Chapter 3
“Deceive me?” What is he talking about? What is he hiding? How did he appear on my porch without me or Gabe hearing him? What happened to his face when his temper rose? He was protecting me, so why am I suddenly afraid to know more?
The only thing I feel certain of is that Jorge wouldn’t hurt me.
His lips on my hand are far more erotic than the chaste kiss warrants, but I find everything about him turns me on like no one else. His voice is soft, rough, and full of passion. “Do you want to know more about me and the world, Daile? You’d be safer and maybe happier remaining in the dark.”
It’s like he’s speaking in riddles. What could he tell me that would change the way I look at the world? And if it’s true, do I want that?
His scent is grass and oak. The combination sends my juices flowing between my legs. One thing is certain, I want him and I’m not willing to dismiss the possibility of having him without knowing more. “Tell me.”
He leans in and his lips come so close to mine before he veers to the side and presses them to my cheek. “The motorcycle club is made up of shifters. The man you sent away, Gabe, is a wolf shifter. He’s young and foolish, plus it’s harder to control his urges with the full moon so close. I haven’t been invited to join the club, but I came to this town because it’s friendly to my kind.”
While I understand his words, I have no idea what he’s talking about. Is he insane, or delusional? “When you say ‘shifter,’ what do you mean?”
Backing away, he leans against the railing of my porch. “I’m the man you see before you, and a panther. When I worried that Gabe might harm you, my beast came to the surface and that’s what you saw.”
He’s insane. I’m more devastated by this fact than I should be over a man I barely know, but even so, my body still desires him. Of course, my good sense pushes to the surface. “I’m going inside now. You should go do whatever it is you do every night, Jorge.”
I turn to my door. Behind me, the sound of popping and cracking forces my attention back to him. Standing on four legs is an enormous panther. Sleek black fur and green-golden eyes that stare at me. He shows his pointed white teeth with a deep cry.
My heart is in my throat, I press my back against my door. Where did this animal come from? But I know the answer. “Jorge?”
Another feline cry. His long thick tail swishes from side to side.
A pile of black clothes lies on my porch.
The beast closes the distance and rubs his head against my thigh.
Every muscle in my body is tense. I must have lost my mind because I haven’t had anything to drink and none of this can be real. “I’m going inside because I’m pretty much terrified. I’m sorry.”
Reaching behind my back, I turn the doorknob and slip through without opening the door too far. I slam it closed behind me. I keep my ear pressed to the door.
There’s a creek and then another. Footsteps for a second and then silence. Then Jorge’s beautiful voice. “If you can hear me, Daile, I apologize for frightening you. I only wanted to share the truth. I won’t bother you, but you will be safe.”
That’s nice, right? I want him and the crazy idea that he’s a panther to get off my porch and leave me alone. Don’t I? I yank the door open. “Don’t leave!”
He’s at the top of the steps and turns back toward me. “No?”
“I don’t understand, but I don’t want you to leave.” I blurt it out before I can think of something more intelligent to say. It’s like my mouth has a mind of its own. “Is it something contagious? Like vampire legends with biting.” My knuckles are white on the screen door.
A smooth sexy smile tugs at his full lips. “Legends usually get their start from some form of truth, beautiful. No. You can’t become a shifter. I was born this way, as were my parents and their parents, going back thousands of years.”
He could change into a gigantic cat and shred me into a million pieces, but I am not afraid of him. “Will you come inside and tell me more?”
In two strides, he’s in front of me. After a moment’s hesitation at my threshold, he steps into my house. With one quick look around, his gaze settles back on me. “What would you like to know?”
“You said Gabe is a wolf; are there other animals?” At any moment, I’m going to wake up from the strangest, most realistic dream of my life. The thing is, I think it will be disappointing when I do.
He stares into my eyes and the feline slits of a cat narrow his pupils before they widen again. “There are many types of shifters and creatures in the world. Most keep hidden to avoid the repercussions of human fear. Broken Arrow has long been a place where beasts can roam without fear.”
“I didn’t know. People have been so nice to me. So, you’re telling me that I could have talked to more than two people who are not totally human today?” The idea that the lady at the grocery store could be a wolf is mindboggling.
“It is possible, even likely.” There’s an intensity to the way he looks at me that causes me to turn away.
I step through the living room. “Would you like to see my art, or was that just to gain access to my house?”
His hand is on my shoulder before I ever hear him move. Like when he appeared on my porch, he moved like water. “I want to see your art, Daile. I have not lied to you.”
Unable to stop my body, I lean back against his chest. “I feel like everything for six months has been a lie. I needed this place to be my new home, but now I have doubts.”
Strong hands grip my upper arms as his lips press to the crook of my neck. “I didn’t want to scare you. I only meant to enlighten since you asked for friendship.”
“Are we going to be friends, Jorge?” Even knowing that he’s not human, or not entirely, I don’t care. I want him in my life, in my bed, and more. I shake off the wayward thought. There will be no more. I am never opening myself up to someone enough so they can destroy me again.
“I would give you anything within my power, but my past is ugly, and you should have someone with a kinder soul. I am damaged.” His lips are so close to my ear that his breath tickles my lobe and sends a shiver of desire through me.
“Everyone is damaged.” Leaning back farther, I let my head rest on his chest and revel in the way his arms fold around me.
He’s warm and hard. Parts of him are harder than others and his cock presses against the swell of my ass. I could easily get lost in this man. I feel safe for the first time in my life. If I were braver, I would rub against him so there is no doubt of my attraction.
“Show me your artwork,” he whispers.
Brushing aside the pure lust that overcame good sense, I straighten away from him. “Of course. I have a four-seasons room in the back of the house. It gets great sun. When I saw it, I put my deposit down on the rental. If the owner will let me buy it, I may have the money after my showing. Well, unless everyone hates my work.” A nervous laugh escapes.
With every step, I feel him close behind me, though his steps are barely audible. I suppose it’s the cat part of him that makes him so stealthy.
I flip on the lights in the sunroom. Since moving to Montana, the scenery has inspired me. Large canvases line the outside of the room. I have them leaning against the walls as even more inspiration to find the right balance for the show. My work tends toward fantasy but I use real scenes to draw from.
He steps past me and makes a slow turn as he takes in what I’ve spent six months pouring my heart into. “This is…”
“Bad?”
“Amazing. I know these views, but you see them in a new way.” He points to the view from the highway lookout with the snowcapped mountains rising through the clouds. “I ride my bike to see this view. The color.” The last word is breathy.
My stomach is in knots watching him study each painting from a distance and then walking in close to examine details. He points out small things in each one, and I wonder if he has a keener eye, or if other people see the same nuggets of truth.
As he points to the painting of a dog running up the side of a hill, his finger traces a line just off the canvas. “What is he protecting that isn’t in the picture?”
How does he know? “A little girl who has eluded her parents’ watch. She was only a step from a dangerous fall.”
He nods. “You have a gift from God, Daile Whittaker.”
I’m pretty sure my heart is no longer beating. “Thank you.”
When he’s examined every one, he turns to me as if seeing me for the first time. “You don’t know how gifted you are, do you?”
I shrug. “I have been told my brush strokes are mediocre, and I’m good enough for a hobby artist. I just need to sell two or three for a reasonable profit, and I’ll have what I need to get by this year without depleting my savings. When I lived in Colorado, I had a decent job and I put some money away. My parents left me some money too.”
Closing the distance, he stops inches from me. “I’m only a cook, but I think whoever told you that you’re good enough to be a hobby artist had an interest in keeping you from succeeding, beautiful. You’re far better than you give yourself credit for.”
“That’s nice of you to say.” I press my palm against the soft cotton of his T-shirt. My body hums with need, and I want to touch more of him.
“It’s the truth.” He covers my hand with his, then tickles a path up my arm with the slightest touch.
“I should be freaked out by what you are, but…” I’ve never been courageous, but being near Jorge makes me feel bold.
“You’re not afraid of me?” When his fingers reach my shoulder, he slides his hand down my ribs to my waist.
I shake my head. “I’m confused by what you told me about creatures in the world hiding in plain sight, but I don’t think I could ever be scared of you.”
He cups my cheek with his other hand. “I would never allow any harm to come to you.”
Body burning with lust, I draw a deep breath. “I wonder if…”
“What?” His thumb caresses my cheekbone.
“Will you stay?” As his digit reaches the corner of my lips, I turn my head enough to bring the calloused pad into my mouth.
Slipping his hand to the small of my back, he maneuvers us into the small hallway and leans until there’s no space between us. “Stay?”
It takes two swallows to get up the nerve to speak. “With me, tonight. I mean, do you want to make love or have sex or whatever you want to call it?” My cheeks are now hotter than the depths of hell.
For a moment, the world stops spinning and I’m sure he’s going to walk away or maybe disappear into thin air to cap off a pretty dramatic night. He smiles and presses his thumb over my lips. “I would be honored to make love with you, Daile.”