2HotCurvesAhead
Page 24
Naked as the day he was born, he stepped out of his truck and hung the messenger bag around his neck by its lengthy strap, leaving the bag hanging just over his abdominal region. His nostrils flared and he frowned. This is so humiliating. I must look like the world’s biggest d-bag right now.
Stretching his neck, he shook his head back and forth, swallowing hard as the shifting process began. Every nerve ending twitched and a pins-and-needles sensation pricked at his skin as hair follicles began to react, allowing rapid growth. His shoulders slumped forward as a sharp pain started in the center of his spine and flowed in both directions, resonating in his hips and neck simultaneously.
“Ugh!” He released his last human noise as his tongue swelled, forcing him to open his mouth. As always, the first thirty seconds were miserable until a pervasive numbness took over, courtesy of a special gland unique to shifters. Davis didn’t feel his hands hit the ground, hardening into hooves, just as his feet were doing. His legs and arms stretched, growing in length and width.
Eyes rolling back in his head, he sucked in as much air through his nostrils as he could—not that the useless reflex helped much, as his throat contracted, cutting off his airflow for a few seconds at regular intervals while the horrid squeezing sensation plagued his facial bones…the last place to grow numb. The merciful blackness rushed his head, stealing his conscious mind for a few seconds while his neck elongated and his muzzle emerged. As everything fell into place, leaving Davis standing tall and strong in his equine form, his sight and hearing came rushing back along with feeling to his limbs.
Immediately, the urge to move became overwhelming and he began to trot, easily accepting the familiar feeling of his alternate form. The numbness had dissipated, leaving only adrenaline and enzymes that released a natural analgesic as powerful as morphine but without the side effects. Soon, Davis had his bearings and was off, running through the cold, still night. He kept to the side of the road but near the shadow of the trees lining the rural street leading to Scarlett’s road. Good thing she liked the quiet of country living or he would never have been able to pull off this shift. The last thing he needed was some animal control officers chasing him down, but there was little chance of that around here.
Chapter Five
The doorbell rang and Scarlett took her time making her way over to answer. She didn’t want to seem too anxious, even though her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute.
“Just a second,” she called out, slipping on her cardigan before reaching for the doorknob.
“Hi!” She started to greet Davis as she opened the door, but the smile she wore disappeared and her nostrils flared. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Tall and lanky with his dark hair combed back and meticulously styled, Robert stood on Scarlett’s porch, all dressed up in one of his hipster doofus outfits. He smiled at her, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes. “I couldn’t let you go to your office New Year’s party alone. It’s been on my calendar for weeks.”
Standing in the doorway to block his entrance, Scarlett placed a hand on her hip. “Are you fucking kidding me? I told you never to call me again and you show up at my house?”
“We had a date,” he said, tilting his head and smiling in a way that just might have worked before she met Davis.
Now, even if the man of her dreams wasn’t on his way, Scarlett would have still stood strong against her cheating ex. Her weekend with Davis had helped her reclaim the self-esteem Robert had spent three years slowly leeching away.
“I broke up with you and despite the fact that you suck, you’re actually a pretty smart guy. You know good and well that being dumped means for you to fuck off completely!”
“Come on, baby, you don’t really mean that. I know I screwed up. I promise it will never happen again. I love you. We belong together.”
Was I really so easily manipulated by him before? Still livid, Scarlett took a deep breath. She needed to stave off any show of hot emotion. She wanted her ex gone before Davis arrived and the best way to make that happen was to be calm and cold. “I’m sorry, Robert, but I want you to leave.” Scarlett kept her voice as even as her anger would allow.
Looking as if he’d been punched in the gut, Robert asked, “Won’t you at least let me in so we can sit down and talk things out?”
Scarlett’s jaw dropped but she caught herself before she lost it and lashed out. Placing a hand over her stomach, she pushed gently, trying to settle her nerves. Truthfully, she wanted to go bat-shit crazy on Robert and knock his ass down the porch stairs, but that wouldn’t solve anything. “No. We have nothing to discuss. Please leave now.”
Robert’s expression was a mixture of confusion and sadness. Apparently, he had expected her to fold. Reaching into his coat pocket, he retrieved a small box wrapped in Christmas paper and topped with a red ribbon. “I bought this for you.”
Scarlett gritted her teeth angrily and glared at the box. Bringing her gaze back to Robert, she said, “I don’t want it.”
“Don’t you even want to open it and see what it is?”
She didn’t have to open it. Scarlett had been expecting an engagement ring for Christmas—her reward for losing weight. Apparently, she wasn’t good enough to be Robert’s wife at a size sixteen so he’d dangled the ring to get her to lose weight. How could I have let him treat me that way? She crinkled her nose and swallowed back her anger, sadness and regret while trying her best not to cry. Finally, she managed to say, “No. Please leave.”
In a flash, Robert’s expression changed from lovesick and repentant to angry and malevolent. “Just who do you think you are? You put on a pretty dress and curl your hair and think you’re too good for me? Have you lost your mind? You won’t find anyone else to love you.”
The first tear rolled down Scarlett’s face like the physical manifestation of the shame she felt at having believed such comments in the past. Thank God she hadn’t married this bully. Nostrils flaring, she screamed, “Get out of my sight! I hate you!”
“There we go,” Robert said, grabbing Scarlett’s wrist. “I knew you still cared. Now let’s go inside.”
She lifted her free hand, placing her palm on Robert’s chest to hold him back while she tried to wiggle her wrist away from him. The back of her neck was starting to heat up and her cheeks were warm, while a squeezing sensation in her chest seemed to take her breath. Robert was an intimidator but this was the first time he had ever laid hands on her, and she was scared.
“Let go,” she cried out defiantly.
Robert started to laugh while glaring at her menacingly. Chilled to the bone, Scarlett shivered, but a familiar, Appalachian twang broke the tension.
“You heard the lady; let go!”
Davis! Relief flooded Scarlett’s senses and she exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. As Robert loosened his grip, she snatched her wrist away from him.
Whipping around in Davis’s direction, Robert asked, “Who the hell are you?”
“The fellow who’s gonna break your jaw if you ever put your hands on my girl again.”
Scarlett’s heart skipped a beat and she silently thanked God that Davis hadn’t called her his little filly in front of Robert.
Turning his head toward Scarlett, Robert glared, his eyes flashing with fury. “You’re busting my chops for cheating, and you’re fucking this guy?”
Before she could respond, Davis pushed his massive form between her and Robert.
As if finally understanding his predicament, Robert took a step back, looking up at Davis, who stood just a few inches taller than Robert but dwarfed him in upper-body musculature. Scarlett peeped from around Davis’s shoulder, watching as Robert’s gaze swept down over Davis’s well-chiseled physique. All the confidence and bravado her ex had when he was in her face seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon.
Robert held up his hands in front of him as he said, “I don’t have any beef with you. This is between me and her.”
“Nope,�
�� Davis replied, shaking his head. “I take exception to a man putting his hands on any woman but you touched mine. Trust me…we got beef.”
Robert’s face flushed and his nostrils flared but his shoulders slumped. He obviously knew he was outclassed. His pride was done. His gaze darted over to Scarlett and he narrowed his eyes as he replied, “Fine, I was about done with her fat ass, anyway.”
Like a rattler striking, Davis’s hand shot out, grabbing Robert by the collar. “What was that?”
Robert’s jaw clenched rebelliously. He stood on his tiptoes, his arms flailing as he attempted at first to push Davis away and then to grab at his arm, while trying to wriggle away. “Let go of me!”
“I will, as soon as you apologize to the beautiful woman I heard you begging to come back to you not five minutes ago.”
All the color seemed to drain from Robert’s face as he muttered, “Sorry.”
Davis released Robert’s shirt and said, “Now get!”
Robert didn’t spare Scarlett another glance; he just turned and stomped down the steps. Watching Robert get into his car, Davis stood at the edge of the porch, exuding confidence and so much sex appeal that if Scarlett had been wearing panties, they would have been sopping wet.
After Robert’s headlights disappeared, Davis turned toward Scarlett and slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her to his firm chest. “You okay, lil’ filly?”
Despite herself, Scarlett couldn’t help but snicker as the term of endearment slipped out of Davis’s mouth. “Yeah, I’m good, my big stallion.” She laughed again, embarrassed and ashamed by how lame she sounded.
Davis gave a hearty laugh and hugged her tight.
Scarlett closed her eyes, breathing in his intoxicating scent. A chill shot up her spine and she quivered as the area between her legs begged her for some attention.
“Oh, baby, you’re shivering. Let’s step inside so you can warm up.”
Happy to oblige, Scarlett stepped back and waved toward the foyer. He followed her in and shut the door behind him.
“Welcome to my home.”
She barely got the words out before Davis pulled her close and dropped a kiss on her lips. As they parted, she looked up into his seafoam-colored eyes, her heart pounding. She wanted more!
“You look real pretty tonight,” he said, nodding toward her dress.
As he stepped back to look at her, she gave him a once-over in the light.
He looked terrific but he had clearly stepped out of his style comfort zone, trading his casual duds for a dress shirt and trousers. Still, he was a little less pulled together than she would have expected. His shirt was untucked and he had rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. His light-brown hair was mussed, as if he’d been running, and he had missed a belt loop. She’d have to fix him up a little but his clumsy cluelessness was kind of sweet.
“Well, thanks, you clean up nice too.” She lightly rubbed a finger across his chin. “Look at you…all clean shaven.”
He looked down bashfully, his cheeks flushing just a tad. “Aw, come on now, don’t tease me.”
“I’m not teasing. You look great if a little uncomfortable.”
“You should have seen me before… I was all pressed and creased with my sports coat.” Davis gave a gentle laugh.
Tilting her head to catch his eyes, Scarlet asked, “Before what?”
Lifting his face to the ceiling, he groaned. “Ugh, I can’t believe I just spilled that…”
“Spilled what?”
“I went for a little run.”
Now Scarlett was even more confused. “In your dress shoes?”
“Nah, my dress shoes and clothes were all in the messenger bag I hid in your bushes after I got dressed.”
Bushes? Well, that explained his slightly rumpled but still fantastic appearance. “Oh!” Scarlett’s eyes widened with realization. “You shifted? Why?”
Davis covered his face with both hands and groaned again. “I just can’t keep anything from you, I guess. I really wanted to see you, and then car trouble…my truck is out on the shoulder a little bit more than a mile away.”
A huge, open-mouthed smile spread across her face and she reached out, lightly pushing him. “You big, crazy pants! Why didn’t you just call me to come get you?”
“Yeah, I guess I could have done it that way but I couldn’t stand the wait. I just had to get to you as quickly as I could, and it looks as if I got here just in time.
Embarrassed, Scarlett averted her eyes as she asked, “How much did you hear?”
Davis put a finger under her chin and gently lifted her face until they were looking in each other’s eyes. “I didn’t hear anything I didn’t already know from Gram. She’s not one to skimp on details. She told me about your idiot ex and your breakup as soon as she was sure her matchmaking took.” He offered a sideways smile as he added, “I also got a great, big lecture on how to treat a lady.”
Scarlett snickered. “I don’t think you needed any lessons in chivalry. Sorry I didn’t say anything about…I wasn’t really trying to hide anything. I just wasn’t ready to talk about it.”
“Yeah, I get it. As long as it’s over, it’s all good. Still, I didn’t appreciate seeing that guy in your face like that.”
“My hero,” Scarlett said with a snicker, grabbing him around the waist and hugging him. “I think you deserve a reward.” She shot him her best “come-hither” stare, while running her tongue across her bottom lip.
“You keep looking at me like that, and you might be late for your party.”
“I think the real party will happen when I get you to my bedroom.”
“Hell yeah,” Davis said, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her.
His warm lips crushed against hers and his hand smoothed her hair. As a heated frenzy stirred within her, she grabbed his shirt, slipping her hands underneath and lightly raking her fingernails over his hard abs. He gave a low moan while pulling her sweater off her shoulders.
“Where’s that bedroom, baby?”
Taking a step backward, Scarlett let her cardigan fall to the floor as she shot him a smile. “Follow me.”
Davis grasped her hands and trailed behind her. The anticipation was almost more than she could bear, making it nearly impossible to walk at an unhurried pace.
As soon as they breached the doorway, Davis swept her up into his arms and dipped his head to nip at her neck. Scarlett ran her hands through his hair before grasping his broad shoulders. His warm breath on her skin sent a tremor through her core as his lips trailed sultry kisses down to her collarbone. Large hands clasped around her waist and slid down to her hips before moving on to caress her ass over her dress. Everywhere Davis touched her seared with heat and her pulse raced.
She looked up into his eyes and he dipped his head, landing a kiss on her lips. She opened her mouth, practically begging his tongue to enter. Their saliva mixed as their tongues twisted and turned in an oral tango. As Davis squeezed her ass, she moaned into his mouth while her fingers worked on the buttons of his shirt. As soon as she pushed the last one through the small hole, Scarlett pulled back from the kiss and took the opportunity to snatch the shirt wide open. Breathing heavily, she feasted her eyes on his impressive pectorals and the well-defined contours of his abdomen. Arousal stirred between her legs and she suppressed the urge to growl like an animal.
As her gaze drifted upward past his sexy collarbone and on up to his face, the hungry look in his eyes nearly took her breath. Davis grasped her arms, caressing up and down from her elbows to her shoulders, as he seemed to catch his breath too. He snaked one hand behind her, rested his fingertips on her zipper and paused.
“Last chance to back out before I get you all wrinkled and…wet.”
“Don’t stop,” she said, cringing at the aching in her voice.
“We’ll be late for your party…” He settled a sweet kiss on her forehead.
A sudden jolt of uncertainty struck. Why was he backing off? Didn’t he want her as
much as she wanted him? She looked away, attempting to hide her insecurity as she answered in a near whisper, “We don’t have to if you don’t want to…”
“Pfft.” Davis gave a soft laugh, grabbing her hand and placing it on his crotch. “Does that feel like I don’t want to?”
Holy shit! Eyes wide, Scarlett shook her head, startled by the anaconda straining the limits of his pants.
“Whoa, that must be painful. Let’s let that monster out,” she said, unbuttoning his pants and pulling down his zipper.
As her fingers toiled, Davis worked his way out of his shoes, using his feet. His pants glided to the floor. He stepped out of them and bent his knee, reaching down to remove a sock before repeating the process with the other foot.
Looking him over like a hawk would a rabbit, Scarlett swallowed down the lump in her throat. He stood barelegged all the way up to his boxer briefs that were bulging out in the crotch. His thighs were world class, likely from all the horseback riding at his family’s ranch, where he served as the manager and trained champions. Reaching out, she fingered the top of the waistband, lightly trailing her fingers up his torso to the circular patch of pink crowning one of his pecs.
Impulsively, she leaned forward, opening her mouth and tonguing over the small, eraser-like nub. Davis’s knees buckled and he moaned loudly. Yummy—she had found a sensitive spot. Seizing the moment, she wrapped her lips around the nipple, suckling while her fingers found its twin and began to tease. Another loud moan broke the silence.