“What are you doing ?”
I opened one eye and frowned at him. “Thinking .”
“I see.” He allowed me only about two more seconds before he again broke the silence. “Maybe you should think downstairs as you sift through your shi— stuff .”
I didn’t like the way he said stuff . “Shush! I can’t think with you blabbering .”
“Maybe you aren’t focusing hard enough. Try retracing your steps—without all the stumbling and tripping .”
My nerves were shot and any good sense I had was gone. I opened both eyes and glared. “You are driving me crazy! Get out .”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but I wasn’t playing. After a few seconds, he shook his head and started towards the door. “Come lock this after me .”
I stared at him with what I hoped was an intimidating stink eye .
“Come. Lock. This. After. Me. I’m not leaving until you get over here .”
I marched around the counter, fists-clenched, and into the little foyer after him. I’d gone from annoyed to downright pissed. In my head, I slammed the door on his back end. Twice. In reality, I stood there while he turned and stared down at me with an intensity that almost made my knees buckle .
“Tender .”
Thrown off, I forgot that I was being forceful . “What ?”
“As venison steaks. You’d be tender. And juicy.” He broke into a wide grin, clearly amused by his own humor .
Bastard! I saw red. “At least I don’t spend all day licking my own privates and chasing my tail .”
Detective Williams grabbed me and pulled me into him. I melted into jelly. He somehow turned and maneuvered me against the wall with my legs wrapped around his waist. How did that happen? Did they teach that move in detective school? He was breathing heavily and his eyes were glowing like the sliver of night sky around a full moon .
I was doing a fair amount of panting myself, feeling every bit of drunk that I wasn’t. From that angle, I could look straight into those glowing eyes and I had a stupid little moment where I thought I could see beyond that moment reflected there. I thought I could see more. More, like waking up to those eyes for the rest of my life .
While my doe was prancing like she’d just found a meadow full of acorns, my brain told my hands to push him away. My hands, instead, grabbed his hair and pulled him closer. My back arched from the wall and I rubbed my body against his like a cat after a can of tuna .
Shame tickled the back of my brain, even as my body grew hotter. The bulge in his pants was large and hard rubbing against my core, through two layers of jeans. I wanted more. Desperately .
The detective’s hands were digging into my hips and he’d dropped his head to my shoulder. His breath blew out across my neck and drove me that much crazier .
And then, just as quickly as it’d started, it stopped. My feet met the floor hard and I wavered before gaining my balance, just to see him already out my door and heading down the stairs .
“I’ll be back tomorrow for the memory card .”
Stunned, I pushed the door shut and frowned at it for a few minutes. For a second there, I’d thought I was about to have mind blowing sex. I shook my head and sighed. That’s what I got for thinking .
8
Raif
C hrist, the woman made me crazy. Charging through the woods that surrounded Helen’s Corner, I lifted my head to the fading moon over the tree tops and let out a wild howl. My wolf wasn’t in his finest form. He was agitated. He kept trying to pull me back towards Denny. Not even a full-out run through the trees soothed him. He wanted her. We both did .
It took every ounce of willpower not to let him drag us towards her apartment. I’d stupidly let myself get carried away. Feeling her body against mine was too much for me to ignore. I kept telling myself that I just had to solve this damned case and head back to Chicago because I wouldn’t let myself do it to Denny. I wouldn’t ruin her .
My wolf stopped running and settled down next to the same creek we’d tumbled into earlier in the day. He laid there and whined like a pup. He knew she was the one. He was already smitten. I thought about her wet body lying on top of mine. I was smitten , too .
Without me consciously fighting my instincts to go to her, my wolf easily took control and led me back towards her building. Before I even realized what was going on, I was pawing at her apartment door, growling to be let in .
It was insane. I was supposed to be staying away from her, but I was weak. There I was, in the early hours of the morning, long before the sun rose, clawing to be let in. I smelled the sweet scent of grass and autumn leaves before I heard her approaching the door. Tossing my head back, I howled again, my wolf overjoyed at being so close to our mate .
I could sense Denny against the door. Her smell from that close, in my wolf form with my heightened senses, was like drinking a smooth, aged scotch. I felt drunk and mildly delirious. I shifted and pressed my hands against the frame, my forehead rested against the door .
“Denny, let me in .”
I scented her arousal through the door, and grasped the metal doorknob crushing it. I inhaled deeply and my exhale was a low growl, a testament to my lapsing self-control .
“What are you doing here?” Her voice was muffled, but the huskiness of it was clear as a belly. She was just as affected as me. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s late .”
“Let me in .”
Her breathing hitched. “Or what? You’ll huff and puff, detective ?”
“Open the door or I’m going to break it down .”
“Go home, Detective Williams .”
“Get away from the door.” I growled and forced the door in. It came off the hinges with a splintering of wood, but I didn’t care .
Denny stood in front of me, her brown eyes wide, in nothing but a T-shirt. The bottom of it brushed against the top of her thighs and I felt all the air leave my lungs. She was stunning. Legs for days and pouty lips begging to be kissed .
“You broke my door.” Her voice was low, the scent of her arousal grew stronger. “And you’re naked .”
I released her crushed doorknob and the door toppled against the wall behind it. Reaching for her, I was elated when she jumped into my arms. Her body settled against mine, drawing a moan from me when her core brushed against my dick. She was already hot and wet for me .
“You’re not wearing panties .”
She captured my head in her hands and pressed her mouth against mine. She was soft and warm all over, but her kiss was aggressive and demanding. I was expecting coy and timid. I was wrong. Her mouth was hot and she pushed me to give more. Her tongue swept over my lips and pressed into my mouth, her teeth nipped my tongue when I tried to explore her. It wasn’t what I expected. Her intensity drove me wild, longing to experience more of her ferocity .
I pinned her against the broken door and kissed her harder while thrusting my hips to rub against her core. When she moaned into my mouth, I nearly lost it. I wanted to rip the thin shirt from her body and fuck her senseless. I wanted to feel her walls squeezing me as I pumped in and out of her .
I wanted something else, too, though. I wanted to feel her give in to me. I wanted her submission .
Denny bit harder on my lower lip when I tried pulling away from her. I spun her away from the door and slapped her ass before dropping her to the floor. She caught herself, like I knew she would, and glared .
“What the hell!” Her feistiness was showing and she looked ready to punch my lights out. I liked it .
I stalked forward, grinning like she was about to become the main course of my dinner, which she was. She backed up, giving me some of the submission I craved. Only when her back bumped against the island behind her did she stop .
I licked my lips as I stared down at her and then sank to my knees. Grabbing her thighs, I lifted one over my shoulder. “I am going to eat you .”
Denny opened her mouth, like she was going to argue, but when I pressed my face between her
thighs, she just gasped and went quiet .
Fuck, she tasted like heaven. Sweet and dripping wet for me. I pushed my tongue into her and fucked her with it, eager to have her ride my face .
Denny’s eyes rolled and she made a sound that was a cross between a hiss and a gasp. Her legs locked around my head and her hands made their way into my hair. She arched her back. I didn’t let up until she was breathless and rocking her hips against my face .
Denny cried out, her voice ragged. Her hands locked in my hair and she tugged at it while I let my nose rub against her clit .
I felt her orgasm build until it pushed her over the edge. She tugged at my hair, drawing me into her harder and then pulling me away until she was limp .
I didn’t wait for her to come down from that high. I stood up and lifted her into my arms. Holding her with one arm, I reached under her thighs and lined my dick up with her dripping core. I let her body sink down until she had taken in every inch .
I grunted and lifted her almost all the way off of me just to drop her back down, impaling her. I cursed and growled as her tight channel squeezed me. I couldn’t stop the insane lust that demanded I take her hard and fast. I needed it. She needed it .
Thrusting into her, I felt her walls tighten around me as her mouth fell open and her hands clutched at my shoulders, nails digging in. I ached to sink my teeth into her neck, marking her as mine, but I fought it. My fingers tightened on her hips and I powered into her, fucking her harder as I struggled for control .
Denny screamed as another orgasm crashed over her, jumpstarting mine. I came in her, my own growl rising with her voice as the strongest orgasm of my life shook me. Denny pressed her face into my chest, her mouth open and her breath hot puffs of air against my skin. I pressed my own face into her neck, still fighting the urge to claim her. All I could do was hold on to her because I was struck with the awareness that my life had irrevocably changed forever .
Then the voice of reason shouted, “You’ll ruin her.” And I ran .
9
Denny
I stared at myself in my bathroom mirror and tried to talk myself into going down to the studio. I had work to do, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to hide out in my apartment with a bowl of cookie dough ice cream. Not a bowl, a whole carton. For the rest of my life. But my door was busted. I’d spent the whole night lying awake, listening for the sounds of an intruder. Hoping, like a fool, that my mate would come back. Because I was pathetic .
In a matter of one day, my life had been shaken off its axis. My mate had slammed into my life, into me, and then vanished while I was still trying to recover from the wild ride he’d given me .
I could’ve chased after him, but even stupid from a life-altering orgasm, I wasn’t chasing a man. Instead, I’d spent the night thinking of all the things wrong with him, all the things wrong with me, and ways to kill him and dispose of his body without actually having to face him again .
In the light of day, I was mortified. I’d let a stranger, mate or not, nibble and suck and have his way with me… oh gawd . The man had practically devoured me. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if he’d stuck around and acted like he wanted to get to know me. But no, nope, just eat and run. Jerkwad .
Every time I moved, I thought of him. I was sore and had faint fingerprints on my hips, though they were fading quickly. My lips were red and swollen, the skin on my thighs was roughened by his beard .
I closed my eyes and dropped my head. I didn’t even remember his first name. I’d almost screamed out Detective Williams in the heat of the moment. And what a mind-numbing “moment” it had been. The dull ache between my thighs was a testament to that .
Despite the hot and wild part, I felt a little dirty and a little angry at myself for what I’d done. Not to mention embarrassed. My first sexual encounter in almost a decade and he’d run away .
I finger-combed my hair up into a bun and brushed my teeth in a hurry. I was done looking at myself. Throwing on clothes, I tried to stop in the kitchen for food, but when I reached the counter, the spot where he’d had me pinned only hours prior, it was too much. I shook my head at my broken door and hurried downstairs. I was still early. I headed over to Muddy’s to steal some breakfast and maybe a little commiseration .
It wasn’t until I got to the front door of the B&B and took a deep breath of air riddled with my mate’s scent, that I realized my error. I’d forgotten he was staying at Muddy’s . Dang .
I scurried back to my car before anyone could see. I’d just head to my first location shoot. I could do without breakfast if it meant avoiding the awkwardness that was sure to come when I eventually had to face him .
I stopped at the gas station on the outskirts of town. Mack’s generally wasn’t my first choice. Too any rumors about shady activities. But, rumors were just rumors, and when Mack came into town, he was always polite and never made any weird advances on any of the women in town, so he was cool with us. Besides, I was below E on the gas gauge .
The place was dingy and a little sketchy. “Hey Mack.” He nodded, not looking up from his phone as his fingers tapped the screen .
I strolled down the candy aisle trying to determine which candy bar had the highest nutritional value. Nuts were nutritious, right? I scanned a few labels before my attention turned to chips. Multi-grain ?
There was a screech of tires outside in the parking lot. Someone in big, cream colored SUV was in a hurry to fuel up, apparently .
I walked back towards the refrigerators and opened a door to get a bottle of sweet tea. I couldn’t decide if I wanted plain or lemon, so I just stood there, staring. Maybe I’d go with juice .
Usually I picked up on any tension in a room the second it arose. It was a deer shifter trait. My mind was preoccupied, though, trying too hard to ignore thoughts of my mate, and I barely noticed anything else around me .
“Hey, bitch.” An angry voice came from beside me .
I jerked my head in the man’s direction, fear already shooting through me like buckshot. I was facing a scrawny white guy with a scar down the side of his face .
“Your name Denny? You’ve got something of mine .”
I reacted like he’d scalded me when his bony fingers clamped my wrist. I yanked against his grip, but he held fast. “L- let go .”
“I heard you took some pictures at the park downtown last week. You’re gonna gimme those pictures.” The guy grabbed me again and yanked me closer to him. “You and me are going to go get them right now. Then we’re gonna go for a long ride .”
In the commotion, his jacket slipped open and I caught a glimpse of the butt of a gun tucked into his pants. I thought the placement of the gun was a terrible idea for a man, but who was I to warn him about the dangers of shooting his own penis off ?
I was starting to get the idea that I was in super big trouble. I looked back at Mack, only to see him ducking below the counter. Panic surged, instincts kicked in and I started flailing. My forehead connected with the guy’s nose and my knee made a solid connection with his privates .
He screamed and his hand reached for his gun, but I was already sprinting out of the store. I didn’t even think about my car. I just made a beeline for the trees and shifted .
Running like I’d never run before, I raced through the woods back to town. Muddy’s was the first place I came to. She would let me borrow some clothes. I was almost to the rear entrance of the B&B when Detective Williams stepped into my path and blocked me. He looked shaken .
“What’s wrong? You’re sending out distress signals like a fucking alarm. What happened ?”
He could feel my fear? How could he not openly admit to being my mate when he could feel my emotions ?
“Denny! Shift. Talk to me .”
I tried to glare at him but it was hard to look angry as a deer. In fact, whatever my emotions, placidity and alarm were the only two facial expressions I was able to manage as my animal. I wasn’t shifting back in front of him. Not after he’d run ou
t the night before. The memory was too fresh and upsetting .
“What’s the matter? Come on, Denny. Shift .”
After another minute or two of us just standing there, he seemed to realize the issue. “Dammit. Here. Take my shirt. I’ll look away .”
As soon as he turned away, I shifted and slipped his shirt over my head. I pulled my hair out from under the collar and tried to slip past him, into Muddy’s .
“I don’t think so.” He caught my arm and drew me into his large frame. “What happened ?”
God, his chest was bare and hot against me. My brain focused in on those things and slowed to a near turtle pace. “Gun. Guy with a gun .”
He growled viciously and squeezed me tighter. “Where ?”
My teeth started chattering and tears fell from my eyes as the reality of what had just transpired began to sink in. “Mack’s. He wanted the photos , too .”
10
Raif
B oiling rage threatened to explode. I had to swallow it down or I would shift and tear the place to shreds. That and simple math kept me from shifting. One, I wouldn’t have arms if I shifted, and two, I didn’t want to release Denny from my arms .
She was trembling. I scooped her up and held her against me as I carried her inside and up the back stairs to my room on the third floor. She felt tiny and frail. She wrapped her slender arms around my neck and I couldn’t stop thinking about how helpless she would be in a fight. She was gentle and soft. She’d be an easy target for a dirtbag looking to victimize her .
I couldn’t make out much from what she was saying. She was too shaken up. I’d be willing to bet that it wasn’t every day that someone threatened her with a gun. Maybe during hunting season …
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