So, she would not be tripping down experiment lane with this big idiot.

“I’m leaving.”

She went to stand up, but he grabbed the belt loop on her shorts and yanked her back down.

“Because what I’m thinking is,” he continued without missing a beat, “we give this a try. See if it works. If not, we never discuss it again.”

That sounded reasonable and a quick way out of this hillbilly nightmare.

“Will you leave me alone if this doesn’t work?”

“Yes.”

“Will my hair be involved?”

“Um… not unless you want it to be.”

“Fine. Let’s get this bullshit over with then.”

“Good.” He jumped to his big tiger feet. For a large man, he was quite spry.

He pulled off his T-shirt and went for his jeans as he began walking around the couch.

“What are you doing?” She didn’t bother to hide the panic.

“This experiment requires me to get naked.”

He disappeared behind the couch.

“No! No! No naked required!”

She tensed, ready to bolt at the first sign of his massive cock. Damn him. If she saw it again, she really wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her mouth off it this time. She didn’t know what he thought he was playing at, but she’d be damned if she’d play along.

But when he came around the corner at the opposite end of the couch, she found she couldn’t move. She pushed herself up against the sofa and let out a whimper.

What the fuck was he playing at?

The son of a bitch had shifted. He had to be ten feet long from nose to tail and his paws were as big as her head!

She’d just begun to hyperventilate when he laid down. She wondered if she’d make it to the exit in time if she bolted now, when he suddenly rolled onto his back. And, like an enormous kitten, he brought his paws up and swatted at the air.

Then she suddenly understood. Understood what the hell he was up to.

She laughed. Crazy fuckin’ hillbilly cat.

Angie covered her mouth to stop from laughing and stared at him for a good while. He didn’t move.

He waited for her to make the first move. She liked that. It made her feel in control, even though her rational mind knew better.

Leaning over as far as she could without moving her lower body any closer, she carefully slid her hand across his paw. The pads were rough against her fingers.

So weird. So freakin’ weird.

Unable to stay away, she scooted closer to him. When would she ever get a chance again to be this close to a tiger and not have to worry he’d bite her head off?

She ran her hands over his flank and across his chest. He closed his eyes and made that puffing noise again. That must be his happy noise, because he looked quite comfortable at the moment.

Angie moved a little closer, until her knees touched his side. She petted him on his big barrel chest for a few more minutes. Then she became braver.

“Turn over.” He obliged immediately and she leaned into him, running her hands over his back and digging into his fur. She rested against him, taking a big sniff. Sara did that all the time with her dogs. She said they had a “puppy smell” she loved. But she only smelled Nik. She had to admit, though, she really liked how he smelled.

She crawled onto his back, laying face down across the fur. She stretched her arms out, her fingers rubbing his head and marveled at the fact that her feet didn’t even come close to his tail. She sat up, her legs straddling his mid-section.

I could ride this motherfucker to Utah.

She slid off his back and crawled forward, grasping one of his paws. She held it up against her hand. It completely dwarfed her long fingers. She smiled. Oh, yeah. This had to be one of the coolest things ever.

His enormous head nuzzled her gently under the chin. Without even thinking about it, she nuzzled him back. He puffed air out and then he purred.

“Stand up a sec.” She wanted to see how tall he stood on all fours. He pushed himself up and, still smiling, she reached up and ran her hands over his face. His black markings were so striking, she wondered if they meant anything. Why did tigers have them? And the white hair that rested behind his ears as human, now formed perfect circles on the back of his tiger ears. But why? All sorts of questions raced through her brain. Miki-type questions.

He walked forward slowly, nudging her with his head. She leaned back, resting on her elbows, as he towered over her. He slowly lowered his head and she reached up with both hands, grasping either side of him. She let her weight hang off him as she rubbed her fingertips in slow circles through his fur and his eyes closed.

She became so lost in what he allowed her to do, it took her a minute to realize he’d begun to lower himself onto her. The thought of seven hundred pounds of tiger flesh, sitting on her size-twelve body did not give her ease. But before she could go screaming into full-blown panic, Nik shifted again. Just like that. He went from tiger to man in a few seconds, and suddenly Nik the man was on top of her. Specifically between her legs, his gold eyes burning into hers.

His arms braced on either side of her body, he didn’t attempt to bring himself any lower. Instead, he waited for her to once again make the first move.

***

Damn. He didn’t mean to shift like that. This exercise in touching was supposed to last until she became completely comfortable with him, but hopefully before she had to return to her people. But he never expected her to respond so immediately or eagerly to him as tiger. And having her hands all over his fur, only made him yearn for those hands on his flesh.