Phoenix fell into a contemplative state that involved little talk but much observing. He watched the children, often smiling at their antics. He especially studied the tigers passing through, some carrying the results of their hunt in their jaws—without shifting back.
As she and Phoenix headed back to their habitat after dinner, he murmured, “I thought finding other tiger shifters would give me all the answers.”
“You got replies to your questions.”
“I did, but I feel like I’m still lost. Like I don’t belong.”
“That seems natural, given you’re a foreigner in a strange land.
“It’s more than that.” He swept a hand. “Look at them. They truly are harimau. They live as tigers. Hunt as tigers. They know who they are and accept it. I don’t know if I can ever do that.”
“Is your ability truly that awful?”
He hesitated before replying. “Yes and no. I mean, the enhanced senses of smell and sight are kind of amazing. And when I’m in my feline form, I feel invincible. But then there’s the fact I need to be constantly on my guard. Always have to keep a part of me secret.”
“Not from me.” Nadirah couldn’t help but remind that she knew and didn’t mind.
He cast her a soft smile. “And you don’t know how much that means to me. That I can be myself around you. Talk to you about it.”
She touched his arm. “I will do what I can to help you through this.”
“Thank you.” He placed his hand over hers, the simple gesture still somehow giving her a zing of awareness that had her staring into his eyes.
And then she had them closed because he was kissing her.
A kiss much more passionate than the chaste and quick one they’d shared that morning.
An embrace that ignited every fibre within with passion.
An unleashing of the desire that had been simmering.
When it ended, it took her a moment to force open her eyes, and she found him staring at her with smoldering intent.
“I want you,” he murmured.
Words to steal her breath and led to his expression clouding with uncertainty.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t the time or place for me to?—”
Before he could apologize further, she cupped his cheek and whispered, “I want you, too.”
His smile gave her a quiver. “Is it too early for us to go to bed?”
“Only if you’re planning on sleeping,” her saucy retort.
They couldn’t climb into their nest fast enough, and when the canvas tarp dropped over the opening, they came together in a clash of teeth, lips, and heated breath.
They fell into the bed, and her eyes closed, enhancing the sensation of his lips caressing her, trailing from her jaw to her neck and bringing forth a shiver of sensual delight—and expectation.
His hands roamed, over top of her clothing at first, stroking and sensitizing every nerve ending. When he paused, his fingerson the hem of her shirt, she showed permission by sitting up to help him remove it. Her sports bra, not the sexiest thing, might as well have been lingerie the way his eyes glazed with passion. She tossed it aside, revealing her breasts, which made him growl, “Fucking perfect peaches.”
He reached out to cup one before he leaned down and flicked his tongue over a tight bud. He took it into his mouth, pulling at it, bathing it in heat and sensation. She couldn’t help a mewl of pleasure, quickly stifled with a fist. The hut lacked insulation, and she didn’t need everyone in the village knowing what they did.
He laved her breasts with attention, switching between them, nipping the nipples with his teeth, which sent a jolt through her. When she could no longer remain sitting, her body turning boneless with pleasure, he followed her down, still teasing her flesh. Arousal had her hips writhing, and she grabbed at his face to draw him close for a kiss, dragging him atop her, wanting the weight of him pinning her down.
Her legs parted for him to settle between her thighs, their lips locked in a kiss that left her breathless. When he shifted to the side, she almost protested, but he only did it so he could touch her, his hand drifting down her torso, teasing her bare belly, then traveling further, stroking her mound through her shorts, making her panties wet.
“Shall we take these off?” he purred.
