Teasing The Tiger (Seneca Falls Shifters Book 5) Read online

  With a huff, he wiped the wet sprinkles off his face. “I want you to know I will be getting even with you later.” He took a seat on the trunk of an old tree that looked as if it had been uprooted years ago.

  When he unzipped his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water, I pawed the bag, hoping he’d understand that I wanted my clothes. “Are you trying to tell me you’d like to change back now?”

  I bobbed my head and sat back on my haunches, waiting for him to set my clothes and shoes on the log next to him.

  “Let me know if you need any help,” he said, grabbing his bag as he got up and walked a few feet away before giving me his back.

  I quickly shifted into my human form so I could respond to his taunt. “I think I can handle it, but thanks.”

  Mitch glanced at the sky through a gap in the trees. “We should start heading back. I’d rather not get stuck out here in the dark.”

  What was left of the sunlight was fading, the sparse clouds tinted with pinks and yellows. “Oh, I don’t know, it might be kind of fun watching you walk into trees.”

  “Shifter humor…so not funny,” he said with a snort, then took my hand. “Come on, I know a shortcut.”

  His so-called shortcut took us through an area that didn’t have any worn trails, wasn’t exactly level, and hadn’t seen much hiking. It did, however, lead us back to an area I recognized that wasn’t far from his house.

  Snapping twigs echoed in the distance too far away and faint for Mitch to hear. Without drawing his attention, I casually glanced around the area, searching for the source of the noise. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary or notice any small creatures scurrying under bushes. “Do you ever get any bears or wolves out here?”

  “Seriously?” He shot a disbelieving glance in my direction.

  “I was talking about the real ones, not your friends.”

  “Not usually this close to the house. Why?” he asked.

  “I could have sworn I heard something.”

  Concerned, he stopped to glance around. “Noises carry in the woods. Is it possible you heard a rabbit or a squirrel?”

  “Probably.” My ability to smell might not function well, but my enhanced hearing worked fine. I was certain the steps had been made by something a lot heavier.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I have motion-activated lights on the front and back of the house. If anything gets close, we’ll know about it.” He tucked a curl behind my ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  His willingness to protect me warmed me to the core. I refrained from telling him it wasn’t me I was worried about, but him. I could take care of myself. At least most of the time.

  When we started walking again, I remained on alert, determined to keep Mitch safe and make sure nothing trailed us back to his home.

  Chapter Six

  Mitch

  No female had ever affected me the way Hannah did. The more I was around her, the harder it got to be away from her. The uneasiness I’d been experiencing since the ordeal with Avery at the restaurant hadn’t subsided, especially after Berkley pointed out the person she thought was following us.

  It only got worse after Hannah mentioned hearing something in the woods during our hike. I got the impression from the way she’d tensed that it was more than a small creature bounding about in the woods.

  I’d been reluctant to leave her at home alone and had almost closed the clinic for the day. I didn’t care that she was part tiger or better equipped than I was to deal with an intruder. I was concerned about her welfare and had called several times to check on her.

  As it was, I’d taken off early and left Noah Ross, the vet who worked part-time for me, alone to cover appointments. He’d started working for me a year ago while he’d finished his training, then stayed on after he’d acquired his license.

  Since he lived in Hanover, he split his time between a clinic there and working a couple of days a week for me. I didn’t have a problem leaving him by himself. Besides being great with the patients and their owners, he was capable of handling any walk-ins or emergencies he encountered.

  Normally, the drive home from Ashbury was enjoyable. Taking in the scenic mountain backdrop of spruce and pine trees intermingled with the occasional ash was usually relaxing after a long day on my feet. Today, the overwhelming need to spend time with Hannah, to make sure she was safe, made the drive seem a lot longer.

  By the time I’d parked my truck and headed for the house, my anxiety had reached a higher level. It immediately tapered when I walked inside and was greeted by the smell of freshly baked cookies. The pleasing aroma brought back memories of the short time Leah had stayed with me before she’d met Bryson.

  Of course, when my sister baked sweets, at least while she was staying with me, it usually meant she’d been upset about something. I hoped that wasn’t the case with Hannah. She’d seemed happy about the progress she was making on her book when I’d left that morning, so I hoped the cookies weren’t a sign something had changed.

  Even though I’d offered her the use of my office, I’d usually find her typing away on her laptop at the table on the deck. I hadn’t called to tell her I was coming home early, so I figured I’d find her outside.

  I didn’t want to startle her, but calling out her name would have been moot. She enjoyed listening to music while she wrote and had a wide selection programmed into her phone. Her favorites ranged from country western to rock and included a few upbeat inspirational tunes. Like all shifters, she had enhanced hearing, but with buds stuck in her ears, she wouldn’t be able to hear me.

  I pushed the door open and slowly peeked outside, then frowned after finding the area empty and no sign of Hannah. If she’d been baking, she could have decided to work inside. As soon as I closed the glass door, I heard moaning coming from the opposite side of the living room. My chest tightened as I imagined all kinds of scenarios ending with her being hurt, possibly at the hands of someone who’d been stalking her. “Hannah!” I yelled as I hurried toward the kitchen.

  Past the center island, I got a glimpse of a bloodied butcher knife lying on the floor next to a pair of bare feet. The pounding of my racing heart throbbed against my temples. I rushed around the corner, found Hannah lying on the floor, and struggled to get air into my lungs. Her eyes were closed, and she was dressed in a silky turquoise night gown, the hem touching the top of her thighs and barely covering her matching panties. What drew my attention most was the patch of blood on the right side of her chest and more pooling on the floor beside her head.

  Before I could kneel down to check her pulse, Hannah opened her green eyes. “Hey, Mitch.” She smiled and held her hand out to me. “You’re back early.”

  With shaking hands, I helped her off the floor, trying to get my brain to reconcile what I was seeing with what she’d said. “What the…” I thought she’d been injured or, worse, killed. I couldn’t believe the only topic on her mind was my early arrival. “What the hell happened?” I spit out the words a little more harshly than I’d meant to.

  “Nothing.” She frowned and took a step back, nearly stepping in the blood on the floor.

  “Sorry.” I softened my tone and reached for her hand. “When I found you on the floor, I thought… Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” She took a step closer.

  I raised a brow and glanced at the knife, then at the mess behind her.

  Hannah widened her eyes. “Oh, that. It’s not what you think. Well, it is sort of, but…” She smiled and rubbed my arm. “Remember when I told you if I get stuck on details, I sometimes like to reenact my murder scenes?”

  “Yes, but where did all the blood come from?” I hadn’t seen a wound on her chest or anywhere else on her body and couldn’t figure out how the puddle had gotten on the floor. She’d already told me she didn’t believe in hurting smaller animals, so I was curious where it came from.

  “It’s fake.” She grinned and swiped h
er finger through the patch on her skin. “I found a great recipe online.” She held the coated finger in front of my face. “It looks almost like the real thing, don’t you think?”

  “It sure had me fooled.” My accelerated pulse was slowing, and I was able to breathe normally again.

  “You don’t have to worry about the floor, because this stuff doesn’t leave a stain.” She licked her finger, then walked over to the sink. “I’ll have this mess cleaned up in no time.” She wrung out a dishcloth after dousing it with water.

  The timer on the stove buzzed, making me jump. I quickly pressed the button to turn off the annoying noise. The light was on inside the oven, and I could see a pan filled with cookies through the glass pane.

  “Would you mind pulling those out so they don’t burn?” She was on her hands and knees, wiping up the fake blood. “The mitts are next to the stove.”

  “Is baking part of your reenactment?” I asked as I pulled out the pan and set it on the cooling rack she’d placed on the counter.

  “No, those are for you.” She swiped the last of the mess on the floor, then walked over and picked up the knife. “The reenactment was to help me get a better idea of how the crime scene would look so I could explain it more vividly to my readers.”

  Hannah was an extremely intelligent and beautiful woman, but seemed oblivious to the effect she was having on me. When she bent over, my breath hitched. Her nightgown had risen a few inches, and I got a much better view of the underwear clinging tightly to her backside. A view that had parts of my body reacting, the uncomfortable evidence pressing against the inside of my pants. I was afraid if I had to deal with any more excitement, I was going to lose consciousness from lack of air long before my heart gave out.

  “I wanted to do something nice for you, and Leah told me how much you like chocolate chip cookies.”

  Even with a knife in one hand and a cloth soaked with fake blood in the other, she was an adorable sight. Several curls had dropped across her forehead and continued to hang in her eyes even after she puffed at them.

  “Thank you.” I brushed the hair from her face, tempted to taste her lips, but pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek instead.

  ***

  Hannah

  “It’s the least I could do after all you’ve done for me.” I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that wonderful kiss Mitch had given me the first day we’d met and truly hoped he planned to do more than place a chaste kiss on my cheek. And if he did, I didn’t want to be standing there with my hands full, unable to touch him. I walked over to the sink, rinsed out the dishcloth, then placed the knife in the dishwasher.

  Mitch chuckled. “Yeah, I can see where shooting you in the rear would earn me cookies.” He snatched one from the pan and took a bite. “Not bad,” he said after swallowing, then finished the cookie off in two more bites.

  “I almost forgot.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an orange bottle with a white cap resembling those used for prescriptions. “Remember me telling you about my friend Wyatt Thomas, the one who works at the lab in Hanford?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “He stopped by the clinic this morning and dropped these off for you.” Mitch grinned and handed me the bottle. “He said you shouldn’t experience any side effects, but if you do, we need to let him know so he can make some adjustments.” He opened a cabinet door, retrieved a glass, and filled it half full with water. “For right now, take one a day.”

  I nervously removed the lid, then stared at the contents. There were enough pale yellow oval pills to last at least a month. I popped one into my mouth, then followed it with a swallow of water. “Did he mention how long it would take to see results?”

  “He said it varies with species, but usually no more than twenty-four hours.”

  “That means by tomorrow, I could…” The ramifications of the pills actually working, the prospect of being able to scent properly and have a normal life, was overwhelming. I set the glass and the bottle on the counter, then threw myself at Mitch, catching him around the neck in a tight hug. “I don’t know how to thank you.” My eyes filled with moisture, my voice crackling with a sob.

  “Hey.” He kept one hand on my hip and wiped a tear from my cheek with the other. “No thanks are necessary. I was glad to help.”

  I was feeling braver than normal, and with his mouth only inches from mine, I couldn’t resist going for the kiss I’d wanted him to give me earlier. His hesitation to respond lasted less than a second. Before I knew it, he’d dominated the kiss and had my cat whimpering and me moaning.

  When he finally released me, we were both panting. “I know I said you didn’t need to do anything to thank me, but if you want to do that again, I won’t complain.”

  “I kissed you because I’ve wanted to for days, not because you’re trying to help me with my allergy problem.”

  “For days, huh?” His hands tightened around my waist. “I don’t suppose this kissing fantasy of yours includes other things, does it?” He wiggled his brows.

  I pressed my palms against his chest. “No, I think that was it,” I said, not certain I was courageous enough to mention what those things were, at least not yet.

  “Are you sure? Because I could…” He nuzzled my neck, nipping my earlobe, his hands slipping a little lower.

  My cat purred, insisting that I finish what I’d started. Even if he wasn’t my mate, there was no denying my animal and I both wanted Mitch and desired more of his touch. The next thing I knew, I’d climbed him like a tree, my legs wrapped tightly around his waist. Obviously, he’d been craving the same thing. When he gripped my backside to hold me close, he rubbed his hard erection against the part of my body that ached for his attention the most.

  “What do think about continuing your reenactment in my bedroom?” He left the kitchen and headed for the hallway. “I’m sure I can come up with some stimulating ways to help with your writing.”

  “It might take me a while to get inspired. Are you willing to give me more than one demonstration?” I grazed his throat with my teeth.

  He sucked in a breath, his steps faltering, his grip on my backside tightening. “I’ll give you as many demonstrations as you want, but if you keep that up, they won’t be in the bedroom.”

  I glanced at the plush carpet in the hallway, then nipped his neck again. “I can handle a few rug burns if you can.”

  He groaned, then muttered, “Killing me.” After taking the first doorway, which happened to be his room, not mine, he landed us sideways in the middle of his bed.

  We were lying on our sides, still facing each other, our bodies entangled the way they were when we’d entered the room. “That probably could have been a little more graceful.”

  “At least you made it to the bed.” I laughed, pushing the hair that had fallen over his forehead back into place.

  “Yes, I did,” he stated proudly before his lips found mine again.

  The kiss was different from the others. There was a drawn-out tenderness, as if he was committing the sampling to memory. The intense effect sent spirals of heat through my system. The moment I parted my lips, he accepted the invitation. He deepened the kiss with his tongue, his movements eager, possessive. By the time he pulled away, I was breathless and my cat was whimpering for more.

  “Hannah,” he panted, just as affected by the kiss as I was.

  “Yes?”

  He fingered the strap of my nightgown. “The next part of my presentation requires less clothing.”

  “Of course.” I tried to sound serious. “Whatever you need.” I unwrapped my leg from his hip so he could slide off the bed. While he hastened to remove his clothes, I did the same with my gown and panties, then tossed them on the floor. After repositioning myself so I lay along the length of the bed, I took the time to admire his naked body. My gaze landed on his thick, hard shaft, and the room suddenly seemed a lot warmer. “You’re right. A reenactment without clothes is much more inspiring.”

  He noticed
the direction of my gaze and grinned. “Appreciating the visual effects?”

  I rolled my eyes and snorted at his arrogance. “Yes, but props only work if you know how to use them.”

  “Oh, I definitely know how to use them.” He opened the drawer in the nightstand by the table and pulled out a condom. Once he’d seen to our protection, he started at the end of the bed, then slowly crawled toward me. Mitch might not be a shifter, but his movements reminded me of a predator. By the time he finished skimming my ankles and pushing my legs apart so he could settle his hips between my thighs, I was trembling.

  “I think I’ll start here.” He braced on one arm and ran a finger along my throat, trailing lower along the dip between my breasts. “Please feel free at any time to let me know how I’m doing.”

  He took my raised brow as a signal to proceed, then lowered his head over my chest. The instant he sucked my nipple into his mouth, I gasped. He suckled and teased the nub until I was moaning and squirming.

  “How am I doing so far?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer before capturing my lips. When I reached for his shoulders, he took my hands and pinned them above my head. “Sorry, but this is not a hands-on demonstration.”

  He shifted his weight, his erection rubbing against my center and making the growing ache between my legs almost unbearable.

  “You really need to get to the high point of your presentation,” I growled. “Like now.” I dug my heels into the back of his legs.

  He chuckled, aligning his shaft with my opening. “If you insist.” His thrust was hard and deep. His ability to read my body, to anticipate what I needed was uncanny. Each stroke he made was an exquisite torment that pushed me closer to pleasurable release. When he rolled his hips and adjusted to a new angle, my world exploded, and the strongest orgasm I’d ever experienced tore through me.

  After several more strokes and drawing out my climax, he made a final thrust and found his own release.