Sheppard: Marshall’s Shadow – Jaguar Shapeshifter Romance (Marshall's Shadow Book 1)

by Kathi S. Barton

  “You will now.” He took off his shirt and moved toward her, crawling on his all fours like a big cat. “He wants to mark you at some time. Just a bite to your thigh or calf. It won’t hurt as bad as you might think. But he needs to do it.”

  “You talk too much.” His laughter made her smile again, and when he pulled her legs apart, she moaned. The lick to her clit and his tongue going around it made her moan. He was going to drive her crazy with— “Holy Christ, yes, again.”

  He touched a nerve inside of her body that seemed to sizzle and ping all over her. She had to convince her feet that it was all right to uncurl her toes, it had felt so wonderful. Shep had a way with his mouth that made her beg for more one moment and then for mercy the next. Christ, he was going to kill her, and she just didn’t care.

  She came three times before she had to hold onto something. The only thing that was close enough for her to touch was the post of the big bed that had been delivered just today. Gripping it as hard as she could, all she could think about was that he was going to make her regret telling him that there wasn’t anything like mind blowing sex.

  It was like he had something to prove to her, and proving it he was. Never in all her life had she come so many times without actual sex. Harris was sure that when they got to that part, if she was still alive, she was going to be a limp, over-cooked noodle.

  Shep ate at her for what seemed like hours. His mouth was all over her, his hands massaging her flesh like he was making her supple enough to eat. Harris felt her body tense up when a climax was coming, only to begin again when he would bring her to that point once again. She was dizzy with it, but knew somehow that there was more to come, and when she got it, when Shep shared it, she was going to come like the roof was coming off the house and she’d be shot to the moon.

  Finally she could take no more. Begging him to let her go, he only doubled his efforts at making her scream again. When her knees were ready to give out on her, he finally let her go, but only to pick her up and take her to the bed. Limp as she’d ever been, Harris thought that she’d get to rest a little while. Boy, was she ever wrong.

  Harris was sure that the little rest of ten seconds where he picked her up was all he needed to get more creative with her body. For him to renew his effort in making her dead. Even as he got on the bed with her, his hands were all over her body again.

  His cock was touching her thighs as he ate at her breasts. Suckling at the tips made her wild with need. Shep massaged them as well, squeezing and holding them like he was going to make milk come from the tips. A child, her mind screamed at her. A child with this man.

  “I want you.” She nodded, then shook her head. “You don’t want me. Well, that sucks, because I’m painfully full, and you’re so ripe for me right now. Are you sure about that, honey?”

  “I want a child with you. Is that possible?” Shep nodded at her, his face wearing a look of hope and love. “As soon as we can, I’d like to create a child with you, Shep. Please. I need your child.”

  “I want that as well, but you’re not in heat right now.” She moaned when he slipped deep inside of her, his cock seemingly growing to fill every part her of body. “You’re so beautiful, Harris. You make me want to be a better man.”

  “Take me.”

  He did too, filling her over and over as his cock moved in and out of her. The more she cried out, the faster and harder he seemed to take her, until at the very last moment, when she was ready to scream down the world around them, he stiffened over her, his back bowed back, and he cried out so loudly that she was sure that the household had heard him. Then he took her again.

  Harris wrapped her legs around his, holding onto his shoulders as he pounded her hard, almost painfully. And when he bit down on her breast, making her cry out in pleasure, he fucked her harder still, bringing her to such heights that she knew that if she fell from here, there would never be another chance of coming back from this.

  Her climax ripped her apart. She came with such completeness that she didn’t breathe, didn’t think her heart beat for several seconds. And when she came back from it, just enough to catch her breath, she came again, screaming out his name over and over until she felt his teeth scrape over her flesh and he bit into her.

  There was a moment of pure clarity where she saw them. They were sitting around a tree, decorated in so many bright colors that it almost hurt. Presents were everywhere. Children too. And there, sitting next to Shep, was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen. It was his mom.

  No one could see them; she was sure of that. But his mom was leaning over Shep’s shoulder, looking at the child that he held. Her mom was there too, just on the other side, talking to Shep’s mom about their grandchild. Her father was there, sitting next to the tree, watching the other children marveling at the gifts. Then in a snap of a finger she was back in her bed with Shep, and he was saying her name over and over.

  “I thought that I’d killed you.” She smiled up at him, touching his face with her fingers. “You were out so hard that I really thought that I’d fucked you to death.”

  “You might have. I saw your mother.” He frowned at her. “She was with my mom and dad, and they were looking at our baby. She’s beautiful, your mom. Her reddish hair pulled back into a neat bun. Her fingers so prettily stained with berries. And the most beautiful golden eyes that seemed filled with tears as she looked down at our child.”

  “Tell me about her face.” Harris closed her eyes and thought about the woman’s face. “My mom didn’t wear makeup. She said that it got into her eyes when she was working. What else can you tell me about her face?”

  “She has a scar on her chin. It’s not all that wide, but it’s long. Her ears are pierced, but she doesn’t have her...wait, she does have them in. They’re small. Like the size of an eraser. They’re diamonds, I think.” When Shep didn’t say anything, Harris looked at him. “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No. It was her. The earrings were from us. We pooled our money and got them for her for a Mother’s Day so long ago I forgot about them. Dean ordered them, and since he had no clue what the size chart was, he ordered the biggest number they had. Of course, that turned out to be smaller. But she loved them as much as if they were sixteen carat.” She asked about the scar. “It was from Dad. He lashed out with her as his cat, and she never forgave him for that. It had to be stitched up because she refused to shift and have it gone. Mom said that she wanted him to see it each time he looked at her. He did too, commenting on how she should have covered it up with something. How did you see her?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps it was the mind blowing sex that I had.” He laughed, but he still looked nervous. “We had children around the tree, Shep. I think that this wasn’t the first time that they visited, either. They seemed to be very familiar with each other.”

  He laid down beside her, holding her hand and looking at the ceiling. She waited; he was thinking. One thing she’d learned about Shep was that he was someone who did their thinking quietly. When he looked at her, she could see that whatever he’d thought about, it was going to be great.

  “My mom would have loved you. I mean, she’d have been hitting you with her spoon every time you cursed, but she’d love you to pieces. I can see her now, knitting booties for the babies that come along.” He hugged her naked body to his and she laid there, thinking that she had really ended up on the best end of life. Having a family like this to be there for her, it was something that she hadn’t had before.

  The two of them played around in the bed. Then in the shower too. It was nice, just having nothing to do but to be with each other. They made love again and again, and every time it got better, more romantic. Harris thought it was because the need had been lessened. Whatever it was, she was as happy as she’d ever been. In fact, Harris didn’t think she’d ever been this happy in her life.

  They made plans for Grandda. He needed something to do and someplace to go daily. He’d been hanging around the grocery s
tore—Harris thought that he was sweet on one of the clerks. Thankfully he walked there and back. He did drive when he needed to, but not that often. Harris thought about hiring him a driver, someone that could cart him around when he wanted to go, but she’d have to do it without him thinking that she thought that he was old. No, he’d be hurt by that, surely.

  At midnight they were both starving, so they made their way to the kitchen. There were sandwiches made up, with lettuce and tomato on the side. Several containers of salads too. She found her favorite, macaroni salad, and ate it while Shep put together the sandwiches. Tea was there, as well as beer. She had one of those while Shep drank tea. Harris asked him why he didn’t drink.

  “No real reason. I don’t care for the taste, but it’s not horrible. It would take a great deal to make me drunk, so I didn’t want to waste money on that. Besides, being out on a rig, you don’t want to let your guard down or you could die. There is no coming back from falling that far into an ocean.”

  After they cleaned up the kitchen, they dragged their asses to bed and fell asleep. She knew that she’d not be able to sleep all that late, having gotten up early all her life, but she would take a nap later in the day if she needed one. Yawning for the second time, she let sleep take her under.

  ~*~

  Lily read the missive twice before she closed her eyes. Whatever she had thought was going on with Shelly, it certainly wasn’t this. Putting away the note that had been passed to her by one of the SS, she decided that she was going to call on Harrison whenever she was feeling like someone was pulling the wool over her eyes.

  Howard entered their bedroom just as she was thinking of going to find him. He worked so hard that sometimes she worried for his health. When she handed him the note, he read it just as she had. The first time with disbelief, the second time to make sure.

  “She was working with the vice president in getting information? I don’t want to say that she’s wrong on this, but Harrison has always dug deeper than anyone that I’ve ever met. And while you might not like what she finds, you can bet that it’s right.” He got up to pace. “I wonder what she wants us to do. I can’t trust the man now. Not that I ever did, but Christ, this is bad.”

  “I’m supposed to have dinner with Sheppard this week.” He turned and looked at her, the oddest smile on his face. “What is it? Do you think he can’t be trusted either? I’ll have you know that that man—”

  “No, I was thinking that I’d very much like to meet this paragon of manhood.” He laughed. “Yes, this will be perfect. You said that he’s living with Harrison and her husband?”

  “Yes, but do you think that’s safe, Howard? I don’t want you hurt in this.”

  He said that if he was safe anywhere, it was at the Marshall home. “Harris is the one that trained me on how to think outside the box when it came to making myself less of a target. I wonder who it is Benson reports to. Other than me, who he is supposed to report to as my vice president. There has to be someone above him. I bet she knows.”

  “She more than likely does, but I doubt that she would have said anything in a note like the one she sent.”

  He started to pace the room. If there was a way to make this work, she knew that Howard would. Lily loved her husband. It was something that she’d been teased about in the papers, how her love for him just shone through. Saps. Of course she loved him. She was supposed to, wasn’t she? Morons.

  “I’m supposed to go there tomorrow. There is a celebration. I’m not sure what it is, but.... Wait a minute. Codes. There’s a way we can read between the lines.” She took the note from him and set it on the desk she used. “All right. We got this today, and Harris would have known that. So the date is....” She wrote it down.

  It was a game that she and Jill Ann used to use when they were passing notes in school. Sheppard would know it—he was the one that had taught it to them. Never once were they caught, either. The notes would be something like, after school your father is picking us up. But between the lines, what Sheppard called it, there would be an underlying note that would have to do with tests or boys that they liked. Lily got the first word almost as soon as she started.

  “We used to use the date so that it would change daily. The month is May, so it’s three letters. See? So I write down the third letter every time. If there is a space, that’s a letter in the count too.” She wrote them all down. Howard said it was gibberish. “Yes, it is. Until I use the date. Because it’s a double digit date, we add them up. So, it’s five. Now I take away each fifth thing I wrote down.”

  She handed the finished note to Howard. Lily was so proud of herself. Come to wedding. There will be lots of guests that we can use. Love H.

  “How did you make this up?” She said that they’d write out the note, then work from there. It would be easier once she started using it again. “I think he was the one that fixed it up for us. People don’t know just how brilliant that man is.”

  “I guess not.” She asked him if he would be able to get away. “Yes. I think it’s imperative that I meet this man, don’t you?”

  “Yes. But I also don’t want you to give things away for Harris. I mean, it might be something that she should be warned about, don’t you think?” He asked her if she could send a note back to her about him coming. “I can do that. I can’t believe that I had it come back to me so quickly. This will help a great many things going on, I’m betting.”

  It took her twenty minutes to get the note finished up. Then she sent it on its way by the service man that had brought her the note from Sheppard. She put in the note that he could call and just say yes or no. With Sheppard, who knew what the man would do? But she loved him as much as she had her own parents.

  Lily didn’t know when to expect a reply from anyone, so she went about her business as first lady. It wasn’t until just after noon that she turned on the television to watch the game show that she was addicted to. There was breaking news on, and she watched as Shelly Main was discovered in her home, dead. Lily was also startled to realize that Shelly was the VP’s daughter.

  The news report said that there wasn’t any sign of a break in, nor did it look as if there might be foul play involved. She had been in the shower and had fallen, it looked like. It was then said that she was the secretary for the first lady, as well as daughter to the vice president. She would be sorely missed, it said.

  The reporter showed pictures of Shelly while she’d been alive. College pictures, as well as some of her as a child. Vice President Collier could not be reached for comment. She wondered what he’d say. That he was disappointed that his daughter could no longer spy on people? That she was a good spy while it lasted? Feeling terrible for thinking such things, Lily turned off the news, no longer interested in watching it.

  Lily had plenty to do as first lady. There were charity organizations that she headed, and a couple of committees that she was on. When her cell phone rang, she answered without looking at it. The harsh cursing had her pulling it away from her ear to see who was talking to her like that.

  “Are you there? You deserve to be held accountable for her murder. You’re the one that insisted that she take her vacation, and now look. My little girl is dead.” Lily wasn’t sure what to say to Benson Collier, so she kept her mouth shut. “Got nothing to say, do you? Well, I have plenty. Just wait until the newspapers find out that you sent her away and killed her.”

  “Benson, you’re not thinking right. How could I have been responsible for her falling in the shower? And I didn’t even know that she was your daughter until the news report.” He said that it was murder. “I don’t think anyone is going to believe you in that. She fell. And me making her take her vacation has nothing to do with that.”

  “You should have had her there, where she was doing good work. She was good for us, you know. All the information that she gave us was helpful on so many levels. You had no right to send her away.” Lily pushed the button on her desk. It would bring her secret service men to her, an
d Howard if he wasn’t too busy. As soon as they entered, she put the phone on speaker, and let them hear Benson screaming at her about how she’d murdered his daughter.

  When Howard joined her, Benson was still screaming about her murdering his daughter. The men there were recording it now on their own devices, and she would only answer what they told her to say. Quietly she told Howard what had been going on since he called.

  “I heard from him about an hour before they found her body. He was upset that Shelly had been sent away like she was nothing.” Lily pointed out that it was unused vacation. “I know that, honey, but he’s grieving, and that’s what it is.”

  “I don’t know, Howard. He said something funny to me. He told me how she was good for us, meaning him, I think. That all the information that she gave them was helpful on so many levels. What did he mean?” He said that he didn’t know, but not to mention it. “No, I won’t. I’ll not tell anyone else. But I’ll let Harris— Howard, do you think…?”

  “Don’t say it.” She nodded as he whispered in her ear. “We’ll be there in a couple of days, and we’ll have some answers. If she did, then there is a good reason for it. As you’ve been told about, more than likely.”

  “All right. You’re right. But what about Benson? Do you think that he’s going to be trouble now?” Howard nodded. “Yes, I think so as well. Maybe we’re getting ahead of this before things get too far gone.”

  “When what gets too far gone?” Another man that she had never trusted, the press secretary, Maron Davidson. “Benson, I don’t think he’s anything to worry about, do you? I mean, his little girl has just died, and he has to blame someone. All this business of you being at fault, Mrs. Steele, it’s nothing to worry yourself over.”

  “She’s the first lady, Mr. Davidson.” She wanted to tell the guard not to worry about it right now, but didn’t. “We have all we need, Mr. President. If you don’t mind, I’d change my phone number as soon as you can. Also, I’d stay out of his line of sight for a few days. Let him cool down. I’ve taken steps to have someone pick him up.”