It was such a lovely way to wake up. Her head was filled with the smell of the sexy man holding her—strong, very masculine, so distinctively “Randy”. That, and the feel of his mouth moving over hers, his touch so soft, his caresses so loving that she wanted to sink further into the dream and never wake up. Something niggled at her mind, pushed at her consciousness to wake up, open her eyes, but her head was fuzzy, deliciously so, and she ignored it. Instead, her hand reached between their bodies to the hard erection she could feel brushing against her hip. Grasping it in her hand, she stroked its silky length, smiling to herself at the gasp and small moan from Randy that followed it.
“Crissy, no.”
Why was he saying no? He was rock-hard, and in spite of his words, his hips pushed his cock through the circle of her fingers. He immediately pulled back, his body tense, but she stopped him by tightening her grip.
“Honey, stop—”
Her lips moving over his blocked his words. As they opened under hers, her tongue slipped inside. Although he held his body back, he couldn’t hide his response. Every caress of his tongue, every nibble and lick, his hunger met hers, matched hers.
“Please, Randy.” She tried to urge him closer, with hands and hips, to where she needed him to be. “I need you.”
“Ahhh, Crissy…” With the thready sigh of his words against her neck, the tension left his body, and he softened into her.
She was aware of the shift of his weight, and spread her legs under the gentle nudging of his as he moved over her, fitting into the cradle of her thighs. When he slowly, so very slowly, slid the swollen length of his erection inside along the moist walls of her channel, she moaned with the feeling of fullness and arched up against him.
Decadently sensuous, overwhelmingly erotic, the slide and withdraw as he moved on top of her, inside her, the tug and suckle on her nipples, she felt like a mass of quivering, ultrasensitive nerve endings.
“I love being inside you. So much,” he whispered in her ear before nibbling a ragged line down her neck and over her shoulder. “It’s heaven…”
A broad hand smoothed down over her hip, reaching lower to cup her buttock before his hand wrapped under her thigh and lifted her leg higher so he could sink deeper, a groan leaving his lips as every inch buried a slow, burning path into the depths of her cunt.
“Yeah, oh yeah…”
Each sensual glide of his cock as he moved inside her rubbed against her clit, the friction sending shards of sensation along the pleasure pathways to lodge in every erogenous zone in her body.
Heat surrounded them.
She was free-falling, the indescribable feeling of her climax gathering, surging through her. And when his lips closed over the tender spot on her neck and clamped gently, sucking hard, it was like a conduit straight through to her clit and she arched once more, rubbing against him, forcing him deeper as her world shattered into a million pieces.
A startling feeling of rightness, of completeness settled in her body and mind and she smiled as she opened her eyes, seeing those warm, brown eyes watching her intently.
“‘Morning, beautiful.”
“Hi.”
He kissed her softly—eyes, nose, finally settling on her lips. “Does this mean you’ve forgiven me?”
“Forgive?”
Oh, shit.
Chapter Nine
She forced her eyes open, in spite of the heavy, leaden feeling partly caused by the aftereffects of total sexual satiation that always seemed to follow sex with Randy.
But she needed to clear her head. An almost impossible task with the scent of sex and Randy currently fogging her brain, reducing her IQ to that of a mindless nitwit. She struggled to free herself from the tangle of limbs—surprisingly, Randy let her go—and stumbled out of bed, catching her foot in the sheet before she ungracefully righted herself.
“Crissy? What are you doing? Where are you going?”
“Shower.” God, even out of his immediate vicinity, she was still reduced to one word sentences.
“Okay. We can shower together.”
He stood, in all his naked glory, his cock still slick and glistening, an impressive sight she was finding harder and harder to resist. Hungry eyes ran over every inch of him from top to bottom. There was nothing to mar the perfection of his beautiful body—even his wound was all but gone, a faint pink line all that was left. And the way his muscles rippled as he moved—it was enough to start her drooling and beating a path back to the bed.
No, she had to think. Think. Yes.
She held her hand up as she backed toward the door. “No! No.” Disappointment and, if she wasn’t mistaken, a touch of hurt flickered in his eyes in the brief glimpse she had before she backed into the bathroom and shut the door.
What was she missing? Leaning back against the door, she sighed. Think, girl, think.
She turned the shower on, clipping up her hair while she waited for the water to heat and then stepped in. She ran the soapy loofah over her skin, shivering with unexpected delight as she lightly cleansed her sensitive nipples. An arc of sensation shot straight to her cunt and she muffled the needy groan against her hand. This was ridiculous. Ever since Randy moved in, she felt like a permanent orgasm waiting to go off. Trying to wash herself without touching any more sensitive spots wasn’t easy, but gritting her teeth she managed. With a sigh of relief she rinsed off.
Then, standing under the steaming stream, letting the warm water pelt on her back, relaxing her, she closed her eyes and tried to pull her thoughts together.
First, it wasn’t the whole werewolf thing that fazed her. Finding out her first lover was a vamp had taken care of any surprise from that quarter. If she could get used to the idea of dating a vampire, a werewolf was a no-brainer. Sure, René had told her before he took her to bed, but if Randy was to believed, then he’d been just as swept away by their volatile reaction to each other as she was. Even the whole dog/wolf thing she could get over. He was more man than animal, and she kinda liked the animal in him too. Especially when he got wild in bed.
But there was an ache in her heart that was completely at odds with the satisfaction her body was feeling. That was the crux. She wanted more than a biological urge to be holding them together. To quote Randy, they were stuck with each other… That was it. That was the source of the hurt, the pain she was feeling. Like the idea was so distasteful to him. She didn’t want to be mated to a man…werewolf…whatever, who didn’t love her too.
Her head snapped up and her eyes blinked open, water trickling over her face making her blink as the shock hit her. Love her too? Oh, no! She couldn’t!
Images of Randy flickered through her mind—the way he protected her, always hovering over her, the feel of his hands on her, the teasing, even cooking for her… No man had ever done that for her before. The giddy, schoolgirl way her heart started to pound whenever she smelled him come up behind her, the possessive rake of his hands over her body. And when he wasn’t being a total ass, the gentle, caring side to him.
She leaned back against the tiles and sighed. Who was she fooling? She liked the way he protected her, even the overbearing possessive streak appealed—not that she’d ever tell him that.
But sadly, it wasn’t enough. That was the problem. Her problem. And his. Theirs. And she wouldn’t stay with a man—mate, husband, whatever—who didn’t love her. The thought of that sent a sharp pain through her chest and brought tears to her eyes.
She lingered in the shower for as long as she could, delaying facing him. When the hot water started to run out, she switched off the taps. Her time was up.
She dried off slowly, wrapping a towel around her. Hoping he was downstairs, she opened the door a crack to find him leaning against the doorjamb. Arms crossed over his chest, waiting where she’d left him, his eyes concerned, questioning as they searched hers.
“You could’ve used the other bathroom.” She looked for a way to slip by him, but his bulk was blocking the doorway.
�
��But what I wanted wasn’t in there.”
“Well, I guess you’re out of luck.” She looked behind her, but there was none of his stuff to be seen. “Nothing of yours in here.”
“Something very important, very, very special to me is in there.” A shadow passed over his expressive eyes.
“What?”
He lifted her chin with a single finger. “You, honey. I want you.” The huskiness of his voice did things to her body she tried hard to ignore.
“No, you don’t. Last night, you said—”
“Last night I was an ass.”
The hands clasping her towel landed on his chest with a thump as she was pulled against him. She didn’t have time to make sense of his words—in the next second his lips settled on hers stilling any protest she could possibly make.
* * * * *
He was driving her nuts. The kiss and the apology had gone a long way to getting him out of the doghouse, but he was still missing the point. He must have sensed something was still wrong. Every time she turned around, he was there, hovering, watching her like she was a bug under a microscope. Exasperated, nearly ready to scream, she escaped to her darkroom just to get some breathing space.
After she finished developing some films she’d had sitting there for a month waiting until she had some time, she went around and cleaned all her tanks and racks, did an inventory, even checked over and cleaned every single camera she owned, changed batteries—general maintenance stuff she normally put off until she was bored.
But in the end, she knew she had to go outside and face him again. She wasn’t a coward. She was not going to wimp out. She’d handle it…him—there wasn’t any choice.
The minute she opened the door, he was there, in her face.
He ran a finger down her cheek. “Crissy?”
“Hmmm?” she muttered as she ducked around him to head back into the kitchen.
“For chrissakes. Stop avoiding me. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Depends on how you define ‘okay’,” she muttered to herself. The muted chimes of the doorbell filtered down the hallway. “Oh, look at that,” she said, a relieved smile on her face. “Saved by the bell.”
“That’ll be Chad and Zig,” he said, moving her to the side as he brushed past her to reach the door first.
Zig? Who the hell was “Zig”?
She stood back as Chad walked in, followed by a tall hunk of a honey that—now that she looked a little more closely—bore a striking resemblance to Randy. More serious-looking, but definitely a family resemblance.
Well, this should be fun.
She grinned at Chad when he reached down and swooped his arm around her, bending her over and nipping at her ear ‘til she laughed. He lifted his head and winked at her when a low, warning rumble came from Randy’s direction.
“Hey, pretty lady. How’s it goin’ today? You okay?” He held her at arm’s length as he surveyed her face. “Nice color scheme. That pinky-purple is definitely your color.” He motioned over his shoulder. “Oh, and the guy over there is nobody. Just call him Zig.”
She smiled at the man and held out her hand, momentarily taken aback by the unusual color of his eyes—a lustrous, golden amber. It reminded her of warm, rich honey.
“Hi, Zig. I’m Crissy. You connected to these two vagrants, or don’t want to admit to it?”
He took her hand, his grip firm and warm. “Nice to finally meet you, Crissy. I’m Randy’s brother, and their unofficial boss. I run the agency.”
“Tough job. I don’t envy you.”
“Okay,” said Randy, opening the door again. “Are we done? It was really nice of you to call, but shouldn’t you two be going?”
“Randy!” Crissy slapped his arm. “Don’t be rude. Come on in, guys.” She led the way down the hall, leaving a frustrated Randy behind.
Randy watched from the doorway as Crissy got down mugs and poured coffee for Chad, sprawled in his usual “make myself at home” state, and Ziggy. Just watching the way she moved, the way her ass wiggled inside those short-shorts, and that husky little laugh got him hot.
But it wasn’t the wanting in his cock that was uppermost in his mind for once. Strangely it was the need he felt to touch her. Just connect in some physical way that had nothing to do with sex. That morning in bed had set off something in his head, a vision of how it could be between them. Until he’d gone and opened his big mouth.
“So, Ziggy…” In the back of his mind, he recognized the mischievous tone in Crissy’s voice and he sharpened his attention on her. “Since you’re Randy’s brother, does that mean you bark as well as bite too?”
Randy frowned. Chad’s burst of laughter made him want to hit him. Even Ziggy laughed, damn him.
“Crissy,” Randy warned.
“So, the bite’s all it’s cracked up to be?” Ziggy asked her, watching her closely and laughing as a blush stole up her neck.
“Shut up, Zig,” gritted out Randy.
“Just curious.” Ziggy sat back and took another sip of his coffee, eyes glinting with humor over the top of his mug.
“Yeah, well you know what they said about curiosity…” grunted Randy.
Ziggy laughed out loud, Chad joining in. “Wrong species, bro. Now, if we were to ask—”
Randy cut off his brother’s words by standing in front of him and grabbing the almost empty cup out of his hand. “Isn’t there some place you need to be?” he asked pointedly.
At that moment, Fatso padded in, no doubt disturbed by the noise and wanting to check out the company. As usual, he made a beeline for Chad and rubbed against his leg until he leaned down and scratched behind his ears.
“That reminds me, Chad…” said Crissy.
Uh-oh, thought Randy. Here it comes…
“What about you? You’re their cousin. Do you, you know, bark, too?”
“Well, chere, if you’d given me half a chance, you would’ve find out that I don’t bark…” Chad stood with his empty cup and rubbed up against Crissy, “but I do purrrrrrr, baby. You just gotta rub me the right way.” He ducked to the side as Randy lunged at him, placing his cup on the sink with a laugh.
She rolled her eyes at the overt suggestiveness of the comment and looked at him curiously. “You mean, you’re a—”
“Werecat, sugah. Why do you think Fatso and I get on so well—he can tell a superior breed.”
“But how?” She glanced at Ziggy and Randy and then back to Chad. “I mean, you’re cousins, and Randy and Ziggy are…” Confusion was plain on her face.
“We have a very strange family. Even by our standards. Get Randy to tell you all about it sometime.”
* * * * *
Hand resting lightly on her shoulder as he stood behind her, they watched as Chad and Ziggy drove off. The afternoon had been interminable. They turned as one and walked back down the hall. He subtly steered her in the direction of old leather couch he’d been relegated to a couple of nights before in the living room and sat down, holding out his hand for her to take.
Her eyes, curious and questioning, held his, but she took his hand and allowed him to pull her closer until she was close enough for his hands to grasp her waist. He eased her sideways onto his lap, wrapping his arms loosely around her upright frame.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Do you have to work tonight?” he asked.
“No. Why?”
“Because tonight I want it to just be the two of us. We need time to talk, Cris.” He brushed a blonde lock away from her face, running his fingers through the silky feel before tucking it behind the shell of her ear. “And I know this great little place that does the best gumbo in Louisiana.”
“You asking me out on a date, Randy?” Her eyes wide, she held her hand over her heart in mock surprise.
She was teasing him, thank God. He’d take that any day over the hurt he’d seen in her eyes earlier, knowing that he was responsible. He smiled back. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” He traced a finger along the gracef
ul curve of her jaw, his finger delighting in the soft velvet of her skin. “I know we did this whole thing backwards, but I would have asked you out five months ago, if I’d been able to find you.”
She leaned into him, sitting her head on his shoulder, her hand settling on his chest and drawing small circles over the fabric of his T-shirt.
“Well then, maybe for once I agree with you. We need to catch up. See if…” Each word puffed a small breath of warm air on his neck. “See if this—us, will work.”
Her words, her tone, made him pause, but he was distracted when her warm lips placed a delicate kiss on his neck.
His hand moved up her back to her head, and he held her lightly in place, rubbing his cheek across the top of her head.
It was a quiet, intimate moment. One of few they’d had since the whole crazy mess started, and he relished every second of it. It filled his soul in a way he’d never needed, never missed until now.
“We can make this work, Crissy. We just need to give it a chance. Need to give each other a chance.”
“You sound like you want to.”
“I do,” he said.
And this time, with this woman, it wasn’t a line. He knew he meant every word.
* * * * *
“So let me see if I’ve got this straight…”
They were sitting in a back booth of the little café, the table so small their knees bumped underneath. The small candle flickered between them, casting a golden glow over her features. But she was smiling at him, a relaxed, easy smile.
“Your mother and Chad’s mother are sisters.”
“Yes.”
“And your mother married a werewolf.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And Chad’s mom married a werecat.”
“You got it.”
“That’s very weird, Randy,” she said with a smirk.
He laughed easily. “Tell me about it. When we were kids, we lived out in the country, Chad’s family across the field from us. Well, Ziggy and I would be out with a few of our werewolf buds and we’d decide to shift and go for a run…you know, tear up the countryside, pretty much like normal teenagers. But whenever we went somewhere, we had to take Chad with us, keep him out of trouble. Pain in the neck, he was too. Like a really annoying little brother.”
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