Making Her Purr [Tigers of Twisted, Texas 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  But could she? Suddenly, the strange, enticing sensation she’d felt before struck her again, making thoughts difficult and speech even harder. She searched his face, wondering if he’d experienced the strange, but oh-so-good feeling, too.

  “Good.” He glanced toward the front of the ambulance. “It won’t be long now. You just lie back and let me handle things.”

  She sighed and closed her eyes. It would be very nice to let someone else—especially someone who looked like him—handle things for a while.

  Yeah. Very nice.

  * * * *

  William “Smoke” Westbrook’s hands shook as he once again checked Catherine Alexander’s readings. He paused and studied her face again.

  She’s perfect.

  As an EMT, he was used to getting called out to car accidents. Taking care of people was a job he loved. That and running Triple Creek Ranch whenever he wanted to take time off from the hectic work of an EMT. Still, he considered himself fortunate that he could do both lines of work. That was one of the perks and problems of living in rural Texas. Sometimes a man had to wear more than one hat. If he liked both hats, then it was great. If not? Then it stunk.

  His hand slid to the phone in his back pocket. Although he knew his brother, John, and their cousin Tatum Westbrook would want to know, talking about having found their intended mate while still in the ambulance wouldn’t be a smart move. Kenny Schumer, the driver, might overhear. Knowing Kenny, he’d jump on the word mate like a bird on a worm until Smoke told him what it meant.

  He couldn’t stop staring at the gorgeous face.

  It’s her.

  He’d known the first moment he’d put his hand against her throat to check for a pulse. As the connection struck him, he’d had to stop and think about what he was doing. If she’d died… Thankfully, he didn’t have to go there. She was very much alive, and aside from a bump on the head, a major bruise on her leg that had to hurt, and a few other minor scrapes and bruises, she was going to be fine.

  She’s beautiful.

  Her long chestnut hair flowed around her shoulders. Perky full breasts pushed at the simple yet designer-label T-shirt. Her body wasn’t too lean or too fat.

  He chuckled. I sound like Goldilocks. Not too lean and not too fat. This girl’s just right.

  The difference, of course, was that he, his brother, and his cousin weren’t big, bad wolves. Again, his attention shifted to the angelic heart-shaped face. Her lips were full and pouty. Her face was round without looking puffy. Long eyelashes lay against pale cheeks. But it was her eyes that had caught his heart and held it. Her big brown eyes, reminding him of those of a sweet deer, had met his. He’d seen fear in those chocolate depths, but he’d also seen something that had stirred his cock.

  She liked what she saw. Maybe almost as much as he had. As far as he was concerned, that was a good sign.

  That was all it had taken. A touch, then a look, and he was ready to claim her. His inner tiger had roared to life, ready to slide its fangs into her neck and change her. Of course, he wouldn’t do so without her permission. Claiming a woman against her will was the same thing as raping her.

  He glanced toward the front of the ambulance as it wound its way around the circular driveway in front of the emergency room entrance. The small medical center wasn’t much in comparison to a big city hospital, but it served the residents of several towns, including his own hometown of Twisted, Texas. The facility was new and still struggling to get fully staffed, which was why he and his brother worked there as much as they could while still managing the demands of running a ranch. Their cousin worked on the ranch full time, which made it easier for them to split their times between jobs. Strangely, although most of the people who used the center for medical treatment were human, many of the staff were shifters. He didn’t care. If he could help anyone, human or shifter, he’d be happy to do it.

  He shoved the doors to the ambulance open to find his brother, John, waiting. Together they lifted her and the stretcher out of the vehicle. Although it would’ve taken two human males to handle the rig back at the accident site, he’d managed fine on his own.

  “What do we have?” As usual, whether it was at the medical center or on their ranch, John was all business. He checked her right pupil, then jerked his hand back as though something had bitten him. Gently, almost tentatively, he checked her left eye.

  Smoke ran down her vitals but didn’t mention how he’d felt when he touched her. Every time he touched her, no less. Besides, John was already checking her out as they wheeled her inside. Surely he felt something. He had to have felt something.

  He motioned for John to hand her off to another doctor and a couple of nurses. At first, John hesitated but finally relented when Smoke grabbed John’s arm, holding him back.

  “What are you doing?” John’s lips lifted in a snarl.

  “It’s her.” He couldn’t help but grin.

  “Her who?” John’s gaze followed the gurney.

  “Her.” Did he really have to say more? As with Kenny, he didn’t want to say too much while other people were near.

  “What’s wrong with you? What the hell are you talking about? Who is she?”

  “Damn it, John. Didn’t you feel it? Listen to me. It’s her.”

  John’s eyebrows darted south as he tried to understand. “Her.”

  Smoke waited, seeing his brother struggle to comprehend. He repeated it again. What more could he say without saying too much? “Shit. Listen harder. It’s her.”

  At last, John caught on. “You’re fucking kidding me. It’s her?” An older couple walking by shot John a hard look, silently admonishing him for his strong language. He stared at his hand. “I felt something, but I was concentrating on…” He let out a hard breath. “It’s really her?”

  “Yeah.” His face was going to break if he smiled any bigger. “Her.”

  “Holy shit. Are you sure?” The older couple shot him another scowl. John took Smoke’s arm and pulled him into an examination room, shutting the door behind them.

  “How many times do I have to say this? I’m sure.”

  “Did she come around?” John strode toward the door then, apparently changing his mind about leaving, came back to stand in front of Smoke. “I didn’t get a chance to examine her. Are her injuries major?”

  “I don’t know about the head wound, but I didn’t see anything else to be too concerned about.”

  “How’d it happen?”

  Did it really matter? Yet John needed time to soak everything in. It had taken him several minutes in the ambulance to finally believe what he’d felt.

  “Best guess? She swerved to miss hitting a deer then lost control. Dirk Brazelton said he saw her fly off the road before she took out his fence and almost took a head or two. He was the one who called in the report. Said he would’ve”—he glanced around—“done whatever he had to if he’d had to get her out of the car fast. Fortunately, Kenny and I were nearby.”

  Dirk Brazelton was a werewolf, but as far as they were concerned, he was one of the better ones. If Dirk would’ve had to shift to save her, he would have.

  Shit. Our future mate could’ve been changed into a werewolf.

  The thought was enough to make him want to hurl.

  “That must’ve got old Dirk’s blood pumping.”

  “Yeah.” He winced, still trying to get the awful idea out of his head. But John wasn’t really focused on him anyway. His brother kept pacing back and forth.

  “But you’re sure she’s the one?” John stopped and crossed his arms almost as though he were daring Smoke to prove it. “You’re sure?”

  “Look, I know it’s hard to believe. I mean, it happened so damn fast. I mean, I barely touched her and—wham. Damn, man, you felt it, too, didn’t you? I know it’s hard to take in, but believe it.” He gave it another thought as though the last hundred times he’d already questioned his feelings, wanting to make sure they were real, weren’t enough. “I’m as sure of this as I
am of you being my brother.”

  John let out a hard breath. “I didn’t look at her long, but from what I saw, she’s really pretty.” The statement sounded more like a question.

  “Yeah, she’s real pretty, man. Great body, long hair.” And her eyes. God, her eyes. Yet he didn’t mention her eyes, not wanting to sound too sappy.

  “And you felt the connection?”

  “I did. No doubt about it.”

  “Like a quick zap, right?” John’s expression was earnest, eager.

  They and their cousin Tatum had talked about the connection since they were horny teenagers. They’d grown up hearing other weretigers talk about the connection. But talking about it and hearing about it didn’t hold a candle to actually feeling it. How could he explain such a momentous sensation?

  “Yeah, exactly. It’s everything you’ve ever heard it would be and more.” His eagerness to share grew stronger. “I’d barely touched her neck for a pulse when—” The excitement was revving higher. “Once I did, I knew it. It was like I’d stuck my hand in a wall socket. Or been bitten by a hundred bees.” He frowned, not quite getting it right. “But good, man. It felt so damn good. And right. Like I’ve known her my entire life, lost her, and finally found her again. Shit. I’m not saying this right.”

  John took a seat on the examination table. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Neither will Tater.” As much as Tatum disliked the nickname, it had stuck. Not only did his name lend itself to the nickname but he just happened to love tater tots. “Should we call him?”

  “He’ll kick our asses if we don’t.” John’s joke was only partly a joke. If they didn’t call their cousin, Tatum would likely get mad as hell.

  “I’ll give him a call. You’d better get in there and check on her.”

  “I will, but damn it, I let Dr. Harper take her. She’s his patient now.”

  Smoke didn’t want to lose any opportunity to get close to her. “Then take her back. Ask him to give a consultation or whatever. We’ve got to have a reason to stay nearby.” He lifted his phone. “Go on while I tell Tater to get his ass over here.”

  Chapter Two

  John didn’t like Dr. Walt Harper. From what he’d seen of the human doctor, he was too full of himself and would rather flirt with the nurses than do whatever was necessary to help his patients. Not that the nurses wanted anything to do with him—he treated them like servants whenever he wasn’t flirting—but they didn’t want to cause trouble. John and the elderly doctor had suffered through a few heated discussions in the past when John had tried getting the lazy man to do more. Having to ask a favor of him now had the words sticking in his craw.

  “Why do you want this patient so much, Dr. Westbrook? If you wanted her so damn much, why’d you turn her over to me when you wheeled her in?”

  Damn, how I’d love to shove that clipboard up his nose.

  Instead, he put on his best professional face and shoved his dislike of the man away. “I got distracted, but I pulled her out of the ambulance. By rights, I should’ve stuck with her.”

  One bushy eyebrow shot up. “Are you saying you pushed a patient aside? As I recall, it was to talk to your brother. Am I right?”

  Telling the old fart he was right physically hurt. “I didn’t…” He dragged in a breath. “Look, Dr. Harper, if you’d do this favor for me, I’d appreciate it.”

  Don’t say it. Yet he knew the unscrupulous man would.

  “If I do this, you’d owe me. Do you agree?”

  He’d rather wrestle a live alligator than tell the man he was right, but he’d do anything for their intended mate. His gaze jumped to the pretty woman lying on the bed. For once, Dr. Harper had moved fast, getting her admitted and into a room in record time.

  He’s probably hoping to hit on her as soon as he can. He sucked it up. “Yes. That’s right.” I’ll be damned if I’ll say you’re right.

  Dr. Harper practically did a little jig. “Good.” He took his own sweet time to look at the patient in question. “I bet I can guess why you want her. We don’t get many patients who look like her.” He leaned closer to John and whispered conspiratorially as though they were good friends. “Got a boner for her, huh?”

  John clenched his hands to keep from punching the asshole. If he could’ve, he would’ve loved to turn his tiger loose on him. “I’m trying to maintain a professional conversation here, Dr. Harper.”

  The old coot laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t go getting your panties in a bunch.” He pointed a finger, putting it an inch from John’s face. “Just remember. You owe me one.”

  “Got it.” John doubted he could ever forget. Unable to stand there a second longer, he pivoted on his booted heel and strode into her room. Thankfully, Dr. Harper didn’t follow him.

  Their future mate was beautiful, just as Smoke had said. Sitting up in bed, she combed her fingers through her hair, trying to undo the tangles. The hospital robe she wore lay against her luscious body, hugging her curves. A bandage covered the cut on her forehead while her right knee was wrapped in a brace to keep her from bending it.

  He was about to speak when she realized he was there and turned her hot gaze toward him. Whatever he was going to say was gone the moment she looked at him.

  “Damn.”

  She scrunched her face into a frown that somehow made her even more beautiful. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

  Clearing his throat, he straightened his back and moved toward her, his hand extended. “I’m Dr. Westbrook. Dr. Harper asked that I take over your care. And you are?”

  “He did? He didn’t say anything to me.” She scowled then added, “The name’s Catherine Alexander. And, yes, before you ask, it’s that Alexander. Like I said, though, he didn’t say anything to me.”

  That Alexander? He wasn’t sure what she meant. “He only just decided. It’s all right, isn’t it?” Please don’t say no.

  “Sure. I guess. I don’t think I’ll be here very long for it to matter.”

  He picked up her chart and studied it. She was scheduled for a CT for her head wound, but he doubted anything was seriously wrong. He’d be more certain once he looked into those amazing eyes. “Let’s get the tests done first. We wouldn’t want you walking out of here then passing out on the sidewalk.” He smiled, hoping to earn one in return. “That wouldn’t be good for business.”

  Damn it. I sound like a television doctor.

  Her gaze slipped to her knee. The injury wasn’t all that bad. She’d have to go easy on it for a couple of days, but soon enough, she’d be right as rain.

  “Aside from a mild headache and my knee, I feel fine.”

  “We have to make sure nothing is slipping our attention. Hospital liability and all that.” He moved even closer and realized that his pulse had picked up speed. If she really was their intended mate, then he had to keep her there for as long as it took to convince her to stay forever. “Let’s have a look.”

  “The other doctor already examined me.” She shuddered a little. “I think he got off on it.”

  It wouldn’t surprise me.

  “Let me take a look, okay?”

  She let out a puff then put her plump lips into a pout. “Fine.”

  He did his best to examine her, but it was difficult when every part of him wanted to examine her in an entirely unprofessional way. Shining the light into her eyes was the hardest part. Her eyes were brown, but they had bits of gold in them that danced with the light. By the time he touched her arm, he was ready to shift and take her as their mate. A sizzle of electricity seared into him, diving straight for his crotch. Thankfully, he had on his white coat.

  She’s the one, all right.

  He swallowed hard and moved his examination to her knee, removing the brace to get a good look at it. Pulling her gown out of the way revealed more of her silky leg. If he had to guess, he’d swear her legs stretched to Mexico and back.

  “So? What’s the prognosis? Am I going to live?”

  He hurri
ed to put the brace back into place and stepped back. If he didn’t, he might grab her behind the neck and kiss her. “Yeah. You’ll live.” Before she could speak, he interrupted her. “But I’m still not releasing you until we’re sure about that bump on the head.” As far as her leg was concerned, she could probably walk without too much trouble. Still, if he put a heavier brace, maybe even a cast on her, then he could keep her confined to her bed.

  The doctor in him protested his somewhat unethical means to keep her there, but the tiger was ready to do whatever it could to keep her around. No doubt the nurses would notice what he was doing, but he hoped they’d go along with it. If they were shifters, which her nurse was, then they’d be able to see the hunger in his eyes.

  “Hey, how’s the patient doing?”

  Damn it. He’d hoped for more time alone with their mate. Not that he wasn’t looking forward to sharing her with Tatum and Smoke, but he would’ve enjoyed some one-on-one time, too. Especially once they got past the doctor-patient relationship. Their weretiger and mate relationship would be so much better.

  Still, he should’ve known Smoke would find her as soon as he could. “Miss Alexander, this is my brother, William, aka Smoke. He’s the EMT who brought you here.”

  She perked up, both exciting John and deflating his ego. Would she ever act that excited to see him?

  “Yeah, I remember you from the ambulance.”

  “That’s me.” Smoke held a plastic bag. “Do you remember what happened? Dirk Brazelton, the farmer that saw you go off the road, said it looked like you lost control.”

  John saw her gaze dart away as though she didn’t want to answer. He figured he already had an answer. She’d probably been texting while driving. Or adjusting the radio. Or any number of other distractions. He’d seen it all too often.

  She adopted a defiant look. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention and my car got away from me.”

  “A Tesla is a lot of car to handle.” Smoke pushed more. “I don’t suppose you were texting at the time?”

  “I was on the phone, yes, but not texting. Besides, what does it matter now? I ended up in here.” She let out a puff of air, showing her frustration level. “I want to get back on the road. How do we make that happen, Doc?”