No, this was a man, but he looked to be no older than thirty. Maybe. At five foot seven, she was not a short woman, but even standing on the second step leading to the porch, she had to look up at him. Looking into his eyes, she found herself trapped in their lightness that seemed to twinkle as he met her gaze. She could not tell if they were a blue or green, but they seemed to offset his shaggy, light-brown hair to perfection.
He had a tanned, craggy, strong-boned face that made her fingers itch for paper and a pencil to sketch, or her camera to capture every nuance of the amusement she saw in his expression.
Dropping her curious gaze, she took in broad shoulders, flat abs, and a body sculptured by the gods. He wore the same uniform Aaron wore, a red T-shirt with the Petey’s Pizza logo emblazed on the front. With the shirt, he wore faded blue jeans that hung loose on his long-legged, narrow-hipped frame, and a pair of scuffed work boots that looked like he actually did work of some kind in them.
The pain in her thumb and toe eased as her libido woke up and screamed Whoohoo! at her. This was the kind of man she wanted—both in her studio and in her bed. She could just imagine the sculpted body his clothes currently hid from her.
Lifting her gaze to his face again, she found his amusement had given way to concern. Had she missed something as she had done the mental striptease? “Did you say something?”
She fought an urge to trip off the steps and fall into his arms. She wondered if he would sacrifice her pizza to catch her or allow her to fall to the sidewalk.
“Just asked if you needed some help.” His voice flowed over her like a hot shower, sending a shiver of need through her that settled between her legs.
“Think you can drive a nail without smashing your thumb?” She bent and picked up the hammer and sign then looked around the steps for the nail. It must have fallen into the bushes beside the steps because she did not see it anywhere. “I don’t want Petey to sue me for abusing one of his employees.”
The left corner of his lip raised in the sexiest half smile she had seen in a long time. “I think I can handle it,” he said confidently.
She handed him the hammer and the sign then dug the money for the pizza out of her pocket and handed it to him as well. “I’ll get you another nail.”
“Here, take this with you,” he said, handing over the pizza box.
* * * *
Tate Pierce waited until the woman, whose name was Jordan, though he did not know if that was her first or last name, disappeared into the house before adjusting his hard cock. It complained painfully loud of being cramped in his close-fitting briefs. For the first time since his early teen years, he had grown hard and aroused just from talking with a woman.
He knew instinctively she was not just any woman. His body recognized her as his mate.
By quick appraisal, she appeared average, but something about her pulled at him. Her brown hair fell in straight lines past the peaks of her impressive breasts. Her dark eyes sparked some kind of recognition in them every time they met his though she could only hold eye contact for a few seconds at a time before looking away. When her eyes dropped down to check out the rest of his body, it was as if she was physically touching him instead of just looking. Her too-big T-shirt and baggy sweats hinted at a full-breasted, curvy woman. Just the kind he liked.
As a cougar shape-shifter, he had always known he would recognize his mate immediately but never expected to find her while delivering her dinner. And with his sense of smell tainted by hours of breathing spicy pizzas, he could not be sure if she really was his mate, or if his cock was just telling him it had been a while since he’d had a woman in his bed.
He took several deep breaths to calm and distract himself, but thoughts of stripping them both naked and taking her any way he could in the next five minutes consumed him. He saw himself bending her over the porch railing to keep them hidden behind the overgrown bushes that hid most of the porch. Glancing at the porch swing, he could see her riding him accompanied by the squeaking of the chain. Then there was always the missionary position on the porch floor. All were viable options, though the neighbors might disturb them if she was a screamer, so maybe they should take this in the house.
His cock throbbed with his heartbeat as the mental images flashed through his mind. Not sure how to proceed, he saw a hot shower and long hand-to-cock session in his very near future. With a sigh, he read the paper he was about to hang, trying to distract himself in any way possible.
“Room for rent,” he read aloud. Lifting his gaze to the small house, he raised one eyebrow in skepticism. “Wonder how big a room it is.”
Just the day before, Leo, his landlord and roommate, had informed him that he needed to find a new place to stay so he could move his girlfriend in. Since Leo’s name was on the lease and all the utilities, Tate had no real options. He was happy for his friend to be taking his three-year relationship to the next level but was not sure how he was going to find a new place to live while working his ass off at three jobs. Taking several deep breaths, he tried to clear his nasal passages so he could breathe clearly.
Just then, the woman emerged from the house. His cock jerked again, and he fought the urge to adjust it. Was he insane to think that he could share a house with this woman without something more happening as soon as he could manage it? From the woman’s hunched shoulders and strained expression, he knew fate was at work here. She needed him as much as he needed a place to live.
When she got within arm’s length, his lungs filled with the most delicious scent of lavender and vanilla. His cock pulsed and drooled, and he could not help the low-pitched purring sound he made. When she looked at him with wide-eyed curiosity, he swallowed and forced his cougar to back down.
So this was why he had agreed to take this one last delivery before heading home. If he hadn’t, he would be home already standing in a hot shower jerking off and not meeting the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
“Here’s a nail,” she said, offering him the blunt end of a heavy-duty construction nail.
Tate took the nail, careful not to touch her. He did not immediately go to work, but stood studying the paper he had agreed to hang. This could be the best or worst decision he had ever made, but she was his mate, and they were meant to be together. This was too soon, but she needed a renter, and he needed a room.
“How much is this room you’re renting?”
* * * *
Kimber stared at the pizza guy in surprise. “Why? Do you know someone who’s looking to rent a room?”
The half-smile returned to his lips as he looked deep into her eyes. “Yes. Me,” he answered simply.
“Oh, well…truth is I haven’t figured that part out yet. I just made the decision to rent the room a few minutes ago. It’s going to take me a few days to get the room ready.”
“Can I see it?”
“First, I need to know something,” Kimber said, nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the thought of having this man living under her roof.
“What’s that?” he asked with a small frown.
“What’s your name? I don’t usually let people I don’t know into my home unless they’re wearing a badge of some sort.”
He blinked, looking startled. Then he smiled as he nodded.
“Smart lady,” he said, shifting the sign and nail to his left hand and extending his right for a handshake.
Kimber took it and sucked a tiny breath as her body’s arousal flared even higher at the electricity that shot from his palm to hers. Intense heat shot up her arm and through her body. Her fingertips tingled as they wrapped around the back of his hand. He heart picked up speed, her nipples beaded tight, and her pussy gushed.
“Tate Pierce,” he said, his voice dropping deeper, which sent even more heat through her.
“Kimber Jordan,” she returned hoarsely.
As they stared into each other’s eyes, the rest of the world seemed to fade away, leaving them in a bubble of want, need, and arousal.
She wasn’t sure how long they stood holding hands and staring at one another, but she would have been happy to continue all night, except a car drove by. His head whipping around, Tate jerked his hand from hers and turned to take up a protective stance in front of her. When the car drove on down the block, he took a deep breath as he slid his hand into his pocket before turning back to face her again.
“So…” he trailed off.
“Would you like to see the room?”
“Uh, sure,” he said. He stepped up to the porch, proving he was a full head taller than she was.
She led the way into the house. When he followed her into the living room, she wondered who had snuck in and turned up the heat when she had not been looking. She had turned the furnace off that morning after opening the windows to let in the fresh air.
“The room is down here,” she said. Suddenly flustered by his nearness when his hand brushed against the back of her leg just under her ass cheek, she hurried down the hall. “I haven’t had a chance to rearrange things yet, so I’ll let you have your choice of these two rooms,” she said, stopping at the end of the hall.
She leaned into her bedroom first and flipped on the light, thankful that she had changed the sheets and washed clothes that morning. Laundry day was the only day of the week she actually made the bed. The rest of the time, the covers were rumpled and tossed back from where she had crawled out of it. Stepping back into the hall, she allowed him to walk in and look around.
Her girlfriends used to tease her about what they called her “nun’s cell.” The walls were a barely there off-white to peach with burgundy curtains that worked well to keep the sun out when she had worked all night and tried to sleep during the day.
The only furniture in the room was a queen-size bed with her grandmother’s antique brass headboard, a large wooden dresser, and matching nightstand. No pictures on the wall, no memorabilia anywhere, except a small wooden jewelry box on the nightstand that held her high school ring and several pieces of her grandmother’s jewelry she had been given when her mother decided she did not like them anymore.
“Um, there’s plenty of cupboard space in the kitchen. I’ll clean out a shelf or two in the refrigerator for you. All I ask is that you put the dirty dishes in the sink when you’ve finished with them so we don’t get ants, roaches, or worse.”
Tate gave her a look over his shoulder that she could not decipher. “Wouldn’t it be easier if I just washed my dishes and put them away?”
Kimber shrugged. “If you want.”
Her ex had always thought cleaning up after himself too much work, especially after she began working from home. He figured since she was home, she could do it all, become Martha Stewart and still work full-time. He never understood her or her work. But that’s in the past, she reminded herself. Maybe Tate’s mother had trained him differently.
Turning on the overhead light in the office, she took a step back and squeaked when she hit a large, warm wall where no wall had ever been before. Turning, she blushed as she dragged her hand across the front of Tate’s jeans.
Chapter 2
She sucked a breath at the long, hard rod she felt pressing against the denim. His breathing hitched as well. When she looked up, she found him staring down at her from under heavy-lidded eyes. She noticed then that his eyes were pale blue, the same color as her favorite, almost worn-out blue jeans.
Before she could step back, a pair of large, work-hardened hands landed gently on her shoulders. At his touch, she froze, fearful yet excited by the hunger she saw in his eyes. She watched, growing more cross-eyed as he slowly leaned toward her. When that became painful, she closed her eyes.
A millisecond later, a pair of warm lips brushed over hers, disappeared for a heartbeat before returning, and pressed more confidently against hers. When his tongue traced across the seam of her lips, any common sense she might have had evaporated like early morning river fog in the sun.
Kimber moaned softly as she parted her lips and slowly extended her tongue to welcome him. She sighed into his mouth when his hands left her shoulders and slid around her back. He pressed her closer until her soft, full, unbound breasts pressed against his hard, muscular chest.
She felt hesitation as he deepened the kiss by degrees. Knowing this attraction was not one-sided made her braver than she had felt in ages. She lifted her arms and slid them around his waist, amazed at how well they fit together despite the difference in their height.
Then thoughts ceased as large hands slid down her spine, cupped her ass cheeks, and pulled her lower body even closer. She stiffened when his cock pressed into her belly. When he shifted and pushed his hips even closer, she broke the kiss and forced herself to take two steps back. This was not what she had in mind when she thought of renting a room, though she had to admit, Tate Pierce was a hell of a kisser. So what was he doing kissing her?
She turned away, her eyes going to the bulletin board over her desk. Pictures of dozens of nearly naked couples cuddling together did little to cool the arousal burning through her.
Clearing her throat, she tried to act as if the past minute had never happened. Taking another step away, she waved a hand around the room. “This is actually the bigger of the two rooms, but if you’ll let me know which one you prefer, I’ll clean it out this weekend, so you can move in next week. That is, if you still want to rent a room?”
* * * *
Tate blinked and wondered how Kimber was able to dismiss what had just happened between them. He was so wound up that the blood had left the rest of his body for parts south. All he could think about was claiming his mate.
She sounded slightly winded but more settled than he felt. She even had the ability to speak in full sentences, when all he wanted to do was kiss her again. Then he would see how far he could push things before she slapped his face or kicked him in the balls.
Taking several deep breaths that did little to calm him, he fought the urge to reach for her. He wanted to live here. He wanted his mate as well, but he wanted a room more. With a sigh, he forced himself to look around this room as his possible next home.
The wall next to the door held floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A large L-shaped desk sat in the far corner and held stacks of papers, files, and notebooks. In addition, there was a computer with two large computer monitors and a machine that looked like it would print, scan, copy, or jump up and dance if she asked it to. Bulletin boards hung on the walls above the desk, covered with hundreds of pictures in both color and black-and-white.
He blinked and took a step forward as he studied the content of the pictures. Men and women, couples, triads, and more posed in every way imaginable, some sexual, some comforting, some quite innocent but sexy just the same. Next to the desk sat a tilt-top table, which was as empty as the rest of the room was full. The last wall held several tall filing cabinets, which held more shelves.
The small areas of visible walls behind the furniture were painted some kind of pinky-orangey color that he could not see himself waking up to each morning. This was a woman’s office. A woman who, from all appearances, worked hard at her job. This was where she spent the majority of her time, and he could not imagine trying to rearrange things into another, smaller space.
“Have you figured out what you’d want in rent on a weekly basis?”
His eyes widened with surprise when she named a price that was half of what he was paying Leo for his current room. And Leo’s house was smaller and only half as nice as this one. Leo also demanded he pay half the utility bill.
“Does that include utilities?” he asked gently, knowing she had not thought of that additional expense. He would move in no matter the cost but could already tell that this woman had a pride that matched his own.
Kimber froze and blinked. Then she looked uncomfortable. “Uh, I hadn’t thought about that, but I guess it couldn’t, could it?”
Tate smiled at her innocence though his cock throbbed in reminder that it had been several months si
nce he had been with a woman. The women he had dated in the past got offended when he canceled dates or would not call them for days at a time because of his work schedule. They were women who were looking for a husband while he was looking for his mate.
“I’d be willing to pay that rent and half the utility bill for that room,” he said, pointing across the hall to the barely furnished bedroom.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Tate nodded, but before she spoke, he answered all the questions he’d heard from previous landlords. “I don’t smoke. I don’t drink and drive. I don’t do drugs, hold wild parties, or have sleepover guests of either persuasion. If you’d like, I can give you references from my work and past landlords.”
Kimber froze and looked confused as she processed what he said. Then she smiled. “That’s all great to know, but I was going to ask how old you are.”
“Oh. I’m twenty-nine. My birthday is February sixth,” he said. “I work for Williams’ Construction as well as Petey’s and do some side jobs on the weekends for a friend of mine, so I won’t be around much, and when I am, I’ll probably be sleeping.”
Kimber nodded. “I turned forty last month. I don’t smoke or do drugs. I do occasionally indulge in a glass of wine or a margarita, but only here at home. I’m a pretty good cook and usually fix enough for an army. I sometimes work around the clock when the creative juices are flowing, but I’ll use my headphones, so my music won’t bother you when you’re sleeping.”
Tate nodded. “Thanks for the warning. So, when do you think you can have the room cleared out?”
Kimber looked past him, across the hall, and into the bedroom. “I’ve got several covers to finalize tomorrow morning, and I have to clean out the other room first. If I can get my neighbor to help me move the furniture around, it might be ready for you to move in Saturday afternoon.”
Cougar Wants [Cougarlicious] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2