When it was apparent Lester was dead, the two dogs released him and turned to her. Ivan shifted back first. He crouched there, naked.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
Bruin shifted to human form, wiping a hand across his bloodied mouth and spitting on the carpet.
“Genna, honey, are you…”
The red haze over her vision transformed to purple, then black.
* * * *
Oh, she longed for the good ole days, the simplicity of the hot, sexy Jeremy Bruin dreams, where he simply fucked her brains out before leaving for the night and didn’t rip her convicted ex-boyfriend’s throat out in her new living room.
Will I get my security deposit back if the bloodstains don’t come out?
Genna refused to open her eyes. She hurt. All over. Pain contradicted the firm version of reality she wanted to maintain her stranglehold on—crap, horrible choice of word. Death grip? Hmm, not so much either.
She sensed a presence outside her closed eyelids and tried to keep her breathing steady. She wasn’t lying on her bed. She knew that. She didn’t think she was back in Bruin’s office.
Men did not turn into large fucking dogs. This did not fucking happen. None of this happened.
Maybe she really was dead. Perhaps Lester had killed her before the trial and this was some funky version of Purgatory.
Yeah, that’s the ticket. That makes sense.
She moved and moaned. Nope, it was real. Her body hurt like hell where Lester had punched and kicked her.
A large, gentle hand slipped around hers, and she tightly gripped it for no other reason than she hurt and didn’t want to scream.
“Genna, honey, please wake up.”
Bruin’s soft, pleading voice.
Reluctantly she opened her eyes. He’d washed his face and changed clothes, but she didn’t know where she was, didn’t recognize the room.
In response to her unasked question he said, “We’re at my house. Our house. Ivan and Lindsey are outside.”
She would pull away from him, but it hurt too much to even think about doing that.
“What. The fuck. Is going. On?”
“We need to talk.”
* * * *
They talked most of the night. Lindsey and Ivan brought food and pain medicine and ice packs for Genna. Genna repeatedly asked many of the same questions, unable to grasp the reality, thinking it was the medicine or a psychotic break.
Jeremy shifted back and forth from large dog to man as many times as she asked, sometimes while holding her hand, each time taking her breath away.
“I’m so sorry, Genna,” he said again. He wouldn’t stop apologizing to her. “I thought you knew what Lester was. I didn’t know you really were innocent. I didn’t expect to fall in love with you. I should have been more careful not to let them find you.”
She was calling him Jeremy now, and his anguish-filled amber eyes ripped her heart with as much pain as her body had endured.
Despite that, she still felt pissed. “You used me.”
“I didn’t realize he had your place bugged. I was so mad at Lester, I hoped he had people watching you and word would get back to him that you were working for me, but I didn’t want to hurt you. I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry. I do love you. I realized I loved you after I met you, but it took me by surprise. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to tell you the truth. But I did fall in love with you, I swear.” He’d said that a lot, too. Said it over and over again, repeating it as if his very life depended on it.
Saying that he loved her.
She fell silent and stared at him. He sat, motionless, holding her hand, waiting for her.
“Shape-shifter?”
He nodded.
“So I’ll turn into…”
He shook his head. “No. But as my…as my mate, certain things will happen to you.”
Maybe the pain meds were helping. Irritation had filtered in past shock and pain. “You never fucking asked me if I wanted that.” Not that she was complaining. Or at least, wouldn’t complain once her anger wore off.
“I know. I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes as if to compose his thoughts for a moment before looking at her again. “Bill was like a brother to me. We grew up together. He was my best friend. I wanted revenge so much and never figured I’d have a way to get to Lester personally. And I never dreamed you weren’t willingly with someone like him. I also didn’t expect to fall in love with you.”
“I’ll wake up tomorrow and this will be a horrible dream, right?”
“No. No more bad dreams. I will spend the rest of our life together making this up to you, I swear.”
“Is he dead?” she whispered. The idea of that partly horrified her.
And more than partly relieved her. That was one question she hadn’t asked yet, although she suspected she knew the answer already.
“Yes. We took care of it. He won’t ever bother you again.”
“Won’t the police suspect me?”
“No. They’ll never find his body. And I paid off his attorney. He’s going to tell the parole board Lester left the country against the advice of counsel. He doesn’t want anything else to do with Lester, or Lester’s associates, either.”
“What if the authorities question me?”
“Then I’ll tell them the truth, that I was with you all night. And Ivan and Lindsey will testify they saw us together.”
He cautiously reached out and tenderly stroked her forehead, brushing a stray hair away from her face. “I don’t expect you to forgive me now or maybe ever for not telling you the truth in the beginning. But I swear I will try—”
“Okay,” she whispered.
He froze. “What?”
“I forgive you. Because I’ll wake up and this will be a dream. And I love my Dream Jeremy.” That was the safest way to think. She closed her eyes. “Curl up next to me.”
He did, carefully cradling her. When she awoke, her pain was still there. But so was Jeremy.
“This isn’t a dream, is it?” she asked.
He tenderly kissed the back of her neck. “No.”
“I’m scared of dogs.”
“I’ll spend my life helping you get over that.”
She laughed, and it hurt, but she couldn’t help it.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, puzzled.
She tipped her head back. “I never thought doing it doggy style would be so much fun.”
He smiled and gently nuzzled her. “I think I’ll enjoy working my way out of the doghouse with you.”
In the Doghouse
Genna lay in the king-sized bed and stared at the TV, remote in hand. Three days had passed since surviving the attack by her ex-boyfriend, Lester. While she still bore faint bruises, she couldn’t believe the worst of the pain and injuries had already faded.
Perk of being a shape-shifter’s mate, I guess. Not that she was complaining about that. Have Jeremy Bruin as her husband for life?
Um, yes, please.
They had some issues to work out, however.
Massive ones.
Like the fact that the reason he hired her in the first place, which led him to taking her to be his mate, was to get revenge on Lester after his conviction for killing Jeremy’s cousin.
Jeremy stuck his head in the bedroom door. “Are you okay?” he cautiously asked.
She nodded and put the remote down. “Yeah.”
He stepped inside, looking sheepish. Sometimes, she wanted him right next to her.
Sometimes, she couldn’t stand to look at him.
Lindsey Biendino, Ivan’s mate and wife, had spent a few hours with her that morning, explaining the basics of shape-shifter 101 to her. Lindsey met Ivan in his wolf form when he saved her from an attack while she was out jogging. Their mating had gone without a hitch.
“Do you want to talk?” he asked.
She nodded and patted the bed next to her. He quickly and fluidly climbed onto the bed without jarring her. When he
settled into position, she looked at him. “How am I supposed to trust you?”
He looked even more abashed. “I know, Genna. I’m so sorry. I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness.”
She studied him. She’d thought about this for a while after her talk with Lindsey that morning. “I want us to go to a counselor.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“No problem with that?”
“Well, I think we need to leave out the part about the shape-shifting, but I mean it. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this up to you.”
She nodded and carefully cuddled up next to him. No matter how conflicted she felt in some ways about how they got together, she wasn’t too proud to admit he was a handsome hunk of man flesh. She wasn’t about to turn away an opportunity to snuggle with him.
Genna had to hand it to him. He didn’t try to grope her, either. He protectively curled his arms around her and held her, even though she felt his cock harden against her thigh through his shorts.
His scent filled her lungs. He smelled good, earthy, sensual. She loved that about him. She wasn’t afraid to admit she loved him, either.
Trusting him, on the other hand, might take her a while. Well, she didn’t doubt the part about taking care of her. He and Ivan killed Lester after Lester attacked her while out on bail. She knew Jeremy would protect her. She knew he would take care of her and provide for her and try to make things up to her for what happened.
And the conflict of her heart-melting attraction to him before all the shit hit the fan, versus finding out the truth about why he first started this relationship, understandably had put her through the ultimate mind fuck.
“If it’s any consolation,” he said, “Ivan is giving me holy hell every chance he can get.”
“It is.” She couldn’t believe she’d gone from being terrified of dogs to enjoying Ivan’s company whether he was in dog or man form. Technically, Ivan had been the one to spill the beans about the shape-shifting in the first place.
And he’d totally disagreed with how and why Jeremy claimed Genna as his mate.
He nuzzled the top of her head. “I love you, Genna. Really.”
“I know.” He’d said that a hell of a lot over the past couple of days, and she believed him.
She just needed time to adjust to her new life with him. And to the fact that he could shape-shift.
* * * *
The next morning, she was surprised to look in the mirror over the bathroom sink and see the last vestiges of her bruises were completely faded. Jeremy quietly hovered, attentive and wanting to make amends with every ounce of his being. When Lindsey showed up a little after nine that morning to take Genna out shopping, Genna jumped at the chance to get away for a little while.
“Do you know somewhere we can get good discounts?” Genna asked as she buckled her seat belt.
Lindsey snorted. “Discounts?” She fished a credit card out of her purse. “Honey, Ivan gave me a corporate card and said the two of us should have fun. Specifically, that I should buy you whatever you want and run up one hellacious tab.”
Genna smiled. “On Jeremy’s tab, you mean?”
She laughed. “Ooooh, yeah. Believe me, he deserves it.”
Genna smiled. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
They’d plowed their way through their third high-end department store, with the trunk of Lindsey’s car nearly full already with shopping bags, when Genna needed a break. “I call lunch,” Genna said. “Uncle.”
Lindsey smiled. “You need endurance training. This credit card isn’t even slightly warm yet.”
Genna laughed as she plopped down at a table in the mall’s food court. “Yeah, but I’m worn out.”
Lindsey sat with her. “You okay?”
Genna nodded. “Jeremy and I talked more yesterday. He agreed to go to counseling with me.” She studied her hands. “I believe him in my head, but my heart is still having trouble wrapping around everything. Or maybe it’s the other way around. I still feel like I’m being spun around in the middle of a tornado.”
“Counseling? Really? Good. Maybe I can quit calling him Mr. Shit Weasel then.”
Genna laughed. “You really call him that?”
“Yeah. He told me to stop, and I told him he wasn’t the boss of me. Which, then, of course, he said technically he was the boss of me, since he is, you know, my boss. And he’s Ivan’s pack Alpha. But then Ivan growled at him, and Jeremy backed down because he knows he fucked up.” She smiled at Genna. “It gets easier,” she softly said.
“I know.” She studied her hands some more. “I just wish he’d wanted me for me in the first place and not because he wanted to get back at Lester.”
Lindsey sighed. “Not the most romantic of beginnings, I know.” Her voice turned serious. “But when one of their kind mates, it’s for life. Period. And he had to feel it in his soul for it to even happen, even if he thought it was revenge or whatever at first.” She squeezed Genna’s hand. “When he says he loves you, he means it. And that’s not me letting him off the hook, either. That’s me having a little insight into these dumbasses’ minds from the inside.”
Genna nodded. “I know. I know he loves me. I just need some time to process all this.”
“Agreed.” Lindsey leaned in close and dropped her voice. “Ivan saved me when we first met. Literally. He saved my life from three guys who were going to rape me. And since then, he’s kept me safer than I ever thought I could feel. Let me tell you what, I went through quite a few years of not feeling safe. I’m sure Jeremy feels like shit, but I’d be willing to bet he doesn’t disappoint you again.”
* * * *
They returned home several hours later, tired, laughing, and with a trunkful of purchases. Jeremy met them at the front door, anxiety on his face. Genna thought he looked sweet until she remembered how upset at him she still was.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Calm down,” Lindsey said. “We’re fine.” She handed the credit card back to Ivan but spoke her next words to Jeremy. “Although you might not be when you get the bill next month.”
Jeremy shook his head. “I don’t care as long as she’s happy.”
Genna couldn’t help but smile. “You’re like a lovesick puppy.”
Lindsey laughed. “She’s catching on. That’s a good one.” She held up her hand. “Fist bump!” They did, and Jeremy helped Ivan unload the trunk, taking the bags into the bedroom and dumping them on the bed.
“Okay, you two,” Lindsey said, pushing the men out of the bedroom. “Out. Scoot.”
When they emerged an hour later, Genna was dressed in one of her new purchases, a pretty, flowing black dress that came down to her knees, new high heels, and a new purse. Lindsey had put on her brand new green dress. “Okay,” Lindsey said. “You two are taking us out someplace nice. And expensive.”
They all piled into Lindsey’s car, the men in the front seat. Lindsey patted Genna on the hand and sent her a conspiratorial smile.
Genna appreciated Lindsey running interference. While Genna hadn’t said so in so many words, she still felt a little nervous when alone with Jeremy. Not because she was afraid of him, but because she didn’t honestly know what to say to him other than asking him to fuck her brains out.
And she wasn’t quite sure how to reconcile that desire yet.
The men took them to a high-end steakhouse in downtown Tampa. By the time dinner ended, Genna felt more at ease around Jeremy and even let him hold her hand as they strolled out to the car. He opened her door for her and helped her in before climbing into the passenger seat.
Next to her, Lindsey flashed her a smile that Genna returned. Dinner had helped. She did feel better.
At home, Ivan and Lindsey gathered her purchases and bid them good night. Once alone, Genna returned to the bedroom and changed into a T-shirt of Jeremy’s and climbed into bed. He hesitated until she patted the bed next to her.
With a thankful smile, he climbed in and slid under t
he sheet. She curled up next to him, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. “Thank you for taking us out. And for the shopping trip.”
He hugged her. “Anything you want. I mean it.”
She looked up at him, and his butterscotch eyes melted her. “I do want you. I fell in love with you when I thought you were nothing but a dream.” She studied his expression for a minute. She felt his regret at what he’d put her through radiating from him. Lindsey had told her she would start feeling his emotions, that it was part of the shifter-mate stuff.
If anyone else had told her this story, she’d have wanted to run far and fast from them, especially if they said they forgave the jerk.
But she did forgive the big jerk.
Tipping her head back, she kissed him. He hesitantly returned it. She sensed him wanting more, wanting to make love to her, but holding himself back.
Another reason to love him.
Everyone made mistakes, and he was willing to atone for his.
And she was very. Fucking. Horny.
Reaching up, she wove her fingers into his hair and crushed his lips with hers, plunging her tongue into his mouth.
Moaning as his cock immediately stiffened in his briefs, he kissed her back eagerly. A flood of moisture pooled between her legs. She did want him. His body did things to her no man ever had. No reason she couldn’t get some satisfaction from him while they were working through their issues, right?
Genna hooked a leg around his and ground herself against him. Breaking their kiss, she whispered, “Please make love to me.”
He rolled her onto her back. Slowly, gently, he lifted her T-shirt and kissed her belly, his lips feathering across her flesh and stirring deep, dark desires inside her. She remembered how it felt to be totally possessed by his cock, the hot and passionate sex they’d had when she thought he was just a dream.
She wanted to feel that again.
When he reached her breasts, he took his time, cupping them in his hands and rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. Each stroke sent another jolt of need straight to her clit. He took his time, refusing to be rushed, licking and sucking first one, then the other. Back and forth, the hot, sucking pull of his mouth driving her closer to the brink. At this point, she thought he could simply blow on her pussy and make her come.
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