by Ashley Shay
“You could say that.”
“So what’s going through your mind, Ty?”
Tyler stared at the pool, watching the shimmering reflections of the tiny waves created by the breeze. “She’s the one, Gabe.”
“Thought as much. So what’s the plan?”
Tyler took a deep breath and released it. “Slow and easy.”
“She seen the cougars yet?”
“Nope. I don’t want to scare her off.”
“The cougar is part of who you are, Ty. Part of the others as well. You have to let her in. You can’t mate with her otherwise.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tyler said with a laugh, “tell me something I don’t know.” Gabe got quiet for a moment, too quiet from Tyler’s perspective. His brow furrowed as he waited for his cousin to speak. “Come on, Gabe. Spill.”
“Okay, but you won’t like it.” The sound of a deep indrawn breath came over the phone. Tyler waited as his cousin steeled himself to deliver some kind of news. He could almost picture Gabriel scrubbing his face with his hand. “We ran into a jackal shifter in San Antonio.”
“And? That’s not so unusual. Jackal’s are a dime a dozen. They mate like rabbits. They’re fucking everywhere.”
“True enough, but this one seemed different. Carly had some sort of reaction to her. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I assume she’s a sort of empath.”
“Not that unusual in humans,” Tyler said. “Some of them are quite talented. It doesn’t really surprise me about Carly. She seems to be drawn to us, which actually might make all of this go a bit easier. Remember with Jillian? She about dropped dead when she saw the cougars. Then when she saw your coyote…That was a very interesting night. Remember her first question?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
Tyler would never forget that night. When they’d all shifted back, she’d been pale and shaking. She’d looked at each of them before she asked, “What kind of children will I have, Ty? Puppies or kittens?” Even now, the memory made him laugh.
Gabe joined in. “Wish we had it on video.” Then he got quiet for a moment.
“Jesus, Gabe. Just fucking say what’s on your mind.”
“I got the impression the jackal was interested in Carly.”
“Oh, I see.”
“You’re secure there, right? I mean more secure than I could even begin to imagine?”
“Yes, we’re secure. Cougar’s been working day and night over the last year with equipment upgrades, wards, mystics…I spent over a hundred grand for a consultation with a serpent shifter last month for aversion spells. Supposed to be the best in his field.”
“Trustworthy?”
“Jesus, Gabe, are any of the serpents trustworthy? I had to take his recommendations because I had no other choice. I just want to keep the fucking snake shifters off my ranch.”
“I get that, Ty.”
“So, this jackal. Have you tailed her? Figured out how she fits in?”
“I tailed her. I watched her. She seemed like any other jackal bitch. She’s self-centered, dressed to the nines, and snooty as hell. She didn’t do anything suspicious though. I hung around San Antonio for a few days, but I needed to get back to Washington because I can’t raise any red flags on this assignment. You know once I make the drop, it’s not my concern unless I hear otherwise. I don’t think the bitch is a problem, but I did want to give you a heads-up.”
“Appreciate that. I’ll keep you posted on the Carly situation. You might be able to join our happy little family sooner rather than later.”
“Then I’ll wish you the best, buddy. Happy fucking.”
Tyler chuckled, and they hung up.
* * * *
Carly tiptoed down the staircase and headed to the kitchen. She pushed open the French door leading to the backyard and stepped out into the warm night air, listening attentively for the sound of that purr. It was the only thing she could think of. She wanted, needed, to find the source. And when she found it…
She didn’t know what she would do. But nothing would stop her.
She headed down the stone path, winding her way through the darkness, the moonlight guiding her. The sounds of the night surrounded her—the drone of dragonflies skimming the pond, the chirrup of insects in the trees, and the mournful hoot of a solitary owl. Fireflies sparked and flickered in the rosebushes that flanked the path. She chuckled softly, remembering how much she’d love to chase them as a child. Tomorrow night, she planned to bring Suzie outside with a jar, and they would capture a few to study.
She glanced up at the moon, wondering again what kind of animal had passed overhead creating that large shadow. It had seemed too large for a bat, even too large for an owl. A hawk? She’d thought predatory raptors like hawks and eagles did their hunting in the daylight hours, but the amount she knew of predatory birds could be written on an index card. Maybe she and Suzie could study them next week.
In the distance, she heard another soft rumble waft through the balmy air. It vibrated through her nerves, cocooning her in a blanket of protection. She felt cherished, adored, awash in sensations of love and devotion. She sped up along the path, passing beautiful gardens then Suzie’s playhouse. She finally came out into an open area that contained the pool.
The area was dark. The only light came from the moon filtering through some clouds above and causing the water to shimmer and glow in radiant streams. She stepped off the path and onto the flagstones, cool on her bare feet. She followed a trail of watery footprints around the lip of the pool until she came to a group of chairs nestled around a small table. She froze.
Tyler slumped low in one of the chairs, his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. His eyes were closed, his head resting on the back of the chair. Waterdrops glistened on his skin—his naked skin.
She let her gaze roam over the damp strands of hair combed back from his forehead, the long lashes shading his cheeks, the mouth curved into a slight smile. His tawny skin glowed golden in the moonlight, and her gaze carved a pathway from his wide shoulders over the expanse of his chest sprinkled with golden hair and down to the slim line of his hips. His cock, nestled in golden hair, lay long and heavy against his thigh.
A soft growl from beyond the pool area drifted across the air toward her. Tyler shifted in the chair, his nostrils flaring, and then he relaxed. She wanted to find the source of that sound, but the sight in front of her kept her frozen to her spot.
The pungent scent of chlorine tickled her nostrils, and she sneezed.
Tyler bolted upright, instantly alert. He gripped the armrests, and his head swiveled toward her.
“Carly,” he breathed. She took a few tentative steps toward him. “What are you doing here?”
“I–I…saw something.”
He slid toward the edge of his chair. She watched his cock stir beneath his legs. It lengthened and hardened before her eyes. He inhaled sharply.
“And yet you’re not afraid,” he said.
“No, not afraid.” She gave him a small smile. “Just curious I guess.”
“What did you see?”
“A shadow…something flying above my balcony.”
“It might have been a bat. We have quite a few varieties around here.”
She took another step toward him. She had an overwhelming desire to run her hands through the hair on his chest. She wanted to feel the coarseness beneath her cheek, wanted to rub her forehead there before she sank to her knees in front of him.
“A bat?” she said softly. “Possibly. But it seemed very large.”
Tyler’s gaze slid down the length of her body, dipping into every curve and hollow, spreading heat and fire through her veins as his eyes touched every part of her from her nipples straining against the cloth of her nightshirt to the dip of her waist and the swell of her hips. His gaze skimmed the length of her legs and settled on her feet. She curled her toes against the coolness of the flagstones. Tyler smiled, and with that smile came a soft growl. It was the sound of
want, lust, passion, longing, and hunger. So familiar…
Her whole world expanded in hope and promise, and her body exploded in a kaleidoscope of need, desire, and an urgent longing for this man.
Her pussy clenched, her muscles pulsing, desperately wanting the feel of this man deep within her. Her nipples hardened, pushing against the cotton shirt, aching to be touched, kissed, sucked. She felt a tiny trickle of moisture and realized, without any sense of shame at all, that she’d forgotten to put on panties.
“Could it have been an owl?” Tyler asked softly.
Carly shook her head, her hair spilling around her shoulders. She wanted him to touch it, to take handfuls in his fingers and pull her down for a deep, soul-searching kiss. She took another step closer and licked her lip.
She had trouble catching her breath. “I don’t want to talk about the shadow.”
“No?” Tyler said. She shook her head. “Then what do you want to talk about?”
She once again let her eyes fall on his cock, bigger, harder, longer now. She pressed her lips together, took several more steps toward him, and fell to her knees in front of him. She smiled.
“I don’t want to talk at all.”
* * * *
Tyler watched as she leaned forward, taking his cock into her hand. Her fingers barely wrapped around him as she guided him into her lips. He dropped his head back and growled. Her mouth felt like a furnace on the head of his cock. He arched his hips, thrusting gently, forcing her to take him deeper.
Carly made a satisfied sound and opened her mouth wider, taking more of him in. Tyler grasped her head between his hands, holding her in place, letting his fingers slide into the thick cascade of hair that prevented him from seeing her face. Finger-combing her hair, he held it back until he could watch her face.
“Carly, honey, you’re beautiful,” he managed to grind out between clenched teeth. She smiled around the obstacle in her mouth. Damn, the woman was killing him with her clever little tongue. He couldn’t help the groan that escaped him, and his reward came in the form of a low feminine sound of pleasure muffled by his cock.
“C’mere.” He reluctantly tugged her up and onto his lap. If he let her keep going, he would explode too quickly, and he wanted this to last. She settled into his lap like a kitten, wiggling her bottom until she found a comfortable spot against the hardness of his erection.
The hem of her nightshirt had crept high on her hips, leaving her bare bottom pressing against his legs. He could feel the moisture from her arousal and the inviting heat of her pussy. With his hands still in her hair, he pulled her to his lips, tasting himself on her mouth as he kissed her.
She leaned in to him, stretching against his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck without breaking the kiss. Tyler felt whole for the first time since Jillian’s death. As much as he wanted to toss Carly onto the lounge and bury himself in that sweet-smelling pussy, he also wanted to hold her in his arms, kiss her until they couldn’t breathe, and reacquaint himself with the feeling of a mate. God, he already loved this woman with a depth that frightened him.
As if she could read his mind, Carly practically melted into him, reluctantly pulling away from his kiss to bury her face in his chest. She licked the damp curls of his chest hair and inhaled deeply, dragging her fingers through the crinkly strands.
Tyler felt his beast rippling inside, threatening to burst free. He clamped down hard, fighting the claws, the fur, the whiskers running rampant beneath his human form. She wasn’t ready yet.
* * * *
Carly buried her face deeper into Tyler’s chest, drinking in the male essence of him. She felt drunk on his scent, and she couldn’t get enough of him. Her skin tingled as if static electricity danced over her bare arms. It was an odd sensation, but not unpleasant. Under her fingertips, she felt his skin rippling like tiny waves on a lake, as though the molecules themselves were undergoing some elemental change, becoming something even stronger, more powerful, more earthy. But, even as that outrageous thought passed through her mind, she laughed inside. None of that was possible. She must be feeling the synapses of his muscles responding to her touch.
Carly drew back to look at him, and in the dim moonlight, his eyes glittered like the big cats she’d seen at the National Zoo. She stared into those beautiful orbs, mesmerized by the raw sexuality exuding from the man. She opened her mouth to speak, but he closed the gap, sliding his tongue in between her open lips and thoroughly kissing her until she had to break for air.
She realized she was falling under some strangely mysterious spell. Never in her life had she been so uninhibited and alive. The Lucas brothers had cast some enchantment over her, and she wanted to stay under that spell forever. If she could have them all, she’d take them gladly and cherish the love and solidarity of the family.
Why did that thought come to her now as she curled in Tyler’s lap? She could be quite happy with him, but something primal inside her said she needed more. She pushed that thought from her head because, despite Shane’s teasing, anyone would think her demented for considering the possibility of four men, and Tyler would certainly fire her if she entertained such lewd and unnatural ideas. Besides, she couldn’t think. Not when he was raining kisses down her throat and she felt his hands unbuttoning her nightshirt. When she felt the night air on her naked breasts, she knew her life would never be the same.
Tyler’s hand slid between the soft folds of material, pushing her shirt open and off her shoulders until it pooled around her on his lap. His eyes glittered as he focused on her breasts. “Carly.” His fingertip traced the circle of her nipple, causing it to tighten into a rosebud of need. He didn’t ignore the invitation. Lowering his head, he clamped his lips around the hardened flesh and sucked with enough force Carly felt her toes curling. A spear of excitement shot through her pussy, and the muscles clenched with anticipation.
Carly wiggled her butt, trying to get closer to his cock. Her need to feel him inside was nearly obsession. In the dim recesses of her mind, it occurred to her she had never wanted a man as badly as she wanted Tyler Lucas.
Apparently, he felt the same because he was moving her, positioning her legs on either side of him so that she straddled him, like riding a horse. Between them, his cock swelled forward as if drawn to the moisture leaking from her pussy. Carly spread her legs wider and inched forward toward the enticing maleness.
Tyler’s eyes were half closed as he looked down at her. “Ready?”
Unable to find her voice, Carly nodded, and Tyler’s strong arms lifted her, holding her just above him with the head of his cock teasing the damp folds of her pussy. Her only thought was for him to lower her onto the pulsating flesh, and he didn’t deny her. His arms controlled her descent, lowering her with exquisite slowness onto the swollen head of his cock. Carly felt herself part for him, taking the head into her channel. His eyes locked with hers, and he shoved her downward, impaling her on his erection until she cried out his name in a soft gasp of wonder.
Tyler gathered her closer as his hips thrust upward. Carly met him stroke for stroke, bouncing up and down to meet his urgent rhythm. It seemed natural and the pacing familiar, as if they had made love hundreds of times. He touched all the right places, and Carly felt herself building to a climax that would tear a scream from her throat.
A musky smell enveloped her, wrapping her in a haze of erotic and exotic bliss. The aroma tickled her senses and made her body yearn for something unknown. It called to her from beyond time, from some primal place she’d never been. Though Tyler had locked his hands on her hips, suddenly, she became aware of the delicious feeling of hands roaming up her back and over her shoulders then sweeping her body to cup her breasts. Another pair of hands stroked down her thighs to grip her knees, pulling her legs farther apart.
Tyler took advantage of the movement and drove his cock deeper into her pussy. A grinding ache spiraled through her, and she found herself hovering at the precipice of orgasm. Another few strokes and she kne
w she’d come apart. She concentrated on the hands stroking her flesh, on Tyler’s cock thrusting into her body, and the warm mouth on the back of her neck, wondering how the hands and lips seemed to be everywhere at once. She found herself beyond caring because her entire focus revolved around her pussy, her clit, and the need to come.
She arched her hips and ground her needy, swollen clit against him. She exploded in a mind-melting rush of pleasure. Tyler drove deeper and deeper, then held still. Her pussy clutched at the cock buried to the hilt inside her, holding him still as she milked every drop of cum from his body. Her clit pulsed and throbbed, sending tiny ripples of heavenly sensation throughout her limbs.
She slumped bonelessly against Tyler’s chest and, when she heard a soft, guttural growl, turned her face to the side. Her eyes fluttered open to find Shane’s face inches from her own.
“Oh,” she gasped softly, wondering if she were hallucinating or having an incredible dream.
Shane kissed her softly on the lips, and at the same time, Carly felt another set of lips press against her neck. She sat up and twisted to find Dusty kneeling behind her.
“Shh,” Tyler soothed her. “Let us love you, Carly. We’ll take care of you.”
She had no will to protest. Her head lolled back on her shoulders as Dusty reached around her and fingered her clit. Those sensations combined with the feel of both Shane’s and Tyler’s mouths on her breasts tumbled her toward another blaze of climax. She was vaguely aware of their encouragement. She heard Tyler say, “Come for us, Carly,” followed by Shane’s voice. “How beautiful you are.” Dusty pressed his face into her neck and said, “My perfect little darlin’.”
She reached out to grasp anything in her hands, holding on to their arms, her nails digging into their flesh as she prepared to greedily take her pleasure again. Tyler slid his hands under her ass, his fingers digging into her flesh. He lifted her easily, letting her ride him to another orgasm. Her body tensed, and the pleasure burst through her in a never-ending spiral of intensity that left her breathless.