by Lisa Daniels
“Yes, it’s fine. I don’t have any classes tomorrow, it’s been a very long and trying day, and I am feeling rather tired myself.”
“Okay. If you are tired too, there is a place not far from here.”
With that, they chatted a little bit. It wasn’t long before they exited the highway.
Chapter 11
Understanding
Cora looked out the window at the huge mansion. “What are we doing here?”
Emery hopped out and hurried around to open her door. “I think you will find this a bit more comfortable than a hotel room. We know who has slept here.”
“I don't think I can afford to stay here,” she looked up at him.
“It’s free. I'm not about to let you pay since you are being kind enough to let me get to bed instead of making me get us all the way back to your home.”
“I'm not a monster.” Cora got out of the car and found that her eyes kept going back to Emery as he walked beside her.
“No, that would be me.”
“I don’t think you are a monster.”
“Well, you don’t know me that well.”
“Well enough, I’m sure.”
He looked over at her and smiled. Taking a step closer to her, he took her hand. It was the first time he had done so without having any reason for it. Apart from wanting to hold her hand.
She smiled and looked down.
“Wait a minute,” he stopped and looked at her, then up at the sky. “It’s a blue moon.”
“Hmm?” Cora looked up at the sky. “Oh, yeah, I guess so. Didn’t realize a whole month had passed.”
“Not quite a full month.” He stepped closer to her.
Cora looked up at Emery. He wasn’t as tall as Ryland or as wide as Silas, but she felt far more comfortable around him. Her heart began to race a little faster, and suddenly she realized what was going on. Giving him a smile, she moved a little closer.
The smile on his face looked simultaneously angelic and demonic, but to Cora it was beautiful. His face neared hers, and before she knew it, he was kissing her. The way his lips felt was surprisingly soft. Cora found herself wanting more, and she opened her mouth a little. The feel of his tongue as it slid into her mouth was both shocking and pleasing. Her tongue began to stroke his, and his arms slipped around her, pulling her body closer to his. Cora’s arms slid around his neck and she pressed her body into his.
Suddenly her feet left the ground, and she moaned as he carried her to the front of the mansion. Cora didn’t notice anything about the inside of the place as he carried her up the stairs.
Emery stopped in front of a door and placed her on the ground. Though he seemed resistant to it, he stepped away from her. “This is your room.”
Cora turned around and looked at the door behind her. “I would rather stay with you to make sure you are alright tonight. Just in case.”
The way she looked at him, there was no way Emery could miss her meaning. His jaw clenched. “Are you sure? You have never been with a man before.”
Cora was briefly embarrassed. Her cheeks were red as she said, “I am sure.”
“It will make it difficult for me to sleep.”
“That’s the idea.”
“What?” His eyes were wide when he looked down at her.
She moved closer to him and put her hands on his chest. “We need to get cleaned up first. It would be best if I make sure you are fine and that you wash the wound properly.”
His eyes tried to read her face, but Emery couldn’t believe that she wanted anything more than to help. With a heavy sigh, he took her hand and led her to his room.
“You can shower first. It’s this way.” He led her to the bathroom. Before he could turn around to look at her, Emery felt Cora’s arms move around his body and begin to pull his shirt up. “That really isn’t necessary,” he said, trying to keep his voice level.
“You are beginning to make me think you don’t know how to shower.” Her voice was taunting as she continued to pull at his shirt.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“Look, if you don’t know how to shower, then I feel I should teach you. I mean, what does a shifter know about cleaning using modern technology?”
“What?” Emery seemed at a loss.
Cora continued to talk like she didn’t hear him. “It certainly explains Silas’s habits, though. I guess I should have taught him how to shower during all those years he lived at our place.”
“Now, hold on one minute,” Emery turned around to look at her. “You shouldn’t go showering–”
“Good lord, you are covered in blood and dirt. Come on. Let’s get you in some nice hot water before you think you need to go wash off in a cold stream.”
Emery frowned down at Cora as she seemed intent on treating him like a large child who didn’t know how to wash. “I know perfectly well–”
Then her hands moved down to his pants. Immediately he stepped back. Cora put her hands on her hips. “Look at how dirty those are. You have to remove those to shower.” Without another word, she reached down and pulled her own top off. “Let me show you how you are supposed to go into a shower.”
Emery turned his head and held up a hand. “I promise you I already know how to shower!”
“What?” Cora looked at him. “But you thought it wasn’t necessary to remove your shirt.”
“That wasn’t what I had meant!” His face was bright red and it was all he could do to keep from looking at her. The sound of water caused him to look up and the sight that greeted his eyes caused him to blush deeper. “Please, I can handle my own shower. Having you in here–”
“Having me in here what?” Cora had approached him, her hands on her slender hips.
His eyes immediately began to go over her body, and Emery felt ashamed. Turning his body, he couldn’t think of how to clear up the misunderstanding. Then he felt her hands on his back and her head leaning up against him. “Um, Cora?”
Her hands moved around his body, and Emery couldn’t help but moan at the soft touch against his skin. Slowly Cora’s hands moved down his stomach, tracing his well-defined muscles. Though it had taken him a while, Emery finally realized that she had been messing with him. “Why you little – oh!” Her hands had slid down the front of his pants and moved along his hips.
In one movement, Emery turned around and picked Cora up off of the floor. One of his hands worked his pants off as his mouth covered hers. His pants were left behind on the floor as he carried her into the shower.
“Wait!” Cora’s voice as she pulled her mouth away from his was rich with feeling. “I still have my–”
Emery did not slow down as he slipped in under the water. One hand moved out and turned on a second shower head. Turning the nozzle down, he pushed Cora against the wall. She gasped as he stopped kissing her, his hand working under the front of her bra and cupping her breast. She pressed into him as he slid her breast out of the cup. His other hand quickly undid the strap as Emery began to suck on her nipple. Cora gasped again, her hips pressing hard into him. Her hands ran through his hair, her fingers causing him to pull her body against his.
He tore her panties off of her, too intent to apologize for ruining them. She looked down at him as he slid her body down. His dark eyes watched hers as he slid into her. Her head leaned back, and he slid a hand up to protect her head. As she arched into him, her neck fully exposed, Emery brought his mouth down to her neck. Gently nipping it as he slid further into her, Emery was careful not to be too forceful. After a few seconds, her body tensed, and he knew that she was experiencing pain. Pulling her upper body against him, he pressed his mouth over hers and distracted her from the moment of discomfort. As soon as her body relaxed, he began to slide her further down over him. She gasped and wrapped her arms around him.
“Emery. Oh Emery.” Her voice was like an aphrodisiac, and he began to slide in and out of her. Cora’s supple body was easy to hold and move to bring her to a quick clima
x. As she yelled out, he pulsed against her, causing her to do it again.
“Oh God! Emery!” She looked at him, then she pulled his face to hers and she began to move on her own. She slid up and down on him in a way that he could not have anticipated. He stepped out of the shower and carried her to the bed, unable to continue holding back in the name of caution. Once they were on the bed, Emery looked down at Cora with a wide grin. Her smile was beautiful as he leaned over to cover her mouth with his own, their bodies beginning a new rhythm.
Rescued by Silas
Deep River Shifters – Book 3
By Lisa Daniels
Chapter 1
A Snap Ending and an Emotional Storm
The sound of the teacher’s voice startled Naomi as she finished typing up the results from her lab.
“I know that most of you are going to put this off until the end of the weekend, but don’t forget to post it by 5 p.m. on Sunday because I will not accept any late work. Have a good weekend and see you next week.”
Looking around, Naomi Yi noticed that everyone else was ready to go, clearly unable to focus on the lab work in the face of a long weekend. She had every reason to be excited, too—her boyfriend was coming home to hang out for the first time in four months—but she knew that it was more important to get the work done now. Naomi planned to go into the medical profession, so she took her school work incredibly seriously. Ever since she was in elementary school, she had been dedicated to learning what she could, even though it was a lot more work for her. She had always envied the people who could sit in class and just absorb whatever the teachers said. They never understood just how lucky they were. Naomi had started dedicating an hour to homework every night when she was in the third grade, and while it had paid off, it had meant that she had not had a lot of time for socializing. There had been plenty of times in high school when she had questioned her decision to spend so much time working. It was only when her school had told her she needed to give a speech at graduation that Naomi finally felt that maybe the work had paid off. Then again, it had also meant that she needed to give a speech, and public speaking was something that terrified her. Jamie had helped her with some of it, but mostly Naomi had relied on her parents. Especially after the speech-writing sessions with Jamie devolved into heated making out.
Graduation had been a bit of a blur, but it had ended with her sleeping with Jamie for the first time. Ever since, she couldn’t seem to get enough time with him. They had known he was going to go away to a college in California, so the summer had turned into a frantic couple of months of love-making whenever they had the chance. Then he had gone away and they hardly ever had time to talk. That first couple of months she had called him nearly every day, but his schedule had filled up quickly. That was to be expected of someone who took swimming as seriously as he did. Eventually, Naomi had thrown herself into her school work in a way that would keep her from missing him too much. Of course, she knew that she should take the time to get to know other students, but Naomi had never had a lot of friends and she didn’t think that she really needed anyone as long as she had her parents, older sister, and Jamie.
For two years that was her approach to school, and it had worked out alright. She may not have had any fun, but she was definitely making progress toward the profession she wanted. Having taken on more than a full course load, Naomi never had much time for anything besides school. Her goal was to get her bachelor’s degree within the next year, and her PhD by the time she was 24 years old. There would be residencies and a host of other requirements later on, but for now, she wanted to make sure she had the fundamentals down, and that meant keeping distractions to a minimum. Jamie was the only distraction she would allow, and now she was finally going to get to indulge for the first time in a while.
Naomi couldn’t help but smile a little as she hurried to leave. Going to the website, she submitted her lab questions, knowing that she had done far more than was absolutely necessary. With that out of the way, she could go prepare for Jamie’s arrival. They didn’t have much planned, and that was perfect because the last four months had been packed. Just staying in with her boyfriend over a four-day weekend sounded like the best reward she could ask for. Quickly closing her computer, Naomi knocked her purse off of her desk. It tipped over and the contents fell all over the floor, making a loud clattering noise as it did.
“Need some help?” a low voice behind her inquired.
Startled, Naomi turned and looked up at the concerned face of one of the other students in the class. His dark brown hair moved a little as he tilted his head to the side. Giving him a forced smile, she slipped her computer into her book bag. “That’s alright. I can manage it.” When she stood up, though, the man was already crouched on the ground picking things up. “Hey! Don’t do that!” She hurried around the desk. There were things she had in her purse for the weekend that she definitely did not want a guy to see. There was no telling how he would make fun of her for normal things, let alone the condoms that were in there now.
The man continued undeterred, “Believe me, it’s been drilled into my head not to go through a woman’s things, but the alternative is to leave it all out here for everyone to see.” He beamed up at her as he lifted the purse from the ground. Standing up, he zipped the purse and handed it to her. “Lesser of two evils.”
Naomi looked at him, knowing that he must have at least noticed what had been in there. Shaken, she began to over-explain, “Ah, oh, um, I suppose that is true. I’m just seeing my boyfriend for the first time in a few months. Long-distance relationships, you know, they kind of suck.” Naomi reached out and took her purse from the guy’s outstretched arm, her face feeling incredibly hot. Knowing that she had said far more than she should have, she mumbled, “Thanks.”
“No problem, Naomi. He’s a lucky, lucky man. I hope he can appreciate it,” the guy winked at her as he shifted his own bag on his shoulder. “Have a good one.” With that, he strode past her and out the door. Naomi noticed that as soon as he was done talking to her, the smile had slid from the guy’s face, almost like a mask.
Naomi watched as he disappeared around the corner, not quite sure what to make of the guy’s behavior. He’s probably being sarcastic, she thought, or he was referring to the condoms. Typical male. Still, he hadn’t seemed like that kind of guy from what little she had seen of him over the last couple of months. They had several classes, but it was the first time they had spoken. Something about him had always seemed different compared to the guys in her high school. She had seen him around the campus a lot, usually in the company of another female student who constantly changed her hair color. Naomi felt bad because she didn’t even know his name while he clearly knew who she was. With a sigh, she headed toward the door, deciding that it really didn’t matter.
His name doesn’t matter, whatever he’s thinking doesn't matter. Jamie is coming. This is going to be the best weekend, and I am only going to focus on that for the next four nights and four days. Naomi knew that her thoughts were little better than that of a teenager, but she didn’t care. Besides, she had never acted like a teen when she was one. Every once in a while, it had to be alright to act young, and right now there was every reason to do so. There was no way to hide her excitement, and now that her last class was out, there was no room in her mind for anything but her boyfriend. A small part of her knew that it was a bad idea to place all of her socialization on someone who didn’t even live close by, but so many people in her classes didn’t take school as seriously as she did. If it came down to a choice between socializing and learning, Naomi had made her choice a long time ago.
Trying to put her mind on the things that she would need to do before Jamie got there, Naomi wasn’t paying attention and walked right into her classmate outside the door.
“Oh, I am so sorry.” She managed to keep her stuff from falling off of her arm and spilling all over the floor.
The guy turned around and looked at her. “Naw, it’s my fault. Come
on, Cora, we shouldn’t be standing this close to the door.”
His friend laughed, her purple hair bouncing in a very charming way. Naomi felt almost jealous at how unconsciously beautiful she was, but then she was hardly the only good-looking woman on campus. There was a grad student in one of Naomi’s classes who must have come because of her boyfriend, one of the town’s celebrities and a famous actor. Naomi had known that Ryland lived in the town, but she thought he was pretty much a recluse. The first time she had seen him, he strode into the classroom right in the middle and pulled his girlfriend out of class. As if that wasn’t strange enough, the professor hadn’t said or done anything to stop them. It was so bizarre, but it also fed into Naomi’s hopes that Jamie would one day do something similar. Usually Naomi would be completely against that kind of daydreaming, but seeing it in reality had taught her that even she had a bit of a romantic side. Now it was just a matter of letting it come out a little more.
Pushing her glasses up, Naomi’s eyes followed the tall student from her class and his short-purple-haired friend, and for a brief moment, she forgot about that evening. The friend seemed incredibly bouncy and happy, but there was something clearly off about the guy. Giving her head a shake, Naomi turned and headed towards her dorm. Not my problem, and I don’t even know them. Focus.
Walking toward her dorm, Naomi put her mind on the evening. She needed to run out and get some kind of snack. Jamie had a huge sweet tooth, but he usually didn’t get to indulge because of swimming. Well, he’s going to get plenty of exercise in, so I should probably get him a little something for when he gets here. Naomi almost giggled as she changed direction and headed toward the local bakery. Jamie had not visited her since she had come to Deep River—their home town was only about an hour and a half away. Since he lived in California now, they would probably need to go home for a day, but even that was alright. She wasn’t going to deny him the chance to see his family, even if she wanted Jamie to herself for the weekend.