Shifters Gone Wild: A Shifter Romance Collection

by Skye MacKinnon

  “How am I supposed to believe you, Sparrow?”

  I could hear the grief in his voice and practically see the way he ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. It was something he only did with me. I could picture his face, the tired eyes—he was tired of dealing with my bullshit.

  “You can hear it in my voice,” I said. “I’m with three of them right now.”

  “We’re here, Mr. Solaris,” Roman said. “Drake, Everett, and me.”

  “Let’s just pretend you’re staying at Eveline’s,” David said.

  “I can’t—”

  “Sparrow, we both know where you’re going to spend the night, with whom you plan to share a bed.”

  My whole body stiffened.

  His voice was a whisper. “I know a developing mate bond when I see it.”

  “Um...what?”

  “Just don’t leave their sight. Let them take care of you,” he said. “I can’t lose both of my daughters.”

  My throat tightened. I always knew David cared for me, but he never called me his daughter.

  Then his voice sharpened, no longer that of a tired, exasperated father, but that of a commander, that of the alpha. “And don’t tell your mother.”

  Ha, like I’d tell her after the way she’d treated Drake at the pool that one day. She’d freak the fuck out if she knew where I was going now.

  “Okay,” I agreed. I chose my words so that he knew I was telling him the truth. There was no wiggle room for half-truths, no ill-intent or half-lies. “I’ll stay with them, and I won’t tell Mom.”

  “Good,” David said. “Be safe, Sparrow.”

  I ended the call and looked to the three guys—Roman, Everett, and Drake. How much of that conversation had they overheard? Which guy did David think I was developing a mate bond with?

  Shaking off the thoughts, I said, “Well. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to sleep.”

  Drake held out a hand. “Let’s go.”

  Their place was a five-minute walk from my cottage. A chill came from the river, causing goosebumps to rise over my skin. Drake walked at one side of me, holding my hand, and Roman walked at the other. Everett was behind us, and I could feel his gaze on my back, as warm as Drake’s hand in mine.

  The bunkhouse was painted the gray of a cloudy sky, but it looked orange in the faint lights coming from the walkway. I’d seen the place before, of course, having grown up on this compound, but I’d never paid much attention to it. It was usually reserved for visiting packs, if there were too many to house in the cottages or in David and my mom’s place.

  Roman knocked on the thin door. “Put your dicks away, Sparrow’s here.”

  “Or don’t put your dicks away,” I said with a snicker.

  “Babe,” Everett said, crowding behind me, “be careful what you wish for.”

  A thrill of heat traveled through my body. Maybe I knew exactly what I was wishing for, and no way was I interested in being careful.

  Roman opened the door and we stepped inside. Zak was sitting on one of the beds, laptop open in front of him, headphones covering his ears, and a beer bottle in one of his hands. He looked up in surprise and slid the headphones down around his neck. “Hey, Sparrow. What’s going on?”

  “My mom locked me out of my place,” I said. “She wants me to stay with her.”

  “And you said no fucking way, am I right?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Pretty much exactly my words.”

  “Cool,” he said. “Soooo…”

  “So I’m staying here,” I said.

  A grin slowly spread across his face. “Awesome.”

  “You’ve got beer,” I said, pointing at his hands, “and music. This looks like a party.”

  He eyed me appreciatively, taking in my cut-off jean shorts and loose t-shirt. Didn’t seem to matter I was in scrubby clothes—his gaze made me feel like a goddess. “It sure as fuck is a party now.”

  “What are you listening to?” I asked.

  “Some remixes I’ve been working on.”

  Reaching over, I unplugged his headphones from the laptop open next to him. Music flooded the room, intoxicating in its thumping bass. I didn’t care that I was in boring clothes with no make-up, I didn’t care that the lights were on. I threw my hands up in the air and started dancing.

  Chuckling, Roman stepped forward to dance with me. Everett and Drake pulled away from our little group. I stopped dancing and pouted at them.

  “We’re on duty,” Drake said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my lips. “We’ll see you in a little while.”

  Zak set down his beer and stood with me and Roman. “You would not believe how hot it is,” he said, “to see you dancing to my beats.”

  Zak, Roman, and I continued to dance, our bodies touching, our hands gliding over each others backs. I linked my arms around Zak’s neck and Roman came up behind me, his cock hard against my ass.

  The door crashed open. Logan stepped inside, a bag of groceries in his hand. “What the hell?”

  Zak stepped over to his laptop, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, and turned down the music.

  Logan glowered. “Turn it all the way off, man. I’m going to bed.”

  “Don’t be a douche,” Zak said.

  “I’m not being a douche. I have to take a guarding shift in a few hours, and I need to rest if I’m going to do my job. And you’re up next for guard duty—you should have been resting this whole time. Unless you don’t care if you’re alert while you’re supposed to be protecting Sparrow.”

  Zak looked over at me, regret on his face. “I’m sorry, Sparrow, I wasn’t thinking—”

  “It’s okay.” I brushed a damp lock of auburn hair from his forehead and kissed his cheek. “I’m tired, too. I’ll see you in the morning. Maybe we can dance again tomorrow.”

  “You can have my bed while I’m on duty,” Roman said, pointing to the bottom bunk in the far corner.”

  “Thanks,” I said, moving toward it. “I can switch to another bed once you come back.”

  “Wait,” Logan said. “She’s staying here?”

  I felt awkward all of a sudden. “Sorry,” I said. “I’m not trying to be a pest—”

  “You’re not a pest,” Zak and Roman both said at the same time.

  “I have to talk to Everett for a second, anyway,” I said. I should have been doing that instead of dancing my ass off, but in the drama of being locked out of my cottage and coming to stay here, I’d almost forgotten my vision entirely. I needed to ask Everett what Wren had been talking about. “I’ll let you guys talk for a minute. Be right back.”

  Stepping outside, I immediately spotted Drake and Everett, alert at either corner of the cottage. I walked over to Everett and tugged on his hand.

  Smiling, he looked down at me. I couldn’t believe I’d ever been afraid of this man. He was huge and intimidating, yeah, but he had the gentlest eyes.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey.”

  “Having fun in there?” he asked.

  “I was, yeah.”

  “Until killjoy Logan showed up, huh?” he asked.

  “Pretty much.” I cleared my throat. “So, that uh, vision that I had.”

  “Yeah?”

  Logan stepped out of the bunkhouse. “Sparrow, you should come in. Roman’s got his bunk ready for you. Everett, Drake—Roman and Zak will take over early.”

  It would be impossible to have a private conversation with Everett in the bunkhouse. Squeezing his hand, I said, “I guess we’ll talk later.”

  “You sure?” he asked.

  I hesitated, but Logan was watching us. “Yeah. Later.”

  Once inside, I saw Roman’s bed all made up. A clean t-shirt lay on the pillow. That was thoughtful, because when we’d left my cottage, none of us had thought to grab my bags.

  “It’s mine,” Roman said. “I didn’t know if you’d want to change or not. But the bathroom’s right there, and there’s toothpaste if you want.”

>   “Thanks,” I said, stepping up on my tiptoes so I could kiss his cheek. Snagging the shirt, I went into the surprisingly clean bathroom. I wondered if it was always like this, or if one of them had done a quick clean while I was outside trying to talk to Everett.

  I finger-brushed my teeth and changed into Roman’s shirt. It was big enough that it came down to my thighs, so I took off my shorts and folded them up along with my shirt and bra.

  When I came out of the bathroom, the lights were off and the room was quiet. “Um, roll call, guys?” I said. “I can’t see in the dark, I don’t even know who’s here.”

  “Logan.”

  “Drake.”

  “Everett.”

  “Okay, thanks. So, uh, goodnight, then.”

  “Goodnight.”

  I climbed into Roman’s bed. The sheets, blanket, and pillow smelled like him, like sage. I lay there, unable to sleep. Charlize’s offer, my vision of Wren, all of it swirled around in my head. Maybe working for Charlize would give me exactly what I wanted—freedom. Now that I knew Wren was alive, it was Chad Curtis who I didn’t trust anymore.

  I woke up when it was still dark. The bed was moving, and I was enveloped even more in the scent of sage.

  “Roman?” I asked. “I can switch to Everett’s bed now.”

  “Nah, stay here if you want to,” he whispered from behind me. “I don’t mind sharing.”

  Something about the way he said it made it sound like it was more than sharing a bed. Like he didn’t mind sharing me. Instinctively, I wriggled back against him and felt the hard length of his cock against my ass cheek.

  “Sparrow,” he said in a warning growl.

  “Sorry, not sorry,” I said, but I scooted forward to put some distance between us.

  He hauled me back. “If you’re not sorry, you don’t need to move away.”

  I didn’t think I could ever be sorry about being close to Roman. I wiggled against him again, teasing him. He pushed forward, letting me feel his entire length. He pulled down the collar of his t-shirt that I wore, exposing my shoulder.

  “Sparrow,” he whispered, and kissed my neck.

  His beard was scratchy on my shoulder, his hands soft against my stomach. They slid lower and lower until they reached my panties.

  “Do you want this?” he asked. “Do you want me?”

  I could hear his unspoken doubts—I’d slept with—or at least had orgasms with—Zak, Everett, and Drake.

  “Yes,” I said, “yes, I want you.”

  His cock felt harder than ever behind me. I reached for it, feeling the length against my palm, and he made a growl too quiet for human ears—I could only feel the rumbling of it against my back.

  He was still wearing his jeans, so I fumbled with the button and zipper, wanting to free him. It was too hard with just one hand. He let me go and helped me, and soon, my palm met the bare, silky skin of his cock.

  When he brought a hand back up to cup one of my breasts through the shirt, I shuddered in pleasure. He kissed my ear, then bit it gently while at the same time lightly rolling one of my nipples between his fingertips.

  “Yes,” I breathed.

  He pulled the crotch of my panties to the side and touched me. “You’re so wet,” he said, voice quiet.

  “You made me that way.”

  “Condom?” he asked.

  I thought about it. I had the IUD, shifters couldn’t get diseases. “No condom.”

  He made a satisfied sound and pressed forward. I gasped when he entered me. “Roman—”

  “You have to be quiet,” he whispered, “or Zak and Drake will hear you. Maybe even Everett and Logan outside.”

  How had I forgotten about the others? I’d been carried away by the sensations, was the only thing I could figure. Now I was afraid to make a sound. I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning as he began sliding back and forth inside me. His deft fingers lazily moved against my clit, and I felt my body tensing.

  He moved slightly, bringing his other hand around underneath me. He cupped my breasts, gripping them together in his large hand and alternating pinches on my nipples. I writhed, captive in his arms. A moan escaped me.

  “Shh,” he whispered. “Not too loud, Sparrow. We don’t want everyone to hear—”

  “Oh fuck oh fuck,” I panted. “I can’t—”

  The orgasm took me, an explosion of pleasure filling my body, tensing my muscles, claiming my throat. I moaned again, loudly this time, and Roman clapped a hand over my mouth. At the same time, he bit my shoulder and I felt him tense behind me. His cock pulsed inside, and I felt him filling me up.

  “You were not quiet,” he said in a dark voice.

  I stifled a giggle and whispered, “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

  He tugged me close and kissed the shoulder he’d just bitten. “I don’t think anyone minds.”

  “You mean—”

  The sounds of two people slow-clapping filled the tiny bunkhouse.

  “Oh, shit,” I said.

  Drake’s voice sounded amused. “We sure as hell don’t mind.”

  “Nope, not a bit,” Zak said. “Everett’s going to be disappointed he volunteered for a double shift and missed out.”

  My cheeks felt like they were on fire. I’d tried to be quiet. Well, none of them were strangers to my orgasms. As soon as Roman pulled out of me, I climbed from the covers and stood up. “I have to pee,” I said, “and when I come back, all three of you are going to pretend you’re asleep. Understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Drake said, obviously smiling.

  Sounds of agreement came from Zak and Roman.

  And sure enough, when I came out of the bathroom, not another word was spoken. I curled into Roman’s big frame and ran my fingers over his chest. He pulled me closer and gave me a gentle squeeze, but that was all. And it was all I needed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I stretched my arms out and rolled from my side to my back, expecting to find Roman’s warm, hard body behind me. But it was just me in the bunk.

  Blinding daylight poured in the open window, heating my face. The cabin was quiet except for the soft sound of the shower running. Voices and noise carried in from outside.

  I stood, stretched, and knocked on the bathroom door.

  “Good morning,” I said. I waited a moment for a response and considered climbing in with whoever was in there. When I closed my eyes, I could still feel Roman’s hands exploring my skin. I wanted to feel that again, the excitement with each of them.

  “Someone’s in here.” The voice that answered was cold. Logan.

  The feeling was gone. I considered apologizing, a reaction to his tone. Instead, I went outside.

  The sound of an acoustic guitar being tuned filled the air, while the dry, smoky scent of chargrilled meat and fire filled my lungs. I closed the door behind me and turned, feeling eyes on my back.

  The guitar sounds stopped, and I found all four guys staring at me.

  “Good morning,” I said. By the time the words left my lips, Roman had my hand in his, pulling me over to the circle of camp chairs that surrounded a fire pit.

  “Come on,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

  When we reached the chairs, he pulled me in, stealing the air from my lungs with a kiss that said more than his words. His tongue explored deep into my mouth, and he gave my ass a squeeze before letting go.

  A little stunned, I stared at him a moment. Mischief played in his light blue eyes as he took a step back and kicked Zak’s leg. “Music,” he said. “I want to dance.”

  “Fuck you,” Zak said, but his voice was friendly and he resumed tuning his guitar.

  “Good morning,” Drake said, before pulling me down with him into a camp chair.

  I fell back into his chest, his arms holding me close.

  “Good morning,” Zak said, leaning forward, guitar in his lap.

  “I hope you’re hungry,” Everett said from the chair beside him.

  I looked down at t
he fire and the blanket arranged next to it. There was grilled chicken and vegetables, burgers and chips, corn on the cob. There was even a bowl of balled melon. Everything smelled delicious.

  “You guys take breakfast seriously,” I said, a yawn escaping my lips.

  “We take all of our meals seriously,” Everett said. “We’re shifters.”

  “It’s lunch time,” Drake said, his lips brushing against the soft skin of my neck. He ran his fingers through my hair, pulling the long strands behind my shoulder.

  “No way,” I said. “I didn’t sleep that long, did I?”

  “Mm-hmm.” The sound of Drake’s voice vibrated through his chest, through mine.

  “You could have woken me,” I said.

  “You looked like you needed it,” Everett said.

  I guessed I did. With everything that had been going on—Wren’s disappearance, the revelation that my parents had been lying to me about, well, everything to do with oracles...I’d needed the rest.

  I leaned back, relishing the feel of Drake around me and savoring the view of the men in front of me.

  Everett sat near the grill, his large muscles bunching up under his t-shirt with even the smallest movements of flipping over the meat. Roman stood nearby, arms crossed, his gaze locked on me and a smirk on his face that told me he was thinking about last night. I felt a blush settle on my cheeks and I looked away from him, grinning despite myself.

  Zak’s fingers moved expertly over the introduction to a song. He looked up and his green eyes met mine.

  “I didn’t know you could play like that,” I said.

  “My dad taught me when I was little,” Zak said. “A love for music was all he ever gave me. I think it’s ingrained in my DNA.”

  “Your dad’s not around?” I asked.

  “Ditched me and Mom when I was eight,” Zak said. “For his music career.”

  “That sucks,” I said.

  Zak shrugged, a soft smile on his face. “There are worse things.”

  His fingers started on the guitar again. I recognized the song—Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).”

  “I’m not dancing to that,” Roman dropped down in the chair beside Zak and winked at me.

  “How about you, Sparrow?” Everett asked, setting down the giant spatula and meeting my gaze. “How do you like living on the compound with your family?”