by Lia Davis, Milly Taiden, Kerry Adrienne, Vella Day, Andie Devaux
He nearly jerked. “Are you sure? You don’t even know me.”
She looked around, and he swore she shook her head slightly. “Yes, I do. Let’s go.”
He was no fool. It was what he’d been wanting since their dance. “Where do you have in mind?”
“Anywhere we can be alone.”
Holy shit.
Chapter Three
God, I’m dumb. Chey shouldn’t have made it so obvious that she liked Storm, but shit. When he’d picked her up then set her down on the dance floor, her entire front had rubbed against his cock, and all rational thought had flown from her head. A human wouldn’t be interested in her in the long run, but she saw nothing wrong with enjoying him for as long as she could.
“Where do you want to go?” Storm asked again as he escorted her out of the bar.
“It’s six, and I haven’t eaten. I thought maybe we could stop at the grocery store and pick up something for a picnic. They have a buffet with super good food.”
The weather was balmy enough now, but it would turn colder as soon as the sun set. As a cheetah shifter, she liked the cold and was rather resistant to its effects, but Storm might not be. Good thing he was dressed warmly.
“Sounds great.”
He handed her his helmet. “It might be a little big, but you need to wear it.”
“No. It’s yours.” Besides, if they crashed, she could shift and land on all fours pretty damn quick. He’d be the one who’d get injured.
“Then I guess you’re driving.” He looked around the parking lot as if he knew which vehicle was hers.
She hadn’t pictured him to be such a stickler, but she appreciated he was concerned for her welfare. If she hadn’t wanted to ride on the back of his motorcycle so much, she would have driven. “Fine.”
Chey snatched the helmet out of his hands and plopped it onto her head. The moment she inhaled, she nearly swooned. His scent surrounded the inside of the helmet, putting her acute sense of smell into overdrive. Her need to mate soared. Spring might be upon them, but she thought her body would only go into heat with another cheetah.
Storm swung his long, muscular leg over the seat. “Get on and hold tight, kitten.”
There he went again with that nickname. It set her nerves on edge. Perhaps he knew she was a cheetah shifter. If he didn’t and she mentioned it, he might dump her on the side of the road and drive off, leaving her to race home.
Stop it. Enjoy him!
Holding onto his shoulders, she climbed behind him, her feet barely reaching the foot pegs. Chey wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed as much of her chest as she could against his leather jacket. Even through the thick material, she could feel his back muscles flex. Her panties dampened. Man was she a mess. If only she could get this excited about A-hole Chuck, her problems would disappear.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” She was more than ready to get under way. She’d never been on a motorcycle, but she wasn’t scared. Her father’s brother had died on one, which was why Dad had forbidden her to even go for a spin. But Dad wasn’t here. “The store is on Dale and Fur.”
“Fur? That’s a funny name for a street.”
Yup. He didn’t know about shifters. “Sure is.” She gave him directions, having to shout because of the stupid helmet.
They arrived in about ten minutes, but it would have taken them only five if he hadn’t driven below the speed limit. Once inside, Chey forced herself to relax, but it was hard. His scent, his smooth movements, and his large powerful body made her want to purr and touch him all over.
On one side of the store was an amazing deli. Not only did they have several counters where they sold meats, salads, and some dishes one could heat up at home, there was also a ten-foot long buffet in the aisle that contained hot and cold prepared food. One could take as little or as much as one liked, but the price was based on weight.
“This looks amazing,” Storm said. He picked up a plastic food container and filled it with an array of choices from mac and cheese to pulled pork and stuffed grape leaves.
He glanced at her empty container. “You aren’t eating? I thought you were hungry.”
She’d been so busy thinking about what she wanted to do with his body that she’d not moved. “Sorry. No, I’m starving.” With heat racing up her face, she dumped a ton of different meats on her plate.
When they brought their meals to the cash register, Storm insisted he pay.
“But I invited you. I should pay.” He was new in town. Though his motorcycle looked expensive, if he was in between jobs, he might be short on cash.
“That’s not how I’m wired. I accepted this date with the understanding that I’m taking you out. You’re just the guide.”
Oooh. She liked a man who took control. Too bad he was human, because she could get feisty when pushed, and humans usually had no idea how to handle her. “Works for me.”
After the clerk swiped his credit card and bagged their meals, Storm escorted her back outside where he placed the delicious smelling food and two bottles of water in the case in the back of his bike.
“Where to?” he asked.
“I thought we’d take SR12 to a place where we can hike. It’s nice and secluded there.” She elongated the word “secluded” to make sure he understood her intentions. That way, if he weren’t up for a small dalliance, he’d have a chance to suggest a different location.
He smiled. Oh, yeah. Once more her body shivered in anticipation. Chey had to take the seduction slow, though—a kiss or two to test him out. After all, she’d never made out with a human like Storm before.
After she put on the helmet he insisted she wear, she gave him directions.
He patted her leg that was pressed tightly against his hard thigh. “I got this. Leave the driving to me.”
Through town, Storm followed the speed limit. She’d been tempted to tell him the deputy was a member of her Clan and would never ticket them, but she wisely kept quiet.
As soon as the sign for SR12 appeared, Chey pointed to the turnoff, and he nodded. The moment his tires touched the gravel road, he gunned the engine, spitting gravel, tires sliding, and then slowed a bit. Adrenaline soared through her. Oh, my God, this was amazing.
She’d already figured out she needed to lean when he did. What she wouldn’t give to take off the helmet so she could have the wind on her face and smell the pine and mossy dampness of the surrounding forest.
She hugged Storm tightly, not because she had to, but because she wanted to. If she didn’t have plans for him, she wouldn’t have pointed to the small space along the side of the road designed for parking. He eased to a stop and cut the engine. No one was there. Good.
When she hopped off, her blood thrummed with excitement, and her body vibrated from the massive engine.
“What did you think?” Storm asked.
She raised her arms over her head and looked to the sky. “I want to ride forever. That was the coolest thing.”
He laughed and his deep brown eyes sparkled. What a shame he wasn’t a shifter. Strike that. If he were, every female shifter in Hidden Hills would be after him.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said.
“It was better than I expected.” She told him about her uncle and the reason why she’d never ridden before.
“I’m sorry. No matter how careful we are, accidents do happen.” He retrieved their meals from the saddlebags. “You have a specific place in mind or are we just on an adventure?”
“I want to show you one of my favorite spots. You up for a twenty-minute hike?”
“I’m up for anything.”
He understood exactly why they were there. Oh, God. Those eyes. That smile. The way he spoke. “Follow me.”
The path was narrow, which meant they’d have to go single file. She wished she could have him lead, because if she’d been in back, she could have enjoyed his nice ass. Since Chey had grown up in the
se hills and knew every nook and cranny, it made sense for her to go first.
Wanting dramatic scenery to enhance the romantic mood, she chose a spot that overlooked the Blue Ridge Mountains instead of the secluded alcove she’d first planned on. She got the sense Storm was onboard with the idea of a seduction, but he might not want to go out with her again if he thought she was too easy. That meant she’d have to ease into it. Too bad her body was begging her to indulge. The timing was so right.
Twenty minutes later, she stopped. “Here’s the path to the best view in the park.”
They had to fight their way through some low hanging branches—Storm more so than her—but it was worth it. A grassy knoll edged a granite slab that overlooked the mountain vista.
As soon as Storm caught sight of the view, he stopped. “Wow. This is amazing. I can tell I’m going to love living here.” He faced her and dragged his gaze from her chest to her face.
She had to assume he was talking about the location and not because he found her intriguing. “I love coming here, too.”
Storm dropped onto the lush greenery and tugged on her leg. “You going to join me?”
Chey giggled, something she hadn’t done in a long time. His comment hadn’t been funny, so what was it about this man that pushed her off balance? It couldn’t be the high altitude since she thrived in these hills. She sat next to him and retrieved her container of food.
He smiled, got out his meal, too, and waved his fork. “Great idea, by the way.”
“Thanks. After a hike, I’m even hungrier.”
A ton of questions about who he was, what he liked, and what he was looking for in life, wanted to burst out, but she needed to eat first—and eat she did.
Storm looked up. “You weren’t kidding that you were starving.”
“I’m always hungry.” No one understood how she could stuff so much into her small body and stay so thin. Cheetah metabolism, she guessed.
Chey finished her meal before Storm was halfway through his. As much as she loved to listen to the wind blowing through the trees and hear the birds squawking as they rode the air, she wanted to learn about him more.
“You said you were relocating. What brought you here?”
“I was hired on at a local clinic. Someone by the name of Doc Rapello is retiring.”
What? “You’re a doctor?”
He laughed. “Yes. What were you thinking? I’m always curious what kind of impression I give.”
She put him in his mid-thirties, so he’d had time to earn a medical degree. He was sharp-witted and well-spoken, so that was consistent. “I probably would have said lawyer or maybe accountant.”
“Ouch. I’m that much of a straight-laced stickler?”
“Well, you did drive a little below the speed limit in town.”
He leaned back and laughed. “I didn’t want to draw attention to us. One of your admirers might have tried to run us off the road.”
“Ha, ha.”
“What? You don’t have admirers?” He tossed her a forlorn look.
He’s fishing. She shrugged, not wanting to look like a loser. As Alpha of the pack, her father induced fear into half the men in town, which didn’t help her dating prospects. “I’m too busy to date.”
His eyes widened as he scooped the last of his meal into his mouth. He then plucked a bottle of water from the plastic shopping bag and chugged a good amount. “Yet here you are.”
Because I need to have some happiness in my life before I have to give up my freedom. She shrugged. “It’s only one night.”
He swallowed a chuckle. “Wow. I didn’t think the date was going that poorly. You wouldn’t consider another one, would you? I’m new and don’t really know anyone.”
She smiled as demurely as she knew how, but inside, every cell was jumping for joy. “Well, since you put it that way, I’d love to go out again.” Though, this date was far from over if she had any say.
Storm stuffed the remnants of dinner back in the bag, and then stretched onto his side, supporting his head with his hand. Without a doubt, he was one incredible looking man—just the way she liked a guy—dark hair, dark eyes, and a smile that would stop any woman in her tracks. She’d have to consider getting sick just to have him examine her. Oh, yeah. She sure picked the right man to try out. Why hadn’t she thought to go after a human before? Because she needed a shifter mate. Damn.
Storm reached out and slipped her tank top strap back onto her shoulder, and the intimate touch sent sparks down her arms, increasing her heart rate.
“You never told me what you do for a living,” he said.
Two could play at this game. “Guess.”
His brows rose as if he liked her challenging ways. “My first thought was that you worked outdoors.”
She often exercised the animals. “I do sometimes.”
“You look toned, sleek, and strong. Construction perhaps?”
He must be kidding. “Hardly.”
He slapped the ground. “I got it. You’re a farmer. You milk the cows, birth the calves, fix the fences.”
Now he was just teasing her. “Actually, I’m a stripper.” She had no idea how or why those words left her mouth, but she wanted to shock him. Perhaps she wanted to see if it made a difference to him how she made a living.
His face gave nothing away. “Do you like it?”
“Like what?” His question had surprised the words right out of her.
“Dancing. Stripping.”
Chey wanted to continue with the lie, but his look of adorable innocence cracked her up. She fell back and laughed so hard, tears leaked out.
“What’s so funny? I asked a reasonable question.”
Storm was a dear man. She rolled onto her side to face him, their lips close. “I just made that up to see what you would say.”
“I knew that. I was just playing with you.”
She punched him in the shoulder. “You did not.”
He grabbed her hand and brought her fist to his lips. When he kissed a knuckle, her body sizzled with overwhelming desire. Their eyes locked and an intense need swamped her. As if they were opposite magnets, they leaned in at the same time and kissed, and her body ignited. One minute, they were inches from each other, and the next, she was in his arms, cuddled against his body, fitting perfectly.
Don’t think. Just feel.
The scientific part of her mind wanted to say her intense reaction was dumb since nothing could come of this, but the female half told quite a different story. He excited her beyond reason. Not to mention, being out in the open where anyone could chance upon them, added to her heightened awareness. None of that seemed to matter, because clearly, her brain wasn’t connected to her body. Her hands cupped his stubbled cheeks. Storm exuded strength and an animal magnetism she couldn’t resist.
When he dragged his tongue along the seam of her mouth begging for entrance, instinct took over, and she opened up. Good thing he wasn’t an animal, or he’d have been able to smell her arousal. The moment their tongues touched, she moaned and pressed closer. It was as if she needed his breath to live. Perhaps this insanity was because she’d gone so long without a man’s touch, but damn, if it didn’t feel right.
As she reached between them to grab his cock, three bursts of blue light splintered the woods. Are you kidding me? She jerked back.
“What’s wrong?” Storm asked.
Her pulse skyrocketed as anger flooded her veins. “Ah. Nothing. I, ah, smell rain.”
His brows rose. “You’re a weatherman, or rather, a weatherwoman?” His incredulity implied he saw through her ruse.
Embarrassment mixed with laughter. “No, but I know these woods. Would you mind terribly coming back to my place?”
“What about your car?”
She had to think a moment about how to deal with that. “Let me rephrase my question. Can you drive me back to the bar and then follow me home?” She drew in her bottom lip and i
nhaled.
Please say yes.
Chapter Four
Once they stopped back in town to pick up Chey’s car, Storm kept a safe distance behind her as he followed her home. He asked himself what the fuck he was doing taking her up on her invitation. The doing part he understood, it was the why that haunted him. He was a doctor—controlled, logical, safe, yet, he could no more stay away from this woman than he could watch a child drown. She had this eerie pull on him that he couldn’t ignore.
The image of her drawing away from him while they were lying face-to-face on the overlook remained a mystery. It was as if she’d seen a ghost. With the way she kissed, however, she was no innocent, so his only conclusion was that she came with baggage, but hell, who didn’t?
She did a quick right turn. No signal. Nothing. Yet that fit who she was. Cheyenne Snow was bold, determined, and a fighter. Obstacles seemed to be for going around, not for stopping her.
She pulled into a drive and he followed. Her home wasn’t large, but the grounds were neat. It was one story, painted in a cheery gold with brown trim, though in the dimming light, the border color might have been a dark green. He dismounted and stowed his helmet. When she motioned for him to follow her inside, his cock jumped.
Storm was by her side in three strides. Not wanting to break the sensual mood, he grabbed her hand and followed her up the steps. From the way she fumbled with her key, she was nervous, and he found that endearing. Finally, she managed to unlock the door, and he stepped inside.
The living space was small but cozy—living room on the right, dining room on the left. There was a small pass through to the right of the dining room that he guessed was the kitchen.
He didn’t get a chance to take in more because the moment she stepped next him, he was overwhelmed with the need to possess her. It was as if she’d cast a sensual spell on him. His little kitten looked up at him with eyes that blazed a delicate gold, but because her walls were painted yellow, he decided the golden hue must be a reflection.
When she reached out and grabbed his crotch, his breath caught and his dick pulsed, sending hormones and adrenaline straight to his heart.