Southern Shifters: Stick Shifter (Kindle Worlds Novella) (9 page)

D
elaney couldn’t help
but stare at Will’s perfect physique. He was all lean, tan muscle, perfectly formed, and his cock looked like it had been carved from marble. Long, thick and pointing straight at her. Delaney had to resist the urge to look behind her to make sure he wasn’t pointing that at someone else.

He wasn’t, that cock was all for her. It was rather flattering.

She finally let her eyes travel up to his gaze and felt herself blush.

“All yours, Monkey,” he said, his eyes smiling but there was no grin on his face. No, his mouth was set in a line that said he was holding himself back from stepping closer to her.

“We’ll see.” She let out the breath she’d been holding.

“Just do me a favor. Don’t run, don’t scream, just watch. I promise no matter what you see, I’m still here. My cat would never hurt you, he couldn’t, it would kill him to see you come to harm.”

Delaney didn’t scream or run when he got naked. Whatever was coming next, she doubted that would be her reaction.

“Why wouldn’t a cougar attack me? I would think that would be natural instinct,” she challenged.

“For a cougar, yes, but see you aren’t just some human. You belong to us. You’re our mate. Our one perfect match in all the world. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me? How? And why are we having this conversation while you’re naked?”

Throwing his hands in the air, Will let them fall to his hips like he’d forgotten he was naked. “I was going to show you my cougar, and you started asking questions again. And might I add, you haven’t paid for the questions, so I’m running a tab.”

“Dude, I’m standing here waiting for you to do your thing. Not that I’m not liking the view you understand.”

Will shook his head at her then dropped his gaze for a moment. When he looked back up, his eyes were full yellow. No longer just a glow around the edges, it was like they were burning from the inside. The air over his skin started to shimmer like there were heat waves coming off of him. Then the shape of him started to shift, colors spun over his flesh, and in a spark of color and light, there was a large tawny cougar standing in the spot Will had been.

The cat was long, his tail swishing in the dirt behind him. His eyes were the same yellow that Delaney had seen before Will disappeared. The animal stood on four feet, his eyes focused on her, and he was purring. Yes, definitely purring. Even a few feet away, she could hear the rumbling sound coming from the beast.

She couldn’t deny that he was impressive. He was an all sleek predator, and he wasn’t being aggressive towards her. In fact, the swishing tail reminded her of what a dog did when he was happy to see you. But this wasn’t a puppy, and it wasn’t Will. It was a cougar, and Delaney was trying desperately to find the man inside the animal. She remembered his instructions, and she didn’t scream, she didn’t run, but she wasn’t comfortable by a long shot.

Her dad told her stories of a man that could become a bear when she was a little girl. She figured it was just ghost stories he liked to scare her with. Her dad swore, though, he’d seen the man change into a bear once when he was out hunting. The only thing Delaney took from the story was her dad saw a man naked in the woods.

Now she’d seen a naked man turn into a cougar. She couldn’t deny what her eyes had witnessed. William Klein had turned into a cougar. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the animal and saw it was standing very casually. Its mouth was open and panting like he was tasting the air.

“Aren’t you a pretty kitty,” Delaney said quietly.

The cat’s head jerked back, and she could have sworn he looked disgusted.

With a little laugh, Delaney apologized. “Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you.”

She realized she was talking to an animal, but was she really? Was Will in there?

“Do you understand me?”

She couldn’t hold back the gasp when the big cat nodded at her. “Well, that answers that,” she mused.

Taking a tentative step towards the cat, she paused to make sure he wasn’t moving. The animal stayed where it was, and so she took another step. Those golden eyes were on her quietly assessing. Holding her hand out steady in front of her, she bravely stepped the last step towards the cat’s head.

Her fingers skimmed over the cat before sinking into the warm fur. The purring sound increased, and she watched his eyes close. He pushed up against her hand and rubbed his head into her hand.

“So cool,” she whispered. There was never a time in Delaney’s life that she could imagine being this close to such a dangerous animal. She didn’t even have pets growing up. Now there was a big cat that was part man? Or a man that was part cat that seemed to like her very much.

“Can I see it in reverse?” The cat seemed content to let her pet him all day. But she needed to see Will again to cement that this was all real.

The cougar gave a huffing sigh and took a step back. The shimmering from before started again, and in a flash of color, Will stood before her, and there was no cat to be seen.

“You’re a cougar.” Delaney knew she was stating the obvious, but it still needed to be said.

“I am. Or more specifically, I’m your cougar now. We belong to you just like you belong to us. We only get one shot at a mate in our life. The second our eyes met we knew. Like you know the world turns and that the sun will rise. You are our everything, and I couldn’t be patient and let you get to know the man before showing you the cougar. I want us to start our lives together, and I wanted to do it now.”

Delaney was still processing the naked man that had magically reappeared in front of her. “You think I’m your mate?”

“I know you are my mate. I want to bond with you, marry you, and have children with you. All of it, and I want to start now.”

“How can you start a life with someone you don’t know, and you don’t love?”

“What makes you think I don’t?”

“Do you?” Delaney was a little skeptical of this. Lust, sure, she had that in spades. But he was talking much bigger than just the need to get a little action.

“Ask me,” he said, his voice dropping low.

Shit, Delaney didn’t expect to be put on the spot. Now she was nervous. She could guess what he was going to say. But what did she do with that information?

Stepping around him, she walked to the blanket and flopped down. He came and sat next to her, still apparently unconcerned about his naked state.

She stared at him and took a deep breath. “Do you love me?”

Will didn’t immediately answer which ratcheted up her nervous state. Finally, he said, “Pay me.”

Damn, she forgot about that. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with him. She did, so very much. She’d been in a perpetual state of arousal since he’d shown up that morning. Seeing the cougar should have turned her cold; instead, it turned her on.

“What’s the cost?” she asked back, giving herself an extra moment to steady her racing heart.

“A taste.” His eyes dropped to her lap.

D
elaney felt her clit spasm
, and her pussy dampen even more than it already was. Making her decision, she sat up to her knees and pulled her tank back off. She moved the zipper back down and stood to shuck off her suit with a number of shimmys to peel it off. Her boots were kicked off before she pulled the pants off. It left her standing in her panties in front of a man that looked very, very hungry.

Will reached his hand up to her, and she took it without hesitation. He pulled her back down to him and laid her gently on the blanket. He covered her body with his, touching their skin together for the first time. He made a sound low in his throat, his eyes closing at the contact.

“Did you just purr?”

“Yes, you make my cat very happy, Monkey. Expect to hear that sound a lot in the future.” Will brushed her hair away from her face.

“So what now?”

“Well, I get my taste, and then we go from there.”

“Go where? I mean how is this going to work? I live here, and you live thousands of miles away. You picked me, and now I’m what, a what did you call it?”

“A mate, it’s what you are. But you can choose being human when you want to bond with me. Shifter pairs will bite each other to seal themselves to one another. It brings them closer, and they will permanently only want each other for the rest of their lives.”

“What does that mean for a human?” Delaney had the odd feeling of being left out being a non-shifter. Like she was going to be with this man, and it not be everything it could be if she wasn’t like him.

“It means that when I bite you, you get to be a little less human and a little more shifter. Shifters age slower than humans, so you would start to age like me. We also have shorter pregnancies, so having some of my DNA will help you adjust to the shorter time frame.”

“Wow, babies. That’s heavy,” she said, looking up at him. She wasn’t ready to talk about babies. She hadn’t even decided if there was going to be anything past today with this man.

“That’s future talk. I’m talking about right now. I don’t expect you to take all this in today and make a choice. I’m just asking that you give me a chance. Give us a chance.”

Delaney knew that she was going to say yes to this man. At least about today. She wanted him; that was clear. So focusing on that, she said, “Okay.”

That okay got her a sweet smile and a flash of yellow in Will’s eyes. Then she got a kiss that if she was wearing socks, would have knocked them off. Will managed to take his mouth from hers and cover every inch of exposed skin as he worked his way down her body.

“These breasts are fucking stunning, baby. I could spend all day here,” he said, sucking a nipple into his mouth.

“Well, that might chafe. I’m just saying,” she said, letting out a soft moan at the contact.

“I’ll be careful, I promise, Monkey.”

He was careful, careful to not miss an inch. When he got to the waistband of her black cotton panties, he gripped them between his teeth and looked up at her. Now she knew that it was his cougar shining back at her with those bright eyes. It made her even hotter.

The snap of the elastic caused her to jump when he let go to draw in a deep breath. “I love that smell; it means you’re wet for me. That you want me.”

Will took a second to strip her of her panties, tossing them to the side. Without any ceremony, he pushed her legs wide and stared down at her wet core. “Look how beautiful you are, baby.” He brought his hand between her legs and ran one finger along her slick lips.

Delaney followed that finger as it left her pussy and went straight into Will’s waiting mouth. The purring sound intensified, and she couldn’t help but shiver. Delaney didn’t feel like she was paying for anything. She was getting all the goodness from Will, and she was just greedy enough to keep going.

“Will,” she said with a gasp.

“Just that taste, Monkey, that one drop tells me how much we are meant to be together. You taste like vanilla with sugar and cream. I’m going to make you come so hard you’ll be screaming my name.”

She didn’t doubt him; she had a feeling that what was next was going to be mind blowing.

Will positioned himself on his stomach between her legs and took the first long, slow lick. Delaney gasped, and her legs tried to snap shut, but Will kept his big hands on her thighs and held them open wide for his pleasure.

Screw that. It was for her pleasure too.

Delaney wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but it felt like Will’s tongue was rough, gritty like sandpaper. It felt amazing as he dipped his head back to her molten folds and starting eating her. He tasted and teased. Switching between long slow licks and short tugs on her clit.

The purring noise he made translated to a vibration effect on her clit that was so much better than any of her toys.

“Oh, god!” she moaned. “Do that again.”

Will was more than happy to oblige. He was lost in his mate’s heat and scent. Her pussy was like the softest silk, and his cougar’s urge for him to mate was roaring in his ears. He wanted to take his time, savor this first experience with their mate. His cat wanted her locked to them for eternity. Bound and promised so they would have all the time in the world to play and make love.

“Will, I’m going to come,” Delaney panted. She was overwhelmed by the sweet pleasure he was creating. It was like her body was burning, and she was torn between wanting him deep inside her and wanting to come hard and long first.

“Then come for me,” he ordered, purring against her clit before pulling it between his teeth and lashing it with his tongue.

The scream from his mate, as she called out his name while bucking against his mouth, was the sweetest thing he had ever heard. He drank down her orgasm, lapping and pulling her over and over that peak of pleasure. Her legs were clamped around his head as he’d let go to cup her ass and lifted her closer to his mouth.

“Please, Will, it’s too much,” she begged. Delaney felt like all of her nerve endings had been dipped in molten metal. Sharp, shiny pleasure coursed through her leaving a painful trail that hurt so good.

Giving her pussy one last long lick, being careful to avoid her sensitive nub, he kissed his way back up her body until he reached her mouth. There he shared her honey with her, letting her know how delicious she was.

“Let’s do that again,” he said, kissing over her face and neck.

“You bet, give me a minute.” Delaney tried to get her eyes to focus. When they finally did, she saw that although there was a full-blooded man on top of her, the eyes staring down at her were all animal.

“To answer your question, I do love you, Delaney Jane Owens. I know you can’t understand how that can be true so soon. But you have my heart and not just my soul, but my cougar’s as well. We will love you until the end of time, and there will never be anyone else for us. Your safety, happiness, and contentment are the first thing on our minds. We have to take care of you, cherish you. Monkey, I love you so much, I would die without you.”

Delaney stared at him, and she wanted to say something sarcastic. But as he spoke the center of her chest got heavy and warm. There were signs that she had a heart and apparently liked being told by a man that she was the center of the universe. Go figure.

“I don’t know if I can say those words yet, Will,” she admitted.

The smile on his face was surprising. “I wouldn’t expect you to, not yet. It’s different for you, and I understand. Just be with me. Let me show you what our life could be like together. That’s all.”

Delaney liked that. She could give this man the time he asked for. She had nothing to lose but her heart.

“Okay, Will. You can have my time,” she said, giving him a small smile. Declarations of affection were not something she was used to giving.

“That makes me happy. Truly it does.” He followed that with a kiss that started her motor revving right back up.

“Damn, you can kiss,” she said when they broke apart.

“I can do more than kiss if you are interested.” He nipped at her lower lip.

“Oh, I’m so interested,” she answered.

Will proceeded to show her how talented he was. With his mouth, his hands, and his cock. He touched her and drove her to a peak before stopping and letting her come back down. Then he would do it again, dipping his hand between her legs, but never entering her, just sweet tease after tease.

“Stop teasing me. I want your cock,” Delaney demanded after having come so close to coming too many times to count.

“You can have my cock anytime you want, Monkey. I was just waiting for you to ask for it.” At those words, he positioned himself at her entrance and slid in, pushing past her swollen folds. He held himself still as she arched her back, and her legs locked around his waist. Her nails were gripping his strong biceps as her pussy flexed around the invasion.

“Fuck me, baby. You are so tight and hot. It’s like heaven inside you. I’m never going to leave,” he said, moaning into her neck. His instincts were to bite, but he held back knowing it wasn’t the time or place.

“Sounds good to me; let’s live in the woods,” she said, trying to get closer. He was so strong, and he filled every corner of her. She ran her nose up along his neck and took in his scent. He smelled good before, but now he smelled better, like it was changing to her favorite things. He smelled like man and apple trees blooming. Delaney bucked her hips up and felt Will’s arms tighten around her.

“Say you’re mine, Delaney. Tell me that I have your time, every second is for me.”

She didn’t know why it was so important to hear it, but she was happy to give him that. “Yes, Will, I don’t want to be with anyone but you. I feel like I need you near. That your skin brings me comfort, like it’s a drug. I want it all the time.”

Delaney couldn’t put into words just how much she was craving him. She was touching him, and it felt like static between her fingers. For every sweep of her fingers, she felt it in her soul. The last hour with Will had been like a junkie making the rounds on a late night.

Will pulled out of her and thrust back in, wiping away all her thoughts of her new addiction.

“Yes,” she moaned.

“Like that? I can do it again if you want.” Will gave her another thrust of his hips. He got the moan and gasp that he wanted. He set the pace to make sure she never was quiet, and the woods got to hear her luscious voice begging him to go harder, faster, more.

Will kept his focus on keeping his cat back and not biting his mate. It was everything he could do to keep his teeth to himself. Instead, he focused on dragging his cock through the sweet tightness of his mate’s slick channel. He loved her noises and knew that he’d be doing everything he could in the future to hear those sounds again.

“Delaney, baby, I need you to find it. I want you so bad. I don’t want to lose control. I don’t want to bite you yet. You have to have time,” he said this through gritted teeth as he slid a hand down between them to the aching nub at her center. He rolled her throbbing clit between his fingers as he continued to pound into her.

Delaney loved that he was willing to hold back, that he could wait for her. She didn’t want to push him as she wasn’t ready to be bitten even though it sounded hot. She was on the brink of an amazing orgasm, all she had to do was let go.

Her body locked and she couldn’t stop herself from screaming and digging her nails into Will’s back. She heard a roar and felt the hot spurts of his seed pour into her as Will called out her name as he filled her with his cum. Delaney briefly acknowledged that they hadn’t used protection, but she’d have to worry about that tomorrow.

“That’s my girl, coming hard for me.” Will gave Delaney a hot wet kiss as he cupped her face in his hands.

“Will, that was, I don’t have words,” she whispered to him.

“Delaney, that was nothing. That was just a warm-up. I think we can do better next time, and maybe you can find the right words.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan, Mr. Klein.”