Not My Shifter/ Sinfully Cursed (Shifter Paradise) (Volume 1)

by Kate Allenton

  Reaching down to clean the most important part of him, she realized he was large even when he wasn’t hard. As her hand stroked him, he leaned down and kissed her, his lips caressing hers. She felt him grow harder in her grasp, but not hard enough to play. It seemed her wolf still needed a little downtime. She wouldn’t hold it against him. He was, after all, just a fragile man. She mentally snickered since there was absolutely nothing fragile about her wolf.

  Jameson broke the kiss and set her away from him a little ways.

  “It’s my turn now.”

  After squirting a generous amount of soap in his hand, he rubbed his palms together before smoothing the gel across her shoulders and down her arms. Sliding his fingers across her collarbones, he trailed them down her breasts. As his thumbs stroked over her nipples, shockwaves of pleasure rolled through her body, and she found herself leaning into his touch. He plucked at the hardened tips, making her bite her lip to hold back the moan of pleasure that wanted to burst free.

  He nibbled at her neck as his hands slid lower, dipping between her legs. His fingers brushed against her already sensitive skin, and she gripped his biceps, moving closer to him. He parted her folds and brushed against her clit. Devlin gasped in pleasure and fought the urge to beg him for more. She’d never begged in her life, and she wasn’t about to start now.

  Jameson nipped her ear. “Does my little kitten want to come again?”

  Simply answering him wasn’t begging, right? She knew if she didn’t respond, he’d withdraw his fingers, and they were doing delicious things to her. The last thing she wanted was for him to stop.

  “Yes. Yes, make me come.”

  He gently bit her as he worked her clit faster. But it wasn’t enough. Her body was straining for release, but she felt so empty. She was teetering at the edge, but she needed more before she could fall. As if reading her mind, his other hand curled around her ass and dipped between her legs, and he slid two fingers into her moist heat. She cried out and gripped him tighter. His fingers moved in and out of her, faster and harder, pushing her. Her legs trembled, and she wondered if she would stay upright for much longer.

  “Come for me, Devlin. Let me feel that cream coat my fingers,” he whispered in her ear.

  It was all the urging she needed. As his fingers plunged deep, she came so hard she saw stars. Tremors wracked her body, and still he fucked her with his fingers, his motions gradually slowing. When she lay replete against him, he withdrew his fingers from her body and held her close.

  She looked up at him in wonder. No one had ever given her an orgasm before without expecting something in return, and yet Jameson didn’t seem to want anything from her. He’d given her a gift, and she wasn’t sure how to thank him. Sure, she could suck his cock, he’d probably like that, but then this wouldn’t be any different from any of her other experiences. She didn’t want to cheapen the moment.

  “Let’s get you rinsed and tucked into bed,” he said.

  Bed? So early? “I thought maybe we’d watch a movie or something.”

  “If that’s what you want, but sooner or later, I’m going to hold your naked body against me and get some sleep. I’ve never spent the night at a woman’s house before, and I plan to enjoy every moment of it.”

  “Never? But surely they’ve stayed over at your place,” she said with some surprise.

  He shook his head. “I don’t allow women in my home.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I wanted my mate to be the only woman in my bed. I won’t lie to you. I’ve slept around. In my job, women throw themselves at me, and I’ve been known to catch a few. But I’ve never had a serious girlfriend. I’ve known none of them were the right woman. And then you came into my life, accusing me of murder, trying to knock me out. I’d never seen such a feisty woman. When you showed up at my house and launched yourself at me, I knew I had to have you. The moment you bit me, I knew I’d never get another chance to make you mine, so I took it.”

  Devlin wasn’t sure what to say to that. She’d never had a man express so much emotion before, well, except for anger. He really wanted her? It hadn’t just been a whim? A mistake? It wasn’t a declaration of undying love, and if he’d given her one, she doubted she would’ve believed him, but it was more than she’d ever received before, more than she thought she’d ever receive.

  “I’ve never had anyone here either,” she admitted. “I’ve always wanted my space to be my own, a space that wasn’t cluttered with memories of one-night stands gone wrong. But I have to admit, when I realized you would be coming home with me, all I could think about was getting you here, naked in my bed.”

  Jameson shut off the water and helped her out of the tub. He wrapped her in a fluffy towel before pulling one around his waist.

  “So, you were anxious to jump my bones, huh?” He grinned.

  “You don’t fool me for one moment. With that super sniffer of yours, I’m sure you smelled my arousal every time I was near you. It’s damn embarrassing to be around shapeshifters sometimes.”

  He growled softly. “There better not be another shapeshifter making you horny, not anymore. The only bed you’re going to be in is mine.”

  She should’ve been irked at his highhanded behavior, but it sent a thrill of excitement through her. She’d always been with men who just went with the flow, but Jameson certainly wasn’t that type. He had a very dominant personality, which could prove interesting since she did too. Something told her she was in for a wild ride with her wolf. And, honestly, she was starting to look forward to it. The idea of dissolving their mating wasn’t as tempting as it had been before. Now that she’d tasted him, she knew once wouldn’t be enough. Two, three, hell, four times wouldn’t be enough. It was as though he was a drug and she was an addict. No one compared to Jameson. The men she’d been with before paled in comparison, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before those memories faded altogether.

  Jameson tugged her into the bedroom and began rifling through her drawers. He held up a sexy pair of sheer black panties and leered at her. She gave him what she hoped was a seductive smile and snatched them away. While she slipped them on, she noticed he was going through more drawers. Eventually, he found what he was looking for and pulled out a gauzy black baby doll nightie. It wasn’t something she would’ve ever bought for herself, but it had been a gift, and she’d kept it for some reason. Now she was happy to have it. But there was no way in hell she’d ever tell him where she got it. If he found out Alejandro had given it to her, he’d shred it and go into a rage, of that she had little doubt.

  She accepted the filmy garment and slipped it over her head. It cupped her breasts then fell loose to the tops of her thighs. Jameson lifted her into his arms and carried her into the living room. After depositing her on the sofa, he strutted his way into the kitchen to retrieve his jeans. If she’d been thinking clearly earlier, she’d have swung by his place to let him get a change of clothes before bringing him home. They’d just have to run by there in the morning.

  When he returned and sat down, she snuggled up next to him and handed him the remote. It was a huge concession on her part because she always had control of the remote, even at other people’s houses. She was kind of controlling like that. But, for her wolf, she was willing to give up a little bit of that control. Well, maybe more than a little. If he kept giving her multiple orgasms, she’d pretty much let him do whatever the hell he wanted, except pack her up and move her out.

  He flipped through the channels for a minute or two before settling on a movie. She shouldn’t have been surprised that he picked an action flick, and honestly, it didn’t bother her. She preferred them herself. Parker had tried to get her to expand her horizons a bit and watch things where people didn’t kill each other or blow things up, but action movies would always be her favorite.

  As time ticked by, she found her eyes drooping shut. She was just drifting off to sleep when she felt Jameson lift her into his arms and carry her back to the bedroom; at le
ast, that’s where she assumed he was taking her. When he settled her on the bed, he drew the covers over her. She heard him unzip his jeans, and a moment later, he slid in next to her. In her semi-wakeful state, she snuggled closer, draping an arm over his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. She’d never been much of a cuddler, but something told her Jameson could change all that.

  Chapter Nine

  Devlin drained her second cup of coffee as she reviewed the notes she’d taken during her witness interview at 0800 that morning. It was now nearing ten, and she knew she needed to move. There was no doubt that Amber was responsible, in some fashion, for the murder of Chrissie Martinez. It was enough to arrest her and bring her in. If they were lucky, they could make some sort of deal with her and get her to roll over on Angela for the other two murders. At least she now knew Jameson was clear of the first murder. The trace results were in, and according to the report he had been nowhere near O’Leary’s at the time of the murder, or within a half hour of the TOD.

  Devlin had put a call into the D.A.’s office an hour ago. If Amber knew something about the other murders, she wanted to be able to offer her a deal of some kind, something to make her give up Angela. Even if Amber was only an accessory to murder, she could still get the death penalty. Maybe they could offer her life imprisonment instead. The question was, would she go for it? The crazy ass Were just might prefer lethal injection to a life behind bars.

  After crumpling her cup, Devlin tossed it in the trash and sighed. This was going to be one hellacious day. On the one hand, she was happy to have Jameson by her side. But the flip side was that her two suspects might not talk if he was around. Something told her he wouldn’t leave her alone with potential killers, even if it was her job. They were going to have an interesting future together if he didn’t let her do her job. He couldn’t babysit her all the time, after all. And, once this was all over, he’d have to go back to work at the Blue Moon, leaving her alone for most of the night and early morning hours. If he thought she was going to make the paraclub her new hangout, he was sadly mistaken.

  “Are you ready for this?” Jameson asked.

  “Yeah. The sooner we get this out of the way, the sooner our lives can get back to normal.”

  He lifted a brow. “In case you’ve forgotten, normal has changed for both of us. If you think I’m going to allow you to go crawling into just anyone’s bed, you’re very much mistaken. The only bed you’ll be visiting is mine.”

  She grinned. “You’re sounding a little possessive there, Starke.”

  He wrapped a hand around her waist and tugged her closer. “I protect what’s mine.”

  “Well, no protecting today. I need to be able to do my job, and if that means I get hurt in the line of duty, so be it. I need your promise that you’ll stand down.”

  “If you think I’m going to allow those psycho women to get their claws into you, you can forget it. As far as you’re concerned, you just gained a bodyguard.”

  She’d figured as much, but it hadn’t hurt to try. Doing her job with the overprotective Were along for the ride wasn’t going to be easy. She’d never admit it to anyone, not even if tortured, but it was kind of nice to have someone worry about her. She knew Parker did, but that was different. Parker was the best friend a gal could have, but Jameson… He made her want things she’d never wanted before – like a forever by someone’s side.

  She still had the Tahoe from the other day, so she snagged the keys and motioned for Jameson to follow her. He fell in step beside her, taking her hand as they neared the door. A quick glance over her shoulder showed a few amused looks thrown her way, and she scowled at them. Just because she allowed the wolf to touch her in such a familiar way in the middle of the office didn’t mean she was going soft. She could still kick the ass of anyone who needed it, and if her co-workers didn’t stop looking at her like that, she’d prove it.

  After getting in the vehicle and buckling up, Devlin turned to Jameson.

  “You know where we’re going, don’t you?”

  “Stardust.” He cut his eyes over at her. “You know you have nothing to worry about. Those women hold absolutely no interest for me.”

  “Mostly naked women running around and you’re not going to look?” she asked in disbelief.

  “They aren’t you.”

  Well, that was… sweet. She’d always heard that Weres and shapeshifters never strayed from their mates, but she’d never put it to the test before. Even if he said he wasn’t going to look, the thought of him being around all of those naked women made her want to bare her teeth and attack first and ask questions later. She’d never been jealous before and wasn’t sure how she felt about the emotion.

  It didn’t take long to reach their destination, and Devlin parked near the front door. She only hoped Amber had some sort of clothing on. If she had to arrest her, she didn’t want to put cuffs on a topless woman. Not that the guys wouldn’t love it.

  When they entered the club, Devlin tried to keep the look of disgust off her face. Men gathered around tables where women danced either topless or, in some cases, completely naked. She knew it was against ordinance, but she wasn’t here for that. How could men be so hard up that they’d pay money to just watch a woman they could never have? Then again… She looked at the customers, and she used the term loosely. Most were not exactly the type of man a woman drooled over.

  “Isn’t it kind of early for this kind of crowd?” she asked.

  Jameson shrugged. “In this business, I would imagine there are customers at any time of day. In a way, they’re selling sex. Wouldn’t surprise me if some of the women took a man or two in the back to give them special services, if you know what I mean.”

  “Oh ick. Thanks for that mental image.”

  He chuckled then pointed across the room. “I think I see our girl now.”

  Having never seen Amber before, Devlin had to go off Wills’ description of her. And, from what she saw, the woman on the far side of the room was the closest fit. They made their way around tables to the far corner of the room where Amber was adjusting her boobs in a top that was, well, Devlin couldn’t really call it a top. String bikinis had more material. It covered the woman’s nipples and not much else.

  Devlin approached her with Jameson at her back.

  “Amber Painter.”

  The woman looked at Devlin.

  “You’re under arrest for the murder of Chrissie Martinez and are wanted for questioning in regards to the murders of Marcus Bender and Peter Samuels.”

  The woman sneered at her. “You don’t have anything on me.”

  “Want to bet?”

  She looked uncertain. Devlin gripped her arm and spun her around. Devlin jerked her arms behind her back and slapped a set of cuffs on her, spelled to ensure the Were wouldn’t break free. Otherwise, she would snap a set of simple cuffs.

  Devlin pulled her away from the wall and began marching her through the club, not an easy feat since the woman towered over her by about seven inches. When Amber began struggling and nearly slipped out of Devlin’s grasp, Jameson grabbed an arm to help escort her out. The woman looked up at Jameson in disbelief.

  “You’re going to help her, against one of your own? How could you betray me like this?” Amber demanded.

  “I’m helping my mate.”

  Amber’s eyes widened. “No, you’re not mated. You can’t be.”

  “Oh, he can be,” Devlin assured her with a smile. “Now be a good little doggy and come along peaceful-like and you won’t get hurt.”

  Devlin wasn’t sure if it was the news of her being mated to Jameson or the fact that he’d betrayed his own kind, as Amber put it, but whatever the reason, the Were came along quietly. They tucked her away in the back of the SUV before heading back to headquarters. When Jameson hauled her through the station to one of the interrogation rooms, Amber seemed to have resigned herself to her fate.

  Devlin attached the cuffs to the table to keep the Were stationary and closed
the door. Flicking on the camera in the corner, she knew everything they said and did would be videotaped, which could be used later at a trial. Guess that meant she had to keep her hands to herself, pity.

  “Do you understand why you’re here?” Devlin asked.

  “I’m guessing something happened to Chrissie.”

  “You could say that. Her throat was slit from ear to ear. Funny thing, a witness puts you and two men at the scene. Care to explain that?”

  Amber looked at her nervously. “Witness?”

  “Yes, a witness. I’ve already recorded her statement, and the D.A. heard it this morning.” Okay, so she’d fibbed a little.

  “The stupid bitch was going to talk.”

  “About the other two murders?”

  Amber clamped her lips together, and Devlin realized she wasn’t going to talk about it willingly. She just wasn’t sure what it would take.

  “You wanted to teach me a lesson, didn’t you?” Jameson asked. “Slashing my tires, keying my car, leaving graffiti on my front door… none of that was good enough, was it? You even stalked me at work, chasing off any women who dared to look at me.”

  “We wanted to make your life miserable,” the Were admitted. “But we never thought you’d actually get arrested. We figured you’d have an alibi.”

  “So you did commit the murders,” Devlin said for clarification.

  “Not me. Angela. She told me what she was going to do, and I helped her plan them. But I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t even kill Chrissie. Two of Salazar’s men did it for me, as a favor. They helped with Marcus Bender too. She sorta lucked out when she saw you arguing with Peter Samuels. It was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.”

  “That’s some favor,” Devlin commented.