Page 67 of Tiger By the Tail

“Un-unhinged? How?” he asked before throwing his head back and laughing so freely that my stupid-ass bird heart started fluttering frantically again. When I didn't answer him, he waved his paw in the air. “Kat? Is something wrong?”

“N-no, it's just, I've never heard you laugh like that. It's nice.”

Roy's gaze softened, a hint of sadness I couldn't placeflashing in his eyes. I wasn’t sure if he was sad because he’d had precious little to laugh about in the past years, or because he knew I was foolishly falling for him and knew he'd have to shatter my hopes at some point. I'd sworn I wasn't going to fall in love, as if he needed one more woman to make him uncomfortable…

“It sounds stupid, but I feel like I’m waking up from a really long, really bad dream and slowly finding the person I used to be again.”

“Not stupid at all,” I muttered, not trusting my voice.

“You were about to tell me why your sisters might be unhinged.”

“Yeah. Right. When they visited me, I took them to the office. They were, uh, behaving slightly inappropriately around Mason and—”

“They're going to hit on me, you mean?”

Nodding, I raised my mug and took a hasty sip of my coffee.

“Is that all? I promise I'm going to be the perfect gentleman around your sisters.”

“I know!” Getting to my feet, I turned my back at him and flung my free hand up in the air. “They're going to be all over you, and I want this trip to be relaxing for you. Maybe it's selfish of me. You'd have peace and quiet here with me gone. There’s no need to drag you to the other end of the country, but I really wanted you to come.”

“Kat.”

I flinchedat the sound of his voice from right behind me. I hadn't realised he had gotten up, too, and come over. A striped hand plucked the mug out of my hand before I could drop it, then carefully spun me around so I was facing him.

His fingertips brushed over my skin, sinking into my hair as he palmed my cheeks. The world stopped in its tracks, his face the only thing I could see.

“I really want to go with you,” he whispered, placing a tiny kiss on my lips. And at that moment I knew for sure.

I’m in love with Roy.

“Okay, yeah. I'll tell my family,” I told him stupidly, when he'd inched his face away. “Uh, aren't you hungry?” I asked. I was clutching at straws.

We can’t fool around again.

“Yeah.” He nodded his head, then gave me a wolfish grin as he rumbled the next words. “I’m starving, baby. Positively ravenous.”

Okay, maybe we could. Consenting adults and all that jazz.

Just like that, his lips were on mine again. Pliant and warm, they directed the kiss, made me sink into it like I had into that warm bath with him.

Then his lips and hands were gone. No, I didn't like that. I reached for him, needing more. When our gazes locked, I understood that he was giving me space. Roy wasn't one to take, that much I knew. He gave.

His cheek was sleek and soft under my hand. I contemplated him for a long moment then began to trace his stripes with my fingertips. Roy’s eyelids fluttered at my touch, even more when my thumbs traced the shape of his lips, and ran the length of his thick neck with its bulging trapezius muscles. Down his chest I trailed them and gently flicked his piercing.

“Kat!” His eyes flew open and he captured my wrist in his huge paw, exhaling a shaking breath. “It’s sensitive.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Huffing, he placed my hand back on his nipple, and covered it with his palm. Amber eyes never letting go of mine, Roy leaned in, licking the seam of my lips until I opened for him.

Oh.

The kiss turned from sweet to filthy. Hitching his paws under my ass, Roy carried me over to the couch, carefully spreading me out on the velvety green fabric.

Sleek fingers pushed my shirt up to caress my sides until I moaned into his mouth. He trailed tiny kisses down my stomach, then paused. “Mmh.” With a deep purr, his tongue darted out to trace the flower tattoo on my ribcage. “I love your tattoos. How many do you have?”

“Five,” I whispered throatily, ending the word on a guttural groan when he rasped over the nerve endings in my skin again.

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