Eat Prey Love (10 page)

“It's a rental car, right?” Carlos asked. “Why don't you let me drive?”

She spun around to face him. “You're still here?”

“I never left. You're too upset to know when someone's two steps behind you. You shouldn't be driving.”

“Don't tell me what to do!”

“I'm a friend, Catalina,” he growled. “I am not your father.”

With a cry of exasperation, she tried to shove him away.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her back, slamming her against his chest. His eyes gleamed with anger…and something else.

Desire
. Her breath caught. Her handbag and keys tumbled from her grasp to land on the asphalt pavement. “Do it,” she whispered, sliding her hands around his neck. “Kiss me.”

The muscles in his neck strained. His grip on her arms tightened. “No.”

She pushed him away, and he released her. They stood a foot apart, staring at each other, breathing heavily.

“The cameras are on,” he said softly. “I'm not giving Emma and Angus another show to watch.”

Caitlyn lifted her eyebrows. “Then you'll kiss me in private?”

His amber eyes burned into her. “No.” He leaned over, scooped her keys off the ground, then unlocked the passenger side door. He opened it and gave her a fierce look. “Get in.”

She snatched her handbag off the pavement and grabbed her portfolio off the trunk. Rejected again. Just as well. The last thing she needed in her life right now was another domineering male. She tossed her belongings onto the floor, then climbed into the car and settled on the seat. Her tight skirt hitched up quite a bit, but she didn't tug it down. She glanced up at Carlos to see if he'd noticed.

His jaw ticked, and he slammed the door shut.

With a snort, she fastened her seat belt. This was going to be a fun ride.

T
his was going to be a ride from hell, Carlos thought as he drove through White Plains. It was damned hard to concentrate with her tight little skirt halfway up her thighs. He glanced over. More than halfway.

The little minx was doing it just to torture him. As a shifter, his senses were sharper than a normal human's. He could see quite well in the dark, well enough to spot the little black mole on the outside of her left thigh. He could also smell the scent of her hair and skin. He could hear her breathing faster than normal. She was still upset.

Or turned on. Desire had sizzled in her blue eyes when she'd wrapped her hands around his neck and pressed her sweet body against him.

Merda.
A week with this woman was going to drive him loco. By the time he went on his expedition in the jungle, he would have a crazed
mind…and blue balls. Even now his trousers felt uncomfortably tight.

He turned right onto a busy avenue. “Are you hungry? I'm starving.”

She regarded him nonchalantly. “What do you eat? Field mice?”

He shot her an annoyed look. “No. I'm a big cat. I could take down a horse.”

She grimaced. “You eat raw meat?”

Lift that skirt a little higher and find out
. He flexed his hands on the steering wheel. “I was thinking about stopping at a restaurant. Would you care to join me?”

She shifted in the car seat to face him, causing him to glance at her legs once again. “Are you asking me out?”

“No.”

“Will you purr if I tickle you behind the ears?”

“No.”

“Will you dance the samba for me in your hot pink sequined thong?”

“No.”

“Do you always say no?”

His mouth twitched. “No.”

She sighed and tugged her skirt down a bit. “I'm afraid I was a bit rude.”

He shrugged. “No more than usual.”

She swatted his shoulder. “I'm not rude! Well, not normally.” She adjusted the collar of his polo shirt.

Holy Mother of God, would she stop touching him? “Are you hungry? 'Cause I'm still starving here.”

“All you think about is food.”

“Not really.” He glanced at her legs.

“I think I just want to take a hot bath and go to bed. I've had a lot thrown at me the last two nights. I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted.”

“I could order the food, and they'll deliver it after we get home.”

“That sounds good, actually. Really good.”

He pulled into a parking lot. “That's one of the important rules about being a day guard. I can't leave the sleeping Vamps unprotected, so I learned how to get things delivered.”

“I see.”

He pulled his cell phone out to call his favorite restaurant. “I'm having a sirloin steak. Rare.”

She made a face.

“Does that lovely expression mean you would prefer something else?”

She smiled. “Do they have seafood?”

“I'll check.” He placed his order, then inquired about the menu. “Pecan-crusted salmon?” he asked her.

Her blue eyes widened. “That sounds heavenly.”

He placed the order, set his phone on the console, then drove back onto the avenue.

“You mentioned last night that you're going on a trip,” she murmured.

He shrugged.

“Emma told me you're going on an expedition to find more of your kind. She said you and your children are an endangered species.”

“I'd rather not talk about it.” He turned onto the Bronx River Parkway.

“You told your friends last night you were hunting for a mate.”

“Don't want to talk about it.” If he confided in her, it would generate a sense of closeness, and that would only increase the torture.

With a sigh, she scrunched down in her car seat. Unfortunately, that made her skirt slide higher up her thighs. About an inch to be exact.

“You were crying earlier.” The second the words left his mouth, he slapped himself mentally. He couldn't afford to have her confiding in him either.

“I was upset. Furious, actually. At my father. Not you.”

He glanced at her. She was staring out the side window. The line of her jaw and slender neck was beautiful.
Merda.
He had to stop thinking like that. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Your dad mentioned some sort of fiasco that got you fired.”

She gave him a pointed look. “Don't want to talk about it.”

He gritted his teeth. “I guess we'll just be quiet then.”

“Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Actually, I think I am a little mad at you. You keep sending out mixed signals.”

His jaw ticked. “How's that?”

“You kissed me with a ton of hot, desperate passion, then acted like it was a mistake.”

“It was a mistake.”

“If the hot, desperate passion was real—and it
certainly felt real—then how could it be a mistake?”

She had him there. He could claim the passion wasn't real, but she'd know it was a lie. “I have to find a were-panther mate. The survival of my species depends on it.”

She was quiet for about two blessed minutes, then she finally spoke. “You have no choice in the matter?”

“No.”

“What if you can't find any were-panthers?”

He swallowed hard. “I will. I have to.”

“And if you find a mate, you'll marry her?”

His throat constricted.

“Even if you don't love her?”

“I have no choice.”
Merda
, she made it sound like a prison sentence.

“How long have you been looking?” she asked.

“Five years.” Five years since the Summer of Death. “I've been on five expeditions.”

“Where?”

He sighed. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“I'm…curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

She smiled. “Then I should be safe. Where are you going this time?”

“Thailand. A small town in the northern Highlands.”

“Chiang Mai?”

He glanced at her, surprised. “You've heard of it?”

She laughed. “I've been there. I was stationed at the embassy in Bangkok for a year, and they sent me to Chiang Mai for a few weeks.”

“Are you familiar with Chulalongkorn University?”

“Chula? Sure.” She shifted to face him. “You think there are were-panthers in Thailand?”

“There's a rumor that some poachers killed a wildcat in the mountainous area to the north, and when the cat died, it turned into a human.”

“Is that what happens when were-panthers die?”

“It's common for most were-creatures.”

She nodded. “Do you speak Thai? Or any of the dialects you might come across in the Highlands?”

Carlos's grip tightened on the steering wheel. He could tell where she was headed. “My professor friend at Chula will find me a guide and translator.”

“A complete stranger? How can you trust someone like that?”

She had a valid point. When the guide he'd used in Nicaragua had realized Carlos was a were-panther, he'd tried to capture him and sell him to a billionaire animal collector. “I'll be fine.”

“I think you need me.”

“No!” His heart lurched. “I can hire a translator.”

“And how will you know if he's telling you the truth? I have contacts in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I know the language, the culture, and the landscape.”

His heart thundered in his chest. “You're not going.”

“I know the markets, the local food.”

“This is not a shopping trip! It's an expedition.”

She lifted her chin. “I can do that. I've ridden elephants. I've petted tigers.”

“What?”

“At the Tiger Temple. The Buddhists monks raise them. They're adorable. So cute and furry.”

“
Menina,
I'm going into the jungle. The tigers will not be
cute
.”

“All the more reason why I should go. Dogs and cats are naturally drawn to me because I can understand them, so if there are any were-panthers, they'll come—” She gasped. “Oh my gosh, that's why Coco and Raquel came to me. They're little kitten were-panthers, aren't they?”

Carlos groaned. “You're not going.”

“I can think of a hundred reasons why I should.”

“I can think of a hundred why you shouldn't! Jungle, Caitlyn. No cute little kittens. Scorpions, deadly spiders, spitting cobras, pit vipers, poisonous centipedes as long as your forearm.”

She flinched.

“Will they be drawn to you, too?” he continued. “Do you understand the hissing language of a cobra before it strikes?”

“No. I only understand mammals.” She shuddered. “Reptiles and bugs are…different. They don't want to communicate with us. All I feel is indifference and…disdain.”

“You can't go into the jungle, Catalina. You can't shoot worth a damn. You can't protect yourself.”

She frowned at him. “I'll learn.”

“You'll be a burden.”

“I'll be invaluable as a translator. I want to help.”

“Why? I'll be looking for a
mate
, Caitlyn.”

“You said it yourself. Raquel and Coco need a mother. I can help find them one.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “You would risk your life to help them?”

“Didn't you?”

He turned his head front. Yes, he'd risked his life to rescue the children. And he'd died. Twice. He was now on his third life out of the nine allotted to his species. But Caitlyn only had one life. He couldn't allow her to risk it. “My decision is final. You're not going.”

He could feel the angry glare directed at his face.

“Umph.” She settled back in her seat, scrunching down and causing her skirt to hitch up another inch.

He groaned inwardly. That was the main reason she couldn't go. Her presence, her scent, her beautiful body, her heroic spirit and compassionate nature—it would be a constant, relentless torture.

With a twist in his gut he realized she was the perfect woman for him in every way but the only way that really mattered. She'd even be perfect for his adopted children.

He couldn't do it to her. Not if he truly cared about her. And he did care.

He glanced at her and noted one of her fingers tapping against her hand. Her eyes were narrowed. She chewed on her bottom lip.
Merda
. She was strategizing.

She wasn't giving up.

C
aitlyn groaned at the insistent knocking on her bedroom door. She opened one eye to glance at the window. Dim city lights filtered through the sheer curtains, but it was still dark. “Go away,” she mumbled and dragged a pillow over her head.

“Caitlyn, wake up!”

She recognized Carlos's voice. Now he wanted to talk? Last night, while they'd eaten their gourmet delivered meals in the kitchen, he'd barely said a word. Two words, to be exact.
Good night
. Then he'd gone to his bedroom.

The knocking continued. “Come on, Caitlyn. It's almost dawn.” The doorknob rattled.

He was trying to come in? Of all the nerve. “I'm up, already!” She fumbled along the top of the bedside table. No lamp. Great. She slid out of bed and squinted her eyes to see. She could barely make out the door frame across the room.

She shuffled around the edge of her bed, then rammed her toes into a box. “Ouch!” She jumped to the side and slammed her shin into the foot-board. “Ouch! Damn!” That was going to leave a bruise. She hadn't finished moving in, and her room was a maze of boxes and suitcases she could hardly see.

“What's wrong?” Carlos demanded from the hallway.

“You,” she muttered.

“I heard that. I have super hearing and vision.”

“Well, isn't that just
super
.” She swiped her hands along the foot of the bed. Hadn't she left a robe there? “So do you have X-ray vision like Superman? Can you see through the door?”

“No.”

She enjoyed taunting him. He deserved it. “What a shame. Since I'm standing here stark naked.” She gasped when the door crashed open. Light spilled in from the hallway, surrounding his tall frame. “You pervert!”

He scoffed. “You lied.”

“You broke my door!”

“Only the lock. The door still works.” He flipped on the light switch close to the door frame.

“Ack!” She covered her eyes from the sudden bright light. “What are you doing here?”

“It's called a job,
menina
. I believe you've had one of those before?”

“Very funny.” She lowered her hand and noticed he was focused on her nightie. More than focused. His eyes were glued to her clingy, silk leopard print nightgown. Since she was a bit on the tall side, the baby-doll top barely skimmed the
top of her thighs. No doubt, a hint of her matching leopard print panties was showing. And if the hot gleam in his eyes was any indication, he'd noticed.

Instead of making her angry, it made her feel tingly and seductive. If he was going to choose an unknown were-panther lady over her, he might as well know what he was missing. She flipped her hair over her shoulders. His laserlike gaze didn't budge. “Hello? My face is up here.”

His gaze lifted slowly, but hit a snag at her chest. She glanced down to see if she'd fallen out. It happened sometimes when she slept on her side. No, no such luck.

She sighed. What was her problem? She was acting like a cat in heat, and she never did that. She would normally be appalled for a strange man to see her like this.

She scanned the floor for her missing robe. “I thought we were going to start my training in the morning.”

“We are.”

“Then why did you wake me up? It's still night.” And she hadn't slept worth a darn.

She'd replayed the recent revelations about her father a dozen times in her mind. The only way she'd managed to forget her anger with her dad was to think about her plans to accompany Carlos on his trip. Ah, there was the robe. It had fallen off the other side of the bed.

“Sunrise is in fifteen minutes,” Carlos explained. “Phineas, Emma, and Angus will be tele—” He stopped with a strangled sound.

She froze, wondering what was wrong. She'd
leaned over to pick her robe off the floor. Glancing back, she noted his eyes were wide-open, blazing with heat, and that he was gazing directly at her—
Oops.
She straightened with a jerk. She'd forgotten how much her French-cut panties exposed. Just the act of leaning over had given her a blasted wedgie. And given him an eyeful.

She slipped on the silk kimono-style robe she'd bought in Hong Kong. It was bright red, just a shade darker than her cheeks, no doubt. “You were saying?”

Amber flecks glittered in his eyes. “They'll be here any minute now, and I'm sure they'd appreciate seeing how eager you are to start your new job.”

“Okay. I'll get dressed, then.”

He nodded. “I'll meet you in the kitchen. Wear some gym clothes.”

Gym clothes
? She noticed for the first time that he wasn't wearing the usual khaki pants and polo shirt. He was dressed in a white T-shirt and judo pants, and his hair was pulled back into a ponytail. “I thought we were going to practice shooting.”

“We'll be doing a lot of things. Fencing, karate, kick-boxing, wrestling. What do you usually do for cardio?”

“I…shop?”

He stared at her with an incredulous look.

“I moved here yesterday. Had to carry all these boxes upstairs. It was quite a workout.” She didn't mention that Lara and Olivia had helped her.

His gaze wandered over all the boxes and suitcases. “All this stuff belongs to you?”

“They're my treasures. I always visit local markets whenever I'm in a new country. Or city. Or…village. That's a lot of walking, you know. Very healthy.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Put on some gym clothes. I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes.” He turned on his heel and strode away.

She glared at him and shut the door. Men never understood how important her treasures were to her. Not that they were expensive treasures. Some of them had been incredibly cheap. But each one meant something to her, and she took them everywhere with her.

She opened the nearest box and smiled. “Hello, my darlings.” Her Russian nesting dolls were cradled in a thick woolen sweater she'd bought in Poland. She'd started collecting matryoshkas as a young girl, so she had over a dozen now. She grabbed two of the wooden dolls and set them on an empty bookshelf. Out of all the bedrooms on the first floor, she'd picked this one because of the two empty bookcases that could hold all her treasures.

Five minutes? She winced, remembering Carlos's demand. That was hardly reasonable. She rushed into the bathroom. No time for a shower. At least she'd taken a bath the night before.

Four minutes later she stood in a lacy bra and panties in front of her open closet, chewing on her bottom lip.
Gym clothes
? She pushed two evening gowns and three cocktail dresses aside. She'd learned early on at the State Department that she was expected to attend some glamorous functions at the embassies.

Business suits, no. She pushed them to the side. Jeans and T-shirts? She put on a turquoise T-shirt, then moved to the dresser. In her pajama drawer she found a pair of gray boxer shorts. They looked sorta like gym shorts, so she pulled them on and tightened the drawstring around her hips. Carlos had been barefoot, so she'd do that, too.

She ran into the bathroom to brush her hair one more time and add some gloss to her lips. Strawberry flavored, as Carlos would discover if she could manage to get him to kiss her again.

“Hmmph.” She fluffed up her hair. Even if he found a were-panther woman, the old cat might be mangy and decrepit, with a crooked tail and snaggly teeth.

She couldn't blame him for wanting to discover more of his kind, but
marry
one of them? That was crazy. Just because a woman was a were-panther didn't mean she would be automatically compatible with him.

But it wasn't crazy for him to try to save his species. She sighed. She knew she shouldn't flirt with him, but it was damned hard to pretend she wasn't attracted to him, especially when she knew he was attracted to her.

Part of her understood she should respect his wishes to find a were-panther mate, but another part wanted to scream at him that he'd never find anyone as well-suited for him as her. Their kiss had sparked more than a physical response. It had touched her heart with a feeling of completion, much like the strong connection she'd felt toward the girls, Coco and Raquel. How could her feelings for him be wrong when it felt so right?

There was a naughty desire deep inside her to see how far she could push him. It wasn't something she was proud of, but it was there. A wildly romantic fantasy that he would ache for her so much he'd be willing to toss aside all his concerns just to be with her.

Don't be selfish, she chided herself. This wasn't a fantasy where he could fall madly in love with her and everything would magically work out.

Frustration seeped inside her, and along with it came an unfortunate impulse to tease and torment him.
It's not his fault he has to reject you.
She would try to make sure their time together was fun. No ill feelings. Maybe a little friendly flirtation would be harmless.

She padded down the carpeted stairs to the kitchen on the ground floor. He was alone at the table, spooning cereal into his mouth.

“You're late,” he grumbled. “They've already gone to their bedrooms.”

She glanced out the kitchen window. “But it's still dark.”

“As soon as the sun rises, they keel over dead, so they need to be prepared ahead of time.” Carlos sipped some coffee. “Phineas went downstairs to the guardroom. Angus and Emma are in their usual place on the fourth floor.”

Caitlyn poured herself a cup of coffee. “Do they stay here often?”

“Either here or the basement in Romatech, depending on the current level of violence. Things are calm right now, so we're safe to stay here.” Carlos pointed at an empty bowl on the table across from him. “Have some breakfast.”

She wandered to the table, wrinkling her nose at the cereal he was eating. “What is that? Meow Mix?”

He shot her an annoyed look. “It's the only cereal in the house. We'll have to buy some supplies today.” He pointed to a legal pad next to him on the table. “I'm making a list. If there's anything you want, tell me.”

She set her coffee mug down and poured some cereal into her bowl. “I'll go the store, if you like. Shopping is my specialty, you know.”

He merely grunted and drank more coffee.

Sourpuss
. She stifled a laugh when she realized he really was a puss.

He arched a brow. “Something funny?”

“No.” She hurried to the fridge to fetch some milk. “You're kidding.” She pulled out the carton. “Full fat?”

“So?” He spooned more cereal into his mouth.

“I'm used to skim.” She splashed a tiny bit into her bowl. “This will taste like cream.” She stifled another laugh.
Of course the kitty likes his cream
.

He frowned at her. “What's so amusing?”

“Nothing.” She beamed. “I'm a naturally positive, happy person.” She returned the milk to the fridge. She spun back toward the table and he quickly focused on his cereal bowl, shoveling the last of it into his mouth in a few quick bites.

Her mouth twitched. She'd caught him ogling her rump. “So where's Lara and Olivia? Are they too busy with their Vamp hubbies to eat breakfast with us?”

Carlos sipped some coffee and avoided looking at her. “They're gone. They were in town for
Tino's birthday party and now they're off on new assignments.”

“Oh.” She approached the table and sat across from Carlos. “So we're the only live ones in the house today?”

“Yes.” He jumped up and took his empty cereal bowl to the sink. “I'll see you in the basement in five minutes.” He nearly ran out the door.

Caitlyn smiled as she wrapped her hands around her warm coffee mug. This was going to be fun.

 

It was living hell.

She had hoped to have a little flirtatious fun, but Carlos was all business.

After going downstairs to the basement, she discovered him in a large game room standing next to a billiards table. With a slow smile she sashayed up to him. “Do you want to shoot pool?”

“No.” He motioned to the table where he'd laid out a variety of knives, wooden stakes, and swords. There was also a burlap mannequin stuffed with straw resting on top of the table. “This is our pretend vampire—a vicious Malcontent who wants to kill you.”

Caitlyn made a face at the straw-filled dummy. “Igor.”

“Excuse me?”

“I named him Igor.”

“Fine.” Carlos handed her a wooden stake. “You've discovered Igor in his death-sleep. Take this stake and drive it through his heart.”

She fingered the stake. “What if he's not a Malcontent? What if he's a double agent pretending
to be a Malcontent? I would need to thoroughly investigate him first.”

“Your investigation is over. This vampire's not a double agent. He has to die.”

“Isn't he, by definition, already dead?”

Carlos's jaw shifted as he ground his teeth. “He'll wake from his death-sleep and rip your head off. The only way you can survive is to kill him now.”

“Okay, okay.” She pointed the tip of the stake where she estimated his heart would be and gave him a little poke. “There. That'll teach him.”

Carlos gave her an incredulous look. “You didn't even break the skin. I've seen mosquitoes do more damage than that.”

“I'm not a violent person, okay? With my special language skills, I've always relied on communication to—”

“Stab him!”

“All right!” She grimaced and raised the stake above the dummy's chest. Still, she hesitated. The thought of actually plunging a sharp object into a body was so grotesque.

“He thinks you look fat in those shorts.”

“Aagh!” She stabbed him, then gasped and jerked her hand away. “Oh my gosh.” She stepped back, staring at the embedded stake.