Tiger Born Read online

  “How will he take care of himself?” she cried.

  Heath grunted. “He’s not a child, Deja. He’s a man, and he’ll be fine.”

  “But Spiderweb will try to get him. They’ll kill him. I know it.”

  Heath held her close. He considered telling her he had a man watching her friend but decided against it. Right now her emotions were out of whack. He had to remember that and be patient. “Come on, honey, let me get you home.”

  She looked up at him, a frown on her tear-stained face. “You are not going to baby me until I give birth, Heath. I’m going to tell you that right now.”

  He leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear, hopeful no one would pick up his voice. “What about fucking you?” Her breasts against his chest made concentrating on his next task impossible.

  She grinned. “Well, I guess I can take care of you real quick.”

  He smacked her ass, not caring at that point who saw. “Quick is not what I had in mind.”

  * * * *

  They burst through their front door moments later with Deja in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist. He had his tongue down her throat as he greedily kissed those luscious lips. Still he had a different hunger pushing him to go so much farther. He kicked the door shut and pressed her against it. Her ass in his hands, he squeezed the rounded cheeks and stroked below them at her heat. She moaned into his mouth and arched her back.

  “Ward’s not going to get you for leaving early, is he?” Her gaze dropped to the badge on his chest. “You’re a lawman now, and it’s making me really hot.”

  “How do you expect me to go back to work when you’re saying that to me in that throaty tone of voice?”

  She offered him a sultry smile and tilted her head to the side. “Oh, I wasn’t suggesting you leave, Sheriff.”

  Heath growled and took most of her weight across his thighs while he ripped her blouse open. Buttons pinged every direction, but when he got a load of her breasts, heaving and straining again her bra, that’s all he could concentrate on. Heath leaned in and rested his face between her two big mounds and breathed deep. He pressed his lips to the soft, creamy chocolate skin and kissed her gently. A taste for her nipples took hold of him, and he snatched her bra down to free one. The breast bounced, and he paused just long enough to take in the stiff peak, the dark areola surrounding it, and the swell of her breast. Surely, she must be a size D now, or close. Would she stay that way? His cock twitched in his excitement. A man could only hope.

  A small sound issued from her lips drew him back to her need. He ran the tip of his tongue over her nipple, and she cried out. Heath slid his hand up her back to drive her forward. He caught the tiny bud between his teeth but didn’t bite down. Rather, he drew it deeper between his lips and sucked. Deja pushed her pussy toward him. Even through her jeans, he felt her heat, burning his mocha beauty up. She had to have him, and he didn’t plan on making her wait long to be satisfied.

  He carried her to the couch and sat down with her on his lap. “Take this off so I can get a good look at those nipples. Damn, Deja, are they thicker? What are you doing to me?”

  She had closed her eyes, but at his words, she opened them and stared into his. He watched in fascination as she removed what was left of her blouse and tossed away her bra. She took off her jeans and then played with her breasts for him, skimming her palms over the nipples and squeezing the big globes. His cock, bound behind his pants, strained painfully.

  “Lick them,” he demanded.

  Deja had a nice long tongue, and she’d turned him on plenty of times, lifting a breast to tease her own nipple for him. She did it now, and he hissed in pleasure. Her moans drove him insane, along with the way her dark, brown gaze challenged him. She knew he could throw her down and take her, but she dared him to hold off.

  “You play dirty, baby,” he murmured.

  Heath ripped his own shirt open, but when he went to slide if off his shoulders, she stopped him. “Keep it on, just take off everything else. Please?”

  “Anything for you.”

  After carefully raising her up, he set her on the couch and shed his clothing and shoes, all except his shirt. Guessing she liked the badge and wanted him to stay in character, he found he was right when she ran her hand over it. His cock jumped, hard and rigid, and strained toward her. Deja slid her hand from the badge to his chest. She teased his nipples for a brief moment and then explored lower to his abs, then lower still to his cock. A cry was wrenched from him when her fingers encircled his shaft, but he covered her grip.

  “Not yet, honey. You’re killing me.” He tugged her hand away against her protests, but when he laid her on her back and inched down her body, she arched her hips, knowing what he intended.

  Heath spread her legs and paused. Her dark pussy glistened with come, and hunger licked at his consciousness until he couldn’t stand it. He bent down and breathed her essence. “Fuck, yes,” he growled.

  “Heath, lick it please. I feel like I’m going to fall apart.”

  “You will,” he promised, “as soon as I take you there.”

  He swiped the tip of his tongue across her slit, and she screamed and writhed. Heath pressed a forearm over her thigh. She bucked against him. He licked once more, and a second time she cried out, this time with his name trembling on her lips. He couldn’t help himself. She tasted good, and he needed to reward her for wanting him and only him. He was her man and no other.

  He stuck his tongue into her moist channel and tasted the goodness. Laving up every drop, he moaned. When it was all gone, he craved more, so he moved to her clit. The bud seemed to know he neared, as it swelled as he watched. He caught the stiff little nub between his lips and tugged. Deja tangled fingers in his hair, threatening to rip it from the scalp. He didn’t let up but sucked hard, and her hips rose from the couch. He forced her down and licked some more. She writhed and screamed, pleading for what he didn’t know. Her words jumbled together in her desperate pleasure. Heath ate her faster, alternating between sucking on her clit and sticking his tongue deep into her pussy. She almost wept in delight. Soon, her thighs quivered, and he knew she drew near to explosion. He concentrated only on her clit, keeping the steady rhythm he already knew would bring her to a head. She shook faster and clenched her thighs around his head. When her orgasm slammed through her being, her shouts reached a new level and her hips never touched the cushions. Wonderful come flooded her channel, and when he knew his baby had eased down from her climax, he ate to his heart’s content.

  Heath rose from between Deja’s legs and climbed higher on the couch. He hovered above her and stared into her face. She reached up and stroked his cheek. “I want to please you, Heath.”

  “You already have.”

  “Not yet.”

  She pushed at his chest and sat up. When he moved back, she dropped between his legs, sitting on the floor, but he held her off with a hand to her shoulder. “No, baby, you can’t do that.”

  She looked at him through her lashes, and he felt his resistance crumbling. Again, she went after his cock, and her lips closed around the head until his breath hissed between his teeth. He should stop her, but she slid him deep into her mouth and sucked hard as she pulled back. A cry of pleasure rose to his lips. He swallowed and repositioned himself on his ass. Deja would not be denied. He stared down at her as she licked his shaft from base to tip. She played with his balls and massaged them in her palms with a gentle touch. Before she headed back to his cock, his dick strained for attention.

  “Mmm, what’s this?” she teased, licking at his precome.

  “Damn it, Deja.”

  She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m going to make you come in no time.”

  “No!”

  He pulled from her hands and mouth and tugged her up from the floor. Before she could do more than protest, he had her on her knees and moved behind her. A test with his fingers between her legs showed her moistening again. He spread her pussy lips and pushed a finger in. She wh
impered.

  “You like that, baby?”

  “You know I do,” she moaned.

  “I’ve got something bigger for you.”

  “How big?”

  She tried looking over her shoulder, but he spanked her ass and turned her head. “This big.” He pushed the tip of his cock into her entrance. She thrust back onto him, demanding more, but he splayed a hand over her ass and held her off.

  “No, you don’t. I control this.”

  “Heath,” she whined.

  He ignored her protests while he played with her pussy. Inching in a little, he wiggled his cock around and then withdrew. He gave her the full length, feeling her walls stretch around him, and then he pulled out. She shouted her ecstasy and frustration. Heath alternated between pumping into her sex and bending down to lick her pussy. He kept her begging until he knew she couldn’t take it another second. Then he worked her clit with his thumb to bring her to the edge of an orgasm. When she tensed, and her thigh muscles had just begun to flutter, he plunged his dick in as deep as it would go. He held onto her hips and pumped hard again and again. Their bodies pounded together, their breath noisy and harsh. The stirrings of an orgasm in Heath began to build, and he took his woman faster. He released one hip and curved over her back. With one final thrust, he held himself all the way to the hilt, and at the moment Deja called out his name, he emptied his seed into her pussy.

  After he caught his breath, and his heartbeat eased, he pulled out of her and stood up. He held out his hand and waited for her to stand. She curled her fingers with his, and they walked together into the bedroom. Heath had every intention of enjoying Deja’s beautiful body for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon. Work could wait. His desire for her could not.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Seven months later.

  “I can’t do this!” Deja stood before the mirror looking at her reflection. Panic had set in, and she feared she was about to lose it. That is, if she hadn’t already. “I think I’m going to faint. I’m going to just call it off. This is stupid anyway so close to the move. Heath will understand, won’t he?”

  Coreen met her gaze in the mirror standing behind her. The older woman smiled and ran gentle hands up and down Deja’s arms. “Breathe, sweetie. It’s okay.”

  “It’s not okay,” Deja wailed. “Look at me. I weigh a thousand pounds. My stomach looks like an egg and, seriously, the white dress? Come on, it’s obvious I’m so not pure!”

  Again, Coreen tried soothing her. “You look beautiful, and there’s not a doubt in my mind everyone else will think so too when you walk out there, especially Heath. You want to be his wife, don’t you?”

  “Hell, no, not looking like this.” She dropped her gaze to her legs. Where had all her confidence about her body gone in the last few months? “I had the nerve to wear a short wedding dress, like these tree-trunk thighs needed showing off. Heath won’t have to take the dress off me tonight. The way my thighs are rubbing together, I’m going to burn my way out of it.”

  When Coreen made no comment, she looked up and thought she saw a twitch at the corner of the now-tightened mouth. Mirth danced in her eyes, and Deja burst out laughing. Then she started crying.

  “See? Now I’ve ruined my makeup!”

  Coreen gave Deja a small shake. “Now you listen to me, Deja Clark. You are beautiful, and your mate loves you. This wedding is just an extension of the vows you two have already made to each other as shifters. They are bonding and a lifelong commitment. You will go out there with your head held high, but when you do, look at Heath, because I promise you, he will have such a look of awe and love on his face you will understand the truth of what I’m saying.”

  Deja sighed. “So, in other words, I won’t feel better about myself until I put myself on display for everyone to gawk at.”

  Coreen glared.

  “All right. Fine. Let’s get this show on the road before he comes to see what my deal is. He threatened to carry me to the alter if I chickened out, and I think he’d do it. Who would have thought he would be the one to insist on this human ritual?”

  While she complained and felt terror all the way to her toes about the ceremony, when Heath suggested it and dropped to one knee in the process, she’d been thrilled beyond reason. Now, she had to stiffen her spine and be brave enough to go out there and become Mrs. Heath Hunter.

  After doing damage repair to her makeup, Deja moved to the doorway leading into the sanctuary. From the looks of it, every member of Siberia had turned out for her wedding, including Tina. The woman sat at the back of the room, back ramrod straight and expression dark. Deja wondered if Ward commanded she attend or if she came hoping something would happen to call it off. While Deja didn’t feel all that beautiful, she did get a sense of triumph over Tina. She’d won, and the skank would have to settle—because any man who wasn’t Heath was just that: a settlement.

  Ribbon, lace, and flowers prettied the otherwise dull, plain room, and someone had run a white streamer down the aisle and covered it with red rose petals. At the front of the room, Heath stood waiting, and Deja met his gaze. Just as Coreen had said, Heath appeared lovestruck, and her heart hammered in her chest.

  Deja might have stood where she was all day, staring at Heath if Ward hadn’t walked up and cleared his throat. Because she had no father to give her away, Ward would do the honors, and Joe stood as Heath’s best man. She started off down the aisle, her fingers trembling on Ward’s arm. Her breath rattled in her throat, and her head grew light. Oh, no, I’m going to faint!

  “Calm,” Ward whispered, and she felt his special brand of power flowing over her. Not in the way he had of almost knocking her to the floor or making her bow her knees to him. This single word brought with it peace, and her heart rate eased along with a clarity returning to her mind. She breathed deep and blew out a breath. The next second, Ward was turning her over to Heath.

  The clergyman performing the ceremony had been one in his former life before Spiderweb changed his life forever. Deja had found the knowledge surprising and saddening at the same time, but at least he could continue in his profession with a dedicated flock. Still, she wondered how being a shifter challenged the minister’s faith.

  “Do you, Heath Hunter, take Deja Clark to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

  Deja had missed the opening words completely and focused on the most important day of her life. She stuttered tearfully through her vows, and when Heath looked into her eyes as he placed the ring on her finger, she sagged against him. His strong arms came up around her, holding her close. She clung to him, cursing idiot pregnancy hormones.

  “Um, sorry,” she muttered, embarrassed.

  “I’ll always catch you,” he whispered in her ear. “I know that sounds corny.”

  She melted. “I love you so much, Heath. I always want to be with you.”

  “And I love you too, baby, now and always.”

  The minister cleared his throat. “If we could continue with my guidance?”

  Deja and Heath chuckled, and at the minister’s prompting, she spoke her promise and then placed his ring on his finger. At last they were pronounced husband and wife, and Deja threw herself into Heath’s arms. His lips touched hers and took her to the clouds. Tingles of awareness raced over her skin, and their entire audience fell away. The only thing that brought her back to earth was a twinge in her belly and another odd feeling. She tore from Heath’s arms but gripped his fingers in hers.

  “Heath, I don’t think we’re going to have a wedding night.”

  Surprise and disappointment registered in his expression. “You are not going to deny me now that you’re my wife, are you? Because you were mine long before today.”

  Another pain hit, and she breathed heavily through her nostrils. “I wouldn’t deny you if I could help it, but my water just broke. Our kids are coming right now!”

  * * * *

  Deja lay curled up in bed, but since she’d been sleeping lighter lately, she heard w
hen Heath opened the door. She stretched and turned over on her back to find him standing in the doorway watching her. Somehow she felt like they’d done this scene many times before. Heath got up early and made breakfast, while she got in a few extra z’s. He really was the sweetest man in existence, and his devotion showed in the tiredness visible around his eyes.

  “You should be resting with me,” she whispered.

  “You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

  “That’s beside the point.”

  At the right side of the bed were two bassinets, each holding a baby. When a tiny coo in one bed was copied by another in the other bed, she couldn’t stop the grin that spread over her face. Heath matched it with one of his own. She leaned over and looked down at the little feet, going a mile a minute in pink booties. Heath believed Maia, their oldest daughter by six minutes, couldn’t wait to get out into the wild and run. Neve was the calmer of their girls, but she always seemed to follow her sister. If Maia woke ready for a meal, so did her sister. Heath did all he could to always help Deja, so the two wouldn’t overwhelm her, and she appreciated him for it. The first month of having their girls had been both a blessing and the most tiring of both their lives.

  Heath joined her to watch their babies, and Deja took his hand to rest her forehead on his side. “They’re perfect, aren’t they?”

  “Mmm, they are everything, and so are you, baby.”

  She smiled up at him. “Do you really have to go into work? You hardly slept last night.”

  “I’m the sheriff.”

  She frowned at him. “It was sexy at the beginning.”

  “You’re telling me I’m not sexy?”

  “Boy, please, with those abs? I married you for your body.”

  “I noticed in the way you sexually abuse me.”

  “That’s the pot calling the kettle black. I’m surprised I’m not already pregnant again.”