New Species 07 Tiger (22 page)

“Oh.” Disappointment hit. “I like sleeping with you.”

“I like that too.”

He lifted his head and she turned to peer into his eyes. “Do you have to leave right now?”

“Soon. I have to use your shower first. Otherwise the officers outside will smell you all over me the second I walk out the door.”

Pain hit and her gaze darted away from his. “I guess that would be a bad thing if anyone found out we were sleeping together.”

He gripped her jaw and she met his eyes again. He was frowning. “I am not ashamed of us or what we do. Is that what you think?”

“I’m not sure. You confuse me. You told me to tell other men it’s you who turns me on if they smell that on me but now you’re going to shower to hide that you were with me. That’s a contradiction.”

“I think we should figure out what is happening between us before we allow others to know we are seeing each other.”

“You are the head of security and I work for the NSO. I guess that could make things complicated. You’re not officially my boss, are you?”

“I don’t believe so. That would be Slade. He’s in charge of hiring human employees.”

She took a deep breath. “I’ve had enough relationships fail to really want to avoid the pitying looks and personal questions if we stop seeing each other.”

The image of Richard and Creek interrogating her over what was going on between her and Tiger was enough to be in full agreement that they should hide their relationship a little longer. Then there was her family.

She inwardly groaned. One more lecture from her mother about dating men who weren’t right for her was the last thing she wanted to hear. The fact that Tiger was New Species was going to be a huge drawback in her family’s opinion. It wasn’t as if she could take him home to meet the family on holidays either. She was pretty certain they weren’t allowed to leave the NSO compounds to take vacations.

“So, we’re exclusive.”

He stared at her. “What does that mean?”

“I swore I wouldn’t see anyone else and I expect the same promise from you.”

He smiled. “You’re the only female I want.”

Her eyebrow lifted. “You’re a man.”

“What does that mean?”

She hesitated. “We’re exclusive, right?”

His expression turned serious. “I’m not human, Zandy.”

“Is that man code for you expect me to be loyal to you but you won’t make the same commitment?” Anger stirred. “That’s bullshit.”

“I won’t be sharing sex with any other females. You have my word on that.”

Zandy studied his eyes and saw honesty there. “Okay. Good. I’m not a doormat.”

“You’re sexy and beautiful.” A chuckle escaped him. “I take it that’s a human saying that means you won’t allow me to step on your feelings?”

“Good guess.”

“Hurting you is the last thing I want.”

“Yeah. Me too. It sucks.”

“Males have hurt you before.”

“Married and divorced twice, remember?”

His hand massaged her lower belly. “They were idiots. They should have known how to treat you to make sure they never lost you.”

She had nothing to say to that, unsure how to respond. Tiger could have her easily if he said he wanted something more serious between them. It scared her to leave herself open to possible heartbreak but she couldn’t deny her strong feelings for him, which were deepening every moment they spent together.

“I need to get a little sleep. I have to be back at work in a few hours. We’re still dealing with a lot of threats. The protesters have thinned but they will return first thing in the morning. They always do.”

He lowered his mouth and brushed a tender kiss on her lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers played with his hair. She loved to fist the soft strands. A low growl emitted from him as he deepened the kiss. He slowly pulled away, to her regret.

“Don’t tempt me to stay, little one. I couldn’t say no to you right now and I need to.”

Temptation was a bitch, she decided, as she released him. She really wanted to seduce him into staying with her but he looked tired. He hadn’t gotten to take a nap the way she had before he’d woken her. “Go shower. When will I see you again?”

“Tomorrow evening. I’ll come back.”

“Okay.”

He cupped her cheek and stared deeply into her eyes. “I’ll be thinking about you.”

“Ditto.”

He chuckled as he released her and rolled away. She watched him strut naked into her bathroom, appreciating his firm, gorgeous ass. The room darkened when he closed the door between them, blocking out the light. She turned onto her stomach and closed her eyes.

* * * * *

Tiger eased out of the bathroom and stood watching Zandy sleep. Her slow breathing assured him of that. He couldn’t resist sitting on the edge of her bed for a little while. Her face was turned his way and he reached out to brush a strand of her hair away from her cheek.

It would be so easy to scoop her up, blankets and all, and just take her to his house. Of course he wasn’t going there tonight. He’d bunk at Security on a cot. His gaze turned to the clock to learn it was well after midnight. He wanted to just curl up against her side and sleep, holding her in his arms.

It took every ounce of willpower to stand and get dressed. He left her bedroom quietly and exited the apartment. Two officers sat in a Jeep at the curb and both males stared at him. He made sure her door was locked before he avoided them by jogging off toward Security. He waved to the other officer he’d assigned to guard the back of the building after the breach. The exercise was always welcome when he had a lot on his mind.

He might not want a mate but the idea of losing Zandy to another male set him on edge. He was possessive of her and he’d marked her. The taste of her blood was something he’d never forget. Or her scent. He ran faster until he stressed his body to the point of exhaustion.

You can run but you can’t escape the truth. You are obsessed with Zandy Gordon.

Leaving her bed had been beyond difficult. She was about to ovulate. The smell was undeniable. He’d have to make a decision quickly about what to do about that. She assumed he couldn’t get her pregnant. He changed directions until he ended up at Medical. Someone was always on duty.

The elder Dr. Harris was dozing at a desk in the reception area when Tiger entered the building. The male jerked awake at the sound of the automatic doors and peered at him with confusion for a few seconds.

“What happened?”

“Relax. I am not injured.”

The doctor located his glasses on the desk and put them on. “What time is it?”

“Late. I’m sorry to disturb you but I have questions.”

“Okay.” Harris waved to another chair. “Do you want to take a seat?”

“Sure.” Tiger collapsed into one. “What I say is private.”

“Of course.”

“I’m sharing sex with a human.”

The doctor appeared surprised. “I thought you avoided them. It’s not exactly a secret how you feel about your friends mating those women.”

“She is starting to ovulate. The scent is still faint but it’s about to happen. Can she get pregnant right now?”

“How faint? Are you sure that’s what you’re smelling and not some soap she uses?”

Tiger lifted a finger to tap his nose. “It doesn’t lie.”

“Right. Okay. I will assume you just noticed the change in her scent. You’re safe if that’s the case but I would use condoms from now on. You know you can’t risk getting her pregnant unless you’re willing to mate her. I can get you some condoms if you don’t have any. Your supply store closes early and you’d be surprised how many of your men have recently asked for them. We started keeping some on hand.”

“She’s never asked me to use one so I assumed she is either taking something or has heard we’re unable to conceive children.”

“She’s not on anything if she’s ovulating strong enough for you to smell it and you’d definitely know if she were using a method that involved something with spermicide.”

Tiger’s eyebrows arched.

The doctor chuckled. “It’s someone else’s private story but I’ll just say you can smell and taste it. Not a good experience from what I was told.”

“It doesn’t sound good. Thank you for talking to me.” He rose to leave.

“Tiger?”

He paused by the door and turned to stare at the doctor. “What?”

“Do you want to talk about this?”

His eyebrow arched.

“The woman. You. The fact that she’s human.”

“I’m not looking for a mate.”

“So it’s just a casual affair?”

“Nothing about her is casual.”

Surprise widened the doctor’s eyes. “You’re feeling things for her then?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“I’m not so sure.” Tiger sighed. “I don’t want to grow dependent on anyone.”

Sympathy showed in the older male’s face. “I understand but could I give you a little advice?”

Tiger nodded.

“I fell in love with a woman once but I put my career first. I was in med school and I let her slip through my fingers. That was forty-eight years ago. To this day I regret it. I married someone else but it wasn’t the same. That relationship didn’t last more than a few years. I got a wonderful son out of the deal but his mother and I never really loved each other. Don’t let this one get away if you love her.”

“Why didn’t you go after this female if you still have strong feelings for her?”

The doctor sighed. “She married my best friend after I dumped her. He could appreciate what I couldn’t. They are happy but it’s a knife to my heart every time I see them together. Get your priorities straight, son. I know you have issues after the life you’ve been handed but it’s better to face your fears than live with regret. Trust an old man on this one.”

“Son?”

The doctor smiled. “I think of all of you as my kids. It happens when you reach my age. You have a life now. Live it. Make every moment count.”

“Thank you.” Tiger left knowing he had to make a decision. He either needed to break it off with Zandy for good or fully commit to her.

Richard shook his head. “I can’t believe you were attacked at Reservation. It’s so safe here. Did they figure out how the douche bag got in?”

Zandy shrugged. “I’m not sure how the guy breached the walls but they caught him.” She’d heard that from her security detail when they’d escorted her to work. She’d completely forgotten to ask Tiger about it the night before. “They are having a lot of problems with the protesters.”

“And the reporters.” Richard made a face. “You should have seen all the news vans lined up along the front gates this morning. It’s insane. Someone reported that Justice North and his wife might be here so they are everywhere, hoping for a sighting.”

“I didn’t know he was here.”

“He isn’t,” Smiley announced as he entered their office. “We had a helicopter fly in from Homeland and they incorrectly assumed it could be Justice and his mate.” He glanced at them both. “Are you ready to be escorted to lunch?”

Zandy rose from her desk and put on her shoes. “I’m starving.”

Smiley sniffed loudly at her as she approached and it caused her to frown.

“Stop doing that.”

“The scent is growing stronger. Perhaps you shouldn’t go to lunch. I can take Richard and bring your meal back.”

“What scent?” Richard glanced between their escort and her.

“Zandy is beginning to ovulate.”

“Uh-oh.” Richard backed away and used his fingers to make a cross. “It’s that time of the month, huh? You should have warned me. I would have brought chocolates to toss your way when you hit the worst of the PMS stage. It does my wife wonders.”

“Ovulation. Not menstruation,” Smiley scoffed. “How is it that I know more about females than you do when you have a mate?”

A blush heated Richard’s cheeks. “Oh.” He suddenly grinned. “That’s good news. The other monthly visitor scares me.”

She shook her head. “Nice. Can we drop this subject? I’m starving and I want to go to lunch.”

Smiley opened the door before she reached it. He inhaled deeply and softly growled. “You do smell good.”

“Stop saying that.”

“Do I see a hint of romance between the two of you?”

“Shut up, Richard. No.” She gave Smiley a pointed look. “Behave.”

“I am trying,” Smiley said to Richard, grinning. “So far she keeps turning me down.”

“Smiley is a nice guy,” Richard vouched. “You should date him.”

“I’m seeing someone, remember? I’m also starving so let it drop. My personal life isn’t a topic I want to discuss.”

They drove to the cafeteria but Smiley paused by the door. “Your scent really is growing stronger. Tomorrow you need to do something about it or I’ll have to bring you lunch at the office for a few days. The males will begin to notice and pick it up. I suggest you don’t get too close to them.”