Burn With Me (32 page)

Her heart rate slowed under his palm after the initial surprise. He could feel her pulse in her neck, the swish of blood as it coursed through her.

“Are you injured?”

“Only my pride.” Her pale face tipped back again, her cheeks now flushed. “How did you find me? Where am I?”

“You’re a long way from where you left the path, that’s for sure. Scores of people are combing the woods searching for you.”
In a completely different direction
. But she didn’t need to know that right now. “How did you get so far from where you started?”

“A man recommended I take a shortcut. When it got late I backtracked. I must have taken a wrong turn, because before I knew it, it was dark. I walked for a little longer and finally saw a light in the distance.” She dipped her head down, her face no longer visible to his perusal. “How embarrassing. I hike hundreds of miles every year. I’ve never gotten lost before. I-I’m not sure how this happened.”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re okay now. Everything is going to be fine. Did you walk all night? You must be exhausted. Hungry.” He was rambling. He never rambled. She had him tongue-tied. No, he’d never acted like this even as a youngster. Wolves didn’t fall all over themselves quite like humans did. Not until they met their mates, apparently.

She giggled. The sweetest sound he’d ever heard. “I think I’m okay. Relieved you found me. Wasn’t sure what I was going to do if I had to keep walking all night again.”

Why had she chosen to travel by night and sleep by day? Sure, it was a better idea as far as warmth was concerned, but not many people would think of such a thing under stress.

Sergius stood and extended his hand to her. She rose alongside him, steadying her slight frame. But her grip sent his mind whirling. Every hair on his body felt electrified. His heart raced. And damn if his c**k didn’t jump to attention.

Lord, she was half a foot shorter than his six feet. And might weigh one fifteen, one twenty, soaking wet.

He could feel the firm muscles on her arms where his hand had landed as they stood. She was strong, apparently both physically as well as emotionally. She hadn’t started crying as he would have expected and didn’t appear to have spent the night crying either. Her eyes weren’t puffy, but weary. Stress lines marked her face.

“Why did you walk all night?”

“Well, the light for one. I thought it was a campfire, but it always remained elusive. I was sure if I followed that damn light, there had to be people around wherever it led when I got there. The strange thing was it was like a mirage. It seemed to keep moving farther away the closer I got to it. Exasperating, really.” She chuckled. “Now it seems absurd. Maybe I imagined the damn thing.”

Her brow furrowed and she bent to examine herself and brush off the twigs and leaves sticking to her body.

Serg reached to pull a leaf from her hair and tucked the unruly strand back behind her ear. When his thumb brushed her cheek, a shock jolted him. She jerked her gaze up to his and sucked in a breath.

She was so beautiful, even with tangled hair and a streak of dirt across her chin. Her round face was pale against his darker hand, a light sprinkling of freckles above her button nose. Sergius let his thumb travel across her cheek again, cupping the side of her head with his palm. His gaze traveled around her face, landing finally on her heart-shaped pink lips, which quivered as she licked the dryness away and tucked the bottom one inside, biting it between her teeth.

Her breath rate increased, in and out through her nose, while she dented that bottom lip with the tight grip of her front teeth.

Did he turn her on? He hadn’t been around mated couples for so long he’d forgotten what it was like when wolves met their mates.

His own heart was racing, threatening to pound out of his chest. He tried not to breathe too often or too deeply, because every inhale dragged more of her sweet essence into him, driving him crazy with the need to take her.

Too hot? She’ll have to take more than one taste to decide.

Laid Bear

© 2012 Eve Vaughn

Urban Fairy Tales, Book 2

After devoting ten years to caring for her grandmother, Zora Calloway is ready for the next stage of her life—until a series of frightening phone calls reminds her of an abusive ex who might still have it in for her. At least she has someplace to run and a job waiting for her when she gets there.

But a near-fatal collision with a huge black bear on a dark, storm-swept road changes everything. She wakes up in a secluded cabin, confronted by her rescuer: a naked hunk in the form of Logan Lamere. An explosive attraction leads her straight into his arms…then she learns they are not alone. 

Bear-shifter cousins Heath, Gavin and Logan Lamere had lost faith in finding their mate until Zora comes crashing into their lives. With one glance, they know she’s the one they’ve been waiting for. 

Zora is stunned at how easily she succumbs to the temptation to stay for a short while. But the men have forever in mind—if they can persuade their Goldilocks to accept three bears as her mates. And keep her safe from a danger that blindsides them all.

Warning: Three sexy shifters, one willing woman—the bed is just right….and so is the table…the wall…the woods… If you thought it was really all about the porridge, go to the back of the class.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Laid Bear: 

In most cases she wouldn’t be so ill-mannered as to eat her host’s food without permission, but these weren’t normal circumstances. She noticed three dirty plates stacked by the sink, confirming the diners had already eaten. Since the food was still on the table, she could only assume they’d be back shortly to clean up. But with all the leftovers, surely they wouldn’t miss one more slice of bacon.

One slice of bacon, however, became two, then three followed by sausage, potatoes and a steak. By the time she finished pigging out, she’d put a considerable dent in the buffet. She couldn’t remember eating so much in her life, as if she hadn’t eaten for days. She groaned, clutching her belly, this time because it was full. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes briefly as lethargy worked its way through her body.

A loud roar from the distance brought Zora out of her near food-coma. Startled, she leaned back in her chair so far it tipped over. Fortunately she was able to gain her balance before she hit the floor.

“Shit!” Another roar ripped through the air and this one sounded even closer. Were the doors securely shut? Then a noise greeted her ear that made her heart plummet, someone fiddling with the kitchen door behind her. Hopefully whatever wild animal lurked outside didn’t have opposable thumbs.

Without bothering to turn around to see what was behind her, she rushed to the living room only to run into something akin to a brick wall. The air whooshed from her lungs and she felt herself tumbling backward before a pair of hands gripped her forearms and held her up. Not a wall at all, but a man. She lowered her gaze.

A naked man—with an obscenely large c*ck, which seemed to be growing harder by the second.

Embarrassed, she lifted her head and for several moments of stunned silence, she stared at the hard wall of the giant’s sculpted chest. Zora was just shy of six feet, but she still had to tilt her head back to look into the stranger’s eyes.

Handsome wasn’t a word that could be used to describe the behemoth of a man, but he had the kind of face that was hard to look away from. With short, spiky white-blond hair, his features were masculine and rough. Light-brown, thick brows slashed over deep-green eyes. His long nose was slightly off center, almost as if it hadn’t been set correctly after being broken. With a mouth that was nothing more than a thin determined line, one wouldn’t think a face like this would be so arresting, but somehow the combination of features worked for him.

This was a man’s man—the kind of man other men attempted to emulate and women wanted to be with. Zora couldn’t take her eyes from him. It was as if some magnetic hold kept her rooted to the spot. As her gaze remained locked with his, Zora saw a flash that made her inhale sharply.

Hunger.

The blond hulk looked as if he literally wanted to devour her. She should have broken out of his firm hold, kicked, screamed for help even, but she remained frozen in his arms. It was almost as if she’d been hypnotized. She’d never laid eyes on him in her life, yet there was something familiar about him.

He continued to stare down at her, as though he were attempting to memorize every line and contour of her face without saying a word. Zora opened her mouth to talk, but the only thing that came out was a high-pitched squeak. She licked her parched lips nervously and his gaze narrowed even more, locking on that little movement.

Before she could make another attempt at speech, a low growl rumbled from the blond’s throat and he lowered his head. Zora had no time to react before his mouth clamped down on hers. Again her astonishment was too great to move—at first. At the feel of his tongue pressing against the seam of her lips, Zora shot into action. She balled her fists and beat at his chest to no avail. Twisting her head back and forth did no good either because he shadowed her every turn, his mouth remaining firmly clamped on hers. It only caused him to grip her harder.

The blond released one of her arms only to clutch the back of her head, digging his fingers in her locks, holding her captive to his passionate assault. Zora whimpered and wiggled only to be dragged forcefully against his body. He pressed his erection against her body and gave her hair a hard tug. Zora cried out, more in surprise than pain.

Taking advantage of her parted lips, he pushed his tongue into her mouth. She placed her palms against his chest with every intention of pushing him away, but then something happened she didn’t expect. Her body betrayed her. Her p*ssy tingled and a delicious warmth spread throughout her entire being. The hands she’d meant to push him away with were now used to feel the hard planes of his body.

He cupped her bottom and lifted her off the ground, forcing Zora to throw her arms around his neck. Intellectually, she knew this was all kinds of wrong. Here she was in the middle of God knows where, kissing and dry humping a naked guy she’d never met. But the need to be near him shredded all vestiges of common sense. Shyly at first, she pushed her tongue out to meet his before pulling back. Growing bolder, she did it again. He groaned and caught her tongue between his lips, sucking it hard and deep.

Zora was so caught up in the kiss she didn’t feel herself being carried the short distance to the couch. It was only when she lay on her back, crushed by his hard body that she realized how far things had gone. This was a stranger for Christ’s sake.

Turning her head to the side, she gasped for breath. “No.” The word came out as an uncertain whisper, so it was no wonder he ignored her. A large calloused palm grazed the inside of her thigh, moving higher, stopping only when it met the cloth-covered folds of her p*ssy.

A quiver stole its way up her spine. She couldn’t remember feeling this hot for anyone. Her panties were soaked and a fever raged through her body. Modesty dictated that she clamp her thighs closed, denying him access to the most intimate part of her. Denying herself. But the part of her that hadn’t been laid in over a year screamed,
hell yes!

“So wet,” he growled, his breath caressing her heated skin as he buried his face against her neck, while his fingers pushed the crotch of her panties aside to expose her wetness to his probing digits. “I knew you’d feel like this. Taste like this.” He bit into the side of her neck, not hard enough to break skin, but with enough pressure to sting.

Zora cried out, placing her hands against his shoulder. She should push him away, she really should, but those fingers…

As he continued to nuzzle and nip at her neck, he ran his forefinger along her wet slit before slipping past her labia. When he touched her, Zora arched her back, giving up all pretence of protesting. She might not be in hell now, but she was certainly going there for this.

She dug her nails into his broad shoulders, pulling him closer and wanting more of the decadent sensations he caused throughout her body. Complying with her silent pleas, he slipped his middle finger inside her wet sheath. She wiggled and bucked her hips against him.

“That’s it, baby, ride my hand,” he ordered before clamping his teeth on her earlobe, giving it a quick nip. She was no innocent by a long shot, but nothing had prepared for the intense need that filled her from head to toe.

“Oh God, yes,” she moaned.

“Not God. Logan. Open your eyes, Zora.”

Logan. She liked the sound of it. The name suited him of the broad shoulders and good looking, rough-hewn features. Slowly, she raised her lids to meet his lust-filled gaze. How this beautiful stranger was able to make her lose her inhibitions on such a short acquaintance was a mystery to her, but she was lost from the second she laid eyes on him, enslaved when he touched her and absolutely sizzled when he said her name.

How did he know her name?

Zora didn’t have time to process the question before a gruff voice that didn’t belong to her or Logan shattered the moment.

“Just couldn’t wait, could you, Logan?”

Burn With Me

R.G. Alexander

She walks a tightrope between light and dark. Danger and passion. Obsession and love…

Fireborne, Book 1

Aziza Jane Stewart is living on borrowed time, and making a few mistakes in London seems like a good way to go out with a bang. But when two compelling strangers draw her into an ancient conflict, she realizes her curse isn’t about death at all…it’s about the power within her.

The sexy giant following her says he can smell trouble on her skin, the smokeless fire and magic of the demons he was born and bred to hunt. Brandon may be an enforcer, but his reaction to her is anything but adversarial. Ram, her new Jinn shadow, will do whatever it takes to come between them, and he’s just as hard for Aziza to resist.