ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) (56 page)

She let go of his cock and he carefully guided her onto the bed. He lifted her leg and kissed the inside of her knee. His tongue made slow circles against the area. She wasn’t sure how such an innocuous area could turn her on so much but she was practically shaking with desire. His fingers danced up the inside of her other leg, as his tongue moved upwards. He ran his nails along the crease between her sex and her thigh. She shivered.

One of his hands went under her butt, so he could angle her upwards slightly. He licked a long line from the start of her slit to her clit. His free hand traced shapes on the outer parts of her. He captured her clit between her lips and sucked on it, his tongue circling and grinding against the tiny bundle of nerves. He sucked one of her lower lips into his mouth, brushing his teeth against it, and then repeating the same thing on the other side. She hadn’t realized every part of her was so sensitive.

His tongue dipped inside of her, tasting her juices. One finger slowly joined his tongue, and curled his fingers up against her. She jumped slightly as the pad of his thumb hit a spot inside her that made her feel even more turned on. He rubbed the spot inside of her, and his tongue moved back to her clit. He hummed against her, sending vibrations throughout her pussy. She felt the stirring deep in her belly. Her hands fell from his hand and onto the bed.

She clutched the sheets as the first wave of an orgasm crashed over her. He slid another finger into her wet tunnel, and she gripped down on them. “Cum, Lexi. Cum for me.”

And she did. One hand went back to his hair, holding her down to him. She couldn’t take the pressure on her clit and g-spot any longer, but she needed more. She felt wired and full of contradictions. It was amazing.

His tongue was restless and drew another orgasm from her. “Shane…I need…” she began, her breath coming in shallow pants. “A break…too much.” He eased off her clit and g-spot, only stroking her leisurely. Her legs spasmed as she tried to get ahold of herself. He grinned up at her, and right when she was ready to go again, he dove back between her legs and brought another orgasm from her.

“Shane, make love to me,” she begged. He looked up at her. His mouth was covered in the soft sheen of her juices. He licked his lips, and began to kiss her hip bones. He moved up her body, his lips and tongue running along her skin. It was like she was on fire, and the only thing that could soothe her was his touch. He kissed every inch of the scar on her stomach. She wanted to flinch away. The scar always reminded her that she wasn’t beautiful, but he held her in place.

“You’re beautiful,” he said against her skin. “All of you.” As he reached her breasts, he said, “You’re perfect.”

He took her nipple into his mouth and ran his teeth gently across the areola. He kissed between the valley of her breasts and then moved to the other one.

Lexi’s hands fisted in his hair, pulling him closer to her. He hummed and she could feel the vibrations all the way down to her toes. Her eyes fluttered shut. “Shane, please.” She needed him more than she had needed anything in her entire life. She felt so connected to him. It scared her, but it also excited her.

His arms went to the side of her, and she wrapped her legs loosely around his hips. His cock brushed against her pussy. He took his length in his hand and ran the head between her folds, not quite penetrating her. When she looked between them, the head of his cock was coated in her juices. It was an insanely erotic sight.

He did that a few more times, running his cock along her sensitive nether lips. She bucked up twice, but he pushed her hips back down, making it clear that everything was going to happen when he decided it would.

“Shane.” His name sounded like a plea when it fell from her lips.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his eyes searching her face as he positioned himself at her entrance.

“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly. “Yes.”

Shane felt it the moment he entered her. The feeling filled him completely, leaving him warm, and sated even though he hadn’t reached completion yet. It was her. This was it, everything that he had ever heard about finding your mate. Lexi was his mate. He was positive now.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. It still wasn’t enough. He somehow needed to be completely inside of her, surrounded by her. Her presence filled him with a pure sort of joy that left him reeling.

“Lexi,” he gasped. He looked into her gorgeous eyes and brought his lips to hers. He wanted to stay like this forever, connected with her in such an intimate way. Her inner walls clenched around him and he knew he needed to finish with her in order for the mating to be completed.

He slowly rolled his hips, pushing even deeper into her. She was so warm, so wet, and she gripped him perfectly. He whispered her name against her skin, over and over, as he slowly pulled out of her. She moaned at the loss of him.

“Shane, I need you,” she whispered. He pushed back into her, just as slowly, savoring every inch. She bucked against him but he pressed her hips down with one hand. He was setting the pace. He was in charge of their love making.

He had let her take her time, let her decide things for a while, but it was his turn now. He cradled her body against his, his arms pressed against her back. He needed her as close to him as possible. He needed the connection on every level.

There was an intensity in their love making that he had never felt with anyone else before. When he was inside of her, her inner walls gripping down on his cock, he felt like he was home. All he knew, all he wanted, was Lexi. It consumed him. Was this what finding your mate was like? This intense need, this energy? He couldn’t tell if he wanted to make this last forever, or if he wanted to cum immediately. He wanted both to happen at the same time.

He buried his nose against her neck. Her pulse raced against his ear. His tongue danced across her sweat-drenched neck. The taste of her was like Persephone’s pomegranate. He would never be able to leave Lexi. She was part of him now.

The little moans she made every time he pushed back into her were addicting. He turned them, so he was on the bottom. He wanted to see her ride his cock. Her hands were firmly set against his chest, and she used him for leverage as she maneuvered herself up, and then slowly back down his hard length. Her lips were parted in a soft ‘O.’ Her breasts swayed with her rhythm. His fingers circled her wrists, holding her down to him.

A moment later, he pulled her down so she was flush against him. The soft pillows of her breasts were cushioned against his chest. He captured her lips and thrust upwards into her. His hands roamed her back, and squeezed at the soft flesh of her ass. He could feel the rough skin of her scar under his fingers. He wanted to erase her pain, he wanted to erase the reminder of everything that had happened to her before they made love.

She gasped into his mouth as an orgasm took her. She clenched down, her inner muscles milking him. He couldn’t hold off any longer. With a moan, he released into her. His warm seed filled her. He thrust twice more and slowly relaxed back down onto the bed.

He carefully rolled her off of him, and placed one more kiss on her lips before standing up. “Where are you going?” she asked. She looked at him through half-lidded eyes, still filled with desire, but also slightly nervous.

“Bathroom. I’m going to get a washcloth to clean you up. I’ll be back in a moment, darling.” He felt his eyes on her as he went. He ran a cloth under hot water, knowing it would be lukewarm by the time he got back to the bed.

He rang out the extra water and reentered the room. She had pulled the covers over her body. He tugged the sheets back down, and was rewarded with her flushed nudity. He could get used to this. Picked up one of her legs and rested it in his lap. He ran the cloth along her folds and wiped up the mess they had made.

She hummed low in her throat and is made him hard all over again. He had never had a response to anyone quite like he responded to her.

“Uh, Shane?”

“Yeah, darling?”

“This is going to sound kind of crazy, but did you feel that?” she asked tentatively as he dropped the wash cloth onto the floor.

He rolled over and looked at her. She was so beautiful. Not classically so, but beautiful to him. “You’re not crazy. That was, uh, my fault. We’re mates.”

“What?”

“A shifter, a wolf, has one mate. We can go our entire lives without finding our one true mate, but if we do, when we make love for the first time, the emotion, the depth is overwhelmingly intense.”

“Are you saying…” she didn’t look upset, just confused.

“Yes. You’re the one.”

She took in a deep shaky breath. “Wow.” His heart sank. Was she unhappy with being his mate? He had, after all, complicated her life irreversibly. She must have noticed his expression because she placed her hands on his face. “It’s not a bad wow. It’s just a lot to take in. Things are so new with us, but we’ve been through more shit than most couples will go through in a life time. But…” she trailed off, as if searching for the words. “I’m not trying to complicate this, but basically, what I’m trying to say, is that I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Shane’s heart swelled. “I am in love with you, Lexi.”

For a few brief hours, everything was too good to be true. Shane made love to her again before they fell asleep, and he woke her up with gentle kisses and they made love again. He couldn’t get enough of her. They showered together and he made her breakfast. They curled on the couch together and he held her. Every few minutes he confirmed that he wasn’t touching her bruises. It was sweet how worried he was about her. She thought about how nice it would be to have him around every day, checking in on her, making sure she was okay. The thought of it made nervous bubbles blossom in the pit of her stomach.

She was nodding off on his chest when she felt him stiffen. “What’s wrong?” she asked groggily.

“Matt. He’s here.” He slowly put her down on the couch, moving her off his chest. She moved to get up but his gaze pinned her to the couch. “Stay there. I don’t want you involved in this right now.”

He turned and walked out of the living room. She stayed put until she heard the front door close. She jumped up and followed him out. She moved down the stairs quickly but quietly. She figured Shane wouldn’t hear her because he was far enough ahead.

She skidded to a stop at the edge of the parking lot. There were only a couple of cars in the lot, and the two men stood there, facing each other. The tension was palpable. Shane’s hands were twitching at his sides. His head turned as he caught her scent in the air. “Lexi,” he said, his tone a warning. She didn’t move. He turned to Matt. “Get out of here.”

Matt stood there, his anger palpable. He looked directly at Lexi. She flinched and moved to stand behind Shane. “Don’t worry, he’s not going to risk a confrontation out in the open like this,” Shane whispered. Somehow, she wasn’t reassured. Shane seemed to think that Matt was still somehow a rational person. But Lexi knew he wasn’t. He was a mad dog.

“Lexi, you’re looking well. Those bruises shouldn’t take too long to heal.”

“Walk away, Matt,” Shane spat. A low, menacing growl emanated from his chest.

“You don’t want to fight in front of your precious mate, Shane? Don’t want to show her what a monster you can be now that she’s stuck with you? You could have walked away from the human, but you fucked her. I can smell it on you. You soiled our line, Shane and poisoned everyone against me. I was doing what was best for the pack. Human blood pollutes us. Makes us weak.”

“You don’t need human blood to make you weak, Matt. You just always were.”

“We’ll see who’s weak, Shane.” Matt’s eyes flashed and Lexi gasped. Matt began to turn. It was both incredible and grotesque. Despite everything that Lexi knew about human anatomy, everything seemed wrong. Matt’s bones changed under his skin, and hair sprouted everywhere. It was the same color as his hair. So similar to Shane’s but not quite identical.

She took an automatic step back. Something in her lizard brain equated wolf with danger. Then, in half a second, Shane was on his knees, his body twisting in the same way. She gasped as she watched him. Somehow it was stranger watching Shane transform than it had been watching Matt.

Shane was replaced by an enormous wolf. He was clearly bigger than Matt.

Matt was already in motion. She hadn’t noticed him; she had been too wrapped up in watching Shane’s transformation, but in the moment it took Shane to shift, Matt was already on her. His paws hit her chest straight on, and she hit the ground.

She heard a growl and a pained yip as Shane’s mouth closed around Matt’s neck and he threw him off her. She scrambled backwards, and tried to stand up. Her legs were shaky. She backed away slowly, trying not to draw any attention to herself.

The motion made Matt’s head snap towards her and he launched himself over Shane. The world seemed frozen to Lexi.

Everything sped up and Lexi screamed as Matt in his wolf form came barreling into her. She felt searing pain down her leg and felt her warm blood careen down her leg. She watched as Shane clamped down on Matt’s leg and yanked him off of her. The pain was blinding. The muscles and skin on her leg looked like it was in tatters. She couldn’t breathe. Her vision began to blur. The last thing she saw was Shane’s bloody face in front of her.