To Tempt A Tiger (2 page)

“I’ll start with an apology then,” he said.

She snorted. “Little late for that now.”

“It’s offered anyway.”

“Why?”

He paused before saying, “I have reason to believe I was mistaken when I left.”

She gave him a deadpan stare that would have shriveled a weaker man. “Really? What led you to this epiphany?”

“Discovering I had a half sister I didn’t know about. Seeing the state Zoe was just in confirmed my suspicions.”

“How does you having a sister have anything to do with our past?”

“I was telling you the truth when I said we couldn’t have kids. At least, the truth as I knew it. You and I should not have been able to conceive a child. Because of that, I was left with no alternative but to think you’d been with another man.”

“We did have a child. I didn’t cheat on you. And if you’d truly loved me, you should have trusted me enough to believe me.”

“I believe you now.”

“Why now? Why were you so convinced back then that we couldn’t have kids?”

All those years ago, he’d been very clear about the fact that they wouldn’t be able to have children naturally. He’d always seemed sad when he talked about not having kids, and she’d really wanted them, too. But he’d been clear—if she wanted them, she either needed to find someone else, or they’d have to consider alternatives like adoption. She’d been prepared to adopt. So long as she and Vlad were together, it didn’t matter how they built their family. At least not to her.

When she’d realized she was pregnant, she’d been thrilled, thinking whatever Vlad had been told about his inability to reproduce had been a mistake. She’d expected him to be as excited as she was, and she’d even deluded herself into thinking he’d propose the moment he heard the news.

But he hadn’t proposed.

He fisted his hands against his thighs. “You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you. But for Zoe’s sake, you need to know the truth. Then we need to go somewhere safe for a few weeks.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you talking about? Why would we need a ‘safe’ place?”

“I’m pretty sure my brothers have figured out…about Zoe.”

“Vlad, you are as clear as mud right now. What the hell?”

“Okay. The truth.” He braced his feet a little farther apart and met her gaze. “I’m a tiger shapeshifter. Tigers and humans aren’t supposed to be able to have children. That’s why I thought you’d cheated on me. Then I learned about my sister. Her father is human, but her mother—my mother—was a tiger. Turns out it is possible for me to have children with a human woman. And if my brothers learn Zoe is my child, they will try to kill her.”

Rose pointed to the door. “Out. Now. I won’t have a crazy man around my daughter. Out!”

“Rose…”

“No.” She flexed her hands, making fists and releasing them in an attempt to keep her anger in check, but her entire body was stiff and ready for a fight. “No. This is nonsense. I can’t believe I even let you in my home.”

“I know this is scary and hard to understand.”

“Not hard. You’re insane. Have you always been insane? Is that what’s wrong with Zoe?”

He held his hands at his sides, loose and open. “Rose, I’m pretty sure Zoe can shape shift, too. No, not pretty sure. I’m certain. That’s what’s causing her pain. Her body is trying to do something…well, something that’s natural for my kind.”

“That’s even more ridiculous. Vlad, get out of my home now or I’m calling the cops. No, first I’m going to kick your ass. Then I’ll call the cops.”

“And then what? How will you help our daughter? How will you keep her alive if my brothers come after her? They’ll kill you too, Rose. I can’t let that happen.”

“Why the hell would they want to kill us? No, this makes no logical sense.”

But a small, ever-worried part of her thought, what if some of this was true? What if his brothers were insane, too, and they came after Zoe? Could she protect her daughter against a bunch of crazy people?

Her mind raced. Her dad had several guns he could loan her. She’d get those from him. Then she could get a security system installed. She wasn’t sure where she’d get the money for that—taking care of Zoe, even with the excellent medical insurance she had through work, was expensive. But she’d figure it out. Her parents would help. Then she’d have to talk to the police and see if they could do something for her…

She was deep in thought, considering her options, when Vlad snapped his fingers in her face. He was standing in front of her, so suddenly she hadn’t even realized he’d moved. She gasped and stepped back, but he grabbed her arms.

Panic pumped into her blood, and she moved on instincts that far outpaced her conscious thought. She grabbed his elbows, folded backward, and using her feet for extra leverage, flipped Vlad over her head, sending him careening into the opposite wall.

She rolled to her feet and spun to face him, taking a defensive stance, prepared to beat the ever-loving crap out of him if he came at her again. In fact, she almost hoped he did because kicking his ass would feel very, very good.

To her utter shock, he laughed. Laid out flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, he laughed so hard tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.

She frowned and relaxed her stance—a little. He really was crazy. She had to get him out of her house.

He angled his head back to look at her. “I forgot about your black belts. That’ll teach me.”

She’d been training in aikido and jujitsu since she was Zoe’s age. Before starting college, she’d spent a year in Japan studying under a top aikido sensei. All her training and practice meant a lot of her reactions were so instinctive she didn’t have to think about them. She just flowed into motion with a speed that surprised most people who didn’t know her well.

Her martial arts experience had been one of the things Vlad had said he loved about her.

That memory hurt more than it should, so she pushed it aside.

“Don’t grab me again,” she said, her voice raspy with emotion.

“I didn’t mean to startle you. But you weren’t listening to me—as usual—and I was just trying to get your attention.”

“Figure out a better way of doing that next time. I take that back. There won’t be a next time. You need to leave.”

He rolled to his feet with a grace that made her scowl. No man should move that easily after being thrown on his ass. He seemed to have learned his lesson, though, because he kept his distance.

“Rose, I can’t abandon you. Not again. Not when I know you’re in danger.”

“I’ll take care of it. I’ve been taking care of things all on my own for years.”

“Really?” He nodded to the bedroom. “That was ‘taking care of things?’”

She crossed to him and slapped him hard enough to sting her hand. “Out. Now.” The slap had felt too good. If he didn’t leave now, she was afraid she might just hit him again.

He set fingers to his cheek and gave her a rueful half smile. “I deserved that. I’m sorry.”

“You deserve worse.”

“Yes. I do.”

She crossed her arms to keep from pummeling him, and to hide the way her hands were shaking. Having him here, reminding her she was failing to help Zoe, when
he
was the one who'd left, it was all too much.

But worse was her physical reaction to him. Standing this close, staring into his dark eyes, her pulse pumped and her breath came in deep, sharp pants. Lust and need tightened low in her stomach. She wanted to lean into him, follow up that slap with a kiss that would scorch them both. Her fingers itched to take his face in her hands, to hold him in place while she kissed him until the desire she hadn’t felt since he left was satisfied.

It was a terrible, embarrassing, stupid reaction. And it made her even angrier.

She dropped her chin and stared at him. If looks could kill, Vlad would be the one writhing in pain now.

“Okay, none of this is fair,” he said. “I am truly sorry. And I’m here to help. You don’t have to do this alone anymore.”

She sighed, feeling so overwhelmingly tired she just wanted him gone. “Go away, Vlad.”

“No.”

“Damn it—”

“I am not leaving you to face my brothers alone. And I’m not leaving Zoe to the pain she’s going through when it’s not necessary.”

That arrow hit home. She paused. Zoe’s pain wasn’t necessary? He knew how she could stop her daughter’s agony? “What do I need to do for her?”

“You need to allow me to teach her how to shift so she can let her tiger out when it needs to get out.”

She drove her fingers through her hair and pulled at the strands to ease some of the pressure on her skull. “There are no such things as shapeshifters.”

Vlad’s expression turned thoughtful. “My sister…she was pretty terrified when she saw me shift, but… Rose, I don’t want to scare you, but I
need
you to believe me. For our daughter’s sake. If you’ll allow me, I’ll shift for you so you can see I’m telling the truth.”

Chapter Two

Vlad held his breath as he waited for her answer. This was a harsh way to introduce her to the tiger shifter world. If he had more time, he’d go slowly, ease her into the reality she had to face. Unfortunately, now that his brothers were on Rose’s trail, he didn’t have that kind of time.

He really, really hoped if she said yes, the shift didn’t send her into hysterics. Rose had never been the hysterical type. She was an adrenaline junkie and usually thrilled at the strange and exciting. But this… This kind of thing could bring the most stable human to the brink of a breakdown.

He’d admired his half sister Nila’s ability to stay standing after she’d seen him shift. Rose was going to need that kind of fortitude. The woman he loved, the woman he’d been in love with for years, was strong enough. But he hadn’t seen Rose in so long, he wasn’t sure he even knew her anymore.

The fact that she’d tossed him on his ass and then slapped him when he’d been a bastard assured him she was at least a little like the Rose he’d known.

She stared at him, and he held her gaze. A safer place to look than any other part of her. And even that wasn’t exactly safe. But every time he let his gaze move lower than her face, he got distracted. He was here to protect her and Zoe, but he’d wanted Rose from the first moment they’d met and that desire hadn’t gone away—not even when he’d thought she’d cheated on him.

Watching her, taking in her delicious scent—a mix of lavender and cardamom and her basic essence—left him a little breathless and a lot needy. His body buzzed with the desire to tug her close and feel every sexy inch of her pressed up against him, to taste her and savor the rasp of her tongue against his as he kissed her deeply enough to make them both forget the past. Just looking into her eyes sent his heartbeat racing. He wanted things he wasn’t going to get right then. Maybe not ever if she couldn’t forgive him. But that didn’t seem to stop the wanting, or the rush of lusty fantasies dancing through his mind.

He reined in his wayward imagination. If he focused on her beautiful face and extremely angry expression, he could keep his mind—mostly—on the subject at hand.

Mostly.

Her eyes narrowed, and for a brief moment, he wondered if she realized what he was thinking. Could she tell he was having trouble keeping his hands to himself? Then she shook her head, and he realized she wasn’t going to allow him to shift. His heart sank. If she wouldn’t face his tiger, he wasn’t sure how he’d convince her of his story.

“I can’t believe I’m going to agree to this,” she said.

He blinked, not sure he’d heard her right.

“But when you attempt this ‘shift’ and fail, you will get out of my house and never return. Do you understand me? I will not have this crap around my daughter.” She raised a hand when he opened his mouth. “I will make sure your equally crazy brothers get nowhere near us. Thanks for the warning.”

“Rose—”

“Get on with it. And don’t wake up Zoe.” She waved her hand in an impatient gesture before crossing her arms again.

He had to force down a smile. So much fire. He’d always loved that about her. His heart thumped harder as memories of her bringing that passion and fire to their bed pushed to the front of his mind. “I’ll have to take my clothes off first,” he warned.

He watched something move through her beautiful blue eyes, and again he was tortured by images of having her under him, being inside her, swallowing her moans as he fucked her. Her scent was intoxicating. The flavors went right to his head, leaving him a lot warmer than the mild Arizona winter day warranted. Mixed with that scent was all her anger, but it wasn’t nearly the distraction it should have been. He’d expected her anger. He hadn’t expected to have so much trouble keeping his lust in check.

“I need to make sure Zoe is asleep,” she said and hurried away.

But not before he caught the faintest hint of desire in her scent—a whisper of it, but it was there. Hope he hadn’t dared feel before roared to life. He tamped it down with ruthless will. He couldn’t afford those feelings or that hope now. First, he had to keep Rose and Zoe away from his brothers. He had to help Zoe. And he had to figure out how to keep them both safe.

Eventually, he’d have to bring them fully into his world. He wouldn’t be able to hide Zoe from his people, not now that his brothers were sniffing around.

The implications… His gut hurt when he considered introducing that beautiful, vulnerable little girl to the tiger community. Maybe if she’d been a boy, things would be easier. A little. Because she was a girl and able to shift, she would be wrapped up in the same sort of trouble his sister had faced. But Nila was a grown woman. Zoe…

His first view of his daughter had broken something open in him. She was the most beautiful, perfect child he’d ever seen. Her dark eyes reminded him of his own mother. But her fiery red hair was all Rose. He smiled, remembering how he’d teased Rose about her name fitting her hair color. He’d gotten a not-too-gentle punch in the arm every time.

She walked back into the living room in that moment and caught him smiling.

“What?” she asked, though quietly.

“She’s asleep?” He could hear Zoe’s even breathing, the soft quiet snores, but he needed to change the subject. Rose didn’t need to know what he’d been reminiscing about.