Tygers Page 16

  What? Fall on her like an animal in rut? Keith had no doubts that Katie would not be impressed. That non-existent self-control was the key. As unlikely as it sounded, he had to get inside and slam on the brakes. Keith groaned. How the hell was he supposed to pull that off?

  * * *

  Keith had her this time. He was sure of it. He sobered at the thought that he had been sure of that before. Every time Keith got in her personal space, he was sure he could break down her defenses. Up until now, the end result had always been disappointment for him. Spending every free minute at Carol’s had been pure torture to his libido, but he couldn’t help feeling that he was wearing her down. But this time, Keith had her.

  Katie’s jaw tightened when she saw him sitting in the living room again. He was sure that his continued presence was undermining her search for the elusive, dangerous man, and the thought lent a sense of purpose to what he was doing. Keith wouldn’t let her get hurt, if he could stop it. She glared at him for a moment and started to cross through the room.

  “Katie,” he called out.

  She stopped, but she didn’t turn.

  “I need your help. Can I talk to you?”

  She turned slowly and took a seat across the room from him. “Talk,” she stated flatly.

  Keith stared at the depths of her dark sunglasses, and she sighed and removed them to the neckline of her shirt. Katie looked exhausted. He considered that she might be sleeping as poorly as he was with a measure of amusement.

  “Any time today will be fine, Keith,” she informed him sarcastically.

  “Sorry. I need you to play a game with me.”

  Katie raised an eyebrow that told him he was running out of time.

  “I need you to use the Go Fish cards and tell me what I’m holding up.”

  She launched to her feet, her fists planted on her hips. “No deal. What the hell are you thinking, Keith? I told you that was off limits.” She started to storm away.

  “Wait. I need this. Kyle won’t even consider doing it.”

  “Smart kid,” she replied acidly.

  “I need to get a handle on what he’s doing. If you do it first—”

  Katie glared at him. “You’ve got to be kidding. What good will that do? What will you learn that you don’t already know?”

  “I think he’s a powerhouse, but I can’t gauge that without him agreeing to this.”

  “He’s a powerhouse. Trust me.”

  “He’s linked it to the tigers,” Keith informed her.

  “So what?” she demanded.

  “You already knew that,” he mused.

  “Of course. That’s my job.” Katie bit her lower lip and stared away at the windows behind him. “Can you get Kyle to separate the tigers from the rest?” she asked distractedly.

  “I won’t know until I know what he’s doing. Why do you ask?”

  She shook her head and turned away slowly. “Never mind. Well, come on.”

  Keith looked at her in shock. “It’s a deal?”

  “I suppose so. I don’t really have a choice here.”

  He followed her up to Kyle’s room, trying to calm the rapid fire beating of his heart. She agreed. Maybe only because she had a temporary use for him, but Katie agreed to read his mind.

  Katie leaned through the doorway. “Hey, buddy. What’cha up to?” she asked brightly.

  “Building a range,” Kyle replied without looking over his shoulder. “Is Uncle Keith here?”

  Keith moved forward silently.

  “Kyle, what have I told you?” Katie chided as she moved to the bed and folded her legs Indian style beneath her on the narrow surface.

  “Don’t ask questions I already know the answers to,” he quoted. “Hi, Uncle Keith.”

  Keith clapped his hands enthusiastically. “Well done, Kyle. Guess what?”

  “I don’t want to play,” he replied without looking up.

  “Fine. Just watch,” Keith decided, as if it didn’t make the slightest difference if he did or didn’t.

  Kyle’s head snapped up to his aunt. “He’s kidding, right? You said—”

  “’Fraid not, buddy. Uncle Keith talked Aunt Katie into this one,” she replied.

  “Why?” he asked curiously.

  “Monkey see, monkey do,” she joked.

  “I’m not a monkey. I’m a tiger.” Kyle scowled at Keith.

  Katie rolled her eyes for effect. “Okay. Tigress do, cub do for all I care. Give me a break, Kyle. It’s not my favorite idea, either. I’m not a trick pony.” She sighed. “Don’t ask.”

  “Oh, I see,” he replied cryptically.

  Katie looked back at Keith. “Okay, bring it on.”

  He nodded and shuffled the cards.

  Katie put up a hand to still him. “Kyle, get all your tigers in the range,” she commanded.

  “Why?” he asked in confusion.

  “I want to show you something.”

  “Okay.” He collected the tigers into the play area at the foot of the bed then joined Keith by the door. Keith watched the entire scene suspiciously.

  “Go ahead,” she told him.

  Keith pulled the first card.

  “Blue.”

  “Good.” Second card.

  “Pink.”

  “Two for two.” His eyes strayed to her chest as he drew the next card.

  “Red.”

  Keith startled. “Green,” he corrected her. “Rusty?” he joked.

  “Not at all,” she assured him coldly.

  Keith pulled the next card.

  “Black.”

  “Three for four.”

  She glared at him as he picked the next card. “Purple.”

  “Great.” He met her eyes and smiled as he considered the urge to kiss her whenever she was this close. He pulled another card.

  “Red.”

  Keith looked at the card in his hand in confusion. “Wrong.” He put it on the pile of mistakes. He had been so sure that she would be flawless.

  Katie smiled sweetly. “Pick a card.” The next card came up. “White.”

  “Correct.” Another card.

  “Red.”

  “Correct.” Keith looked at the intense concentration on her face. She was beautiful like this. He pulled a card.

  “Black,” she answered with a scowl. “Three strikes. Right, Keith?”

  He stared at her in shock. Katie knew she had it wrong. Did she get it wrong on purpose?

  “What did you learn, Kyle?” she asked, ignoring him completely.

  “Can I do that?” the child asked urgently.

  “Read without the tigers? Yes, of course you can. I can show you, and you can see color. Come over here on my lap and I’ll show you.”

  Keith watched in confusion as Katie babbled out words that seemed to make no sense. Kyle was rapt on her. Keith looked at the card again, trying to decipher what just happened. He snapped his head up as he realized that Katie was talking to him.

  “What did you say?” he asked.

  “Blue and red, Keith. Don’t try that again.” Katie smiled sweetly and went back to her conversation with Kyle.

  Keith looked at the card in his hand. It was red. He turned over the mistakes pile. There was the green he pulled the first time and blue. Nine for nine. She never made a mistake. Rusty, indeed.

  * * *

  Katheryn attacked the dishes angrily. She had to stop the game. Hiding her responses to his interest had been maddening. She wanted to play cat and mouse with Keith. She got some sort of perverse pleasure out of doing it, but Kyle could read at least some of what was going on. Katheryn could feel his amusement at what he was reading from Keith’s mind. She had blocked Kyle completely in defense when she felt the first spike of arousal building between them, but there was no way to block for Keith as well.

  She cursed herself soundly. Over the last week, Keith had succeeded in igniting that spark of arousal at every turn. He found and exploited every excuse to invade her personal space that he could. The
worst part was that Katheryn was enjoying it. She wanted him to keep pushing her buttons, because it felt good.

  It felt so good that she stopped blocking Keith days ago—until it got too overpowering. When he suggested his little game, Katheryn knew he had an ulterior motive in mind, and she balked. She might have agreed just to educate Kyle, but when she realized that his ulterior motive was to get her to look into him like she was already doing, her mind was made up.

  Outwardly, Katheryn remained cool and aloof. After all, her attraction to Keith didn’t have to override common sense, and as long as he didn’t touch her, she was fairly sure she could keep common sense firmly in mind.

  Katheryn sighed at the sound of footsteps behind her. It was too heavy to be Kyle, and Carol typically announced herself somehow, so it didn’t surprise her when Keith started talking.

  “So, are you ever going to forgive me for being a teenage boy?” he asked lightly.

  “Depends. Are you ever going to stop being a teenage boy?” she countered without taking her eyes off of the sink full of dishes she continued washing. “After all, that scam with the cards—” she noted.

  “Being a teenage boy does have a few advantages,” he commented.

  This time, Katheryn turned to glance at him. Keith was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest and a wide grin on his face. She raised an eyebrow at him dubiously before turning back to the sink.

  “What advantage? Being completely oblivious due to testosterone poisoning?” she asked sarcastically. Katheryn took a deep breath to calm her nerves. He looked good, way too good for her peace of mind.

  “Actually, I was referring to the sexual stamina teenage boys have.”

  His voice came from just over her shoulder, and she felt a warm rush in her abdomen and thighs as his breath tickled her cheek.

  Several possible responses occurred to her and were rejected before Katheryn finally answered him. “Slowing down, Keith? Of course, I have no basis for your former prowess, so—”

  “So, what?” he teased. His breath played over her neck as he moved closer.

  Katheryn shivered in anticipation of his touch. “So, even if I was the Grand Concourse type of girl, I wouldn’t have the initial basis for comparison,” she replied calmly.

  He blew out a breath on the join of her neck and shoulder that did sinful things to her peace of mind.

  “Yes, I remember you telling me that when I asked you out in high school.”

  Keith leaned closer to her ear, and she could picture him scraping his teeth over the edge gently.

  “I always wondered what type of date you would be, but you never let me find out. I still wonder.”

  Katheryn’s hands stilled in the water. “Wonder what,” she managed.

  “What type of a date you’d be.” Keith exhaled next to her ear, a shuddering sound, as if he was employing as much self-restraint as she was. “It’s been fifteen years, Katie. Have I waited long enough, yet?”

  “What did you have in mind?” Katheryn asked, moving her head slightly, missing his lips as he pulled back.

  He ran a long, hot breath over her neck, moving to the other side of her body to tease her with how close he was. “Your choice. How am I supposed to know what you’re interested in? You never told me.”

  She risked a look at him again. His smile was gone. Her breath caught at the hungry look in his eyes. If she read him now— Katheryn licked her lip as she considered it, and Keith’s eyes locked on her mouth.

  “Anything?” she asked quietly.

  “Short of sky diving or bungee jumping, I’m all yours.” He moved his eyes from her lips to her eyes hopefully. “I’ll do whatever you want to do. That’s a promise.”

  Katheryn swallowed a lump in her throat. She was playing with fire and she knew it. “Okay, on Saturday, you’re all mine.”

  His smile returned, a devilish smile that made her heartbeat race. He leaned close to her face, taunting her with his breath on her cheek. “When should I pick you up?”

  “You won’t. I’ll pick you up.” Katheryn considered her plan carefully. “Noon should be early enough, I think.”

  “A woman who likes to drive, huh?” he breathed in a low, gravelly voice that sent tremors through her.

  She backed her head away and eyed him suspiciously.

  Keith feigned a chastised look as he backed away to give her breathing space. “So, where are we going?”

  It was Katheryn’s turn to smile. “That’s my secret. You’ll find out on Saturday.”

  “How should I dress?”

  She raised an eyebrow at him suggestively. “Dress how you like. I’d suggest comfortable clothes, but ultimately that is your choice, isn’t it?”

  His cocky facade disappeared, and he nodded quietly. “On Saturday, then,” he finally decided. Keith hesitated for just a moment before he backed away, and Katheryn found herself wishing that he would break with his self-control and touch her. He looked at her and nodded. “Thanks for giving me a chance, Katie.”

  “Don’t thank me until you see my idea of a good time,” she reminded him.

  He nodded again and left the room quickly. Katheryn watched him go. On Saturday, Keith would get the education of a lifetime. If he had a sense of humor, he might make it to the real date. If he made it that far, she might decide to give in to the maddening sense of wanting him every time he was within range of her. If not, at least she would get to see him in a relaxed atmosphere for as long as it lasted.

  Chapter Eight

  “I have spread my dreams under your feet;

  Tread softly, because you tread upon my dreams.” W.B. Yeats

  Keith debated what to wear all morning. He cursed Katie for pulling this off. He had her as far off balance as he was himself. He had her just where he wanted her. Every breath on her skin had been pulling her further and further into an almost hypnotic state. She even tried to touch him. Keith had moved without even considering it, knowing that his self-control could only stretch so far.

  As it was, her arousal had him on the edges of collapse into doing something that would feel incredible but would probably not be welcomed by his partner at all. Keith hadn’t worried about interruptions. Carol was more than happy to arrange complete solitude to help in his cause. Rather, Keith knew that his control was stretched so far that any little contact would have pushed him over the edge into a mindless possession of her, whatever part of her was there to be tormented and enticed.

  Then, Katheryn met his eyes and her tongue darted out. He smiled at the memory of the tightening in his groin when she did that. Locking his muscles to keep from capturing that errant little piece of her was all he could manage. His mind had been playing traitor, but some rational part of him was still controlling the body if not the spoken words. When she agreed to go out with him, some carnal beast within him was playing a game of baiting her, pushing for her to try to touch him again. Keith wanted to lose control for just a few precious seconds.

  It pushed her further away. Keith could feel her withdraw almost as clearly as he could see her pull her head away.

  That was when the tables turned. Katie was in charge, and she was keeping him completely in the dark to keep him in line. She knew it would drive him crazy. She planned on it. For two days, Keith wondered and worried. The only thing he was absolutely sure of was that he couldn’t push her at all on their date. He couldn’t afford to push her away when she finally trusted him with a second chance.

  Keith had no idea what she had planned. He changed his mind on possible outfits half a dozen times before settling on a snug pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a button-down denim shirt. As an afterthought, he added a touch of cologne. By the time Katie arrived, he was waiting patiently with a single red rose in hand, a rushed buy at the corner store. She took in his appearance, and Keith noted the approval in her eyes.

  “You’re dressed appropriately. That’s good,” she commented. “Get in. Let’s go.”

  He wa
sted no time. As Katie drove, he took in her outfit. Apparently, he chose very well. It almost looked as if they had coordinated their choices. Her dark hair was pulled back into a braid down her back. She wore no make-up or perfume, but her soap was something light and fresh. The musk was unmistakably her own. It was a scent that Keith had dreamed of smelling again.

  He took his eyes off of her and was surprised that they were getting on the entrance to the Parkway East. How long had his perusal lasted? At least five minutes if they had come this far. “Where are we headed?” he asked.

  Katie smiled and raised an eyebrow without taking her eyes off of the road. “East,” she answered simply.

  Keith laughed in spite of himself. “That much is obvious,” he retorted.

  “Really? Then, why did you ask?”

  “Are you going to play the entire day like this?”

  This time, she glanced at him. Her eyes glittered over her secretive smile. “Yes, I am. Want to back out, now?”

  “Not on your life,” he vowed.

  Her laughter sent a tinkling of warmth down his spine. She looked seventeen again.

  Keith settled back and watched the scenery pass by. “Well, I figured we weren’t doing the O when you got on the Parkway,” he commented easily.

  “No, you did your pre-med at Pitt. You’ve had O-fries already. They’re good, but there is much better in this city.”

  He looked at her in surprise. O-fries were good? He never really thought about it before, but they were excellent for that 'beer munchie junk food fix' that most Oakland students got after a few rounds of Bar Golf.

  The Squirrel Hill Tunnel flew by, and Keith decided to try again. “Well, Kennywood is coming up, but you would have gone down Carson to Eighth for that rather than come this way,” he mused.

  “Um. Probably,” she replied absently. “But, everyone has been to Kennywood, and it’s still too cold for all the best rides. What’s new about going there? Especially at this time of year. Fun, yes. New, not likely.”