Peeping Tom (3 page)

“What’s the funny smell?” If he said her perfume, she’d deck him. After months of using the horrid stuff, she’d become immune to the chemical smell of roses and lilies. It was the only way she could mask her shape-shifter identity so she was stuck with it.

“I had a bit of a cold. Emily suggested I use some eucalyptus. It’s meant to be a good natural healer.” Felix drew her back against his chest and they continued to dance to the music in silence. He guided them over to the far corner where there were less people and the light seemed dimmer. Once there, he slowed his steps and they swayed rather than danced.

Now she had him in front of her, Tomasine wanted to ask her pointed questions about black panther sightings near Middlemarch and swing the conversation around to the possibility of shape-shifters, but the male distracted her. It was either that or jumping him. The brush of her breasts against his chest sent shock waves clamoring through her body. Her heart thudded loudly and gradually she became aware she wasn’t the only one who was reacting to their closeness. Felix Mitchell had an erection and it brushed against her belly with each sway of their bodies. As well as satisfaction because it seemed her plan to get closer to the Mitchell family might work, the realization created a chain reaction. Her breasts pulled even tighter and started to tingle. A corresponding ache sprang to life in her core and she felt an embarrassing surge of juices between her legs. No! This couldn’t be happening. 17

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She’d thought—hoped—the incident outside the post office had been a one-off. Now she knew it wasn’t. Tomasine desired him the way a female craved a mate. The shock froze her in place. She stared up at him through lowered lashes while trying to act normally. Bernard was dead. The mating mark on her shoulder had started to fade after his death and had now disappeared completely. She supposed it was possible to mate again, if that was what a female wanted.

Felix stopped dancing. “What’s wrong?” He stared down at her, his expression impassive apart from his eyes, which glowed a dark leaf green. God, he was so sexy. So tempting.

Distracting
.

“I…nothing,” she said, taking the coward’s way out. Her plan was working without her doing a thing and she was scared to death. It had been so long since she’d allowed herself to think about a male in a sexual way. But a mate? Tomasine had thought she could allow him to use her body to gain information. A fair trade-off or so she’d thought. But now she’d started on this path, she wondered if she would be able to separate her emotions. Tomasine glanced up at him and caught his quizzical expression. Blushing, she burrowed against his chest, allowing their lower bodies to rub together. She drew in a sharp breath. Bernard had never made her feel this way, even during the heady early days of their mating.

One of the light bulbs blew above them, making the area even dimmer. The dance floor took on a whole new intimacy. Tomasine didn’t have any difficulty seeing so she wasn’t too bothered. A rowdy group of youngsters, probably in their early twenties, roared in approval, and Tomasine noticed several of the couples moved closer. Felix drew her against his chest and she was left in no doubt that he was happy to see her. Felix let out an unsteady breath when Peeping Tom—Tomasine—rubbed against the bulge in his jeans. Hell, if he weren’t damn careful, he was going to embarrass himself in public. He stopped dancing abruptly and pushed her gently away from his aching groin. “I’m going for a walk outside,” he said, his tone abrupt. “Do you want to 18

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come?” He waited for her to laugh and say it was too cold. Any sane woman would answer that way but instead she nodded.

Felix didn’t know whether to run for the hills surrounding Middlemarch or pounce. He was leaning toward the pounce, which probably wasn’t the wisest move. Instead, he inhaled shallowly to avoid a lungful of her perfume or the eucalyptus he’d pilfered from Emily to counteract the godawful perfume. He placed his hand at the small of her back to directed her toward the exit of the woolshed. Although he wasn’t cold, he stopped to grab his coat since his higher core temperature would likely raise questions about why he wasn’t feeling the chill in the air.

“You’d better grab your coat,” he said.

Tomasine’s brown eyes widened a fraction and he caught a hint of confusion. “I didn’t bring a coat.”

Felix felt his brows rise and then, when he caught the hint of color on her high cheekbones, understood. A solo mum, she didn’t have the money to buy a coat for the winter. He softened inside and made a mental note to do something about it. No matter what her occupation, they couldn’t let Tomasine and her child and young cousin want for something as simple as a coat to keep warm.

“You can share mine.” Felix glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching them. All clear. He helped her into his coat, encasing both her and her evening purse at once. She looked like a child playing dress up but beneath the sheepskin-lined jacket, her body was all woman. He allowed himself a moment to touch her silky, dark brown hair. It was arranged in a complicated style on top of her head. He’d seen it loose once and wondered what the silky locks would feel like dragging across his naked chest. A harsh swallow sounded while he struggled to control his unruly body. Taking her hand, he ducked from the woolshed, dragging Tomasine after him. They’d given Saber such a hard time when he’d gone after Emily. From his viewpoint right now he was full of sympathy. Finding a possible mate—it wasn’t as easy or as simple as the elders made out.

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And here he was making it even harder for himself by consorting with the enemy. Felix turned left by instinct, without having any destination in mind. All he wanted was to find a place where they could be in private without interruptions. They walked past the empty sheep yards and headed for the pine trees and hayshed over at the other end of the paddock.

It had rained the previous day and there were large puddles that hadn’t soaked away yet. Felix stopped walking at the edge of a puddle. “Careful, it’s muddy here. Ah hell. Maybe we shouldn’t be walking out here in the dark. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll take you back.” Even though it was the last thing he wanted.

“No!”

Felix stared. “No, what?”

Tomasine pressed against his side. “I don’t want to go inside.” Her face was upturned and her lips at just the right angle to kiss. When he caught sight of the tip of her tongue peeking between her lips, Felix lost the tenuous hold on his control. His head dipped to nibble at her bottom lip, to taste her luscious mouth. The startled exhale from Tomasine was something to savor. His tongue slipped between her parted lips and he took the kiss deeper.

Half of him expected a protest, a slap around the ears, but it didn’t come. Instead her hands settled on his shoulders and she drew him closer, fully participating in the kiss, urging him on. She tasted of mint and orange while her lips were smooth and soft. Delicious. Their tongues danced and flirted together until they both needed to breathe. Slowly, Felix pulled away and stared down at her. She looked as stunned as he felt, but the closer contact settled one thing in his mind. He wanted her. Despite the fact she was the enemy and the woman responsible for bringing press attention to Middlemarch. Yes, she’d put them all in danger.

Was it possible this woman was his mate?

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Chapter Two

“Kiss me again,” Tomasine murmured in a throaty voice. No problem, but not in the middle of the paddock where anyone could see them. Tomasine Brooks might be his mate but he wanted to go slowly and definitely didn’t want any gossip. He scooped her up in his arms and strode through the mud toward the grove of pines and the small ironclad shed used as an overflow hayshed.

“You’re very strong,” she whispered, relaxed and at ease in his arms. It was like the post office collision all over again. He felt the same shocked reaction to their close proximity, the same desire for sex with her. The enemy.
Peeping Tom
.

He swallowed, trying to exert control over his racing pulse. Even so, the prickle of awareness that preceded shifting took him by surprise. Immediately, he attempted to backpedal. He thought of multiplication tables. The amount of provisional tax they needed to pay come tax time. Felix tried to concentrate on everything except the woman in his arms and the surprising reaction she pulled from him. She pressed a kiss to the flesh at the V of his shirt.

“Aren’t you wondering what I’m going to do with you?” he demanded.

“Oh no. I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page.” Her sultry voice put a stop to his success at mentally pushing her away. He actually felt his canines lengthen. She might speak the truth but Felix wasn’t sure they were doing the right thing. She was a career woman searching for proof that black panthers inhabited the area around Middlemarch. He was a simple farmer who liked his life in the countryside dealing with animals and the land. He’d done the whole city versus country thing before and still bore the scars.

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“Maybe we shouldn’t go so fast.” Felix set Tomasine down outside the shed and frowned down at her, trying to decide what he should do.

“Stop thinking so hard,” she teased, tracing the curve of his mouth with her fingers. The touch ignited his cock. God, he wanted to fuck her so badly he was having trouble stringing thoughts together. He snared her hand and pressed a kiss to the fragile skin at the base of her palm. His tongue swept across the network of veins there, tasting her delicate skin. Felix smelled her perfume and tasted the chemical makeup of it then caught a hint of something else that surprised him.
Shifter
.

Strange. How? Then enlightenment arrived. He’d watched her hand over her plate to the ladies at the supper table. She must have touched one of the shifter females. He licked across her wrist and the scent didn’t seem so strong. Hard to tell for sure with the eucalyptus blocking his scent glands.

“Ever since we collided outside the post office, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind,” she said breathlessly. “I need you.” A delicate blush converged on her cheeks. He couldn’t read her eyes since her lashes were lowered, her thoughts screened.

“I need you inside me.”

Well, that was blunt and a trifle forward, but since their desires had converged on the subject, he could hardly complain. Felix shivered when she drew her hands over his shoulders and behind him. Tomasine slid her hands down his back until she finally cupped his butt. She squeezed his buttocks through his jeans. Not exactly the touch he wanted but acceptable. They could progress from there. “I…feel the same way,” Felix said, figuratively crossing a self-imposed line.

“Thank goodness,” Tomasine said. “For a moment I thought you were going to tell me to go away. Just like the rest of the people in this town.”

“This had better not be about those bloody black cats,” Felix said in a sharp voice. Her words put the brake on his shift, jerking him firmly to human. Thank god. “If it is, I’ll take you back to the dance. I don’t know how many times we have to tell you the 22

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cats don’t exist. Those tourists you spoke to were drunk. You should forget your story and go back to Dunedin.”

“It’s not about the cats.” This time her eyes were wide open and shined with gold glints. She looked like a sexy fallen angel and his distrust eased. Tomasine stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss across his lips. She nipped his bottom lip before backing away to stare up at him. “This is about sex. I’m tired of being alone and I’m attracted to you. I thought the desire was mutual. If I’m mistaken, tell me now.”

Her chest rose and fell in agitation and all of a sudden one plump breast popped from beneath the straining green material of her bodice.

Felix stared at the pale globe and the coral-colored tip that drew tight as he watched. Okay, that was it. Felix Mitchell was no fool. He quashed his last remaining scruples and reached out with a trembling hand to touch her breast. Her skin was soft, enticingly soft. Felix bent his head and licked from base to tip, savoring the contrast of his abrasive tongue against her silky flesh. His mate. The knowledge washed through him and he welcomed it.

Tomasine gripped his upper arms as if she were afraid he’d push her away. Wouldn’t happen. No way. No how. She was his mate. He was positive of it. His frustrations were at an end. His tongue circled her nipple and a feral smile sprang to life. If only she knew how desperate he was, how he’d fight to the death if he thought someone might stop him from thrusting inside her body tonight. The savage notion gave him pause. God, when he saw Saber, he was going to ask a few questions and Felix intended to persist no matter how embarrassing the discussion of sex might be. His mouth fastened over the taut peak, going for direct rather than subtle teasing. A groan slipped from her. Felix tongued the tip and realized her flesh didn’t taste of the perfume. She smelled of cinnamon and vanilla—a warm feminine scent that made him eager to explore further. For an instant, he thought he caught the shifter scent but decided it was imagination.

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“Harder,” Tomasine instructed, tugging at his ears and trying to hold him in place.

“Oh please, please suckle me. Harder, dammit.”

Felix grinned. For a wee bit of a thing, she was mighty bossy. After pushing his coat off her shoulders and tugging it down her arms, he massaged her breast with the fingers of one hand. He needed to see more. Felix tossed the coat aside and gently dragged down the bodice of her dress. With little encouragement on his part, the material sagged to her waist. Even though it was very dark, he had no trouble seeing the bounty he’d revealed. Her breasts were full and more than a handful. Beautiful, Felix thought, deciding in that moment he was a breast man. He sighed. Oh yeah. Definitely a breast man.

“I’m waiting,” Tomasine said with a trace of impatience. “You do know what to do?”

A splutter of laughter escaped him, the first real humor he’d felt since the post office episode. “You besmirching my manhood?”