Page 49 of Catch a Tiger

Looking down, she saw her wild, matted waves were now shiny ink against her deathly pale skin. Vix ran her fingers through it and tried to remember the last time she’d seen it like this. She grabbed a lock and stared at the split ends, deciding it wouldn’t be so bad to cut some of it off.

Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “It’s a beautiful gift, Alpha. Thank you.”

Frozen hibiscus, icy red ginger, wild tiger, and alpha curled around her, filling her nose. Vix took a deep breath and sighed like she was just too relieved to hold back.There– something profound that reminded her of rich, dark chocolate with its bittersweet taste.

The alpha was her mate.

He washers.

Pulling back, she stared into those jade-green eyes and he was just soverypretty. She wanted to taste every inch of him to see if he was as delicious as he looked.

Would he let her?

Could he even feel the same pull she did?

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she dropped her gaze to follow the path of her fingers, watching as she trailed them over his shoulder and then down his chest. Vix stopped before she could pinch a nipple, losing her nerve at the last minute.

She had to be careful or he would shove her away and Vix wasn’t sure how she’d react to that. The scent of the bond and the knowledge he was hers could make her lash out, and he was already so reserved with her.

Reaching up instead of down, she kept her eyes on his mouth and wrapped an arm around his neck to pull herself a little bit closer. Every inch of her skin felt flushed as she studied his lips.

His scent surrounded her, and the sweetness of the hibiscus mixed perfectly with the red ginger, but it was the scent of alpha that made her want to push him into claiming her.

Pressing her body against his was the most natural thing in the world. He wasmadefor her. This alpha was her mate and he’d been created to fit against her like perfect pieces with no missing edges.

The picture they’d make together would look as if they’d always been a part of each other. There would be no gaps or missing shards.

Vix slid her fingers through his soft hair and that was the moment he tensed against her.

Her breath caught when she saw his jade-green was now full of glowing gold.

This mate of hers…in that moment, she was positive he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen even if she didn’t remember them all. No one could hold a candle to him.

Not even Gabriel.

Vix had been with a lot of people, always trying to fill up her nothingness, but she’dneverfelt like this with any of them.

This tiger of winter and ice had been made just forher.

Would he let her taste the ice on his tongue, or would he stop her? It didn’t matter. Nothing would keep her from trying.

Rubbing her cheek against his made her chest rumble even louder than before, and Vix felt her muscles melt when his scent marked her, replacing the nothing she’d had before. It mixed beautifully with the oils he’d used and she turned her head slightly, brushing her lips against his cheek.

The alpha seemed to be holding his breath, but he wasn’t moving away from her.

Vix let a soft sigh skitter across his mouth, allowing the seconds to slide by just so she could listen to the way the pounding of his heart got louder and louder andlouder.

Gently, she brushed her lips over his, sighing contentedly when he didn’t shove her away.

That was enough for now. If she pushed any harder, she’d lose her mind, and his scent was so carefully controlled. If she tried to take more, he might hate her.

Pulling back, Vix searched his eyes, trying to find anything that would tell her what he was thinking.

Then those strong hands were on her back, pressing her even harder against him, and the alpha waskissingher.

Uh-oh.

This was dangerous.

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