Here There Be Tigers (23 page)

“
I’d give you that if I could,”
Mitch said, his voice low and deep.

“
Then do.” She turned to face him.
“I don’t give a damn about your status.”

“
So you’ve said. But you need to
care.”

“
Shut up and listen to me. I don’t
care about your status.” She closed the space between them so they
were a breath apart, chest to chest, thigh to thigh. She tilted her
head up so she could meet his gaze. “You are the only person I have
felt safe with since this mess started. You’re the only one I’ve
felt normal around. Like myself and not some genetic
freak.”

“
Nila…”

“
No. No excuses. Last night I
finally found myself again, and being with you felt right. So no
more ‘I’m not an option’ bullshit. I refuse to buy it.”

“
It’s a fact. You might feel safe
with me, but I can’t keep you safe the way another male might be
able to.”

“
I don’t care. Don’t you get it? I
want my life back. I want my choices back. And you are my choice. I
want you.”

Silence settled between them with her
declaration. She stared up at him, breathing hard, terrified that
he’d reject her. She didn’t have answers. She didn’t know how to
fix all this. The only thing she knew was that she wanted Mitch,
here and now and for the foreseeable future.

Afraid and a little desperate, she placed her
hand on his chest. The rapid thump of his heart against her palm
sent a shiver through her body. He was still shirtless, so nothing
blocked her from soaking in his heat, savoring the smooth strength
of his muscles, the crisp contrast of his chest hair. She swallowed
to wet her dry throat and forced herself to hold his
gaze.

“
The others are watching.” His voice
was harsh and quiet, sounding strained.

“
I don’t care about that
either.”

“
Kinky,” he murmured.

The comment took her so completely by surprise
in the otherwise serious moment, she laughed. She couldn’t help it.
He charmed her even in the worst circumstances, and she felt
herself falling a little more.

To her relief, he reached up and cupped her
cheek with one hand. She nuzzled into the touch as a sigh shuddered
out of her. “Mitch, please…”

“
You’re asking for the
impossible.”

“
Not impossible, just not
easy.”

He held her gaze for another long moment. Her
own pulse was pumping hard, fear and hope tightening her chest. Her
body was alive with nervous energy and that ever present need for
him.

“
Nila.” With painful slowness, he
lowered his head close to hers, bringing his mouth to her lips.
“You don’t understand what you’re asking for, what you’re
committing to.”

“
Yes, I do.”

“
Whether you do or not, it’s too
late now.”

His mouth found hers, hard and hungry. He
tasted of need.

Nila sighed into the kiss, finally pressing
against him fully, relief and an echoing hunger rushing through her
as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her every cell screamed,
This!
Whatever the future held, this was what she
wanted—this heat, this moment, this passion. And the rest of the
world would just have to deal with it.

Aware of their audience, she hugged closer to
Mitch, knowing a kiss was all they could indulge in, but she wanted
all those other males to realize her choice had been made. She was
with Mitch, in every way possible.

Angling her head, she opened to him as he
deepened the contact. The taste of him sent her senses swirling,
and some of the fear that had haunted her since their run from
John’s cabin eased, replaced by growing passion and an edge of
desperation. She needed him, more than she’d ever needed a man
before. To prove she was alive. To prove she still had a say in her
future. To make her forget everything else.

His arms tightened around her waist, flattening
her against his chest, and she groaned in satisfaction. She rubbed
her breasts against him, gently, subtly, and savored the flexing of
his fingers against her skin.

He broke the kiss first, pulling back
reluctantly but firmly. “We need to stop. Or we really will give
our audience a show.”

She grinned. “It might not be such a terrible
thing if they did see.”

His eyebrows popped up. “You really are an
exhibitionist.”

Chuckling, she shook her head. “No, that’s not
my particular brand of kink. But they’ll at least realize I’m not
available.”

“
They might not.”

“
What do you mean?” Her humor
faded.

“
Remember, as far as tiger shifters
are concerned, until you conceive, you’re not mated. They might
decide I’m your current choice, the winner of the proverbial Run.
But that doesn’t take you out of the running, so to
speak.”

“
So much for the effectiveness of
our show.”

He brushed his lips across hers. “It affected
me.”

His wicked comment sent little flutters of
excitement through her stomach, and she smiled again. “How do you
do that? Make me smile when I’m busy being worried?”

“
I don’t know.” He ran a finger over
her cheek and across her lower lip. “But I’m glad I can because I
love your smile.”

Her pulse thumped faster. Funny how such a
little compliment could turn her to total mush.

“
So what
is
your particular
kink?”

His change of subject made her blink.
“Sorry?”

“
You said exhibitionism wasn’t your
brand of kink. What is?”

“
Oh, we should definitely save that
conversation for a later date. Otherwise, we really will give our
audience a show.”

“
I’ll hold you to that.”

He leaned in and kissed her again, gently, but
tension tightened his muscles under her touch. Before they could
get carried away, a loud throat clearing broke the moment. Nila
glanced back up the dock, trying to pull her thoughts back to their
current predicament. Sanjay stood several yards away, giving them
space but not privacy.

“
Gregory sent me to ask if you would
come back up to the house. He would like to talk with you
both.”

“
Something serious?” Mitch asked
without loosening his hold on her.

“
No. It’s just rare to have a female
and the grandson of an elder here at the same time. He’s curious
and wants to get to know you both better.”

“
He does, does he?” Mitch said.
“Tell me, Sanjay, is your sense of smell okay?”

“
Why do you ask?” Sanjay
straightened his shoulders, looking almost offended.

Nila wondered at Mitch’s question, too. What
did Sanjay’s sense of smell have to do with anything?

“
Just curious. Is Gregory the
organizer of this house?”

“
He brought us together,
yes.”

Mitch nodded. “Tell him we’ll be up in a few
minutes.”

Sanjay hesitated, as if he intended to wait for
them. Finally, he said, “Don’t keep him waiting long. Please.” The
please sounded forced.

“
What’s going on?” she asked when
she heard the door above them close behind Sanjay.

“
They should all know Gregory isn’t
right, smell it like I do. Hell, you’re human and you can tell he’s
wrong. But they’re following him, making him a kind of
leader.”

“
You’re making that sound like a
very bad thing.”

“
It might be. For now though, let’s
not antagonize him. The longer we keep the peace, the better chance
we have of getting away from here without a fight. We need to give
whoever my grandmother called time to reach us.”

She was loath to go back up to that den of
tigers.

When she didn’t move, he cupped her cheek and
made her look at him, turning her away from the house. “I’ll be
right with you. Don’t worry. You’ll be safe.”

She forced a smile. “I know I’m safe with
you.”

But would he be safe with the others? Would his
reputation be enough to keep them from trying to hurt
him?

She sure as hell hoped so.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

They slowly walked to the house, delaying their
return for as long as possible before finally stepping back inside
the spotlessly clean, artfully decorated, and immensely
uncomfortable main room. Gregory was sitting in a chair next to the
fireplace. He stood when they entered and smiled. Showing
teeth.

Nila held back a shudder, but inside she
cringed away from Gregory. She wasn’t sure what it was about him,
but she didn’t want to get too close. She looked toward the couch
to see if their guns were still there and was surprised to see the
weapons where she and Mitch had left them. But going for the gun
would let the group know exactly how nervous she was—even if they
didn’t already. Mitch was right, it was better if they didn’t
antagonize Gregory.

He gestured to a couple of additional seats by
the fire. Unable to ignore his offer, she sat in one and pasted on
an expression she hoped passed for a smile. To her relief, Mitch
actually sat on the arm of her chair rather than taking a separate
seat.

She took a moment to study Gregory as he sat.
He was very handsome, almost as good-looking as Mitch in an
objective way. He was thickly muscled and tall with light brown
hair, dark eyes, and strong features. At a glance, she might not
have thought anything was wrong with him. He was also incredibly
polite to them both, offering drinks and food, and reiterating his
promise of sanctuary from Petrov.

But he sat like a king on a throne, commanding
the other men hovering around the main room, and she just couldn’t
get past that glittering something in his eyes.

“
We’ve only heard a little about you
so far, Nila. You’re a veterinarian?”

“
I am. My specialty is big
cats.”

He smiled. “Appropriate. Did your father
approve that choice?”

“
Actually, he and my grandmother
tried getting me to specialize in small animals, pets, something
that would keep me closer to home.”

“
Of course.” He nodded. “They tried
keeping you from your tiger heritage.”

“
Not exactly.” She didn’t feel the
need to explain her father’s professed reasons for keeping her
ignorant of her mother, but she also didn’t want this strange man
judging her family’s motives. He had no right and not near enough
information to attempt to condemn her dad for what he’d
done.

She didn’t want to start a fight, though, so
she changed the subject. “What made you choose this location for
your home? The lake is beautiful but this place is very remote. Did
you spend time here before? Are you from Maryland?”

Gregory’s gaze shifted slightly. Did he realize
she was looking for answers? Maybe he just assumed she didn’t want
to talk about her family.

“
I was originally from
Baltimore.”

“
That’s how you know Max and Irina,
then?”

“
Yes.”

“
Did you know they have a friend who
owns a cabin nearby? That was actually where we were staying.” She
hoped her questions sounded innocent and curious, but there was no
telling what he thought from his expression.

“
Really? I had no idea.”

He was lying. Blandly and without really trying
to hide it. He glanced at Mitch when he spoke, holding his gaze.
Neither man flinched or turned for long moments. The tension in the
air had the other men edging closer. Nila’s fear spiked.

“
Must be a popular area,” she said,
attempting to diffuse the situation, “if you’re looking for a
little isolation. And it really is beautiful here. Just gorgeous.
Mitch, maybe we should look at cabins here, too.” Her rambling
brought the attention of both men back to her.

Mitch smiled just slightly, and she wondered if
his approval was for the way she’d lightened the moment or for her
reference to them as a couple. He’d told her the others wouldn’t
consider her “mated” until she got pregnant. But it couldn’t hurt
to emphasize that Mitch was her choice for all this mate
business.

Gregory’s expression was less approving, though
not outright hostile. He looked curious. “Nila, did Mikhail tell
you about the Mate Run?”

“
He did.”

“
So you understand how we…do things.
How mates are chosen?”

“
I understand the elders have put a
sort of competition into place to help protect the few remaining
females.”

“
That’s one way to look at it.” He
glanced at Mitch then met her gaze again. “I participated in the
Mate Runs for Irina.”

That got her attention. Though why she was
surprised, she wasn’t sure. Of course Gregory had run after Irina.
He lived on this coast and she had been one of the few females
available. She glanced at the other men. “Did all of
you…run?”

“
Not all,” Gregory answered. “But
most. Obviously to little effect.”