by Milly Taiden
It was as if she were a live science experiment, the way all three of them were looking at her like she was some sort of new species. She peered around and everyone was staring at her with different expressions.
Julia was one step away from full-blown panic. Nothing strange there. River was curious. Chase’s look was hot, wicked, and not appropriate for minors. Shit, she wasn’t even sure it was appropriate for her. She tried not to blush at his proprietary gaze. The man would easily melt an iceberg.
“Sophia, your samples and data, where are they?” Chase was back to barking questions at her.
She knew she’d made a mistake, but the man didn’t want to let up with his infuriating grilling. “They’re in my lab, all right! The samples are in cold storage and my data under lock. Both are secured by my fingerprints, voice, and other security measures. Trust me, my research is locked up tighter than two dogs in the act.”
Why the hell had that come out of her mouth? She noticed their raised brows at her example and got defensive. “What? OK, bad example, but I’ve had horrible experiences before with my data being stolen.”
Julia stood and grabbed her hand, sad eyes conveying she wanted to speak to her alone. She bit back the urge to roll her eyes at her sister’s over-the-top emotional outbursts. They walked into the house in silence.
Sophia looked around the kitchen and was always impressed at the beauty of the space. The room, open, airy, and light, made her want to sit there all day. Windows surrounded the soft blue space, trimmed with off-white cabinets and appliances, and fresh flowers scented the air with delicate fragrances that wouldn’t upset Julia’s sensitive nose. Sophia felt an immediate sense of peace every time she went into that space. Her sister had made her entire home a welcoming, serene place.
Under other circumstances, Sophia would have been ecstatic to be sitting in the kitchen with her best friend. But not now. Julia gave a loud sigh as she took a seat across from Sophia.
“Sophia, I know you thought you were helping me by looking for a way to get me back to what I was before. But you needn’t have bothered. I’m happy with who and what I am, and most importantly, I’m just happy. River loves me, I love him, and we’re going to have a baby.” Her face glowed with joy and love.
“I remember how difficult everything was for you right after the attack and I felt so powerless to help. I wanted to give you the option of changing your body to who you used to be, without having to shift into a wolf.”
The hell she’d seen her sister live was not something she would wish on anyone. It was horrible to see her suffering as her body was overcome with the change. She could still hear the screams of pain as the bones popped and the fur pushed out of her the first time while she was still recuperating from her attack.
“The wolf is a part of me now, Sophia. If she weren’t there, I’d feel less than whole. I would never change back if it meant losing her.” Julia grasped Sophia’s hand and looked at her with unease. “What are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean?” God, what a day it had turned out to be, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. She needed a stiff drink or better yet, a stiff cock, preferably the one playing macho alpha outside.
She hadn’t been with anyone since she moved into town, and it depressed her that it had been so long ago. Fuck this! She wasn’t going to let some fur and a tail turn her into a crybaby.
“Sophia, you’re in heat, both your animals want to mate. You would have stripped Chase naked outside and raped him if he hadn’t stopped you. Of course…I think he was more than willing to let you do whatever you wanted to him.” She grinned, and a small laugh escaped her at Sophia’s flabbergasted look.
“I don’t remember that!” Holy crap she’d thrown herself at Chase? Man-candy Chase? FBA Chase? The man that every night stripped for her in her mind? Who proceeded to do some really shameless, depraved, and corrupt things with his hands, tongue, and cock…in her head? Oh, hell no.
Her pulse beat erratically, and she tried to keep her brain cells functioning. Blurry images of his arms holding her tight while his face rubbed against her neck were all she could draw up. Her hormones went into overdrive. Everything female in her begged for him to come and stroke her, to show her how big and strong he was in the most basic of ways.
“Of course you don’t remember it,” Julia said. “When you’re in heat, your body turns off everything but the most crucial need, the need to mate and procreate.”
“Wait, what? A mate? As in, I want to have sex, right? But procreate? I don’t know about that.” She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate. Babies? Sure, she wanted kids like most women, but first she needed a man for that.
She needed a steady relationship…
Screw that. What she really needed was some amazing sex, some sheet-melting, hair-tearing, make-me-hoarse-from-screaming, multiple-orgasm sex. And then she could see herself wanting babies.
What the hell had she done?
“Mate,” Julia answered. “As in someone to claim you for his own. You want him for yourself and no one else. And procreate? Well, I hate to tell you this, but how do you think I ended up with this little bun in the oven? It took me longer to go through heat because of the length of time my body took to adjust to my change. Your body absorbed it so quickly, it’s like you were born a shifter.”
Suddenly all kinds of strange questions started running through her brain.
“Oh…my…God.” She looked at her sister in dismay, “Does this mean when I have kids I’m going to have kittens? Puppies? Poodles? Iguanas?” A hysterical laugh escaped her. She was quickly losing what small hold she had on her mind.
“Sophia! Be serious. There are no Poodles or Iguanas! As for the pups, you only have them in that form if you conceive while in wolf form. Which you won’t do.”
“Damn straight I won’t. Because I’m a human being!” Did she sound deranged? She could already see the headlines: Geneticist Loses Mind from Lack of Sex, or even better, Woman Who Thinks She’s a Dog Caught Chasing Mailman.
“You risk miscarriage when you shift. So you have to spend the duration of your pregnancy in whatever shape you were in when you conceived.” Julia’s tone was annoying her. She spoke as if Sophia should know that stuff.
Who cared about having puppies when her whole life had just turned upside down? She could sprout fur and claws faster than it took the Flash to go around the world. Her dental bills were going to go through the roof with the new hardware, and she didn’t even want to think about what she was going to spend on bikini waxing now.
“This is insane. We’re discussing things that are beyond my realm of reality. I don’t need a mate, I am not trying to conceive, and I most definitely am not in heat.” Frustration made her growl the words out.
“I beg to differ.”
Chase. Damn it. That voice. Deep, rough, and a little raspy, it caressed her skin like warm caramel being dripped over her favorite ice cream. She tilted her head to look into his eyes and felt the growing need clawing at her again.
“We need to talk, Sophia.” He looked at his brother and her sister. They shared some kind of understanding, because one minute they were all in the kitchen and the next he was pulling her into one of her sister’s spare rooms, her sandals tapping on the wood floor. Once inside he closed the door and flipped the lock.
She walked to the other side of the room to give herself some space. “Listen, Chase. I’m so sorry about outside. I…I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I’m positive that in a few days, whatever this heat is will go away.” She perked up as she spoke, completely ignoring him.
He stood in front of the closed door. Sophia gripped the dresser behind her with all her might. God dammit, if she let go, she might jump him.
He inhaled slowly… Crap, he could probably smell her arousal.
He smiled at her in such a hot wicked way, she almost drooled. He moved his hands to the T-shirt he must have put on while she was in the kitchen with Julia. He lifted i
t slowly and revealed his stomach, chest, and arms.
Her eyes widened until she was sure she looked just like a Tarsier as she watched him. Her fingers itched to touch the golden skin she knew was warm and soft over the bulging muscles.
Her breath hitched when he threw the piece of clothing to the floor. He bunched his arm muscles and moved his hands toward the tie on the swimming trunks.
“Uh, Chase, what are you doing?” she squeaked. The evil imp on her shoulder told her to shut the hell up and enjoy the show. God, but the man was built in the image of her every wet dream. Every part of him dared her to touch.
“I’m about to get to know my mate a whole lot better.” He grinned, the jerk. He was probably enjoying how flustered and shell-shocked she was while trying to appear indifferent to what he was doing. But how in the world could she be indifferent when all that golden skin was making her eyes water? She was going to end up blind from that sinful vision.
The rod straining the fabric was growing before her very eyes. Big…bigger…and then hell yeah.
Chapter Four
“Sophia, I’ve wanted inside your delicious little body since I first laid eyes on you. I just didn’t want to rush you into anything. But make no mistake—you are my mate.” His words were earnest as he strolled lazily her way.
He took his sweet time prowling toward her, the ultimate predator. He stopped a foot away. “You’re going to have to tell me now if you want this or not, Sophia. I don’t want you to go mindless with heat and find yourself mated to me because you couldn’t hold back your hormones.”
Was she in the Twilight Zone? He wanted her as a mate? She looked at his eyes and wondered if he spoke the truth. He really wanted her? He actually desired her short, fat body?
“Why would you want me? You can have any woman in and out of your pack. I’ve seen them looking at you at the bar. They practically throw themselves at your feet. I’m nobody. I’m short, fat, and geeky.” Chin lifted in defiance, she said the words that kept her from allowing her mind to want him.
He caressed her cheek with one hand while he wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her body flush against his. She gave a little moan in the back of her throat.
“I’m going to say this quickly before your mind is too cloudy to remember. First of all, you are not short, you are petite. Second you are not fat; your body is absolute perfection. You’re luscious and your curves make my mouth water. Believe me, Sophia, perfect. Third, you are not a geek. You’re the most intelligent woman I’ve ever met, and even though your body makes me hungry to taste you, your mind fills me with pride to know you. You’re beautiful and exactly what I want. I don’t want any other woman. I only…want…you.” He drilled out each word slowly and clearly to make sure she understood. There was no joking or laughter in his eyes, just honesty and lust.
“Please, baby. I need to know you’re with me on this.” His voice was hoarse with need. He grazed her cheek with a big warm hand. Fire flashed through her veins, pooling at the center of her womb and making her pussy throb with its own heartbeat.
“Yes,” she said, shocked with her own reply as she locked eyes with him. “Make love to me, make me yours, Chase. I don’t want anyone else either.”
He swooped down and kissed her with all the desperation she thought only she had felt. A dam of need broke inside her, driving the urge to run her fingers over his skin, to touch every part of him and feel his flesh against her own. Their kiss turned harsh, demanding.
Lips locked and mated in hunger with enough fever to scorch them both. Tongues dueled and clashed in a bid for domination that neither wanted to cede. She murmured incoherently in the back of her throat. He slid his tongue along hers, then nipped at her lips, drawing ragged moans from her.
Wet trails of heat followed his small nips and kisses up the curve of her cheek to the shell of her ear. When his velvety tongue licked the outer rim, she groaned. She rubbed her sensitive breasts on his naked chest, cursing the dress and bra keeping skin-to-skin contact from them.
Her small, nimble fingers touched the hot flesh covering his large frame. She was lost in the pleasure of feeling the hard planes of his shoulders, the shifting muscles of his arms, the smooth contours of his chest, and the satin covered steel pushing into her belly.
His hands were all over, touching, squeezing, and branding her over the thin material of the dress. He squeezed the round globes of her ass and ground his stiff cock into her pussy, and she hissed.
The dress came off with a loud rip, followed by her bra and panties. His head dropped, claiming a swollen areola. He suckled and flicked one stiff berry tip deep into the hot cavern of his mouth. His hand kneaded the other breast, switching back and forth between them to even the delicious torture.
He nibbled the taut tips then lovingly enveloped them with the flat length of his tongue. She whimpered words of encouragement while her hands moved, nails burrowing into his biceps.
Unable to keep still, her hands traveled the expanse of his chest, slowly tracing every muscle in her downward path. His breath hissed when she scored his abs.
Upon reaching the waistband of his shorts, she looked into his eyes and smiled.
Her claws came out on demand. They allowed her to rip and shred the material that was keeping his shaft from her touch.
“You are so fucking hot. I can’t wait to eat your pussy and lick all that delicious honey calling out to me.” His voice had deepened to a low groan.
“Yes, yes. Fuck, Chase.” His words, his actions brought a new flood of juices dripping down her thighs.
“I’m going to fuck you until you come over and over on my mouth, my tongue, and my cock. You belong to me,” he growled.
His fingers fisted in her hair tightly, pulling her head back and displaying her neck for his access. She pulled back even farther and turned her head sideways in a sign of submission that made him groan. He licked the pulse on her neck that was beating at the speed of a derailed locomotive.
He pulled away from her for a moment to peruse her naked form. Her golden flesh was flushed and coated with a light sheen of perspiration. Her full breasts were tipped with honey beaded nipples and calling for his lips to taste them.
His vision caressed the dip of her waist, the softly rounded belly he knew would carry his young, and the curve of her generous hips. Finally he reached the small line of trimmed curls at the apex of her sex, glistening with cream.
“So fucking beautiful.” Her fragrant scent wafted up his nose, and he licked his lips at the heady way her body summoned out to his.
Her heat was strong and so delicious he could taste it. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm the impulse to bury his dick inside her and fuck her like the animal side in him urged. He wanted her to enjoy every second of every time they came together.
She peered at him with eyes filled with desire. “Chase, I need you. I want you so bad it hurts.”
“Soon, love. Fuck, stay with me, Sophia.”
He kissed her neck and shoulder, nipping on the bend he’d soon bite on to claim her as his mate. Strong calloused hands ran up her sides to the curve of her breasts, squeezing the soft globes in his palms while tweaking the tight sensitive tips with his fingers. Her hands strayed from behind her back.
Her fingers curled around his thick hard length, making him groan. His hips jerked in her hands, his cock seeking relief. She pumped his velvety length slowly with one hand while she ran the nails of the other over his sac.
Beads of precum slid from the slit. He pulled her hand up to his face, kissed her fingers, and dropped a short, hard kiss on her too tempting lips. He picked her up in his arms and deposited her gently in the middle of the large bed.
She lay on the soft mattress with her legs spread. He sat on his heels between her thighs and took in the sight. With a grin he lifted one leg and kissed from knee to clit. Lowering to his belly, he brought both of her legs over his shoulders.
He looped his arms around her thighs to hold her
down by her hips. Her eyes flickered down, met and locked with his. She wiggled and whimpered. He inhaled her sweet scent of warm, earthy woman and musky sensuality.
“It’s OK, baby. I’m going to make it all better now.”
Slowly making his way to her pussy lips, his tongue licked her in one smooth glide from ass to cunt. Cool lips fastened on the engorged clit in a move so unexpected she jerked and then cried out. His raspy tongue flicked mercilessly over the nub. Her nails burrowed into the sheets and fisted in a white-knuckle grip. Not letting up, he pushed on, greedily lapping at the swollen pink petals of her cunt. Spearing his tongue into her, he sipped at the honeyed nectar flowing from her weeping sex.
“More. Please, God. Chase, so close…” she pleaded in husky pants.
He wanted to rub his entire face on her wet folds, spread her essence on his flesh, and scent mark himself as hers. He fucked her pussy with his tongue. Hard.
He assaulted her smooth folds, and her body undulated, begging to come. He clamped his mouth on her swollen clit and grazed his teeth over the super-sensitized tissue. Her screams of pleasure pushed him to rub against the bed, humping the mattress in an attempt to soothe his straining cock.
He licked and growled, dragging out her release as long as possible. As she was coming down from her first burst of heaven, he crawled over her body to kiss her, his arms braced at either side of her head.
Sophia’s hands tunneled through his hair and pulled, bringing him close for a deeper, harder kiss. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rubbed her swollen pussy on his dick.
“Fuck. You’re killing me, baby,” he groaned.
The heat inside her made rational thought difficult. God, but the man had a tongue that worked absolute magic. He rolled his hips and drove his cock straight into her slick pussy, half in. All thoughts of anything but his dick inside her body went out the window. His shaft stretched her until her body held him in a tight suction hold. He grew wider and thicker inside her, as if the farther in her he went, the longer and thicker he became.