Shifting Destinies: A Paranormal Interracial Story (HIdden Hills Shifters Book 3) (5 page)

He’d decided to return to his roots in part because his dad was getting on in years, and Wade wanted to help where he could. The main branch of his business was in Pennsylvania, but he could work from anywhere as long as he took occasional trips to meet his clients.

It might have been coincidence, but right after that dance at the Cove Bar with Emmaline three months ago, he’d decided to move back to Hidden Hills. Now he could see his subconscious had been at work. He must have known all along that they belonged together.

When he reached his folks’ place, the familiarity washed over him as it always did when he came home. His parents lived in the same house they moved into when they’d first married. It was a small three-bedroom and needed major repairs, but Dad said he never wanted to move. Now that his friend, Burke, had expanded his renovation business to include Hidden Hills, he would be doing some renovations for Wade’s dad.

It didn’t matter that over the years, his father made a lot of money selling real estate and developing the land, he still kept his earnings in the bank. No matter how many times Wade told him he couldn’t take it with him, Dad said it was for the grandkids to enjoy.

His sister had announced she was gay about five years ago, so unless Holly and her partner, Lynn, adopted a child, there wouldn’t be any little ones running around for a while. Convincing the independent Emmaline Nettles they were mates would be no small feat, so he didn’t see kids in the near future either. Hell, he bet it would be easier to amass another fortune than to get her to give him a serious chance.

Wade cut the engine, grabbed his duffel, and headed on in. “I’m back!”

“In here,” came the call from the kitchen.

It was a little after five and they were most likely eating. They were such early birds. As soon as he saw his parents, Wade smiled.

“I see you made it okay.” His father put down his fork, stood, then hugged him.

“I did.” Wade stepped over to his mom and kissed her on the cheek. “I really need to shower.”

“Should I make you a plate?”

“No, I’m going out to dinner.”

“You just got here.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ll see enough of me later.”

“Well, have a good time.”

Wade rushed out of the kitchen to get ready for his date. Before he’d left Pittsburgh, he’d debated whether to dress for success or go for the casual look. Emmaline probably had to dress up for work each day and figured she might appreciate it if they had a casual dinner. If he recalled correctly, she hadn’t looked very comfortable in her fancy bridesmaid dress. When he’d called to tell her his plans, she seemed okay with Carmelita’s, a cozy, homey Italian place.

After he showered and shaved, he ran a wet cloth over his boots to get rid of any dirt, and then checked his jeans to make sure they weren’t sporting any holes. Satisfied he didn’t look like a criminal, he headed back to the living room where his parents had congregated.

Dad whistled. “She must be special.”

“She is.” There was no use denying it.

“What’s her name?” his mom asked.

His folks had no problem with who he dated, whether it be human, cheetah, bear, or wolf. Most of the women he took out were from Pennsylvania, anyway, so they never got to meet them.

“Emmaline Nettles.”

His dad quirked a brow. “Doesn’t her father own a bunch of dry cleaners in the area?”

Sad to say, he hadn’t asked much about her family. The bear in him had been too excited to taste her, and he hadn’t had the time to get to know her. “I’ll be sure to ask her tonight.”

His mother stepped over to him and brushed off what he assumed was imaginary lint. “Be careful and drive safely.”

“I’m thirty, Mom.”

She kissed his cheek. “You’ll always be my little boy.”

He had to laugh. “Don’t wait up for me.”

Wade hadn’t meant to say those words. This date was supposed to be about them learning about each other, not him giving into his baser urges.

His dad placed a hand on his arm. “Are you going to tell her what you do for a living?”

Wade would have to at some point. “Soon. If it works out.”

“I can tell you like her.”

“How?” This he wanted to hear. “Am I giving off a scent or something?”

“You wouldn’t have come home so soon after the last visit if she weren’t important.”

His dad always did see through his plans. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Before they grilled him any more, he left. Emmaline only lived about fifteen minutes from his parents’ house, but the trip seemed almost too short, since it didn’t give him enough time to figure out how he wanted to bring up the concept of her being his mate. This was a big moment. If he fucked it up, he’d have a sad and lonely life.

He parked in front of her house. Now he wished he’d gone with his gut and bought her some flowers or perhaps a box of candy. How sad was it that he knew so little about what she liked.

If he didn’t get out of the truck, though, he’d never find out more. He rang the bell and waited. And waited some more. His acute hearing detected movement inside, so he wondered why she wasn’t answering. He was about to knock when the door eased open. All pre-planned thoughts of how this evening was going to pan out disappeared the moment he saw her and detected her alluring scent. Every visceral reaction possible happened, from his heart racing to his palms sweating. Jesus, this sucked. Now, she’d never want him. He was no better than a horny teenager.

She smiled. “Come on in.”

Focus on anything but her.
The walls were white and the furniture plain. Her place reminded him of his first rental unit. As much as he wanted to check out where she lived, he couldn’t help but bring his gaze back to Emmaline.

Hug her, stupid
.

Wade gathered her in his arms and placed a kiss on her forehead. Any more contact, and his body would go berserk. He leaned back. “How have you been? You look awesome, by the way.”

Color flitted up her face. “Good, now that you’re here.”

“Oh, yeah?”

She grinned then stepped out of his grasp. The pulse at her neck was beating fast as if she, too, was highly affected by being near him. Wade inhaled her scent again and his groin tightened. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she smelled a bit like a bear, though that was impossible—unless her mother was one. He was too polite to ask, but at some point, he’d have to.

He cleared his throat, needing to put an end to his lustful thoughts. “You ready? I’m starving.”
For you
.

“Yes. Let me get my purse.”

She sounded defeated, so he reached out to stop her. “Is everything okay? Did you have a bad week?”

He swore there was a hint of fear in her eyes. “No.”

When she moved in front of him, probably to retrieve her purse from the table, something inside him snapped. The draw between the two of them astounded him though it shouldn’t have since they were mates. “Maybe if I greet you properly, you’ll feel better.”

Not waiting for Emmaline to answer, he wrapped his arms around her waist, bent down, and kissed her. But it wasn’t an ordinary kiss. The moment their lips touched, it was as if someone had set a bonfire under him. Every hormone rushed through his veins, replacing all thought. He needed to slow down, but he seemed to be incapable of doing so. Her moan, along with the way her tongue darted around his mouth as if she couldn’t get enough, spurred him on.

He reached between them and twisted his wrist to cup her breast. At that touch, his cock turned to steel. Everything told him to slow down, that she’d think he was some kind of horny pig, but he couldn’t let her go.

“I want you, Emmaline,” he whispered. “I can’t get you out of my head.” This wasn’t what he should have admitted, but every shred of being a gentleman disappeared.

Please say you want me, too
. She bit down on his lip, and the animal in him beat on his chest from the inside.

“Me, too, but if we start, I might not be able to stop,” she said.

This was too good to be true. “What do you think we should do about it?”

“If I allow myself one little touch, perhaps I can get you out of my system,” she said as sweetly as could be while nodding at his bulging cock. She then giggled.

“One touch will do it?”

“I don’t know, but how about I try?”

Wade laughed, loving her flirtatious manner. He stepped back, unbuttoned his jeans, and lowered them a few inches. His need was so great, it was as if he were back in high school again.

With her gaze on him, Emmaline lowered her red lace panties from under her skirt and dropped them on the carpet. “Just one suck.”

She’d taken off her panties; she wanted more. Her actions, and then her words, were like wicked flames to his hot body. “Okay, but don’t stay too long down there, or I’ll have to ravish you. Just being around you is making me crazy.”

She ran a finger down his chest. “Oh, yeah?”

He had to look at the ceiling and grip his hands to stop himself from slamming into her. When she leaned over, her full breasts practically popped out of her top. No man—especially a mate—would have been able to resist her.

She reached out and dragged a finger up his length. “I’d forgotten how big he is.”

“Once your mouth gets on him, he’ll grow even bigger, so you better hurry.”

“Okay.” He caught the smile that quirked her lips.

Lightly, she let his balls rest on her right palm. With the other hand, she grabbed his dick and squeezed. Shit. Her touch sent him spiraling. When he threaded his fingers through her long, caramel colored hair, and tugged, the silky strands altered something inside him.

Her tongue rimmed the tip of his cock and he had to close his eyes to keep from coming. He’d let her have her way with him for a bit, but then he’d have to stop her since he wouldn’t last.

“Suck on him. Hard.” He shouldn’t have said that. He must be a masochist, or else he feared this might be the last time he’d experience her. After tonight, she might conclude he only wanted her for her body, and he hoped like hell that wasn’t true.

Her tongue encircled his cock one time before she drew in at least half of him. A roar from his chest bubbled up and escaped. Emmaline jumped back, her eyes wide.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry.” He’d never be able to explain that she’d almost made him shift. He pulled up his pants.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought—”

“That I was afraid? I wasn’t, so please don’t deny me the rest.”

“I thought you only wanted one lick.”

“I lied.”

Wade had no words to answer her. “You can have anything you want.” He’d meant that in the broadest sense.

“Then I want you.”

Men did not swoon—especially bear shifter men—but he was about to. “You want to get me naked?”

As long as she didn’t ask him to take off her clothes, he’d be good, because if his fingers settled on her tits, he’d be lost. Then she really would have reason to be afraid of him.

She stepped closer, bolder now, lifted his long sleeved shirt over his head, and dropped it on the floor. “Wow. In the light, you look even better.”

Her grin had his ego soaring. “Thank you.”

So as not to delay the inevitable, he stood on one leg and tugged off his boot. He must have been over zealous because he lost his balance and had to hop to regain it. Emmaline pressed her lips together.

“Don’t you laugh, girl. I’m trying to be debonair here.”

She tilted back her head and guffawed. “If you say so.”

Christ, she must think he was a bumbling fool. It had been bad enough in the truck when she’d had to straddle him. He concentrated, and pulled off the other boot, which then allowed him to discard his jeans and briefs in one fluid motion. Her gaze latched onto his dick, and it jerked in appreciation and anticipation.

“Your turn,” he said, his throat suddenly dry.

Her top was the stretchy kind that she easily removed. She toed off her sandals, and when she unzipped the back of her skirt, his bones nearly broke through the skin. If he shifted, he’d never be able to live with himself, but hot damn, what this woman did to him.

Wade wished he knew if his reaction to her would always be this powerful, but only time would tell.

As soon as her skirt fell to the floor, Emmaline stepped out of it and stood before him naked except for the bra that matched the panties already on the floor. He licked his lips, lust soaring through him so fast he had to suck in a deep breath. “You are gorgeous.”

She smiled and his heart nearly folded in on itself. Slowly, Emmaline reached behind her and undid the clasp. When she lowered her arms, her breasts pushed out the material.

Wade pounced. “I can’t wait any longer.”

With one quick tug, he stripped her of her bra and let it join her panties on the carpet. With both hands, he cupped her breasts. As he lifted them, she grabbed his cock and grinned. Heaven help him. She was a devil, and here he’d thought she was some innocent.

“You are such a wolf,” he whispered.

“That I am. Thankfully, you aren’t all wooly, like I thought you’d be.”

“Only when I shift. Am I the first bear you’ve been with?”

Her brows pinched. “Yes.”

He smothered his face in her tits and inhaled. Her scent was different—muskier—than he remembered. Something stirred deep inside him and he gathered her in his arms and hugged her tight.

Not able to stand another second apart, he stepped back, yanked his wallet from his pants, and retrieved a condom. “I have to have you. Now.”

Chapter Five