by Vella Day
Keeping his hand on her side, he sat back and let his mind wander. “Can you imagine what our kids will look like? If one’s a bear, I bet he’ll be more tan than brown, and if one is a tiger, she’ll have creamy fur with dark brown stripes.” As if Jillian was imagining the same thing, her body shook. He hoped that meant she was trying to come out of her healing stupor. “I don’t think I ever told you that I love you, but I do. Please, Jillian, come back to me,” he whispered in her ear as a tear trickled down his cheek.
She probably had no idea how much she meant to him. Besides Elana, Jillian was the first person to see the real him and accept him for who he was. She never laughed when he was weak or when he needed to take his pills. He had no doubt that Jillian Garner was one of a kind, and he loved her.
Her paws twitched, giving him hope she’d be okay. When her eyes opened, he nearly jumped up and shouted. As if she was aware she was in her tiger form, she shook, swirled, and transformed before his eyes. His gaze shot to where she’d been wounded. All that remained was a small scar, surrounded by some redness.
Jillian’s eyes widened. “Brian?” She glanced down at her body then touched her tender wound. “That bastard Whitlaw shot me. He’s dead, right?”
She must have blacked out right before he died. “Yes.”
She hissed in a breath and clasped his hand. “Are you okay? He shot you too.”
“It was a scratch. My bear took care of it already.” Resting in his bear form had done wonders.
She ran a finger along the back of his hand. “Is that your blood?”
“I imagine it’s a combination of all of ours, but I suspect what’ on my hand is mostly yours.” He really needed to wash.
She lifted up on her elbow. “What happened to Anna? How is she?”
“She’s in the hospital. Dalton and Rye took her. Your brother seemed quite concerned, but he said she should be released tomorrow. Speaking of Anna’s rescue, Dalton and I arrived at the same time you and Whitlaw did. I saw that trick you pulled. I was quite impressed.”
“Trick?”
“Your talent to move fast.”
Jillian looked off to the side, her lips pressed together as if she was reliving the event. “Yeah, I needed to beat him inside. I figured I only had a few seconds to find Anna. Since it was so dark inside, I nearly tripped getting past all the framing.”
“Me too.”
Jillian glanced at the ceiling. “When I saw Anna tied up in that chair, I lost it.” She faced Brian. “He told me in the car that he planned to torture her in front of me before taking me out. I had to set her free, but all I managed to do before Whitlaw came in was to rip off the gag and undo about half of the rope that held her hands together.”
“How was he able to shoot you? I would have thought you would have been on him and taken the gun away before he had the chance to pull the trigger.”
She ran a hand down his arm, sending his thoughts in the wrong direction. “I guess I didn’t believe he’d shoot me. I thought we’d fight wolf to tiger. My trick, as you called it, must have unhinged him. When he ran in and saw me with Anna, he must have decided I needed to die right then. I saw him raise his arm, and I waited a split second too long before rushing him. He shot me just before I reached him.”
Brian’s gut twisted. “He shot you at close range?”
She pressed her hand to her side, as if she was reliving the pain. “Yes.”
Brian could barely keep from throwing something against the wall. Frank Whitlaw didn’t deserve such a quick death. “I guess that’s when I burst in.”
“Yes.” She smiled. “When I saw you, you were still in your human form, and I wanted to shout at you to leave, that he would kill you, but then you shifted into your bear. The look on Whitlaw’s face was priceless. He was fucking scared.”
Brian replayed that moment in his mind’s eyes. “He did seem surprised.”
“Oh, Brian, seeing you in your bear form—finally—made me so happy. I know how much you’ve wanted to shift.”
“Yes, but at that moment, all I wanted was to shift so that I could protect you.”
Jillian sat up, her breasts perky. “Thank you. You did awesome.”
He was no hero. “While I was the one to bite him first, you finished him off.”
“I wouldn’t have survived the fight in my condition if you hadn’t weakened him.”
Jillian seemed determined to rewrite history. For now, he’d let her. “Let’s agree that we work well as a team.”
She grinned. “We do.” A knock sounded on the door and Jillian grabbed her sheet to cover herself. “Come in.”
Dalton entered with a grin on his face. “I thought I heard voices. How are you feeling?” He sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Surprisingly good. I’m a little sore where the bullet went through, but otherwise my tiger did an excellent job of healing me.”
“You were lucky.”
“I know. What would you have done if the bullet had lodged inside me? I was too out of it to shift into human form.”
“I would have called Chelsea McKinnon. She’s a vet tech, though I don’t know if she’s ever done surgery.”
Hadn’t Brian suggested that to Connor? His idea wasn’t stupid after all.
“You should ask Rye what the protocol is in cases like this—for future reference,” she said.
“I will to that,” Dalton said.
“Did you find out how Connor and the team located Anna?” Brian asked.
He nodded. “Connor figured it out. When Whitlaw videoed Anna, he had her phone in one hand and a flashlight in the other. While he’d carefully placed the sheet behind her, it was evident that the material had been nailed to the studs in a wall. What gave it away was when he moved the camera for a second, it exposed the pink batting behind the sheet.”
“How did Connor know it was his building? I’m sure there are several places around town that are under construction,” she said.
“There are. That’s where the drone came in. Jackson flew it over all of the sites that are still being built, and only one had a heat signature inside.”
McKinnon and Associates had more tricks than Brian ever imagined. “That was clever.”
Jillian glanced between them. “Brian said you and he arrived just as we did, but what about Jackson and Connor?”
“They were there with Kip. Rye came as soon as Connor told him they’d found Anna.”
“Why didn’t they take him out when they had the chance?”
Dalton stabbed a hand through his hair. “They wanted to be sure they had enough evidence to arrest Whitlaw. For all we knew, you willingly got into his car. Legally, he hadn’t done anything yet.”
“Other than beat up Anna,” she said.
“It would have been her word against his. Remember, he was a man of the law. You know better than anyone.”
Jillian sank back against the bed. “Sadly, I do.”
Dalton stood. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. I’m glad you’re both okay.”
Jillian reached out and grabbed Dalton’s arm. “By the way, Whitlaw confessed he killed Dad.”
“Did he say why?” Dalton eased back down.
She explained that Whitlaw was a dirty cop, and their dad planned to turn him in. “It sucks, I know.”
“You got that right.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t want to take your turn at him. When I heard you come in, you went straight to Anna,” she said.
Dalton glanced away. “Between you and Brian, I figured you two could handle him.” He patted Brian on the shoulder, and that one action did more to boost his confidence than anything had. He’d earned Dalton’s respect and that meant a lot to him.
“Luckily we were able to,” Brian said.
“At the time, I didn’t realize you both had been injured or I would have stayed to help.”
She smiled. “It turned out okay in the end, and that’s all that matters.”
“Amen.” He
r brother stood. “Now that you’re awake, you might want to consider taking a shower. You stink.” He turned to Brian. “You ain’t no sweet smelling rose either.”
“You suck, bro,” Jillian yelled at Dalton as he closed the door, leaving the two of them alone. She laughed heartily, the happy sound sending a flood of hormones straight through Brian’s body. The love between brother and sister was so special.
Testing Dalton’s theory, Brian lifted his arm and took a whiff. He definitely smelled rank. “Dalton’s right. If you’ll excuse me, I need to shower.”
Jillian threw off the covers. “I’m joining you.”
“You need to rest.”
“Rest? What do you think I’ve been doing?”
He held out his hand. “Okay then. Let’s go shower.” His bear roared in approval.
*
Jillian stood and when a wave of dizziness assaulted her, she stilled in order to regain her balance. If she mentioned she was less than one hundred percent, Brian wouldn’t let her out of bed for a week. All she needed was a hot shower to perk her up. Sharing said shower with her mate-to-be would be an added bonus.
Her tiger had healed her quite well. Cuts and bruises cleared up in minutes, but a bullet was a different matter. In just a few hours though, she was almost as good as new.
Not wanting to walk down the hall naked, she pawed through her suitcase and tossed on an oversized shirt. “We’ll use Dalton’s shower in the master bedroom. It has two showerheads.”
“That right?” His eyes lit up, and then his cock pressed against his fly, telegraphing his desire.
The thought of being with Brian had her tiger ecstatic. “Let’s go see if I can get your bear to roar.”
He halted, concern written all over his face. “It’s too soon.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Once inside the bathroom, she whipped off her shirt and then turned on both faucets. She faced Brian, concerned for his well-being. He needed a shave, his hair was mussed, and gray smudges resided under his eyes. “Have you slept?”
“I shifted into my bear for a few hours to heal.”
“You should be good them. Take off your clothes. I want to check out your wound.”
When she reached out, he swatted away her hands. “I know your game. You just want to get your hands on me, but I need to clean up first.”
Damn. Brian knew her too well. “I was merely going to lift your shirt and check you out.”
“Uh-huh.” He slipped off his pants. Crossing his wrists, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it off in one fluid motion.
Jillian stepped closer and dragged a finger down his side. “You are a dried bloody mess.”
“Never you mind, missy.” He nodded toward the shower. “Let’s go. You can play doctor in a minute.”
Yes! They both stepped into the shower. The two heads were side by side, each with a built-in shelf in the wall to hold the soap and shampoo. Since this was a rental with fuddy-duddy furniture, she’d never expected such a nice bathroom. Jillian stuck her head under the spray of water, and the heat was divine. “That feels so freaking good.” Brian reached around her, brushing her shoulder. “Brian? Be good.”
“I just need the soap.”
A spare bar was on the other side too. Hmm. Come to think of it, why did her brother have two bars of soap in his shower anyway? From his emails and phone calls, all he ever did here in Silver Lake was work, work, work. She didn’t remember him mentioning he even dated any woman. That probably meant he had a different one every week.
As Brian soaped up, she checked over his body for his wound. “Where did you say you were shot?”
He grinned. “Why don’t you look for it?”
“Smart ass. I need to wash my hair.” It was fun playing hard to get, though she bet her eyes had changed colors numerous times already. Now that Brian had shifted, his body must be going crazy with need. A quick glance downward confirmed her suspicion. Jillian shampooed and rinsed her hair, and then dragged the soap over her body, wanting to wash away all the dried blood.
Brian slipped the bar from her fingers. “Let me. I don’t want you to tire yourself out.”
She cracked up. “You are so full of shit. You just want to touch me.”
Brian stepped closer and turned her to the side. “Is there anything wrong with two mates wanting to be together?”
“We aren’t mates yet.” Please say you want to be with me forever.
“That can be easily rectified, right?”
She shrugged. “Depends on whether you can turn me on.”
Brian dragged the soap over one breast, and her tiger woke up. Blue sparks shot off her body. Darn. So much for pretending indifference.
“Is that so?” he asked.
She grabbed his cock. “I guess we can’t hide our feelings from each other.”
Brian leaned in closer. “Do you want to?”
Her stomach summersaulted. Jillian had spent her life hiding—hiding her tiger and hiding her feelings. The guilt at not having done something about her father’s death sooner had eaten away at her for years. Now she’d found closure and a man to love. “Not anymore.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, recognizing that this was the first day of their new life together. The steam swirled around them as they plunged and explored each other’s mouths. Brian tasted fresh, like he’d recently brushed, sending her hormones into overdrive. More sparks flew and she pressed against him, needing him more than ever. Suddenly, the water stopped.
“You were right,” he said with half closed lids. “Now that my bear has been released, he’s yelling at me to possess you. I keep telling him I don’t need him to urge me on anymore. I want you all on my own.”
“Same here.”
Brian elbowed open the glass shower door, swept her up in his arms, and then stepped onto the bathroom mat. Once he wiped his feet, he headed to the door.
“Brian? Where are we going? We’re all wet,” she said.
“Open the door.” He lowered his head, his mouth inches from hers.
As if she’d been hypnotized, she did as he asked. All during the short walk down the hallway, she hoped her brother didn’t investigate what was happening. After Brian eased her through the bedroom doorway, he kicked it closed with his heel, his gaze never leaving her face. “I want us to be together. Forever. My bear and your tiger.”
“I want that too.”
Brian placed her on the bed. “I hope you’re ready for some loving ’cause I’m not sure I can go slow.”
Jillian raised her arms to welcome him. Hopefully today she would finally get her mate.
Chapter Twenty-One
‡
Brian was overwhelmed with desire. He hadn’t been able to keep his thoughts off Jillian before the shift. After his change, it was worse in part because her scent was constantly electrifying his senses. More so than ever, he wanted to fully mate with her.
At first, he thought the mating ritual was barbaric, but now he was willing to give it a try, especially if it meant the two of them would be bonded forever. The whole idea still kind of scared the shit out of him, but Brian wanted to go through with it. His need for Jillian was like no other.
Brian knelt on the bed and stroked her long, blonde hair. “You are so beautiful.”
“You’re pretty hot yourself,” she said as she latched onto his stiff member. His breathing suddenly increased. Jillian pumped her fist up and down one time, and he came close to losing it. He chastised his inner bear, but it didn’t seem to work, so he closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the ride.
A man could only take so much stimulation, however. “I need to taste you.”
“Please do.”
Easing out of her grasp, he slid down between her legs, ready to feast on his woman. The first lick had her blue aura pulsing, adding to his excitement, and her sweet taste had his bear clawing at him. Brian needed to stay in control for a little bit longer.
&n
bsp; Wanting to see her aura glow even brighter, he slipped two fingers inside her. Jillian bucked her hips up and wadded the bedspread. “Brian, please. I need you.”
He needed her too, but he didn’t want to rush. In the years to come, he wanted Jillian to remember this moment, how they’d grown more and more desperate until their bodies threatened to shift if they didn’t mate.
As he wiggled his fingers and licked her tiny pearl nub, her moans intensified, causing the hair on the back of his hands to sprout and his teeth to sharpen. Holy shit. Shifting now would ruin everything.
Jillian clasped the top of his head and held on tight. With each suck and wiggle, her body pulsed a beautiful cobalt blue. Her delicate cooing sounds made his bear claw his insides for release.
Brian couldn’t take it any longer. Releasing his hold, he stretched out on top of her. Her luscious tits drew him in, but he yearned to taste her lips too. Decisions. Decisions.
Tits first then lips, his bear urged.
“Brian, touch me, please!”
*
Jillian hadn’t meant to sound so desperate, but…well, she was. When Brian withdrew his fingers and stopped licking her, she wanted to throttle him. The pressure had been divine. Then when he crawled on top of her and just stared at her chest without doing anything, her patience ran out.
After her plea, he palmed one breast and licked the other nipple. It was as if he’d plugged her in, and judging by her blue glow, she was putting out some serious wattage.
“I love your breasts,” he said.
“I’m glad you enjoy them.”
He smiled then drew one nipple taut, sending a different kind of spark straight to her core. She lifted her hips and pressed hard against his cock. When she wiggled, his growl brought so much satisfaction.
“Kiss me,” she pleaded. As wonderful as it was for him to suck on her breasts, she wanted his lips and cock more.
Brian kissed the hollow of her throat and then tugged on the shell of her ear. She dug her nails into his shoulders and tried to pull him upward, but he seemed intent on feasting on every part of her body. Didn’t he know how hard it was for her to hold back her climax right now? He too had a powerful aura radiating from him, so he must want her just as bad.