Lust surged inside, her whole body begging for this as she pressed her palms against the ground, fingers curling. “Yes, Rex,” she gasped, “Don’t stop.”
He slipped his fingers inside her panties, and her hips bucked of their own accord, demanding more. As his thumb stroked her swollen clit, he pushed two fingers into her, making her scream out his name. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, before kissing her again, his tongue matching each thrust of his fingers, thumb circling her clit. He released her mouth and shifted down, slow; brushing her neck and breasts with his lips, pausing to give her nipple a leisurely lick, and going past her belly. She slid her hands through his hair, back arching and screams caught in her throat as his tongue explored that most sensitive part. When he sucked on her clit vibrations shook the whole of her being. Releasing deep and guttural sounds against her sex—almost animal-like—he made her squirm with pleasure underneath his mouth. She tugged at his hair when he pressed his fingers even deeper inside, sending her over the edge. Too much to bear, yet she wanted it to go on. Forever. Moaning loudly and body trembling, she came around his fingers; Rex still sucking her clit as he coaxed out the last of her orgasm.
She had never experienced anything like this before. As her body went limp, he pulled his fingers out of her and shifted his weight to look at her face, a sudden silence following the overwhelming pleasure he had given her. This was not enough. “Rex,” she whispered, “Fuck me. Please.” Had she really said that out loud? His face went tense, and eyes suddenly … glowed? “Rex?” What the hell? Swearing under his breath, he moved away to sit up, head in hands as he controlled his breathing. She quickly pulled up the bodice and rearranged her skirt. It might have been a shit day, but she did not imagine what just happened. His eyes had flared. Hadn’t they? But when he looked up his blue gaze showed no hint of light. So had it been her imagination? “Rex. Your eyes?” A glow appeared again, so faint it was barely perceptible. What was going on?
I swear I saw this man turn into a giant creature, over ten feet. Its eyes glowed, in a weird color.
“You can’t be—?” No fucking way. Those witness accounts were idiotic nonsense. “Shapeshifters aren’t real,” she said, even as panic screamed inside her. “You can’t be one.” He stilled at her words, his gaze transitioning to an amber shade. Her body froze in response, nothing working. No, no! The idea of shifters was a joke, something the site entertained and encouraged for more clicks.
“You’ve heard of us?” What was he saying? That he was a shapeshifter? There was an animal quality emanating from him, a hint of danger lurking under that handsome exterior. Fuck, was that what had attracted her? His eyes were on her as she slowly stood up. “You can’t tell anyone about this, Leanne—” Her limbs shot back to life and she ran, hearing him growl before he chased after her. It was difficult to run in this bloody bridal skirt and sequin shoes, but she had to get out of here and warn the authorities … suddenly, his arms went around her and she was screaming as he held on, his face close, eyes flashing between amber and blue. Fuck. She gulped air until she nearly choked. And then gulped some more. At this rate she was going to hyperventilate. “Where did you hear about us?” he growled. She opened her mouth to answer him, but nothing came out. “Speak to me!”
Tell him she had been putting stories about shapeshifters out? Probably not a bright idea. Another deep breath. “I read about it at a news site. The Alternative …”
“The Alternative?” His expression relaxed, just a little. “I know of the site.” His gaze was fixed on her face. “You’ve not heard of us anywhere else?” He pulled her body closer to control her when she squirmed to get away, and heat rose inside her as she was held in those strong arms, forced against his bare chest. How the fuck could she still want him? Sick in the brain, she really was.
“I swear,” she said, “The site might be putting out reports about shifters, but nobody believes them.” She never would have if those blue eyes had not gone all glowing amber on her.
“You won’t tell anyone?”
If she got out of here in one piece, who would even believe her? Mum would be the first to say she had gone into shock because of the wedding being canceled. But the authorities had to be informed, they would know what to do. “I won’t.”
“It’s best for you that way,” he said. “Some beasts can be bastards, too.” He let go of her, stepping back. “For your own sake, keep quiet about this.”
He was releasing her? “Y-you will not hurt me?”
His eyes flashed. “I would never hurt you.” Wouldn’t he? “Come on. I’ll grab my shirt and drop you home.” She was still not sure he was letting her go. “Leanne,” he said, his voice now soft, “I promise I won’t harm you.”
He was silent as they walked back together, his strong body tense. She put a hand to her forehead, a headache looming. Dumbstruck was a bloody understatement. A shifter. A goddamn shifter. I wanted to have sex with him.
She eventually dared to ask him a question. “So when you’re a beast, what do you look like?” He seemed no different to the man he had been a few minutes ago, before his gaze lit up. Whereas the articles she published? All about dangerous and uncontrollable beasts, with flashing eyes, and claws for weapons.
He glanced at her, eyes narrowed, suspicious. “Why do you want to know?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Just interested.”
It was obvious he was considering whether to answer her question. “I’m a wolf.”
“You’re a werewolf?”
He bent to avoid the low-hanging branch of a tree. “You humans could call me that.”
Her mind could not register the absurdity of the situation. She was with a wolf, in the bloody forest, and he had been about to devour her—in the figurative sense. Just as well his eyes glowed before they got down to sex. Imagine the horror of discovering what he was during the act. The thought sent a shudder through her. “Would you have changed while we were ...?”
A hint of a smile? “Fucking?” She nodded. “No. We’re very careful with humans, especially during sex as it’s a time when we can lose hold of our beasts.” He ran his fingers through his dark thick hair. “I don’t know what the fuck happened today. Why I couldn’t keep control around you.”
She had lost control around him too, and how! Taking a deep breath, she pulled her eyes away from those muscular shoulders, resisting the urge to touch, and focused on not tripping over fallen branches instead. “So you can hold back this beast? Stay in human form?”
“Yes. But we have to release our beasts regularly. In my case, I allow my wolf out to run in the forest every couple of days, or sometimes even daily when I’m under stress.”
Fascinating as hell. And talking to him so easy that she had to take a moment to remember he was potentially dangerous. “And if you don’t?”
“We become aggressive and depressed, suffering physical pain.” He shook back his dark hair. “But we do not completely let go of our beasts even when we’re fully shifted, because stay in that form for too long and it becomes more difficult to change back—also a fucking nightmare.” He glanced at her. “These stupid online stories”—which she was responsible for—“project shifters as a danger, out of control, but we monitor our moods and shift regularly to maintain a balance. So don’t worry. I’m not dangerous.” Something about the way he said it made her believe him. And if he was going to hurt her, he probably already would have. He stopped in the clearing where she first saw his eyes glow. Adjusting to him being a shapeshifter surprisingly fast, her mind returned to the pleasure he had given her. If not for that moment, by now she might have known how it felt to have him inside her. Desire rushed through her all over again as he picked up his shirt. “I’ll drop you home, Leanne.” Her gaze lingered on his chest as he pulled on the shirt and fastened its buttons. “For your own safety, tell no one about me. I promise you, beasts are only a threat when attacked.”
She ran her hands through her hair, trying to force it
into some order. The wedding was off and she was a muddy mess, in a forest in the middle of nowhere, but had other things on her mind. Like him. When he came closer anticipation quickened her pulse, but he just placed his jacket around her shoulders again, those intense eyes on her face as he stepped back. Yes, she still wanted him, but he was a shapeshifter. Taking this any further would be one hell of a stupid idea.
An awkward silence hung between them as they returned to the car. He guided her into the front passenger seat and when he got into the driver’s side, her spine tingled at his closeness, the heat from his body making every inch of her aware of his presence. “I won’t say anything to anyone, about who you are,” she promised as he drove, this time meaning it. Yes, he was a shifter but had looked after her, and even though he hardly knew her, trusted her not to expose his secret. And although she barely knew him, the thought of government agencies hunting him down sent a shiver through her.
He placed his hand over hers for a moment, the gesture feeling natural. “I know you won’t, Leanne.”
He did not speak for the rest of the journey, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Something that would explain this confusion, help her figure out what had just happened between them in the forest? When he stopped outside her apartment building, they both sat in silence. “I guess I should go,” she said eventually.
The regret was obvious in his eyes but he was silent as he got out of the Mercedes, opening the door for her. She tried to read his expression, but it revealed nothing. “Goodbye, Leanne.”
So this was it?
As he drove away, her insides clenched with an unreasonable sense of loss. She hardly knew this beast, but he had got to her in a way no man ever had.
CHAPTER THREE
* * *
LEANNE PAUSED OUTSIDE HER APARTMENT, inhaling deep before unlocking the door, which opened into the living room. Beth was waiting inside, sat on the bright red sofa. On the other side of the room, in the green armchair, was mum, who had invested in a lilac linen suit for the wedding, her graying hair tied back with a crystal clip. Matching shoes, too. They both stared at her in shock for a few moments. What a bloody sight she must be; skirt muddy, chignon pulled open, and bodice rearranged in a hurry.
“Leanne!” Beth stood up, giving her a hug. “What the hell happened? Please tell me you’re okay?”
She hugged her back, tight. “I’m fine,” she replied, voice firm. “Just needed to clear my head.”
“Do you know how worried we have been?” Mum’s dark eyes were full of concern as they shared an awkward embrace. “Are you sure you are all right, dear?”
“I am,” said Leanne. “Promise.”
Mum shook her head. “What on earth have you done to that beautiful dress? And whose jacket is that?”
Shit. She had forgotten to give it back. “It’s the chauffeur’s.” She pulled it closer, comforted. Will I see you again? “Sorry for scaring you, guys. I went for a walk—”
Beth raised her eyebrows. “Just a walk?”
“Yes, to clear my head.” And had ended up more confused. Dave had dumped her, on their wedding day, yet she only had Rex—a shapeshifter—on her mind. “As for the state I’m in, I threw a bit of a tantrum, and got today out of my system. Feeling a lot better now.”
“Who the hell are you kidding? You look as if you’ve been through a bloody war.”
Mum’s eyes were still on the muddy skirt. “You switched off your phone, disappeared with no explanation about the wedding?”
“What is there to explain? Dave doesn’t want to marry me anymore.” The words did not make her burst into tears as they should have; or would have, if not for Rex.
“I’m so sorry, honey.” Beth hugged her again. “You don’t deserve this.”
“It’s okay, honestly. Better him backing out now instead of a divorce later, huh?” Beth was obviously surprised by her reaction. Understandable. Leanne had talked about little else but this wedding for months—how the hell did her friends put up with those hours spent discussing stupid menu options?—and after the huge fuss she made about her big day, this was a quick reconciliation to what had happened.
“That’s the spirit.” Beth smiled, reassuring. “Everything will work out just fine.”
Yes, it would. In the meantime, she needed to sort her life out all over again, and start from scratch. All those years planned out with Dave would have to be filled with something else. She glanced at the abstract painting hanging on the pastel pink wall, above the red sofa. It was one of several random ones she had collected over the years—artworks that would not go to the charity shop after all. So much to be reconsidered. Well, at least she had not chucked in her job yet.
“Why did he suddenly back out?” asked mum, her expression saying, You must have done something, dear. “Dave is not a person to behave irrationally.”
Whereas she was? Yes, if this afternoon was anything to go by. In the forest and with a shapeshifter between her thighs? As irrational as it got.
As she grinned, Beth frowned at her. Confused by her reaction to being dumped? “Are you sure you’re okay, Leanne?”
Her smile widened. “I’m great.”
Mum picked up her spanking new bag, lilac of course, pulling her mobile out of it. “I will inform William you are here. He is out searching for you, the last thing he needs with his heart difficulty.” Where on earth was dad looking for her on a Saturday, when the office was closed? Worried she might be drowning her sorrows in a local pub? “William?” As mum spoke into her phone, she squeezed her words through pursed lips, a special trait reserved for discussions related to Leanne. “Yes, she is back at her apartment, thankfully. But in a proper state. She has gone and thrown a tantrum and ruined that expensive dress—she is all right, but covered in mud from top to toe. Typical! But yes, the main thing is that she is all right. Did you manage to get hold of Dave, find out what the problem is?” Seriously? “Well, do keep trying, dear.”
“Mum!”
She might as well have not spoken. “No, there’s no need to come over … this is women’s stuff, I will deal with it.” Please come over, dad. After all these years together, there was little other than tolerance left in her parents’ marriage, but he was the one person who could talk some sense into mum. “No, tell Valerie not to come. This is the last thing she needs when nine-months pregnant.” That picture of perfection was the last thing Leanne needed right now, too. “William, you should go to the church and see to the guests. And the priest? Did you speak to him?”
Shit, so much stuff to handle. She would be spending the week she took off for the honeymoon dealing with the different service providers. Knowing Dave, he would leave it all to her and, to be honest, she could not cope with seeing him right now. To think she had blown her savings and run up a huge credit card bill for this bloody wedding. Why couldn’t the asshole have backed out earlier? When it would not have been such a big deal?
Mum ended the phone call, sighing. “Tea?”
“That would be lovely,” said Leanne. “Thank you.”
“And then we will sit and talk about this.” Mum’s voice trailed away as she disappeared into the kitchen. “We need to sort this out ...”
Beth grabbed Leanne’s hand and pulled her into the bedroom where she had dressed up as a bride a few hours ago. A towel lay on the bed where she had dropped it after coming out of the shower, and makeup brushes and hair pins were scattered around the room.
Shit. What a mess.
“I know you didn’t want to see Margaret,” said Beth, “But she knows I have a spare key for the apartment.”
“Don’t worry, I understand what she’s like,” she assured her, pulling jeans and a tee shirt out of the large teak wardrobe. Expecting anyone to stand up to mum was beyond the call of friendship. And at least her mother was more restrained than usual. Beth helped her out of the ruined clothing and as she got changed, tidied the bedroom. Leanne chucked the dress in the corner—it was
joining the garbage tomorrow—and stood in front of the dressing table to comb that disaster into some order. She had no idea what the makeup artist had used but the bloody product was going to take half her hair out with it.
“Here, let me help.” Beth took the large-tooth comb from her and pulled it gently through the mess. “Are you telling me what’s happened?” Beth’s eyes met hers in the mirror. “Here I was, worried about you coming back all heartbroken and crying. Instead, you turn up looking as if the crap’s been shaken out of you, but with a smile on your face. Where the heck have you been?”
“In the forest, getting off with a stranger.” That sounded bloody fantastic.
“Of course you were. Go on, where have you really been?”
Leanne grinned, not surprised she was finding it difficult to believe. “I told you.”
Beth stopped combing her hair and just stared, mouth open. “No fucking way. You?”
“Yep. I got off in the forest with that fit chauffeur.”
Her friend sucked in her breath. “I got a look at him. Bloody fit as fuck. But … really?” Leanne nodded. Her only regret was that the encounter ended when it did; going all the way with him would have been something special. Beth glanced at her muddy skirt. “In the forest?”
Yep, the forest. And to think she had been resigned to a lifetime of predictable sex. “Even I still can’t believe it. You know me ...”
“I thought I did.” That was admiration on Beth’s face. “I am supposed to be the crazy one, but how the hell will I beat that?” She tilted her head. “Details. Now. How was it?”
Leanne grinned. “He was a bloody beast.”
The Wolf's Bride (Shifters Unleashed Book 1) Page 3