Once Upon a Tiger Read Free Page A

here in the mountains to wallow in the frustration of having to resist the only man she wanted.
    Now Victor was here. No one between them. And her hormones were making things infinitely worse.
    His being naked did not help her control either—which was hanging on by a very tiny, thin thread.
    She motioned to her bedroom. “I’m sure I’ve got something in there big enough to fit you.” She generally kept a few spare things on hand for the Chernikov brothers, the only males allowed in her territory. Victor would fit into the oldest boy’s clothes.
    He nodded and strolled easily through her small living room to the large bedroom that took up the left side of her cabin.
    To keep from staring at his ass, she turned to the fireplace and stoked the flames. They didn’t need the heat. It wasn’t all that chilly—especially for her kind, with their high metabolisms—but she didn’t like using her generator in the evening when she didn’t need it, so the fire was the only light in the room. Any light was better than being in the dark with Victor. Darkness forgave mistakes. In the dark, it was easy to pretend she could have him. If she allowed herself any room to act, she’d follow him into her bedroom and take advantage of his nakedness.
    He was forbidden by the elders from taking a mate, though. And she was in estrous. If she fucked him now, she risked getting pregnant—and bringing down the wrath of the elders on them both.
    She stared at her open bedroom door. She couldn’t do that to him. Or rather, she didn’t want to do that to him. Right now, it was hard for her to think beyond the need to have him.
    Why the hell was he here?
    She pulled in a deep breath in an attempt to calm her racing heartbeat only to get hit with his distinct and delicious scent. Damn but the man smelled good. Musk, male, a hint of something earthy, and that impossible to describe mix of pheromonal “spices” that flavored her tongue and infused her senses.
    She was so much more sensitive to him right now. Damn it. Why, why, why was he here?
    Her acutely sensitive ears picked up the sound of material slipping over his body as he got dressed. Oh, that was too much to deal with. She went to a nearby table, snatched out a pen, then went hunting for some paper. She finally found an old notebook tucked in between her collection of paperbacks on the bookshelf outside her bedroom door.
    Victor walked out just as she recovered the pad, so she shoved it and the pen into his hands and turned her back on him. He wore a pair of cargo pants and a flannel shirt. He was about the sexiest looking man she’d ever seen. Clenching her jaw to keep from jumping him, she hurried to the open kitchen on the opposite side of the living room.
    “You want something to drink?” She made a face when she realized he couldn’t answer if she wasn’t looking at him, then looked over her shoulder.
    He smiled and nodded.
    “Beer?”
    He shook his head.
    “Water? The only thing I have besides water is diet soda. And tea. But I’ll have to boil the kettle.”
    He flipped open the notebook, jotted down something and crossed to show her his answer.
    “Water it is, then,” she said. It was embarrassing how fast she rushed away from him.
    She stayed quiet while she got his drink, coming to terms with the fact that she was going to have to sit close to him so they could communicate. Her eyesight was good, but she couldn’t read his notes from all the way across the room without it being awkward. And obvious.
    Blowing out a breath, she faced him and gestured to the couch. He sat and accepted the glass. She stood for a minute too long before finally settling next to him.
    “Okay. Why are you here?” She asked the question she’d been repeatedly asking herself. “If it’s because the elders have said I have to run…” She trailed off, leaving an underlying threat unspoken, because she couldn’t bring herself to tell him an outright lie—that she wouldn’t give in