“You like it rough, don’t you?”
She hadn’t said it in so many words, but she did. She loved the coarse hair of his legs scratching her inner thighs; his fingers pinching her buttocks, bruising the flesh; his cock making her writhe with a mixture of pleasure and pain.
It hurt so good.
“Don’t open your eyes.”
She shook her head. Blindly, she sought purchase on his upper arms, digging her nails into the steely muscle. The bed shook with the force of his thrusts, and she held on to him as to life itself.
He splayed one hand on her stomach and used the other to lift her legs to his shoulders. The new angle exposed her to more of him. The pressure was too much. He went too deep. The abundance of stimuli made her lightheaded. She cried out. It didn’t take much more than his two fingers pinching her clit to send her spiraling toward the edge and then tumbling over it, overwhelmed by the release of the tension that had been building up in her belly since she’d felt him between her legs.
“Don’t open your eyes,” he said again, but now she needed to. She needed to see his face mirror the pleasure that arched her back and short circuited her nerve endings.
Against her better judgment, despite the voice in her head that said she was risking everything, she opened her eyes and looked up at him.
His features contorted, but in agony, not ecstasy. He pulled out of her, and his hot spendings sprayed her chest and stomach. “No, Alice.” The frustration in his voice and dread in his light brown eyes made no sense. He’d just come all over her. He should be exhausted but satisfied.
“What? What’s wrong?”
He squeezed his eyes shut, and shook his head, face pinched. The movement reminded her of Prince. Her mind was a scary place.
He met her gaze again.
She could tell he meant to say something important. “Tell me, what?” She needed to hear whatever it was. He had to speak now, before she woke up.
“It’s nothing. I just don’t want to leave.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do.” His expression told her she’d never see him again, if she let him go this time.
She reached for him. “Stay. Please.”
He disentangled himself from her and lay by her side. “I wish I could, Alice. Believe me.”
She felt a knot of unshed tears form in her throat. “No. You have to stay. Just a little while.” The loneliness she’d refused to acknowledge every time she told her sister she was done with love, overpowered her, ripping through the haze of her recent bliss. It was essential that she didn’t let him disappear this time.
“There’s no little while. I found you too late. What comes next is forever.” His eyes were filled with infinite sadness.
The knot rose and came undone, drowning her logic under a torrent of emotion. She wanted to spend more of her nights with him, since her days weren’t an option. She wanted to get to know him, and this was the only way available to her. It wasn’t like she had something to lose. Whatever she offered in her sleep couldn’t possibly be binding in real life. “Then maybe stay forever,” she said. “Please?” She was aware of how stupid she was being, clinging to the made-up version of a man she hadn’t really gotten to know, but the possibility of losing him for good tore her up inside.
He gathered her to him, and she peppered his chest with kisses until he stopped her lips with his. The moment they both slanted into the kiss, her mind was consumed by thoughts that didn’t belong to her.
Unwanted. Useless for anything but pleasure. Lost.
He’d been lost when she found him.
Not Alice, the other woman. She was sexy and scary and she took him with her and lifted him above the filth that had been his world. Until she came along, he’d been making a living as a bartender, sleeping around, drowning his inadequacy issues in alcohol, and only occasionally scoring a gig as a guitarist. She’d heard him play, asked if the songs were his, and arranged for him to meet a couple producers. She’d be his manager and didn’t expect anything in return, she’d said. Still, she was gorgeous and obviously into him, and he’d seen no harm in sleeping with her. Once turned to twice and then into a relationship. She took care of him, and in return, he took care of her.
The first time she whispered she loved him, he felt like shit. He owed her everything but didn’t feel the same, and it killed him a little every day. He was on his way to her place, to finally tell her they were through, when he saw a woman who called to every fiber of his being. A woman he had to make his.
And he made her his and he became hers, because he always had been hers and hers alone.
Alice.
But Cassandra found out, and Cassandra didn’t like it. Witch? Demon? Goddess? Something else entirely? Whatever she was, she was furious and powerful.
A curse.
His curse.
The curse was supposed to punish him. The curse was supposed to keep them apart.
Unless Alice wanted forever.
Images and sensations swirled around her, making her gasp for breath.
He was a dog, alone and scared. He was a man but wouldn’t stay one for long. It was up to her. All up to her. He’d be gone soon. Forever.
She felt a tear roll down her cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have asked you to stay sooner.”
“I was about to, tonight, but I didn’t want to force you to an eternity with me. If you knew, you’d ask me to stay just because you’re too nice to let me be a dog.”
But she’d asked him to stay anyway. Because she couldn’t fathom not seeing him again. Because he was the only man who made her body sing. Because even as a dog, he’d made her feel safe and like she belonged. Because she could see herself falling for him and landing in his arms.
White light filled her vision. She tried to blink him into focus, but nothing happened.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
When she opened them again, the light came from outside her window. It was 2015, and she knew she’d never again return to the dream she’d shared with her stranger.
And it had been a weird dream: a dog that used to be a man until he met her; a curse only she could break; and the mind-blowing sex that was the result of potential soul mates recognizing one another.
Good thing she was out of it and back to a world that made sense.
She wiped her still wet eyes.
She had to get started on finding Prince a new home. There was no way she could hold on to him and her sanity. She looked down at the floor.
He was still there—still asleep—but he wasn’t Prince. The man who’d strolled into her life six months ago and had haunted her dreams for the past four nights was curled up by her parents’ bed.
“You.” The word was too small, but cracked like a whip through the silence.
He opened his eyes startled, but smiled when he saw her. “Quinn. My name is Quinn.”
She nodded mutely.
His grin widened as he took in his nakedness. “I think you broke the curse.”
Alice had a choice. She could either believe in it all, crazy as it was, or go have herself committed.
In the light of day, her mind screamed that she’d been too hasty to promise forever, when she knew next to nothing about him, but her heart insisted she wanted to get to know it all. If the only way to keep him was to bind herself to him, it would have to do. She scooted toward the middle of the bed. “I think you better come up here and explain everything once more. In words, this time.”
He crawled up next to her with a grace too feline for someone who’d been a canine till recently. “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess,” he said. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss.
Maybe he could explain after they’d had the chance to remember how dream-sex compared to the real thing.
It wasn’t like he’d been going anywhere anytime soon.
And maybe later they could put up the tree. The holidays could last a while longer th
is year.
❄ The End ❄
Meet Sotia Lazu
Sotia’s making do with Greek reality, while writing and mostly thinking in English.
She loves romances with a twist and urban fantasy novels, always with vivid erotic elements. Her favorite characters to write are not conventional hero-material at first glance, and she enjoys making them fight for their happiness.
Sotia shares her life and living quarters with her husband, their son, and two rescue dogs, one of which may be part-pony. Sappy movies make her bawl like a baby, and she wishes she could take in all the stray dogs in the world.
Also, she hates mornings!
Website: sotialazu.com: http://sotialazu.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/justsotia
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sotia-Lazu/506067129453183
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4597070.Sotia_Lazu
Other Titles by Sotia Lazu
The Tenant
The Kiss
Passionate
Cherry Stem
HOLIDAY BLISS
❄
Leigh Ellwood
Two years after Hurricane Sandy, panther shifter Sheila Houlihan has finally rebuilt her home in the shore town of Bliss, New Jersey. She looks forward to her first Christmas there, if only Jonah will finish with the interior painting. Jonah, however, wants to be more than Sheila's handyman.
It's not enough to live as a panther shifter, but Sheila doesn't want to be seen as a "cougar." Romantic entanglements don't interest her, yet there's something about Jonah that inspires her to make merry.
"Holiday Bliss" continues the adventures of the smart, sexy shifters of the Jersey Shore.
Author’s Note: Holiday Bliss is the third story in my Love is Bliss series. It follows Sheer Bliss and Pure Bliss, but can be read as a standalone. If you want to read the two previous stories, they are available as a duology, Love is Bliss, at Amazon, ARe, and the usual eBook retailers. Thanks!
Chapter One
“Now here’s something you don’t see every day.”
Sheila Houlihan looked up from where she sat on her newly renovated deck. Only seconds earlier Lorraine Winston, come over to help her christen the relaxation area, had handed her a magazine folded back to an article of interest to both of their shifter families. Sheila hadn’t seen her nephew Caleb approach, and now she squinted at him as he blocked the afternoon sun. This created a blinding halo around him—the angelic effect looked rather ironic, given his mischievous nature.
“What is this ‘something’ of which you speak?” she posed to him. “Are you referring to warm weather in December, in New Jersey? It shouldn’t be so unusual anymore, what with all this global warming.”
Caleb moved to the far corner of the deck, where Sheila had set up a pitcher of iced tea and some plastic tumblers. He helped himself to a drink and took the nearest empty chair. “I’m talking about the two of you, together at your house, and you don’t have her in a chokehold,” he said, pointing his tea at Lorraine. The other woman stifled a chuckle at that, though Sheila wouldn’t have blamed her for laughing out loud. The feud between the panther-shifter Houlihans and the wolf-shifter Winstons made for many interesting stories and situations in the small shore town of Bliss. To see the matriarchs of each family enjoying a quiet drink and conversation, no hint of animosity or bitterness, might lead one to think a miracle of divine proportions had occurred.
Not exactly, Sheila would say. It took an act of God, yes, in the form of Hurricane Sandy. The merciless storm had all but destroyed the area, including Sheila’s and Lorraine’s homes. With the second anniversary of that horrible event past and Sheila’s home completely rebuilt, bickering family members had decided their differences, in the greater scheme of things, seemed minor enough to overcome.
“Lorraine was showing me the latest copy of Jersey Shore Style,” she said, holding up the photo collage taking up an entire page. Caleb barely had time to notice all the dolled-up dignitaries and local pseudo-celebrities before Sheila tossed it to the deck in disgust. “Not one word about this year’s Harvest celebration, and I know there was a photographer there to record everything.”
“Is that all?” Caleb sighed and shook his head. “Given the nature of our, ah, race, wouldn’t it make more sense to stay out of the public eye?” Of course, human residents in Bliss recognized the shifters as an amusing legend that increased tourism during the summer and around Halloween, when paranormal enthusiasts embarked on “sightseeing” tours. If somebody spotted a panther trotting in the surf, he knew well enough to keep a good distance.
Sheila, having lived in this seaside town much of her life, appreciated her neighbors keeping their presence an open secret. They didn’t discourage the looky-loos but also didn’t outwardly expose her kind to national media. Still, the events they put on in the community were meant to pay back the kindness. “We raise money for the less fortunate at the Harvest gala,” she pointed out to her nephew, and Lorraine nodded her agreement.
“Not just for us, but the entire county. Now more than ever, it’s needed,” Lorraine added. “Not everybody who lives here had good insurance like me and your aunt. Look around town…two years later and so many people haven’t completely recovered.”
“Well, how many people expected a hurricane to hit New Jersey? We just weren’t prepared.” Caleb raised his glass toward the new house, the exterior of which looked brand spanking new and much nicer than Sheila’s previous home. “I’m certainly glad Calla had enough coverage to get repairs on our place done,” he said. He’d moved into his wife’s place shortly before they married. Caleb admired the shutters and brick. “You just get the windows painted?”
Sheila nodded, rolling her eyes. “The guys are inside now, finishing some of the rooms. That’s why Lorraine and I are out here. The fumes.” She made a face. “Your cousin is staying with friends tonight,” she added, referring to her son. “I’m just glad the weather held up, otherwise we’d be freezing.”
“Why is Lorraine here? Not that I object to your presence,” Caleb said quickly, and Sheila laughed at the withering glance directed at him by her frenemy. “You’ll have to forgive me, it’s just that I’m not used to seeing this much harmony between you.”
Sheila couldn’t fault Caleb for his bemusement. Two years ago, Lorraine wouldn’t have willingly come to visit her. If she had, they might have tumbled off the deck and rolled into the ocean in an epic catfight worthy of a million YouTube viewings. Hurricane Sandy changed so much more than the landscape.
“Well, Caleb, Christmas is a few days away, and Lorraine and I are on the Elves of Bliss planning committee. We were just going over some last-minute details for this year’s event,” she said. “It’s important to get everything right, especially since it’s the first one since the storm.”
“We’ve received donations from all over the country,” Lorraine chimed in, bringing out her phone. She pulled up a photo for Caleb to see. “Toy companies, celebrities...you wouldn’t believe the support. And we need it, too, seeing as how we’ll have more kids coming.”
“I’m glad for that, and you ladies know Calla and I are here to help.”
Sheila leaned back in her chair and regarded her nephew with a smirk. “I would love to have heard that when I needed my new house painted,” she said.
“Yeah, well…” Caleb mumbled into silence and offered her a sheepish grin. “You know I love you, Aunt Sheila, but yours wasn’t the only house to blow away. It’s taken forever to get the repairs on our place, too. Especially when you’re going back and forth with the insurance people.”
“Ugh, tell me about it. So glad we opted for extra policies on our home. We’re back to normal, finally. Speaking of which,” Lorraine stood, “I need to get home and check the crock pot. Sheila, I’ll call you later?”
“I’ll be home.” The two women air kissed and Lorraine tottered away on her platform heels, oblivious to the rising winds c
oming off the ocean. Caleb watched the she-wolf disappear around the corner of the house, then whirled back to face Sheila.
“Why do I have the feeling this whole making nice act is going to blow up in a spectacular cat fight one day?” he asked.
“It’s not an act, and technically it would be a dog and cat fight,” Sheila pointed out. “Anyway, it’s not like Lorraine and I are going to embark on girls’ weekends to New York anytime soon. We’ve had our differences—”
“You two almost destroyed Calla’s salon fighting over who got the first hair appointment,” Caleb broke in, but Sheila kept talking.
“—and people change in the face of disaster. All of Bliss came together, and if a Winston needs help recovering from Sandy, I think we should give it.”
“We came, we saw, we spackled. Whatever. If you’re genuine, it’s no fur off my hindquarters.” Caleb shook his head. Sheila didn’t expect her nephew to accept this friendship immediately, but in time maybe all the shifters that inhabited this town would resolve their differences. The two panthers currently working on the first floor of her house could certainly use some encouragement.
Sheila glanced through the window looking into her kitchen and peered down the hallway. They had draped a drop cloth over the banister and taped the frame of the front door, and that served as the only evidence that work had happened. Occasionally a muscular man in a white wife-beater and baggy pants wandered into view, but from this distance Sheila couldn’t tell if he suffered any splatter on his clothing.
“While you’re here, you ought to head in there and make sure those buffoons are doing the job I paid them to do,” Sheila growled. “I wanted everything done yesterday. I’ve planned a housewarming and it would be nice to have the paint dry before New Year’s.”
Caleb leaned forward and watched the activity within. “You hired the Hinkley brothers?” he asked. “Don’t see why you’re complaining. They do great work, and they’re part of the greater family of panthers.”
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