Authors: AJ Hampton
She slid a little closer over the table until he was the one left wondering if, or when, she
’
d touch him. The look on her face was soft, friendly, dare he say inviting? As if a soft light shone from above, her skin appeared to glow. She went from being a looker to knock-down, drag-out gorgeous. Men would sell their souls for a piece of her.
The leopard, which had gone dormant for a few precious moments, woke with a vengeance.
Take her,
it growled.
Peter swallowed. Knew this was the point in their conversation, before he was too shit-faced to feel guilt and remorse, where he should tell her exactly who he was. In some part of his gut, he knew his connection to Greg would ruin everything. Even in death the old man was a bastard.
Women had a mental checklist they kept running at all times. Every man they met went into a box. The friend box. The asshole box. The potential lover box. The awkwardness of
“
Y
ou stole my father, took his love and left me with none
”
would send him to the no
-
man
’
s
-
land box. He took one lingering
look
at the warmth in her eyes, made the conscious decision not to tell her who he was.
Yep, he was going to hell. But who cared? Tonight was tonight. Tomorrow, when the pass opened back up
,
he
’
d be gone. By the time Eva realized she
’
d fucked Greg
’
s long
-
lost son, he
’
d be halfway back to Montana.
Yes
, the feline purred, knew they were one step closer to getting what they both wanted.
“
You seem to know James pretty well. How come I
’
ve never seen you around here before?
”
she asked, slowly tracing the rim of her
glass
.
He wondered if she knew how sexual the simple gesture was. Peter sat back, stretched his long legs out more comfortably under the table. If she minded the way his calf pressed against hers, she didn
’
t say anything.
“
I used to live here. I left when I was fifteen, haven
’
t been back since. I live in Montana now, own a couple of fencing companies. And you
’
ve met me before, you just don
’
t remember it.
”
A frown creased her brows.
“
I
’
d remember if I met you.
”
In twenty years, you
’
d think someone
—
Greg
—
would have mentioned the fact he
’
d had a son named Peter. Among the Pard, with Peter
’
s dark hair and green eyes, he stood apart from the other blond
-
hair
ed
, blue-eyed
snow
leopard shifters. If she
’
d known who he was, just the mere mention of the name Peter should have clued her in.
“
Why would you remember?
”
he asked.
“
Is it because I
’
m the most gorgeous man you
’
ve ever seen? Or are you just wary of men with multiple personalities? I do suppose you wouldn
’
t forget someone like that.
”
Eva hid her grimace behind the cup she pressed to her lips.
“
I deserved that. But, you started it.
”
“
Fair enough,
”
he conceded.
“
You were five when I met you. It was only once, and not for very long. I suppose I shouldn
’
t blame you for not remembering, even though it does sting the pride a bit.
”
“
Your pride will be just fine. And don
’
t take it personally. I don
’
t remember much from the year Greg rescued me.
He
found me
abandoned on the road, just outside of town.
He took me in, cleaned, clothed
and
named
me
, then raised me as his own. To this day, I
’
ve got no idea where I came from, or who I really am. I would have died if it weren
’
t for him. I
’
ll never be able to repay him, and now…now that he
’
s dead, I can
’
t even try.
”
He
’
d known how dire her situation was then, knew it now. The truth didn
’
t change his resentment toward his father. Just when Peter had come to accept Greg wasn
’
t capable of love, Eva had come along and proven him wrong. Greg could love
…he just couldn
’
t love
Peter.
“
What did the Pard think of the Alpha bringing a non-shifter within their sacred circle? They
’
ve got a strict no
-
human policy, or at least, they used to. I don
’
t know them, not anymore.
”
Some emotion filled her eyes, gave off a scent he couldn
’
t place. It wasn
’
t anger, and it wasn
’
t sadness. A golden light flared in her gaze, was just barely visible in her dark brown eyes. He liked the intrigue, the possibility of ferreting out her secrets.
“
I never said I was human.
”
Tilting her head and then angling her glass, Eva threw back the liquor as if she
’
d been drinking whiskey all her life.
He watched her throat work, her eyes water. It was easy to
fantasize about
Eva on her knees, the slight oval curve of her face tilted up as she swallowed his cum. At the thought, his cock went from partially erect to hard as steel.
“
Another,
”
she demanded, slammed her glass to the table. With the back of her hand, she wiped her mouth.
“
You sure?
”
he asked.
“
You were right. The whiskey helps. For the first time in a week, the pain isn
’
t as sharp and the chill is easing. Tonight, I
’
ve decided, I
’
m going for numb and you
’
re going to help.
”
He stared at her, held the bottle just out of reach.
“
Come on,
”
she said.
“
Who
’
s being the baby now? Don
’
t worry, Peter, I
’
ve got my big girl panties on. Pour me another. You wanted a drinking buddy, here I am.
”
Unscrewing the bottle, gaze never leaving hers, he topped off their glasses. He raised his glass for a toast.
“
To being numb inside and out. And,
”
he leaned close,
“
here
’
s to hoping your big girl panties are some sort of black lace.
”
“
Wouldn
’
t you love to know?
”
She clinked her glass against his, drank.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Unlike the awkward pause between strangers, theirs was…companionable. The rumors he
’
d heard flashed in his mind.
“
How did he die?
”
He
hated the liquor for making him weak enough to care.
“
I
’
ll tell you. But first, I want to know who he was to you,
”
she fired back.
“
You first.
”
She sipped, swallowed.
“
He was murdered.
”
Peter
’
s hand tightened around his glass.
Every muscle in his body clenched
. First his mother, and now his father. Both of their lives stolen.
Eva kept speaking, her voice low and detached.
“
Someone shot him in the head, between the eyes. I found his frozen body in my SUV four days ago. It had been snowing all day, and the car door was frozen. I had to put my leg on the back panel, yank it open. A body rolled out of the car, landed at my feet. I couldn
’
t see his face. At first,
”
she looked away
,
“
I didn
’
t think it was him. I let myself hope. In my gut I knew it was, but I just kept thinking…
”
S
he trailed off.
“
I
’
m sorry, I don
’
t know why I just told you that.
”
“
It
’
s on your mind and you don
’
t know me. We often tell strangers our most intimate secrets,
”
he said, hoping to coax more information out of her. How in the hell had Greg let himself get shot? Why hadn
’
t James mentioned it?
Eva turned back to him, leaned in close. Lip between her teeth and fingers dancing an agitated rhythm on the table,
he
saw her struggle with the decision to trust him. Finally she made her choice.
“
There was a note, one I didn
’
t give
to
the police.
”
A line of tension stiffened his spine. He
bent forward
, stopped just shy of his forehead touching hers. He didn
’
t want to be overheard.
“
What kind of a note?
”
he growled.
“
It was a threat, a warning. I don
’
t know. Whoever shot him implied they knew he was a shifter. The note was addressed to me,
basically
said,
‘
Y
ou
’
re mine.
’
He died because of me.
”
Motherfucker.
“
Eva,
”
he said seriously.
“
Does James know about this? He
’
s letting you traipse around town by yourself while some murderer has his sights set on you? I
’
m going to sink my teeth in his neck.
”
“
He knows, and calm down. I didn
’
t tell you so you could get all...protective hero on me
. I can take care of myself
;
I don
’
t need, or want, anyone else getting hurt
because of me.
I know self-defense and I trust my instincts. They haven
’
t failed me yet.
”
“
Yet
. Bullshit. Surely you know how lethal and fast shifters are. Someone got the drop on Greg, and it must not have been easy. If I wanted, I could reach across this table and snap your neck before you blinked.
”
Peter scanned the room, searched the haggard, weather
-
worn faces of the people he hadn
’
t seen in twenty years. Was
his father
’
s
killer in this room?
“
You aren
’
t a murderer,
”
Eva said, drew him from his thoughts.
He glared at her, wondered how someone so beautiful and seemingly intelligent could be so stupid.
“
You sound sure of yourself.
”
When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.
“
Instincts, remember? How am I supposed to live with
the knowledge that Greg died because of me
?
I failed him.
”
Her confessions explained the shadows under her eyes. He refused to dwell on how her pain and fear made him feel. Eva wasn
’
t Pard, and she wasn
’
t his, no matter what the stupid cat inside him thought. The same instincts forcing him hundreds of miles from his home in Montana were screaming at him again.