Tiger Bound (15 page)

“Heath.”

“Shh, it’s okay, baby. I promise, we’ll stop soon, and I’ll make you feel better.”

She reached a hand out toward him, and he took it, lacing his fingers with hers. Somehow, he would escape. In some miraculous way, they would make it out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Chapter Twelve

Deja opened her eyes and cried out in pain. Heat scorched her throat, and it was as if every cell in her body hurt. She screamed again, and Heath was there sitting beside her and holding her hand. “Shh, it’s okay, baby.” He put his hand to her forehead and frowned. “You have a fever.”

“I’m sorry,” she moaned.

He lifted the top she wore over her head. She didn’t remember putting it on. Her head hurt too much to bring it back to mind. Heath removed her pants, and she found she wore no panties and didn’t care. He raised her into his arms and walked into the bathroom. To her surprise, he stepped over the edge of the tub and sat down with her on his lap. The water seemed warm to her, but chill bumps rose on Heath’s arms.

“It’s cold, isn’t it? Heath, you should get out.”

“Deja, lay on my chest. It’s fine.”

She tried pulling away, but the energy it took to keep her eyes open made that impossible. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t been captured—”

“Don’t talk like that. What we need now is to bring your temperature down, and then you can rest. I’ll figure out where we go after that.”

Deja shivered, but she gave into him. Heath had called her baby before and yet it seemed like he held himself off too. Did he blame her as much as she blamed herself? He could be halfway to finding out who his real dad was and what happened to him and his mother all those years ago if it wasn’t for her. He seemed irritated, too, with the crease between his eyebrows and the set to his jaw. He hated her weakness, especially since that beast came alive in him. The tiger no doubt wanted to hunt those responsible, not be tied down. Why couldn’t she suck it up or…or… No, she didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to leave Heath.
Damn it, I’m pathetic.
She would figure out a way to get well, and she would help him, even if her bones melted and turned to liquid the way they felt like they would do any second.

“Deja,” Heath snapped.

She stiffened. “What?”

“Relax. I feel your agitation and smell your fear.”

“Smell my…”

He pulled her back to him with a strong arm across her chest and the other binding her to his length around the waist. She took in the sight of her legs lying over his, her ass pressed into his crotch. Even while she hurt, the sensation of him so tight against her, so strong, turned her on. The feelings meant nothing, of course, because she couldn’t act on them. All she did was lie there, sinking into him, wanting to become one but unable to do a thing.

“Easy,” he said, as if he still heard her unsettled mind. He whispered the word in her ear, and the brush of his breath over her skin teased and heightened her sensitivity to him. She shifted a little and found him hard. Of course he couldn’t help himself. She was naked after all. She parted her lips to say she was sorry again, but hesitated. The words irritated him. He knew how she felt. She’d said it more than once and opened her heart.

After some time, Heath scooped water into his palm and drizzled it over her. All the time, he kept speaking calming words. He gathered more and rained the liquid on her breasts. She bit her lip because her nipples tightened. She hoped he didn’t notice since his arm blocked most of her breasts from view. A low moan from him told her not to hold her breath. He knew. He’d said he smelled her fear. What else did he smell, even in the water?

“Better?” he murmured, but the tone was ragged. Even if the intense pain lessened in her, he had managed to get himself worked up.

“Yes,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore. How did you know to do that?”

He shifted his shoulders. “Tate taught me a lot about meditation and using my mind to control my body. I didn’t really do much with you, but I thought if I could force you to relax and open yourself up to my voice, you could find a little peace. It was a long shot because it usually accompanies breathing techniques. I’m glad it worked, for whatever reason.”

“It’s because of you,” she said, offering an exhausted half smile. “I can relax because I know you’re with me.”

That got her the reaction of him drawing away and standing. He moved to the side of the tub and lifted her out. Sitting on the commode with her on his lap, he used a towel to dry her and then carried her into the bedroom. When he laid her on the bed, she shivered, and he tucked her beneath the covers. From one extreme to the other, she went from burning up to being cold.

Heath rummaged through a small paper bag at the side of the bed and pulled out a bottle of pills. He shook two into his hand and helped her take them and drink some water. Then he walked around the bed to slide into it behind her. She luxuriated in his hold with his arms around her and their naked forms spooning together. Comfortable warmth stole over her, and she shut her eyes.

“Heath, where are we?” She yawned and put a hand to her mouth. Heath’s embrace tightened.

“We’re somewhere in California, at a motel.”

She gasped and peered at him over her shoulder. His eyes were closed. “For real? I’ve never been to California. Are we near Hollywood?”

“Deja, we’re not on vacation.”

“I know, but it’s Hollywood.”

When he spoke again, she heard his tolerant tone as if he dealt with a child. If she had energy, she’d smack him. “Hollywood is miles away. I drove as far as I could from where we were. Then we’ll drive south a bit and head back east.”

She tried turning over, but he kept her in the position she lay in. His protective arm over her hip never moved, but with his hand on her belly just inches above her kat, tingles of awareness awakened within. Did she have enough strength for sex if they kept it calm and easy?

“Are we returning to Oklahoma?”

“I’m not sure if it’s safe yet. Spiderweb may have sent operatives that way to wait until we raise our heads. At this point, I’m not sure if they want us dead or—” He cut himself off.

“What were you going to say?”

“Nothing.” Her heart ached when he let her go and turned over to face the door. He leaned out to click off the lamp and plunged the room into darkness. “I’m going to grab a few hours sleep. We have a long drive in the morning.”

When he turned away, Deja rubbed her stomach where his arm had been. A pain started somewhere in the center of her being. She winced, but tried ignoring it. “Why are you pushing me away, Heath?”

He sighed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Deja. I’m here in bed with you. I’ve taken care of you, haven’t I?”

She pushed herself to a sitting position and glared at him even though she couldn’t see him. “Why does it sound like I’m some kind of burden? ‘I’ve taken care of you, haven’t I?’” she mimicked. “I didn’t ask you to take care of me. I can do it myself.” The pain increased, and she clenched her jaw.

“Lie down, Deja.”

She wanted to ignore him or tell him to kiss her ass, but she did it because she had no more strength to stay up. Rather than let him know how bad it grew, she sucked in shallow breaths through her nose and blew them out as soft as she could.

“You’re not a burden,” he said after some time. “I just realize that…well…what we started isn’t possible now.”

The cut ran deep. She shut her eyes tight and swallowed the knot in her throat. “I know it isn’t,” she agreed. “That doctor, the one who experimented on me, she said none of the women who took the injections lived. I know she gave them to me because it hurt like hell. I screamed so loud and long, my throat turned raw, and—”

The explosion of sound made her jump and bite off a scream right then. She took a full minute to figure out what happened when Heath paced in the darkness. He walked back and forth, growling low in his throat. Her heart constricted in her chest, and she licked her lips, forcing her trembling body into a sitting position.

“Heath?”

He didn’t answer, so she reached for the light switch. The lamp wasn’t there. Neither was the nightstand. She climbed out of the bed and fumbled until she reached the windows where he’d pulled the blinds and curtains closed so not even a sliver of light peeked through. She tugged them back now, and moonlight flooded the room. The nightstand and lamp lay in pieces on the floor.

Heath stopped pacing and looked at her. She started at the reflection of the moonlight in his eyes, like an animal’s. “H-Heath?”

He went still, as if listening. She did too, but she heard nothing outside. The only sound was her raging pulse. She tried to get a grip. Heath seemed to snap out of his mood, and approached her with hands extended. “Get into bed, Deja.”

She raised her chin and straightened her back. “I told you, I’m fine.”

He got her tucked in anyway, and she had to admit even if only to herself, she liked the attention and his concern. She just didn’t need him feeling like it was an obligation. He already said they couldn’t be together. Maybe that meant he wouldn’t forgive her for interfering. Part of her didn’t blame him and part of her did. If he loved her, he would understand why she followed him and forgive her for botching it up. An apology trembled on her lips, but she swallowed it and settled on her back. She clutched the covers and shook. Her toes were like ice, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t quiet the sound of her chattering teeth. A whimper made it out, and Heath sprung to her side.

“You’re cold again. Come here.”

“I’m fine.”

“This is no time to be stubborn, Deja. Turn over.”

He helped her and spooned her from behind like before. She shut her eyes. The ache to cry stung them, but no tears gave her relief. “Why did you do that?”

“Don’t, Deja. It’s late, and we both need rest. You’re just making it worse.”

She shoved his arm off of her. “For who? You? I’m sorry you can’t handle me being sick. Maybe I should find my own way home.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” He clenched his hands into fists, but before he did, claws formed, and he tore the sheets to ribbons. “Damn it!”

“You’re going to have to learn to control it. You can’t go destroying everything every time you get upset.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” He moved to get up. “I think I should sleep in the van.”

“Then go,” she shouted. “No one’s stopping you.”

He snatched his jeans off the floor and grabbed his shirt from the chair where he tossed it earlier. Deja sat up and pushed off the bed to stand. She toppled forward, but caught herself.

“Where are you going, Deja?”

“What the hell do you care?” she snapped.

“I care.”

“Whatever. You were going, so go.” She took a step, and pain raged through her abdomen. She bit down on a cry, but couldn’t move backward or forward, fearing she would hit the floor and not get up. Why did this have to happen? She prided herself on being strong and taking care of her own business. Her friendship with Heath had always been support of each other, not her leaning on him like some air-headed woman who didn’t know how to write a check or pay a bill. Frustration ate her up, and it was probably the only thing that kept her on her feet at that moment.

Heath came up behind her and whipped her into his arms. She fought against his chest, feeling like a kitten glancing blows off him that must have tickled more than hurt. “Get off me,” she demanded. “I said I don’t need you.”

He carried her to the bed and laid her down. Then he moved behind her, forcing her back to his chest. Deja continued to struggle, but her energy waned fast until she panted in his embrace. He cocooned her in his arms and laid his head alongside hers. The warmth from his body heated her, and despite her exhaustion, unbelievable desire ignited. The flames of it licked along her skin, raising goose bumps, and her pussy throbbed so much, one touch would bring her to orgasm.

She shut her eyes and chewed her bottom lip in an attempt to chill out, but Heath ran his hand down her belly and squeezed gently. “Relax. Breathe easy.”

“Impossible,” she grumbled.

He squeezed again, and then lowered his hand still more. When he shifted the position of his leg, she felt his erection, tight and stiff against her ass. A miracle kept her from moaning. Heath’s baby finger brushed the soft curls between her legs. She started.

“Shh, it’s fine.” His voice had gone deep, almost unrecognizable.

“I hope you’re not about to cut me apart down there with your claws,” she joked, but she knew by the teasing of his finger just above her clit that his hand was that of a human. Any lower and she was done for.
Don’t arch, Deja. Don’t do it.

Her ass poked out like she didn’t have control over it, pushing into his crotch. The hardness of his cock compelled her to groan, and Heath responded by dipping his hand fully between her thighs. Damn it, she was wet, and his fingers glided straight into her. Her jaw went slack, and she gasped, her lashes fluttering. “I can’t relax like this.”

He worked his fingers between her folds again and withdrew. She arched her hips, but he brought his elbow down, stilling her movements. “Let me do it.”

She held her position with effort, but welcomed his invasion. Each time he circled her clit with his thumb and then pressed down on it, he followed by pushing three fingers into her pussy. She longed to ride his hand and get all she could, but he kept her immobile.

Over and over he stroked, and she forgot about the pain. She lost track of everything, including the tiredness, the faster he worked her pussy, and when her climax began, his name fell from the tip of her tongue until she finished coming.

Heath removed his fingers from inside her and moved to pinch her clit. She tilted her head back to rest on his shoulder and raised one leg over his. An arch of his hips thrust his cock inside her without guidance.

“Slowly,” he whispered, and they plunged together and drew apart at an unhurried pace. Deja thought she would faint from the sheer bliss. Her walls stretched, and Heath had to give an extra push to get all the way in. “It doesn’t hurt?”