The Jaguar Prince

Chapter 16

Callie was not in love with Rogar, infatuated yes, but not in love. She hadn’t known him long enough. He was hot, sexy, and yes, he’d been her hero. Dark, dangerous, and mysterious. She was sure he had some flaws somewhere, other than his cooking.

“You’re so in love with him,” DeeDee said.

“Am not.”

“Are to.”

“Callie,” Rogar bellowed from the other room.

She jumped to her feet. “Crap, I gave him one of my pain pills. It should’ve knocked him out and let him get a few hours sleep. He must be in excruciating pain.”

DeeDee raised her eyebrows. “You gave an alien a pain pill?”

Callie frowned as she hurried to the bedroom. “It never hurt me. I’m part alien.” Now that she thought about it, she’d never taken anything stronger than a Tylenol. There had never been a need. At the edge of the doorway, Callie skidded to a stop.

Rogar stood in the middle of the bed weaving back and forth, wearing only his briefs, and the large white bandage. At least it wasn’t blood soaked. “Where’s my weapon? How can I protect you if I don’t have a weapon?”

“It’s okay, we’re safe at DeeDee’s. Zerod won’t find us here.”

He seemed to think about that for a moment.

“You need to lie back down before you fall off the bed and hurt yourself,” Callie spoke softly so she wouldn’t startle him. From now on, no more pain pills.

“She’s right. Sit down, Rogar,” DeeDee told him as she came in behind Callie. “Apparently, he’s feeling better.”

In one movement, Rogar’s legs went out from under him and he plopped down on the bed, then laughed uproariously when he bounced. When DeeDee chuckled, Callie cast a glare in her direction.

DeeDee shrugged. “He’s funny. Besides, you gave him the pill, not me.”

“I didn’t know it was going to make him act all…goofy. What if his wound starts to bleed?”

“Callie, sweetheart, come lie beside me. I want to mate with you. I want to hear you cry my name out in ecstasy again.”

“Oh, this is serious if you cried his name out,” DeeDee commented.

Heat crawled up Callie’s face. This was not happening in front of DeeDee.

“I think I’ll leave you to get him settled back down,” DeeDee whispered. “Just do me one favor.”

“What?”

“Don’t have sex in my bed. It’s not a visual I want right before I go to sleep.”

Callie groaned as the door closed. Then she looked at Rogar, who was sitting in the middle of the bed, with a silly grin on his face.

“You need to get some rest,” she said.

He patted the bed. “So do you.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “I have a feeling sleeping is not what you have in mind.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll stay up with you.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“No! You could start your wound bleeding again. I’m surprised it isn’t now. Besides, you’re not that steady, and if you fall, I doubt DeeDee or I could get you back up again.”

She hurried over when it seemed he wasn’t paying a bit of attention to her. It didn’t take much effort to get him to lie back down. Again, he patted the mattress beside him.

“Please?”

“Okay, but we’re not making love. I won’t have you bleeding to death, and me feeling guilty for the rest of my life.” She crawled in beside him and lay back against the pillow.

Rogar rose on one elbow and stared down into her face. “You’re so damned beautiful.”

“Since when did you learn our curse words?”

“Database.”

“Huh?”

“It’s like one of your computers, but much more technically advanced, of course. I can find out anything I want to know. It can do a lot of things that your computers can’t.”

She barely paid attention to what he said. She was mesmerized by his eyes, and the way he was intently watching her. When he began to lower his face toward hers, she closed her eyes, anticipating the touch of his lips, the heat that would follow.

But his head landed on the pillow beside her, his arm plopped across her chest like an anchor. She coughed as her air supply was cut off. This was not good. She wiggled out from under his weight.

He snored.

It was not fair to make her want his kiss, then fall asleep.

Except he was going to suffocate if she didn’t get his face out of the pillow. She pushed until he rolled onto his back. Chest heaving from exertion, she fell back onto the bed. The man was big.

When she could breathe normally again, she pushed up on one elbow and stared down at him. A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead. She didn’t hesitate to brush it back, her fingers lingering on his forehead, then smoothing across one cheek, and over his lips. She leaned down, and for just a moment, pressed her lips against Rogar’s. His were warm. She reveled in the fact she could show how she felt without being just a little embarrassed.

Then it hit her, and she jerked back.

Oh, no, DeeDee was right. She was falling in love with Rogar. How could it have happened so fast? But she knew. It was just like DeeDee had said. Callie had a bad case of hero worship. She moved off the bed and quietly left the room. She found DeeDee in the family room.

“Oh, DeeDee, what am I going to do? I think I’ve fallen in love.”

DeeDee laughed.

“That’s not exactly the reaction I was hoping from you.”

“It’s all right to fall in love, Callie.” She patted the cushion beside her. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Callie walked over and sat beside her friend. “He wants me to go to New Symtaria with him.”

“Would that be so bad? You would get to know your people.”

This conversation was not going in the direction she’d expected. Didn’t DeeDee care enough about their friendship to want her to stay?

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Callie studied her face, but she only saw the friendship that had always been there. Still, she had to ask. “You’d want me to leave?”

“What I want isn’t important. Besides, I have a feeling we would still see each other on occasion. What’s important is that you’re happy. It should never be a choice between me and the man you fall in love with. Do you think you might be more afraid of the unknown?”

“I think another planet is a little more than the unknown.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is. But look at the adventure you’ll have.”

“What if I don’t want an adventure?”

She patted Callie’s hand. “If you think about it, you’ll see that I’m right. You’ve never left this town except when I dragged you to my parents’ cabin.”

“It was a little more than a cabin. More like luxury enclosed in a log structure.”

“Don’t tell Mom and Dad that. They like to think they’re roughing it.”

Her parents were really nice, but they didn’t have a clue about how it felt to scrimp and save. Their idea of roughing it was slower Internet service.

Callie shrugged. “But he doesn’t love me. He only wants to make love.”

“I don’t know, he looks like he might care about you more than you think.”

And if that were the case, could she go on an adventure like Rogar was asking her to take? Give up any chance for the job she’d worked toward getting most of her life? Leave Sheba. The jaguar had become a part of her life as much as any beloved pet.

But if she stayed, could she learn how to protect herself from people like Zerod? So many questions, and she didn’t have a clue what the answers were.

“I’m beat, I think I’ll go to bed.” She stood, knowing she would stay in the room with Rogar. Apparently, so did DeeDee because she didn’t ask if she wanted one of the other bedrooms. If Rogar needed her during the night, Callie would have to be close enough to hear him.

“See you in the morning.”

There was a light blue chaise in the master bedroom. That would probably be safer than the bed. She took one of the pillows off the bed, and the blanket at the foot, then made herself as comfortable as she could. The chaise was meant for reading. It had a high back on one end and it was open on the other. It wasn’t long enough for someone to stretch out on so she would have to curl on her side. It was only one night, and Rogar had saved her life.

As she punched her pillow, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be getting a lot of sleep tonight. Some birthday this had been—an alien called Zerod had tried to kill her. Now that would be a story to tell the grandchildren. Not that they would believe it, except they would be part alien, too.

Oh, Lord, how would she explain that if she married someone from Earth? No, honey, of course we didn’t get a cat. That’s your daughter.

Or, worse, what if her animal guide was really a rabbit? Would that mean there was a possibility she would have twelve or more children at one time?

She shouldn’t have drunk the Margarita. Alcohol always went straight to her head.

Maybe she would be destined to stay single for the rest of her life. She certainly didn’t want to freak out her husband in the delivery room when she dropped a dozen or more kids.

Did they even have maternity clothes that big?

Oh, cripes, what if she delivered a baby rhinoceros? Ouch! That was so not going to happen. She would definitely insist on a c-section.

Her lids fluttered downward and she yawned. She didn’t want to think about anything else tonight. She only wanted to sleep, and stay safe.

But her dreams were filled with Zerod chasing her, except he was a tiger. Right before his teeth clamped down on her head, the dream changed. Now she was in the delivery room with some guy who she knew was her husband, but he looked like a complete doofus, and was white as a sheet because this doctor kept catching all these babies that were flying out of her body.

She sat up with a start, drenched in sweat. The soft glow of morning light had started to creep inside the room. She sat on the side of the chaise, stifling her groan. She felt as though she’d run a marathon—or delivered a dozen or so kids.

She stretched to get the kinks out, then stood and stretched some more. After a quick check on Rogar, who looked as though he was having great dreams, she dug a pair of sweats out of her bag and headed toward the shower. A shower, then coffee.

Less than half an hour later, she was in the kitchen with a pot of coffee started.

“I thought I heard someone up and moving about,” DeeDee said as she joined her. “Good, you have the coffee going.”

DeeDee wore a flowing caftan and looked positively radiant. “How do you do it?”

“What?”

Callie waved her hand toward DeeDee. “Look this good first thing in the morning?”

“Bad night?”

“Miserable. I do not recommend sleeping on your chaise.”

“There are spare guest rooms upstairs.”

“I needed to be close.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. Rogar saved my life so it was the least I could do.” She glanced toward the glass pot. “Coffee’s ready.” And it was a good thing. It was way too early to get into a conversation about her love life.

“What time are you planning to leave?” DeeDee asked as she sat at the table with her coffee.

“I want to get out of town as soon as possible. And you?”

“I’ll call Mom this morning to let her know I’ll be joining them after all. I’ll leave the same time as you.”

“Good, I don’t want you here if Zerod comes looking for us, and I’d guarantee he will.”

“Are you scared?”

She nodded. “But I feel safe with Rogar.”

“And I’ll keep you safe,” Rogar spoke from the doorway.

She jumped up and hurried to him. “What are you doing up? You don’t want to start your wound bleeding again.” She rested his arm across her shoulders. He moved his hand a few inches, and as they made their way across the room, she realized how close it was to her breast. In fact, it was brushing the side. By the time she had him in a chair, her nipples were tight and aching for more than a gentle caress.

“Are you feeling better,” DeeDee asked, apparently she didn’t notice the sexual undercurrent.

“Much better, but groggy.” His gaze fell on Callie. “Did you give me something? I had a crazy dream that I needed to save you again, and couldn’t find a weapon. Then your lips were touching mine and your hands…”

“Most of it was a dream,” she quickly inserted.

“Callie…” DeeDee began.

“We didn’t. I swear.”

“Didn’t what?” Rogar looked between them.

“Nothing. Would you like some coffee?” She could feel the heat rising up her face.

“Coffee?”

“It’s a morning drink,” DeeDee explained.

“Yes, I’d like to try coffee.”

Callie poured Rogar a cup, then carried it to him. He took a drink, then coughed and sputtered before turning accusing eyes on her.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“I guess it’s an acquired taste.”

She poured him a glass of orange juice instead. He seemed to like that much better.

“We can’t continue to stay here,” Rogar told them when he’d finished his juice.

“That’s why you’re going to my parents’ cabin,” DeeDee said. “Zerod won’t think to look for you there.”

He stiffened. “You know about Zerod?” He looked at Callie.

“I had to tell her, Rogar. I mean, your wound, and everything. I didn’t want DeeDee to think we were criminals or something.”

“I swear I won’t say a word.” DeeDee crossed herself—not that she was Catholic.

“It could be dangerous if you did.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “That, and my parents would probably send me to a shrink.”

Rogar sat straighter. “You can shrink people?”

“She meant psychiatrist. Someone who tries to help crazy people.” Callie hated to put it that way, but it was the only way she thought Rogar would understand.

“Oh, you mean people with emotional problems,” he said.

Callie frowned. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.” She ignored DeeDee’s smile.

“You will come with us?” Rogar asked. “It won’t be safe here.”

DeeDee shook her head. “I’ll stay with my parents. My cousin is getting married in a couple of months. They’ll be visiting them in another week so it’s an extended vacation. I like her, even if her fiancé is a jerk.” She curled her lip.

“Fiancé?” he asked.

“When two people fall in love, they get engaged. Her fiancé is the man she’s going to marry. They plan to spend their life together.”

He nodded. “Lifemate.”

Callie’s heart tripped at the way he said the word, then looked at her, as though he’d already staked his claim. She wondered what it was going to be like over the next few days living with Rogar. If he continued as he was right now, she had a feeling her heart was going to be in deep trouble.

She jumped up from her seat. The room felt as though it was suddenly closing in on her. “I need to call Mr. Campbell. When all this is over, I’ll still need my job.” She met Rogar’s gaze. She was sure he caught her meaning. Leaving everything she had ever known was not an option.