Romance: The Tiger's Hired Mate: BBW Tiger Shifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

in his arms.  The touch of her lips and the taste of her soft skin unleashed a deep primal hunger.  For one wild moment, he was tempted to call her back in right now and express his true feelings.  He ached for her, and the pain was unbearable.
    “Idiot,” he said under his breath.  “You’re an idiot.  She’ll think you’re crazy.”
    Worse still, she might reject him out of hand.  That was a thought too terrible to contemplate.  Even more frightening was the possibility that she would accept him, but only so she would gain access to his wealth and all the freedoms and luxuries it offered.
    The old cynicism that coiled like a serpent round his emotions quickly dampened his ardour.  His father had taught him long ago to control his feelings.  People were easily blinded by money, no matter how nice or honest they might be.  “Always remember, people don’t always see the man standing in front of them, just the passport to all their impossible dreams,” was one of dad’s old adages.
    That had certainly been the case with Natasha.  But Amanda, it seemed different.  Ever since she’d started working for him, she’d had a profound effect on him that no woman had done before.  His chest got tight whenever she was near by, and he became tongue-tied and awkward.  Even saying ‘good morning’ to her had required phenomenal effort. 
    Before long, this strange power she had over him began to make him angry.  The only way he could handle all these feelings was to retreat behind his cold, sardonic exterior.  This was his safe place, where he could stay in control.  The way he treated her when he behaved this way was like a knife wound to his stomach, he couldn’t deny that, but it was a brutal necessity.
    Her soft, hazel bright eyes stalked his imagination, filled with cutting intelligence and sensual promise.  His resolve crumbled, and he pictured them together, wrapped in a loving embrace, his hungry tongue exploring every inch of her warm, creamy skin. 
    “Damn you, Amanda,” he whispered huskily.
    His dad had warned him this day would come.  The one woman that could tame him would step into his life and everything would change.  Amanda was the one, all his instincts screamed.  This was it, the moment he had prepared for all his life.
    Still, he hesitated.  He could be wrong.  He was about Natasha after all.  She had bewitched him too, albeit on a purely physical level.  He could be making the same mistake with Amanda too, hence this charade with the wedding.  He needed to get to know her, understand what made her tick and to reach in to her very soul.  Only then could he reveal the deep secret that had kept him a slave all his life. 
    Fear paralysed him.  He had held onto his secret nature for so long he wasn’t even sure he could even attempt to share it with another living being.  All he could do was wait and see how events played out.
    Closing his tired eyes, he finished his drink and growled softly.
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 3: Pleasure Island
     
     
     
                  If the hotel Joshua had offered to host the wedding celebrations at was his idea of shabby, Amanda couldn’t begin to imagine what he actually considered to be luxurious.  Sitting in Joshua’s private plane, Amanda watched their descent on the video screen and tried not to let her mouth hang open.  Not only was the hotel situated in the vast expanse of Indian Ocean on one of the most beautiful tropical islands she had ever seen in her life, to her mind it was also the one of the largest and palatial edifices ever conceived.
    Overlooking a bay of sparkling blue water, and flanked by the dark, vibrant sprawl of rainforest, the Shere Khan Hotel was a sweeping citadel of pristine white stone.  Amanda drank in the magnificent jumble of grand towers, huge courtyards and elegant stambhas.  Enclosed parks flourished with neatly trimmed lawns and lush vegetation, and exquisite blue domed