Purrfect Paradise (Bayside Tigers #4) (2 page)

"Whelp, this check ain't going to spend itself," Sage joked loudly, breaking the moment between Lilly and Bodhi. He grabbed Tallulah around her waist and they both marched out of the doors.

"Know anywhere I can deposit this?" Lilly asked.

"There's an ATM just across the street. Be careful, Main Street's a busy road," Bodhi warned.

Lilly half nodded and rushing outside in the rain.

A car sped past her, almost hitting her where she stood.

"Watch where going...idiot," she grumbled. The ATM was only a few feet away when another pair of headlights came barreling right at her. She had no time to dash out of the way. Suddenly, she felt something grab her calmly from behind rushing her out of the road.

A wet tiger stood out in the rain. The powerful beast pinned her down till at least two other cars sped by.

"Bodhi?" Lilly gasped when she saw a tattered uniform soaking in a nearby puddle. In seconds, Bodhi shifted back to his human form.

She gasped again at the sight of his completely naked body. She could easily see the smooth contours of muscle on his abs.

Lilly could hardly find her voice. "What are you?"

Bodhi prowled towards her. "I'm a weretiger."

"S
o,
all
of this time? You've been a..." Lilly didn't even know how to put it into words.

"I'm a beast of the night. A creature of the shadow moon. An alpha. A weretiger," Bodhi replied.

Lilly stood over the sink, wringing out her sopping wet hair with both of her hands.

"Most everyone in Bayside is a shifter. That's what our kind is generally called," Bodhi said.

Lilly reeled back afraid. The only thing she knew about tigers is that they're dangerous and blood thirsty animals. Lilith squatted down, shocked, in the nearest chair. Bodhi wore nothing but his chef's apron since his clothes got ripped in his last minute shift to push Lilly out of the road. Water dripped down the front of his body. And, of course, Lilith couldn't help but shamelessly stare the drops of water running down his washboard abs.

"Are you going to eat me?" she asked.

Bodhi raised both brows. He turned his head, and a slow smile spread across his face. "What?" he chuckled. "If I ate you, who would I have around to waitress in my diner?"

Lilly realized how stupid she sounded by asking that question. "Sorry, it's just it's a lot to wrap my head around is all... but thank you..." she whispered with a sincere tone.

Bodhi strode barefoot over to her, clutching onto his apron—the only thing keeping him from being completely naked and exposed. With his one free hand, he swept Lilly’s hair back behind her shoulder. She felt a painful yearning of the likes she thought she'd never feel again. Not after having suffered so much at the hand of her husband. Bodhi noticed that she tilted away from his rough touch.

"You're still scared..." he pointed out.

"No, I'm not,” Lilly insisted.

Bodhi squinted.

"Yes, you are. Look at you. You're practically shivering."

Although, in her head she wanted to thank Bodhi more than anything. Each of her frenzied nerves couldn't wrap her mind around the thought of being touched by a man who had a beast hiding inside of him.

But there was something about his smooth skin, the scent of his musk and the look in his eyes that fired up every inch of Lilly’s skin. Even if she didn't understand it, Lilith also couldn't deny that there was something that drew her to Bodhi. Something mysterious and dark.

"Could you just give me the night to think about everything that's happened? I know it sounds crazy, but this is just a lot for me to mentally process," Lilly rationalized.

"No pressure," Bodhi replied. "I'm gonna hose myself off in the shower. Are you sure you gonna be okay?" He questioned Lilith one last time.

She only nodded. The strapping tiger shifter then took off in the opposite direction down the hall.

Lilith gasped when she could see Bodhi's nice ass as he walked to the bathroom.

Lilith swallowed hard as she heard the shower water start to gush.

God, how does a man like him even exist?
she didn't think men could treat her nicely or care what she thought. Or, be so thrilling and ferocious. How could a shifter like Bodhi, with his perfect body and perfect abs, find anything interesting in her
very
imperfect body and
very
imperfect...pretty much everything else?

Lilly lay back on her bed, and her thoughts drifted somewhere a little wicked. She imagined what it would be like if she wandered into Bodhi's shower. She imagined seeing his taut muscular, birch like thighs drenched in soapy water. She moaned at the thought allowing her hands to lower in between her legs. She wondered what it would feel like if Bodhi perched her up against his hard chest and kissed her deeply underneath the hot steamy water.

Lilly eased her fingers underneath her white cotton panties, burying her face in her pillow so Bodhi couldn't hear her cry out in pleasure. Lastly, she imagined taking his length in her hand and powerfully stroking him until he'd come.

Lilly exhaled into her pillow as her body quivered in bliss underneath her warm covers. When her tense muscles finally relaxed, she stared out of the nearby window, feeling more alive than ever.

L
illy tightened the strings on her apron and kicked her feet into her white sneakers. Bodhi stood in the kitchen as big and mighty as ever while he cooked some burgers on the griddle. Now, it all started to make sense. No man could be as sturdy and built as Bodhi was without being some sort of mythical beast. She still couldn't get her mind off of him. And Lilith knew it was silly to spend so much time focusing on one man. Bodhi was still a man after all, but a part of her felt excited that she could even have these feelings again.

Aside from that, she felt overwhelmed. Tallulah hadn't shown up for her shift and now Lilith was running double the tables.

Quickly, she stepped up to Bodhi.

"Kinda have my hands full here, any word on where the hell Tallulah is?" Lilly asked picking up a tray of food.

"I was thinking the same thing about Sage. His set should have started by now, damn kid doesn't take anything seriously..." Bodhi growled.

Suddenly, the door swings open and Sage forced himself inside.

"Holy shit..." Bodhi whispered.

Lilly cocks her head to the side not really understanding what's going on. But when she turns to see Sage's heavily blood shot eyes, it's now obvious.

"
Oh no
!" she blurted out. "Your brother is hella drunk!"

"Fucking, Sage!" Bodhi fumed.

Before Sage took another step forward, he tripped faced down on the floor.

Bodhi glanced over to me. "Take care of this. Help him to my bedroom, alright. The last thing I need is for this jackass to make a scene."

Lilith panicked "What about the tables?"

Bodhi nodded. "Don't worry about it. I got it."

Lilly grabbed one of Sage's bulging biceps and veered up from the tile diner floor.

"
Alrrighhhtttt
, come on big fella!" she grumbled.

She then dragged Sage, half conscious, to the back of the diner. She sensed an intense pain in her back and knew there was no way in hell she'd make it all the way to Bodhi's room. With her bedroom right around the corner, she stopped immediately and slammed Sage down on her bed.

"Jesus, you're heavy," she gasped. "Why are you drunk off your ass, Sage?"

Sage only studied Lilly's curvy features. He then wrapped his arm around her back and pulled Lilly up against him.

"Wait? Wait? What are you doing?" Lily gasped as Sage pinned her underneath his weight. Lilly felt the stiffness of his crotch press up against her thigh. Sage held her as he greedily took her in his mouth. He chewed her bottom lip and then invaded Lilly's mouth with his tongue.

As Lilly tried to push him away, her fingers felt the contours of his muscles through his henley tee. Sage was all hot-blooded man. And it made Lilly furious that it attracted her.

You must stop this!
Lilly thought.

"It's chaos out there, but I think I finally got—" Bodhi strayed into Lilith's room at the worst possible time.

"Lilly?" Bodhi erupted.

Sage rolled back and looked groggily into his brother's eyes.

Bodhi lunged at him, knocking Sage down on the floor.

"You get the fuck off of her!" He roared. Sage exploded up from the floor, shoving Bodhi against the wall.

"Oh, it's not like you could ever satisfy her—like I could," Sage teased.

Before Bodhi could shove him down again, Lilith screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Bodhi! Sage! Cut it out now!"

Bodhi released Sage out of his strong clutches. Sage straightened the wrinkles in his shirt. He then took off out of the room.

"Good Fucking Riddance," Bodhi growled.

"Just let me speak with him. He's drunk and something's wrong,” Lilith insisted.

*

L
ilith raced off behind Sage.

"Slow down, will ya?" she cried.

Sage just kept on stomping forward down the sand dunes and towards the beach.

"Are you gonna tell me what's really going on or are you just gonna be a baby about it?" She asked wishing Sage would just stop brooding.

"Don't even say that word..." Sage grunted.

"What word?" Lilly shouted throwing up her hands.

"Baby?"

"Why not?"

"Tallulah's pregnant—at least that what she says...."

God, Sage. How could you be so stupid getting a gold digging weretiger knocked up like that?

"A baby isn't the end of the world, Sage."

"No, but it's the end of everything else I wanted."

Lilith didn't understand.

"I'm talking about you, Lilly. I barely got a chance to get to know you—and now I've gone and made the biggest mistake of my life."

Lilly didn't even realize Sage had any real feelings for her. This whole time she just figured he was the biggest player on the island. She thought he'd be willing to spout any lie if it meant getting into some girl's pants.

"Well, I wouldn't just take Tallulah's word. They’ve got to have some kind of weretiger paternity test, right? Then you can know the truth," Lilly suggested.

He smells so good.
She thought as she stood at Sage’s side.

Sage stopped Lilith as she started to trek back up the sand and towards Wild Cat Diner.

"So, you and Bodhi are a thing now, huh?" Sage asked grabbing hold of her arm.

Lilly shrugged. "I'm still trying to figure it out. I don't really know what we are. But yes, Sage. I like your brother."

Sage then let go of her arm.

"Do you love him?"

Lilly laughed. "We just met. You can't fall in love with a man you just met."

Sage cocked a drunken eyebrow, "Tigers do it all of the time."

"Well, maybe tigers should be more... y'know. Reasonable... take things slowly..." I replied.

Lilith could see that the alcohol was now burning off and that Sage seemed a little more calm and collected. He looked at her with those flaming eyes, and she immediately had to look away.

"My big brother is one lucky tiger. I had my eye on you the day you showed up in our rink-a-dink diner," Sage confessed.

Lilith knew that if she hung around Sage's gorgeous musclebound body, she'd only get worked up again. Even though the tiger might be a father to another woman's cubs, she still couldn't quit being obsessed with how sexy and tantalizing Sage was.

"I've got to go, Sage," she exhaled pulling away.

Sage twisted Lilly around and gave her a fiercely deep kiss, holding her so tight her breasts pressed up against his chest. His length was still as hard as when Sage manhandled her on the bed.

"In case you forget..." he whispered, giving Lilly one last sniff of her hair.

Lilith stumbled away with the strong urge of needing to be touched. She noticed the WE'RE CLOSED sign being hung by Bodhi in the window.

Thank God!

Because given the need that surged all over her body, she knew that Bodhi would be just the thing.

L
illy rushed through the door and saw Bodhi pressure washing the dishes in the sink. Without thinking she pulled him around, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Bodhi widened his eyes.

"Woah, well now..." he breathed when Lilith finally let up. "What's gotten into you?"

"I need you to touch me..." Lilith pleaded trying to go in for another deep kiss.

She kissed him so hard Bodhi pressed his hand on the cooling stove.

"Oh, I'm
so
sorry!" Lilith cried.

Bodhi spoke fast, wanting nothing more than to taste her lips again. "No worries, I heal fast..."

Bodhi then groped Lilly's hips, ripping her stained apron off of her sun-yellow dress. Lilly kicked of her scuffed white tennis shoes gazing into Bodhi's smoldering golden eyes. He pulled his shirt out of his pants and then ripped out the buttons. Lilly laughed at the sound of loose buttons skipping across the tile floor.

Bodhi struggled to pull down the top of her dress. With enough force, he yanked down both her top and bra and took Lilly's nipple into his mouth. Lilly moaned as Bodhi closed his hot mouth on her nipple while posting her up against the fridge. The two of them stopped for a second, panting heavily, to really look at each other's eyes.

Lilith hadn't made love to a man for almost seven years, and she hardly counted the times with her husband. Hogan didn't care one bit to try and satisfy her. Not like the way Bodhi touched her, tasted her and ravaged her like she always dreamed a man would take her. The strapping weretiger gathered the curvy Lilly into his arms.

Lilly pointed. Noticing that they passed her bedroom. "Where are you going? My room's right there!"

Bodhi shook his head. "I can't that whole room is marked with Sage's scent."

Bodhi charged up the stairs with Lilly bouncing in his arms. He turned the corner in his room and thrust Lilly on the bed. Lilly laughed so hard she could hardly undo Bodhi's black leather belt.