind floated in the gutter thinking about sex. Such a male thing to do. Sometimes she thought all Jamie had considered was sex and children. “I said so, didn’t I?”

  “No need to get testy,” Duncan said, his hand in the small of her back as he guided her across the parking area to his SUV. The warmth of his touch crept through her body like a slowly unfurling streamer, gaining more impetus the longer his hand remained in contact. She shivered, wishing the silk wasn’t between her skin and his touch, or better yet, that his lips caressed her flesh while a lone finger pumped slowly into her aching channel.

  “Sorry, I get a little snappy when I have a headache.”

  Duncan wondered if it were more than a headache. He’d heard her soft growl of annoyance when Jennifer propositioned him and seen the annoyance flickering over her face. Of course it had been a mere flash of emotion but it gave him hope. What her mind wanted and her body needed were two different things. She was fighting this thing between them so no wonder her head hurt.

  He opened the door for her, closing it once she’d settled and rounding his vehicle to climb into the driver’s seat.

  “What time are you leaving for Queenstown tomorrow?”

  “Probably late morning,” she said. “Emily asked me to stay for lunch. I haven’t decided yet if I will or not.”