The Jaguar Prince (5 page)

A car door opened and closed, then his hand was on her arm, effectively stopping her. She turned and glared at him.

“Go away.”

“You need a ride home.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Why not?”

She stopped and stared at him. He really didn’t get it. “Because I don’t like you.”

He frowned. “Really?” He looked genuinely puzzled.

A mental picture of how he’d worked with Sheba formed. What he’d done had taken courage. Rogar had probably saved that boy’s life. “Okay, maybe not liking you is too strong—” she conceded, “but I don’t care to be in your company.”

“Then don’t, but at least let me take you home.”

She sighed. “But I’ll still need to get my car at some point.”

“I’ll take care of that, too.”

She didn’t want to accept his offer. What she wanted to do was sit in the middle of the parking lot and bawl. Would she ever catch a decent break?

“Let me be your hero,” he spoke softly, his words like a warm breeze drifting over her.

“I don’t want a hero.” She hated that her bottom lip trembled.

“But you do need saving right now. At least, let me do that.”

What choice did she have? “Okay, you can take me home, but that’s all.”

He smiled.

Why did she feel as though he’d played her just as much as he’d played Sheba this afternoon? But then, what choice did she have? Right now, she really did need a hero.

They walked back to his car, and she slid into the passenger seat. Black leather cupped her body in pure luxury. This was what a real car felt like. God, it was almost an orgasmic experience.

Rogar got in on the driver’s side and started the car. It purred to life. She could almost feel the car’s energy, the sheer power under the hood.

He clutched and shifted, grinding the engine. She flinched.

“You do know how to drive, don’t you?”

“Your vehicles are antiquated compared to those on New Symtaria, but I’m sure it won’t take me long to have everything down.”

“Well, la-te-dah.”

He glanced in her direction. “We push a button and our mode of transportation takes us where we want to go.”

“That sounds like loads of fun,” she mumbled. Superior her foot. He didn’t even realize what he was driving. The Jag was unsurpassed by any other vehicle as far as she was concerned. This was the car that made her drool, and he was grinding gears.

He pulled out of the employee parking lot, not even bothering to stop at the Stop sign.

“You do know how to read English, don’t you?” she asked, sitting up a little straighter.

“Of course.”

“You just ran a Stop sign.”

His brow furrowed. “I don’t know all of your rules.”

Great, he was going to kill her with his driving. At least she would die in luxury. Not that she was quite ready to die. “There’s a light coming up. You’ll need to stop if it’s red or orange, but you go if it’s green.”

He nodded.

“How did you manage to make it to the zoo?”

“People were nice enough to get out of my way.”

She laughed. “I just bet they were.”

He looked at her. “I like the way you laugh.”

For a moment she couldn’t breathe. No one had ever really complimented her. The workers at the orphanage tried their best, but there were so many kids, and just not enough hugs or compliments to go around. Most of the time, she went unnoticed.

She cleared her throat. “Better watch the road. My turn is coming up.” But even after she pointed it out to him, he drove past. “You missed it.”

“I’m hungry,” he said. “There are places where we can get food.”

“Restaurants?”

“Yes.”

“You promised to take me home.”

“Your stomach is making funny noises. You’re hungry, too, and there wasn’t much food at your dwelling.”

He had her there. Besides, he did owe her for pulling all that crap on her about being an alien. It was time to make him pay.

She pointed him in the direction of one of the most expensive restaurants she could think of. So what if she wasn’t dressed appropriately.

C
allie closed her eyes and savored the juicy piece of steak. This was so good and so much better than the PB&J sandwich she’d planned to have for dinner. She opened her eyes and met Rogar’s gaze.

She shouldn’t have let him talk her into going out to eat. Not that he’d had to do that much talking. She’d only justified her hunger with the fact that he owed her. But if Rogar thought he could suck her into his fantasy that he was an alien, he was sadly mistaken.

She laid her silverware across her empty plate. A waiter immediately appeared, almost out of nowhere, and removed it. Another brought a chocolate mousse in a crystal dessert dish and set it in front of her. It looked light as air, topped with a cloud of fluffy whipped cream and decadent swirls of dark chocolate.

“Are you regretting going to dinner with me?” Rogar asked.

She picked up her spoon and dipped it into the dessert. There was a creamy center. She took a bite, closing her eyes and savoring the bursts of cherry and chocolate flavors. She’d never tasted anything like this in her entire lifetime.

“Callie?”

She wanted to look him in the eyes and say yes, she regretted it with every breath in her body, but she couldn’t make the words come out.

“If this didn’t taste so damned good, then yes, I would regret it, but it does, so I won’t lie. There, are you satisfied?”

He leaned back in his chair, looking full of himself. Sexy, but gloating. She’d throw the chocolate mousse at him if it weren’t so delicious.

“Yes, I’m satisfied.”

Before he could get too full of himself, she continued, “But I’m still not buying your alien from another world story, nor that I’m part…” She frowned.

“Symtarian,” he supplied.

“Yeah, I’m not buying any of it. What are you? A bored trust fund baby? Too much time and money on your hands?”

“No.”

“Then where did you get all that money?” Let him answer that one.

“I took the money you gave me and reproduced it.”

The spoon she held clattered to the table, staining the white tablecloth with chocolate. She could feel the color draining from her face.

A waiter hurried forward, quickly cleaning the mess and telling her not to worry about it. As soon as he’d disappeared, she turned to Rogar. “You’re a counterfeiter?” she whispered.

He was thoughtful for a moment, then his eyes widened. “Yes, that’s what I did. I counterfeited the bill you gave me.” He smiled, as though he was proud that he understood what she’d said.

“That’s illegal.” She furtively glanced around the room, expecting the police to pounce on them any second, but everything looked the same as it had a moment ago. God, how had she gotten herself into this? Not only was he a psychopath, but a criminal as well.

“Would you like coffee, ma’am?” The waiter asked, bearing a silver coffeepot.

“No, I’m finished. Just the bill.” The waiter looked surprised that she didn’t want to linger, but then he eyed her uniform as though he found her quite uncouth.

The waiter cocked an imperious eyebrow. “As you wish.”

Ass.

“You don’t find the restaurant to your liking?” Rogar asked.

“It’s great.” She would never be able to show her face in here again, though. Not that she could afford this place.

Oh, no, they knew she worked at the zoo since she still wore her uniform. When they discovered the bills were phony, they’d come to arrest her, and she’d never get to work with the big cats.

The waiter came back with a leather folder and placed it beside Rogar. She reached across and grabbed it. Maybe she could leave them an IOU. No, that would probably get her in bigger trouble. She opened it and looked at the total. It took her a second to catch her breath. She wanted to cry.

The wine they’d had with their dinner had been three hundred dollars a bottle. The meal was one hundred and eighty. Oh, good Lord! The mousse was thirty dollars! Thirty freakin’ dollars for pudding? It didn’t matter that it was decadent and exquisite—no dessert was worth thirty dollars.

The waiter pried the leather folder from her hands and handed it back to Rogar, who casually reached into his pocket and peeled off 6, one-hundred-dollar bills. Before she could snatch the folder again, the waiter scooped it up in his hands with a wide grin and bowed before making a hasty exit.

Rogar came to his feet, then waited for her. A waiter hurried over and nudged her chair. What could she do? She came to her feet as the waiter pulled the chair out for her. Rogar handed him a twenty.

Of course they would fall all over themselves to do his bidding when he flashed money at them. She was halfway to the door when she remembered something and hurried back to the table. The staff had already started to clear it. She marched over to the silver wine bucket and grabbed what was left of the three-hundred-dollar wine, hugging the bottle close to her chest. If she was going to jail eventually, then she was damn well going to enjoy the fruits of her criminal behavior.

Her gaze dared Rogar to say something when she rejoined him. He didn’t.

The valet brought the car around. The young man lovingly caressed the side as he got out. She suddenly thrust the bottle of wine toward Rogar. “Here, I’m driving.”

He shrugged. “It makes no difference to me.”

He didn’t seem to care if she could even drive a standard. This car meant nothing to him. The high-dollar meal probably hadn’t, either. The injustice was almost too much to bear.

She scooted in on the driver’s side, and the valet closed her door. For a moment she just sat there, eyes closed as she got the feel of such an exquisite piece of machinery. Then she opened her eyes and fastened her seat belt.

“Buckle up,” she told Rogar. She was so going to show him what this baby could do.

“You can operate this vehicle?”

Now he wonders about his safety? She adjusted the seat to reach the pedals better. “Oh, yeah, I can drive it.” An old boyfriend had taught her what a real car could do, and she’d been hooked.

After pulling out into traffic, she headed toward the outskirts of the city. As soon as the traffic thinned to nothing but an occasional vehicle, she glanced toward Rogar. “Hang on.” For the first time, he looked a little nervous. He shouldn’t, she knew what she was doing.

She downshifted, then tapped the gas, that’s all it took with this baby, but she could feel the surge of power all the way up her arms. The wind blew her hair as a rush of excitement flowed over her entire body.

It had been a long time since she’d felt this free. No more problems, no more troubles. She was outrunning them. She didn’t have to think about how many times she’d been passed over when it came to the animal keeper job or the crappy house she rented or never having enough money, always being caught between a rock and a hard place. No, everything was blown away like the wind through her hair.

Trees rushed past, buildings and businesses were replaced by pastures, which is why she chose this isolated area to test the car’s speed. She laughed for the pure joy of it. But when she glanced at the gas gauge, she knew she’d have to turn around and go back or they would get stuck walking. The needle was almost on empty. It was fantastic while it lasted. She slowed, then pulled into a roadside park.

“Well, what did you think?” she asked after she turned the key off and slid around in her seat to face him.

“I think you know how to operate the antiquated machine,” he said very nonchalantly.

“You’re not fooling me for a moment.” She grinned. “Admit it, you loved the ride.”

He studied her, then before she could react, he leaned over, cupped her head with his hand, and brought her lips to his. She was just startled enough that she didn’t stop him. But then his lips were brushing across hers, and the heat began to build.

His tongue delved inside her mouth, caressing, touching, at the same time his hand slid over the front of her shirt, un-buttoning it as he went, then cupping her breast, brushing his thumb across her nipple. She moaned, pleasurable sensations sweeping over her.

She had to stop him. She barely knew the guy, and what she did know, made her question his sanity. Maybe she should start questioning hers as well because it felt so good, and it had been so long since a man had touched her.

The headlights from a passing eighteen wheeler caught them for a brief moment, but it was enough to bring her back to her senses. She pushed on his shoulders. He stopped, but when she looked at him, she could see the effort written on his face.

“I can’t,” she spoke softly.

“Why? You enjoyed my touch.”

He definitely said what he was thinking. Most guys would’ve tried to pull her back into their arms and attempt to kiss her into submission, or given up and tried again on another date, or moved on to greener pastures. They never asked why.

She took a deep breath. His gaze lowered. Damned full moon that left nothing to the imagination. She quickly buttoned her blouse. “I’m not ready to go that far with you.” How prim and proper did that sound? Sheesh!

He moved back to his seat. “Then I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

This guy was really full of himself. “And what if I’m never ready?”

“You were ready a moment ago, more than ready. You ached for more, and you were panting. You still haven’t accepted what you are. When you do, then we will mate.”

“Excuse me?” He really had his nerve.

She wasn’t about to get into a conversation about how bad she might have wanted him. She frowned. Probably because he was right. She moved the topic to safer ground. “I won’t ever believe that I can shift into an animal. It’s a ridiculous notion. I think you’re crazy.” Had she actually just told him he was crazy while sitting at a roadside park, no one around to hear her scream while he killed her?

“I’m not crazy.”

“Of course not.” She attempted a friendly smile. “It was only a figure of speech. We’d better get back.” She quickly started the car and pulled out onto the road, keeping the speed limit this time.

Maybe she didn’t really think he was crazy. Not serial killer crazy, anyway. He had saved that boy’s life. Killers didn’t normally go around saving lives. But he was—different.

She knew he watched her for the first few minutes before he turned his attention back to the road. Rogar was quiet. What was he thinking?

Rogar closed his eyes, feeling the wind on his face. It was a feeling much like the one he had when he became one with the jaguar and they would run through the jungles on New Symtaria. It was the same kind of freedom.

He closed his eyes for a moment, frustrated with how things were going. He had to convince Callie of who she really was, what she could do. He opened his eyes, narrowing them as he scanned the passing scenery. The moonlight made it as bright as day, but there were still shadows all around them.

But were the shadows safe or dangerous?

Not all Symtarians thought it was a good thing to bring their people home if they had mixed blood. They thought it would weaken their race. These rogue Symtarians weren’t willing to admit the purity of the Symtarian blood was killing who they were. They needed impures like Callie to ensure their survival.

Yes, Earth was inferior in many ways, but there were good things, too. He enjoyed listening to Callie’s laughter, and watching her interaction with Sheba that first night. There was kindness inside her.

And he liked the way she immediately responded to his touch, pupils dilating, nipples hardening.

He drew in a shaky breath. Symtarians needed to mate often, needed the release that went with it.

A sign flashed, drawing his attention to the fact that they were back in the city. It wasn’t good that he would become so lost in thought. Danger was still out there, still waiting. He had to remain alert. If for no other reason, he had to protect Callie.