Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection

by Lacey Carter Andersen

  His lips tilted into a knowing smirk, but I avoided his eyes, sitting at the reception desk and taking the appointment book to write… well, nonsense, anything just to keep myself looking busy.

  “Really?” he asked, moving closer and pulling his pet with him. The dog growled.

  “Yes, really,” I replied, pulse racing with his presence. “Why would I be in the back when there are customers out front? That doesn’t even make any sense.” I glared at him, daring him to contradict me, and his lips twitched.

  “Of course. Why would you?” he scoffed, stopping on the other side of the desk. “Obviously, you are very busy.” He leaned over to see what I was writing in the book, but I snapped it closed before he could see my crazy scribbles.

  “What do you want?” I snapped, looking him straight in the eye for the first time. Big mistake. He looked even hotter today.

  What seemed like regret gleamed in his honey eyes and his demeanor changed. “Nothing. I can see that I managed to piss you off, and I didn’t mean to interrupt your work.”

  My heart squished when he turned around, tugging the dog with him. Why was I being such a witch to him? Why was I even mad? Sighing, I stood from the chair. “Wait.” Walking around the counter, I saw him stop by the door. “Sorry, it’s just that yesterday was... I had a rough night and you being here out of the blue caught me off guard.”

  Concern shone in his eyes and he slightly nodded. “I understand… I’m truly sorry.”

  The apology seemed far deeper than just an ‘I’m sorry you couldn’t sleep’, not to mention he had no idea why my night had been rough. My brows wrinkled while I stared at him for a few moments, but I couldn’t seem to read him. Lowering my gaze to the huge dog next to him, I observed as he continued to chew on the leather cord.

  “Well, the good news is it appears I’m not the only one you managed to piss off, Pretty Boy.”

  The sexy grin returned to his face and my stomach kind of flipped in response. Clearing my throat, I focused on his pet. “Is that a wolfdog? He’s huge,” I asked in amazement.

  Mixed breeds between a wolf and a dog were rare, it was easier to see a husky than one of these. This one was beautiful, with a soft and lush light cream coat and blue eyes. The dog froze as I bent towards him, the leash still in his mouth.

  “You could say that,” Pretty Boy answered, amused.

  We didn’t like leashes in the practice, so I attempted to remove it. “The first problem is you have him restrained like a wild anim—”

  The loud bark made me jump backwards, the dangerous growl that followed was a clear warning.

  “Charlie!” His master scolded with authority and the dog whimpered, lowering his eyes and head to the floor. “I am so sorry,” he offered, glancing at me with concern. “He is still somewhat of a pup and wary of strangers; I should have warned you.”

  Pretty Boy reached for my arm, gently stroking it once he noticed the alarm in my eyes. Yesterday’s episode had briefly flashed in my mind. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “I’m fine.” My attention shifted to his pet again, he was busy attacking the leash once more. “Is he rabid?”

  The wolfdog froze with my words, and his eyes widened in a way that almost said, ‘Oh no she didn’t.’

  Laughter escaped the sexy stranger. “You could probably say that too.”

  Okay, so he was hot, but also, sooo weird. Ignoring him, I focused on his beautiful pet. “What is wrong with him?”

  “I think he has a serious splinter in his right paw.”

  A dubious eyebrow lifted as I glanced at him. “A splinter? And you couldn’t heal that yourself?”

  “Hey, I’m not the expert here.” He tried not to smile but I could see right through him.

  “If he had a serious splinter, he wouldn’t be able to put weight on it, or he would at least be whining from the pain.” My knowing eyes fell to his pet. “He’s standing perfectly fine on all fours,” I challenged.

  Pretty Boy nudged the wolfdog with his thigh, and Charlie lifted one front leg like he was injured. “The right paw…” he grunted under his breath, and Charlie looked down, quickly switching to his other leg.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you train him to do that??”

  “Nooo,” the sexy stranger answered, adding way too many O’s to the word.

  Okay, that was super cute. “Fine, I’ll check him out, but if you are wasting my time, you are still paying for the consult.”

  His lips slowly tilted into a triumphant grin. “Deal.”

  Walking into the exam room, I patted the stainless-steel table in the middle of the space. “Come on, Charlie. Up.” He huffed at me, making me frown. I’d dealt with difficult dogs before, so I opened a cabinet behind me and took out the treat jar, placing a few on the table for him. “Yummy cookies. Come on, boy. Up, up.”

  Widening his eyes at me in a “excuse me” kind of way, he tilted his head away from me, clearly insulted.

  “Fine, play hard to get, but you will love me. All pets love me,” I taunted.

  “Stop being such an ass and let the beautiful lady examine you like we talked about at home,” Pretty Boy gritted out the last few words and the wolfdog narrowed his eyes at him.

  No. I hadn’t missed the beautiful lady remark. “I’m not going to hurt you, okay?” I promised Charlie, placing the treats in my palm before him, but he didn’t even look at me. My confusion grew, dogs rarely refused a treat. “Do you have to carry him or is he trained to jump?”

  “Of course, he can jump.” He crouched next to his pet. “Stop being so stubborn, you said you would help,” he whisper-hissed and I stared at him, perplexed. The next moment, Charlie jumped onto the table, but pushed the dog cookies to the floor with his paw.

  “I know what it is,” I murmured, assessing him for a moment. “He doesn’t like those store bought cookies.”

  Reaching into the cabinet again, I pulled out a plastic container and opened it before him. The smell of real meat instantly filled the air and Charlie’s head jumped up, nostrils flaring.

  “All-natural beef jerky,” I announced, taking a good size bite out of one piece while the wolfdog’s eyes followed my hand. “You can have some too if you want, Pretty Boy. I make it at home.”

  My arm stretched, offering the rest of my piece to the sexy stranger, and Charlie’s head followed my every movement. Pretty Boy grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief as he leaned down, biting the piece I held. His lips brushed my fingers as he took his share, and a small rush went through me.

  “Delicious,” he hummed, savoring it, but I looked away, refusing to be entranced by his unnerving presence again.

  “Maybe Charlie doesn’t want any,” I added, closing the container. “I mean, what was I thinking? He doesn’t even want me to touch him, why would he want a treat from me?”

  Turning, I placed the beef jerky back in the cabinet and closed it, hearing the wolfdog whine behind me. When I looked over my shoulder, he was inching towards me on the table, his tail wagging a bit.

  Winking at me, Pretty Boy stroked his pet’s coat lovingly. “Come on, Charlie. She’s not scary. Does she really look like she would hurt you?” He kissed the top of his head, then playfully pushed him away.

  Okay, it was not fair for that stranger to be hot, sexy, and sweet with dogs too. The trifecta.

  Suddenly standing, Charlie placed both paws on my shoulders and licked my face. Laughter escaped me, and I pulled out a large piece of beef I had hidden in my coat’s pocket, feeding it to him.

  “See? I told you that you would love me.” I scratched his coat and ears, it was so soft. “Okay, sit down. You are way too big for me to carry you.”

  Hearing Pretty Boy chuckle, I put on gloves and began to perform a general check up on Charlie while he enjoyed the treat. When I lifted his right paw, it was perfectly healthy, and my glaring eyes turned to the sexy stranger.

  He just grinned at me devilishly. I wanted to smack him silly, but I was too busy tryin
g to control my breathing after that sinful grin.

  “You are the type of guy who always gets his way, huh?” I asked, looking into Charlie’s ears.

  “Who, me? Nooo.” Shaking his head, he walked behind me, opening the cabinet and getting some beef jerky for himself, then fed more to Charlie.

  Right. “How old are you?”

  His eyes gleamed naughtily with my question, though I had no clue why. “I just turned twenty-one, why?”

  “Just curious… So, are you going to tell me your name? I mean, since you are wasting my time and all.”

  “Why? I thought Pretty Boy was as good as any?”

  “Oh, I’m totally calling you that in my mind still, but you got to know my name. It’s only fair I learn yours.”

  He chuckled, taking an eager bite, but as he did, he slightly cringed. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized his left cheekbone seemed swollen.

  Taking off the gloves, I moved towards him, touching the tender skin on the left side of his face. A fading yellowish hue covered some of the area around his eye, like someone had punched him several days ago, but I couldn’t remember seeing any bruising on him yesterday—and I had been more than close enough to notice.

  Also, if the bruising was already gone, why was his cheekbone swollen like someone had just hit him?

  Chapter Six

  “What on earth happened to your face?” I asked, startled, glancing at him to realize he was holding me against him by the waist. Looking up, I swallowed, that sensual energy he possessed, intense and dominant, swept over me instantly.

  “Why? Are you worried about me?” Pretty Boy whispered, leaning down until our faces were only a couple of inches away.

  “I, um…” My breathing became shallow with his lips so close to mine, and I pulled away. “Yes, anyone would be.” Reaching into one of the drawers, I pulled out wipes and an instant ice pack, then faced him again. “Stay still.” I wiped the area carefully, but he didn’t seem to care.

  The sexy stranger rested his hips against the cabinet behind him, making me step closer to continue checking him, while his careful gaze wandered over my face. I avoided it, knowing exactly what I would find, and checked his left eye instead to make sure there was no blood in it.

  “Do you want me to sit on the examination table so you can treat me?” he teased, letting me do what I wanted to his face.

  “You are not an animal,” I replied, amused. “This is a vet’s office, so the table is only for pets.”

  He shrugged. “I found my way back to you all on my own, I ate a treat from your hand, and you call me Pretty Boy. I hardly see the difference.”

  Narrowing my eyes at him, I tried not to smile, but I failed. The look in his eyes said he was pleased to have gotten my attention again. He was sooo flirting with me, and the worst part was I was totally flirting back.

  “Are you flirting with me, mister?” I asked, cracking the instant ice pack and lifting it to his face.

  “Desperately.”

  My head whipped around as the response seemed to come from behind me, but there was no one there. “Did you say that?” I asked him, glancing at him again to find him giving Charlie the evil eye.

  “No, I didn’t,” he quipped.

  Confused, I blinked. “Well, you are the only other speaking being in this room, so I guess it was you.”

  When his gaze didn’t leave his dog, I turned, but Charlie looked to the ceiling, to the floor, to the wall, everywhere except at me. Weird.

  Sighing, the sexy stranger’s attention returned to me. “I guess it depends,” he pondered, pulling me by the waist to stand between his legs. “Do you like it when I flirt with you?”

  Holy shnookerdookies. The sensual tone his voice acquired with the question left me breathless, and that overwhelming aura he had engulfed me again.

  “Yes…” I blinked, eyes widening. “I mean, no. I don’t.”

  Slowly, his lips tilted into a crooked grin, and I had to force myself to focus on placing the cold pack on the swollen skin along his temple and eye. He didn’t let go of my waist, but I didn’t try to step away either. Being that close to him, I could only concentrate on one thing at a time.

  “So, who gave you that shiner?”

  Amusement lightened the intensity in his eyes. “I may or may not have had a little scuffle with the guys.”

  “Ugh. Why are all men the same? Always resorting to fists when they disagree on something.” I hated violence, but my brothers were exactly the same. “Let me guess, they touched your things.”

  Pretty Boy’s lips twitched as he looked at me, and the warmth of his large hands splayed around my waist sent my pulse into a frenzy. “They wanted to, but I didn’t let them.”

  “Seriously?” I shook my head, trying to regain my bearings, and find the will to get out of his arms. I adjusted the ice on his cheekbone. “What could be so important?”

  For a moment, he just regarded me, like he was trying to anticipate my reaction to his next words. “There might have been a girl involved.”

  What?? The sensual haze holding me captive ruptured, and I pushed away from him with force. “A girl?”

  A hearty laughter burst out of him, making me want to smack him. Whirling around, I threw the stupid pack into the small sink, feeling my blood boil. Get a hold of yourself, woman! My brain screamed at me, and I realized I was acting like a lunatic. This was only the second time I had even seen the man, and here I was, acting like a jealous girlfriend.

  “Stop laughing,” I barked at him, walking past him with the intention of opening the door and slamming it in his face after I threw him out, but I failed terribly.

  Gripping my arm, he hauled me towards him until my back crashed against his chest. “Don’t be jealous…” he whispered in my ear. “It is not what you think.”

  “As if!” I scoffed, but the anger was stolen from my voice when his arms wrapped around my stomach, pressing me to him and his nose brushed against my neck.

  Holy shnookerdookies. My heart began slamming against my ribs with his possessive hold and he took a deep inhale, breathing me in.

  “Fuck,” he grunted, his hot breath fanning my skin, and a shudder ran along my spine. Pretty Boy pressed me harder to his body and my eyes closed, falling prisoner to him. “You are a sin I’m helpless to resist. A deathly trap I would willingly walk into.”

  When his teeth grazed my neck, I stumbled out of his arms, walking away from him—or trying—only to have him grip my arm and turn me, yanking me towards him again.

  “You are not going anywhere,” he growled, his voice getting thicker, and his chest began to struggle with his forced breaths. “You are mine.”

  I tried to process what the fudge nuggets was happening. “I’m not,” I weakly protested. “We are not dating. You are nothing to me. You don’t even live here.”

  Purposely dragging his hands up my arms, he cupped my neck, thumbs resting on my cheeks. “I’ve lived here my entire life.”

  Honey eyes fell to my lips, and my throat turned to sandpaper.

  Lord help me. “Impossible. I’ve never seen you before.”

  That crooked smirk of his returned. “Maybe you have, but you can’t recognize me...”

  “I would remember…” I mumbled, any will I had was gone in the midst of his raw and animalistic sex appeal.

  Tingles viciously spread over every inch of me when his right hand moved to my back, pressing our bodies together intimately. His other hand shifted, fingers slowly slipping through my hair, and he gripped it tightly, leisurely pulling my head back and arching my neck to him. I might have lost all sanity because my hands flew to his chest and I fisted his shirt, keeping him close.

  In that moment, I finally understood the women who enjoyed being manhandled in intimate situations. Not that I knew anything about true intimacy, but the way he was holding me right then, with a strange mixture of roughness and gentleness, had my head spinning. His tight hold didn’t hurt me, but it was possessive
in a way I never thought I would crave.

  Lord have mercy.

  His intense eyes bore into mine while he leaned so close that our breaths mixed. The muscles of his jaw tensed furiously, confessing he was trying to control himself… and failing. “I have seen you before, Aria… many times.”

  The words grazed my skin and my eyes fell closed as a rush of excitement coursed through my belly. I had no freaking idea what he was talking about, but something inside me wanted him to kiss me, like, yesterday.

  Pretty Boy brushed his lips over mine, but he didn’t kiss me. Instead, his head dipped towards my arched neck, placing a soft kiss on it. He dragged the tip of his nose along the curve, smelling me again. The feeling was akin to the tip of a feather being dragged along my skin and a full shudder rocked my body.

  I whimpered when his lips stopped in the sensitive spot under my ear.

  “Not yet…” he whispered and let me go, walking out of the room with Charlie.

  Gripping the counter for dear life, I tried to breathe, feeling both shattered and alive for the first time in my entire life.

  “You are not going anywhere… You are mine.”

  The words reverberated in my bones as I climbed the ladder to my room, and stepped inside. I still wasn’t sure what Pretty Boy had meant by that, but every inch of me had trembled with excitement at the declaration.

  Pathetic, I know.

  Yet, even now, my belly dipped with the memory of him grabbing my arm and pulling me to him like I actually did belong to him. Was that bad? If it was, why did the rush he caused in me feel so amazing? I didn’t know if it was pvassion, lust, desire, or if it had another name I had never heard before—I hardly knew the difference—but whatever it was, that man had it in spades.

  And most importantly, he brought it out of me like a bursting river of need.

  Did that make me a floozy? Probably, but now I knew why those women enjoyed it so much. Dear Lord…

  Unzipping the throw pillow on my bed, I pulled out the pouch I hid inside and slipped the hundred dollar bill Dr. Roberts had paid me for helping him in the practice. Not a bad day’s work considering I was doing what I loved most.