Make Him Purr: A Paranormal BBW Werepanther Shape Shifter Mail-Order Navy SEAL Romance (5 page)

“Anyway. I
did
come here because of the ad, though I’m getting second thoughts now. It said you were looking for a no-nonsense woman, and I’m pretty sure all of this can be squarely categorized within the bounds of ‘nonsense’. I didn’t know you lived here. The place doesn’t even have your scent! I was tired and needed a place to crash. Can we stop being jerks now and could you uncuff me?”

He looked at her, and most of all, she wished he wouldn’t say a word and would just kiss her instead. If he stayed around her for much longer, she was afraid he might smell the arousal on her. It had been steadily growing since he tossed her on the sofa and pinned her down on it with his massive body. She could still feel his hard pecks under her palms, and she was dying to touch them again.

Diesel seemed to fall into thought for a moment, and just when she was about to protest about her inhumane treatment again, he raised a finger and shushed her before she could get a word out.

“Stay,” he said again.

She frowned as he headed out of the cabin and disappeared into the night. She glanced over to her bag and considered her options. Getting the bag around her neck somehow with her hands cuffed would be a challenge in itself. Leaving without it would be an option, and she’d certainly be faster, but would she be fast enough to outrun a military man? He looked big but not lumbering. While she could easily escape from Blade and the likes, she doubted that she could get Diesel to even break a sweat.

If she had her hands and she could shift and head for the trees, sure. But climbing without hands or the use of two paws was not something she had much confidence in.

He looks like a nice enough guy… Maybe he’ll uncuff you and then you can make a break for it?

Her quiet musings were cut short as Diesel returned, carrying a heavy dark green duffel bag in one hand and a sleeping bag in the other. He kicked the door closed with his booted foot and let the gear fall to the floor – of course, that clever bastard.

“You’ve been sleeping outside, in the trees,” she said quietly, considering his meager possessions.

Diesel nodded absently, undoing the top of his bag and snatching a light blanket from it. He tossed it to Sonya, and she dodged it just enough to have it fall in a pile next to her.

“You’re staying here for tonight. And I won’t uncuff you. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the station and I’ll write you up a report, and then we’ll figure out what you can do to work off this debt you have to Shifter Grove.”

He unrolled the sleeping bag in front of the only door and slid down the wall to sit on it, his maddening eyes resting on her. She had no doubt that he was being completely serious. It pissed her off to no end.

“Who do you think you are? You can’t just keep me prisoner!”

Diesel smirked, and dammit if it didn’t just make her want him more.

“I’m the law, honey. Now shut up and get some sleep before I reconsider our sleeping arrangement and give you the floor instead.”

It wasn’t the first time that Sonya Blackpaw had got on the wrong side of the law, and it wasn’t likely to be the last. But it was the first time that the law had looked quite so inviting to her.

Diesel turned off the lights without another word, and despite expecting the contrary, Sonya fell asleep in just a few minutes. Maybe it was knowing that there was a man in the house with her who wouldn’t hurt her no matter how much she pissed him off – and she’d pissed him off plenty already. Or maybe it was just because she was sort of curious about how he was going to have her work off her ‘debt’.

She could certainly offer a few suggestions.

CHAPTER SIX

Sonya

If looks could have killed, Diesel Wake would have been a dead man.

Sonya gritted her teeth as he walked her through town, keeping her just two steps ahead of him, with her hands still cuffed. He’d picked the busiest time of the day – just before noon, when the streets were filling with locals coming into town for lunch or supplies. And he could have just driven her to his office in his black Dodge truck, but he hadn’t. Nope. The man could have got a PhD in being impossible.

Instead of doing the gentlemanly thing, he’d opted for full-out humiliation. He’d parked the car at the edge of town and had her trudge through the streets the whole way, making sure that it sunk in well and good that she was going to get to ‘enjoy’ her punishment in more ways than one.

She made a mental note of scratching his eyes out at one point in the near future. Hot or not, there was only so much mistreatment Sonya was willing to take.

Finally, he came to a stop in front of a small, freshly built building on the main street, right smack dab in the middle of it. He unlocked the door and let her into the sheriff’s station.

It was barely decorated at all. She could eye a gun cabinet and a wide wooden table with a laptop and a phone on it. Two chairs sat facing the table, and there was a door leading somewhere into the back. She assumed that was where the holding cells were located.

Okay, so it could have got worse still.

Sonya sat down where he pointed and, accompanied by hateful glares, had Diesel finally release the cuffs. He’d only taken them off once before, to allow her to go to the bathroom in the morning – what a truly chivalrous man he was. Her teeth bared in a snarl again.

Diesel sat down with a heavy plop, booting up the laptop with an off-handed motion. He didn’t look at all like the kind of man who’d know anything about modern tech, but apparently he wasn’t completely raised by wolves.

“So,” he said, clamping his wide palms together on the table. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on here or do I have to wrangle it out of you?”

She saw that mild smile that tugged at the corners of his lips – he seemed to be as pro-wrangling as she was.

“I told you already. I’m here to meet you and see if I am the kind of woman you’re looking for. Though, honestly, you’ve really made a number of this first impressions thing. If you want my advice, I’d stop with handcuffing your possible brides until at least the third date. I’m wild and all, but not
that
wild,” Sonya quipped, rubbing at her wrists.

He’d at least done her the favor of not searching through her stuff, and she was thankful for that. He obviously had
some
manners. The little statue still rested in her pocket and her duffel had been kept in pristine condition as well, though she didn’t have much in there that she was worried about. Might just be best to hide the ropes, pickpocketing gear and her lock breaking stuff from the eyes of the local law enforcement, though.

It was a life she’d tried to leave behind, but old habits came easily when you were left with nothing and suddenly out on your own again. Her stomach clenched a little at the thought. Still, being on the run was better than being ripped to shreds by her ex-boyfriend. So she had that going for her.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Why not?”

“Uh…”

Sonya’s interest perked up. Had she caught the Lieutenant Commander being bashful? Oh my. She was half-expecting to see him blush a little, but no such luck.

“You don’t think you’d be the kind of man women would line up in troves for?”

“Not exactly, no,” he replied glumly, turning his gaze to the computer and tapping a few keys to open up a new report.

“I think you’re selling yourself short,” Sonya said in earnest.

Though she hadn’t come to Shifter Grove with the express plan of roping herself a panther cowboy, she would have been lying if she said that the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Especially now that she saw him. He was all sorts of yummy, and he didn’t even realize it.

But, of course, that would have been insane. A tiny voice in her head still urged her to caution. Even nice guys could turn out to be bastards. Not that Blade had ever struck her as nice.

Diesel started typing on the keyboard. She had half-expected him to be the kind of guy who had to hunt and peck, but Diesel kept his eyes on the screen as he filled out one column after another. Sonya shifted uncomfortably on the chair, trying to peek over the edge of the laptop and see what he was doing. Diesel cocked a brow at her, and she settled back down with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest.

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m filling out a report on you,” he said coolly.

Diesel plucked something out of his pocket, and Sonya’s stomach dropped when she realized it was her driver’s license. She lunged across the table in a desperate move, but before her fingers could lock around the small plastic rectangle, Diesel’s iron grip was on her wrist and he was up on his feet.

He pulled her to him as if she were nothing more than a ragdoll, and Sonya gasped as she was slammed into his hard body again, both of her wrists now somehow engulfed by his hand while he kept the driver’s license above her head with the other. The air felt thicker, like it was pressing down on her lungs. Her heart pounded in her ears and heat spread through her where he touched her, just like the night before. It was like standing too close to the fire and considering whether or not jumping in headfirst would be the smartest thing to do.

He let go of her and stepped back, sitting down after a second of hesitation. She saw the look that crossed his face. There was something about being so close together that got both of them revving with excitement, and frankly, Sonya wasn’t sure what to do with it. She brushed a hand through her dark locks, trying to regain her composure, her pleading eyes still on him.

“Please don’t,” she said with a small voice.

Diesel looked up. His neck was red, though his expression remained calm.

“Why?”

“Because… I… Just, don’t. I can’t tell you why. Just if my name shows up in the system, I’ll be in trouble. He’ll f…“

She quieted quickly, but Diesel had obviously caught her slip.

“He’ll what? Find you? Who’s ‘he’? Are you in trouble?” he queried.

Harnessed fire blazed behind his eyes and the subtlest shift went through his body. She could feel it more than see it. Like he had gone from resting to ready to battle in a split second, just because she implied she might be in danger. It was sort of endearing, if not entirely hot to think that a man like him would be ready to go to battle for her. Sonya had to hide the smile she felt coming to her lips.

Stop it. What happened last time you thought a guy was all nice and protective? You’ve just got you, boo.

“No one,” she said with resignation, sinking onto the wooden chair and tucking her hands in her lap.

She looked at her intertwined fingers for a moment, noting the little cuts and scrapes she had on them from hanging onto the splintered wood at Blade’s house. When she glanced up, Diesel had leant on the table with his elbows, painting the perfect picture of the stern but understanding military commander, ready to impart wisdom and justice upon a misbehaving cadet. He wasn’t going to let it go so easy, that much was clear.

“Look, it’s a long story. One that has nothing to do with me crashing into your house – totally by accident, I still maintain. Do you really want to ruin the life of a nice girl by filing a police report on her? You’re not that kind of guy, Lieutenant Commander Wake, are you?”

She batted her long lashes and pursed her lips, trying her best good girl impression. He wasn’t impressed.

“It’s sheriff Wake now,” he murmured in reply, but she could see the hint of a smile on his lips. That sexy, stern smirk she’d seen on him a few times. The one she was sure he’d wear when he was teasing her and that she could kiss off his lips, or turn into a growl that travelled straight through her. Sonya felt her body reacting positively to that thought. Oh yeah. Kissing him would be delish, even if Diesel Wake intended to be impossible every step of the way.

“Let’s settle on Diesel for short,” she quipped, ignoring the humph she got in response. “I’ll do whatever you want. Hang out in the cells for a couple of days until I learn my lesson. Or rake leaves or school children or help the elderly cross the road. Whatever, man, I’m down. Just don’t file that report. Please.”

The last words came out as heartfelt as she could make them. There was a note of pain and worry in them, and by the way Diesel’s eyebrows lowered, he seemed to have caught it. After giving her a long, judging look, he put the driver’s license down in front of him on the table.