Sexual Shift (5 page)

But what was he planning to do with Hilly? Tanner lifted his glass to take another sip, then set it down and stared into the clear liquid. His cock twitched in anticipation. Once through with her, could he discard her as he had all the others? He frowned and took a bigger drink. To discard a woman like Hilly would take a lot of resolve. Did he have enough strength? Enough willpower?

She was here.

Tanner’s heart leapt as he lifted his gaze toward the front of the restaurant. His demon senses came alive, picking up Hilly’s scent a full minute before she stepped through the front door and greeted the hostess.

Dressed in a slinky red dress showing off her assets to perfection, Hilly smiled at the younger woman, then looked toward the seating area to his left. Her hair flowed from side to side as she moved her head, scanning the restaurant. Instead of raising his hand to beckon to her, he continued to watch her, unwilling to end his chance to study her without her knowing.

Yes, his father would love her. Her kind spirit shone through in the way she held herself, the way she gave a special smile to everyone she greeted. His heart grew larger simply watching her.

The other side of him, however, the side his mother had nourished, longed for nothing more than to throw her to the floor and make her his, to make her cry at his leaving. He frowned, unable to rid himself of the awful thought.

I should leave.

Hilly could hear the small voice in her head shouting at her to turn on her heel and run. Another voice commanded her to stay. The voice she yearned to listen to, the voice of her desire, spoke to her, sending a thousand butterflies fluttering inside her stomach.

Smoothing the material of the tight dress her sisters had convinced her to wear, Hilly fingered the hem and wondered, for the zillionth time, if the dress was too short. Several men shot her admiring glances while the women with them pelted her with warning scowls. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm under their scrutiny.

Why had she come? Tanner was passing through, a man who seemed out of place in a small town. Even his Italian shoes looked out of place. He held a dark presence that made her tingle in alarm yet intrigued her more than she cared to admit. Then there was the problem of how they’d met. What kind of man hid behind bushes to hook up with women? Certainly not someone she wanted to know. Yet she’d come to meet him anyway.

She inhaled, suddenly aware of his presence. She jerked her head toward the other side of the restaurant, the side containing the bar, and saw him.

Damn, but he was hot.

Hilly swallowed, her mouth gone dry. He found her, his mesmerizing silver-blue eyes melting into her then pulling her to him. His dark hair, tied back, shone under the dim lights of the bar, and his black shirt and slacks shimmered as though allowing a small part of his inner essence to escape.

Meg was right. Tanner was a bad boy. The ultimate bad boy without being obvious about it. She could sense his magnetism compelling her to give him whatever he wanted for as long as he wanted it. Danger seethed around him, edged in his strong jawline, pulsing in the hollow of his neck. Unbridled power ebbed from him, a power born of enormous strength and sexual energy.

Once again, she told herself to leave. Once again, she disobeyed.

Praying her legs would hold her, she walked toward him, clutching her purse in a death grip.

Tanner rose to greet her, and she settled into the booth opposite him. The power she’d felt several feet away intensified, surrounding her with a sexual need. The closer she came to him, the harder it was to think, to breathe.

“I was worried you wouldn’t come.”

Although he sounded sincere, Hilly recognized the lie behind his words. She doubted any woman had ever stood him up.

“You look amazing.” He took her in, the hunger in his eyes almost palpable.

“Thank you.” She sighed, relieved at how normal her voice sounded.

Tanner motioned to the waitress and without bothering to ask Hilly, gave her directions to bring them the best champagne in the house. The waitress shifted from one foot to the other.

Hilly smiled at the girl, understanding her dilemma. “Um, they don’t carry champagne here. But I’d love a glass of chardonnay.”

The young girl gave her a look of thanks and took Tanner’s order to refill his drink. She paused, reached toward Tanner, then yanked her hand back as though he’d tried to bite her. Hurrying away, she glanced back over her shoulder several times before making it to the bar.

Hilly kept her eyes on the girl, hoping to give her heart time to slow down. At last, she blinked, then looked at Tanner to find him staring at her.

“What is it?”
Please don’t tell me I have a wardrobe malfunction.

Tanner leaned back, resting against the booth cushion with an air of nonchalance, yet the air around him thickened, sizzling with electricity. “I know what you are.”

Chapter Four

Hilly gripped the edge of the cushion. “I’m sorry?”

Tanner’s silver-blue eyes darkened, changing to a smoky gray. “I said…I know what you are.”

She forced a laugh and inwardly cringed at the brittle sound. “Well, of course you do. Everyone in Cottageville does. I’m the part-owner of a bakery.”

The waitress returned with their drinks, glancing at Tanner so many times she managed to slosh Hilly’s drink onto the table. Hilly took the goblet from the entranced young woman, grabbed a napkin and wiped up the spill. The girl stayed where she was, playing with the ends of her hair.

Was she waiting for payment? But no, the girl wanted something—
someone
—more.

Tanner waved his hand, dismissing the waitress. “Thanks. Just put it on my tab.” But the girl didn’t budge. Instead, she stared longingly at Tanner.

If Hilly hadn’t been worried about what Tanner was going to say to her, she would’ve found the girl’s infatuation amusing. Did she expect him to sweep her into his arms and carry her away? “Um, she’s still here.”

Tanner sat back in his seat, studied the waitress for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “Go away.”

The young girl blinked and shook her head as though coming out of a trance, opened her mouth to say something, then let out a little squeal and rushed off.

“Do you always have such an effect on women?” She couldn’t blame the girl. Even the woman at the bar had a difficult time taking her attention off him.
Hilly took a drink of her wine and adopted an innocent expression.

“I do.” The beginning of a soft smile played on his lips.

She choked on the last sip, then coughed, trying to recover. “I guess modesty isn’t a concern for you, is it?”

“The facts are the facts.” He leaned forward, his eyes sparkling even as they darkened. “I can’t deny what I am any more than you can deny what you are.”

Oh. My. Word.

How dark would his eyes turn? What did it mean when they grew dark? Hilly swirled her drink, using the movement as an excuse to tear herself away from his tantalizing eyes. Even without looking at him, she could feel his magnetism, feel his overpowering charm oozing from every part of his body. How could one man possess so much charisma, so much allure, so much…danger? She itched to touch him, to explore every inch of him, to have him touch her in every way.

Get a grip before you start acting like the silly waitress.

“Did you hear me?” He waited until she lifted her head to meet his gaze. “I know what you are.”

“Hmm?” She took another drink, unsure of what else to do. She couldn’t just keep acting dumb.

Would he follow her if she got up and left? She caught him studying her in an I-want-your-body kind of way. Trouble was, her body wanted to answer with a resounding “yes!”

Did she even want to leave?

He laughed, turning the head of every woman within fifty feet of them. The warmth in the laugh, the fullness of his voice rippled through her. “You, Hilly Tristan, are amazing. A real treasure. That’s what you are.”

Hilly let out a long, slow breath of relief. She was wrong. He didn’t know what she was, after all.

“Of course, being a treasure goes along with the fact that you’re a shape-shifter.”

Her quick inhale brought the wine into her throat and up through her nose. She grabbed a napkin and covered her nose and mouth as she sputtered.

“Are you all right?” He started to rise, but she held a hand up and shook her head, keeping him where he was.

“I’m fine.” Swallowing hard, she dabbed the napkin at the corners of her eyes. “You caught me off-guard, is all.”

“I’m not sure why what I said surprised you. You didn’t think I was fooled by your impersonation of Emma Grace, did you? Granted, it was a dead-on impersonation, but maybe that was part of the problem.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His face lit up as though intrigued by her denial. “Seriously, Hilly? Come on. No one, not even identical twins look exactly alike. You were a perfect match, from the hair, the skin tone, down to the tiny scar on her forehead. Are you trying to tell me two children can get a scar in exactly the same place and both scars are exactly the same length with a slight bend at the end? You were too close a match to be anything other than a shape-shifter.”

“A shape-shifter?” She had to think, had to find a way out of the conversation, but every time she looked his way, she couldn’t think straight.

“Are you really going to play dumb? You are much too intelligent a woman to play games. You know what a shape-shifter is as well as I do.”

She couldn’t see any way out of the situation. Besides, what was the point if he already knew what she was?

“I wasn’t trying to fool anyone.” She straightened her shoulders. “Okay, maybe in a little way I was. But not directly. Not like I was attempting to trick anyone. I was just playing with my niece.”

He tilted his head, and the slight gesture made her take note of his strong jawline. Did he always have five o’clock shadow? Did he ever shave so a woman could skim her hand along his face and feel the smoothness?

“Oh, I know. I didn’t mean it any other way.” He took a sip of his drink and surveyed the room around them before bringing his attention back to her. “I think it’s great that you entertain your niece. Shows you have a real maternal instinct. But then, we already knew as much since you took care of your sisters when you were barely more than a child yourself.”

“Since the cat’s out of the bag, I was going to ask you how you knew. Granted, you noticed I was too much of an exact copy, but were there other signs?” She might as well learn how to hide in plain sight better.

He shot her a grin. “Why do you want to know? So you can perfect your charade for the next time?”

She shrugged. “Curiosity, I guess.” She couldn’t help but grin. “You know. As in ‘curiosity killed the cat’?”

She loved his grin. He transformed, his grin overtaking his face and making his eyes sparkle with mirth. With or without a grin, he was hotter than hell. God, how she’d love to lick his earlobe. She took another sip to keep from sliding her tongue over her upper lip.

“I could tell by the way you behaved. Emma Grace acted like a five-year-old girl. You acted like someone older, someone who’s used to being in charge. Between the exact copy thing, and your rather advanced speech pattern and attitude, it wasn’t hard to figure out.”

“You’re very perceptive.” She relaxed a little, her mind finally getting up to speed. Now that he knew what she was, shouldn’t he come clean about his identity, too?

“I am. Of course, having known several shape-shifters in my time may have helped. Each of your kind is special, but I can sense the same underlying fundamental nature.”

“You know other shape-shifters?” Who was he anyway that he’d have the opportunity to meet others like her? She’d only met one other shape-shifter. “Where? Who?”

“Here and there.” He lifted a black eyebrow. “Hilly, are you saying you haven’t met anyone like you?”

“I’ve met one. But I was too young to ask the right questions. Before I knew it, she was gone.”

“Too bad. Shape-shifters on the whole are a lot of fun. Although I get the impression you need to loosen up.”

Loosen up? She’d almost shagged him in the hallway of the bakery. How much looser could she get? “It seems like you get a lot of impressions.”

He didn’t respond, instead dropping his attention to his drink, then slugging back what was left. “You must’ve found it difficult growing up as the only shape-shifter in your home. I guess a sister who’s a witch wouldn’t be much help in understanding your unique abilities. Still, judging from your impersonation of Emma Grace, you’ve managed to hone your skills.”

Would he ever stop surprising her? “How do you know Meg’s a witch?” Was it another impression?

“From the first moment I saw her I knew. Her aura is amazing. She’s very powerful. Especially now—”

“Especially now what?”

He took a sip, his expression unreadable. “Nothing. I’m not sure why I said that.”

Silence fell between them as Hilly digested the information. But she had to wonder. Did he know about Allie, too?