Sunday was family dinner night. For most people this would mean a loving gathering of close relatives around the supper table, exchanging news and exciting gossip over home-cooked food. But his was no ordinary family. With the exception of one new addition, all present were shapeshifters; large cats, wolves, and even one big-ass bear. As for Stu, one of the lupine diners, he was related, in an unfortunate twist of fate, to all of them. To one side of him sat Chris, younger brother, pain in his ass, and newly married chump to the lovely and delicate Jiao. On his right, he had the entertaining Alejandro, his other brother Mitchell-whom he lived to tease-and feisty Francine, their mate as well as his sister's best friend. Across the table sat his loud-mouthed, bratty sister Naomi with her mates Ethan and Javier, accompanied by his adorable baby niece and nephew-who currently took turns spitting out food and chortling. Then there was his other brother Kendrick, his best
It took another hour of explaining, more pie, a few cookies, and promises to keep them in the loop before Stu's family let her leave with him. He, on the other hand, didn't say much. He just sat back and watched Patricia. It should have creeped her out. Instead, Patricia found herself all too aware of him, and she didn't like it one bit. Only once before had she felt that level of awareness, that electric shock of recognition. That hadn't turned out well for her in the end. So this time, despite the urging of her cougar, she ignored it. Not an easy task. Once she got Stu alone, she'd hoped to regain her equilibrium, but failed. Heck, she had to fight the urge to roll down all the windows and stick her head out the open space to suck in fresh air. It wasn't that the guy in the backseat of her cruiser stank. On the contrary, Stu smelled good. Really good. Tempting. He also smelled like trouble. Because if my nose is not mistaken and my cougar can be believed, then he's my freakn' m
Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Ricky counted the push-ups in his head, the steady cadence of exercise soothing and calming to his churning mind. Undercover almost a month and Ricky had yet to uncover a single clue or even a rumor about a killer targeting shifters. Don't tell me I got assigned to the wrong prison. An anger he'd fought long and hard to master threatened to bubble up. When the shifter council approached him after the death of his brother-say it like it is, his murder-he'd jumped on the chance to help them mete out justice. He'd known the suicide verdict couldn't be true. His little brother Joey would never have killed himself, and certainly not by slitting his wrists. Shapeshifter or not, Joey hated the sight of blood. Hated violence of any kind. A gentle soul always at odds with the wild cat he shared a body with, he fought his beast side and won, or at least kept his baser urges at bay. His only crime? He liked to gamble. Problem was he sucked at it. Not t
Joking about going to prison was one thing, actually setting foot in one, a completely different thing. Stu couldn't help a twinge of unease as he shuffled along the first of many gray corridors, the tether between his ankles keeping his steps short while his hands cuffed in front of him left little movement if he stumbled and fell. Chris would have said his face could use some character, but Stu preferred his nose as it was, only slightly misshapen from his numerous mishaps, usually at the other end of someone's fist. Ignoble tripping and a subsequent nose break wasn't the kind of scar he wanted to live with, or explain. Not when he knew it would end up repeated at every family gathering for the next twenty years. What happened to Stu's nose? Oh, he tripped over his big freakn' clown feet and did a face plant on concrete. Shuffle, shuffle. He used mincing steps to keep from overbalancing, the chain jingling as he marched toward his new room and his first foray into a missi
After ditching the wolf at the station, Patricia didn't see Stu again for three whole days. Three days she spent thinking about him, much to her annoyance. Why did he attract her? It couldn't be the mate bond. She refused to believe that. So what was it? Surely not lust? For one thing, the guy was young, much too young. And two, she didn't like guys with wild mops of hair. She preferred a military-style cut. A groomed man. Heck, if she were to get picky, she'd admit she tended to gravitate to men in uniform. Stu was nothing of the sort. A slob who lived with his parents and who spoke in ribald jests, whose family was borderline psychotic, who ? wouldn't leave her thoughts no matter how hard she tried. Sigh. When she began her shift at the prison, she fought not to rush to his cell to check on him. She wouldn't be that girl. I am a grown woman. I will act like one! Stating that to herself and feeling it, though, were two different things. She couldn't stop the ti
"Holy fuck," Ricky muttered as he watched the heart-shaped ass of his mate as she strutted away. No doubt. No mistake. The blonde cougar was his. He'd seen enough of his friends and family succumb to the mysterious mating force to know what all the symptoms in his body meant. The lady with attitude would belong to him. Fucking awesome. "Stop staring," growled the dog who shared the cell with him. "Don't you talk to me like that," Ricky snarled, whipping around. "I'll stare if I like, considering it's only a matter of time before that ass is mine." "Like hell. She's my mate, and you are not laying one stinking freakn' paw on her." "Your mate?" Ricky laughed. "You must be mistaken, puppy. The cougar is mine." "No." "Yes." "No." Stu shook his head. "Can't be. Not again." "What do you mean not again? Not the first time your pathetic nose led you astray?" Ricky sneered. "No. My nose knows what it smells, and Patricia is mine. But m
During the course of her shift, Patricia wandered by her charges' cell a few times, and each time, she got the same electric thrill. Heck, she found herself holding her breath in anticipation, releasing it only when she glimpsed them, each time looking yummier than the last. She welcomed the respite in midafternoon that saw her patrolling the prison yard as a group of inmates were given their daily dose of exercise and fresh air. The change of scenery, though, didn't help, not when she realized her two guys-my mates-were in the group currently wandering the cement courtyard. She did her best not to stare. It wouldn't do to draw unneeded attention to them. Yet, she couldn't help it, especially when Stu drew the scrutiny of a big, tattooed thug who stood over her young wolf, blocking the rays of sunlight Stu was trying to soak up. With her enhanced hearing, she had no problem hearing the conversation. "You're in my spot," growled the bald inmate. Stu cracked
Finally, a moment alone with his cougar. Of course, Ricky would have wished for a more romantic one where she wasn't shoving him down a hall with his hands pulled taut behind his back in tightly placed cuffs, but then again, he did enjoy the fact the woman fate had chosen for him wasn't some simpering wimp. He admired a woman with courage and character. "We never were properly introduced," he stated. "My name is Ricky-" "I know who you are. I've read the file." And didn't sound too impressed. "Yeah. I was a bit wild in my youth." "A bit?" "I learned my lesson." "You now run an outreach program to redirect teens and young adults away from gangs and into more mainstream activities. I know. Like I said, I read the file." "It's the least I can do, given the damage I caused before I learned any better." It had taken him years to realize growing up in poverty without a father and a mother who worked three jobs did not give him license to steal, hurt
Nothing ever felt more right than the first time Derrick sank balls deep into Janine. Unless he counted the second time and then the third. Over and over, he claimed her that night, the next day, all that week as she took some time off work for them to explore their new relationship. And yes, they were in a relationship. She's my mate now. And soon, she'd be his wife. He'd already asked for and received permission from Orson and Janine's mother. A conversation that went along the lines of? "I'm going to marry your daughter." "I get to plan the wedding." "I'll have you cremated if you hurt her." Derrick could already tell they'd fit in well with his family. Snap.*Epilogue An exaggerated groan left Derrick as he heaved Janine out of the car. The sound totally deserved a laser-hot glare. "Are you implying something?" No denying she was a little more rotund these days. He pulled her close, not caring that her big belly got in the way. A smile tugged
With Derrick buried in the bosom of his family, Janine slipped away before the tears blurring her gaze were noticed. Derrick had survived the surgery and seemed about to beat the odds. He would recover, which meant it was time for her to go. Even if I love him. And she did love him. Loved him so much that she couldn't be with him. She knew Derrick thought himself in love with her, that she was his mate. Much as she wanted to believe that, she couldn't. He'd fallen for her only because, at the time, he depended on her. Acting as his therapist meant their close involvement brought them together and imbued him with a false sense of intimacy. I think the intimacy came from you letting him touch you. Acts that shouldn't have happened, and yet, she didn't regret. It made leaving so much harder, but she did it now while she could. Now while he had his family and the promise of a bright future ahead of him. Let him get on with his life. Find a woman to settle dow
The hot satisfaction at having brought down the enemy paled before the panicked realization that Derrick couldn't move. Not a single damned muscle. The cold reality sent his wolf into hiding, pulling back from the dead weight of his body and leaving only human flesh. Flesh that felt nothing but the tips of her fingers on his cheeks as she cradled his head. "Derrick. Oh God, why did you do that?" She hugged his head, and if the moment weren't so dire, he might have enjoyed being buried against her plush tits. But all he could think was, This is the last time. The last time he'd smell her or feel her touch because he'd fucked up majorly in skipping the surgery and now paid the price. Since he didn't expect he'd get another chance, he whispered, "I love you," which only caused her to rock and hug tighter. In a voice thick with tears, she retorted, "This better not be one of those goodbye speeches. You're going to be fine. We'll get you in for that surgery, and ever
Doctor's Pet. She read the title in gleaming silver letters on the back of Derrick's chair as he whipped by with a whoop, well ahead of his brothers in their own colorful chariots. When she'd come across some orderlies watching something out the window, she'd not expected to see the Grayson clan gathered out front, clapping and hollering at the participants in the wheelchair races. It wasn't even just Derrick and his brothers playing. They'd gotten several other patients to join in too. Given the speed at which they raced, a fear for their safety made her want to march out that door and tell them to stop, but an old adage came to mind-boys will be boys. And men would do stupid things that resulted in stitches for, as Stu said upon meeting her, "Shits and giggles." The main surgeon for the rehab center came to stand beside her. "Looks like fun," he noted. "Yes. Dangerous, though," she added. "These men have been to hell and back. Do you really want to
The feel of her on his fingers proved exhilarating, but it couldn't compare to her intoxicating taste. A man parched, Derrick lapped at her, savoring her womanly cream and humming with pure male satisfaction at how she clenched and pushed against him, her body craving more of his touch. He couldn't have stopped if he wanted to. Too long he'd craved her. Too long he'd denied the unmistakable truth. Janine is mine. And for this moment at least, he couldn't find the strength to push her away. I'm tired of fighting what I want. Time for a little selfishness. He lapped at her sweet button, feeling it swell at his flicks. He pumped his fingers in and out of the moistness of her sex, loving how she gripped him tight. Her excitement built, reaching a crescendo, and he felt just as coiled as her, poised on the edge. He pistoned his fingers in her as his lips pinched her swollen button. A low cry began to keen from her lips. She smashed a pillow over her face as her body arched
Something woke Janine from a light slumber. She lay in bed, one half of her face squashed against her pillow, listening. Not even the creak of joists shifting broke the heavy silence. Holding her breath a moment longer, she tested the ambiance of the room. Is anyone here? Am I alone? Her senses craned, seeking that sense of vitality that only another person could emit. She sought another presence, a reason for waking, and felt nothing. She exhaled with relief. No bogeyman tonight. For those who might mock her, she had no problem admitting a fear of the dark, especially the particular shade it achieved in the middle of the night. Dark deeds often happened under night's shadow. And sometimes a little girl wakes and opens her eyes to see bloodshot ones staring right at her. The shriek she uttered proved piercing. The scarier thing? Daddy screamed at an even higher pitch. But that had happened a long time ago. Only the one time, but it left an impression. She'
The tingling awareness of her presence faded as Janine moved from the doorway of the game room. He'd known she watched him. Felt her eyes on him the moment she appeared and missed her gaze when she left. It took him gripping the wheels of his chair not to chase after her. Having her out of his line of sight didn't sit well, and not just because of all the people roaming around. Earlier, when they'd first arrived, he'd also hated sending her off into the kitchen with her mother. Then again, it was probably a good thing Red didn't stay because the first thing Derrick tried to do was get her out of his life. "I want a new shrink." On his way to a bar, fetching a drink of something with a fiery kick, Orson paused. "Is there a problem with my daughter?" "No." "Then why the request?" The council member uncorked a decanter and poured some amber liquid into glasses. He handed one to Derrick before taking a seat on the couch. "Do you want her removed because she's
Despite the mishap in locating Derrick-I really thought I'd have to hunt him down and force him-the road trip passed rather peacefully. Despite the sexual tension between them, there was also a genuine like for one another, and when he wasn't barbing her or trying to push Janine away, they could have the most interesting conversations. It passed the long trip. While Derrick started out driving, the highway part of the route being the longest, she took over once they hit an exit. She made sure to give him a pit stop so he could use a washroom, and she said not a word about the fact that he took a few minutes longer than other people to do his business and glared at those who dared to complain outside the locked door. As she took the familiar twists and turns to her parents' house, she couldn't help a touch of anxiousness. How would her stepdad react? With her, Orson was the most lovable teddy bear a girl could ask for, but with anyone he thought threatened her? Poor Jeremy w
Red stalked into his room, swinging the door open in a familiarity that apparently didn't see a need to knock. "Derrick, we need to-Uh. Oh." Her outburst ended on a gasp. Probably because she got more of a glimpse than she expected Splayed on top of covers still drawn tight, one hundred percent naked, and bound-the height of emasculation-he glared. "Were you raised in a barn?" Something his mother used to accuse him of when he lacked manners. His Aunt Joni took great offense at that expression and claimed it was those raised as ci-diots that were the problem with morality nowadays. A shame they feuded for years on end. Aunt Joni's pie was worth the occasional brawl between sisters. Janine's head ducked. He could only imagine the pinkness of her expressive cheeks. "Sorry. I didn't think. I'll come back later when you're not so, um, er, tied up," she stammered. The things she could do to me right now? For a moment, he almost imagined a spark, enough that he said t