Shifting Destinies: A Paranormal Interracial Story (HIdden Hills Shifters Book 3) (6 page)

E
mmaline never intended
for things to get this out of control, but the moment Wade walked into her house looking so tall and hot and sexy, her body forced her to give into him. Had he not kissed her with such overwhelming passion, she might have been able to resist him. He was a bear, for wolf sake. She shouldn’t find him attractive, and yet she did.

As soon as he sheathed his cock, he grabbed her waist and walked her backward until her spine hit the front door. The kiss that followed curled her toes, probably because the blood had clearly left her brain. She could barely breathe, the intensity of her reaction to him insane. There was no reason for any of this to be happening. He was just a guy—albeit a wonderful smelling, beautifully sculptured one.

She should suggest they go into her bedroom, but she couldn’t wait that long. Emmaline clutched his waist and pressed her belly and breasts against his rock hard body. Wade moaned and deepened the kiss, his insistent tongue dominating her mouth to the point where she would do anything for him.

His palms cupped her rear, and he lifted her up. He broke their connection for only a second to say, “Hold on tight, sweetheart.”

His nickname made her pulse race. She pressed her heels onto his thighs and leaned back to let him thread his cock into her. When his thick shaft slipped between her folds, she closed her eyes, yearning to be transported to another place and time.

She pictured them together, running through some sun-drenched field—her in her wolf form and him as a bear. She’d be tiny next to him, and together they’d romp and play until the sun set.

His cock edged into her, bringing her back to the present. His eyes were closed and his jaw tight as if he was trying hard to be gentle.

“You won’t hurt me,” she said, hoping he’d understand that she wanted it fast and furious.

With her back firmly against the door, he rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, causing sparks to fly across her chest. Taking things into her own hands, she lifted and then plunged down hard on him.

Holy howls. The friction set her on fire. Her pussy stretched and her breath caught. That little taste was enough to drive her mad with need. As she tightened her grip on his cock, she lowered her head and sucked on his shoulder.

“I’m so close already,” he said, taking a breath between words.

She pressed on his thighs to lift off him. “So am I.”

As if she’d waved the red cape in front of the bull, Wade charged into her. With each thrust, she dug her teeth into him, trying not the break the skin. It was as if he’d possessed her soul. She’d lift and drop, and then he’d take his turn, thrusting into her, their rhythms and breaths matching. He kissed her shoulder, then her neck, and finally nabbed her earlobe.

She leaned back, needing one more kiss. The second their tongues touched again, she lost it and went off like a hand grenade without its pin. Heat swamped her as her climax stole her mind. Em kept groaning while Wade grunted. His cock pulsed and throbbed as the condom caught his hot seed and sweat beaded on their bodies as he held her tight.

“I can’t get enough of you, Emmaline.”

Me neither
. Which was why she had to tell him they could never be.

*     *     *

How Wade had
convinced Emmaline to join him for dinner was anyone’s guess. She should have booted him out the door after he ravished her like that. She had to think he was only interested in sex. He couldn’t help it that his body kept betraying him.

After they cleaned up, Wade wanted to talk about their mating connection, to see if she’d been as moved by the experience as he’d been, but he then decided to give her some time to get used to the fact they were meant to be together. Sure, she’d said that if she started, she might not be able to stop, but she hadn’t come out and said the attraction had overwhelmed her.

As they drove to the restaurant, he asked her about her volunteer work since she’d mentioned she went to the women’s shelter every Monday. She said much of what she did was confidential, and since he respected that more than she could ever know, he let it be.

Once they were seated at Carmelita’s, she ordered a glass of iced tea. Emmaline must want to show him she wasn’t a lush—that her alcohol consumption at the wedding had been a one-time event. He ordered coffee, not wanting to be the one who drank too much this time.

He needed to set the tone of the evening, to show her he could be a good listener, and not just some playboy. “Why don’t you tell me about your family?”

Only then did he realize he rarely asked a woman about her home life. Instinctively, he must have sensed he and his dates hadn’t been destined to be together for long.

“Seriously?”

He chuckled, then quirked a brow. “Too personal?”

“No. I’m surprised you want to know, that’s all.”

“Ouch. Emmaline, I’m sorry that our relationship got off to a rocky start. Trust me, I want to know you as a person, but every time I get near you, my mind tells me to head in a different direction.”

She chuckled and leaned close. “I think you mean your brain lives in your dick.”

He cracked up. “Touché. Where have you been my whole life?” She was so refreshing.

She stared at him for a few seconds. “I grew up in Hidden Hills, but my mom home schooled me until I was thirteen, and then my parents sent me to boarding school.”

That wasn’t what he’d meant, but he was delighted she’d shared something of herself. Actually, he was glad they were finally on a topic other than sex. “I think I would have hated going away to high school.” His parents had kept both him and Holly around. “What was that like?”

She shrugged. “It had its good points and its bad. The good was that I got to be away from my three older sisters, but the bad was that I was the only shifter in the whole school—unless I hadn’t developed the ability to tell if someone else was.”

“It takes some maturity to know. I had it easy. I’d say about a third of those at Hidden Hills High were shifters.” He leaned forward, curious about her childhood. At least it explained why he hadn’t known her when they’d both grown up in the same town. “Why didn’t you get along with your sisters?” Emmaline was so sweet.

“We had nothing in common. Fredericka is two years older than I am and was into organized sports. She couldn’t understand why I hated them. Millicent is four years older. She lives in town and teaches fourth grade. When I dropped out of college at the end of my sophomore year because it didn’t interest me, she emotionally cut me off.”

“That had to be tough.”

“It was. The worst of the three is Elizabeth. She’s thirty-six, married with two kids, and is richer than sin. She has no use for anyone other than humans and wolves. In fact, she’s married to a human. She could turn him, but she likes the idea of being married to such a superior person.”

She had to be kidding. Wade tamped down his frustration. “I detect a hint of prejudice on her part against other species.”

Emmaline looked away. “You could say that.”

He was surprised she’d been able to stay so open-minded. “What about your parents? They’re both wolves, right?” He was still curious about the small hint of bear he smelled on her.

“Totally. Trust me, if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be married to each other. They’re both as bad as Elizabeth. As for who they are as people, my dad worked all the time when I was growing up, so we weren’t close. He opened his first dry-cleaning store when he was twenty–two, and by the time he married Mom, he had four stores in the vicinity. When I was born, he was so involved in his success that he found it difficult to relate to me.”

“What about your mother?”

“What about her?”

“Do you two get along?”

“Let’s just say she wanted me to be like her, and I wasn’t.”

Bitterness and hurt poured off her. Wade reached out, and when he ran his thumb over the back of her hand, he was thankful she didn’t flinch. “You have a good job and a good life. Doesn’t that count? Does your mother even work?” He failed to keep the disgust from his voice.

She cracked a smile. “No, but the standards she holds for me aren’t the same ones she lives by.” Emmaline withdrew her hand from his and fiddled with her silverware. “What about your family?”

It was only fair to share. “I have one sister, Holly, who’s five years older than I am. She lives in Kansas City with her partner, Lynn. Growing up, we had quite the idyllic family life, other than the usual sibling rivalry.”

Emmaline leaned forward, appearing quite interested. “What does your dad do?”

“He’s a realtor, and Mom is a housewife who loves to bake.”

Emmaline smiled. “Sounds wonderful.”

“It has its ups and downs.” He patted his stomach to let her know that if he stayed at his folks’ house for long, he’d have to increase his exercise time.

“Why did you leave Hidden Hills if you liked it here so much?”

He was wondering when she’d ask. “I went to college in Pittsburgh, got a job there after I finished school, and the rest is history. I’m considering moving back here.” He probably should mention the home he was building but thought he’d leave that to another time.

Her brows rose. “Why?”

“Dad needs help around the house. Besides, I have good friends here.” And hopefully a mate.

“Sounds good.” A twinkle filled her eyes. “What’s your favorite memory growing up?”

He laughed, thankful she didn’t probe further. “Favorite? That’s a hard one. Perhaps my most memorable one was when I was a stupid ninth grader. Burke was with me in fact.”

“This I gotta hear.”

“It has a sad ending.” Then he smiled. “We’d finished playing a game of hoops on a Saturday night, and a few of the older boys invited us to join them for a little party. They’d managed to snag two bottles of Jack Daniels. I know, I know. It was dumb, but we were only fifteen.”

“I trust you got trashed?”

“It was worse than that. They drove us out to the abandoned water tower on the northeast edge of town. They all took a few sips, but then they encouraged us to consume as much as we wanted.”

The waiter delivered their drinks and asked what they wanted to eat. Emmaline went simple; spaghetti and meatballs. He opted for the veal marsala.

“Go on.”

“After we got stinking drunk, they dared us to climb the ladder to the top. Said they’d be right behind us.”

She smiled then sipped her tea. “I’m guessing you charged on up, but the others didn’t follow.”

“You guessed it.”

Her lips lifted. “What happened?”

“They drove off.” He shook his head. Good thing Dan Williams moved away right after high school or else Wade would have been tempted to punch the shit out of him—even now.

Emmaline laughed and covered her mouth. “What did you do?” Her words came out muffled.

“We thought about shifting, but we believed we could run faster as humans. If we hadn’t been drunk, that might have been true. We’d gotten about a mile down the road when a cop stopped us. Apparently, someone called it in. That someone just happened to be the forward on our basketball team.”

“Hazing sucks. Bet your dad wasn’t pleased.”

“You can say that again. Not only was I benched for the rest of the season, I spent my afternoons and weekends doing extra chores.”

“I like your dad already.”

“He’s a good man.”

For the rest of the meal, they told stories of their lives growing up, and Wade began to see a woman who wasn’t given as much love as she gave. He hoped he could do something to change that, but it would take time.

Once he paid the check, they left. The problem was that as they neared her house, the more his mind went into mating mode. He needed an intervention. If he didn’t receive some advice about how to be with her and not want to have her sexually all the time, he’d mess things up for sure.

In her drive, he cut the engine, and she faced him. “How long are you in town?”

For as long as you’re willing to see me
. “Not sure. A few days at least.”

Wade jumped out of his side and rushed over to hers. Hand in hand he walked her to the door. “Thanks for a great night. I’m glad I got to learn more about you.”

“Ditto. You want to come in?”

She had to be kidding. “I think you’ve had enough of me for one day. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He had planned to go in and talk some more, but he could tell he’d never be able to keep his hands off her if he did. Instead of the full-blown kiss he wanted to give her, he brushed his lips against hers. “Night, Emmaline.”

He waited for her to go inside before heading home. He had no doubt it was going to be a long, sleepless night.

Chapter Six