The Mane Attraction

Home > Romance > The Mane Attraction > Page 33
The Mane Attraction Page 33

by Shelly Laurenston

“It’s a little late since she decided to breed with the cat.”

  “That’s not it. My problem is this whole subversive underworld you people have.”

  “Underworld?” Sissy quietly asked Ronnie.

  “Let it go.”

  “It’s not that there are shifters. That I could deal with. But you guys have your own police, military units, government agencies. Your own stores so you can buy those giant shoes you need.”

  “Hey.”

  “Let it go,” Ronnie said again.

  “I mean, what else am I not aware of? What else have I not been told?”

  “Desiree,” Ronnie sighed, “you’re not going to know everything. That is just the way life is.”

  “But I want to know. The only way to be prepared for the worst is to know everything.”

  “You wanna know everything?” Sissy tickled Marcus’s ears.

  “Yes! I want to know everything.”

  “All right then. I found out Mitch and Brendon’s daddy, Alden, fucked my momma forty or so years ago. There. Now you know absolutely everything.”

  Ronnie put her hand to her chest, her mouth open in shock. She even wheezed a little. “No. Way.”

  “You made your point.” Dez patted Sissy’s shoulder. “There are some things you never want to know.”

  “So you want me to go to Japan?”

  “No.”

  Mitch waited, but Smitty only stared at him.

  “But you’re sending me anyway?”

  “Yes.”

  “With Sissy?”

  That’s when Smitty’s top lip raised a bit, showing some fang.

  “Look, Smitty—”

  “My sister,” he snarled. “My baby sister.”

  “What can I say? Like me, she’s ... enthralling.”

  “Enthralling? You’re enthralling?”

  “We both are. And mesmerizing. It’s our gift ... and our curse.”

  “Y’all are both annoying, too.”

  “I’ve heard that before.” He shrugged. “Would you prefer it was Gil?”

  “That’s not even funny.”

  “If it helps, I really do love her.”

  There was a bit of sneering at that before Smitty cracked his knuckles. “All right then,” he finally said.

  “Thanks.”

  “So what are you planning?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are you staying here? Gonna keep on being a cop? Or you gonna stick with us and make a hell of a lot more money?”

  Mitch let out a gruff laugh that he hoped didn’t sound as bitter to Smitty as it did to him. “I think I’m done being a cop. Going to Japan or not, I was hoping to stick with you and Mace. Great hours, slight chance of danger, high pay, and your sister’s hot.”

  Smitty snorted a laugh and walked off, tossing over his shoulder, “I sure hope you know what you’re gettin’ yourself into, hoss.”

  Mitch didn’t, but he couldn’t wait to find out.

  Sissy put the last of the dishes away and helped Roxy and her sisters move the furniture back to its rightful place in the house.

  “Great party, Roxy.”

  “Thanks, baby-girl.” She cleared her throat. “And sorry about Alden.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’ll just never discuss it again.”

  Roxy laughed and patted her shoulder. “Good plan, baby-girl.”

  With a yawn and good nights to all Mitch’s relatives, Sissy headed upstairs. She opened the door to the room she shared with Mitch and stopped in the doorway.

  “What are you doin’?”

  “Displaying myself for your enjoyment.”

  He was stretched out on the king-size bed, completely naked, his hands behind his head. But it was the grin that always got her. She loved that grin.

  “And what if your momma had walked in?”

  “Let’s not ruin the hard-on, baby.”

  She giggled and closed the door. “Sorry.”

  “Now get on over here. It’s time to take a ride on the Mitchmobile.”

  “And I figured you’d want to talk some more,” she said, practically tearing off her T-shirt and jeans and climbing on the bed.

  “And fifty hours ago, that would have been true.” Mitch let out a groan when Sissy dragged her tongue along the inside of his thigh. “But I know how needy you can be.”

  “Me?” Sissy took her forefinger and tapped Mitch’s hard cock. It swung from side to side. “That can keep time with a piano.”

  “Fine. I’ve gone a little too long without gettin’ me some.” He slid his hands in her hair and roughly yanked her close so her mouth was right over his. “And it’s time for you to fulfill my needs.”

  Sissy pulled her knees up and then parted them so her thighs could straddle Mitch’s chest. She gripped his biceps tight with her hands and rocked her wet pussy against him.

  “Aw, darlin’. When you put it like that, how can a nice Southern gal turn you down?”

  Chapter 31

  It took Sissy a bit to realize Mitch was pawing at her. Not pawing at her like an actual mauling, which she probably would not have enjoyed. But as she lay across Mitch’s childhood bed, naked with her feet up on the wall and her head hanging off the mattress, Mitch lay on the floor right beneath her and pawed at her hair with his hands.

  “Would you like some string there instead, hoss?”

  “No thanks. Your hair is stringy enough.”

  “If I wasn’t so relaxed, I’d be a whirlwind of deadly blows.” She sighed lazily. “But you’re damn lucky.”

  Early morning sunlight streamed though the window and across the bed, and Sissy suddenly had this intense desire to be on the road. Not running like they’d been doing, but going somewhere. Traveling. Lord, she was itching for it.

  “I am,” Mitch murmured, his hands still playing with her hair. “Have I thanked you?”

  “Of course you did.”

  “No. Not for saving my life. Besides, that’s in your canine DNA. Like a St. Bernard.”

  “A whirlwind of deadly blows,” she reminded him.

  He laughed, wrapped his big arms around her, and pulled her off the bed.

  They hadn’t slept all night. Instead, they’d enjoyed Mitch’s bed and each other. Laughing because they were trying so hard to be quiet. No matter where they ended up, they always had the best time together.

  Once he had her on the floor with him, Mitch sat up, his back against the bed frame. He settled Sissy between his long legs and went right back to playing with her hair, running his fingers from the top of her scalp to the back of her neck. There weren’t a lot of times when Sissy wanted to purr, but this was definitely one of them.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this ... right,” he continued, “and that’s down to you. Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Those wonderful arms wrapped around her, and Mitch hugged her tight, his face buried against her neck. Yeah, this felt right. Perfect.

  “I need to go.” And Sissy felt Mitch’s body go tense.

  Some days ... she was so bad.

  “Go?” Mitch raised his head from Sissy’s wonderfully scented neck. “Go where?”

  “I’m thinking the West Coast. I need to get on the road.”

  She was going to leave? Just like that? After everything they’d been through together? Damn She-wolves and their traveling genes! What about what they meant to each other? More importantly, what about him? Who’d make him mac and cheese with that damn ham? Who’d wake him up with a stellar blow job?

  “Smitty mentioned something about Japan.” He figured that would make her happy, getting on the road again, but he’d planned to be there with her. All the way. Not left behind. Didn’t she realize how important he was to her?

  Didn’t she realize how important she was to him?

  He was all ready to give her the gift of spending the rest of her life with him, and she was going to just walk away and head out to the West Coast? So she could be around all those h
ot West Coast guys?

  How is any of this okay?

  “Yeah, but that won’t be for another month. Maybe two. You know how these business deals go. Bobby Ray’s not going to send us there until everything is settled.”

  “So when are you leaving?”

  “Today. Tomorrow at the latest.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “I don’t stay in any one place too long. But I always come home. You should know that.”

  “Yeah, I guess I should.” He held her tighter. He couldn’t help himself. “Why West Coast? Figured you’d head off to Europe or Asia.”

  “Can’t. You don’t have your passport yet. It’ll take a few weeks.”

  His passport. Tricky little She-wolf!

  Mitch squeezed her even harder until Sissy squealed and started kicking her legs and swinging her arms.

  “That was mean, Sissy Mae!”

  “Sucker!” She laughed. “Don’t tickle!” She batted at his hands.

  “And,” she went on, “I’m thinking the West Coast because you said you’d never been. I think you’ll really enjoy it. It’s beautiful there. If you know where to go.”

  He kissed her neck, her shoulder. “I can’t wait.” He kissed her ear. “I love you, Sissy Mae.”

  She grinned up at him, kissed him. “And I can’t wait to show you the world, Mitchell Shaw.”

  Mitch hugged Sissy close to him. “And now I’ve got my whole life to enjoy it.”

  She nuzzled his chin before giving him that wicked Sissy smile. “Then, darlin’, let’s go have some fun.”

  Can’t get enough Shelly Laurenston?

  Try her other books in the Pride series ...

  The Mane Event

  Mace Llewellyn. Brendon Shaw. Two tall, gorgeous, sexy alpha heroes who are 100% male—with a little something extra. Lion-shifters, to be exact, who can unleash every woman’s animal side and still look good—make that spectacular—in a suit ... and even better out of it ...

  NYPD cop Desiree “Dez” MacDermot knows she’s changed a lot since she palled around with her childhood buddy, Mace. But it’s fair to say that Mace has changed even more. It isn’t just those too-sexy gold eyes, or the six-four, built-like-a-Navy SEAL body. It’s something in the way he sniffs her neck and purrs, making her entire body tingle ... Meanwhile, for Tennessean Ronnie Lee Reed, New York City is the place where any girl—even one who runs with a Pack—can redefine herself. First order of business: find a mate, settle down, and stop using men for sex. Even big, gorgeous, lion-shifter men like Brendon Shaw. But she needn’t worry, because now that Brendon’s set his sights on her, the predator in him is ready to pounce and never let go ...

  The Beast in Him

  In The Mane Event, Shelly Laurenston introduced a whole new breed of heroes—sexy, shape-shifting hunks who redefine the term “Alpha male.” Now, in The Beast In Him, one gorgeous lone wolf is about to meet his match ...

  Some things are so worth waiting for. Like the moment when Jessica Ward “accidentally” bumps into Bobby Ray Smith and shows him just how far she’s come since high school. Back then, Jess’s gangly limbs and bruised heart turned to jelly any time Smitty’s “all the better to ravish you with” body came near her. So, some things haven’t changed. Except now Jess is a success on her own terms. And she can enjoy a romp—or twenty—with a big, bad wolf and walk away. Easy.

  The sexy, polished CEO who hires Smitty’s security firm might be a million miles from the lovable geek he knew, but her kiss, her touch, are every bit as hot as he imagined. Jess was never the kind to ask for help, and she doesn’t want it now, not even with someone targeting her Pack. But Smitty’s not going to turn tail and run. Not before proving that their sheet-scorching animal lust is only the start of something even wilder ...

  The Mane Squeeze

  In Shelly Laurenston’s laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously sexy novel, a shape-shifting Grizzly and a single, dangerous feline collide—and discover untamed, unstoppable attraction ...

  Growing up on the tough Philly streets, Gwen O’Neill has learned how to fend for herself. But what is she supposed to do with a nice, suburban Jersey boy in the form of a massive Grizzly shifter? Especially one with a rather unhealthy fetish for honey, moose, and ... uh ... well, her? Yet despite his menacing ursine growl and four-inch claws, Gwen finds Lachlan “Lock” MacRyrie cute and really sweet. He actually watches out for her, protects her, and unlike the rest of her out-of-control family, manages not to morbidly embarrass her. Too bad cats don’t believe in forever.

  At nearly seven feet tall, Lock is used to people responding to him in two ways: screaming and running away. Gwen—half lioness, half tigress, all kick-ass—does neither. She’s sexy beyond belief and smart as hell, but she’s a born protector. Watching out for the family and friends closest to her but missing the fact that she’s being stalked by a murderous enemy who doesn’t like hybrids ... and absolutely hates Gwen. Lock probably shouldn’t get involved, but he will. Why? Because this is Gwen—and no matter what the hissing, roaring, drape destroying feline says about not being ready to settle down, Lock knows he can’t simply walk away. Not when she’s come to mean absolutely everything to him.

  Beast Behaving Badly

  Some men just have more to offer. Like Bo Novikov, the hard-muscled shape-shifter hero of this wildly funny, deeply sexy new novel from Shelly Laurenston—part polar bear, part lion, pure alpha ...

  Ten years after Blayne Thorpe first encountered Bo Novikov, she still can’t get the smooth-talking shifter out of her head. Now he’s shadowing her in New York—all seven-plus feet of him—determined to protect her from stalkers who want to use her in shifter dogfights. Even if he has to drag her off to an isolated Maine town where the only neighbors are other bears almost as crazy as he is ...

  Let sleeping dogs lie. Bo knows it’s good advice, but he can’t leave Blayne be. Blame it on her sweet sexiness—or his hunch that there’s more to this little wolfdog than meets the eye. Blayne has depths he hasn’t yet begun to fathom—much as he’d like to. She may insist Bo’s nothing but a pain in her delectable behind, but polar bears have patience in spades. Soon she’ll realize how good they can be together. And when she does, animal instinct tells him it’ll be worth the wait ...

  Big Bad Beast

  Seeing is deceiving. And Ric Van Holtz, the wolfishly sexy hero of Shelly Laurenston’s sizzling, wildly entertaining new tale, is nothing you expect—and everything you want ...

  When it comes to following her instincts, former Marine Dee-Ann Smith never holds back. And this deadly member of a shifter protection group will do anything to prove one of her own kind is having hybrids captured for dogfights. Trouble is, her too-cute rich-boy boss Ric Van Holtz insists on helping out. And his crazy-like-a-fox smarts and charming persistence are making it real hard for Dee to keep her heart safe...

  Ric can’t believe his luck. He’s wanted this fiercely independent she-wolf from day one, but he never expected teamwork as explosive as this. And now is his last chance to show Dee what she needs isn’t some in-your-face Alpha male—but a wily, resourceful wolf who’ll always have her back in a fight ... and between the sheets.

  And don’t miss BEAR MEETS GIRL, coming next month!

  He’s big, burly, and way smarter than your average shapeshifting bear. He’s also about to get trapped by his own game ...

  Lou Crushek is a reasonable, mellow, easygoing kind of guy. But once someone starts killing the scumbags he works so hard to bust, that really gets under his fur. Especially when that someone is a curvy she-tiger with a skill set that’s turning Crush’s lone-bear world upside down—and bringing his passion out of hibernation ...

  As a member of an elite feline protection unit, Marcella Malone has no problem body-dropping anyone who hunts her kind. But Crush is proving one major pain in her gorgeous tail. The only reason she’s joined forces with him is to track down the wealthy human who’s got her entire species in his ruthless sights. It sure isn’t because Crush’s stub
born and contrary attitude is rubbing Cella in all the right ways ...

  BRAVA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2008 by Shelly Laurenston

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Brava Books and the B logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-0-7582-7767-1

 

 

 


‹ Prev