A Tiger's Bounty Read online

  They made love for hours and then sank into a contented rest, Amber thinking all the while that she didn’t know how she would ever be able to leave this man.

  * * *

  Amber was napping, recovering from her afternoon with Jace, when she became aware of some generic melody playing somewhere around her.

  At first, it seemed it was a dream, on the fringe of Amber’s consciousness. But then it became clearer as she became aware it was her phone ringing.

  She bolted upright and fumbled around the nightstand where she’d last seen it, her hands searching for the source of the noise. Finally, she found it and swiped her phone to answer the call.

  “Hello?” she said, her voice groggy from the afternoon nap. She’d never slept so much in her life. But having multiple orgasms made a woman tired, and she needed to replenish her energy.

  “Amber?” a woman’s voice asked on the other end.

  “Josie?” Amber asked back, recognizing the voice of her friend. It was one of her best friends, someone she’d known for a long time. Though the whole “ditching her at the bar so she could chase some cute boys” made Amber question the whole best friend thing.

  “Who is it?” Jace asked, lying next to her on the bed, his hand on her waist.

  “A friend,” she said as she covered her phone.

  “Where are you right now, girl?” Josie asked.

  “What do you mean?” Amber replied.

  “I’m at your place. I stopped by to visit, and you’re not home,” she said, sounding pouty.

  “Why didn’t you call sooner?” Amber replied, standing and throwing on the robe and walking into the other room, not wanting to be rude to Jace by talking on the phone around him.

  “Why should I have? I just thought you were sleeping in. We don’t hang out that often,” she said. Amber could hear her smiling on the other side.

  “Josie, about the other night, when we were at the bar. Did you see anyone put anything in my drink when I went to the bathroom? You were there,” Amber asked, hoping her friend could help shed more light on the situation.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, girl. You ditched us to go off with some hot guys that came by the table. That’s why I wanted to stop by. I need deets.”

  Amber distinctly recalled it being the other way around, but there was no point in arguing. Josie was just like that with her stories sometimes.

  “So you’re sure nobody slipped anything into my drink while you were there? What did the men that I went with look like?”

  “I don’t know. Tall, hot. You seemed pretty eager to go with them.”

  Amber felt Jace’s eyes on her, and she turned to see him watching her thoughtfully, as if conflicted about something. He stood and threw on his clothes while she talked with Josie.

  “So where are you now?” Josie asked.

  Amber recounted quickly the story of how someone had drugged her at the bar and taken her back to their place. And how she’d been saved and that she was now staying at the apartment of the man that had rescued her that night.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that. I feel like I’m responsible,” Josie said, sounding remorseful.

  “It’s not your fault.” Amber comforted her. Even if she was a bad friend at times, at others she was supportive, like of her teaching career. “I wasn’t being careful, I guess. I’m just glad Jace helped when he did.”

  “I promise to make it up to you, Amber. If you need a place to stay, you can come live with me,” she said, sounding determined to help.

  “Thanks, Josie.” Amber was a little relieved to have the option. But for the time being, she certainly felt safer with Jace.

  “So tell me about this friend. He sounds hot.”

  Amber didn’t feel like giving any “deets” at the moment. “I’ll tell you more about him later,” she said.

  While she talked with Josie about her job hunt and how it was going, Jace had walked past her and into the living room, grabbed a few things, and was now heading out the door.

  “Got to go. I’ll be back tonight,” he said, sounding oddly distant. He blew her a kiss, opened the door, and shut it, securing all the locks behind him.

  Was he being standoffish on purpose?

  Chapter Seven

  Jace was glad he had something to do to distract him from just how hard he was falling for Amber.

  While he was out, he paid visits to his usual contacts that were aware of dealings and goings on of the underground scene. Most of them were shifters, so they were able to clue him in on persons of interest involved that were shifters as well.

  One particular contact, who went only by the name “The Shrew” and tended to have a thumb in every pie around, was able to give him a lot of information about Billy Egan. Apparently, Billy and his cohorts, which until very recently included a dangerous shifter by the name of Brenner, ran a gambling syndicate that operated out of the docks and warehouse district downtown. But to Jace’s surprise, they also had a hand in human trafficking as well.

  It was far from unheard of for unsavory shifters to traffic human females, and even though the premise disgusted and enraged Jace, it gave him confidence that Amber had been more of an unfortunate random target of their operations, not a specific person they wanted directly.

  They’d probably come to her house and ransacked it hoping to flush her out and find her since she was an easy target at the time, but he saw no reason why they would persist going after one woman so long as it put them in danger of being exposed.

  Amber knew nothing about their operation, so she was no real threat to them. With a little luck, she would be able to relocate and resume her regular life as long as she played it safe for the next few months before graduating and then looked for work outside the city. In the meantime, he could keep an eye on her still. Track her with the tracer he had on her phone and in her purse and make sure no harm came to her from a distance.

  Ever since Amber had left him to take the call from her friend, Jace had become more and more worried about their arrangement. It was clear Amber had a life outside of this fantasy they were caught up in, a life with dreams and friends that she cared for and a career ahead of her. Jace had none of that. He and his brothers had been bred for precision and violence, and violence was his job. Day in and day out. As he saw it, he was little more than a glorified thug who happened to be on the side of the good guys, but that didn’t change what he really was.

  The gambling ring Billy ran would take time to dismantle, and Jace couldn’t do it alone. Not legally, at least. He’d need his older brother Carter’s help to do that. And Amber didn’t have forever to wait around. She had a life to get back to. It wasn’t fair to keep her in his apartment all day while he worked like this.

  Jace would be lying if he said he didn’t want to keep her with him forever. That he wanted to continue to know her better and learn from what she knew and share amazing experiences with this incredible woman. And that his tiger knew, somehow deep inside, that she was the right one for him.

  But just because she was the right one for him didn’t mean he was the right one for her.

  She deserved better.

  Jace headed back after meeting one other person, who gave only a little more insight into the Egan crime ring. Nothing of use for him. He picked up dinner at a nice Italian restaurant on the way home and considered how he was going to bring up all of this.

  When he did arrive, he found Amber looking as sexy as ever, lounging on the couch, watching TV and browsing apartment listings.

  “I brought dinner. How was your afternoon?” Jace asked hesitantly, not wanting to bring up the subject of her staying or not.

  “Good. Was able to find a couple new places that might work for me to live in once things are safe,” she said.

  “I see,” he said, mouth tightening at the thought of it.

  “Did I mention my friend offered to let me stay at her place? She was really insistent on it because she felt sorry for the other n
ight,” she said.

  “So is she the one that ditched you at the bar?” he asked, puzzled.

  “She says it was the other way around, so I’m not sure,” she said, putting the laptop down and getting up to walk over to where he was pulling boxes of food out of a paper bag. “Do you think it would be safe?”

  Jace didn’t know what to say. It was extremely unlikely the gangsters knew where her friend lived or they would have come by her place too. And as long as Jace kept an eye on things, there was no logical reason why she shouldn’t be able to get back to her normal life by now.

  That didn’t make it any easier, though.

  “I guess so. From what I’ve been able to find out, it was all just bad luck, so as long as you steer clear of anywhere they might expect to find you, this should all blow over.”

  Amber seemed disappointed at that, though. Maybe because it wasn’t the explanation she was looking for?

  “So you’re saying it’s okay if I go stay with my friend?” She stood before him and folded her arms.

  “Honestly, I’m just trying to do the right thing. I can’t keep you from your life more than I already have. This whole thing has been unfair for you. You’ll probably be better off staying with them.”

  What Jace couldn’t say was he wanted her here instead. That if he could, he would be with her forever and always protect her and love her.

  But that didn’t change the reality of their situation.

  Amber walked off with a huff, frustrated about something. From the bedroom, he could hear her packing up her stuff. He left the food and came to her, seeing her toss clothes and other things into the small piece of luggage she’d brought with her. It only further demonstrated how little she had left.

  Jace realized he wasn’t helping her at all. Just wasting her time. Time she could be using to get back to her goals or use to find a nice guy that could offer her everything he couldn’t. A normal life.

  One that didn’t involve a lowlife like him.

  It wasn’t until earlier that day when he’d kicked in the door of his own bathroom that he realized his world was as dangerous as it was and that having someone like Amber in it wasn’t right.

  “What’s up?” Jace asked Amber, who was fuming silently about something.

  “It’s just… I don’t know,” she said, trailing off as if searching for the right words. “All of this is just so sudden. I don’t know what to think of it.”

  “I understand. A lot has happened,” Jace said, trying to be helpful.

  To his surprise, Amber came over to where he was standing and threw her arms around him, nuzzling into him tightly. “I guess this was all just too good to be true?” she asked into his side.

  “Yeah. I guess so,” he replied, putting his arms around her. He could feel her breathing, a little faster than normal, and wondered what she was thinking.

  This was for the best, was all he could tell himself. The best for her at least.

  Amber looked up at him, and the view of her perfect, heart-shaped face with just the slightest hint of sadness in her eyes almost broke him. He leaned down and kissed her, long and gentle, relishing the feel of her plump lips and her soft body against him.

  “Do that again, please,” she petitioned quietly.

  He did so, this time dipping lower while tilting her chin up to meet his mouth. Whenever he kissed like this, it felt like forever. Like it accessed something unfathomable in his soul that he’d never known existed.

  He would perhaps miss this most when she was gone.

  “Will I see you again?” Amber asked.

  “As much as I’d love that, hopefully not. If the men that were after you see me anywhere near you, it would just put you in more danger. And there’s a lot of people out there who are interested in doing me and anyone close to me harm.”

  Jace wished he could explain what it was he did, but the less she knew, the safer she would be.

  And the more able she’d be to forget about him when she left.

  “Then can we have one more night together?” In her eyes, he could see her sadness. But Jace knew if she knew the truth about him, about what he was deep inside, she wouldn’t feel this way. The ideal of him was so far from the truth.

  Jace hesitated. His body responded to her instantly, and his tiger had already formed a bond with her unlike any other woman on the planet. He could handle it, and he wanted to pleasure her, one last time. The question was, could she?

  “I’m a big girl, Jace. I know what I want and I can handle the consequences,” she said as she looked up at him, sounding self-assured for the first time tonight.

  Jace smile and wrapped his arms around her generous sides. She tried to squirm away cutely, but he only held on tighter, as if he never wanted to let go.

  Damn, he would miss this. All of it.

  “I know you are. That’s what I like about you,” Jace said in response to her comment.

  Amber’s face contorted in mock offense, but before she could retort, he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

  If it was going to be one last time, he would make it one she would never, ever forget.

  He set her on the bed and pulled off her shirt, tossing it to the side. Today she was wearing a white bra, something that looked comfortable and cupped her beautiful breasts just right. In her eyes, he could already sense the heat, her desire for him.

  He would fulfill all of it and more.

  Jace laid her back on the bed and kissed her at the curve of her neck, surrounding her as each touch made her come alive in his arms. Her scent was wonderful, burned into his mind as the most erotic fragrance he would ever experience. Even the smallest touch of her body felt like home for him somehow. The kind of home that could never be broken or torn down. Safe. Magical.

  But even if the tiger inside him knew that, he knew logically that her life was outside these reinforced brick walls and steel doors he’d surrounded himself with.

  Straddling her soft hips with his thighs, Jace reached both hands under the cups of the bra and played with her breasts, feeling and squeezing and stroking. He ran his fingers over her nipples, and she moaned for him, driving him crazy with desire. He then unhooked the bra and pulled it off, devouring her breasts with his mouth, suckling and pleasuring them in every way imaginable.

  Amber’s hands writhed in the sheets as he did so.

  Wondering if he could make it even more intense for her, he gathered both of her wrists in one hand and pinned them gently above her on the bed. The fire in her eyes let him know she agreed, and he used his mouth and his other free hand to make love to her breasts and stomach freely. Every time he hit the right spot, her hands would strain against his as her body lit up, writhing with pleasure beneath him.

  Jace wanted to see her come. Needed to see her come. He brought his available hand lower on her body, reaching beneath her soft sweatpants and her satiny underwear and feeling between the soft folds of her sex. She was already so wet for him, so ready. But he would wait until he had wrung every last drop of pleasure from her. Make it so no matter where she went, she would remember at least this night.

  Jace relished the slick feel of her, and he ran his index finger slowly up her center, right against her clit in a way that made her cry out loudly in passion. He still held her hands above her head, and he could tell her body felt everything even more intensely because of it, the restraint giving her no way to escape the entirety of the sensations her body experienced.

  Had there been more time, Jace could think of a dozen or so more things he would have liked to try with her. But dwelling on that was a fool’s errand.

  Jace didn’t play games with her, but stroked over her with a slow rhythm that made her body tense more and more with each touch. As he did, he leaned down and kissed her delicious, perfect breasts, taking a nipple in his mouth and squeezing it gently between his teeth, enough pressure to make her cry out for more.

  With one last stroke over her heat, Amber came
apart, and he released her hands, which came down and dug into his muscled thighs as her hips bucked against him and she screamed out his name.

  Truly, there was no more beautiful sight than this anywhere in the world.

  As Amber came down from the high of climax, he slipped off her sweatpants and her panties with one go, baring her to him completely. Already, he felt like he knew every curve of her wonderful body, every spot that drove her wild. Yet that he could spend a thousand years with her and never cease to be amazed by her beauty, never desire another woman like he did her, never want to make love to anyone but her.

  Jace spread her legs and brought his face where he could lap the delicious wetness at her center. He licked over her clit, and she gasped in response. Jace wouldn’t need his hands for this, so he grasped her wrists in each of his hands and held them at her sides, again restraining her so she could feel even more pleasure. Her pretty brown eyes were bright and her hair strewn wildly about the pillow, and he could see the swell of her breasts from his place between her thighs.

  There was no time for reverie, though, as beautiful as Amber was. This time, he brought his tongue lower and stroked inside her, the warmth and wetness of her pussy calling to him. She struggled against him in pleasure, but Jace held her down as he alternated between licking lovingly over her clit and diving deep inside her with his tongue until her entire body trembled with pleasure.

  Her breathing was racing, long, deep breaths that heralded the approach of another release. He paused for a moment, just long enough for her body to pull away from the edge, and then resumed his ravenous lovemaking.

  “Jace… Jace,” Amber cried out, her back arching up and her breasts quivering as her body tensed. “So close.”

  The sound of her panting was music to his ears, and Jace licked once more over her clit, long, slow, and languorously, until she orgasmed again, this time even stronger and harder than the last. He held her down as her body struggled against him in the throes of complete ecstasy as she screamed with reckless abandon.