by Milly Taiden
They stayed as they were, bodies locked tight. He sat down on a chair with her still straddling him. The potent scent of sex filled his office. Delicious. Their combined scents turned him hard all over again, inciting his already re-aroused state. She wiggled in his lap. Eyes wide.
“Is that—? Are you—?”
A grin split his lips. She was so cute when shocked. “Baby, I’m a shifter. I can go on for hours. Ever heard the term ‘horn dog?’”
A gulp followed by a nod.
“Where do you think it came from?”
Heat crowded her cheeks and he chuckled.
He glanced at her lips and down to the spot he’d bitten her. It hadn’t been a mate bite, but he’d wanted to.
“Oh my god!” Her heartbeat tripled. “We didn’t use a condom.” Multiple emotions rushed over her features until it settled on concern.
“Relax. I don’t carry any human diseases.”
Dark brown brows rose in interest. “You don’t?”
“No. Our kind is strong, much stronger than that.”
“Well…good.” She cleared her throat. “Because I don’t normally have sex with a guy I just met.”
He didn’t bother to mention the fact he’d never had unprotected sex with another woman before. Not for disease, but to keep himself from getting tied down by impregnating anyone. He wouldn’t mind her having his cubs. Raine was his. The wolf was sure of that and so was the man.
Gripping her hips in his hold, he rocked her on his cock. Passion flared bright in her eyes.
“Oh…”
She took the hint and swayed, lifted, and dropped in a sexy bounce that put her nipples right in his face. He sucked one into his mouth and nibbled on the tiny, hard point. Her body’s heat called to him. Wild. That’s how she tasted, like a combination of sweet decadence and dark spice. And he knew it was only a matter of time before he grew addicted to her.
“Fuck, sweetheart. Ride me harder.” An order or a plea, he couldn’t tell which anymore.
She grasped the back of the chair and increased the pace of her movement. He gripped her hips. Helped her speed the velocity of her body’s hopping on his cock. Her breath hitched and her body stiffened. He wiggled a thumb between her legs. Flicked over her tight little clit.
“Oh, my—”
Her pussy gripped his cock hard. He rammed her down, until their pelvises were grinding together and let his climax flow. He came hard, panting and groaning into her breasts. He bit down on a tip and she shuddered. A second wave of flutters took over her pussy walls.
“Baby, you’re so hot.” He licked the sweat from the valley of her breasts. “I love how good you feel when you come.”
She dropped her head into the curve of his shoulder. Panted. “Mmm. I think how you feel inside me beats that by miles.”
“Stay with me tonight.”
After a quiet moment, her head lifted. Her features were drawn. Uncertain.
“What’s going to happen with that place? What if whatever they did to me, was done to other unsuspecting people.” She nibbled on her bottom lip.
He hugged her tight. She gave a little moan when he slid his hands up and down her back comforting the fear drenching her skin. What a terrible way for her to turn into his kind. But he wouldn’t let things go. He’d figure out what was done to her. And deliver some of his brand of pain to whoever did it. She sighed. Some of the rigidity and fear slowly drained from her muscles. He dropped a quick kiss over her swollen lips, to stop her torture.
“That building wasn’t very small. And I think I remember another girl walking in after me.”
He stiffened in the seat. “We’ll go check it out in the morning. I promise.”
FIVE
Raine lifted off him, ready to don her clothes all over again.
“There’s a restroom right through there.” He pointed at the door next to the large bay window on the other side of the room.
She met his stare. Saw more than the lust coursing through her body. Saw concern.
“I love the smell of myself on you, but I thought you might be more comfortable if you clean up.”
Grateful for his thoughtfulness, she nodded, grabbed her clothes, and rushed to do exactly that. She shut the bathroom door. Took a deep breath. Her body buzzed as if his fingers were still touching her. She stared at herself in the mirror and gasped. She, a woman who’d never worn a single hair out of place, had been replaced by a mussed up nympho.
Her hands shook when she turned on the faucet to wash her face. Grabbing handfuls of paper towels, she dipped them in warm water and did a quick wipe down of her sweaty skin. When she reached the area between her legs, the animal inside her didn’t seem to like her wiping off the evidence of her coupling with Ryder. Tension took hold under her skin.
“Chill the fuck out, okay?” She spit the words out through clenched teeth while she scrubbed her legs harder with the wet paper towels. “This is my goddamned body, and no wolf is going to tell me what to do.”
When she was satisfied with her clean-up, she dressed again. She ran her fingers through her knotted curls, trying to fix them into a decent ponytail. If someone would have told her a few weeks back that her carefully ordered life would turn into chaos, she would have laughed in their face. But now, it seemed she not only had a wolf inside–a very horny wolf–she also had to figure out who the hell had turned her into one. And the bigger question was, why?
Ryder stood by the door in his jeans and a fresh T-shirt, waiting for her. His dark hair was messy from when she’d run her fingers through it. Her gaze did an immediate swoop down his body. Then another visual caress back up to his face. Lord, that day’s old beard made her want to whimper. The muscles she knew lay below the clothes had her gulping. Damn but the man was sexy. Not just the body, or award-winning tongue, it was the way he carried himself. What he’d said was true. He was definitely the alpha. No other animal had that type of commanding presence.
Out at the bar, Theo stood behind the counter. Ryder held her hand as they made their way to the counter.
“I think we need to talk about you now.” Theo studied her with intensity. “If what you told us is accurate, others could be suffering the same thing you did.”
That was her point exactly. She wanted to sigh in relief that she’d told someone and they’d believed her. It was still hard for her to believe what she’d seen, so she hadn’t dared share her experience with Mandy.
“We’re going to send some people to the place you originally went to. See if there’s anyone operating from there.”
“Where’s James?” Ryder glanced around the bar.
“Who’s James?” Raine rubbed her side next to Ryder’s hulking frame.
Theo disappeared below the counter before coming up with a clean glass. “James is Quinn’s best friend and right hand.” Theo smiled. The blond man was quite handsome when he showed his teeth. He motioned the drinks behind him. “What can I get you, darlin’?”
She grinned, liking this version of the second. That’s what Ryder had called Theo, his second. Not that Raine understood how their whole hierarchy worked. But now she realized that Ryder was Alpha, and that made him top dog.
“Just water, please.”
He hauled out a sweating bottle of water and filled a glass with ice before placing it on her side of the bar. She sat down, watching Ryder continue to glance around the bar.
“So why is James so important?” She took a sip, allowing the coolness of the water to tamp some of the fire coursing through her veins.
Ryder grabbed the stool next to her and pulled it, until they were flush next to each other.
“Quinn and James are like twins. One is never without the other until Quinn began seeing Jessa.” Ryder drank from his beer.
She watched his throat work, the muscles contracting with each gulp. Her throat went dry. She wanted to nibble on his neck, lick her way up his jaw and to his firm lips. He’d taste of beer again. Her body throbbed. Shit. No thinking
of sex.
“You sure I can’t get you anything else?” Theo’s voice broke through her thoughts.
A room? A chastity belt with no key? Heaven help her. She was going to end up attacking Ryder in public. That was surely not legal. But how to tamp the flares of lust every time she smelled or looked at Ryder she had no idea.
Clearing her throat of the knot gathered there, she sipped some more water. “Then it’s obvious we need to find James. He’ll know where Quinn is.”
Ryder’s dark gaze bore into hers. “Do you remember where you went exactly to do the sleep study?”
The change of topic caught her off guard. “Yes. It was on the Westmore side.”
“You should’ve known better than to go to that side of town. Most of those buildings are abandoned. It’s the dead side.” He frowned, but took the bite out of the reprimand when he curled his hands over hers.
“Well, I know someone who has a lab on that side, so it didn’t seem like a big deal.” She finished the water, grabbed a pretzel, and took a bite. “It’s not like I know every corner of this town yet. I’m still learning. I didn’t really visit much since my parents moved. The past few weeks have been an adjustment.”
“I’ll be right back.” Theo jumped over the counter, headed to one of the doorways she’d seen waitresses coming and going through, and left.
“So where is the rest of your family?”
She shook her head and glanced down at their hands. Ryder’s lighter skin contracted so beautifully against her darker tone, like vanilla ice cream and caramel. Like the warring light and dark feelings inside her. “I don’t have any.”
He squeezed her hands in his grasp. “What do you mean?”
The rough quality of his voice made her look up. Unease flashed in his eyes. She gulped. Sand started to build in her throat, making it hard for her to swallow.
“I don’t have any family. My parents were only children as were their parents. I was adopted as a baby. There’s no other family.”
“What about your birth parents?”
“They were teen parents. In a bad situation. In a poor Latin country. You hit the jackpot if you can get a loving couple from the United States to adopt your child. I never felt the need to go looking for them.”
A shadow of pain flickered in his eyes. “You’re not alone anymore.”
He lifted a hand and caressed her cheek. Thoughtful. The man had already gotten under her skin. Her mind had trouble wrapping around that. He slid his thumb over her lower lip. Rockets went off inside her chest. Her heart flipped and her pulse raced.
“I—”
“Here we are.” Theo’s voice stopped her from what she had been about to say, which was probably a good thing. She’d let herself get caught in the moment and his words. Ryder had a life, a position in his pack. More. She had to figure out what came next for her. The world of shape shifting was new. Not something she’d ever even considered existed before.
Theo brought a tray and placed in on the bar between her and Ryder. He grinned and took the top of the tray. Three large plates, brimming with food sat there.
“Ta-dah!”
She giggled at his over the top excitement.
“I found us some food. But don’t get used to me being a waiter. That’s usually Sally’s job, but she’s gone for the day.” He placed a plate of stewed beef and vegetables in front of her. Ryder let go of her hands to grab his own plate. Theo moved his plate a little further down the bar. He left a basket of bread between them.
Her stomach grumbled loud. She hadn’t had anything to eat since she’d left her parent’s house earlier. For some reason, she didn’t feel comfortable going to her own home. It was not something she’d ever experienced before, since she loved the small cottage. But it felt so isolated with almost everyone on her street on vacation.
They ate in amicable silence. By the time their plates were clean of food, the bar patrons had dwindled down to a handful.
“I should go.” Not that she really wanted to. But she couldn’t very well stay there. She glanced around the bar and noticed the few remaining people were watching them.
He grabbed her arm. “I asked you to stay before. Stay.”
She shifted to glance at him. That possessive look he gave her just about did her in. “This is… I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
Her vision strayed down to his mouth. She licked her lips. After a moment, she realized she was staring and glanced up.
Dark eyes sparkled with laughter. “I have a guest room.”
She could tell he was trying to be funny. The last thing either of them wanted was a bedroom, but Raine was not one to jump into anything. And the past few hours she’d done a lot of jumping all over Ryder’s body.
Her wolf made the decision for her. The animal brushed under her skin almost in a plea to get her to agree.
What the hell? It did it again. The soft movement was strange and comforting. She nodded in agreement.
“Come on.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “I’m not far from here.”
She glanced over her shoulder at Theo. He waved at them with a grin. She waved back and followed Ryder out the back door. He guided her down a darkened pathway into the woods. They’d been walking for only a few minutes when they reached an opening in the trees. A large, two-story house sat in the middle of a clearing.
She gasped. “Is that your house?” Raine couldn’t keep the awe from her voice. It was a log cabin. A gorgeous, two-story log cabin.
“Yeah.”
The closer they got, the more impressive the cabin looked. When they entered, she was struck by the sheer comfort of the place. Thick brown sofas were scattered around the large living area. A massive fireplace took over an entire corner. He had a gorgeous oriental rug in front of the fire. It was like her dream home.
“This place is amazing.”
He chuckled. “You sound more impressed by my house than me.”
She jerked her head his way in disbelief. The house was great, but he was… well, she was still trying to figure out what he was.
He winked. “I might get jealous.”
The large room seemed to shrink in on her. A mantle of heat covered her cheeks. “Can you show me to your guest room?”
She followed behind him until they reached an open door. He flicked the lights to a pale gold room. Sheer panels covered the windows. A bedspread in a deeper shade of burnt gold covered the large sleigh bed.
“I hired a decorator to redo the place when my parents died. My mom’s sisters wanted most of the family heirlooms, and so I just kept a few pieces and bought everything new. I didn’t have a woman I slept with do this.”
Her gaze clashed with his. She wondered if he’d read her mind. The thought that some woman had done his place nagged her.
She widened her eyes. “How did you know I was wondering?”
Arousal gathered in her core as he closed the distance between them. His gaze roamed her face, kissed her lips, and traveled back up to meet her eyes.
“I could see the wheels turning in your beautiful face.” He drove his hand into her hair and snapped the band holding her ponytail in place.
She licked her lips, raised her hands to his biceps, and caressed his muscled arms. “I need a shower.”
He fisted her long hair and tugged her head back. She whimpered. Arousal washed over her like a dip in a hot tub. Turning her face into his touch, she displayed her neck for him. Something about the move made her feel at his command.
Passion intensified. It turned her pussy slick with need. He licked a trail from her shoulder up to her ear. She shuddered and moaned.
“I’ll bring you something to wear.” His warm breath stroked her ear. Her lungs constricted when he trailed soft kisses down to her lips.
She panted. Frozen in place for moments before she realized he wasn’t even in the room with her. How in the world did he do that? She couldn’t think. Her brain had turned to a quivering mass of arousal.
She stripped off her clothes and rushed to the bathroom. If she didn’t figure out how to tame that animal, she’d end up getting arrested for public indecency.
The entire time she showered, she tried to stop the muscles tightening on her. Cool water slid over her heated skin in pinprick caresses. It didn’t help. She lost control. Dropped on all four. Hair matted to her face when her head fell forward. The sound of cracking filled the enclosed space. Not again. Her chest burned. Fur coated her skin again. She shut her eyes.
“No no no!” She whimpered past her locked throat muscles.
She mentally ordered the animal back. To stop trying to take control. There was too much to think about. It was not the time for her to be in a different body.
Panting with exertion over her push back at the change trying to take hold, she jerked her eyes open and studied her legs. The fur covering her limbs receded. Her curvy legs and thighs returned. Her muscles stopped burning after a few moments. She sat there, letting water drip over her. She was having a hard time controlling the beast and no telling what she’d do if it got out.
SIX
Ryder debated with himself. It was either go back into her room and take her, or get his ass up to his bathroom and take a cold shower. He sighed and made his way to his bedroom.
She was so beautiful with her caramel skin and delicious pouty lips. The image of her golden eyes, filled with so much vulnerability and confusion, twisted his stomach in knots. He wanted to reassure her that everything would be fine, but he had no idea who was out there experimenting with lab created shifters.
He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. She was so aggressive. Strong. Much stronger than most shifters he knew. Clearly she needed to be taught how to control her animal, teach the dominant wild side that she was in charge.
Soft buzzing in his pocket grabbed his attention. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. Theo.