My Stray Cat

A woman pushed into a gap at the bar between me and another woman. The new arrival was gorgeous, tall and slender but not too skinny. When she pressed closer to me, I tensed. Shifter. The woman was a shifter. I inhaled her scent with something akin to pleasure because I hadn’t seen another shifter since I’d left Middlemarch.

She wasn’t black leopard like me. Not that it mattered because I was so desperate for communication with a like being. Shifters weren’t meant to live alone.

I wasn’t meant to live a solitary life.

My gaze wandered across the smooth tanned skin of her face. She really was lovely. I could appreciate her stunning beauty even though I preferred males.

“What are you staring at?” she demanded, catching me off-guard. Her brown eyes flashed and she tossed a luxurious mane of blonde curls over her shoulder. Irritation underlined the move but instead of making me back off, she made me grin.

“You,” I drawled. “I’m staring at you.” I’m not sure where the urge to tease her came from, but since her attention centered on me, I continued with the impulse.

“Don’t bother, pretty boy. You’re wasting your time blinking your cute green eyes and flashing your dimples at me. I’m not interested.” South Africa colored her voice, the accent strong and brash.

My grin widened to toothy. “Most girls wait until they’re asked before assuming. But as it happens, I’m not looking for a woman.” I paused, my gaze running across her beautiful face and dipping momentarily to peruse her breasts. My gaze lifted again to caress her face. “Now if you had a brother, I might be interested.” Hell, my tongue had turned rebellious. Honesty poured from me. We gaped at each other, my words hanging between us. I figured even though I spoke the truth, she would assume I was joking. But instead of laughing, the color bleached from her face, leaving her deathly pale. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I’m meeting someone. Wrong bar.” She backed away abruptly, colliding with a solid male. She whirled, gasped and grabbed the forearm of the man she’d crashed into. “Wrong bar. Let’s go.” She tried to pull him from the bar but he stood his ground. His blond brows rose while a tiny smile played across his sensual lips.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“No,” the woman snapped. “Let’s go.”

“I’ve only just arrived.” He held out his hand and smiled at me. Slow and languid, it played hell with my libido. My heart hammered against my ribs when I placed my hand in his. Our gazes caught and held, and it wasn’t in the normal, casual way of two males meeting. It was more. Much more. Direct. A moment of pure honesty. And suddenly I knew why the woman was worried.

“I’m Lucas Huntingdon,” he said. “This is my sister Leticia.”

Sister.

I tightened my grip on Lucas’ hand. Just a fraction to let him know I returned his interest before releasing it. “Saul Sinclair.”