Page 3 of Tempting the Tiger

“Allow me.” A long, muscular arm brushed against hers as Keair retrieved her pies. “These seem fine, Daniel.”

“Of course, sir.”

Grace frowned. Neither man had even looked inside the white boxes to make sure the pies were indeed fine. “Wait a minute, I need to check those. If they are damaged, I need to replace them.”

“They are perfectly fine, I assure you.” The man stood beside her, still studying her with that disconcerting gaze.

Grace’s dislike of arrogant men rose inside her. She placed her hands on her hips and returned his stare. “That’s not for you to decide.”

“Perhaps not,” he agreed.

His almost agreement robbed Grace of the steam she’d been building up. And frustrated her no end. She needed an outlet for the feelings boiling inside here. A good part of which was this unprecedented sexual awareness.

“But, I’m sure Daniel can make do with whatever shape the pies are in.” He smiled down at her and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to agree with anything he said. Especially, if he said he wanted to have sex with her.

She mentally shook her head. That was never, ever going to happen for two very good reasons. First, he would not ever want to go to bed with a girl like her—one that was headstrong and curvy. Not that being curvy was bad, but it was different. And not all men liked different.

And despite the look he was giving her, she knew he didn’t do different. No, she was positive that the only type of women one would find on his arm, or in his bed, were the tall, willowy ones that had unnaturally big boobs and an actual indentation at the waist. Not the oversized melons Grace called breasts and the muffin top that passed as the midpoint of her body.

“They are very good pies.” She felt the need to defend her baked goods.

“I’m sure.” His eyes took on a twinkle that Grace knew she would never survive.

“I’ll just be going then.” She took a step toward him to shut the van door, but he didn’t move out of the way “I’m going to need to close that,” she pointed behind him. He gave her one last long, lingering look before turning around and closing the van doors for her. She nodded her thanks and quickly walked to the front of the van. Thankfully, she made it inside without any other incidents and took off. She chanced a glance in her side mirror and saw him standing where she’d left him, his hands on his hips, watching her leave. It only then occurred to her to wonder who he was. Not that it mattered. He was probably some guest that she’d never see again. She didn’t let herself think about how sad that made her.

Keair stood on the driveway watching the van drive away. His tiger paced inside him, wanting to bound forward and give chase.

“What the hell was that all about?” The question came from his alpha who was standing behind him, arms crossed, looking intimidating as hell. Tarek stood beside him, also looking stone-faced. But then, that was the wolf’s natural countenance.

Keair headed back to the dining room entrance, all thoughts of a run erased from his mind. “I’m not exactly sure.”

“Well, take your best guess. I can’t have you flirting with the hotel guests. Not now anyway.” Everyone knew he was referring to the trouble they were having with the human group determined to run them off their land. Bachar had warned all his pride to be careful and to steer clear of women looking for hookups.

“Technically, she’s not a guest, Alpha,” Tarek pointed out. Keair shot the wolf a glance at his unexpected defense. Bachar glared at the wolf.

“Well? I’m waiting for an answer?” Bachar could be stubborn as a pit bull when the need arose so Keair told him the truth.

“I believe I have just met my mate, Alpha.”

Grace wasn’t at all surprised that her hands were trembling as she steered the van out of the hotel’s parking lot. Her whole dang body was one quivering mass of—dare she say it—desire. She had never felt such an attraction for a man before. Oh, she enjoyed a good looking man as much as the next gal, but she’d never felt sexually attracted to one before. Not even the boyfriend from hell, if she were honest with herself. His flirtatious attitude had caught her in a weak moment. One where she was feeling lonely and yearning for the touch of another human.

But this man had set something off inside her. Or, maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t a man. She was pretty certain he was a shifter. His eyes had been too unusual for him not to be and he’d been able to catch her and hold her in his arms for so long. Maybe they were like their animal counterparts, giving off some kind of pheromones to attract women.

Rolling down the window, she decided that had to be the answer. Feeling better now that she’d figured it out, she turned on the radio, needing some kind of diversion for the rest of her trip. Putting all thoughts of the tall, dark, and handsome stranger from her mind, she concentrated on other things.

Like what to make for this month’s special.

Since she opened her bakery almost a year ago, she’d come up with a new sweet concoction every month. If she’d known how difficult that would be, she might not have started the trend. But now her customers had come to expect it. Maybe it was time to drag out her old cookbook. The one she’d started in high school. The recipe didn't have to be entirely new, just a different version. Sometimes Grace thought the old ways were better. One really couldn’t beat the combination of flour, sugar, and butter. Add in chocolate and she knew she had a winner every time.

Maybe some type of chocolate cake. She wondered briefly if her rescuer liked sweets.

Not that she would ever see him again. Of that she was certain. She’d been delivering her baked goods to the Lion’s Pride for months and had never seen him before. He’d definitely been a guest, she thought.

Probably there with his mate.

Turning into the curved driveway of the second hotel, she told herself to make quick work of the delivery and get back into town where it was safe.

Safe from dark-haired men with amber eyes.