by Ella Hart
The image of Teagan was there as his eyes were closed. His imagination was running wild. He felt himself kissing her hard and passionately. The purr she let out resonated in his ears. Her breasts were begging to be touched. Running his hands through the waves of her long red hair, he admired her body before taking her breasts into his hands. He was cupping them, his thumb rubbing her hard nipples. The movement of her hips quickened, and he could no longer stand it.
He opened his eyes just long enough to move Vanessa off his lap and lay her on the couch. He removed his clothes faster than he had ever done before. This moment could slip through his fingers if he couldn’t keep the fantasy alive in his head. He knew that the thought of making love to Teagan was the only way he would be able to keep himself up for the job.
Vanessa pulled herself up on her hands and knees. Max paused for a moment then told her to lie back down. A look of confusion came over her face; however, she did as she was asked to. He was between her legs and his member was at the entrance of her sacred place. His movement into her was slow and easy. His rocked to the rhythm of the music that was playing in his head as his fantasy rolled through it like a movie.
Even with his eyes open, he no longer saw Vanessa – it was Teagan’s beautiful naked body that was underneath his. He pulled her hips closer to him, plunging deep inside her. A gasp escaped her lips as his movements increased in speed. He lifted her up to meet him as he moved onto his knees. He kept moving harder and faster as she got more and more excited. He could feel her getting closer to the edge, and she wasn’t the only one. Her hands gripped on to his arms, her nails digging into him. One more thrust and her body was tossed into a pool of ecstasy. Her back arched as she cried out with pleasure. He couldn’t resist anymore, he was so close, on the verge of his own orgasm. His back stiffened and he growled as his seed spilled from his body into hers.
His breathing still heavy as he collapsed on top of her. “Oh, Teagan, that was amazing.” The words came out of his mouth without him thinking.
“Who is Teagan?”
Max quickly got up, mumbling that he had to use the restroom. She told them where it was. Maybe she would forget what he had said if he took his time cleaning up. When he got back, Vanessa was dressed in an oversized robe. He was already redressed, and stood there as she stared at him.
“You didn’t answer my question. Who is Teagan? Is she and other were-tigress?”
“Why do you even care, Vanessa? It doesn’t really matter, does it? You’ll get what you want from me.”
“If you are sleeping with someone else, she may have a child. You are promised to me. I and I alone will have your firstborn. There is no guarantee that I will get exactly what I want, but I’m going to make damn sure that no other woman will get it either.”
“I am not sleeping with her. She is no one. You and I have an agreement. If we have a child, I will provide for it. There will be a trust set up so that he or she will have everything needed for a good education and an inheritance to my estate.”
“All “Fine.” He was glad to be leaving and getting back to the hotel. He was looking forward to a long hot shower. The warm water flowing over his body was all he could think about right now. He wanted to push all thoughts of either woman out of his mind. After showering, he climbed into bed and sleep overcame him as soon as he laid his head on the pillow. Before he knew it, his alarm sounded, and it seemed way too early.
His sleep had been restless, and it took all of his willpower to force himself out of bed. In the bathroom, he splashed some water on his face and shaved so he would look professional. He thought about what happened last night. What if Vanessa did bear a child from him? He barely knew his own father, and who knew how many half siblings were out there. It was expected of the males to make sure the weretigers thrived by having as many children as possible. Maybe he was strange for wanting more than to be used solely for his sperm. He didn’t want to be a baby-making machine. Yes, he wanted his kind to continue, but he also wanted to settle down. Why couldn’t he spend his life with just one and in a committed relationship?
Chapter 4
Max got to the office just a little ahead of schedule and the receptionist smiled at him, twirling her hair around her finger before buzzing him in. He had the distinct feeling she was attracted to him. Max was used to this kind of reaction. He was well-built, handsome, and wealthy. The only potentially bad aspect of his was that he was a bit on the tall side. He was a good six foot five inches. He had to look down on almost all human women. He didn’t have too many problems with female shifters. His kind was usually taller than the average human.
Mr. Perry was in the conference room when Max walked in. He was talking with a woman and dismissed her. He knew that Mr. Perry, as well as some others, was worried about his future with the company. Usually when someone bought out a company, he or she would put in his or her own people, especially in the higher positions. Most companies operated this way. It made perfect sense. Employees that were loyal to the owner were put in place to keep things going the way the owner wanted. Max was different. He took the attitude of, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” The company was running fine with the people it had. He let Mr. Perry know that he could reassure everyone that their jobs were safe and sound.
Mr. Perry looked relieved as he heard this from Max. Max did, however, have a few changes that he had proposed. Mr. Perry seemed very agreeable to it all. The gentlemen stood up and shook hands. He liked it when things like this went smoothly. His mind drifted briefly to Teagan when Mr. Perry asked him if he could take him to lunch. Max politely declined the lunch date. He turned and walked out of the door. Instead of taking a left to go back to the lobby, he found himself making a right and walking to Teagan’s cubicle.
Teagan was swamped with work. The long lunch she had had with Max the day before had her playing catch-up today. She didn’t even notice he was at the entrance to the cubicle until he cleared his throat. She looked up, and there was Max, standing there with a smile.
“Hello, Mr. Kemp, I didn’t know you were standing there.”
“Hello there, Teagan. I was wondering if you were free for lunch today.”
Teagan knew she shouldn’t go. She had a backlog of work on her desk. Her co-workers needed this and that from her. She had actually planned to eat at her desk that day and kind of work through lunch. She knew that she should politely decline his offer. Whether he was the owner or not, it didn’t matter. She had things that had to get done.
“Sure, I’d love to go to lunch with you.” She smiled warmly at him. Wait, what was she saying? Those were not the words that were supposed to be coming out of her mouth. She was supposed to nicely tell him thanks but no thanks. Why was she saying that she’d go?
“That’s great. I am sure you know of an equally nice restaurant to go to today.”
Teagan nodded and then pulled open a drawer to grab her purse. Max stepped aside as she moved to get out of the cubicle. His smile was incredible, and his eyes looked different today. It was like they were a golden color instead of the brown she had originally seen. It must be her imagination. Maybe she just didn’t notice the beautiful color, since she had tried to avoid eye contact through much of their conversation yesterday.
Teagan picked a small quaint café on the other side of town. Max really liked the place. It was kind of quiet and out of the way. They sat in a booth near the back. This was the perfect spot to get to know her better. Max shook that thought out of his head. He shouldn’t be doing this. Teagan was human; he needed to get her out of his thoughts. He wasn’t going to do that by taking her to lunch, but his eyes wouldn’t leave her. This was so wrong, but he couldn’t help himself. She was an incredible woman, and even though he was here just a short time, he wanted to spend it with her.
They talked and laughed through lunch. Teagan was finding herself even more at ease with him then she had the previous day. However, she didn’t want to get too relaxed. He was the big boss, and he was
leaving in a few days anyway. The waitress came by and asked if they wanted any dessert. Max said he would like some of the strawberry cheesecake.
“I should warn you that the slice of cheesecake here is enormous,” she said and giggled.
“Oh, so I might have some trouble handling it then?”
“You might,” she said with a smile.
Max signaled to the waitress and then told her he would need two forks and two cups of coffee to go along with that slice of cheesecake. Teagan smiled at him. This lunch was the best thing in the world right now. He swore her smile alone could make the saddest person happy again. He loved seeing it. When she laughed, it was infectious. His stories were just funny enough to get her going. Her whole face sparkled when she was laughing. He didn’t want this day to end.
It was another two-hour lunch, and several of her co-workers stared at her as they walked back to her cubicle together. Sara came up and demanded the report she had asked Teagan to run for her. She didn’t seem to see Max standing there.
“I’m sorry, Sara. Teagan being back late from lunch is totally my fault,” he said, flashing a smile.
Sara turned around, saw him and apologized. Not a moment later, she turned back to Teagan and got snippy again, demanding the report be on her desk in the next hour. Teagan said she’d have it done. She now had to push some other things back, so that she could get Sara’s report done first. This was going to anger a number of her co-workers. She was starting to regret her decision to go out to lunch. Yet, how could she not go when she had such a good time with this man? He was incredible, and she started feeling sad that he was only there for a little while.
“Before I let you get back to work, Teagan, I do have one question. While I’m here, I was wondering if there were any kind of campgrounds nearby. I like to explore the great outdoors. Of course, I’m not familiar with the area.”
“There is one about three hours from here, out by Lake Blackwater.”
“Thanks so much, Teagan. I’ll look it up. I’m hoping to go out where there is some peace and quiet and meditate for a bit.”
Max took his leave. He needed to get his laptop and look up the place she had suggested. The feeling that he was uncomfortable in his skin was creeping over him. He knew what he needed. The only thing that would fix this was the feeling of running free. If the cabin was nice and secluded, he’d be able to transform and run through the woods. He could possibly even hunt a bit. He just needed to make sure it was far from people. Luckily, they were in the off season, so the chance that most of the cabins would be vacant would make this the perfect location.
Chapter 5
It wasn’t difficult to find the cabin that he rented. He was there just before sundown. A couple was staying in a cabin on the opposite side of the lake. The woods near the cabin weren’t as dense as they were further in. It was funny, the manger even warned Max about going too far into the wooded areas, as he said the wildlife could be dangerous. Max just smiled and thanked him for the information. The guy had no idea that Max would be the most dangerous animal roaming through the forest that night.
He waited until it had been dark for a while before venturing out. Shifting was always a little on the painful side, even after all these years. He felt much better when he was finally in his tiger form. A big stretch came from him as he arched his back and let out a loud roar, jumping just before taking off into the inner forest to roam around. The werewolf waited until the tiger was out of sight, then went back to his pack.
It was getting real late, and Max had to get back to the cabin. He couldn’t be up too late, although he didn’t have any real plans for the next day. He was going to tour the plant where they made the product. On the last day, he was going to talk with the advertising agency that he was hiring to do some ads for the new products that the company was coming out with. He wasn’t too happy with the ads he saw previously. His head became empty again as he ran through the woods, heading back towards the cabin. It wasn’t long before he came to a sudden stop. In front of him had to be at least five, maybe six wolves blocking his path. They were snarling, and he knew they were looking for a fight. He was a large animal, but wasn’t sure he could take on a whole pack.
Max backed away and looked around. He was completely surrounded by wolves. He let out a roar, but they didn’t budge. This was not his territory, and he was unfamiliar with the land. All he knew was how to get back to the cabin. His thoughts went to the knowledge that he would have to make a break for it. He geared himself up, ready to run. Maybe he had the strength and speed to outrun these beasts.
He crouched down and bounded over one of the wolves that was directly in front of him, taking them all by surprise. He couldn’t be too far from the cabin, so he gathered up as much speed as possible, running through the forest with the wolves on his tail. He could hear them communicating with one another. Shit. This was not good. One of them caught up to him and made it onto his back. The wolf’s claws ripped into his skin and he roared with pain. Another wolf sunk its razor-sharp teeth into his leg as he was trying to shake the one off his back. Another wolf rammed its head into Max’s side, and he rolled on the ground. He was in his most vulnerable position, and the wolf was on top of him before he knew it. He was just about to get his neck bitten when he heard a gunshot, and everything went black.
He awoke on the rug on the floor of his cabin. His body hurt and he was still in tiger form. A man came over to him and stroked his head, telling him it would be alright. He recognized him as the one that had helped him in the camp’s office. Max knew he lacked the strength to shift back again, so he closed his eyes and rested.
Chapter 6
Teagan was at the door of Mr. Perry’s office, waiting for him to finish on the phone. He signaled her to come in and have a seat. The report she finished earlier that morning was in her hand. She suppressed a yawn as she sat down and waited patiently. Mr. Perry seemed a bit upset this morning. Normally, she could tune a conversation out, but she heard Max’s name mentioned and it grabbed her attention. It seemed as though he hadn’t made his appointment for his tour of the plant. The hotel said his bed was not slept in. It was a surprise that he didn’t tell anyone where he was going. Apparently, Mr. Perry had tried to call him on the phone several times, and his calls went unanswered.
Teagan put the report on Mr. Perry’s desk, and went back to her own cubicle. She grabbed her purse, turned around and bumped right into Sara. “Where do you think you’re going?” She asked Teagan.
“I have a doctor’s appointment. I almost forgot about it. I need to go now before I am late.” She tried to push past Sara but the woman didn’t budge.
“If I find out you’re lying, Teagan, I promise that you will be fired.”
Teagan ignored her and managed to get past. The place where she was headed wasn’t very far, even though she wasn’t sure whether he was even there. It was the place she mentioned to him, so there was a good possibility that he would be there. She had to start somewhere. There was no telling what had happened to Max, and she felt responsible for whatever he might have gotten into, since she was the one that mentioned the campground to him.
Her mind was blank. She drove on autopilot all the way to the office of the campground. Taking the steps nearly two at a time, she opened the door to the rental office. There was an older man at the desk, he smiled and asked her if he could help. She was almost out of breath, but managed to get out that she was looking for a friend of hers that may have come up here, quickly describing Max.
The man nodded and told her that there was a man that matched her description in cabin number six. Teagan thanked him and started to walk out. “Wait, Miss. I can’t let just anyone go back there. How do I know for sure you are who you say you are?”
Teagan pulled out her license and explained that it was very important that she find the gentleman that had rented the cabin. “I don’t know, Miss. How do I know you haven’t come here to do something bad?”
Teagan ple
aded with the man, tears starting to run down her face. Worry filled her mind and she was getting more and more frustrated with him. Max could be really hurt, and the more time she wasted, the worse off he could be. Finally, the man was convinced that she was really concerned about the man in cabin six. “Fine, you can go back to the cabin, but I need to go with you.”
Teagan agreed to this, and the man drove her to cabin six in a golf cart. He took out a key and unlocked the door, stepping inside. Teagan was at the door when she saw the tiger lying on the floor. She let out a gasp and backed away.
“It’s all right. He’s a little beat up, but healing nicely. I’ve been taking care of him, and he should be back to normal in a day or two.”
Teagan was too shocked to move. This man was a psycho, and now she’d been put in a dangerous situation she wasn’t sure she could get out of. The tiger looked as though it had been wounded, but she wasn’t convinced that it wouldn’t attack her, given the chance. The man leaned down to the tiger and spoke softly, telling it that its friend was here to take care of it. Teagan was about a mile from her car and out here in a skirt and heels. There was no way she would to be able to run back to save herself.
The tiger’s eyes opened and there was something familiar about them. She had seen those eyes before. No, that was impossible. She was sure that she had seen those eyes before, and they were Max’s eyes. “What is this?” She finally got the courage up to ask the man.
“This is your friend all right. He has been hurt, so he can’t change back. However, I figure another day and he’ll have to strength to turn again.”
Teagan stared at him, not understanding what he was saying. “What are you talking about?” She asked him. Her words came out in a stutter.
“Oh my, you don’t know, do you? I assumed that because you were a friend, you knew all about him. You seemed so concerned.”