Page 36 of Tiger Born

He’d had sex with her in a bathroom. That was so unsanitary, and she was searching, but she couldn’t find a single fuck to give. In fact, she knew with absolute certainty that if he asked her, she would do it again. And right now, she didn’t care what that said about her.

She felt alive again.

You might be his Rabbit, but you are mine in every other way.

She loved the way that had sounded in his gritty voice.

Chapter Ten

Misty came to a stop at the red light and looked behind her.

Dame slowed and maneuvered the big motorcycle up beside her window. His boots lowered to the asphalt as he balanced the bike and stared at her.

She rolled down her window, and slowly, she rested her hand in the breeze between them.

That bright-eyed man cocked his head, then leaned over and brushed his fingertips against hers, igniting the swarm of butterflies in her middle.

Just a touch and then the light was green, and he hit a gear and revved his motorcycle, then fell into line behind her, following closely. Protective Cat.

Her maps function dragged her through Salt Lake, and to the outskirts. When she was just a few minutes away from the address he’d given her, Dame passed her and slid her a glance as he shifted into her lane and led her in the rest of the way.

The one lane driveway was lined with old trees whose branches curved over the road like they were shielding the sky from this place. It was eerie and beautiful all at once.

Dame led her to a parking area beside a house. It was medium-sized and painted dark brown with darker brown trim. The garage was open, and the lanterns on either side looked like real flames. Whoa, this place was fancy. The gravel here looked freshly laid, and he pulled his motorcycle in a loose circle near the mouth of the open garage, then used his legs to walk it backward until it was centered inside the garage.

He cut the engine and she parked where he pointed, right in front of the garage. A big charcoal gray pickup truck was parked in the other spot, and as she got out, she realized the parking area was bigger than she’d realized.

Closer to the trees was parked the truck from the other day. Marsden’s. It had a livestock trailer hitched onto it. The truck was still on, and the driver’s side door was wide open.

Chills rippled up her skin as she eased the door open. “Is everything okay?” she asked as Dame strode past her.

“Stellan’s in the cage.”

“The cage?” she asked.

A roar rattled the clearing, and she jumped hard, but Dame just offered his hand and led her toward Marsden’s truck like everything was normal. He leaned in and turned off the truck, pocketed the keys and shut the door, then stopped to brush his fingertips against a huge dent on the bed of the truck.

“Fucking Stellan,” he muttered as he led her toward a narrow gravel path that led into the trees.

“Um, Dame? I’m a little scared. I think this is the part of the horror movie where someone dies.”

“Not you,” he said, his words dripping confidence. “I wouldn’t bring you here if I thought there was a risk.”

“Where is here?”

“My house,” he said easily.

Well, knock her over with a feather. “You mean you and your brother’s house?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder. Everything on that house was pristine, from the crisp lines of the trim to the black roof and matching, polished black gutters.

“No, that’s just mine. Marsden doesn’t even live in Utah, and Stellan has his own place closer to town.

“Stellan should live in a swamp,” she griped.

He belted out a single laugh. “He would terrorize a swamp. The city at least makes him more mindful. He might not want to mind all the rules, but his tiger is smart. He’s a survivor. Exposing himself will get him killed by the humans quickly. Or worse. Caged and experimented on. This way.”

He led her right at a fork in the gravel path.

“Um, I am healing from your claw marks, and I don’t even know what you do for a living.”