Horny, but happy at how things were progressing, Javier left Naomi's office and met up with Ethan at the shifter's private sports complex. The big bear shook his head in silent reply at Javier's questioning look. Ethan had gone to talk with some contacts he had in the shifter underground to see if anyone might have heard anything about Naomi's attack, apparently in vain. Damn. Another dead end to go with last night's visit to see Naomi's client. A total bust as it turned out the bamboozling uncle wasn't the car vandal. Javier, in the hopes of gleaning some clues, had left early that morning-reluctantly from Naomi's bedside-and slipped into her office where he copied her hard drive onto a USB memory stick. The amount of info to sift through proved staggering, but they needed to find out who threatened her. The most logical explanation remained a client of hers trying to hide something. Finding out who was a task he'd tackle later. Right now, he headed upstairs for a team me
Rage drove her to run. She needed to exert herself, expend the boiling anger at the knowledge that because of her someone had dared harm her family. Cowards! She howled aloud, the sound echoing through the woods, a nature reserve set aside by the province to promote wildlife. And right now, given her turbulent emotions, she certainly counted. To think, Chris thought to hide the reason of his beating from her. Trying to protect her. Idiot. They just didn't get it. She could handle herself and she didn't need them running interference for her anymore. She'd fight her own battles thank you very much. Now if only she could figure out whom she needed to kill. The warning to back off just didn't make any sense, not without a name or another clue. She so desperately wanted an inkling, someone to turn her murderous focus on. Where she lacked the strength of a male, she made up for in deviousness. She wasn't stupid. She knew she couldn't tackle the problem face to face, but th
Ethan kept peering in the rearview mirror at Naomi, curled up and sleeping on the backseat. It had taken quite a bit of convincing to get her to agree to leave and come with them to Toronto. She'd kept insisting she needed to stay and protect Chris, who in turn yelled she was treating him like a little girl. And then, it degenerated even further when she played the world's tiniest violin. They'd only managed to pry her from the doorframe, as she sang the refrain from "Cry Baby, Cry," by whispering in her ear that she couldn't play a crucial part in their plan to snare her assailants if she didn't come with them. "Are you going to use me as bait?" she'd asked with narrowed eyes. "Yes," Ethan had answered bluntly. "I'm in," she'd chirped. The process of packing her a bag and grabbing their stuff took some running around, but they finally got on the road to Toronto mid-morning and she'd promptly fallen asleep in the back of the SUV, using Ethan's sweater as
The last hour of the road trip seemed to take forever, especially since they'd restricted her to the backseat. Naomi didn't take her banishment without a fight, though. Sitting there with her legs splayed, she pulled a Francine-who would have probably wiped a tear of mirthful pride-and whispered dirty things. Things that usually would have made her blush, but given her state of arousal just kept her primed. Nasty, yet truthful, words about what she wanted them to do to her, and what she intended to do to them. "I'm going to get on my knees and see just how much of that giant cock of yours I can take in my mouth, my big bear," she whispered, her own words titillating her but not as much as the heated looks Ethan kept giving her in the rear view mirror. To Javier-"Since you seem to love my tits so much, I'm going to lie on my back and you're going to slide that long prick of yours between them far enough that I can suck the tip." Javier let out a noisy breath, but didn
Just a week ago, had someone told Javier that having a woman mark him as mate would prove the most mind blowing experience of his life, he would have laughed. The moment it happened, though, he exploded, and not just with his cock. At the first taste of her coppery blood and the reciprocal pinch of her bite, something beautiful happened. He couldn't have said if it was the essence of his beast, his soul, or something else, but a part of him meshed with her, became inexplicably and intimately twined. In that moment, he knew her better than he knew himself, and the discovery of how much she'd had to fight to overcome her fear at joining with him did more than awe him, it made him love her with every atom of his existence. In public, Naomi exuded a tough, no-nonsense persona; however, just as he'd suspected, Naomi was in actuality a softy at heart. He discovered while she perhaps claimed she feared a life of chaos if she mated with one of her kind, she feared even more not having th
Ethan wanted to roar in glee. He wanted to beat his chest from the tallest building and shout to the world that Naomi was his mate. And even better, she loved him. She hadn't said it yet, of course, but in their moment of joining, he'd seen it. Seen how she trusted him. Seen how even despite his own misgivings about himself, she cared for him. She'd chosen him. It made him want to throw himself on his knees and worship her. On second thought, as her mate, he had every right to revere any part of her he desired. How freakn' awesome. Of course, first they needed to revive her. She lay on the bed between him and Javier, her eyes shut, her cheeks flushed and her chest still heaving. "I guess baby here is going to need some time to recuperate," Ethan commented. "Well, you know, she is an intellectual, not a jock like us," Javier added with a grin. "Seems a shame to let the nice hot tub go to waste, though. Maybe we'll just let her sleep a bit while
At brunch the following morning, Naomi, sore but happier-and more sated-than she'd ever imagined, ate her bacon while watching the people coming and going from the hotel restaurant. They hadn't left their room at all the previous day, much too occupied with other things. Really fun and sweaty things. However, if they were to draw the thugs after her, she needed to make an appearance and make a bulls-eye of herself. Not as much fun as making love to her new mates, but even she had to admit her men needed some recovery time so they could play later that afternoon in the scheduled lacrosse match. Ethan and Javier stood across the room talking to some team members, but they kept shooting her heated glances. She managed not to blush, but only barely as she remembered their promise before they'd come down. "After we win the game, we're going to order up a bottle of champagne," Javier started. "And pour it all over your naked, hot body," Ethan continued. "We're g
The boys seated her in the rapidly filling arena before leaving her to prep for the game. An excited buzz filled the air, and this time, with a vested interest in two of the players, she found it contagious. Almost every seat in the place was taken, yet almost her entire row remained empty. As odd as it seemed, Naomi wondered if her men had arranged that as a buffer zone for her. Or a lure to draw my stalker out? The two teams came out amidst wild cheering; Naomi joined in, along with some loud wolf whistles at the sight of number sixty-nine and forty-four. They must have heard her because Ethan's face split into a grin as he waved up at her, while Javier gave her a salute and a wink. Everyone stood as the Canadian national anthem came on and the crowd sang. Shifters or not, they took great pride in their country, and she grinned as they sang "?glorious and free," so true when it came to shifters in this beautiful land. Patriotism done, the teams assembled on t
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