No way was he taking a mate. He shook his head as he started the engine and threw it in drive, ignoring the worry on the other males’ faces as they watched him leave. He hated the tiny bit of guilt he felt over lying. The fact that he was willing to tell falsehoods to be with the attractive human rang alarm bells in his brain.

Not that it stopped him from driving as fast as he could to return to where she hopefully waited. He took the turns a little too fast, broke the speed laws they had set for safety and only slowed when he came to the last curve of the road, to avoid hitting her car if it was still parked there.

The sight of her made him want to roar in victory. She was his. He was going to strip her bare and do all the things he wanted. Raw hunger gripped him. He wanted Zandy Gordon and he was going to have her.

He grinned, ecstatic all of a sudden as all doubt vanished. He’d worry about what it meant to want her, what she meant to him, later. Right now he just wanted to get her alone, away from the road, and put his hands back on her.

There was a wide strip of grass that he used to park the Jeep. He tore the keys from the ignition and pocketed them as he jumped out. He strode right to her and held out his hand.

“Give me your keys.”

She blinked, obviously not expecting him to say that, but eased away from the car anyway. “They are in the ignition.”

“I’m going to move your car off the road and park it behind my vehicle.”

She nodded and inched away from her car as he moved impatiently. The urge to just bend, toss her over his shoulder and carry her deeper into the woods was strong. He doubted she’d appreciate his carnal thoughts of how he’d like to take her on the ground. He tried to cool his heated blood while he opened the door and attempted to wiggle his big body inside her car.

The female had short legs and the steering wheel squeezed him until he got hold of the lever to shove the seat all the way back. The car smelled of her, laundry soap and something he couldn’t identify. He drove it off the road, parked it behind his Jeep and reached over to shove her purse under the seat, out of sight. The road was mostly secure but anyone could wander by if they were looking for trouble.

The element of danger wasn’t missed by Tiger. He’d already found one human with a gun stalking the woods near Reservation walls. The man could have friends. That gave him pause as he removed the keys from the ignition, pocketed them and locked her car door.

One look at Zandy’s steady green gaze and he decided she was worth some risk. He’d be aware of their surroundings and hoped he could remember to stay alert while he touched her. The smart thing would be to have her follow him back to the gates and take her to his house but the officers would talk. Tiger with a human female would cause a stir, considering his outspoken beliefs that Species males were foolish to hook up with them.

Zandy chewed on her bottom lip, an uncertain expression making her appear fragile. He quickly closed the distance between them to scoop her up in his arms. She gasped but gripped his shoulders.

“I can walk.”

He resisted grinning, amused. She was light in his arms, felt good so close to him, and he wanted her there. “You’re not wearing shoes. I have you.” He forced his gaze from hers, turned toward his Jeep, and quickly headed that way.

“Where are we going?” Zandy relaxed in Tiger’s arms.

“I’m taking you away from the road. I don’t want any interruptions in case others are trespassing.” He paused by the side of the Jeep. “Do you see the blanket folded on the back bench? Could you please grab it?”

She had to let go of him with one arm. He bent her over a little and she grabbed it and dropped it on her lap. Her arm wound around his neck again.

“You really should let me walk. It’s just grass.”

“I don’t want you to hurt your feet and where we are going there might be rocks and small twigs. Trust me. I have you.”

Yes, you do, she admitted silently. The man was strong. He held her in his arms as if she didn’t weigh anything as he maneuvered through the trees quickly. It dawned on her that he was mostly a stranger. She was allowing him to take her deep into the woods and it probably wasn’t the brightest idea she’d ever had. He could be a serial killer but she doubted it. Something about him just made her trust him. Her intuition had been wrong before about people but Tiger wasn’t exactly a regular guy.

“There is a pretty stream ahead,” he rasped. “We will go there.”

That sounds romantic. She smiled, liking that. “Okay.”

She studied his face. He really was gorgeous in a masculine, exotic kind of way. His hair did resemble a mane. The thick strands waved down his shoulders and the multicolored streaks were a truly striking sight. Her hand turned and she ran her fingers through some of it, enjoying the silky texture. His gaze flicked to hers for a second before he concentrated on where he stepped.

“We’re almost there.”

He had walked really fast but wasn’t out of breath and it made her realize how strong he must be. That probably should have made her a little leery of him but she didn’t feel any twinges of fear whatsoever. She was all for having sex with him. The chemistry between them was off-the-charts hot and his size actually made him more arresting.

The woods opened into a small oasis of flowers, a narrow stream and plush grass. Tiger stopped walking, sniffing the air as Zandy gazed around in wonder.

“It’s so pretty.”

He turned to stare deeply into her eyes. “This is my new favorite spot. We recently acquired the land and I come here to bathe sometimes when I’m patrolling the area. Not many of the officers know about it and only a few of us hunt this section for intruders. We’ll have privacy.”

He placed Zandy on her feet. Thick, soft grass cushioned her toes. The blanket nearly slipped to the ground but Tiger grabbed it. He straightened, stepped around her and bent to spread it over an area of moss by the water’s edge in the shade.

His body twisted her way as he straightened and reached for his shirt to remove it. He exposed his impressively sculpted abs to her view. “Do you need help undressing? I’d like for us to remove all our clothes.”

Her heart pounded as she made a final decision—she really wanted to have sex with him. It wasn’t much of a choice. The memory of him had haunted her since the night they’d kissed in that parking lot, the attraction between them too strong to deny. She wanted him. It had been nearly a year since she’d sworn off men after her divorce and the idea of being touched by him tempted her too much.

Her fingers shook slightly as she unbuttoned her shirt, spread it apart and kept her gaze locked on Tiger. His eyes were stunning, so exotic she didn’t want to look away, but the view he exposed when he peeled off his shirt was too tempting to miss. Tan, golden skin, that broad chest, dusky flat nipples and thick bands of muscle was enough to convince her she’d made the right choice. He was perfection.

The zipper at the back of her skirt sounded unusually loud as it came down. The material just dropped to her ankles and she stepped away from it. He softly growled at her as his gaze strayed down her body and she hoped that meant he liked what he saw. She was grateful to be wearing matching underwear. Her hands still trembled as she unfastened her bra, shrugged it off, and reached for her hips to ease her blue thong down her legs.

He stalked closer to her, his pants still on, until only inches separated them. She felt totally exposed, standing there completely naked when he wasn’t.

“You didn’t take off your pants.”

A grin curved his sexy mouth. “I will soon but I don’t want to frighten you.”

Her eyebrows arched. “Why would that scare me?”