Tiger's Claim Read online

  Barefoot, he thumped down the few steps to the ground and made his way across the pale sand. Her joyful shout filled the air, and then she was off, racing toward the rolling waves. She dove beneath the surface only to pop right back up to face him. A wide smile split her lips, and her eyes danced with happiness.

  Something so simple as a swim in the sea made her happy. He shook his head. Not money or gifts. Just a swim.

  Cole tugged his T-shirt off, not missing Stella’s appreciative stare, and jogged to join her. Hungry eyes caressed his body, her gaze stroking across his chest, down his hard stomach, and finally settling on the bulge of his shorts. There was no shame in her seeing what she did to him. With any luck, they’d take care of both their needs before the night was through.

  He reached the tide line, took another few steps, and then dove into the cool waters. His tiger purred with the feel of it against his skin. It whined that he wasn’t wearing fur, but this was enough for it for now. Though Cole did have to promise they’d go for a real swim once this business was handled.

  He sliced through the water with firm, quick strokes and broke the surface right in front of the beautiful jaguar.

  Cole wrapped his arms around her waist, tugged her close, and spun her in a circle. “Got you.”

  Stella’s tinkling laugh filled the air, and she clutched his shoulders while they whirled and whirled. He slowed and spun the opposite way, reveling in her happiness.

  He gradually brought them to a stop, but he couldn’t find the strength to release her. Not yet. So he kept his arms in place, palms flat against her slick skin. He held her around the waist, but he took a moment to reposition his hold. He slid one hand farther south, caressing her ass with a gentle touch. Fabric soon gave way to heated skin, and he squeezed her ass cheek.

  Stella squeaked, and he grinned, giving her another squeeze before tugging her thigh and encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist.

  “Hold on to me,” he murmured, nearly groaning when she lifted her other leg as well. She crossed her ankles at his lower back, clutching him tightly.

  While also bringing her pussy so damned close to his cock.

  She twined her fingers behind his neck, holding him tight. “You got me.” She grinned, green eyes twinkling. “What are you going to do with me?”

  “I know what I want to do.” He lowered his voice, the words coming out with a rasp.

  She squirmed in his hold. “Yeah? What?”

  If they were on land, he was sure he’d scent her arousal. He’d smell her body preparing for him, and he’d be powerless to resist her.

  “I’d…” He brought his head closer to hers until their lips were an inch apart. “Spank this pretty ass until it glowed red.”

  Then he did a little of that. He lifted his hand and popped her butt. Not hard—the water slowed his movements so a spank felt like nothing more than a nudge—but the intent was there.

  “What?” She pushed away, but he tightened his grip.

  He repeated the pop. “I’d spank you for doing something so stupid as to try to break into a secured building.”

  That earned him a glare. He wasn’t sure if it was for the spanking or for calling her behavior stupid. Eh, he deserved a glare for both, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to apologize.

  “You’re saying I’m stupid?”

  Ah, it was that comment, then. Which meant she didn’t seem to have a problem with a spanking. Huh. His little kitten had a hint of kink.

  Cole’s dick twitched with the thought. He could spank her until her ass glowed red, and then he’d slide behind her and pound her sweet pussy until…

  He couldn’t let his mind get away from him.

  “No. I said what you did was stupid. There’s a difference.”

  If her darkening glare was anything to go by, Stella disagreed. “I can’t believe you’re not more appreciative of the risk I took—”

  “It wouldn’t have been a risk if you’d kept your ass in the bungalow. But no, you had to go—”

  “It wouldn’t have been a risk if you hadn’t stopped me from doing what I wanted to do last night. But no, you and your team had to play things your way.” She sneered at him. She pulled away, wiggling her ass.

  “Nuh-uh.” He shook his head. “This talk ain’t done.”

  “Yeah.” She pushed at his shoulders. “I think it is.”

  Fuck, but Stella was beautiful. Happy, sad, or so pissed she wanted to rip his balls off, she was flat-out gorgeous. Her struggling against him reminded him of those first few moments when they’d met. Which had him thinking about what’d happened just after they’d met, and…

  “No, it’s not.”

  Before she could say another word, he moved his hands. One remained cupping her ass, but the other rested between her shoulder blades. He increased the pressure and pulled her closer. Close enough for him to capture her lips with his own. He didn’t start out soft. There was no slow seduction. It was all need and want and a craving he couldn’t deny.

  He slipped his tongue between her lips, flicking hers and gathering the sweetness of her flavors. They slid over his taste buds, and his tiger purred with that small sample. It wanted more, though. It wanted everything.

  Cole’s human half did, too.

  He caressed her mouth, delving in search of more of her natural strawberry sweetness. His dick turned rock hard, aching to sink into Stella’s soft, welcoming body.

  Fuck he wanted her.

  Stella whimpered, and her hold changed. She went from pushing him away to tugging him closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled until their fronts were flush. He felt the tips of her nipples harden against his chest, more proof of her desire.

  She wiggled her hips, gradually moving until her hot center came to rest along the hard ridge of his dick. He shuddered as the heat bathed him. She rolled her hips, and he echoed the move, rubbing his cock against her pussy. She moaned with each thrust, whining and twitching each time those parts of them met.

  His balls drew up tight, throbbing with the need for release. He’d fill her until there was no telling where Cole ended and Stella began.

  Stella’s nails pricked his neck, small, sharp points digging into his vulnerable skin. He growled with that jolt of pain, his body reacting to the snippet of hurt. It bolstered his desire, ratcheting up his need for the delicious jaguar.

  Their tongues twined in time with the roll of their hips, mouths fucking while their bodies remained separated by cloth. What he wouldn’t give to strip the fabric away and sink into her silken heat.

  A tremor overtook him, and his balls grew firm and drew up close to his body. Need pulsed in his veins. Pleasure gathered and coalesced around his cock. He shuddered and groaned, a hint of a growl joining in the closer he drew to release.

  “Stella,” he rasped, fighting for air. “Fuck, Stella.”

  Stella whimpered and then whined, diving back into their kiss the moment her name left his mouth. As if she couldn’t bear to be separated from him.

  As if…

  The loud rumble of a motor cut down his arousal in an instant.

  Cole snarled and jerked his mouth from Stella’s. He scanned their surroundings for the source and spied a Jet Ski hauling ass away from the dock.

  “Fuck.” Piece-of-shit humans. Didn’t they know he was trying to get laid?

  Not that he should. They were near strangers, and he still had a job to do.

  Oh, and they were in the middle of Unified Humanity territory.

  * * *

  Stella wasn’t sure whose ass she wanted to kick more—the fuckhole on the Jet Ski or her own.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid Stella. Yeah, it was dumb, but it felt oh so good. His kiss, his touch, his hard—

  She cut off that thought before it could get her in trouble. Again.

  While Cole focused on the view behind her, she dropped her head to his chest and closed her eyes. She swallowed the groan that threatened to escape—no sense in letting Co
le know her level of disappointment—and focused on calming her heart.

  Gentle waves nudged them, sending their bodies swaying back and forth, and the evidence of Cole’s arousal teased her center. His grip tightened on her hips, sharpened nails pricking her skin, and a low growl vibrated through his chest and into her.

  Okay, at least she wasn’t alone in the sexual frustration department.

  He pushed her away from him, forcing their bodies apart until their hips no longer touched. He kept up the constant pressure until she lowered her legs to the shifting sands on the ocean’s floor. Then he took a giant step back, putting a few feet of seawater between them.

  Stella stared at him, secretly pleased by his heaving breath and the subtle hint of amber in his eyes. She’d brought his tiger out while they’d kissed, his beast lured by her touch. Then she realized he’d done the same with her. Her jaguar had altered her vision, and she still had trouble breathing.

  She closed her eyes once more. Maybe if she didn’t look at him, she wouldn’t want to jump his bones.

  “Stella?”

  She shuddered, and a new sliver of arousal slipped into her bloodstream. His deep voice, the dark rasp and that hint of a growl in his tone…Her pussy clenched, and her body begged to be filled by the big bad tiger.

  Apparently closing her eyes wasn’t enough to thwart Mission: Tiger Dick.

  Distance. Distance was what she needed.

  “I’m fine,” she rasped. She coughed and cleared her throat, then turned her attention to the shore. “I’m good. Maybe we should…”

  “Head in,” Cole finished, a deep roughness tinging his voice.

  Stella nodded, and a part of her was happy she wasn’t alone in her continued suffering. “Yeah.”

  Neither of them moved. Instead, they remained in place, gazes locked as the world continued to move around them. The waves gently buffeted them from side to side, and the wind whipped at their hair. The rumble of Jet Skis was joined by high-pitched laughter, and the cries of island birds warred with the mechanical sounds.

  “We should…” Cole tipped his head to the left.

  “Yeah.” She drew in a deep breath and pushed her jaguar back. It fought her nudge, the cat wanting to remain present. It wanted to pounce on Cole and take every bit of pleasure he could give.

  Which seriously wasn’t happening. One weekend, remember, asshole?

  It hissed at her.

  With a sigh, she slowly went into motion. She moved with the rolling water, fighting the sea when it withdrew from the shore. Her feet sank into the silky sand, and she trudged onward to shore and back to the bungalow.

  Stella followed the porch to the left side of the house and the outdoor shower. “We can rinse off the worst of the sand over here. There’s a door that leads into a bathroom, too.”

  She kept her eyes on her destination, still too buzzed with desire to trust herself. She was strong in many ways, but when it came to Cole it seemed she was the weakest woman to ever walk the earth.

  Stella thought Cole might have grunted in response. Or groaned. Regardless, another small tremor sizzled down her spine.

  And to think, they still had a couple of days left in each other’s company. Sure, they’d have to deal with the mission, but otherwise they’d live in each other’s pockets.

  She paused by the shower, and a quick turn of a knob had the water flowing from the showerhead. Cold water rained down, and she stepped beneath the spray, goose bumps forming along her skin.

  The moment she felt clean enough, she slipped from beneath the raining water and went to the side door. Her teeth chattered as she spoke. “I’ll get the hot water started for showers.”

  Cole didn’t say a word, so she glanced back at him.

  And then wished she hadn’t.

  He had his fingers at the button of his shorts. He tugged his zipper down—all beneath her watchful gaze. The deeply carved lines of muscle at his hips were revealed, and she wondered what that part of him would taste like. Hell, she wanted to know what all of him would taste like.

  “See something you like?” he murmured.

  Jolted, she squeaked, spinning to face the door once more. Yes, yes, she did like it. A lot. Hadn’t she been two seconds from getting naked when they were in the water? It hadn’t taken much to spark her need—a few touches and soft whispers—and then she’d been ready for him. Not that taking Cole for a sexual spin was a good idea.

  Because it so wasn’t. He was a violent badass agent, and she…was not.

  “Uh…” She’d just had her tongue down his throat and now she couldn’t talk to the man? Really, Stella? Really?

  Yes, apparently. Really.

  Cheeks burning, she rushed into the sparse bathroom, tugging the door firmly closed in her wake. She quickly had hot water flowing and was soon stripped and luxuriating beneath the warm spray. She washed away what little of remained of the salt water and made use of the small bottles of shampoo and conditioner for guests.

  And it was during those few minutes that she let her mind drift—to Cole, to their argument, to that damned building on the other side of the island. Getting caught was stupid, stupid, stupid. Not that she’d been willing to admit it to Cole. She might have been scared shitless, but a girl had her pride. And when she had nothing else, pride was the only thing she could cling to.

  She left the water running and poked her head out, unsurprised to find a blatantly nude Cole staring back at her.

  I will not look at his body. I will not look at his body. I will…

  She looked at his body.

  Dayum, he’s got some muscles.

  No. Bad Stella. Bad.

  She closed her eyes, and her cat whined. It wanted to keep ogling the sexy tiger. Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

  She held out a hand. “Can I, uh, have a towel?”

  Cole chuckled, the deep laughter vibrating through her, and she wondered if she could come from just listening to him laugh.

  Probably.

  Especially if he laughed against her clit.

  Dammit, couldn’t her mind stay away from sex for a second?

  A fluffy towel appeared in her hand, and she quickly wrapped it around her body before stepping out of the shower.

  “It’s all yours.”

  He took a step forward, and then another, closing the small distance between them. “Are you all mine, too?”

  Yes.

  She mentally shook her head and lifted her gaze—meeting his stare. “For the weekend. That was the agreement, right?”

  He narrowed his eyes but didn’t say a word. Instead, he stepped past her and climbed into the shower. The tension that’d crowded her left in a rapid rush, and her shoulders slumped with the sudden loss of anxiety. The spell he’d woven around her broke with the separation, the shower curtain acting like a shield against his sensual magic.

  Stella snatched another towel from the linen closet and got to work on her hair, taking out the bulk of the moisture in the strands. “Cole, I’m going to—”

  “Stay right there.” He spoke above the patter of water against tile.

  “I just want to—”

  He jerked the curtain aside, and she met his stare in the bathroom mirror. All hints of sexual interest had fled, as if the warm water drove out his desire for her. “Stay right there. I don’t want you running off while I’m not looking.”

  She rolled her eyes and turned to face him. “You’re acting like that’s a habit.”

  “For all I know, it could be,” he grumbled. Then he retreated, tugging the plastic back into place. “Do you want to tell me what the hell you were thinking?”

  “Not really.” The words left her mouth before she could stop them. She glanced around the bathroom, eyes scanning the ceiling and walls. “Should we be talking about this, you know, here?”

  “We’re clear. Now, don’t try to change the subject. What were you thinking?”

  “I just wanted a look around.” She tightened the towel wrapped ar
ound her body and tucked the ends between her breasts to secure the terry cloth. Fairly covered, she hopped onto the counter and got settled. “I thought I’d take a peek, maybe get the lay of the land and wrap up your side of the mission so we could get on to the fun stuff.”

  She managed to keep the rest of her thoughts under wraps. The ones that agreed with Cole. The ones that said she shouldn’t have gone off on her own. The ones that still caused her heart to race and adrenaline to flood her veins.

  He stuck his head out once again. “Sex?”

  Stella glared at him. “Torture and killing.”

  He disappeared once more with a grunt. Sort of a “too bad; it would be awesome.”

  Yeah, she could imagine it would be if his kisses were anything to go by.

  “Stella.” That was it. Her name said in a tone that told her he meant serious business.

  Well, good for him. He might want to talk about her field trip, but she wasn’t addressing the “breaking and entering” elephant in the room.

  “It was nothing, Cole.”

  “Nothing?” His voice barely rose above the patter of the shower. Then there was a metal squeak and the water ceased, leaving silence in its wake. Cole gripped the curtain and wrenched it aside. If cold fury didn’t cover his expression, she’d steal another peek at the business he had going on south of the border. “Nothing?”

  All right, “nothing” obviously wasn’t the right answer.

  Cole stepped out of the shower, droplets of water clinging to his skin and sliding down his tanned body. He moved closer, crowding her against the counter until she was forced to part her legs. But he didn’t stop there. He leaned into her, hands flat against the counter, and she eased back until her shoulders touched the mirror.

  “You entered a secured area—”

  “—it was only a wall. It wasn’t even topped with razor wire.”

  Based on the way his eyes flickered amber for a moment, her words hadn’t helped her situation.

  “—and then tried to break into one of the buildings without any tools or backup.” Cole tapped his neck just below his ear. “You don’t even have one of these. How could you have been so stupid? You were alone and—”