His words sank in and she realized she didn’t hate that idea. Oh no. Don’t go there. He is asking you to hide the mark, which means he didn’t intend to do it. Remember that. “Well, I think you successfully owned me there for a while.”
“It goes both ways. There is nothing but you when you are in my arms.” His eyes narrowed and all traces of humor fled. “You’re dangerous, Zandy.”
“Me?” It was her turn to laugh as her gaze took in those massive arms next to her and the broad chest that blocked out the world above her. “You’re the one who’s really big and strong. I’m not dangerous in the least.”
He suddenly gripped her face and moved closer, until they were nearly nose to nose. “You are very dangerous to me. I’m not the type to take a mate, Zandy. I never want to be tied down that way. I enjoy my freedom after the lifetime I have spent without it. A mated male lives for his female. I’ve seen it firsthand. The males want to kill any other males who go near their females. They can’t sleep without their females in their arms. They go insane at the thought of losing their mates. We scent imprint our mates. It’s…” He stopped talking.
“It’s what?” She was curious. “I’ve never heard anything about this.”
“We get pretty much addicted to her scent after we claim a female. We need them to smell like us and we need their scents on us. The mated males can’t stand having the scent of other female on them once they imprint their mate’s scent. If a male has imprinted a female he can’t share sex with another one. If his female were to ever share sex with a male I think the mate would go completely insane and kill anything in his path blocking him from the male who touched his mate. He would definitely tear apart a male who touched her. It’s…” He paused. “Scary as hell and something I never want anything to do with. If I were ever interested in taking a mate, you would be her, Zandy. That’s what makes you dangerous because you make me consider it.”
She was really shocked. “I’ve been married and divorced twice, Tiger. I’m not cut out for marriage obviously since I seem to suck at it. I got really hurt by them. I swore I’d never put my heart out there to be stomped on again. The idea of allowing someone to become my entire world scares me.” She wanted to be honest. “I am so drawn to you that it’s not funny and you’re amazing. I just don’t want to get hurt.”
“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”
She nodded, unable to disagree. They were both strongly attracted to each other but neither of them wanted to become too involved for their own reasons. She respected that about him and instinctively knew he understood about her reservations too.
“I want you to meet me here tomorrow. I don’t know how long this can last but I know I want to see you again,” Tiger said.
“I’ll be here after work.”
“I’ll bring a picnic.”
“I should be going. I really am hungry.”
He grinned. “So am I. It will be dark soon and we missed dinner.”
They silently stared at each other until Tiger finally lowered his face enough to brush his lips lightly over hers. He eased out of her body to separate them and helped her sit up. Strong hands gripped her hips to lift her down to the ground.
He let go with a reluctant expression. Zandy fixed her clothes, minus her bra and underwear. She forced a smile she didn’t feel. It was time to go but she hated leaving him. It just felt wrong to walk away and that assured her she really needed to get in her car.
“Bye. See you tomorrow, Tiger.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Sincerity shone in his eyes as he righted his clothing and dug her keys from his pocket.
She took them and had to force herself to turn away from him. The urge to spin back around, throw herself into his arms and ask him to take her home with him was there. Damn. She climbed in her car and refused to look at him again. It was too tempting to ask him to spend the night with her.
She glanced in the rearview mirror as she drove away. Tiger stood where she’d left him, watching her. A sigh of regret passed her lips.
It dawned on her halfway home that she hadn’t retrieved her torn underclothes. She’d left them with Tiger. A groan escaped her lips and she hoped he remembered to toss them away.
She stopped at the only fast-food joint in town with a drive-thru, not feeling up to cooking. It was a relief when she let herself into her house, collapsed on the couch with her dinner and reflected on what had happened. No. I don’t regret it, she decided. She just hated the strong desire she felt to know where Tiger was and what he was doing. Is he obsessing over me too? “Damn.”
Zandy knew she’d made the right decision to go home. She couldn’t let herself get too attached to Tiger. She didn’t want her heart broken and the last thing she needed was to fall in love with a man who clearly didn’t want a relationship any more than she did. They had that in common.
* * * * *
Tiger stood still long after Zandy’s car disappeared from his sight. The urge to leap into the Jeep and chase her was strong. He battled his instincts and finally won. He turned and noticed her discarded, torn panties. He reached down, fisted them and shoved them inside his pocket.
The sight of her bra on the passenger seat when he got in the Jeep made him sigh. He’d totally destroyed her undergarments but didn’t regret it. He picked up the soft material and put it in another pocket. Moments passed as he sat there trying to figure out how his life had gotten so complicated by an attractive little redheaded human.
He knew he needed to return to Reservation but the officers would know in a heartbeat that he hadn’t been hunting if they got a whiff of him. He reached down and dug out the emergency bag from under the seat where he kept a spare set of clothes. He carried it back to the stream, glanced at the flattened area where he’d spread out the blanket and memories assailed him.
His hands were jerky as he stripped everything off, removed the fresh clothing from the bag and shoved his used ones inside. He sealed it and walked into the chilled water to wash off her scent.
He used handfuls of moss to scrub his skin. He dunked his head under the water and stayed there for as long as he could hold his breath before he broke the surface again. That would take care of any lingering traces of her scent.
Tiger climbed out of the stream. He stood there in the fading sunlight as the strengthening evening breezes dried most of his skin. He shook his head to help dry his hair faster. It would be wet but no one would question it.
The trip back to his Jeep was fast and he replaced the bag under the seat. He’d have to wash his clothes when he arrived home to remove her scent from them. He started the Jeep and returned to Reservation.
“You didn’t find any more idiots?”
Tiger shook his head at the officer. “It was all clear. Just remember to warn the next shift that more of them may be out there.”
“Will do. Good evening, Tiger.”
“You too, Smiley.”
He waved and drove to his home. He liked the cabin he had been assigned at Reservation a little better than his house at Homeland. It was more secluded. He didn’t have any immediate neighbors and it was far enough from the Wild Zone that he wouldn’t have to fear any of the males harassing Zandy.
A growl tore from him over that reason. Zandy had refused to come home with him so it wasn’t a concern that any of those males would pick up her scent. No one would come investigate why a human was near unless one was actually there. He parked the Jeep, removed the bag, stalked inside his house and went directly to the laundry room.
The scent of sex and Zandy hit him when he opened the bag. His eyes closed as he inhaled and his dick instantly hardened. He wanted her again. Now. A growl rumbled from his throat and his eyes jerked open. He slammed the clothes on the dryer top while he dumped soap into the washer then he threw the shirt in the machine. He paused when he gripped his pants.
He needed to toss away her destroyed underthings but he decided to wash them first to erase her scent from them. He dou
bted anyone would go through his trash but he knew how humans were. NSO sent their trash to the out world and reporters had been known to go through everything looking for a story. It’s why they shredded or burned all paperwork instead of throwing it away. With his luck someone would find her things and believe a female had been sexually attacked.
He withdrew her panties from the pocket and dropped them in the washer. Her bra he lingered over. The cups were soft and silky. They had held Zandy’s breasts and his hands inched to do the same at that moment. He lifted it to his nose and inhaled her scent.
His cock throbbed and painfully ached to be released from his suddenly too-tight pants. A snarl tore from him as he dropped his soiled pants into the washer and slammed the lid closed. He turned it on, still clutching her bra and headed for his kitchen. Shame hit him full force as he grabbed a Ziploc bag out of one of the drawers and stomped through his house to the bedroom.
He sat down hard. What am I doing? It’s not normal or sane to want to keep her scent. I’ve lost my mind. He stared at the plastic bag and her bra, something he wanted to put in his nightstand drawer. The bag would keep her scent longer, make it last.
He inhaled deeply. Her scent drove him more than a little crazy. It scared the hell out of him as he worried that he might have become addicted to her. She wasn’t his mate, he didn’t want one and he’d never heard of a male locking onto a female’s scent that fast.
“Fuck!”
He released the bag and reached for the waistband of his pants, almost tore the things to free his cock, and he sighed in relief as the pain of it being confined abated. He glared down at his stiff dick and snarled. It made him more than angry that it was in that condition over a female he shouldn’t want in the first place.
Chapter Six
Creek nodded. “It is true. I swear!”
Zandy laughed, watching her friend and coworker talk at the lunch table, more than a bit amused.
“There’s a bar in the hotel and you guys all love to dance there? I didn’t know about it.” Richard shook his head. “I was never invited.”
“You work here and are always welcome. Just inform Security you want to go and bring your mate. They will escort you there.” Creek smiled and glanced at Zandy. “What are you doing tonight? I would love to take you.”
“I have plans.” With Tiger, she added silently.
A glint of amusement shone in the New Species woman’s eyes. “Are you meeting with a male?”
“Maybe.” Zandy glanced away but purposely didn’t search the large room to see if Tiger was there. She was afraid her two companions would notice.
“You are meeting a male. Is he going to be husband number three?”
Richard choked on his drink. “Three? I take it you’re divorced from the last one?”
“There’s not going to be number three.” Her fork stabbed into her cut steak and met Richard’s curious stare. “I was married and divorced twice. I learned my lesson. I’m a loser magnet.”
“I’ve been married to the same woman since we graduated from high school. We’re going on twenty-two years now.” He shot her a sympathetic look. “Happy marriages can exist. We’re proof of that.”
“I thought you said your kids were pretty young.”
“They are. She is a lawyer and we put off having children for her career. She finally made partner and the pressure was off. We had our first one six years ago and the second one two years ago. We’re thinking about having one more.”
Zandy stared at him. “Wow. Sex with the same person for twenty-two years? How is that?”
He laughed. “Really great. You should rethink the whole marriage thing. I hear the third time is a charm.”
“No way, no how.” Zandy laughed. “I’d probably get hit with the third-time loser scenario if I ever decided to roll those dice again. My taste in men sucks and I’m aware of it.”
“You just need to find a different kind of man.” Richard winked.
Tiger is definitely a different kind of man. Personality wise and physically. She’d tossed and turned all night, regretting saying no to going home with him. Creek reached over and touched Zandy’s arm to draw her away from her thoughts of the man who was responsible for her exhausted state.
“Our males look at you and one of them could make you happy. They are hard workers and we do not cheat when we mate. I could introduce you to some of the best of them if you go to the bar with me and go dancing. I’ve shared sex with many of them and could tell you which ones were the best.”
It stunned her that her new friend wanted to hook her up with men she’d slept with. “No thanks.”
Creek nodded. “You are a small female while our males are large.” Creek hesitated. “Their sex part is bigger than a human’s. They might hurt someone as small as you if one tried to mount you.”
Richard choked on his food and laughed when he could. He grinned at Zandy. “See what I mean? I’m always laughing.”
“Did I say something wrong?” Creek glanced between them. “It is true. Our males are large all over. They would have to be careful if they shared sex with you, Zandy. I would avoid the canine species for sure. They swell at the base of their dicks at the end of sex. There isn’t much to you and I would be afraid it would be quite painful.”
Richard laughed, shooting soda out of his mouth and sputtered as he hit his chest. “I love this job. Yeah, Zandy. You might want to avoid that. Any other advice for her, Creek?”
Creek hesitated. “I would give you the advice that feline species have hot semen. It doesn’t burn but it is noticeable. The primate species would probably be the best for you. They don’t swell or have hot semen. They love to cuddle and touch a lot. I shared sex with one recently and he enjoyed rubbing my hair on his body while he ran his hands all over me. It was nice.” She nodded. “I could introduce you to our primate males. They look more similar to humans with the softer bone structure and eye shaping.”
“No thank you.” Zandy was slightly blushing. She shot Richard a dirty look when he didn’t try to hide his glee at the embarrassing topic. He didn’t look regretful in the least so she turned her attention on Creek. “I’m meeting someone tonight after work. He’s a nice guy.”
“My kind would be better but you are small. It is probably best that you stick with a smaller human with a smaller male part.”
“Hey,” Richard said, and chuckled. “I resent that. I’m not tiny or anything.”
Creek lowered her gaze to his lap. “Drop your pants and show me.”
What she had asked him to do sank in and all humor fled. It was his turn to blush a little. “I…”
Creek laughed, nudging Zandy with her elbow. “I got him. I was kidding, human male. I do not want to see your male part. I watched porn videos and have seen plenty of them. I appreciate the sight of our naked males much better. They have less body hair. How is that for odd? We are altered with animal genetics yet we have less body hair than full humans.”
“I’m not hairy either.” Richard grinned. “I’d be willing to show you my back. It’s all smooth skin.”
Creek laughed. “No thank you. You are mated and I don’t want your mate to feel the need to attack me for seeing you undressed in any way.”
“It’s just my back.”
Creek smiled. “That would be enough for a mate to go after someone. Species don’t appreciate anyone looking at anything on their mates.”
Zandy finished her lunch while her friends continued to tease each other. Her gaze wandered around the cafeteria, unable to resist any longer, and located Tiger sitting at a table by the buffet area. He happened to look up while she watched him and their gazes met. She couldn’t look away but he finally did. He glanced at the man to his left, said something, but focused back on her immediately. She smiled and lowered her eyes that time.
Creek suddenly sniffed loudly and turned to frown at Zandy. A smile curved the woman’s mouth and she winked.
“What?”
The smil
e widened. “You are interested in one of the males here.”
“No,” she lied.
“Scents don’t lie. You are aroused. It is very faint but there. I wouldn’t have picked it up but we are sitting close together.”
“She’s aroused, huh? Damn. Love this job.” Richard chortled.
Zandy shot him a dirty look. “Knock it off, Richard.” She addressed her friend next. “Can we never discuss that again? Please?”
“Oh.” Creek nodded. “You are shy about sex. I understand but one of them has caught your attention. I will introduce you to whichever one holds your interest if you want to share sex with him.” She smiled. “Just don’t go near him if you aren’t ready to do that because he will know you are aroused. I would actually avoid going within five feet of any of the males while you are in this state. They will scent it and ask you to share sex with them.”
Richard laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair. “Oh man.”
Zandy sighed, glaring at him. “I’m glad you’re so amused by this.”
Creek studied Richard. “You are amused by her shyness? Are you shy, Richard? You should shower before you come to work if you share sex with your mate. You did that with her this morning and she is in heat.”
Richard stopped laughing and paled. “She’s in what?”
“Heat. She is able to get pregnant right now. I think you call it ovulating?”
It was Zandy’s turn to laugh. “You did the wife this morning, huh? Didn’t you say you were thinking about another baby? Maybe you got one.”
“You can smell that?” He gawked at Creek.
“Yes. I suggest you stay five feet from my kind as well until you shower.” She winked at Zandy. “He isn’t laughing anymore.”
“Nope, he’s not. He kind of looks embarrassed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“My pleasure.”
Richard stood. “Time is up. We need to meet our escort.”
Zandy waved to her friend as she stood, took care of her tray, and followed her coworker outside. Snow was a very tall blond Species male with sky-blue eyes and shoulder-length hair. He kept glancing at her as they walked to the Jeep and continued to keep looking at her as he drove them back to her building.