Shifters in the Shadows: Seventeen Paranormal Romances of Sexy Shifters, Dangerous Vamps, & Things That Go Bump in the Night

by J. K Harper

  “Yes, he can. It’s good to have dreams.” She held an innocent smile for a moment before she burst into laughter.

  “You’re terrible,” he said with a grin.

  “So are you. I’d say we make a good team.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “What?” she asked.

  “What happened with that long-term relationship you mentioned?”

  “There wasn’t enough passion,” she said.

  “Ah, you have to have more than just a spark to keep the fire going.”

  “It sounds like you know a bit about this.”

  “If I ever were to settle down,” he said, “my mate would have to be a very passionate woman.”

  “I want a man who can kiss me until I melt into a puddle,” she said.

  As she tilted her head to one side, the last thread of restraint snapped. He captured her cheeks between his palms. And in a moment of pure insanity, he lowered his lips until they met hers in a kiss hot enough to start a wildfire.

  Chapter 4

  Sasha moaned as his fingers tangled in her hair. The emotional rollercoaster of their conversation had left her wrung out and needy. She craved this complicated man’s touch in a way that made her question her sanity. But as his lips moved across hers in a soul-scorching kiss, she pushed aside any doubts she had about him. So what if he was completely messed up. Maybe she needed chaos right now. Maybe a passionate night in his arms was exactly what she needed to regain her creative spark.

  When his hands slid down her neck, the feral passion in his touch awakened every inch of her body. Heat pooled in her liquid center. She sighed as he traced hungry kisses down her throat. His fingers glided down her back, leaving a trail of quivering flesh in their wake.

  As he scraped his palms over her hips, her knees went weak. She leaned against the solid wall of muscle on his chest. Her hands slipped into the waistband of his jeans. He groaned and pressed his forehead against her collarbone for a moment before rising up to nip at her earlobe.

  She shuddered with lust as his teeth closed over her sensitive skin. He’d found one of her hot buttons, and boy did he know how to press it.

  Swirling, languid swipes of his tongue descended toward her neck. She arched, giving him access to the most vulnerable part of her body. He didn’t waste a second. Instead, he unzipped her jacket and slid his hands inside.

  “Tell me if you get cold,” he whispered against her neck.

  “Impossible,” she murmured.

  “Even if I stripped you down and laid you in the snow?”

  She smiled at the teasing tone in his voice.

  “And here I was thinking that you’re a gentleman,” she joked.

  He drew back and regarded her with a serious expression. “You must think I’m an animal.”

  “You are an animal,” she whispered. “Positively beastly.”

  “You have no idea,” he growled.

  “Then show me,” she challenged. “Inspire me.”

  She wasn’t prepared to be scooped up into his arms. “Oh!”

  “I can’t show you how creative I can be right here,” he said.

  “No?”

  “No. But I can show you in my bedroom.”

  “A civilized beast,” she said.

  “No. I just don’t want to get pine needles in my ass.”

  She laughed and wrapped her arms around his chest. For the first time in months, joy filled her heart. To be playful again felt amazing. But as they approached the B&B, she tensed up.

  “What if someone sees us?” she asked.

  “Then they’ll be jealous.”

  “You’re so bad,” she whispered as she bent to kiss him.

  As he hurried through the patio door, she glanced to see if anyone was around. Everyone seemed to be in bed already. How long had they been outside talking?

  When they reached the second floor landing, he put her down. He fumbled with the key, causing enough of a ruckus that the door to one of the other rooms cracked open just as they slipped into his room. She quickly closed the door behind them and put a finger to her lips. She couldn’t hold back a giggle.

  “You naughty woman,” he whispered. “What will they think of you, sneaking into my room at night to take advantage of me?”

  “Me?” she asked. “You’re the one with the come-and-get-it eyes.”

  He backed into the room and clicked on one of the lamps.

  “Well?” he asked.

  “Well what?”

  “Are you going to come and get it?”

  Silvery laughter bubbled up from a place inside her that had lain dormant for too long. She prowled across the room. When she reached him, she slid her hands up his chiseled chest.

  “Maybe I should be sculpting this in marble,” she said as she slipped her fingers under his shirt.

  “I’d be more than happy to pose for you.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yes.” He backed up a step and began to unbutton his shirt. “I’m more than willing to sit on a pedestal for an artist of your caliber.”

  “You don’t even know my work,” she said breathlessly.

  “I googled you.”

  The moment his shirt opened to reveal his golden skin, she shivered with desire. The marble sculptures of ancient gods paled in comparison to his perfection. A sparse wash of coarse hair formed a tantalizing line down his belly. His rock-hard abs fluttered with every breath. But the most intriguing part of him lay hidden just beyond the zipper on his jeans.

  As she glided toward him, she reached behind her back to unzip her dress. His sharp intake of breath filled her with erotic power. Her bear pranced around in her chest, celebrating the fact that she was just about to roll around with the hottest man she’d ever encountered. She almost stopped to question how she’d gotten so lucky, but there would be time for doubts later—there always was. But for now, she wasn’t willing to think too hard about what any of this meant. She only cared about the thud of her heart against her ribcage and the molten heat pooling between her thighs.

  “Come here,” he whispered in a ragged tone.

  When she reached him, she pushed the straps on her dress over her shoulders. They slid down with a sensual caress. She held the garment in place while he reached for her upper arms.

  “Let me.”

  The rough scrape of his palms against her skin thrilled her racing pulse. She sucked in a shaky breath as he pushed the fabric down. The dress rippled over the tops of her breasts before fluttering down her thighs. She trembled before him. Naked. Vulnerable. But filled with a craving so intense, it threatened to overwhelm her.

  Clad in only a bra and panties, she stepped into his arms. He splayed his palms across her back and pulled her close. When his lips captured hers, she moaned.

  “I want to taste every inch of you,” he murmured. “I want to see every inch of you.”

  He deftly unhooked her bra and slid it down her arms. It dropped to the floor, leaving her taut nipples exposed to the chilly air. When his hands closed over her breasts, she whimpered.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he sighed.

  “Kiss me.”

  As his mouth covered hers, she sank her fingers into his thick hair. She pulled him in to deepen the kiss. He didn’t need any encouragement. The determined sweep of his tongue parted her lips. Electric sparks of yearning ignited a fire in her belly. She couldn’t stand not being able to touch every inch of him, so she unclasped the button on his jeans, then yanked the zipper down.

  He didn’t protest as she pushed his jeans down. They puddled on the floor. After he stepped out of them, he kicked them away. Her hands found his boxers. She reached inside to wrap her hand around the length of him. He shivered against her as she stroked his hard cock. It was as soft as silk, and as rigid as steel. She stepped back, desperate to see all of him.

  “Oh,” she gasped.

  He was huge. At least ten inches of potent, virile masculinity swept up to greet her. She swallo
wed and looked up to meet his smoldering gaze. As he brushed his hands over her hips, she trembled. He pulled her panties down past her thighs, but didn’t stop until he was kneeling before her.

  As if worshiping her, he pressed soft, sensual kisses across her thighs. He cupped the backs of her knees and held her in place. When his lips traveled up toward her slick folds, she whimpered. The first graze of his mouth against her soft mound ratcheted up the tension in her body. Already on the verge of bursting, she could only groan as his tongue darted out to trace spirals of wet heat.

  She stumbled backward toward the bed. He crawled across the floor like a wild panther stalking its prey. Everything about the feral intent in his eyes added to her growing intoxication.

  When he crawled onto the bed with her, she fell back into the pillows. Without giving her a moment to catch her breath, he parted her thighs and delved between them to swirl his tongue against her delicate folds. She cried out as he lashed his tongue against her with wicked strokes.

  Her hands clawed at his back, leaving long scratches in their wake. He clamped his hands around her thighs and pulled her closer. No one had ever taken her with such deliberate passion. She soared as each balmy stroke pushed her closer to the edge.

  “Please,” she begged. “Oh, God.”

  He found the hard nub of ultra-sensitive flesh and sucked lightly. She screamed as she plunged into an all-consuming orgasm. Tremors of erotic release racked her body as blazing, unfurling waves of release flowed through her to liquefy her limbs.

  She collapsed against the bed and tried to clamp her legs shut. Even the slightest breath was enough to fan the flames.

  “I need you,” he groaned.

  “I—”

  Before she could respond, he eased between her thighs. He pushed damp strands of hair from her face before lowering down to kiss her senseless. Tenderness gave way to passion as he slipped his tongue between her lips. She parted for him and arched as he slowly eased to fill her with every inch of his cock.

  They moved in perfect unison. Every caress transmitted the intensity of his need. He held himself aloft with one hand while using the other to tease and coax her to greater heights of ecstasy.

  With each deep thrust, she coiled herself tighter against him. Her legs wrapped around his waist. Slick with sweat, she could hardly hold onto him. But she did. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but in his arms.

  As his breath came in shorter and shorter gasps, she rolled her hips to meet his. His gaze locked with hers and the intimate connection sent her tumbling into bliss. He followed her in an explosive rumble of growled release. Heat flooded her core as he shivered against her.

  For several minutes, they lay wrapped in each other’s embrace. When he finally rolled to lie by her side, she scooted into the crook of his arms. He trailed his fingers in lazy circles across the edge of her breast.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “Nothing. You?”

  “Nothing,” she lied.

  Her heart filled with love and longing. She’d only just met him and already she mourned the eventual loss she’d face. Maybe falling into bed with him hadn’t been such a good idea.

  As he wrapped an arm across her belly, she swallowed back all the questions she wanted to ask him. He hadn’t promised her anything more than a night of pleasure, so she really had no hold over him. She sighed and prayed she wouldn’t lose her heart to him.

  * * *

  Jack tossed and turned well into the night. Guilt ate at his soul. Sasha wasn’t a one-night stand kind of woman. She was wife material and he wasn’t looking for a commitment. In fact, the very thought of being tied down to another person sent him into heart palpitations.

  He slipped out of bed and padded into the en suite. After splashing cold water onto his face, he stared at his reflection. What was he doing? He’d never met someone as sweet, kind, and loving as Sasha. And she was sexy as hell too. The perfect package for someone who wanted a white picket fence and a den full of fur-ball babies. She deserved a man who could settle down and enjoy a sedentary lifestyle. They were opposites in every way that counted, but damn if she wasn’t a sultry goddess in bed.

  As he brushed his hands across the stubble on his cheeks, he heard a sound from the bedroom. He reluctantly headed back into the room. Sasha stretched like a cat. Her curvaceous hips rolled to one side as she turned to face him. A thin length of sheet covered her waist, leaving her exposed. With each step, he battled the temptation to climb into bed with her and make love to her again.

  “Hey, sexy,” she said.

  “Hey.”

  “Come back to bed.” She ran her hand across the empty space in the bed beside her.

  Instead of accepting her invitation, he sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “It sure seems like something’s wrong,” she said. “Come cuddle with me.”

  Against his better judgment, he listen to his bear’s growled demands and crawled into bed with her. After she’d settled her back against him, she wrapped his arms around her chest. Spooning with her ripped a hole in his resolve. God, what he wouldn’t give to be able to shut his brain off for five minutes.

  “Talk to me,” she murmured.

  “I’m not a forever guy.”

  “A what?”

  “A guy who wants to live in the same house with the same woman year after year,” he said.

  She tensed in his arms.

  “I’m a one-night stand, wham-bam, thank you ma’am, kind of guy.”

  “I don’t believe that,” she said.

  “You hardly know me,” he said.

  “True, but I know enough to know that you’ve got a heart. The kind of guy you think you are wouldn’t be here right now. He would have already snuck out of the room.”

  “Maybe I was about to do that when you woke up.”

  “No,” she said. “You were coming back to bed. Besides, this is your room. If anyone should be fleeing, it should be me.”

  He smiled and pressed his face into her hair. What a woman. Maybe one day he’d get old and lose his wanderlust. If that ever happened, he could see himself with someone like her.

  “Wonder how I knew you weren’t leaving?” she asked.

  “I’m mildly curious,” he said.

  “You were still naked.”

  “Maybe I was coming back to get my clothes.”

  “Nope. You would have scooped them up and hightailed it out of here before I had a chance to wake up.”

  “It sounds like you have some experience with the love it and leave it type,” he said.

  “When I was younger, I wasn’t very good at reading men,” she said. “I’d meet guys who knew how to say exactly the right things to get me into bed, and then I’d wake up wondering where they’d run off to the next morning.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

  “I learned something else too,” she said.

  “Oh?”

  “I learned that sometimes it’s okay to spend a short amount of time with someone. Sometimes that’s all you’ll have, and that’s fine as long as you know when going into it.”

  He wasn’t sure how to respond.

  “We only have one week together, right?” she asked as she rolled to face him.

  “Yes.”

  “Then why don’t we just enjoy it for what it is and not worry about forever.”

  He searched her face for any signs of disappointment or regret, but found none. Maybe she was a practical woman who knew exactly what she wanted. That was one hell of a refreshing change.

  “If that’s what you want…” His voice trailed off.

  “I just want you here in bed with me.” Her eyes sparkled. “I have a feeling about you.”

  “Oh boy.”

  “No, not the ring-on-my-finger kind of feeling,” she said. “I have a feeling you’ll make a very inspiring muse.”

  “Reall
y?”

  “You’re already giving me all kinds of ideas.” She flashed a naughty smile. “Some might be a bit too dirty for Mrs. Bran’s liking, but I’m sure I could find a way to tone it down.”

  “Hmm…” He pulled her tight against him, reveling in the way her curves molded against his hips. “Maybe I should tone it down too.”

  “Don’t you dare,” she whispered. “As my muse, you’re required to inspire every inch of me.”

  “Am I?”

  “You are.”

  “Well then, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that you might enjoy,” he teased.

  “Show me.”

  She lay back on the bed and flung her arms over her head. The motion made her breasts sway in the most enticing way. He groaned and rolled to cover her with his chest. As he kissed her warm, pliant lips, she moaned into his mouth. He ran through his arsenal of sensual skills and decided to start with a Tantric skill he’d learned during his travels.

  “There’s something I want to try with you,” he said. “I learned this technique while I was backpacking through Rishikesh, India.”

  “What were you doing there?”

  “There’s a huge yoga festival there every February. I always try to time my trips to coincide with a celebration or holiday. You learn so much about a culture during those times,” he said.

  “That sounds so interesting. I’d love to travel someday,” she said.

  “It’s one of the most rewarding ways you can spend your time,” he said. “It’s my second most favorite thing to do.”

  “And your first?” she asked coyly.

  “Tantra.”

  “I don’t know if I’m ready for five hours’ worth of sex.” She grinned. “I might need a nap first.”

  “Sting, hmm?”

  “Yeah,” she laughed. “When I heard him say he had sex for five hours straight, all I could think was: ouch!”

  “He didn’t mean intercourse the whole time,” he said. “A lot of people in the Western world have a misconception about Tantra. It’s so much more than just sex. Most of the meditations and practices have nothing to do with sex.”

  “I’ve only ever heard of Tantric sex, so I don’t know about any of the rest of that,” she said. “But I’ll try anything once. So lay it on me—or not. Don’t lay it on me if we’re not having sex. I don’t know what we’re going to do so … I’m going to just stop talking now.”