Freakn' Shifters Bundle (3-in-1) (53 page)

Eyeing Chris, who led her away from the crowd with purpose, she could honestly say she didn’t care. The simple touch of his fingers on her waist teased her, and rendered her hyper aware of him by her side. She ignored the looks they got. Forgot her brother. Under a spell of curiosity, she let him lead her somewhere private. Somewhere hopefully alone.

Opening a door to the kitchen, which immediately immersed her in heavenly smells, he then opened a second door and flicked on a switch. At his urging she headed down the stairs first.
Where are we going? His bedroom?
Oh how her pulse quickened at the thought. She got the destination wrong, though.

As they reached the bottom step, she noted a basement gym. And what a space. Momentarily entranced, she stepped away from Chris and eyed the professionally finished space. She ran her fingers over the padded walls. Noted the vinyl, cushioned floor. The hemp wrapped posts. The monkey bars going up the wall and across the ceiling. The pegs on the wall, and so much more.

“Did you build this?” she asked in wonder, now able to finally picture what her own basement gym might look like once done. Although, she also planned to add some plants to give it a more of a jungle feel.

“Yes, with a little help from my dad. Our original gym got wrecked. My brothers and I can get kind of unruly.”

Judging by the twinkle in his eyes, he understated. “How many brothers do you have?”

“Four and one pesky sister who’s worse than them all. What about you?”

“Me?” She bit her lip. What to admit? “One brother.”

“Older? Younger? Prettier?”

“Older and bossy,” she answered with a laugh.

“I’m familiar with the type,” he remarked dryly. “What about the rest of your family? Do they live nearby?”

The question killed her mirth. “I have no one else. Only my brother.”

“I’m sorry.” Softly spoken, she could hear the regret in the tone. “That must be hard. I can’t imagine not having a horde of family members. Although, it would probably be quieter.” They both peered at the ceiling as the muted thumps of the ongoing celebration managed to penetrate the soundproofed basement.

“I would love to have a big family.” She couldn’t hide the wistful tone. “But at least I have Sheng.” Too late, she realized she slipped with her brother’s name.
Oh shoot. He’s going to kill me.

But Chris had no idea she’d made a grave booboo. “I’d like to meet him sometime. Find out your deep dark childhood secrets.” He waggled his brows and grinned.

“Oh, I doubt they’d interest you.” Although, some of her upbringing would probably shock. Captured before her tenth birthday along with her brother and parents, she spent most of her teenage years training to entertain Kaleb’s guests.

“Somehow I don’t think anything about you is boring.” His words, mixed with his intense gaze, left her no wiggle room to misconstrue his meaning.

But she did her best. “So why rebuild the gym with you and your brothers all grown up? Who uses it?”

“We might be grown up, but some of us still live at home while we save up for a house. Me, my brothers, Stu and Kendrick, haven’t left the nest yet and use it quite often. Dad still comes down here sometimes too. Soon, it will also accommodate my niece and nephew, once they pass the slobbering stage into the walking one. Then, there’s kids of my own one day. Young shifters need a safe place to explore their animal side. What better than a jungle gym made for them? We’ve got climbing bars and a wall. Hemp covered poles and even some distressed wooden panels for them to rub their nails. And if you look in that bin over there, you’ll find knotted ropes and balls for playing. Pups can have a lot of energy, and with my sister popping out two at once, we got this place finished just in time.”

“Family is important to you?”

“Family is everything. We all stick together, no matter what.”

“That sounds great.” She envied him that. Once, she’d at least had her mother and father to count on, now, it was just her and Sheng against the world. Or against Kaleb, at any rate.

“Yeah, it’s great, until they stick their nose in your business,” he muttered darkly before grinning.

His frankness and love for his family just cranked her liking of him up another notch, however, it was his smile that sent heat shooting through her veins. She needed to turn the conversation to something less intimate. More boring. “Will my gym look like this when done?” she asked, turning to feign interest in the setup again.

“If you want. Or nicer. Anything you want, let me know. I’ll give it to you.”

She whirled at the sound of his voice behind her. He stood so close she needed to crane to look him in the face. Just a half step forward and she would have hit his chest. The small space separating them might as well have not existed seeing as how her entire body tingled. “Is this why you brought me down here? To show me an example of your work?” Did she wrongly assume he’d wanted to get her alone for another reason?

“Honestly? No. I have an ulterior motive. But first let me ask you something. Are you feeling an urge to sneeze?”

His question surprised her. “What? No. My cold is gone. My healing ability finally kicked in and got rid of it. Why?”

“I’d rather show you.”

With wide eyes, she gazed up at him as he encroached her space further. Mouth dry, tummy full of butterflies and her heart beating too loudly, she whispered. “Why did you bring me here?”

“So I could get you alone and do this.” A large hand cupped the back of her head and drew her closer, but he was still too tall. With a growl, his free arm wrapped around her waist and he lifted her smaller frame until her face was level with his. “Say something now if you want me to stop.”

As if. Lips clamped tight, she didn’t say a word. Wasn’t even sure she could have if she wanted to. She’d dreamt of this moment for days. She wanted this kiss more than she’d ever wanted anything.

Relief replaced the worry in his eyes as she gave him her silent assent, followed quickly by a smoldering gaze. Her eyes fluttered shut as he leaned in and kissed her, a firm embrace like nothing she’d imagined.

Good thing he held her, because she would have surely sunk to the ground in a boneless, melted – but very happy – puddle.

*

As soon as his lips touched hers, Chris questioned the wisdom of the kiss even as he reveled in it. One taste. One delicious, cock hardening, toe tingling taste and he was lost. And in lust. Possibly, deaf. Definitely dumb because he didn’t care that anyone could come down and spot them. Didn’t give a damn a party was going on upstairs, or that Jill’s husband probably looked for her.

One simple embrace, just lips sliding sensuously across each other, and his whole world tilted.
Mine.

He could have shouted for joy when instead of pushing him away, her hands curled around his neck, holding him close. Soft, full lips parted for him, and he took full advantage, slipping his tongue past the barrier of her teeth, groaning at her sweet surrender.

How could such a petite woman, still almost a stranger, feel so right in his arms? Make him want to go against his own personal rules? Tempt him into doing bad things. Bad, bad, arousing things.

Whirling and still holding her off the floor in his arms, he strode a few paces and pressed her against the padded wall. Using it as a support, he freed his hands to skim the length of her body, cupping her pert ass cheeks, nudging her thighs apart until she got the hint and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Sweet, freakn’ heaven. The core of her, so hot even through her slacks, burned against him. He couldn’t help rubbing himself against her. Only a thin thread of sanity kept him from removing the clothing keeping them apart.
Anyone could come down. And do I really want our first time to happen fast and furious in a gym?

No. She deserved better. A bed. Roses. A slow languorous exploration. A chance to come so often, she’d end up hoarse from screaming. Wanting to make their first time special was one thing. Caught in an electrifying embrace, he couldn’t make himself stop. Couldn’t halt the fire raging through his veins. Didn’t want to stop touching or kissing her. Ever.

It seemed the same mad passion gripped her, too. She panted in his mouth and small sounds of pleasure escaped her. He caught them all, and gloried in them. Reveled in the fact she wanted him.

A shrill giggle, from way too close had him muttering a soundless ‘Shit’.
What is Gina doing?
Because, if he wasn’t mistaken, he heard her on the steps to the basement.

Quickly, he put Jill down, but looking at her face – her expression dreamy, her lips swollen – he realized any idiot would immediately guess they’d spent the last few minutes kissing.

Much as he hated to do it, he needed her to snap out of it. “Jill. I think your husband is coming.” He whispered it as Gina let out one of her infamous belly laughs.

“My who? What? Oh no.” Panic lit in Jill’s eyes and Chris cursed the untimely interruption.

Her fingers flew to her lips and he could see the plea in her eyes for help. Despite the fact her husband catching his wife making out with the handyman would provide a great excuse for Jack to exit the picture, leaving Chris to scoop her up, he couldn’t do that to Jill. Bending down, he picked up a medicine ball and showed it to her.

Immediate understanding dawned, and she nodded her head. Taking a breath, inwardly wincing, Chris then threw the ball at her head, just as an angry Jack said, “What are you two doing down here?”

Smack.

Chris winced, unseen by all but a staggering Jill, as the heavy ball hit his mate in the face, not truly hard enough to do damage, but convincingly enough to account for flushed cheeks and swollen lips.

What a way to end their first kiss.

One minute, Sheng followed Jiao through the crowd, looking for a drink, the next, a curly haired brunette wearing an outfit more appropriate for a bordello, stepped in his path and slung an arm around him.

Not one for any kind of touching, even the friendly kind, he shrugged her arm off. She didn’t seem to care that he rebuffed her because instead of leaving, she moved to stand in front of him.

“Hey, cutie. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Gina.”

The words, ‘I’m not interested,’ hovered on the tip of his tongue, but somehow got wedged. Maybe because his cat swallowed them before he could lie.

Standing a little shorter than him, everything about this Gina girl embodied what he disliked in modern culture. Buxom, and not afraid to flaunt it in a corset type top, wearing a short skirt revealing rounded thighs encased in fishnet stockings, she wore too much makeup and not enough clothes. Despite his preference for a sleeker more decently covered female, something twitched down below and his cat purred.

What. The. Hell. No. No way was he attracted to this - this outrageous woman.
Tell that to my cock.
Despite his repugnance, it continued to swell.

He must have silently stared for too long because Gina snapped fingers, tipped in absurdly long nails, in front of his face. “Let’s try looking up here, pussycat. Eyes on my face, if you please, while we talk, not my tits.”

“I wasn’t–”

“Sure you weren’t,” she interrupted with a wink. “Not that I can blame you. I’m pretty proud of these babies myself. One hundred percent God given, and sensitive too. ” And yes, she said that while cupping them and holding them up higher, enough they almost spilled out of her top.

Yes, he stared at the offered cleavage despite her admonition not to. He was a man after all. A poor, lonely man who’d not gotten laid in months at this point. His dick got harder and his cat practically fell off the shelf of his mind rolling around in pleasure.

What would it feel like to bury his face in that soft haven? To slide his dick…

Startled at his unusually dirty thoughts, he recoiled and forced his gaze up to her amused one. Thought she was funny, eh? He’d solve that. “Shouldn’t you put some clothes on? This is after all a family function.”

The insult didn’t work as planned. A short laugh left her. “Oh please. My family wouldn’t recognize me if I came all covered up.  You must be new around here.”

“I am.”

“So what’s your name, pussycat?”

It occurred to him to take offense at her nickname, but that would indicate he cared what she thought of him. And he didn’t. “My name is Jack. And my wife’s name is Jill,” he added pointedly.

“Ooh, a man not afraid of commitment. I like it,” she exclaimed.

“Good for you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should go find her.”

Before he could edge around the busty brunette, Gina clasped his arm, in a grip he doubted he could pry off with a crowbar. “Forget your wife. You’ll have more fun if you stick with me.”

He probably would. But that wasn’t the point. “Listen Gina, I’m married and not into what I think you’re suggesting.”

“Suggesting?” She laughed, a boisterous sound that drew a few more gazes than he liked, mostly centered on her jiggling chest. Where was a table cloth or a cardigan when a man needed to cover up some breasts? And no, despite his mind’s opinion on the matter, his hands would not work.