Freakn' Shifters Bundle (3-in-1) (58 page)

But they’d escaped and now had a chance to live again, if Kaleb didn’t find them. The reminder almost saw her fleeing the comfort of Chris’s lap, but tired of running, wanting the safety he somehow managed to impart, she didn’t move.

“Where is your brother now? I’d like to meet him?” Chris said softly, his hands stroking her as if trying to ease the pain of her memories.

“He’s close by.” Closer than Chris guessed. “And I’m hoping you can meet him soon. Although, I doubt he’ll like you.”

“Why not?” Her future mate reared back with an indignant expression.

“Because he doesn’t like anyone.”

“Kind of sounds like your husband.”

If he only knew. “Can we talk about something else? Something happier than my past and family? What do you do for fun?”

“I like to play sports. Video games. Race miniature gas powered cars.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Classic guy stuff, I see.”

“Oh really? Well, what do you do for fun in your spare time?”

“I sew. I made all the drapes for this house.”

“Boring. I said for fun.”

“I cook.”

“Chore.”

Hmm, she probably shouldn’t mention she stripped and varnished the old dining room set she bought at a garage sale. What did she do for fun?

“Don’t tell me you don’t have a hobby that’s pure pleasure? Reading?”

“I read.” Hot and dirty contemporary romances of normal people falling in love.

“That’s better. What about active stuff? Do you run? Like to take walks? Skinny dip in the moonlight?”

Run, she’d love to, but Sheng drew the line at her performing solitary activities. Shopping with a crowd was fine. A stroll through the woods for exercise wasn’t. She shook her head. “You don’t really swim naked, do you?” Oh how she’d love to watch. The thought of moonlight, gleaming on his bare, muscled skin warmed her, but the thought of him wet and slick, roused her.

“Naked as the day I was born, baby. If it weren’t getting too chilly at night, I’d take you to my secret place.”

Mmm, something to look forward to, if all went well. The reminder that their time together could get cut short at any time made her bold. She cupped his cheeks. “Enough talk. We don’t have much time. Jack will come home soon.”

His brow creased. “I could have done without the reminder.”

“Soon, my wolf,” she whispered leaning close. “Soon, we won’t have to hide.” Soon, she’d experience fully what her body desired and she’d mark him. Mark him, scratch him, and never let him go. Crazy and quick as it seemed, she was falling in love, and she didn’t think she could hide it for long.

Screw hiding it. She’d done that for long enough. When the time came, maybe she’d shout it from the rooftops. Carve it in a tree. Hold onto it with all her strength and never let go.

Speaking of holding on... She drew his face back down and caught his mouth with her own. How she loved the taste of him. Minty because of the gum he liked to chew, his lips hard and commanding, his tongue sinuous and electrifying. Under her ass cheeks, she could feel him, a hard bulge that rubbed against her, blatant evidence of his desire. As if she needed such an obvious clue when he kissed her with such passion. Such hunger.

He manipulated her so she sat astride him, her legs parted around his waist, a position which seated her more fully on him. The new arrangement and his erection put pressure on her mound, more specifically her clit. Jiao couldn’t help the small sound that escaped her when his hands, spanning her waist, rubbed her back and forth against him.

“This would work much better naked,” he growled.

Mmm, skin to skin sounded yummy. However, it also reminded her of one crucial fact. She was a virgin – and still technically undercover.
How do I explain that when I’m supposed to be married?

“I’m not ready yet,” she lied, her head tilting back as his lips devoured the skin of her neck.

“And you deserve better than a quickie in the basement,” he murmured against her flesh. “But you make it hard when you’re just so freakn’ tempting. Ignore me. I’ll take what I can for now.”

Arching her even further back, one of his hands supported her upper body as he nuzzled his face between her breasts, rubbing his bristled jaw against her small mounds, the drag of fabric across her sensitized skin making her gasp. However, it was the continuous friction of his groin against her cleft, a subtle yet steady pressure that had her tightening her fingers on his forearms. Claws dug into his skin. Her eyes closed and breathing turned erratic as her body coiled.

Fully clothed, sitting on a basement floor, and from just touching and kissing, she still came, the rush of her climax making her cry out.

After she came down from her high, panting, heart racing, a languorous heat controlling her limbs, she lay cuddled against Chris’s chest, unable to stop herself from purring as his arms wrapped tightly around her. Intimate. Loving. Perfect. She wished the moment could last forever, but knew it couldn’t. Not yet. How though to break the spell of perfection before she completely lost herself and said to hell with waiting for what Patricia had to say?

“I think I’ve found a hobby we can both enjoy together,” she whispered against his skin. A rumble of laughter shook him, and made her smile. If only tomorrow could hurry up, so she could begin her new life of love and laughter – and finally experience everything her mate had to offer.

Sleep. What a concept, Sheng thought as he said goodbye and hung up with his ailing sister who intended to go straight home for some shut eye. He’d barely gotten any since the disastrous Thanksgiving dinner. He couldn’t have explained why, but the she-wolf, Gina, just wouldn’t leave his thoughts. Worse, she kept invading them with an inviting smile and no clothes.

No amount of masturbation, self-castigation, or chastising speeches to himself seemed to help. His obsession for the wolf wouldn’t abate. And it was frankly really starting to piss him off.

How dare Gina turn his carefully controlled world into chaos? Why did he lust after her too curvy body barely covered in her scanty clothes? And her speech? Vulgar, outrageous, husky and sexy.

Thank God he wouldn’t have to worry about running into her again. It wasn’t like he’d go back for another dinner at the Grayson house, no matter how much Jiao begged. Out of sight, eventually out of mind. Or that was the theory he counted on.

The buzzer for the front door of the showroom went off, and given his two other coworkers on the sales team were out getting coffee, Sheng stood and straightened his tie. Time to make a sale. Sure, some people attached a stigma to car salesmen, but Sheng didn’t care since his knack for selling brought home a nice paycheck. As in all things he took on, he excelled at his profession.

Most of his colleagues adopted a jovial, best-friend persona for potential clients. Sheng didn’t. He gave it to them straight. Found out what the buyer needed, and didn’t try to upsell them on features they didn’t want. He gave them solid numbers which in turn, brought him steady sales.

Striding out to the front, he didn’t immediately see the client, a short stature hiding the person behind a car, but when he came around the corner, he stopped dead and said, “You!”

Dressed in a black uniform, a hat tucked under her arm, her hair pinned back in a severe bun, stood his annoying fantasy girl. And damn him if he didn’t already know tonight’s feature dream attraction would have Gina dressed in her sexy police girl garb with him handcuffed to a bed while she frisked him. Damn her for messing up his plan to forget she existed.

On a side note, he’d better get more hand lotion because he could see where the evening was heading – again. His poor hand never had to work so hard.

Worse, though, he couldn’t understand why her, and why now? Eying her up and down, her lush curves still apparent despite her rigid dress, he still couldn’t figure out the attraction. Sure, she bore a fresh faced complexion now as opposed to the thick makeup one of the dinner. But her lips were still too full, too pouty, like that of a porn star who sucked…

No. He was not going there. He’d been there last night. Twice. No way was he letting his mind wander down that dirty avenue again. Now if only his cock, swelling once again, would get the damned message.

“What do you want?” he snapped.
Because I know what I’d like. You naked, on your knees.
And then to please his wolf, flip her before she was done with her oral tease to her knees so he could take her from behind.

Damn his raunchy thoughts. Would she notice if he grabbed her gun and shot himself? Or would she wrestle him into submission? And why oh why did he hope for the latter?

*

Well wasn’t it her lucky day, Gina thought, eyeing the handsome Asian dude she’d met at her aunt’s party. The one married to Chris’s mate. Jack, the unforgettable hunk who did such naughty things in her dreams. But then again, she did even dirtier things right back, things that wiped the snarl off his face.

Gina couldn’t deny a hot spurt of pleasure – and moisture — at seeing him again, and this in spite of the fact he looked less than happy to see her. Too bad.

“If it isn’t my pussycat. I didn’t know you worked here.”

“And I didn’t know you were a cop,” he replied, with way more astonishment than she liked. “Or is that just your stripper costume?”

Oh, zinger. The man sucker punched her with words, and she grinned at his temerity. “Sorry, pussycat. This uniform is one hundred percent real. You’re looking at one of Ottawa’s finest. Although, if you want to come back to my place, a stripping could be arranged if you don’t mind the lack of a pole.” She lightly smacked her forehead. “Wait a second. What am I saying? I’ll just borrow your pole for dancing.”

How interesting. His cheeks turned bright red, but his eyes smoldered with lust, and as for below his belt, yup, definite tenting. What a shame. She had more interest in him when he acted the part of self-righteous married man. She should have known he was a pig like every other guy she knew. But still, it wasn’t like she planned to marry him – even if her wolf kept getting excited when he was around. Nope, her only motive in flirting wasn’t to appease the ache between her legs, but to help out her cousin Chris.

Always willing to give a helping hand, she’d take one for the team. Sacrifice her virtue – snicker – so her cousin could snag his mate.

Sauntering close to Jack, she kept going, passing him to run a finger over the cherry red paint of the convertible in the showroom. “Nice car.”

“You looking to buy?” He didn’t seem convinced.

“Yes, actually. My car died on Monday. On the highway too, the piece of crap. The garage wants more money than the hunk of junk is worth, so I thought I’d look into replacing it instead.”

Straightening, his expression smoothed out into that of a sales-shark who caught a scent of blood. “What are you in the market for?”

A hot Asian male, wearing nothing but her, naked, on his dick? Hmmm. He probably wouldn’t go for that. So she’d stick to something he could handle. “I’m thinking something compact since I work in the city. But with seats I can fold into the floor in case I need to fit a body in the trunk.”

“Excuse me? Did you say a body in the trunk?”

Oh how she loved his wide eyed expression. She smiled. “Yes. Yes I did. Mine, and maybe someone else’s. I like to go camping, but I seem to have the misfortune of always picking days when the weatherman is wrong. In other words, despite the clear skies, it always freakn’ rains. So, I need a dry spot I can climb into, maybe with a friend. Got something that fits the bill?”

“Crazy wolf.” Or so she thought he muttered, as he wandered off, leading her to another vehicle.

Gina only half listened as he recited a flawless spiel about the compact, four door car he showed her. Honestly she didn’t pay much attention, checking out his ass instead as he walked around the vehicle, his hands pointing out features.

She interrupted him before he’d completed his speech. “You know what, that all sounds good. Can we take one for a test drive? I’d like to get a
feel
for the ride.” Yeah, she teased him a little bit, loving how his eyes flashed and his lips tightened. Did the guy ever relax? Would he wear that same pinched expression as he came? It made a she-wolf want to handcuff him to a bed and find out.

“If you leave a copy of your license, you can go by yourself. I’ve got one out back with a full tank.”

“Alone? Oh no. I insist you come with me. My previous car was old and didn’t have all those doohickeys on the dash and stuff. I might need your help figuring things out.”

Damn, but the sigh he let out as he acquiesced sounded begrudging .Way to stroke her ego. If it weren’t the fact she could spot the boner he kept trying to hide and the erratic race of his heart, she’d think he didn’t like her. Thank goodness for her powers of observation. But the fact he wanted to blow her off raised him back in her estimation. He was trying, the poor guy. Trying to resist, but without a true mate bond with his wife, he didn’t stand a chance, especially not if Gina put her mind to it.

She tried to tell herself she did this to help Chris, but honestly, something about Jack just pushed all the right buttons. She ignored her wolf’s growling and snapping in her head. No way would she cave to her wolf’s mistaken belief the uptight, Asian dude was her mate. When she settled down eventually, she’d do so on her terms, with a guy she chose, not her hormones. The past taught her well that once the passion faded, usually after a few rounds of hot sweaty sex, there was nothing left. Most men couldn’t handle her job or her attitude. And the one went with the other. No one stepped all over Gina Greco.
I wear the boots that go walking.
Thigh high ones, with stupidly high heels.
Bet you he’d like those.

Snagging some keys off a board, Jack led Gina outside through the parking lot where new vehicles sat waiting for owners. He’d chosen a gleaming black model for her to try. It would match her underwear perfectly. Not that she’d show him. As an officer of the law, a certain decorum was expected of her when she wore the uniform.

Oops, she almost laughed out loud at her inner thoughts. Okay so prim and proper, by the rules wasn’t exactly her forte. That said, she did have the utmost respect for her job and the police force, so she wouldn’t do anything to harm either. But, a stolen kiss, or two, never hurt anyone. And in the privacy of her home, so long as no one taped it, strip teasing, also known as changing into something more comfortable, after a long day’s work, was totally allowed.

Somehow she doubted Mr. Jack Smith would agree to go home with her. Yet. But, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t give it her best shot. Dabbing on some cherry flavored lip gloss, she slid into the driver seat. Seated beside her in the passenger seat, Jack didn’t look at her and kept his hands primly folded in his lap.

This is going to be so much fun.

“Hold on tight. I want to see what this baby’s got,” she warned only seconds before she pounded the gas and squealed out of the car lot. The disapproval radiating from him just widened her smile.

And gave her an idea.

*

Caught in the car, windows up, with a she-wolf whose scent teased him mercilessly, Sheng suffered the cruelest torment.
Why me? Why her?
Of all the places she chose to car shop, of all the people to walk in, it had to be her. He tried to find his composure, his cool attitude, but in the face of her taunts, grins and her damnable presence, he couldn’t keep it for long. Wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible – screw the sale – he no longer touted the car’s features. But she didn’t seem to notice or care as she weaved in and out of traffic on highway four seventeen heading westbound. He assumed she knew where she went, and if she didn’t, then the handy built in navigation system would.

Kilometers from the city, she exited on Carp Road, heading north, a barren stretch with few businesses and even fewer houses. Without pausing, she turned left at a side road, then right on an unpaved one before pulling over completely.

“Why are we stopping?”

“Time to test the trunk,” she answered before hopping out.

Okay, he’d admit to a bit of nervousness. She owned a gun. Kaleb had money. Was this where the police officer, bribed by the rich criminal, shot Sheng dead then covered up the crime? And why did he suddenly hear the refrain from that song Paranoia again? Damn his sister. “Couldn’t we test the whole space thing back at the dealership?”

“I’m in uniform. It wouldn’t be seemly for the public to see my big ass bent over as I crawl into the trunk.”

Big? Her ass was perfect, a rounded cushion meant for – “It’s called a hatchback.”

“Whatever. Are you coming, pussycat?”

Not at the moment, but probably later with your face as my incentive.
“Why do you need me?”

“Lots of things, pussycat, but for now I’ll settle for your body.”

His what? “Excuse me?”

Gina laughed, a throaty chuckle that sent chills down his spine. “I want see if we both fit.”

Eying the hatchback space, large, but not large enough for what she intended, not if he wanted to keep his sanity, he shook his head. “I’d rather not.”

“Oh come on. I promise not to tell your wife. Get your sweet Asian cheeks into that trunk.”

“You have a crass mouth.” It was also lush and full, the perfect shape for… Yeah, he’d probably dream about that tonight too. While she wore the uniform.

“I prefer the term dirty, and trust me, that’s a good thing. Or at least, my ex boyfriends all thought so.”

No. He wasn’t going to ask for names and numbers so he could kill them because he most definitely didn’t not feel a jealous rage coming on. Nope. Not him. He couldn’t care less just who she screwed. Dammit! “This is a bad idea. We should go back,” he snarled.

“Someone needs to learn to relax. I could help you with that.” He glared. “Or not. Your loss. This will only take a minute. One minute of your time for a client with an already guaranteed bank loan for a new car. You want the sale? Then get in there and prove this trunk has enough space for two adults.”

Why him? It wasn’t the loss of a sale that bothered him so much as letting her win. She knew her antics drove him nuts, and she didn’t care. Why couldn’t he? He still tried to change her mind. “Shouldn’t you be doing this with a bigger guy?” On second thought. No guy. His cat didn’t like that idea.

“I don’t date big dudes.” No he wouldn’t get excited. “They’re too hard to kiss. Now stop arguing and get in here.” She wiggled to the side and waited.