by Kym Grosso
“Coach sucks anyway.”
“No first class on the way out here? Poor baby,” Dimitri teased.
“It was brutal.”
“My ass doesn’t fit in those tiny seats anyway. Even first class feels like a tin can,” he laughed. “Truth is that we can’t risk goin’ commercial. Chaz could have someone try to stop her, or board the flight. I want a pilot I know and trust to get us home safely.”
Dimitri tapped at the glass clumsily with one hand and kept his other on Gillian’s back. It made it difficult for him to type, his large thumbs tripping the autocorrect. After several minutes of messaging with Logan and a few curse words later, he’d made the arrangements to have the private plane meet them tomorrow.
“Let’s hit the hotel tonight. Logan’s getting things in motion but it’ll take time.”
“You think Chaz’s reach stretches to Nevada?”
“I don’t think so, but a guy like that doesn’t strike me as someone who follows the rules. Just to be safe, Logan was calling the Vegas Alpha to let them know we’d be in the territory. We’ll get some rest and then get the hell out of there.”
“What about her?” Jake asked.
“What about her? She’s…I don’t know. She’s gotta go home.” Dimitri glanced out the darkened window. His stomach clenched in what he blamed on hunger, but part of him knew it was his wolf pining for Gillian. He rubbed the scruff on his face, his lips tight with concern. “I wish we could take her home but I don’t think that’s such a good…”
The weight on his legs lightened considerably, and he lost his words, watching Gillian transform into a beautiful woman. Shit, now I really am going to have a hard time with this. Part of him had hoped she’d stay tiger. Then he wouldn’t have an excuse to pursue her, but his mind warred against it. He told himself that he needed to talk to her so he could get answers, but in reality, he just needed her. Naked and against him.
“A good, what?” Jake asked. His eyes flashed to the rearview mirror; he could no longer see the white cat. “She shifted? Let me see.”
“Eyes on the road, bro,” Dimitri said. He glanced to his own hand, which rested on her belly. Her back was pressed flush against his abs, her long mane feathered over her shoulders and breasts. He took note of a dusky pink tip that strained through the dark waterfall and his cock jerked in response. Not now, he thought. “Throw me my bag.”
Jake laughed and launched the duffle over the seat. Dimitri caught it mid-air with one hand. He bent over, careful not to crush her, and tugged a button-down shirt out of the bag. Gingerly, he draped it over her bare skin, so she was covered. Looping his forefinger through the edge of her hair, he brushed it back, revealing her full lips. She smiled as if she were going to wake up and then mewled, reaching her fingers between his thighs. Dimitri sucked a deep breath as her thumb brushed over his burgeoning erection. As she settled once again, he closed his eyes, praying for self-restraint.
Fucking hell. Why does she have to be so goddamned beautiful? And a tiger? Really? I barely survived being killed and the universe doesn’t owe me one? Guess not.
He blew out a breath and caught Jake’s gaze in the mirror, who gave him a knowing laugh before setting his sight back to the highway. Dimitri knew right then that he’d better get Gillian back to New York as soon as possible, because if not, he was pretty sure the next time he caught sight of her sweet nipple, it would be nestled between his lips.
Chapter Four
Gillian watched the numbers light up as they ascended in the elevator, and considered her attire. She’d bitten her lip, attempting to pretend it was completely acceptable to stand in bare feet, dressed only in a man’s dress shirt in the lobby of the five star hotel. As they’d passed by the concierge, she smiled demurely. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. She was fairly sure it wasn’t the strangest thing he’d ever seen.
She took a deep breath, taking note of the large pair of feet on either side of hers. Afraid to make eye contact, she mentally shrugged and stared ahead, reflecting on how she’d gotten herself into this situation.
When she’d woken up naked in Dimitri’s lap, she hadn’t said a word. She could hardly believe that she’d fallen asleep for hours with her head snuggled against his warm thighs. The only saving grace had been that she hadn’t buried her face in his crotch. Thankfully, she’d slept in the opposite direction, allowing her to hide her reddened face. In the darkness, she’d pushed up, sliding her arms into the shirt and buttoning it. She scooted over to the opposite door, stealing a glimpse at the striking beta. Stealth wasn’t her strong suit, she noted, as he pinned his eyes on hers. Her breath caught, feeling as if he could see into her heart, knowing her deepest thoughts. A warm smile bloomed on his face, breaking their heated interaction.
Silence lingered and she knew then that she was on borrowed time. He’d want an explanation. Reason told her to be afraid, very afraid of going up alone into a hotel room with two wolves. But instinct won over. This man would not hurt her. He’d saved her life. She’d give him what he wanted and then some. But in the morning, she’d be back to her life and home in New York.
Dimitri exchanged glances with Jake. Gillian had been unusually quiet in the car. He had to admit that she was well composed, considering her attack and the fact that she was barely dressed. As he glanced down to her toned legs, all he could really think about was touching her again, feeling her skin against his.
The elevator bell sounded and they came to a smooth halt. He reached and took her hand, happily surprised when she laced her fingers through his. Easily finding the room, Jake opened the door and led them into the richly decorated suite.
“Through here.” Dimitri guided her into a bedroom.
Quietly, he shut the door behind them for privacy. Releasing Gillian’s hand, he went to the bar and grabbed them a couple of bottles of water. He unscrewed the tops and handed one to her. She took it without meeting his eyes, and he suspected she needed time to collect her thoughts. A shame that wasn’t going to happen.
“You’re a tiger,” he began. Dimitri strode to the windows and opened the drapes, exposing the spectacular sea of lights twinkling upon the strip.
“Um, yeah,” Gillian replied, tracing her finger along the rim. Tears threatened to fall as her emotions rose to the surface. She’d almost died. She shook her head; shame washed over her. “Thank you. If you hadn’t come for me…”
“I don’t get it, Gilly. It’s like I’m looking at a puzzle but a few of the pieces are missing. Tell me,” he walked over to the bed until he stood towering above her, “why does an Alpha, one who is a wolf, want to mark a tiger? Why are you so important to him? I want the truth and I want it now.”
She sniffled, and lifted her gaze to meet his. “He wants me to be his. I shouldn’t have ever come here. I’ve gotta get back to New York.”
“I can help you. Tomorrow I’ll take you wherever you came from as long as I know you’ll be safe. But I need the truth if I’m going to be able to do that.”
“You don’t understand. I’m not what you think I am.”
“You’re a shifter. I knew that from the second I opened my eyes. A tiger? Well, yeah, I didn’t expect that, but you were amazing.”
“I don’t know how he knew about me…Chaz. Tigers, we’re not like you. We’re loners.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re losing me here. He’s a wolf. You’re a tiger. What am I missing?”
“I’m not all tiger,” she coughed. It was the first time she’d ever said the words out loud to anyone in her life. “My father…he was a wolf. An Alpha.”
Dimitri’s blood pressure spiked as she spoke. A hybrid. A tiger-wolf hybrid. And her father was an Alpha. A million questions spun through his brain. He took a deep breath, attempting to stay calm. The last thing she needed was for him to lose his shit, scaring her further.
“So he was going to mark you?”
“It’s the second time he’s tried,” she admitted softly. Gillian reached her hands back in
to her hair, twisting it up into a ponytail, revealing the area where she’d been bitten. “But it doesn’t work that way. See? The magic. It’s a curse really. My mother called it a destiny, but it’s not.”
Dimitri couldn’t help himself. In an instant, he was on the bed beside her, the pads of his fingers smoothing over where the bite mark had been. Nothing but smooth skin remained. He wasn’t sure why but relief that she remained unmarked coursed through him and he winced.
“Why does he think he can mark you?”
“He was trying to force me to mate with him,” she divulged.
“But a wolf can only mate with another wolf. A human hybrid? Yes. But any other shifter combo; it’s a no go.”
“True…for most. But not for me.”
“Cher, I don’t think you know what you’re…” Dimitri began, but didn’t want to insult her. She’d been through a lot. The trauma must’ve confused her. Shifters could mate only with those of their own kind. That fact gave him great comfort, considering he wasn’t looking for one. He’d already watched Logan’s boat sink. No way was he going down that road.
“The only way it could work is for me to submit. I’d die before that happened,” Gillian continued, ignoring his comment. She couldn’t help the tears that had begun to fall. Her nerves had been like steel throughout the duration of her abduction. Dimitri offered her soul respite from the danger, a safe place to be herself.
“Come here, darlin’. It’s okay. He’s never gonna get you again.” He hoped. Dimitri hadn’t heard the entire story yet and suspected part two of whatever nugget she was hiding was not going to be good.
“I’m sorry. I don’t even know you.” She pressed her palms to his bare chest, and lifted her eyes to meet his.
“We know each other just fine.” Dimitri smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
“Okay, maybe I don’t know your favorite color yet.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she smiled.
“Not true. I know you have a tattoo on your back. And we’ve already cuddled in bed,” he joked. “Hell, you’ve even tied me up. I’ll admit that I’ve never been with a woman who’s tied me up on a first date but I’m not knockin’ it.”
“It wasn’t a date,” she laughed.
“I do feel somewhat slighted. You tied me up and I didn’t even get kissed.”
Gillian’s gaze fell to his lips and her stomach did a nervous flip. She fluttered her lids, and forced herself to look away. Her heart began to race as he wiped a remnant tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
“Our second date wasn’t too much fun either. I got in a fight and ended up in the backseat with a stray cat,” he teased, his fingers playing with her hair.
“You weren’t afraid of me.”
“No, but let’s say I had a healthy respect for you. My mamma didn’t raise a fool. I’ve seen a lot of things, cher. But seeing a full grown Bengal tiger up close and personal is pretty impressive.”
“So you like my kitty?” she asked.
“Oh I like her all right, but I like who’s in front of me more.” Dimitri smiled, enjoying her flirtatious banter. His hand fell to her bare thigh, and he consciously warred to keep it from sliding up under her shirt.
“I guess I owe you that kiss, then. I mean, it is our second date, after all,” she said.
Dimitri gave her a broad smile, briefly contemplating the temptation. Naked girl. Hotel room. Don’t do it. But the devil on his other shoulder disagreed. After all, he just saved the girl. What harm could one little kiss do?
Slowly, he leaned in. His gaze fell to her lips and quickly darted upward, connecting with her soul. Just one small kiss to let her know he liked her was all he needed; one to make sure she wouldn’t doubt that he wanted to see her again after they sorted out all their issues. He smiled slightly as he caught her eyes, inwardly nervous that his action would change his life.
As his lips took hers, he groaned in delight. The little minx who’d saved him tasted more delicious than he could have imagined. As he pulled her against him, he stiffened in arousal. She climbed atop, straddling him with her knees. His hands speared upward into the back of her hair. Sliding his fingers through her silken mane, he fisted her locks, drawing her closer to him still. The sweep of Gillian’s tongue against his, her soft lips against his own, drove him out of control with desire. When she placed her hands on his chest, and drew her finger over his nipple, his cock hardened to rock. As she began to grind her bared center onto his denim-covered hardness, he ripped his lips from hers, panting.
Dimitri rested his forehead against hers, his thoughts racing. He was going to fucking lose it. This woman was aggressive and sweet like honey. The craziest part about the situation was that she was right; he didn’t really know her. They’d both nearly died in the past few days. It had to be the stress of the situation that was causing his reaction to her. The chemistry was undeniably explosive. If he kissed her a second time, he’d be balls deep in sixty seconds. Deep breath. Deep breath.
“Cher,” he breathed. “Before we do something we’ll both regret, I’m going to put you down. Okay?”
“Okay,” she nodded, still trying to catch her breath. She removed her hands from his chest and carefully slid off his lap, back onto the bed.
“Okay,” he repeated. The sexual fog lingered in his brain. He groaned loudly as he righted himself and stood. Despite the granite bulge in his jeans, he managed to hobble over to the door. “So, yeah, thanks for the kiss. Great date.”
“The best. Um, well, thank you.” She giggled, wrapping her arms around her waist. She crossed her legs, remembering they were open and that she wasn’t wearing panties.
Dimitri looked away as one leg went over the next. Fuck, she’s going to kill me, he thought. He curled his fingers around the doorknob, and turned it.
“I’m goin’ to let you use the shower in here. I’ll, uh, go use Jake’s…that way we won’t….you know, get in anymore trouble. I’m goin’ to order us up some room service. Come on out when you’re done.”
“Okay,” she managed, her face red with embarrassment.
“Guess I’ll go get ready for date number three. You in?” Dimitri brushed his fingers over the sensitive nipple that she’d fingered only seconds earlier, and winked.
He didn’t bother staying to watch her reaction to his invitation. As soon as he shut the door behind him, he blew out a breath as if he’d been holding it all night. Fuckin’-A. If he didn’t get back to New Orleans in the next twenty-four hours, he’d be dating a tiger for real. With his wolf impaired, he risked losing the ability to shift. No, he’d get Ilsbeth to do whatever magick she had to do to fix this mess. He swore to stay stronger than the little feline in the room next door who already had him purring.
Holy Fuck. Gillian pressed her face into her palms as the door clicked shut. What the hell am I doing? She’d just climbed Dimitri like she was scaling Mount Everest. Her tiger paced, encouraging her to go after him. Gillian had never spent this much time around wolves. Being around Dimitri and Jake rocked her equilibrium. Her beast didn’t see them as a threat, leaving her mind open to the possibilities. She’d spent so much time avoiding pack members, hating what they represented - the loss of her tiger - that she’d never given much thought to what it would feel like if she liked them, or worse, desired one.
She closed her eyes, imagining her tongue tracing Dimitri’s tattoos from the curves of his shoulder to his neck. Still damp between her legs from their kiss, the thought of licking him took her breath away. Gillian knew she had to get back to her brother, beg for his help. But Dimitri was a pleasant unforeseen wrinkle in her plans.
As she pushed off the bed and trod into the bathroom, she sighed. What am I thinking? I want to date a wolf? Just no. The trip to California must’ve done something to her brain, because that was a rule she’d never break. It was a choice. Preserving her tiger took priority over looking for love in the
eyes of a wolf.
As Gillian stepped under the hot spray, she considered what she’d do once she reached New York. Several months ago, she’d been approached by a sophisticated gentleman at a photo shoot for a new coffee club in Manhattan. He’d introduced himself as the New York Alpha, Jax Chandler, owner of the chic magazine, ZANE, who’d paid for the images. Jax and his beta, Nick Sterling, had expressed interest in seeing her portfolio with the intent of hiring her. Gillian had been thrilled with the prospect of being offered a staff position. When she called her mother and mentioned his name, she’d confessed to Gillian that she had a half-brother, who also lived in the city. An Alpha…Jax Chandler.
Gillian, concerned that he’d force her into his pack, cut off contact with Jax, giving him no explanation. If he found out that they were family, he wouldn’t relent. He’d want her to mate with one of his wolves, let her tiger die. It had crushed her to alienate her only brother. Growing up with just her mother had been a lonely existence. She’d spent many days dreaming she had a sibling, someone close who’d be family. Giving up her nature in order to gain family, however, was simply not an option.
Thanks to Chaz, Jax now represented survival. Chaz had told her repeatedly that he’d never give up on finding her, stealing her gift. Jax was the only one she could trust to protect her.
Dimitri had his own battles to fight. He didn’t need to fight hers. While he’d surprised her in the desert with his insurmountable strength, it wasn’t fair to ask him to help her. They both knew that at any moment, his wolf could falter. And what if he died because of her? She couldn’t allow him to sacrifice himself for her. She’d never let that happen.
She stepped out of the shower, catching sight of her swollen lips in the mirror. His kiss. The kiss. She’d felt her tiger calm in his arms, and it terrified her. The more she talked to him, the more she felt herself entangled in his web. He was charming with a flair for humor that brought a smile to her face. Dominating and sexy, his powerful presence told her that he’d take her in ways she’d never known. The thought of him driving deep inside her core made her ache with need.