The sound of her stomach grumbling roused him from his musings and reminded him they hadn’t eaten. A feeling of shame filled him next. He’d gone to the trouble to set up a nice outing for her but his passion had overridden his intentions. He’d taken her while standing in the middle of the woods. Her needs should have come first.

His hold on her eased and he forced his hips to move. The feel of withdrawing from her body wasn’t a satisfying one—he liked being joined with her.

“Stand up,” he urged.

She didn’t appear any happier than he was when she unlocked her thighs from around him and her feet lowered to the ground. He rose to his full height and released her in the process. He closed his pants.

“We didn’t make it to the creek. Are you ready for dinner, Zandy?”

Her face tilted up and she peered at him. A slight smile curved her lips. “I am hungry.”

Tiger didn’t ask permission but instead just leaned forward and scooped her into his arms. He spun, heading for his original destination. Her arms wrapped around his neck without complaint and she rested her cheek against his shirt.

She felt right in his arms and no amount of denial could change that. He didn’t act rational when it came to the human he held. She wasn’t typical in any manner, in his defense. He inhaled and muffled a purr. He could sniff her all day and night without tiring of her scent.

The sound of the creek led him to the spot he’d left an hour earlier. He admitted he might have gone a little overboard with his preparations but he didn’t regret it. He’d soon find out if she appreciated the effort. Human females were a mystery to him and he had no idea if she’d find it romantic or disturbing.

I’m losing it, he admitted silently. I have it bad for her. A mental image of him falling off a cliff flashed through his mind. Fuck. Maybe it’s just a temporary fascination. I’m not mate material. I enjoy my freedom too much.

Chapter Seven

Zandy admitted Tiger had a way of making her feel small and sexy in the cradle of his arms, as if he were the strongest man in the world and she the most feminine woman. It made her even more attracted to him.

“I went to a lot of trouble. Look,” his husky voice urged when he stopped walking.

Her head turned and a soft gasp escaped her parted lips. Tears filled her eyes next as she stared at the scene before her, deeply touched. An air mattress had been placed in the shade under a tree next to the moving water. Thick, comfortable-looking bedding had been neatly spread across it to make a romantic bed for them to share. Next to it a blanket had been spread out with a large picnic basket. A bucket of ice with either champagne or wine was placed next to the food. He’d even brought real plates, silverware and glasses. A pile of towels cushioned a camping lantern.

“What do you think?”

She turned her head to stare into his gorgeous eyes. There was no missing the worried look lurking there, as if he questioned if she would love the romantic gesture.

“I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

A frown curved his mouth. “I made you cry? I see tears. You don’t like it?”

“I love it. This is the best surprise ever, Tiger. No one has ever done something for me like this before.” She blinked back more tears. “Thank you.”

His features smoothed out. “You are worth all the time I spent setting this up.” He carried her to the edge of the picnic spread and put her on her feet.

Zandy sat and carefully arranged her skirt while removing her shoes. Tiger sank down next to her and his hand cupped her cheek. The tip of his thumb brushed her mouth.

She regretted it when he released her and focused on the basket instead. The smell of fried chicken teased her nose when he opened it and began to remove food. He’d also brought mashed potatoes, gravy and corn on the cob. A box of donuts had her hiding a smile. He grabbed the bottle from the ice bucket, popped the top, and she glimpsed the label. He’d brought a fruity wine and carefully filled both glasses before setting it back in the ice. She accepted the glass he offered her.

“Here is to us being together tonight.”

She touched her glass lightly to his. “This is fantastic, Tiger. Thank you so much.”

Broad shoulders shrugged and she could have sworn she saw a hint of red color his cheeks as his gaze darted away from hers to the food. “I hope you like to eat fried chicken. I know this is a favorite picnic food for humans.”

“I love it.” She sipped the wine and put her glass down. “You really outdid yourself and I appreciate it. This is perfect.”

“It was nothing.” He looked at her again. “I wanted to encourage you to spend more time with me.”

“You succeeded.”

He chuckled and relaxed. “Eat. I want to get you out of your clothes afterward.”

Amusement made her smile. He was blunt and she liked that about him. “I like that plan.”

The clearing was beautiful and Zandy appreciated the scenery as they ate. There was a small waterfall upstream. Birds sang in the treetops above them, the weather was warm and they had a few hours before the sun would set. Any doubts she’d had about meeting Tiger faded.

The amount of food he put away stunned her a little but her gaze took in his sheer size. She deduced it probably took a lot of calories to maintain all those muscles. He opened the donuts last and offered her one. She accepted and noticed he avoided the chocolate ones. She shook her head when he offered to fill her glass a second time.

“I have to drive home later. One glass is it for me.”

He hesitated. “You could sleep here with me. It is safe. I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to you and I checked the weather. It will be a nice night.”

The idea of sleeping with Tiger was too much of a temptation to resist. “Okay. I’ll just have to leave early to have time to go home to shower and change my clothes. It seems your people have a supersensitive sense of smell. I know now that they can pick up just about everything a person does if they get close enough.”

“Yes. I planned to warn you about that.”

“I already learned that lesson today.”

“What happened? Did someone inform you of what shampoo you use? It smells nice.”

“That would have been way less embarrassing than what happened.”

Tiger frowned and stared at her. “Someone embarrassed you? Who?”

It seemed amusing now. “At lunch I was staring at you and kind of remembered yesterday. I guess I got a little turned-on. I didn’t realize New Species could pick that up.” She grinned. “You are hot.”

He didn’t smile back. “What happened? What was said?”

“Nothing really. Creek pointed it out to me in front of Richard and offered to introduce me to whatever guy I liked. Richard thought it was pretty funny. Then my escort noticed and asked me if I thought he was attractive. It was a learning experience, let me tell you. It was embarrassing at the time but I’m over it.”

Tiger softly growled and didn’t look amused in the least. “Did your escort ask you to share sex? Did he touch you?”

That took her by surprise. Was he jealous? “No.”

“Good.” He relaxed. “Who was it? I don’t remember who was assigned to you today.”

“Snow. He’s nice.”

“He is attracted to female humans. I will make sure he isn’t assigned to you again.”

She managed to keep her mouth from dropping open. Anger glinted in his eyes as he watched her and she swallowed a protest. Tiger was jealous. “He’s fine. He didn’t hit on me or anything. He just assumed I might be attracted to him and that he was the source of what he smelled. I set him straight.”

“Did you tell him it was me who aroused you?”

“No.”

A muscle in his jaw flexed as he seemed to grind his teeth together. “You need to tell any males who approach you that it is me who arouses you. You smell incredible when you’re in that state and many of them might ask to share sex with you.”