by ML Guida
Eye of The Tiger
ML Guida
Buffalo Mountain Press
Copyright © 2018 by ML Guida
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Afterword
About the Author
Also by ML Guida
Chapter 1
“Come on, Cora, how bad can our high school reunion be?” Lara whined on the phone.
“Bad. Nightmare bad.” Cora Amici gripped her cell phone tight, afraid any minute she’d break it in half. She sat on her bar stool and twirled her glass of wine. Her heart beat faster. Just thinking about facing Miles Le Blanc again put her in a howling panic.
Outside her window, the clouds flitted past Buffalo Mountain and the wind blew the pine needles. Aspen leaves quivered. She regretted answering her cell and would rather be outside taking a walk rather than reliving her high school drama.
“Jessica Whitcomb was helping me for the last two months, then she backed out.”
“So?”
“Cora, you promised you’d help me,” Lara interrupted her wistful thoughts. “How can I do this without you?”
“I have three words for you: Miles Le Blanc.” She took a sip of wine, wishing she could worm out of her promise. Miles had been the sexiest shifter in school. He’d been the leader of the Streaks. Only the most popular girls got to go out with a tiger, but going out with him had been the biggest mistake of her life.
“But that was ten years ago,” Lara grumbled. “I’m sure people have forgotten.”
“My sister married him, and now she’s a shifter. Do you know what it’s like having to deal with this every day? I can’t forget what happened that awful night, so how could anyone else?”
“I know. I can’t believe Caterina did that to you.”
“So then why are you asking me to do this?”
“Because I need you. We did everything in high school together. We always had each other’s backs. I stood up for you when people talked shit about you after prom.”
Cora winced. “I remember.”
The same familiar pain drilled into her heart. She could still picture Caterina and Miles running out of the ballroom, holding hands, leaving her in the middle of the dance floor with tears rolling down her cheeks. Caterina was her fraternal twin and twins were supposed to be close and support each other. Caterina must not have gotten the memo. Cora closed her eyes and wiped away the tears. She could still hear the whispers as she headed off the dance floor.
I can’t believe she didn’t know that he was only using her… Of course he was in love with Caterina… She’s the thin one…
“Hey, maybe Miles and Caterina won’t come. Don’t they live in Santa Fe?”
“Are you kidding? You think Miles would miss lording over his worshippers again?”
“You’re probably right.” Her voice lowered, then it picked up. “Maybe I’ll lose their invite.”
Cora traced the top of her wine glass with a finger. “No, then I’d get blamed for it, and I don’t want to hear my mom’s forgive-and-forget lecture. Again.”
She could never understand why her family took Caterina’s side. Her stomach tightened into a bunch of clumps. “Lara, I just don’t think I can do this.”
“You can’t do this to me.”
Caterina had been head cheerleader with a body that football players drooled over. She’d been one of the mean girls – criticizing Cora’s clothes, her weight, her friends, and then her antics had risen to a whole new stardom at prom.
She poured more wine into her glass. “Why don’t you just bow out and let someone else be the coordinator?”
“I’m the valedictorian and the coordinator of the reunion committee, so no, I can’t bow out.” Her excited tone turned hard. “How can I go to the reunion without you? We always did things together. Do you want me to face the mean girls alone?”
Cora bit her tongue to keep from answering yes. She sighed and then grumbled, “No.”
“Good. Come on, it will be fun! You’ll see.”
She rubbed her forehead. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“I need you to help me with contacting people through Facebook or email.”
“I’m not contacting Miles or Caterina. It’s bad enough I have to face them at family events. There’s a reason I don’t live in Arvada anymore.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.”
Frisco was an hour away. Mountains and valleys and deserts were between her and her sister, but sometimes it wasn’t enough. Caterina hated the cold, so there wasn’t a chance she’d run into her or Miles at the grocery store. Plus, Cora owned a one bedroom condo, which kept them from visiting her. Thank God.
“So you’re going to help me?” Her tone brightened.
“Maybe.”
“Are you going to make me get on my knees and beg?”
“It would help.”
“This won’t kill you. Besides, I only ever see you at major holidays.”
Lara was an attorney and worked in a firm that required billable hours, which meant nights and weekends.
“Spending holidays at my mom’s isn’t my idea of fun.”
Christmas was the worst, acting like they were one big happy family with the exchange of kisses and hugs. All Cora wanted, was to come down with the flu every Christmas Eve, but try telling that to her mother. Christmas was a huge thing in the Amici family. Even being sick wasn’t allowed, unless you were in the hospital on your death bed.
Lara put on her attorney voice. “You’re not giving this half a chance. Let’s look at the bright side. There are other guys.”
“Yeah, other guys who want to humiliate me,” she mumbled.
“Cora, it’s been ten years since high school, I’m sure things have changed. Will you please, please, please help me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Would it make a difference if I told you I ran into Seth Reese?”
Cora’s breath caught in her throat. Seth was another tiger shifter who had turned every girl’s head in high school. He didn’t talk much, but he was always with Miles. He’d been at the prom and had watched Miles grab Caterina’s hand and lead her out of the dance as if she were Cinderella and Cora was one of the ugly stepsisters.
Cora rubbed her sweaty forehead. “All of Miles’ friends had cheered.”
“I don’t remember Seth cheering,” she said softly.
“Okay, maybe he didn’t.” Heat rushed over her face and her chest tightened. “But he was Miles’ best friend.”
“So? He was way hotter than Miles. He was just quiet and didn’t drive a savage car.”
“Miles did have a gorgeous, red corvette. I remember.” Unfortunately, she’d lost her virginity in that car.
“I bet you do.”
“Don’t remind me. Miles still owns that damn car. Every time he and Caterina drive up in the car, it’s a slap in my face.”
“Quit focusing on Miles and Caterina.”
Cora rolled her eyes and laugh
ed bitterly.
“Did I tell you Seth always asks about you?”
“To see if I recovered from the most humiliating high school event ever?”
“He never mentions prom. I think he’s really interested in you. I always told you that you should have gone out with him – not Miles.”
“Then Caterina would be married to Seth instead of Miles.”
“Seth isn’t Miles.”
Her scolding voice spurred Cora’s spine, and she sat straighter in her chair, but she silenced back a retort.
“Cora, are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“I need an answer. Are you going to help me or not?”
Every instinct told her to say no, but in a weak voice, she caved. “I’ll help you.”
“And you promise to come to the reunion?”
Cora gritted her teeth, thinking about what illness she could suddenly come down with during the weekend of the reunion – pneumonia, whooping cough, malaria.
“Cora?”
She frowned. “I’ll come, but don’t expect me to stay the whole time.”
Lara sighed. “I guess that’s the best I can expect from you.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’ll send you the list immediately. I’ll make you an admin on the Facebook page.”
“Fine.”
“You’re the best.”
She ran her hand through her curls. “Yeah, I’m the best.”
They hung up and Cora finished her glass of wine. She looked at the calendar. The reunion was exactly one month away. If she could cast a spell, she’d make time stop.
She walked over to her laptop and checked her email. Sure enough, Lara had already sent her the email list and the little wench had listed Seth Reese as the first person for her to contact. She popped on to Facebook and pulled up Seth’s Facebook page. She gasped and her heartbeat quickened. She’d forgotten how handsome he was. He sat on a motorcycle wearing a leather jacket and a pair of faded jeans. His intense golden eyes made her squirm in her chair as if he could see her through the net. She wondered what it would be like to thread her fingers through his silky strands. His black leather jacket hugged his broad shoulders and showed off his naked abs. He was a bad boy – an extremely hot bad boy.
Lara was right. He was drop dead gorgeous compared to Miles who had a gained a few pounds over the years. How come she’d never noticed that before? Why did Seth always ask about her anyways? She was a librarian who could barely pay her rent each month and was still on the chunky side, unlike her pencil-thin sister.
Diets didn’t work and she’d given up. She bought clothes that complimented her body, but she doubted the lovely Barbie bitches or Miles and his buddies would notice. Based on Lara’s information, she quickly made an Arvada East High School Facebook page, announcing the ten-year reunion and events – a dreaded happy hour, an even more dreadful dance, and then a painful picnic.
Before she knew what she was doing, she sent Seth a friend request. God, he made her think of what it would be like to have his lips worshipping her body. He must have a girlfriend or be married. How could a guy like that be single?
If it was the last thing she did, she wasn’t going to show up at the reunion without a date. Not just any date. She needed a shifter. She knew who to call – Gerri Wilder.
Chapter 2
Seth took another sip of beer as he stretched out on his recliner. Everywhere ached, his fingers, his neck, his back. He’d worked twelve hours at the shop, and he was bone tired.
His phone rang and he cringed. Miles Le Blanc, the biggest asshole west of the Mississippi.
“Yeah.”
“Hey, Reese. I haven’t heard from you. Did you get my notices?”
Seth took a long swig of beer, trying to douse his tiger threatening to burst out.
“Reese?”
“I got ‘em. I told you I’d have the money by the end of the month.”
“It’s not me, buddy. It’s my old man. He’s a stickler for debts being repaid. If it was up to me, I’d give you all the time you needed.” His super-slick caring voice made Seth’s tiger want to jump through the phone and rip out his throat.
He took a deep breath, gaining control of his beast. “Really? Is that so? Did I tell you I ran into your mom and she painted a different story? I hear your dad’s retired, and you’re running the show.”
Miles, on the other hand, let loose his beast. He snarled. “I didn’t force you to take out the loan.”
The bastard didn’t even try to deny it.
“You told me that because I was a Streak, you’d give me the best deal in town, and then you hiked up the damn interest rate when I was a day late.”
“You’ve got thirty days, Seth, or your dad’s land and shop are mine. You’ll be living on the streets again and drinking yourself into oblivion. Or end up in jail like your brother.”
“Shut up. It wasn’t his fault what happened. He had no choice.”
“That’s your story. Thirty days and your dad’s shop is mine.”
Seth gripped the phone until his knuckles turned white. “It’s my shop.”
“Not for long.”
The phone went dead.
“Asshole.” He slammed the phone down and rested his head in his hands, which shook uncontrollably. He couldn’t lose the shop. It had been a God-send when his dad had left the shop to him. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Miles wanted the shop so badly. It was as if he was obsessed with owning the place. Miles wasn’t known for his generosity, so why the hell did he fork over the money so easily?
The streets had been hard. Seth never wanted to go back there. He broke out in a cold sweat and gasped for breath. Endless worries rolled over him like a black fog –– never knowing where his next meal would be, never knowing where he’d sleep that night or never knowing when he’d have to fight to survive. Sometimes he’d had to sleep with one eye open to make sure he wasn’t ripped off or jumped.
“Get a hold of yourself,” he murmured. He took several long deep breaths until he stopped shaking.
“Damn Miles!” He cracked his neck. He went to get another beer. Why was he surprised? Miles had been one-upping him ever since high school. His family had money, while his didn’t.
His phone pinged, and he growled, ready to see another threatening text from Miles. He choked on his beer and his lungs squeezed shut. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
Cora Amici had just sent him a friend request on Facebook. Well, not her personally, but to their high school reunion.
He took another swig of beer. He’d only had the biggest crush on her since high school, but she’d never even glanced his way. Be honest. He still panted for her.
While living on the streets, her memory kept him alive, made him strive to be a better man. He had a wallet-size picture of her and still kept it in his billfold. When times were bad, he’d pull it out and stare at her picture. Her dazzling smile and bedroom eyes would chase away the demons that threatened to destroy him.
He ran his shaking hand through his hair. He never wanted to go back to living on the edge, being one step away from ending up in the morgue.
He pulled out his billfold and took out Cora’s creased picture. He ran his finger down the photograph over her long curly black hair that he bet would feel like silk. Her beautiful gray eyes never failed to captivate him. Not many women possessed that color. Her sexy smile made his dick rock hard.
For the thousandth time, he thought about what it would be like to kiss and lick her curvy body until she begged him to take her. Just like when he was stressed out on the streets and looking at her photo, his hands stopped shaking, his spine straightened, and his breath slowed. Miles hadn’t beat him yet.
He carefully replaced the picture back in his wallet. He wanted more than just a fantasy of Cora. He wanted her. She gave him hope. She was his mate, his other half. His heart quickened and his palms turned sweaty. How could he win her over? Back in h
igh school, she’d been head over-heels in love with Miles. Miles had never even thought about Cora until he found out that Seth had claimed she was his mate. Miles wanted everything that Seth had. So what did he do? Miles had asked Cora to the prom.
His tiger growled, and he pushed his animal back.
Miles had paraded her around school, rubbing it in Seth’s nose that Cora never would be his mate. After all, he was rich and the quarterback, while Seth was poor and on second string. What killed Seth was that Miles had ditched Cora at prom and left with her sister.
It was truly an asshole thing for him to do, but then again, he was Miles Le Blanc. Asshole was his middle name.
Seth should have challenged him back then, but he didn’t have the nerve.
Maybe if he had, he’d never have ended up living on the streets. Life might have been different.
Right after high school, Cora had moved away, and he hadn’t seen her since – except on Facebook. He followed her, but he’d been too chicken to send her a friend request.
Until now.
He immediately accepted her friend request. According to her profile page, she was a librarian. He’d heard she’d moved to the mountains, which meant she must be making money. She liked money, otherwise why would she have dated Miles? Even back in high school, Miles had been a shit.
An advertisement popped up on Facebook for the Paranormal Dating Agency. He took another sip of beer. He’d heard of the Paranormal Dating Agency and Gerri Wilder, and he really didn’t want to contact her, but he stared into Cora’s mesmerizing eyes. No woman had turned his head since he met her, but he’d never been good at flirting or seducing women like Miles. He needed help.
Gerri Wilder was an older shifter. He’d known many shifters who had found happiness by using her service. However, they had allowed her to pick their mates for them, but this was a different case. He knew who he wanted and wasn’t sure Gerri would accept his request. She picked mates based on her instincts.