Page 12 of The Tiger King's Christmas Bride

Chapter Five

Mine,a strange yet familiar voice whispered inside of her, and Violet almost choked.

What was happening to her? She backed up and Dean removed the bottle from her mouth, placing it on the table with a low click. Violet had to distance herself before she really did something embarrassing she thought and set her feet on the smooth wood floor.

She stood up and ignored his outstretched hand. Touching him now would be a mistake. Looking down she realized that someone, him, must have taken her shoes off she thought idly as she tried to get her emotions under control.

She felt hot and restless. Like something inside of her was itching to get out and take over. Her heart squeezed inside of her chest, her stomach flip-flopped, and she was having trouble breathing. She tried to suck in a deep breath but was too close to panicking to succeed.

“Easy. Slow breaths.”

Oh my, she thought as more of his incredible scent filled her nostrils. Pine trees and cool, clean snow.

She loved the way it tickled her senses and made her want to bury her nose close to its source. She wanted to strip off her clothes and rub herself all over him, to absorb his scent into her skin.

Wait. What?Since when did she want to roll around with a complete and total stranger?

Not stranger. Mate.

“What is that?”

She whimpered and clutched her head while her heart hammered rapidly inside her chest.

“Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. Uh, I think I might be sick. Thank you for taking care of me, but I need a doctor, an ambulance, something. Did you call someone?”

Okay, she was getting hysterical but Dean just held his hands up in a calming gesture.

“Easy, little one. It’s okay. I am sorry but I specifically did not bring a phone this trip because I wanted to get away for the holiday and I didn’t want anyone to find me.”

“Oh, I am so sorry, I ruined your vacation.”

“Not at all. You have made it completely worthwhile. The snow is really starting to come down and even if I did have a phone, you’re not going to be able to get anyone out here now,” he continued reasonably.

“I, uh, maybe I can walk?” she said and knew from the expression on his face that it was a bad idea.

“Sweetheart, we are twenty miles outside of town, in the woods, and in the middle of a bad winter storm on Christmas Eve. The roads are all closed already, I saw State Troopers closing them when I arrived here and that was about six hours ago,” he pointed to the windows and she could see the snow falling and wind howling outside.

It was a veritable blizzard. Shit. That meant Violet was stuck indoors with a sexier-than-any-one-man-should-be-allowed-to-be stranger and a weird, possessive, sex-crazed voice talking to her from inside her head.

OMG!Maybe she was nuts or dying? Maybe she’d banged her head harder than either of them knew?

“Look, I don’t mean to sound crazy, but I, I’m hearing voices, I really think I need to go to the hospital.”

“If you just calm down, I will explain, okay?” he said and looked very concerned about her well-being.

Of course he does, I’m a raving lunatic, and this is his house. Shit. Shit. SHIT!

“It’s so weird because I feel fine, I mean I know I should be hurt or aching, I mean look at my shirt,” she pulled the ugly Christmas sweater she’d worn to work that day and looked at the blood-splattered thing in horror.

“Easy, it’s okay, love. Look there is a bathroom at the end of the hall. In the cabinet you will find a bathrobe and slippers and some brand new pajamas still in the package. Please, help yourself to all of it. I will grab some of my own clothes from the bedroom, and meet you back here when you are finished and we will talk this all through, okay?”

Oddly enough, Violet nodded at him, suddenly calm though she had been close to hysterics mere moments ago. For some reason, the big man with his deep voice and glittering seafoam eyes had the strangest effect on her.

She wanted to climb him like a tree, there was no denying that, but she also seemed to trust him. Wasn’t that weird? She didn’t know him from Adam!

Mate.The voice inside her head whispered the strange word again, and she closed her eyes, counting to three before she stepped inside the large bathroom.

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