Tigers Like It Hot by Tianna Xander Read Free Book Online Page A

sobbed. “I was young and stupid and had no good opinion of myself.”
    She glared at them, her eyes filled with such pain that Gareth wanted to go to her, to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but he knew she wouldn’t allow it. Not now.
    “Do I have to admit it? If I say it out loud will you leave me alone? I was young, I was naïve. I thought boys were like girls in that if they had sex with you, they loved you. I had sex. A lot. I searched and searched for someone who could love me for me, not for what I could give them. Finally, when two boys suggested that I love them both at the same time, I thought why not? Why not have two boys love me at once? It was all I ever wanted. All I ever dreamed of having…someone’s, anyone’s, love.”
    She turned away and hugged herself, her head bowed. “Now, let me go. You’ve had your fun. Tell whoever sent you that you’ve broken me. Tell them I can’t take it anymore. I’ll never go back to Langston. I’ll never embarrass them with the reminder that they once fucked a fat girl ever again. Just leave me alone.”
     

Chapter Eleven
     
     
    Jessi headed for the door. Tears blinded her and she stumbled. Strong arms caught her up and carried her to the bed. “You said you couldn’t force me.” She gave a hysterical laugh. “Oh, that’s right. That was when you were pretending to be a shape shifter with a strict code of conduct. I almost forgot.”
    “Shh…” Mac said as he held her tight against him. He sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding her in his arms. “No one sent us, Jessi. I swear.” Reaching up, he brushed the tears away with his thumbs.
    Gentle lips pressed soft kisses against her eyelids and she sobbed harder. Even now, when she was so broken, he was trying to initiate sex. What was wrong with the man?
    “I won’t have sex with you. If you force me, I’ll have you arrested. We aren’t in Langston with Billy and Bobby’s dad still the sheriff.” She didn’t want to start on the Anderson twin’s dad who was the DA for the county. There was no real justice in Langston, not for foster kids, anyway.
    “Sh…baby. No one is going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do other than stay in this room until we have a chance to explain things better. We don’t know a Billy and Bobby or a set of twins from Langston, wherever that is. We really are shape shifters and you really are our mate. We only need a few more minutes to prove it. We only need to know that you won’t run screaming from us once we do.”
    “Okay.” She swiped her arm across her eyes and met his gaze. “If I play along, you’ll let me leave afterward?”
    “Yes.” Mac nodded. “Now, answer my questions. What will you do once you finally realize that Gareth is a white Caspian tiger and I am a red Caspian tiger?”
    “I don’t believe this.” She shook her head and smiled through her tears. “This is crazy, but if it will get you guys to leave me alone and let me and Kelly be on our way, I’ll play along and tell you that it’s been one of my fantasies since I read my first paranormal romance.”
    “What has been your fantasy?”
    “I read that these shape shifters love and protect their women above all else. Their women are everything to them—their life. What sane woman wouldn’t want that?”
    “What about with two of us?”
    She snorted. “Are you hard of hearing? I’ve already told you that I have done that before. It would be awesome to have one man who would love me forever. Two would be more than I could ever hope for.” She sighed. “Tell that to those assholes when you report back to them.”
    “You were going to suspend your disbelief,” Gareth reminded her.
    “I never agreed to that. I only told you that I knew what the term meant.” She sniffed.
    “I’d appreciate it if you would try.” Gareth glowered. “I don’t want to scare the hell out of you when I shift.”
    “You’re really going to take this to the end,