To Tempt A Tiger (16 page)

Vlad and Alexis both seemed distracted as they went deeper into the woods. When Rose frowned a question at Vlad, he said, “We’re listening and scenting for other humans. Don’t want to be interrupted.”

True. She couldn’t even imagine how they’d explain having a tiger cub out here. One more thing to worry about. How was she going to raise Zoe like this? She didn’t want her discovered by human authorities who might try to experiment on her like she was some sort of alien. But she didn’t trust the tiger shifters to keep her daughter safe either. A sense of isolation and the overwhelming task ahead of her tightened a band around her chest.

She startled when Vlad took her hand and squeezed, almost as if he sensed her distress. She forced a smile in thanks and was a little surprised when the tightness in her chest loosened. Glancing down at their linked hands, she realized she was starting to believe he’d stick around and support them, that she wasn’t as alone in this new world as she’d felt.

That thought led down a confused path of mixed feelings. She didn’t entirely trust him and yet part of her sort of did. But he’d kept information from her. Could she believe anything he said? Could she even trust her own instincts where Vlad was concerned? She still wanted him, yet without complete trust, did she dare give in to that want?

She couldn't explain exactly how she felt about him, even to herself, and she didn’t have time to sort it all out right then, so she took his comfort and ignored everything else. Right now, her focus had to remain on Zoe.

They reached a place where the trail disappeared beneath the snow and there were no signs of human hikers going farther. They continued beyond that point, tramping through the soft whiteness until Alexis announced they were safe to practice shifting.

“Vlad, why don’t you change and I’ll stay in this form. That way we can handle anything.”

Vlad brushed his fingers over Rose’s cheek once before moving off into the trees both taking and giving privacy.

Rose watched him go, her stomach twisting with those unexamined emotions. When she looked back, Zoe was grinning at her. “What?”

“You
liiiikkke
him.” She giggled into her hand, then threw herself against Rose’s legs, wrapping her up in a hug.

Rose couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re here to play tigers not talk about who Mommy likes.” She lifted one of her backpack’s shoulder straps and said, “I brought plenty of spare clothes if you want to change while you’re still dressed. It’s pretty cold out here for getting naked.”

“Naked! I not cold. I like naked.”

Rose glanced at Alexis. “Is this safe? She won’t freeze?”

“No. High metabolism. And a good fur coat once she changes.”

“But can she change fast enough? She’s only done it once so far.”

“Trust me,” Alexis said. “Okay, sweetie, time to go tiger. Remember, you are to listen to me and Mommy, and if we tell you to change back or to hide, you have to do as we say. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Vlad will stay with you, too, so you don’t need to be afraid.”

“Not afraid. I’m tiger!”

Rose pressed her lips together to keep from laughing again. She held Zoe’s clothes as she wiggled out of them, taking off even her snow boots. Seeing her daughter standing naked in the snow was so contrary to her instincts to keep her warm, it was almost impossible not to wrap a coat around her again. But Zoe didn’t seem to notice and she didn’t shiver as she bounced on her toes.

“Can I change now?”

“You give it a try,” Alexis said. “Remember, focus on how your tiger body feels, what it’s like to have fur and paws…”

To Rose’s surprise, the change happened very quickly this time. One minute, Zoe was a vulnerable little girl, and the next, she was a tiger cub, bouncing around in a snow bank as if she’d been doing this her whole life.

“How did she adapt so quickly?” Rose wondered aloud.

“This is natural to her. She just didn’t know it. Now that she does, she won’t ever have to go through those painful episodes again.”

The reality of that almost brought Rose to her knees. Whatever else they had to worry about going forward, knowing she wouldn’t have to watch her daughter writhing in pain was like a gift from God.

Vlad came out of the trees then, and Zoe launched herself at him, attacking with a little cub hiss and claws extended. Vlad jumped away, a move that sent Zoe tumbling through the snow. She stood up with her muzzle covered in white, sneezing to clear her nose, then she charged him again, bouncing around his feet and swatting at him to get him to jump away. He moved gently, letting the cub jump on his back and bite at him, taking the aggressive game easily.

“She doesn’t normally play that rough,” Rose said.

“Her tiger will. It’s natural for our cubs to pretend to attack like that. It’s how they learn to hunt—like a normal tiger.”

“She’ll want to hunt?”

“You squeamish about that?”

“No. I go hunting with my parents. We use bow and arrows or guns, though, not claws.”

Alexis chuckled. “I find claws easier. But that’s just me. Vlad can teach her what she needs to know. For now, this kind of game will get her skills up to where they should be.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon moving deeper into the woods, Vlad leading Zoe as she explored. Rose had one brief heart-stopping moment of panic when Zoe took off so fast she blurred. Vlad gave chase, but they vanished into the woods, leaving only a faint trail of prints to follow.

“Damn it, I was afraid of this. Zoe Callaghan, you get back here this instant,” Rose shouted. She started after them, following the slight depressions in the snow.

She’d barely gone a few feet, when Vlad returned with Zoe dangling from his mouth by her scruff. She hung there without making a sound. When he gently set her down in front of Rose, Rose glared at her daughter. “What did I tell you about running away?”

Zoe dipped her little cat head and butted against Rose’s calf.

“You’re forgiven. Don’t do it again.”

Zoe bounced up and pranced into another mound of snow, flopping around and covering her thick fur in white.

“You handled that very well,” Alexis said, settling a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Inside I’m a mess,” Rose assured her. “If we’re alone and she does that, I can’t catch up.”

“She’ll learn not to run away, and until she does, Vlad can catch her.”

Rose wasn’t sure what to say to Alexis’ assumption that Vlad would always be around when Rose or Zoe needed him.

She watched the huge male tiger pretend to fall over when the much smaller cub swatted him across the nose. Zoe danced and hissed and growled as if she’d just brought down an elephant. But when she pranced too close to Vlad, he swiped out and gently pushed her over. Zoe leapt back to her feet and jumped on his side. Alexis laughed.

“He’s good with her,” she murmured.

Yes, Rose thought, he was. She wasn’t even a little surprised that Vlad made a wonderful father. She’d known he’d be from early in their relationship.

But would he continue to accept the job?

Not long after they put Zoe to bed that night, Alexis excused herself, saying she needed to start making her own calls to ensure their trip to meet with the elders went smoothly. She left the cabin with a little wave, leaving Rose and Vlad alone in front of the fire.

“It was a good day,” Vlad said into the silence.

“Much better than I expected.” Rose turned on the couch to face him. “You’re very good with Zoe. Thank you. She really had fun ‘playing tiger.’”

He smiled and Rose’s stomach tumbled around in a crazy dance. In the quiet darkness, with her daughter safely asleep and Alexis gone, Rose could finally think about something other than fear and worry. Her heartbeat sped as Vlad’s always-yummy scent drifted around her, and the heat of his body, close to hers on the couch, warmed her.

His expression turned serious, matching her mood, and he reached up to cup her cheek in one warm palm. “I know there’s still a lot…unsettled between us,” he said, his voice deep and quiet. “But I want you to know, I’m not going anywhere. I’m in your life to stay now.” He rubbed his thumb gently along her cheekbone. “How much or how little you want me around is up to you.”

“I’m not really sure what I want now,” she admitted. “I’ve spent more years hating you than loving you.”

“If I could change things, I would, Rose. You know that, right?”

“I think I do. I want to believe that. And so you know, I don’t hate you anymore.”

His lips lifted in a sexy half smile. “Glad to hear it.”

“But I still can’t trust you entirely. You hurt me bad when you left, and that ache is still there.”

“It hurt me to leave,” he said. “I haven’t been the same without you. In fact, even before finding out it was possible for us to have a baby together, there were a few times I thought of coming back, because being without you made life feel…wrong.”

“Vlad.” Staring at him in the low lighting, it was like no time had passed, like they were back in the heyday of their affair, in love and talking about marriage. Before she knew tiger shifters existed. Before she’d gotten pregnant.

In fact, they’d spent many nights in settings just like this, a cabin in the mountains, snuggling in front of a fire after a day of hiking snowy cliffs.

He’d never made her feel odd for her thrill-seeking nature. He’d gone with her into the adrenaline jolt of adventure. And at night, when they came together, it was another kind of rush, the ultimate thrill.

Could they ever have that again? Did she want that again?

She’d changed in the last four years. Being a single parent to a child with medical problems hadn’t destroyed her love of thrill and adventure, but it had certainly made her more cautious and realistic. She didn’t have time for many of the distractions of youth anymore. And she didn’t dare to do something that could get her killed because she had a child to take care of now.

Her life wasn’t simply her own anymore. In many ways, she belonged to Zoe as much as Zoe belonged to her, and she lived to ensure her daughter was safe and loved.

He didn’t know her this way. Would he even like this more staid version of herself? She was happy with the woman she’d grown into, and proud of the way she’d handled being a single mom, but that didn’t mean he’d love the person she’d become.

She realized if he couldn’t, if they didn’t fit now, they might have been doomed from the beginning. She would have always grown into this person, she was certain of that. Even having a husband wouldn’t have changed her approach to parenting or the changes she was willing to make to be a mom.

“We don’t really know each other anymore,” she murmured. “I want you to have a relationship with Zoe. I think it’s important—beyond the whole shifter thing. But you and I? There might just be too much history between us.”

“You’re right in that I don’t know you as well as I’d like. But I can see the kind of mother you are, and the woman you’ve become. The strength you always had has deepened and matured. And I like it.”

He raised a hand and cupped her cheek, stopping her when she opened her mouth to respond. “I want to give us a chance, Rose. I don’t have the words, I don’t know the right things to say. I don’t know how to earn back your trust. I just know I want you still, always, and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to win you back.”

Her chest tightened with all the emotions welling up. When he leaned close, she didn’t pull away. And when his lips pressed against hers, all the old feelings and need came roaring back with the same power that had always been there—was still there. She fell into him, tunneling her fingers through his hair and holding him close.

He tasted so good, so right. His arms came around her, pulling her close. Memories of times past, of the nights they’d spent in each other’s arms, gave power to the moment. When she was sure he wouldn’t pull away, she released her hold on his head and ran her hands along his shoulders, down his back, remembering and savoring his hard, muscled body. His shoulders drove her crazy. She couldn’t get enough of them.

But she wanted less clothing in the way. She’d seen him naked several times recently and those images joined with her memories, sending waves of desire right to her core. Last night, just touching his bare skin under his shirt had scorched her. The thought of stripping him and exploring his beautiful body again robbed her of all sense. In that moment, she didn’t want to think and she certainly didn’t want to worry. She wanted to throw caution to the wind and take what she’d missed so much these last few years.

It had been a long time since she’d felt like a sexy, vibrant woman. She’d spent a lot of time being Mommy and trying to forget her heartbreak. In those years, she’d pushed her desires and needs as a woman to the back of her mind—something she’d worry about in some distant future when she had time.

Since Vlad had returned, all those suppressed needs had roared back to life. She’d resisted the lure of them last night because there was still so much unsettled between them. Tonight, she was losing the fight. Wetness seeped between her legs, her breasts felt swollen and ripe, her body tingled and sparked.

And it felt so good.

Only Vlad could do this to her. Only Vlad had ever let her be herself, completely and totally, giving her a freedom no one else ever had.

She wrapped herself closer, practically crawling onto his lap. Her responsible mommy brain paused a moment to listen for any tell-tale sounds of Zoe waking up, and when she heard nothing, she dove back into the lust and need, the feel and taste of a man she’d loved and wanted even when she’d hated him.

The feel of his hands caressing down her back, across her hips, down her thigh, made her wiggle against him, trying for a closeness she’d only get if they were naked.

That sounded so good. A naked Vlad, in her bed, his hot hard body at her command.

A bed. They needed a bed. Alexis was supposed to be sleeping in her bed. But
he
had a bed. Yes, a bed was just what they needed.

Some part of her thought maybe she should stop. They still needed time. Nothing had really changed from last night to tonight. In fact, learning he’d held some information back had shaken whatever trust in him she was starting to feel. They had to get to know each other again. They had to find a new balance, start a whole new relationship. They were parents. They [couldn’t just give in to their lust without consequence.