Peeping Tom (4 page)

“Who me?”

“I don’t see anyone else here.” But they were still in plain view and the wind had picked up. Since he intended to strip every single bit of clothing from her curvy body, they needed a sheltered place. Felix tried the door of the hayshed and was glad to find it unlocked. After scooping up his coat, he hustled her into the dark barn. The scent of hay was warm and familiar bringing back lots of boyhood memories. The bales were the small rectangle shape and light enough for a single man to lift without over exertion. He left the door open a fraction so it wasn’t too dark inside. He didn’t want to scare her—yeah, that was the last thing he wanted. “I’ll have to persuade you I’m all man.”

A fine tremor went through Tomasine. She didn’t need persuading but she wouldn’t mind a little proof. Talk was cheap. She knew that from experience. A man had to walk the walk before she’d believe in them. “Show me.”
And please hurry
. Her breasts were prickling something fierce and her breathing was elevated. The urge to shift was strong but she fought it, knowing that once he entered her body, the desire 24

Peeping Tom

would leave, driven out by the feline sexual hormones that swam through her blood. At the back of her mind she wondered why the compulsion to get close to him was so strong. It hadn’t been like this before. Yes, she’d felt overwhelmed, felt desire, but it had faded. Bernard had called her defective. All it took from Felix was a look, a touch, the sensation of his green eyes on her body.

“Dammit, I intend to show you. You, madam, are impatient and bossy. Give me a break. I want to savor as well as get my rocks off. There hasn’t been anyone for a while and I want to go slow. I want it to be good for both of us, to live up to the promise I felt outside the post office.”

“Oh.” Tomasine felt incredibly flattered. The male’s words throbbed with honesty. It wasn’t just a smooth line to garner sympathy and she liked the confidence of him. He would be so easy to love even though she couldn’t allow that to happen. Not now…

Felix shifted several bales of hay with smooth efficiency, lining them up in the shape of a bed. Tomasine watched, mesmerized by the smooth pull of muscles beneath his body-fitting shirt. She couldn’t wait to see what he looked like unclothed. Yes, she’d seen him from the distance while spying on the brothers but not close enough to get a really good look. He grabbed his coat and smoothed it over the top of the hay before turning back to her with purpose in every line of his body.

“Time to get you naked.”

Tomasine would rather he whipped his clothes off so she had a better view but at least they were moving ahead again instead of dallying.

“Come here,” he said, his eyes glowing and a flash of golden highlights appearing. A hint of shape-shifter showing. Tomasine reminded herself to keep her eyes firmly shut if they ended up face to face. It was too early for him to learn the truth. Trust must come first. She took two small steps and then another two until she stood in front of him, her breasts proudly bared for his viewing pleasure.

“How does the dress come off?”

Tomasine turned to present her back to him. “There’s a zipper at the back.”

25

Shelley Munro

He stepped close, letting her feel his body heat. His warm breath wafted against her neck and seconds later, he nuzzled the tender flesh there. Tomasine let her head roll back to savor the sensation. A purr of pleasure built deep in her chest and it erupted before she could stifle it. She tensed even as he chuckled.

“Don’t hide your feelings from me. I want to know the things you like.”

Tomasine grimaced. Ready to spill the truth and let him learn she was a shifter like him? No, she wasn’t ready for that—not until she was sure it was safe. “I like being touched,” she snapped to cover the traces of panic that unfurled inside. Giving her body to this man was a major step, one she couldn’t undo. What if it were a mistake?

“You have yet to do anything apart from kiss me and tug on my nipples a little.”

“The twins would just love that snippy mouth of yours,” he murmured, his amusement clear. “I’m glad I bumped into you first. They have too much charm for their own good.”

“I’m not interested in your brothers.” And it was true. It was Felix who made her heart beat faster even though the Mitchell brothers were very similar in appearance. Their green eyes and dark hair gave them all a rakish charm while their farm-tough bodies were just plain sexy. She’d almost swallowed her tongue the other day when they’d all whipped off their shirts. Tomasine would have stayed to watch the fun but she’d had to pick up Sylvie from school and collect Gina from the bus stop. He turned her to face him and she saw his eyes had narrowed in suspicion. “Why me?”

It was too soon to go into particulars. Tomasine sought refuge in mockery. “You want me to stroke your ego?”

“I want to know why you picked me.”

Persistent devil. “Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we ran into each other outside the post office.”

His grim expression lightened at her words. “Me neither,” he admitted. 26

Peeping Tom

“If we’re finished with all the discussion, can we get down to business?” Yep, no doubting it. He brought out the snippiness in her. She was turning into a mouthy shrew. Perhaps she needed to offer a little more explanation before he backed away in disgust. “I ache.”

A tiny smile played over his lips seconds before he turned her around again. Competent hands undid her zipper and the dress fell to her feet in a whoosh of fabric.

“Much better.” His husky voice stroked across her nerve endings and he nuzzled her neck again.

Moving along here. Tomasine turned in his arms and gave him the full frontal view. Although she was petite, Tomasine knew without conceit that men found her body attractive and were usually surprised when they saw her curves. She smiled at his reaction, the fire in his eyes and sensual twist to his mouth. Petite didn’t mean lacking.

“You ready to touch me now?” she asked.

“Oh yeah,” he said in a reverent voice, his gaze traveling across her naked breasts.

“I thought… I mean I felt your body…but the clothes…”

“They disguised my better points.”

He grinned suddenly. “Your face is nice too.” He didn’t give her time to protest but dipped his head and rubbed his lips over hers. Her mouth opened and he slipped his tongue inside. Felix drew her against his body and the friction of his white cotton shirt against her chest shot sensation straight to her core. Tomasine moaned under her breath, her heart thudding erratically. Without warning, he lifted her off her feet and placed her on his jacket that he’d spread over the hay. Before she could react he leaned over her, pinning her in place by holding her upper arms. A trace of panic flickered through her before she realized he meant her no harm. She willed herself to relax and smiled up at him in what she hoped was an enticing manner.

“You are gorgeous,” he whispered, his gaze running across her breasts and down to her groin. His eyes seemed to linger on her green panties until the heat inside her 27

Shelley Munro

roared like an out-of-control fire. She stirred, restlessly fighting against the urges coursing through her. Tomasine wanted to rip off his clothes and take a bite of the beautiful muscled chest she’d spied from afar. That would hurry him along. “Let me take off your shoes.”

Tomasine lay quietly while he slipped the silver high heels from her feet and peeled down the thigh-high stockings one at the time. Felix’s touch lingered when he reached for her panties. She shivered when his blunt fingers lightly tickled the insides of her thighs. Her breath hitched. Of course he noticed since he was watching her face. His lips twitched and he ran his fingers along the elastic of her panty leg, dipping calloused fingers beneath the band to sear her flesh. Tomasine tilted her pelvis upward, greedy for more of his touch. A more intimate touch. Felix dragged his finger across the thin fabric until he reached the top band of elastic that held them in place. Not enough.

“Touch me intimately,” she ordered.

This time he obeyed. Felix ran his finger across her pelvic bone and between her legs. Tomasine relaxed a fraction until a spark of sensation spiraled from her pussy, a promise of things to come. She gulped at the feelings coursing through her body. More. God, she needed more.

“More.” Tomasine swallowed when he gave her more. He stripped off her panties with an expertise that gave her pause, leaving her totally naked while he still wore every single item of clothing. It made her feel vulnerable and brought back her doubts with a screaming and painful intensity. “I…” She attempted to sit up, but he stayed her with a hand to her shoulder.

“You wanted more,” he said. “I’m about to give you exactly what you want.”

“Exactly?”

Felix smiled then, and Tomasine saw the hint of danger in it. The sharp white teeth. The harsh, feral expression that shouted time for business. This male wasn’t one to be led around by the nose. She’d been wrong about thinking she could orchestrate their 28

Peeping Tom

meeting. She knew that now she’d managed to get him alone. Heck, nothing was turning out as she’d envisaged. She’d thought it would be quick—the wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, type of fling. A quick screw this time, allowing her to get a foot in the Mitchell door. Put that way, her scheme was cold and calculated and totally unlike her normal self. She glanced at him again with growing apprehension. He had the power to hurt her because somehow he’d engaged her emotions. It was like being on a trapeze with no safety net. Dizzying. Frightening. Wonderful. With growing apprehension she faced the inevitable. If she felt this way, it was possible he was her mate.

“Well, since you haven’t given me specifics of what you like, my actions might not quite fit your thoughts. But I’m sure you won’t have any complaints.” Felix pressed a quick kiss to her lips before whispering a trail of kisses down her neck. He delved into the dip of her collarbone with his tongue and then gently nibbled her shoulder, tormenting her. Shivers of excitement took her, each breath coming out as a pant. Bother. Why wouldn’t he hurry up? Tomasine tossed her head from side to side and thrust her breasts upward, trying to tempt him into more intimate touching. Her mate. How? She didn’t understand.

He chuckled and placed a kiss on the slope of one breast then he moved quickly, taking her by surprise. He kneaded one breast and took the nipple of the other into his mouth. This time he didn’t muck around. It was as if he’d run out of patience and his hormones were driving him as much as hers were prodding her to take action. Her mouth dried of spit as each tug of his mouth echoed between her legs. And this was just the start. He released her nipple with an audible pop. Felix lifted his head to look at her and she saw his eyes glowed a dark green with shards of gold flashing in them.

“You’re beautiful. I like the way you respond. So honestly and without pretense.”

Pretence. Tomasine stifled the bark of laughter that tickled her throat. If only he knew how much of her life was a lie. Funny, she’d thought she could go through with 29

Shelley Munro

this and keep her emotions under control. Intact. After all, this was for survival—her daughter and Gina—but the man had managed to slide under her control with ease. And that terrified her.

Her mate…

“What’s wrong?” Felix smiled up at her and brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. His tender touch raised a wealth of goose bumps on her arms and legs. Raw need pooled low. Dangerous. The man was definitely dangerous. “What are you thinking about?”

Tomasine swallowed, wondering how to answer him before she decided on partial honesty. “I want you but I’m frightened one or both of us will get hurt in the process.”

Second thoughts. Oh yes. Big time. Maybe it wasn’t too late to run away.

“Don’t you think I’m worried too? We haven’t made love yet but I’m desperate for you. I have been ever since our body collision outside the post office.” Felix grasped her hand in his and placed it on his groin. Even through the fabric of his jeans, Tomasine felt the heat. His erection was huge and she couldn’t resist massaging him, feeling the strength of him and his shape. He growled, a feral sound that was very catlike, and pushed her hand away. His chest rose and fell rapidly as though he were having trouble maintaining control. “I have a hell of a lot more to lose than you.”

Tomasine froze and guilt rose inside. Her job. How would a reporter react to his words? She already knew how she, the woman, would react and that was the problem. Tomasine opened her mouth to start firing questions at him and couldn’t do it. She couldn’t follow through. Finally, she said, “Is Middlemarch a good place to grow up in?

Did you have a good childhood?”

His bark of laughter held definite amusement. “I have you naked, you’ve felt my hard-on and you want to talk about my childhood?”

Okay, she could see his point. Heck, she’d felt it as well—the connection that arced between them. “Maybe we could talk about that later. I worry about my daughter and 30

Peeping Tom

my cousin.” An understatement. She guarded them and would do anything to ensure their safety.

“Don’t worry. Middlemarch is the safest place I know,” he said lightly. “How about we talk later. If I don’t get inside you soon, I’m going to need to go home to change my clothes.”

Her worries were instantly supplanted by lust and the need for his cock. She imagined him long and thick pushing deeply into her body. Oh yes. “Take them off,”

Tomasine purred, her gaze crawling across his broad chest and lower to his obvious erection. At last, she’d see the treasures below instead of relying on her imagination. Her hands darted to his buttons but he grabbed them before she could undo any.

“You have good eyesight,” he said.

Shoot
. “I like carrots,” Tomasine said.

“An overrated vegetable.”

“Take off your clothes. I dare you. If you don’t take them off soon, I’m going to think you’re hiding something.” Tomasine was never playful like this. Not with Bernard. Not with any male. This was new…scary almost. She was out of control. Gina had told her the plan might backfire. Wise child.