The Jaguar Prince (3 page)

“Huh-choo! Oh, excuse me.”

The woman’s voice sounded closer this time. He eased the door closed a little.

“Here’s the rent,” Callie quickly spoke.

“Huh-choo!”

“Bless you.”

“Odd, I usually don’t sneeze unless I’m around cats.”

There was a distinct pause.

“Do you have a cat, Miss Jordon? You do realize pets are not allowed, don’t you?”

“Of course I remember the no pet rule. I don’t have a cat. It’s just that I was so tired last night I went straight to bed without showering. I was around the cats yesterday. I’m sure that’s all it is.”

“Umm, I suppose that could be it.”

“It is.” Callie’s words were firm. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a lot to do today.”

A few minutes later the front door closed and Callie returned. She planted her hands on her hips, and again, he wanted to scoop her into his arms and carry her to bed. He was pretty sure she wasn’t ready for that.

“You have to leave. Right now.”

He sighed. He had hoped she wouldn’t be difficult. “I will leave then.” He unknotted his towel, then handed it to her, before starting toward the front door.

“No, you can’t leave!” she frantically whispered.

“But I was only doing what you asked.”

“Not without clothes.”

“Then what would you have me wear?”

She nibbled her bottom lip. He had an incredible urge to nibble it, too.

“I’m not this Symtarian you’re looking for, I promise. I’ll go to town and buy you some clothes, but then you really do need to leave.”

“If you insist.”

“I do.”

“Then I will leave.”

“Good.” She nodded her head. “I need to get dressed.” She grabbed some things out of the drawers of a chipped and scarred chest, then went into the room where she’d gotten the towel. She started to close the door, but stopped to look back at him. “Don’t touch anything.”

“Of course not.”

She nodded again, then closed the door.

Very strange female. It must be the fact she was part Earthling. He tied the towel around his hips, glancing at a board with pictures all over it. It appeared to be modes of transportation, another dwelling, jewels, and an assortment of small animals. An odd picture to hang on one’s wall.

He wandered to the other room, looking around as he went. He hadn’t taken the time to inspect the dwelling last night. He’d only sensed it was a safe place. He could see that it was sparsely furnished with few personal items.

He wandered down a short hall to another room where there were lots of cabinets. He opened the first one. It seemed to hold containers in various sizes with names like garlic, salt, and pepper. Behind the next door there was a box, and a jar labeled peanut butter behind it. He pulled the box out.

“Cereal,” he read. “Tastes great and good for you.”

He knew the language. In fact his people spoke many dialects. He’d also studied Earth and their customs before he’d left New Symtaria. He knew they believed in free love. He frowned. Except he hadn’t sensed that Callie wanted to mate with him. Then again, that had been during a different time period. Maybe they had changed their minds. A shame if that were the case.

He tore the top off the box and grabbed a handful of the cereal. After putting some in his mouth, he began to chew. Not bad. Not as good as a juicy steak, but it would appease his hunger.

As he continued to eat, he wandered through the rest of Callie’s dwelling. There was a tall shelf that stood in one corner. He walked over to it. Cats of all shapes and sizes were arranged in a circle. Sitting in the middle of the little statues was a black jaguar. He smiled.

A bag sitting on a short table began to ring. He stepped closer, discovered how to open it, then brought out the object that was ringing.

It resembled one of the communication devices on New Symtaria. He flipped it open and it stopped ringing. Almost exactly like theirs.

“Yes,” he said after he brought it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hello.”

“Where’s Callie?”

“Getting dressed.”

“Getting dressed?”

“Yes, she was naked, but did not wish to continue not wearing clothes.” His brow creased. “I don’t know why. She has a magnificent body.”

“Callie Jordon? We’re talking about my best friend Callie, right? She was naked in front of you? I mean, I don’t have the wrong number, do I? As long as I’ve known her she’s never had a man in her house, let alone one that spent the night with her. You did spend the night with her, right. In her bed?”

“Yes, we slept in the same bed, with our naked bodies pressed against each other.”

“Maybe you’d better put Callie on the phone.”

“Of course.”

So the object was called a phone. He had thought they were larger, not as compact as this one. He carried it to the other room just as Callie came out.

“Phone,” he said, handing it to her.

She looked startled. “Yes, that is a phone.”

“She wants to talk to you.”

Her face paled. “You weren’t supposed to touch anything.”

“It was ringing.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I see.”

“Tell whoever is on the phone I’m not here,” she whispered.

“You want me to lie?”

“Yes!” she whispered, gritting her teeth again.

“But I’ve already told the woman we slept together last night with our naked bodies pressed against each other.”

“You what!” she screamed, not even trying to keep her voice down.

Rogar had a feeling she was upset with him. He wasn’t sure why. He’d kept the towel knotted at his waist. That was another thing. There was nothing wrong with his body. Everything worked. Why would she not want to look upon his naked form?

“DeeDee, hi. No, no, he’s an old friend from…out of town.”

Rogar noted her shoulders relaxed and she didn’t seem quite as tense.

“Yes, pulling your leg. That’s Rogar. Quite the jokester. Nope, sorry, he’s leaving town this morning. Only wanted a place to crash for the night. Yes, on the sofa. Okay, talk to you later. Bye-bye.” She snapped the phone closed.

Callie glared at him. “You told her we slept naked together?”

“Did you want me to lie?”

“Yes, since I didn’t invite you into my bed.”

“Then I will lie next time.”

“There won’t be a next time because you’re leaving today.”

Rogar had a feeling getting Callie back to New Symtaria was going to be more difficult than even he had imagined.

She escaped to another room, returning a few minutes later with a long strip of white cloth that bore markings of some kind.

“You plan to bind me?” he asked. Not that it would do her any good. The cloth looked flimsy at best.

“That’s not a bad idea, but no, I need to get your measurements so I’ll know what size clothes to buy.”

He nodded.

“Put you arms out.”

He did as she asked, enjoying that she had moved closer. He liked the way she smelled. Not at all like a cat. No, this scent was clean and sweet. All too soon, she backed away to write his measurements on paper.

“Arm length, okay, got it,” she mumbled as she jotted down numbers. Then she returned and wrapped her arms around his chest. Her gaze darted to his face.

Callie had beautiful eyes. They were green, but not just any green. They were a clear, deep green.

She stepped back, bringing the cloth together again. “I’m not Symtarian.”

“You’re from a proud and noble lineage.”

“Then why was I left on the doorstep of the orphanage like someone’s trash they were trying to get rid of?”

“I thought you said your parents were dead.”

She glanced at him as she carefully wrapped the cloth around his waist, trying not to come into contact with his skin. “I tell people my parents died because it sounds better than saying they dumped me on a doorstep.” She looked at the cloth, then went back to her paper. “To me, they are dead.”

“I’m sorry. This hurt you very deeply.”

She shrugged. “It was so long ago that it doesn’t matter now.”

When she returned with the measuring cloth, he rested his hands on her shoulders. For a moment, she didn’t move, then she looked at him, jutting that fierce little chin forward.

“I don’t care about them anymore,” she repeated and he wondered who she was trying to convince, herself or him? Callie’s eyes practically dared him to challenge her words.

“Of course,” he told her, letting the matter drop.

She knelt down, stretching the measuring cloth from his waist to his ankle. She dropped one end, though, and when she reached for it, lost her balance. She grabbed him for support, but only caught his towel, gripping it tightly as she landed on her bottom with a thud.

Rogar was once again very naked.

“Oh, God,” she muttered as she stared at him.

She made a choking sound. He reached under her arms and helped her to her feet.

“I’m…uh…sorry,” she stuttered.

He casually pried the towel from her fist, knotting it again at his waist.

“Your inseam…uh…oh, hell, I’ll just guess.” She raced for the door, stopped, then hurried back and grabbed the bag off the low table before rushing out. She returned a few seconds later, ran through the house, came back with the phone, then stopped at the door again.

“Don’t touch anything.”

“Of course not.”

“Don’t answer the door if anyone rings the bell…or knocks.”

“I won’t.”

She nodded, then closed the door behind her.

She was very emotional, this part Earthling, part Symtarian woman. And very beautiful. He moved to the window, brushing the curtain to the side, and watched as she climbed into her vehicle. Rogar wondered how long it would take him to convince her that they should mate.

Soon, he hoped, because she already heated his blood.

You’d better think more about getting her home where she truly belongs rather than lusting after her,
Balam’s thoughts mingled with his.

Rogar frowned.
When I need your advice, I’ll ask for it.

You’d be better off if you asked for it more often. When have I ever steered you wrong?

Rogar snorted.
I can name a number of times. Remember when you suggested I mate with that pretty blond hand-maiden my mother employed.

I didn’t know she was already joined with someone,
he sniffed.

No, not someone. The man nearly beat me to a pulp.

I might have been wrong that once,
Balam conceded.

And what about the time…

Enough! Trust me on this, if your mind is on mating, then how can you protect her? He’s coming, you know. I can sense he’s not far away.

Rogar sighed.
I know, I have sensed him, too. I won’t let down my guard. Never fear, I will protect her with my life.

And that is what I’m afraid of.

C
allie backed out of her driveway and aimed for the nearest clothing store. She didn’t care about the cost, just as long as they came close to fitting him. She wanted Rogar, Prince of New Symtaria—yeah, right—out of her house and out of her life.

Besides, they wouldn’t cost that much. She was going to a resale store that was nearby. She shopped there all the time. If he didn’t like it, so be it, but she would insist he leave, no matter what. The guy was crazy.

She snorted.

An alien. Uh-huh, sure. And she was supposed to be one, too. She wasn’t any more an alien than…than that light post on the corner. So what if she had always felt like there was something different about her and…

Her body began to tremble so hard she could barely steer. The community park was only a block away. As soon as she came to the entrance, she pulled in and parked.

By now her body was shaking so hard she could barely catch her breath. She shifted the car into Park, then turned the key off before bringing her hands to her face.

“Oh, God, this isn’t happening. It can’t be.”

It wasn’t so much about Rogar being in her apartment, as it was the fact that she’d always felt different from everyone else. Not because she was an orphan, either. She’d always known there was more to it. What if she was as crazy as him?

“No, no, no!” She laughed hysterically. Was she really going to buy his story that she was part alien? Really? It was too preposterous. There was no such thing as aliens from other planets.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She screamed and turned so fast she almost got whiplash. Her heart pounded inside her chest as she looked at the uniformed officer standing outside her car.

Just a cop. She’d thought it might’ve been an alien come to whisk her off in his spaceship and poke her with…probes or…something.

He motioned for her to roll the window down. She nodded and turned the key until she had power, then pushed the button to bring it down.

“You okay, miss?”

She nodded. He reminded her of Ben, very fatherly, gray hair, and with concern on his face. If the officer continued being this nice, she would totally lose it.

He suddenly sniffed. “What’s that odor?”

She sniffed.

Bleh! She knew exactly what it was. “Tuna fish,” she squeaked, then cleared her throat, and in a clearer voice, continued. “I guess I forgot to take it out of my car.” A few days ago.

He stepped a foot away from her car. “Do you mind stepping out of the vehicle?”

“Well, actually, I was just going to the clothing store…”

“Miss, it wasn’t really a question as much as it was an order.”

“Oh.” She opened her door, and got out. “Is there a problem?”

His demeanor had rapidly changed from concerned officer to suspicious officer. She barely kept herself from sticking her arms in front of her and telling him to take her to jail. Just lock her up, and throw away the key. That’s the way her day was going.

“Stand straight, then bring one finger to your nose, then repeat with the finger on your opposite hand,” the officer told her.

It took her a second to figure out why he was asking her to touch her nose. As soon as it dawned on her, her back stiffened. “You think I’ve been drinking!” Oh, God, this was priceless.

“Miss, just do what I asked,” he said the words slowly, as though he were talking to a child.

“Well, fine.” She stood straight, touched one finger to her nose, then the other. She repeated for good measure. “Would you like me to walk a straight line, too? I can, you know.”

Damn it! Could her day get any worse? She glanced toward the street. A gray land yacht was slowly going down the road. Oh, no, her landlady. Great! Just great!

“Your eyes are red-rimmed, and you were weaving before you pulled into the parking lot. It’s called probable cause,” the cop told her.

She sniffed, her bottom lip trembled. “Because I was crying, and I didn’t want to run over anyone, so I pulled into the parking space here, and I just wanted to get myself together so I could go shopping because he needs clothes and…”

“Boyfriend?”

“Alien from another planet.”

The officer frowned. “Yeah, some men can be jerks and you wish they were on another planet. I bet by the time you get home, he’ll be ready to apologize. Most men usually realize they screwed up.” He sighed. “My granddaughter just broke up with her boyfriend. ’Bout your age. You remind me a lot of her. She’s pretty, too, and could do a whole lot better in the man department.”

“You think I’m pretty?” She sniffed.

“Know so.” His face reddened. “For a kid, that is.”

Okay, she felt a little better. “Thank you.”

“Dry those eyes now, and when you’re out shopping for him, buy yourself something nice. If he doesn’t straighten up and act right, just call me and I’ll set him straight for you.”

“Thank you, officer.”

He walked back to his car and climbed in. She got inside her car, remembered the sandwich, and carried the brown sack to the Dumpster, dropping it inside. Ugh! It was pretty rank.

She kicked it into high gear once she was inside the store. She kept imagining Rogar causing all sorts of problems. He could destroy her things while she was gone. Not that she had that much.

By the time she arrived back home, which was still standing, and she would be eternally grateful for that, she had convinced herself that DeeDee was the prankster. Why else would she call early this morning? DeeDee thought sex was the cure for everything, and Callie needed to get more of it. Which Callie thought was crazy, of course. Not that she was a virgin or anything.

That was another area she knew she was different from everyone else. She would never admit it to anyone, but sex just wasn’t that great. Everyone else seemed to enjoy the hell out of it, though.

Where was this fever, this uncontrollable passion everyone spoke about, or that she read about in her books? If it was out there, she certainly hadn’t found it. She really had her doubts that she would ever have an out-of-control sexual encounter.

She turned the key off, and as soon as the car finished coughing and sputtering, gave its death rattle, then died, she grabbed the packages off the backseat and went inside.

All was quiet.

Too quiet.

Had he left? Maybe he hadn’t existed in the first place. This might go back to her thoughts that insanity probably ran in her family.

An unexpected flash of disappointment swept over her. He’d been really sexy, and it had been cool watching him transform into a powerful jaguar.

Right there, that should tell her something. No one could change form. She’d imagined the whole thing. And now she had all these men’s clothes. Callie supposed she could donate them to the shelter. For now, she let the bags drop to the sofa, then walked to the bedroom. She glanced toward the bed. It had been a great fantasy.

She turned to go back to the other room just as the bathroom door opened. She screamed.

“I apologize for scaring you. I washed,” he said. “It wasn’t the same as standing beneath a waterfall and letting the water cascade over me, but it was pleasant.”

Oh, right, she wanted that image in her head! She could see he’d taken a shower, his hair was damp. Rogar had no right to be this hot. Not when she knew what she had to do. Her line of charity had gone way past the limits of her comfort zone.

Not that it would be easy. A lock of his hair fell forward. It looked sexy lying on his forehead. Her gaze wandered down his body, the hard ridges, the six-pack abs. Thank God he had on the towel or she would be tempted to ravish him.

“I’ll get your clothes.” She hurried out of the room and grabbed the bags, taking them back to the bedroom. He still stood by the bathroom door looking like a friggin’ god that had come to Earth to tempt mortal women.

She tossed the bags on the bed. “As soon as you’re dressed, we need to talk.” Without waiting for his reply, she hurried out of the room.

Callie paced the living room while she waited for him to join her. She turned when she heard his footsteps. It was so not fair that he looked almost as good with clothes as he had without them. The dark slacks fit him as though they were tailor-made. She’d chosen a maroon knit shirt and a size ten shoe. She’d guessed at the shoes.

“Do the shoes fit?” She pointed to his feet.

“Everything fits.”

She drew in a deep breath. “Then you need to leave. You can’t stay here.”

He took a step nearer, his intense gaze studying her. “You would deny who you are?”

She turned and walked to the door. “I’m not who you think I am. I didn’t come from another planet, and I don’t think you did, either.”

“Would you like me to change form again?”

“No!”

“But if it will prove to you that what I’ve told you is true…”

“I’ve seen magicians perform the same trick lots of times. It only proves you know magic.”

“I’m the only one who can tell you where your ancestors came from, Callie. I know you have questions.”

She did. How many times had she wondered who her parents were? Why they had abandoned her. Why they hadn’t loved her enough to keep her.

A familiar, lonely ache engulfed her. All her life she’d felt rejected. No matter how often she told herself her parents were the problem, not her, she couldn’t quite get past the hurt.

She drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. No matter how badly she wanted answers, she knew she couldn’t be part alien. She stiffened her spine and looked him in the eye. “I think you’d better leave.”

He was thoughtful for a moment, and she wondered if he might refuse to go.

“If that is what you wish. Good-bye Callie Jordon.”

“Good-bye.”

He went out the door.

At the last minute, she hurried to her purse and grabbed what little money she had left from her check—her last bill—a twenty. There went her lunch for next week. It would be PB&J sandwiches.

She ran out the door. “Rogar,” she called.

He stopped and turned. “You’ve changed your mind?”

She shook her head, then shoved the bill in his hand. “You might need some money. I’m sorry I don’t have more.”

He studied the bill, turning it over in his hand, before stuffing it in his pants pocket. “Thank you.”

“Good-bye.”

He smiled. One of those crooked half smiles that sent her pulse racing. Before she did something foolish, like ask him to stay, she turned and hurried back inside, shutting the door firmly behind her. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to open the door to see if he’d really left.

After a few deep breaths, she went to the kitchen. There was an empty cereal box on the counter. Darn, that had been her breakfast for next week. At least she had coffee. She could live without a lot of stuff, but never her coffee.

Her cell phone began to ring. She hurried to the other room and unearthed it at the bottom of her purse.

“Hello?”

“Me again.”

“Hi DeeDee.”

“Did your friend leave?”

“Yes, why?”

“Just curious.”

“No, I wasn’t lying, and no, we didn’t have sex.”

“I didn’t really think you had,” DeeDee said, sounding disappointed. “But a girl can hope.”

Callie laughed. “You know, the world does not revolve around having sex.”

“It does if you do it right.” She paused. “Come out with me tonight. It’s Saturday. We’ll go to a club and see what we can drum up.”

Callie almost said yes, but then she remembered she was broke until next Friday. “I can’t this weekend. How about next?”

“I can spot you the money.”

Callie cringed. Her friend made a lot more money, plus her parents were loaded and doted on their only child, but Callie refused to borrow from DeeDee. She made her own way in this world. Always had. She wouldn’t change now.

“Can I take a rain check? There are some things I need to get done around the house.”

DeeDee’s deep sigh came across the line. “If you insist.”

“I’m afraid I have to.”

Callie closed her phone a few minutes later, after DeeDee told her about the guy she’d met at a club last Saturday. DeeDee led an eventful life. Her motto was live while you’re young. She also thought Callie was old before her time. Maybe she was. Sometimes Callie felt older than her twenty-six years.

The next morning Callie stretched her arms above her head and yawned as she came awake, then stilled. Cautiously, she glanced around the room.

No one there.

She’d half expected to see Rogar sitting on the end of her bed, legs crossed, and stark naked. She was almost disappointed that he wasn’t. DeeDee was right, her life was definitely lacking male companionship.

The weekend dragged at a snail’s pace. She cleaned everything there was to clean, and still found herself going to the window and looking out.

Was Rogar okay? Had he found another female more willing to let him crawl into her bed? One who was more willing to believe his far-fetched stories?

She was glad when Monday morning came so she’d at least have her job to occupy her mind. The petting zoo wasn’t so bad. She enjoyed working with the baby animals. The kids that came to try to torture the animals were another matter.

If she was honest, most of the children weren’t that bad. It was just that there was always at least one monster in the bunch who thought pulling the goat’s tail was great fun.

Callie was tempted to visit Sheba first. Her place of Zen, gather her Chi, but she knew that would make her late so she headed in the opposite direction.

“Hi, Callie,” Gail said as Callie joined her coworker.

“Morning.”

Gail critically eyed her. “Rough weekend?”

She walked into the small enclosure that would hold the baby animals when they brought them out. “Do I look that bad?”

“Not that bad. You could never look bad. Just tired.”

“I read a book I couldn’t put down.”

Gail nodded, knowing Callie was addicted to books. “Yeah, I get pretty caught up in them, too. Give me a sexy hunk over a boring rerun any day.” She laughed.

The phone rang in the small building next to the enclosure.