Happy Howlidays: Shifters in Love Romance Collection (Shifter in Love Book 1)

by V. Vaughn

  “Then get me naked.”

  “You’re amazing.” He shook his head slightly.

  “And I still have clothes on.” She raised her brows as if to challenge him.

  She didn’t have to ask him twice. With his fingers, he traced a path from her hair down the edges of her neck. He couldn’t resist cupping her breasts as he moved lower. He couldn’t wait to see every inch of her.

  He caressed her calves before pushing the hem of her dress up past her thighs. She licked her lips and flashed a shameless smile. Her confidence intensified his eagerness. There was nothing shy about her. She knew what she wanted—him.

  As he pulled the dress up further, he spotted pink lace panties. He smiled. He’d pegged her as a woman who liked lace, and he was right.

  “What are you grinning about?” she asked.

  “I knew it would be lace.”

  “Why not satin, or cotton?”

  “Satin’s too slippery to wear when you’re hauling hay back and forth across the ranch.”

  “You know this from experience?”

  He belly-laughed.

  “God, no,” he said when he could finally speak.

  “I think you’re a boxer’s kind of guy.”

  “I bet you can’t wait to find out,” he teased.

  As she reached for the button on his jeans, he caught her wrists.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” he said. “You’re still not naked.”

  “And whose fault is that?”

  He pinned her wrists over her head. When he released his grip, she left her hands over her head, as if to surrender. Seeing her sprawled out, exposed, and completely vulnerable to his touch, he had to take a second to regain control. She looked so beautiful like this, so brave and sexy.

  He’d made a damn good choice when he’d hired her. At the time, he’d had no intention of sleeping with her. He didn’t make it a habit to sleep with his employees, but it was Christmas, so technically, this didn’t count. It was a lie he’d take to his grave if he had to. Screw the rules. Breaking them was worth the risk.

  He bunched the fabric of her dress up as he pushed it toward her head. She wriggled beneath him, arching up to press her panties against his rigid cock. He almost came in his jeans. The woman was driving him crazy. If he didn’t strip her soon, he’d be a dead man.

  The soft curve of her lace bra destroyed his control. He pulled her up against him and finished removing the dress. With a flick of his fingers, he unleashed her breasts. He threw the bra aside.

  As he cupped her breasts, he fought the urge to drool. She’d reduced him to a horny disaster. One more grind of her pussy against his cock and he’d totally lose it. She didn’t need her hands to get him fired up. She just needed to lay there and be sexy as hell. But she still wasn’t naked, something he intended to rectify immediately.

  He slid his fingers into the waist of her panties. He braced himself, but it wasn’t enough. Her soft, pink pussy glistened in the firelight. The musky scent of her arousal all but begged him to taste her.

  As soon as he threw her panties aside, he leaned down. He grabbed her hips with his hands and used his shoulders to nudge her thighs wider. He blew a soft breath against her tender flesh. She shivered. He lowered his lips to taste her.

  Like honey to a bear, she was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. With long, luxurious strokes, he tongued the soft folds, urging her to spread for him.

  She laced her fingers in his hair and moaned softly. She arched to meet his mouth, greedily taking everything, he offered. Overcome by her scent, he struggled to keep his bear in check. The beast went wild, flailing around in his chest while trying to escape. He could have killed his bear right then and there.

  “Bear acting up?” she asked.

  “You have no idea.”

  “I think I do, because mine’s going crazy too.”

  “They’re all about instant gratification, aren’t they?”

  “They are, and so am I.”

  When she pushed his head back between her legs, he groaned. Her silent demands enticed him to keep going, not that he’d needed any convincing.

  Each time he brushed his tongue against her pussy, she quivered. He learned exactly how to make her cries filled the room. He teased her, pulling back just enough to break their connection, before returning to capture her clit.

  With a flick of his tongue, he commanded her to writhe for him. And she did. Over and over until he couldn’t stop. He wanted her to come for him. He needed her to break wide open and give in to the release she’d been waiting for.

  She came apart, screaming and thrashing under his mouth. He pinned her hips to the couch and refused to let her go. He licked and sucked until she jerked up to shove his head away. He grinned at her dazed look. As he licked his lips, she fell back into the cushion.

  “Oh, my God!”

  “Okay?” he asked, innocently.

  “Better than okay. I don’t think I can move.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  He got to his feet and unbuttoned his jeans. As he pulled the zipper down, she leaned up on her forearms to watch. Her gaze settled on his cock.

  “Commando?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Less clothing to take off. I like it.”

  “I thought you might.”

  “Really?” She smirked. “You were sure we’d end up naked on the sofa tonight?”

  “I was damn ready to make it happen.”

  “I can see that, Big Boy.” She nodded toward his cock.

  “How did you know my nickname?”

  She tossed back her head and laughed. It was the purest sound he’d ever heard.

  He took a step toward the couch.

  “Sit.” She scrambled to her knees. “Your turn.”

  “But I want—”

  “I don’t care what you want,” she said in a sultry tone. “I only care about what I want right now.”

  “And what’s that?” He sat.

  “Your cock in my mouth.”

  He groaned as she dropped to her knees in front of him. This couldn’t really be happening. Maybe he’d hit his head with a bale of hay or something. She couldn’t possibly be about to wrap her lips around—Oh, God. Yes, yes she was.

  When her tongue flicked against the head of his cock, he jolted. Sparks exploded out from the tip, as if she’d set off a chain reaction. His cock jerked against her lips.

  She maintained eye contact the entire time she licked the length of his shaft with her tongue. He’d never forget the image as long as he lived. She was a wildcat. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was a tiger shifter.

  As she sucked him into her mouth, his fingers dug into the couch. He gritted his teeth and tried to think about anything other than the way she drew every last inch of him into her mouth. She didn’t gag. She didn’t pull away. With his cock wedged into her throat, she somehow managed to lick his balls. He fucking lost it.

  He grabbed her hair and dragged her mouth off of his cock. He pulled her onto the couch and had her beneath him before she could react. Then he remembered that he didn’t have a condom.

  “Fuck.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Condom’s in the bathroom.”

  “Move your ass.”

  He ran to get it and by the time he got back, he was covered. Being away from her for a second let him regain control. He returned to find her splayed out on the rug in front of the fireplace. He stopped short. Flames reflected off her dewy skin. Golden light shimmered across her hair. Her eyes darkened with unchecked desire. She stunned him into complete silence. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. He simply stared.

  “Come here.”

  He did. Slowly.

  Jessica shivered in anticipation as he prowled toward her. A soft smattering of hair dotted his otherwise smooth chest. His abs flexed with every step, and his cock—all ten inches—jutted up to brush his belly. This year, Christmas came early.

  With the d
eft grace of a shifter, he joined her on the rug. As he crawled to cover her, she lay back into warm softness. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and drew him down to kiss her. When their lips met, her belly clenched. Wicked temptation coursed through her veins. He was still her boss. Vacation or not, he still had the power to take everything away from her. But she couldn’t think about any of that right now. Later, she could regret giving in to her carnal desires. Right now, she simply wanted him.

  As he slid between her thighs, she reached down to grasp his cock. Thick. Heavy. Perfect. It had been a while since she’d been with anyone, and certainly never anyone so well endowed.

  She guided him closer. He propped up on his forearms and gazed into her eyes. She couldn’t look at anything but him. Nothing else mattered. Not their work relationship. Not how wrong this all was. Nothing.

  He surged forward to fill her. Tight strokes spread her wide open. She gasped and took everything that he wanted to give her. And he wanted to give her everything.

  With slow, deliberate strokes, he urged her higher. He undulated, rubbing every deep thrust against her sensitive clit. Her eyes fluttered shut. She moaned with wild abandon. With no one around for miles, she could be as loud as she wanted.

  He spread sultry kisses across her throat. He dipped lower to capture one plump nipple in his mouth. A shock of pure pleasure zinged up her spine. Primal yearning tugged at her soul. She’d never been so deeply connected with anyone before him. Although they didn’t know each other well, she sensed a kindred spirit in him. And now, locked together in blissful ecstasy, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more between them. Could he be her mate?

  She slid her hands down to clutch his ass. His muscles tensed and flexed as he moved faster. She arched into him, drugged by the raw passion that burned between them.

  Heat coiled up from her core. Her entire body tingled in anticipation of an earth-shattering climax.

  She panted as the first wave crashed over her. She clung to him, afraid she’d dissolve into nothingness if she didn’t have him to anchor her to the present moment.

  He followed her to paradise, letting out a mighty roar as he came. After one final thrust, he pressed his face into the crook of her neck. He nuzzled her throat, tongue pressed against the pulse of her frantic heartbeat. She stroked his back until he leaned on one arm to gaze at her.

  “What?” she asked softly.

  “I’ve never been with anyone like you.”

  “Me either.” She met his searching gaze. “What are you thinking?”

  “That I should have done this a lot earlier.”

  She stiffened and gently pushed him to the side so she could roll out from underneath him. She couldn’t forget the fact that he was still her boss. If they’d indulged in hot sex before vacation, where would that have left her? Would she be on the ranch still? Or would he have fired her when he was done with her?

  She couldn’t imagine trying to find another job in the dead of winter. Most ranches didn’t hire until spring, and most of that work was seasonal. Was an hour of pleasure worth losing the perfect job?

  “What’s wrong?” He gently grabbed her arm as she reached for her panties.

  “If we’d had sex before now, I probably wouldn’t be on the ranch right now.”

  “Where would you be?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I wouldn’t have fired you.” He scooted back to lean against the sofa. “Are you worried about that?”

  “Yes.” She blinked rapidly to stop moisture from forming in her eyes.

  “You don’t ever have to worry about that,” he said. “Come here.”

  She moved into the circle of his arms. As she snuggled against his warmth, she tried to ignore the voice in her head screaming that he was her boss.

  “I would never fire you because of this,” he said. “I’d fire you if you didn’t show up at work. But, I doubt that would ever happen. You’re the hardest working person on the ranch. When I first hired you, some of the guys were skeptical—”

  “I know. Trevor was a dick the first two months.”

  “He came around after he saw how hard you worked. He admires your ability to haul a seventy-five-pound bale of hay out to the horses. But he’d better not admire you too much or we’re going to have a problem.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” She untangled herself from his arms and pulled her dress into her lap. “You can’t change the way you treat me. The others will notice. They’ll become resentful. They’ll turn on me. I really, really loved this, but it can’t happen again.”

  His jaw twitched. He remained silent while she pulled her dress over her head. She grabbed her bra and panties and stood.

  “So this was a one-time deal?” he asked.

  “Yes. You know it’s better if we don’t pretend that we can make this work. I’m your employee. You’re my boss. We need to keep it that way. I don’t want trouble. I love working here and if you weren’t so damn hot, I never would have given in to temptation.”

  “So, I tempt you?” A grin replaced the frown on his face.

  “You do.” She smiled. “But that’s dangerous. Please tell me you understand.”

  “I understand completely.” He stood in all of his naked glory. “If you want to set up some ground rules for the holidays, I’ll stick to them. Unless you break one. Then, it’s on.”

  “Okay. Rule #1: No hot sex.”

  “I already hate that rule.”

  She laughed. She hated it too, but it had to be done.

  “Rule #2: No hot kissing.”

  “Hate that one too.” He took a step forward. “I already want to break it.”

  A fresh spark of desire raced through her. She wanted to give in and let him kiss her, but if she broke the rules right away, then there’s no way she’d be able to enforce them later.

  She took a step back. His smile widened.

  “Rule #3: We don’t talk about hot sex.”

  “Like Fight Club?”

  “Exactly.”

  “You fight dirty.”

  “Should we shake on it?” She reached out her hand.

  He grabbed it and tugged her against his chest. His other arm trapped her against his body. In a low, sultry tone, he whispered in her ear.

  “I don’t think you’ll last longer than twenty-four hours. I think you’ll sneak into my room in the middle of the night and I’ll wake up to find you riding my cock.”

  “In your dreams.”

  “Sweet dreams, cowgirl.”

  He released her so quickly that she almost lost her balance. She swallowed and pushed her shoulders back. She couldn’t let him see how much his naughty fantasy had affected her. No way. She had to be strong. She had to stick to the rules and remember why she was doing it. Hot sex after midnight was completely out of the question.

  As she followed him down the hall toward their bedrooms, she let her gaze drop to his ass. So hot. Pure temptation. God, why hadn’t she gone into town? Oh, right, she was broke. She’d been saving every penny so that one day she’d have a home of her own. One day, she’d have it. Until then, she needed to stay focused on anything except the way he’d made her feel tonight—like she was the sexiest woman in the world.

  A cold shower would take care of things.

  With one last glace at him, she slipped into her room and closed the door. Ten days. She only had to keep her hands to herself for ten days. She could do it. She wouldn’t torture herself by running through memories of every moment in his arms. She’d focus on her dream of owning a small ranch house with a wrap-around porch, and chickens. She loved farm fresh eggs for breakfast. That was definitely on her future home’s requirements list.

  As she stepped into freezing water, she shivered. Naked images of his perfect body burned through her brain. The more she tried to stop picturing him, the more she remembered. Ugh! This wasn’t going to work.

  As much as she wanted to stick to the rules, she wasn’t
sure if she’d be strong enough. She needed to find a way to tie herself to the bed to keep from running down the hall to his room. It was the only logical way to keep herself from doing something incredibly stupid.

  4

  Toby woke to the sound of someone screaming his name. He bolted out of bed and threw on a pair of flannel lounge pants before racing down the hall. The hollering came from Jessica’s room. Without hesitation, he whipped open the door, prepared to confront anyone who might be hurting her. What he saw was the very last thing he’d expected. She lay on the bed—naked—legs crossed, with her hands tied over her head.

  “Where is he?” he asked in a gruff tone. He clenched his fists, prepared to fight.

  “Who?”

  “The guy who tied you up?”

  “I tied myself up.”

  “What?” He relaxed his hands. “Why the hell did you do that?”

  “Um…” She averted her gaze. “Can you just untie me?”

  He stood at the end of the bed and drank in every inch of her silky skin. Flushed and looking anything but seductive, she tugged on the neckties around her wrists.

  “I tied them too tight.”

  “You should have used a slip knot.” He leaned a hip against the dresser. A slow grin spread across his face. “I’m not sure I want to untie you yet.”

  “You suck.”

  “Mm…” He swiped his tongue across his bottom lip. “I do.”

  “You’re breaking Rule #2: No talking about sex.”

  “That was number three.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Rule #2…” He swaggered toward the bed, “was about kissing.”

  “Right,” she said in a breathy tone. When he climbed onto the bed, her eyes went wide. “You wouldn’t take advantage of a poor, helpless employee, would you?”

  “You’re on vacation.”

  “You agreed to the rules.”

  “That was last night. I wasn’t thinking straight yet.” He grasped her ankles and slowly spread her legs. “I changed my mind.”

  “Oh, really?” Color flooded her cheeks.

  “Really.” He traced a slow trail of seduction up her inner thigh. “Now you just say the word and I’ll walk right out that door.”