Damn. He’s charming and so handsome. Her fingers caressed his warm skin and explored his strong bone structure. His cheekbones were slightly prominent and so was his jawline. It gave him a very masculine appearance, which she appreciated. He waited for a response so she gave him one.
“That’s true.”
He pushed her hair away from her neck and he pulled her torn bra out from under her shirt to remove it. He tossed it over the glass windshield into the Jeep. Zandy watched him study her shoulder.
“What are you looking at?”
“Your bite. It’s not bleeding anymore.”
“It’s fine. It was well worth the sex injury.” She grinned. “How is your back?”
He didn’t grin back. “You are the first woman who’s marked me. Has a man ever bitten you before and marked you?”
“I can’t say I’ve ever been bitten before.”
Gentle fingertips probed the wound. “You will need to hide this. Someone will think I’ve mated you if they see this.”
“Mated?”
“It’s like marriage to my kind but we don’t divorce. You would be thought of as mine and I would be thought of as yours.”
Shock reverberated through her. “All over a bite?”
He smiled finally. “Species tend to bite sometimes during the sharing of sex but we never break the skin. There are only two ways this usually happens. I had to bite you to assert my control if we fought for dominance during sex or because I wanted to mark you to show other males you belonged to me.” He blinked. “I am sorry. I lost control and I wanted to completely own you in that moment. I wanted all of you.”
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 h*ps 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.
“That’s true.”
He pushed her hair away from her neck and he pulled her torn bra out from under her shirt to remove it. He tossed it over the glass windshield into the Jeep. Zandy watched him study her shoulder.
“What are you looking at?”
“Your bite. It’s not bleeding anymore.”
“It’s fine. It was well worth the sex injury.” She grinned. “How is your back?”
He didn’t grin back. “You are the first woman who’s marked me. Has a man ever bitten you before and marked you?”
“I can’t say I’ve ever been bitten before.”
Gentle fingertips probed the wound. “You will need to hide this. Someone will think I’ve mated you if they see this.”
“Mated?”
“It’s like marriage to my kind but we don’t divorce. You would be thought of as mine and I would be thought of as yours.”
Shock reverberated through her. “All over a bite?”
He smiled finally. “Species tend to bite sometimes during the sharing of sex but we never break the skin. There are only two ways this usually happens. I had to bite you to assert my control if we fought for dominance during sex or because I wanted to mark you to show other males you belonged to me.” He blinked. “I am sorry. I lost control and I wanted to completely own you in that moment. I wanted all of you.”
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 h*ps 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.
