Somehow, when Jiao pictured her death, it didn't involve drowning, bone crushing impact, or a heart attack caused by fear. Eyeing the sheer drop, laced in darkness due to the late hour, she could too easily picture the several hundred feet of empty space, a scary chasm, bordered by ragged cliffs that funneled into the raging river below. Jiao bit her lip. "You can't seriously expect me to jump? I'm a cat not a bird. What if I hit a rock? Or get eaten by a fish?" Or die of fright on the way down? A distinct possibility given the way her heart pounded, her palms sweated and her stomach roiled. "To the first, you'll bounce. As for the second, you're too scrawny for most predators. Are you done making up excuses? We don't have much time. The guards will be making their sweep in less than four minutes." Ah yes, the guards. Getting caught outside their cell, no matter the excuse they used ? we were taking a midnight stroll, looking for fishing worms, going for a pee ?
Years later? Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to the hard bass of an AC/DC song, Chris cruised up the street towards his next job. A doozy of one, too. The guy who called, Asian judging by the accent on the phone, wanted an estimate on turning his basement into a veritable jungle gym with climbing ropes, wall pegs, balance beams, gymnast rings and more. Why he'd build one at home when he could just get a monthly membership to a gym for less wasn't something Chris concerned himself with. As a handyman-slash-contractor, he took whatever jobs came his way, anything to help him sock away for the time he'd leave home, which he didn't intend on doing anytime soon. While his sister couldn't wait to leave the family nest, Chris found it quite comfortable. Sure, he needed to do his part keeping his own room tidy, helping out with the house and lawn work, but the home cooked meals and laundry ? folded and ironed ? totally made up for it. Oh, and you couldn't beat the cheap
Jiao blinked at the imposing figure in front of her. Reeled actually, as his scent, a masculine thing comprised of wild animal and a sharp soap, tickled her nose. Roused her senses. Made her feline stir with ear pricked interest. Who is he? What's happening? Through the cacophony in her ears ? caused by her inner cat which yowled in excitement and clawed to get out ? she thought she heard the stranger ask who she was. The smile he bestowed in her direction brought a tingle to parts south of her waist and she fought an urge to purr under his admiring gaze. Her cat, not restrained by human habit, didn't hesitate, flopping down in her mind to contentedly rumble and roll in pleasure at the attention. Who am I? he asked. Yours, came to mind as a reply, but thankfully didn't pass her lips. Luckier, she managed to stifle the meow of her cat before it left her lips. Before she could recover from the overwhelming presence of the stranger, or think of something intelligent to s
What the hell? Chris stared at the closed door, his jaw dropping as disbelief froze him. What was buddy's problem? Did he somehow sense Chris's interest in his wife? An interest Chris now felt sure was mistaken. He'd specifically requested, in his mind at least, to have a mate all to himself. Surely Fate heard him? Given his adamant stance on the whole subject of m俷ages ? not for me! ? it stood to reason, the female ? hot and delectable as she smelled ? didn't belong to him. Nope. She was taken. Off the menu. Not his concern. If he knew that, then why did his feet refuse to move? Because he had unfinished business, that was why. And no, it wasn't his wolf's demand to sniff her again that had him raising his fist to knock. Then pound as no one answered the door. I deserve an explanation. Or a valid reason, at any rate, for the dude's rejection of his services. Services, he might add, buddy asked for. But it seemed Chris wouldn't get an answer because the door remained
Watching out the window, long after the handyman left, Jiao visibly jumped when Sheng laid a hand on her shoulder. "You scared me," she admonished, a twinge of guilt assailing her at having gotten caught staring. "The immature idiot is gone, so why are you still watching?" "A better question is why you acted like such a jerk?" The hand slid off her shoulder with the accusation and she turned to regard Sheng as he paced the living room. Sparse, because of their recent move here, it contained a red pleather couch ? because no shifter with an ounce of morality would own the real thing ? a plush armchair in black crushed velvet ? which attracted hair like crazy ? and an oval glass table in need of cleaning. Again. She hated the damned thing. Stupid dust collector. "I saw no point in wasting his time. I didn't like him." His response didn't surprise her. Sheng didn't like anyone. Jiao rolled her eyes. "Gee, I hadn't noticed. Still, it didn't mean you had
The whack against the back of his head snapped Chris's attention back to the arena and the game at hand. Craning his head, Chris scowled as he saw the culprit, his sister Naomi. Wearing a baby in a chest sling, she smirked at him. "Hey, little brother." "What was that for?" He rubbed his noggin. Not that her little tap hurt. But still... For a girl who screamed loud and often about her delicate sensibilities, his sister possessed a rough streak. "Pay attention to the game. My mates are playing." "So?" A moment later the reason came clear as a missile sailed across the partition glass, the white, Indian rubber ball whistling past his head. "That's why." Naomi grinned as she waved at Javier, number sixty nine on Loup Garou, Ottawa's shifter lacrosse team. Chris could see her mate's answering smile even through his helmet, which the league insisted they wear because of the occasional humans that came to watch ? and because it minimized the blood on the
Days later? The full moon emerged, bathing the backyard and the ravine bordering it in a soft glow. Sitting in the window seat, which spanned the length of the bay window in the family room, Jiao stared mournfully outside, but not as sadly as her cat. "Why can't we go out?" she asked for the hundredth time, unable to mask the plaintive tone. The yard and the shadowy woods edging them looked so tempting. So perfect. The temperature crisp. The smells inviting. The chirrups of night birds taunting. Oh how she twitched to get out and stretch. Run a little. Chase something up a tree. Find some soft grass to roll in. "I've told you a hundred times. We can't let anyone see our felines. If word gets back to Kaleb?" "Yeah. Yeah. Everyone is a spy. Blah. Blah. Blah. We'll get kidnapped. Or stuck in a zoo. Or become the main act in a three ring circus. Hey, wait, that's happened to us before and we survived," she said sarcastically. "You're not being funny or fair,
On four feet he chased the scent. Sweet. Exotic. It promised so many things. Fun things. Naked and sweaty things. Chris never quite got a glimpse of the one he followed, but she also did nothing to hide her trail. The minx! She wanted him to catch her. Taunted his canine side to hunt her feline one. Eager to end the teasing pursuit, he quickened his pace, leaping through the foliage, taking care to move as soundlessly as possible through the fallen leaves. He didn't quite succeed, the crinkle of his passage loud in the still night. She moved much more quietly, slinking and springing with a grace only cats could manage, the signs of her passage seen only in the tremble of branches and the foliage that still clung stubbornly to almost barren branches. Even without the faint physical evidence, he would have tracked her by scent alone. Despite the incongruity of a wolf lusting after a feline, her delectable aroma called him. Trotting out into a clearing, a very emp
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