Beth can’t help but respond to darkly handsome Carlos, the ranger hired to guide her team’s excursions into the cloud forest. Their mutual attraction is undeniable and their shared dreams make resistance impossible.
But Carlos can’t let Beth discover his secret. His forest is a harsh mistress and protecting her servant’s identity has been a top priority since the beginning of time.
Irresistible...
Carlos’s eyes are drawn to Beth time and again across the crowded table. Each glance catches her staring back with the same naked attraction that holds him glued to his seat.
All reason tells him to get up and disappear into the cloud forest from which he came, but she calls to him. Her scent fills his head and his dreams. He can’t walk away.
Beth, also, can’t help but respond to the darkly handsome Carlos, the ranger hired to guide her team’s excursions. But Beth doesn’t know they’ve met before.
And Carlos must keep the secret of when and how or Beth could pay with her life. His forest in Costa Rica is a harsh mistress, and protecting his identity has been a top priority since the beginning of time...
Excerpt
"Beth, are you paying any attention?"
Kate poked at her arm, bringing Beth out of her reverie.
The graphic dream had left her dazed. She'd actually checked under her hammock this morning for evidence of her dream lover. Thank God she found none.
"What's up?" she asked, somewhat annoyed at the intrusion.
Kate nodded her head in the direction of the main building. Carter and Antonio stood talking to a stranger.
"He keeps checking you out," Kate said.
"And?"
"And, look again. The man belongs on the cover of a romance novel."
On closer inspection, Beth agreed; he was checking her out. The discovery inspired a rush of interest. Dark-haired, broad-shouldered, tall, his shadowed brow hid his eyes from this distance, but the chiseled angle of his jaw, the prominent cheekbones, exuded masculinity. The dream came to mind. Heat rose to her face. She had to turn away, hoping he didn't notice.
"They're coming this way," Kate whispered.
Beth busied herself with her breakfast to avoid looking at the three men as they settled at the other end of the long table. Mrs. Carter came out balancing three plates of food and a second pot of coffee. Once the men were served, Carter clinked a fork against the side of his coffee cup to get their attention.
"Kids, this is Carlos Elizandro, the ranger in this part of the forest. He's pretty autonomous since he covers a huge territory. We haven't seen him in a few years, so he's going to make up for his neglect by giving us a couple of months. He'll be your guide until Antonio gets back. Introduce yourselves when you get a chance. Beth, Kate, Richard, Sam, I'm hoping to send you out to do some collecting as soon as Carlos and I get everything settled--maybe as early as tomorrow."
At last, Beth had a legitimate reason to look. When he turned his gaze in her direction, the breath caught in her throat. She'd expected dark eyes, but his were light, hazel, almost golden. Her heart skipped a beat.
"This is Beth," Kate said boldly. "I'm Kate. Richard, Sam, David, Jean-Paul, all accounted for. We're glad to have you, Carlos."
Carlos smiled shyly at them all. Beth put his age at about thirty--young to be responsible for what amounted to a section of wilderness half the size of Rhode Island, most accessible only on foot.
"How well do you know the area?" Beth asked. He couldn't have been at the job long.
"Well enough," he said, eyeing his plate as if he hadn't eaten in a week.
Avoiding me? Of course, he might just be very shy. Which has its own appeal, she thought, lips curled into a grin.
"No worry, Beth," Antonio said. "Carlos knows this jungle better than anyone. I wouldn't leave you in any but the most capable hands. Carlos, Beth had an encounter with a jaguar the other day at Rio Sardinal."
Carlos glanced up, expectantly. The hazel eyes were disconcerting on someone so dark.
"Melanistic," she said, ill at ease, "young, watching from the tree line." Antonio would bring up the cat.
His scrutiny made her squirm. "I know this cat. He is shy of people--not dangerous. Still, fortunate for you he wasn't hungry."
Beth nodded, praying he didn't question her further. She couldn't take much more of that intense regard without melting to her seat.
Sitting back with her coffee, she held her other questions and left them alone to eat their now-cold breakfast. Her gaze kept returning to Carlos. More often than not, he was glancing her way out of the corners of his eyes while savoring each bite as though it was fois gras and truffles instead of eggs and bacon.
When his tongue slid out to clean a bit of egg from the corner of his mouth, her eyes fixed on his movement, hypnotized by the act of bringing food to his lips, pausing to smell, sliding the fork between his teeth slowly, relishing every morsel. And with each bite, it seemed, he glanced her way. Until, after one of those bites, his gaze lingered and the expression on his face made her feel like his next.
Her dream lover's hungry kisses stared back at her. Embarrassed to have been caught gawking, Beth picked up her tray and left.
Professional Reviews
5 Stars for Gato Negro, by Ali Katz
"Ali Katz’s Gato Negro is a wonderful delight of a story. The attraction builds compellingly, the sex is steamy enough to keep you warm on long, cold winter nights, and the romance is sweet and touching. I loved Carlos as a conflicted hero, who can’t resist his lady even when he thinks he should, and Beth was smart, strong and tough enough to help him when needed. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal romance."
~~Dawn D., Manic Readers Reviews
Combustible!
"... a page-turner. The lovers are combustible! ... much more than a shapeshifter story."
~~Brit Blaise, Best Selling Author, Cave Creek Cowboys
Psychic wiccan Deja Hamilton pulls shapeshifter Lincoln McCabe from the lake, and the two form an alliance against the covetous older brother who wants Lincoln dead.
