Summer Shifter Days

by V. Vaughn

  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

  © 2018 Harmony Raines

  **Sign up to the Harmony Raines Newsletter, http://www.harmonyraines.com/newsletter-sign-up/ and receive an EXCLUSIVE FREE BOOK – A Bond to Bear plus news of special offers and new releases**

  1

  Jen

  “You are one sexy lady,” William O’Donnell, billionaire property developer, lion shifter, and man of her highly erotic dreams, pulled Jennifer, ex-wife of asshole husband, and mother of two boisterous boys, into his arms. Oh, she forgot dirt poor. Jen smiled as Will kissed her. None of it mattered. They were two people living the dream.

  And what a dream it was.

  “Tonight, I am going to prove to you just how sexy.” Jen threaded her arms around his neck and drew his head down so their lips met. She sighed as his tongue slid along her lower lip and opened her mouth to allow him access. Their tongues entwined, sending shivers of desire coursing through her body.

  “I don’t know if I can wait until tonight,” he breathed across her skin as their lips parted, leaving her breathless.

  “Well,” Jen began, her hand stroking his chest, “you are just going to have to.”

  Will grinned and let go of her as the thundering of two pairs of feet running down the stairs reached them. Jen’s two boys, Cody and Jack, erupted into the kitchen. “Mom! Cody can’t find his phone charger.”

  Jen sighed. “Where did you have it last?” She left the arms of her lover and followed the boys out of the kitchen.

  “In my room,” Cody insisted.

  “We’ve looked everywhere. It’s not there.” Jack was always willing to back his brother up.

  “Are you sure you looked everywhere?” Jen asked as they entered her youngest son’s room.

  “Yes,” Cody assured her emphatically.

  “What about your nightstand? Have you checked that it hasn’t fallen down the back?” Jen placed her hand on the nightstand and leaned over to peer into the dark abyss behind it, a place where things entered, never to be seen again. She did not want to put her hand down there.

  “Got it!” Cody held the charger up triumphantly.

  “Where was it?” Jen asked, happy for her reprieve from delving into the gross unknown. When the boys got back from their short vacation with their father, they were going to give their bedrooms a good clean.

  “Under Philias,” Cody replied, holding his plush toy elephant in his arms.

  “Is Philias going with you?” Jen asked, sitting on Cody’s bed and picking up the worn, threadbare elephant who had been Cody’s constant nighttime companion through his whole childhood.

  Cody looked with some longing at his favorite plush toy but then shook his head. “Dad says I’m too old for him.”

  Jen pressed her lips together and sighed, letting out the anger she harbored toward her ex-husband before she spoke. No matter what Kelvin had done, he was still the father of her children and she wanted them to have a good relationship with him. Even if he was a lying, cheating jerk.

  “You could smuggle him in your suitcase.” She held Philias up and pretended he was walking into Cody’s open suitcase. “Dad will never know.”

  Cody took Philias from his mom and hugged him. “Philias has never been on a ferry before.”

  That wasn’t true, but Cody couldn’t remember the time they took the ferry across to France. Even to Jen, it seemed like another lifetime, one where she’d been happily married to the man she loved. How quickly things changed.

  An image of Will popped into her mind, as it often did these days. Her love for her ex-husband, Kelvin, paled in comparison to the love that filled her heart, and every atom of her body, since the lion shifter had declared his undying love for her. She was his mate. The woman he was meant to be with for the rest of eternity.

  Yeah, it had taken her a few weeks to get used to that idea. When they met at a New Year’s Eve party, hosted by her sister's new fiancé, Jen had been wary of a man who wanted to promise her the moon and stars. But since her sister, Calista, whose own love was a dragon shifter, confirmed that shifters do mate for life, Jen had gone with it. Throwing herself into the relationship, she’d let her guard down, and allowed Will into her life.

  The fact that he loved Cody and Jack as if they were his own only compounded her love for him.

  “Mom?” Cody’s voice broke into her thoughts.

  “Yes, honey,” Jen responded.

  “Can I take my iPad, too?” he asked.

  “Oh, me, too!” Jack said eagerly.

  Jen rolled her eyes. “Will bought those for you to help with homework, not to play games on them.” The boys exchanged glances, and then giggled. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.” Jack and Cody scattered, she was on to something.

  “I’ll go tell Will,” Jen threatened, only to be greeted by another round of giggles. “It’s like having three big kids in the house.”

  She ran downstairs to the kitchen. Will handed her a glass of wine with a hungry look on his face that had nothing to do with food. “I missed you.”

  “I was gone for five minutes.” She accepted the wine, but when he moved to kiss her, she held up her free hand and said, “Not so fast, buddy.”

  Will took a step back. “You have that face on.”

  “Do I?” she asked, her eyes widening. “And what does that face mean?”

  “That someone is in trouble.” He smothered a smile. “And I think it might be me.”

  “You might be right,” Jen agreed. “iPads.”

  “iPads?” He leaned back on the counter looking as sexy as hell, with a smile playing across his lips that she would love to wipe away with a kiss. Jen shook her head. Sex on the brain. And goodness, how good that sex was. “Jen?”

  “Yes, iPads.” Fixing her attention on the question she wanted to ask, Jen folded her arms, doing her best to look stern. “You bought one each for the boys.”

  “Correct.” Will nodded, his eyes drifting down to her lips before rising back to meet her eyes.

  “And I thank you, it was a generous gift.” Her eyes narrowed.

  “You are welcome. I’d buy you the world if it would make you happy.” He sipped his wine.

  “Don’t change the subject.” She hid her own smile as she followed her runaway train of a thought. “Do you have an iPad?”

  “I do.” His eyes danced.

  “And what do you do with your iPad?” she asked.

  “I use it for work.”

  “And?” Jen asked.

  “I use it for watching movies and reading.”

  “And?” She took a step closer. “You know, we have a whole seven days ahead of us. Seven days of just you and me.” She pouted and ran her tongue along her upper lip. “It would be a pity to waste those seven days.”

  “Why would we waste it?” Will asked, shifting his weight as he eased the erection in his pants.

  “If I thought you were keeping things from me?” Jen leaned forward. “Are you keeping something from me, William O’Donnell?” She made sure he had a good eyeful of her breasts.

  Will sighed. “The boys and I hook up online and play Minecraft.”

  “They’re supposed to do their homework on their iPads,” Jen said reprovingly.

  “They do, but then we go on Minecraft and build things. I love building, it’s how I made my fortune.” He put his wine glass down on the counter. “I can show you if you want?”

  She waved her finger at him. “No.” He came toward her and caught her in his arms, kissing her neck.

  “I love the scent of you. Especially when you’re mad.” He inhaled deeply and kissed her neck. When he pulled back his eyes were dilated, and sh
e wanted him to kiss her more than anything in the world. “It was a way to bond with them.”

  His words took her by surprise. “That’s why you play with them?”

  “Yes. No. I enjoy playing games, it helps me unwind. At least it did, but now I have a much more pleasurable way to relax.” He trailed a finger across the swell of her breast. “Playing with the boys, building something with them, it helped build a relationship with them. We found common ground.” His face grew serious. “And since we’re going to be together forever, I needed them to accept me and like me, too.”

  “William O’Donnell, you are the sweetest man I could have ever wished for.” She pulled him close and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

  His arms tightened protectively around her. “You are welcome.” He kissed her neck. “You complete me. I’ve lived a good life, a full life, but there was always something missing and that something was you.”

  Tears threatened but she blinked them away. “I think my fairy godmother must have been looking down on me the day you walked into my life.”

  “I was going to wait until later, when we were alone.” He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a ring box. Her heart skipped a beat, or five, and a lump rose in her throat as he opened the box to reveal a sapphire and diamond ring.

  “It’s exquisite,” she sighed.

  “So are you.” He eased her away from him and then dropped down on one knee as Cody and Jack came thundering down the stairs. Will raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t expect to have an audience.”

  “What’s happening?” Jack asked as he entered the kitchen. “Have you hurt your leg?”

  “No.” Will ushered them forward. “I guess I’m asking all of you. But I only have one ring, which is meant for your mom.”

  Jen held out her hands and the boys took hold of her and stood quietly as Will cleared his throat. “Jen, Cody and Jack, will you all do me the honor of marrying me?”

  “That’s weird,” Cody whispered.

  “We don’t have to wear dresses, do we?” Jack asked.

  “No, no dresses.” Jen let go of their small hands and took hold of Will’s, pulling him to his feet. “Yes,” Jen answered excitedly.

  “Close your eyes, boys, we’re going to kiss.” Will held Jen in his arms and kissed her lips, while the boys chorused, “Yuck.”

  Jen looked at the ring on her finger. “It’s been such a whirlwind. People are going to talk, first Calista, now me. They’ll think we’re desperate.”

  “I am desperate,” Will began, but then sobered. “Let them talk. As long as we know it’s the right thing, that’s all that matters.”

  “Dad will be here in five minutes,” Jack said, breaking the spell.

  “Okay,” Jen clapped her hands together, “let’s get you ready. Have you got everything? Including toothbrushes?”

  “Yes,” they chorused.

  “Shoes on. Coats on.” She ushered them out of the kitchen, and somehow had them ready to go when Kelvin arrived, banging the door hard to get their attention.

  “Hello,” Kelvin said as he entered the house, the same house he’d shared with Jen. The same house she’d nearly lost when he walked out of her life, taking all the money from their joint accounts.

  Jen breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. She wouldn’t lose her temper, it wasn’t worth it. Kelvin got off on pretending nothing had happened, and they were good friends who happened to share children. She wanted to slap him but refrained.

  “You’ll let me know when you get there?” Jen asked, hugging her children. “And you promise to be good, and be sensible.”

  “Don’t worry, Mom.” Cody wrapped his small arms around her neck and whispered, “I love you.”

  “Call me, right?” She patted his pocket to make sure he had his cell phone. Both boys carried them. Yes, they were young, but since they started to visit their dad after the divorce, it was a small comfort to know they could call her if they needed her.

  And she’d be there. Whenever. Wherever.

  “I’ll take care of them,” Kelvin reassured her. It might have been more reassuring from a man who hadn’t thought twice about emptying their bank accounts, leaving his kids on the brink of homelessness, so that he could buy a love nest with his new girlfriend. “Sally-Ann is waiting in the car. She’s good with them. And they adore her. Don’t you, boys?”

  Cody and Jack made noncommittal noises and shuffled to the door with their suitcases and backpacks. They’d both told Jen they thought Sally-Ann was weird. But Jen wasn’t sure if that was for her benefit.

  “Have fun.” The door shut behind her children, and she was left staring after them, her heart heavy with misgivings.

  “Hey.” Will sauntered along the hallway, his presence filling the void left by her boys. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I miss them already.”

  “Of course you do.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. “They’ll be okay. Kelvin might be a love rat, but he does love Cody and Jack.”

  She turned around to face him, her hands cupping his face. “Make love to me, William O’Donnell.”

  A soft smile crossed his lips. “With pleasure.”

  He lifted her in his arms and threw her curvy body over his shoulder, climbing the stairs with ease.

  She giggled as he reached the bedroom and lowered her to the bed. But soon her giggles turned to sighs, as her lion shifter stripped every scrap of clothing from her body and kissed every inch her skin.

  2

  Will

  She was delectable. His mouth watered as he ran his tongue along her soft stomach, down toward her sweet, sweet sex. Jen opened her thighs wider, and he breathed in deep, the scent of her arousal almost too much. He clung on to keep control of his urge to mate with her now. Right now.

  Will swallowed down his desire. He wanted their lovemaking to last, he wanted to chase away the sadness that filled Jen whenever her boys left to stay with their father. He understood her unease, because he experienced it himself. Cody and Jack were like sons to him. They were part of Jen, she’d carried them in her womb, and given birth to them. Just as she would carry his child one day soon.

  Jen sighed and drew her knees up toward her stomach. Will’s mouth closed over her clit, and he flicked his tongue leisurely over the sensitive nub until she fisted his hair, her body writhing under the delicious torture. With soft strokes, he ran his fingers along her inner thighs, moving inexorably close to the center of her need. He wanted to feel her slick heat, to plunge his fingers inside her and make her come. The sound of her cries as she reached orgasm drove him wild.

  His lion roared in his head. Everything about Jen drove him wild. She was his reason for living. Before he met Jen, he’d focused on building an empire, but that life was a hollow husk compared to this new life, filled with laughter and love.

  Will kissed her mound, his teeth grazing her clit while he eased two fingers inside her. Her hips bucked as he fingered her, he’d made it his goal to learn precisely how she liked to be touched and kissed. The worship of Jen’s body was incredibly satisfying. For both of them.

  He pushed his fingers in and out of her, stroking her inner walls. The tension in her body built as she waited with intense anticipation for the moment he touched her G-spot. Will didn’t have to search for it, he knew exactly where the sensitive spot was. But he loved the sense of expectation, he liked to bring Jen to the brink of orgasm and then throw her into an abyss, before catching her.

  With fingers and mouth, he tortured her, making her wait, while she begged him to make her come. But he wasn’t ready yet. He glanced up, and their eyes met as she craned her neck to watch him. His eyes dropped from hers, instead feasting on her luscious breasts as they bounced with each movement of her body.

  Will couldn’t resist her plump flesh and reached his free hand up to cup her breast in his hand, his fingers and thumb tweaking her nipple. Jen opened her mouth, and then bit
down on her lower lip, aching for release. Maybe it was time. He inched his finger toward her G-spot, and the intensity on her face grew, she knew what was coming. She wanted to climax, and another time he may have prolonged it a little longer, made her beg a little harder.

  But damn, the joy of watching her come was too much.

  Will hooked his finger, changing the pressure of his fingertip inside her sex, and grazed her inner walls, acknowledging the instant he touched her in the right place. Jen cried out, her voice high and breathy while his tongue flicked over her clit, incessant, driving her toward an unending orgasm.

  Like a perfectly tuned engine, his body worked to fulfill his utmost goal, pleasing Jen. His mate, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.

  “Goal accomplished,” Will said as he kissed his way up her body. She shivered at his touch, her skin oversensitive. After her orgasm, Jen always needed time to compose herself. For Will it was a matter of pride that he drove her too far, too hard. He wanted to imprint his touch on her brain, to brand himself indelibly on her soul.

  “You make me sound like a project you’ve just completed.”

  “You are.” He kissed her stomach and slipped higher up the bed, to flick his tongue on her nipple while his fingers danced across her clit. She eased her thighs apart for him. She was ready. His cock hardened to the point of pain.

  “Charming,” she sighed as he slipped a finger inside her sex. Jen shifted her weight and wrapped her hand around his cock.

  Will closed his eyes momentarily, drinking in the sensations that filled his body. “You are the project of a lifetime. The project of my lifetime.” His breath hissed through his teeth as she rolled her hand over his cock.

  “And what a life we’re going to have.” Jen kissed him, her tongue entwining with his as he slid his body between her thighs and guided himself into her sex. Each movement was smooth and coordinated, as if they were one being with two hearts. Separate, but joined.