Her Mane Man (Online Shifter Dating Agency Romance)

by Sasha Winter

  All Marcus had left on then was his underwear, and once again, a particular part of him wanted to be set free to get to know Ashley better. This time there was nothing holding it back from doing so, unless it be a love of anticipation. Of this they had had quite enough, however.

  Ashley knew so and saved him the trouble of having to ask further permission for the next step, sliding her fingers from his middle to his knees and pausing then only to let him remove the underwear completely. Naked together at last, her eyes then went to the epicenter of his inflated desire.

  Marcus studied her body in turn, memorizing every wonderful inch of her—her bountiful breasts, her curvy hips and thighs, her soft belly. He traced her lips, her nose, her eyes, and she glowed with anticipation as she watched him watch her, obviously shy but still enjoying the effect her body had on him.

  “I want you,” she said. “I have for a long time.”

  He replied with his body, pulling her back down to the bed and gently rolling on top of her. He braced his arms at her sides and slid one knee between her legs, and she smiled and moaned, touching his shoulders and back as he kissed her again until they were locked together in a feverish embrace, hands and mouths feasting on each other’s bodies. Ashley’s fingertips coasted over the hard contours of Marcus’ back and arms, and he gently clasped one wrist in his big right hand, guiding it down to his stiff cock. She let out a low gasp as she molded her hand to his shaft, stroking up and down, and Marcus pumped his hips, moving every hard inch over her small palm.

  “God…you’re big,” she murmured.

  Her movements grew quicker as excitement got the better of her, but Marcus pulled away with a groan of determination. His eyes locked with hers, and he moved down her body, settling between her legs. Ashley’s lips opened in a silent gasp, and Marcus smirked before finally breaking the eye contact and slipping his hands underneath her. He gripped her ass and lowered his face to her pussy, the tip of his nose just grazing her clit, and then he pressed his mouth down and ran his tongue along the seam of her folds. His first taste was a long, light tease of his tongue, just enough to part her lower lips before settling on her clit, hungrily lapping at her.

  Ashley’s hands moved down to grip his thick hair, pushing him harder against her, and her hips bucked upwards as she gasped, seemingly already on the edge of climax.

  “That’s amazing….don’t stop,” she moaned.

  Marcus’ tongue kept flicking over and around her clit, finding the perfect rhythm to get her moaning and whimpering even louder, and then he slid one finger inside her, groaning against her as he felt her hot, tight walls grip the digit. She came against him, gasping and mewling, and he slowed the movement of his tongue, drawing her climax out as long as possible. Finally it became too much for her, and she wildly bucked her hips and moved away from the sweet torture of his mouth, gasping for air as she tried to regain her senses.

  Marcus moved up the bed, and Ashley let him take the lead as he kissed her again and angled himself to her folds, then eased inside. She gasped as her tightness stretched around him, and he groaned. He was big, but with a few steady thrusts, he was deep inside her.

  “Oh god…”

  Ashley felt his mouth press against her neck, his hot breath making her tingle as his teeth grazed her soft skin. Then he braced himself on his big arms, staring into her eyes as he eased out of her and back in, making her cry out every time. The heat from their passion blazed brightly, and Marcus quickly began to take Ashley harder and faster. Her eyes dropped down to where their bodies were meeting, and she watched as his cock withdrew and entered, coming out slick with her desire each time.

  As her moans grew in pitch and frequency, Marcus’ groans changed, growing shallow and sharp, and he slammed into her relentlessly, his hips pumping over and over as he buried himself deep inside her. Ashley spread her legs even wider, moaning as his heavy body slapped against her clit.

  “Yes,” she begged. “I’m about to…oh god…”

  Marcus felt Ashley’s muscles tighten around him as her climax washed over her, and she gasped and squeezed her eyes shut beneath him. Marcus growled and moved faster, and his hands reached under and dug into her soft ass cheeks as he murmured sweet nothings in her ear.

  He soon let out a series of low groans, slamming inside her over and over, and he growled out his own pleasure and stilled before finally pulling out and rolling over to lie back on the bed. Knowing is its own answer, as some wise person once wrote, and for sure Marcus knew he loved Ashley there and then.

  He also knew that he would have to accept his mission. He owed as much to her, although how to break the news was something he would have to figure out. Ruining such a glorious moment was simply too wrong to contemplate.

  Chapter 14

  Several days of bliss followed Ashley’s daring move, then she was back in the office trying to remember what normality felt like. Partly she remained in disbelief over her actions in that she had been so forward, but it was a good disbelief. She had underestimated herself, so perhaps too had the world.

  Turning matters around in such a way, or even having the ability to do so, was a complete surprise. The three weeks since she had been attacked had been sorrowful when the numbness had worn off, being under the false impression that Marcus had already left town. Assumption was a fruitless quality that seemed to have no redeeming features whatsoever, almost being to blame for causing her to lose the love of her life.

  Now that she had found herself in his arms, she felt slightly foolish for not having looked into the matter and having let so much precious time go to waste. That is not to say that she was too regretful, however, because the time had been useful in helping to overcome her nervousness. Realizing she missed Marcus more than she feared Vince had proved a sobering toxin, giving her strength to face up to the threat and helping her to become convinced she could put it behind her. Rather than just wishing that Vince would vanish off the face of the earth, she had accepted the situation, although helped significantly by the knowledge that her ex would certainly think twice before approaching her again.

  In a way, this newfound confidence was reaffirmed that very morning back at work, when she received a call from the medical board. “Yes, this is Ashley Cortes,” she said to the caller from the board, puzzled as to why they were phoning her. “How can I help you?”

  “I’d like to talk to you about an allegation of professional misconduct which has been made against you,” the person said.

  The call was problematic from a professional point of view, stating that she was now the subject of scrutiny and had to tread carefully in future so as to not receive any more warnings. On a positive note, the action taken against the fact that she had become personally involved with a patient suggested that, scared away by his experience, Vince was now having to resort to other methods to upset her life. Undoubtedly the complaint the board had received about her had come from him and, though she was put on the spot and had to explain herself, the situation added to her confidence that she would not be subjected to violent assault again.

  Obviously, once Vince had recovered from his shock, he had done some digging and found out who the lion shifter was—as well as working on the assumption that they were romantically involved, even though at the time Ashley had only flirted with breaking the rules of her profession and not actually done so, though not through want of trying.

  In response to the inquiry, Ashley decided to just be completely honest, admitting that she had become personally involved with a client but having acted immediately to ensure he was referred to another therapist. Once the explanation had been received by the member of the board who was largely amicable and, she hoped, impressed by her openness, Ashley waited for a response with bated breath.

  “A recommendation will be made to avoid an official warning. You will be informed by mail as to whether this had been declined or accepted,” the medical board staff member on the other end of the line said, his voice not betraying
his opinion either way.

  “Thank you,” Ashley replied before politely ending the call.

  She would not let that conclusion bother her so long as she could avoid giving Vince any more ammunition.

  Reveling in newfound self-confidence, she decided the news was not going to be allowed to ruin her day. After believing Marcus to have been lost to her, getting him back was all that mattered. So enjoying a healthier sense of perspective, she knew that it was not the workplace misdemeanor she wanted to make up for but the careless decision that had led her to reject Marcus when his actions had overawed her. Encountering a lion shifter in his wild form had shown how her fantasies had failed to take into account of how vulnerable she would feel. Although the thought of running her fingers through a lion’s mane had led her to PurrfectMatch, it turned out that it was Marcus in his human form she wanted all along; everything about him was wonderful.

  Perfect, even.

  A new phase of her life was set to begin, enriched by hindsight and perhaps something like wisdom, although some things stayed the same. Just as Ashley was poring over her email contacts, for example, trying to decide which of her fellow physiotherapists had the best reputation—so she could confidently refer Marcus and know he was in safe hands—Veronica entered the office with a big curious grin on her face. An interrogation from her friend and colleague was predictable at some stage, since Ashley had not kept it from her that she had been seeing Marcus, and with a lull between clients, it was clear a moment had been chosen that she could not worm her way out of—not that she minded. Many female friends were nosy, but few of them had looked out for her like Veronica. Maybe she did deserve a raise.

  “Hey, dark horse,” her assistant began. “What’s the gossip?”

  “I’m no such thing,” Ashley replied with a wry smile. “That was the medical board, informing me that a complaint has been made about me becoming personally involved with a client.”

  Veronica’s brows shot up. “Oh! Really?”

  “Three guesses who’s been up to some mischief.”

  “The criminal genius himself,” Veronica replied, rolling her eyes.

  “Indeed. If that’s the best he can do now then I quite feel I’ve washed my hands of him at last.”

  The week after the attack, Ashley had also been able to retrieve her belongings accompanied by police officers. Taking advantage of the fact that Vince was being questioned and charged, ordering him to stay away from the house had been a far simpler procedure, and now he had nothing else to torment her with. If he had any secret revenge sex tapes then she would likely have known about it by now. At first she had not put this past him but thankfully the world would not get to see how she worked her booty anytime soon.

  “You’re not in trouble or anything?” Veronica asked.

  “Only if I start hooking up with my next client as well. But no, they’re going to inform me in writing whether an official warning has been made, or whether they’ve decided to overlook it because I didn’t allow the problem to linger.”

  “I see. But actually, Ash, that wasn’t the gossip I was referring to,” Veronica said, changing the subject.

  “Oh, really?” Ashley replied.

  “No, I was thinking more along the lines of you and a certain lion shifter, giving a new meaning to the phrase ‘pussy stroking’.”

  Ashley smiled again. “As predictable, Ronnie, you are awful.”

  “I know, so put me out of my misery before I get really obscene. Give up all the details! You’ve been over to his place, haven’t you?’

  Ashley nodded in response, not trying to hide a smug grin that told Veronica all she needed to know.

  “I knew it! I thought you couldn’t sit straight.”

  “Ronnie!”

  “So, you both serious about each other then? You going to get him off all fours and into a tux?”

  “That’s a bit far away, Ronnie.”

  “You’re not ruling it out, though?”

  “We haven’t talked about anything serious yet. We’re just dating and enjoying…”

  “You’ve been too busy fucking, you mean.”

  “Ronnie, I’m going to make you help Mr. Shawcross put his pants back on from now on, if you keep this up.”

  Veronica winked. “Whatever turns you on, girl.”

  Finding nothing at hand to throw at her, Ashley waved her assistant away—ordering her to go and make some coffee as punishment—and got back to her search.

  It was difficult to judge who would be the best choice for giving up Marcus’ time, but in the end she decided that Ms. Forster was the best physio out there (next to her), even though she was annoyingly good-looking. The match-up would serve as proof of her confidence in Marcus; she could not imagine him doing anything to hurt her, including being seduced by another sexy professional.

  As she fired off an email, Ashley realized the question had popped into her head as to just how serious their relationship was. That they were crazy about each other was obvious. Then again, she had yet to even ask Marcus whether he had changed his mind about returning to military life. When they’d last been enjoying each other, the idea of insecurity had been completely overlooked. With his head between her legs and her lips around his shaft, she had not imagined he was going anywhere soon, but the thought now occurred to her that he hadn’t actually confirmed his staying put. Raising the matter when they next spoke was probably a wise course of action in case a very unpleasant surprise was coming her way.

  Surely he wasn’t going anywhere, though. They were just too perfect for each other.

  Chapter 15

  A soldier’s relationship with the army is a curious entity. A recruit might hate the forces, bitterly even in Marcus’s case, but the bond between them can rarely be described as breakable. This project, made up of covert shifter missions, simply had his name on it. Explaining this sense of duty to a civilian was like a boxer trying to explain to a pacifist why they continue to crawl back into the ring after being knocked out. It was in his blood and he felt drawn to take up the offer.

  Despite his treatment, Marcus still considered himself bound by duty although, if he was honest, it helped in being able to quench another dilemma entirely. Leaving Ashley was not something he wanted to do, but since he had found out more about her life, he was troubled by the notion that he was not the right choice for her after all. Undoubtedly he was a better choice than the prick she had, for some reason, chosen last time, but he also had history that she did not need; history that could come back and bite them if he wasn’t careful.

  Hopefully he could leave having become a positive influence on her life, but only a temporary one, despite his love for her. Imagining anything long-term was subjecting her to the same unstable influences that had put her in harm’s way before. It was the specter of unpredictable violence that haunted him and his potential for being unstable; for putting her in danger. The thought had been plaguing him for a few days, and when the call from Captain Forrester arrived, he hadn’t paused for long before accepting the mission. Their relationship was still new, so he hoped she would soon get over any pain he left behind, but his mind was very much set, his belongings packed and responsibilities organized.

  Ashley would’ve been ignorant to her role in helping with his decision, but her response to his shifting into a lion had actually been the decisive factor. She had not been wrong in taking a step back after having witnessed a lion attacking a man on the premises of her very workplace. That she had since gotten over the shock was a relief, but Ashley was right all the same. The attack exposed a violent part of his nature that had let him down once before, one which he needed to find a way to control more effectively.

  What better way of doing so than by signing up to special missions that were designed with shifters in mind? Returning would allow him to address two demons at the same time: his regret for having made one massive mistake as a soldier and his subsequent disenchantment with his whole shifter identity. Staying at home a
nd presuming he was ready for a loving and serious relationship was just a way of avoiding his past. Regret can only be buried in a woman’s bosom for so long. For sure the lunatic Vince must have started off by repressing a darker side of his nature when they met; Marcus was not about to make the same mistake.

  As a result, flying out was imminent. All that was left was to handle a few issues with the help of Blake—and via him also. There would come a time when Marcus would have to put himself out in return, until then it was his time for calling in a favor or two—even if he was now slightly in debt after all the between-the-sheets antics with Ashley.

  One of these conclusive issues involved relating the reasons for his departure. Although feeling guilty about declining to tell her in person, there were two reasons as to why Marcus was putting pen to paper. The first was to avoid the likelihood of Ashley talking him out of the decision; if she cried and begged he would probably have given in but believed they would both regret his having done so over the long term. The second was because, being keen both to get the matter off his chest and to also be completely honest with her, Marcus wanted to open up about the real reason for his dishonorable discharge. Giving voice to any account of that mistake had always been beyond him. He would choke in the attempt, his words and thinking bottled up, but putting it down on paper might be possible.

  All the same, writing the letter became the last chore on his list before he set off for Blake’s. In many ways, getting it down in writing was the challenge he set to seal the deal. If he could not make sense of his own intentions, then what hope was there?

  For an hour he sat there wondering how to begin, then slowly, but steadily, the words came:

  Dear Ashley,