Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter (15 page)

“Still okay?”

“Still okay,” I breathed.

“Your hands are clenched,” he said. “Put them on me if you don’t know what to do. Relax.”

I placed my hands on his big shoulders. It felt curiously like I was pulling him into my embrace, like I would a lover. That did crazy things to my already
overacting imagination. I felt his mouth nuzzle one particular spot on my neck again . . . and then he bit.

A gasp escaped my throat and my fingers clenched on his shoulders. Oh, wow. That was deliciously close to orgasmic.

His breath fanned the sensitive spot. “Still . . . okay?” His breathing sounded as harsh as my own.

“Good. You should mark me again,” I said in a soft voice. “Just to . . . you know, make it convincing.”

I’d expected him to need to be talked into that, but to my surprise, his teeth immediately sank down on a spot just slightly lower than the last one. Another gasping cry escaped my throat. Then he bit me again, the motion lingering and the bite more intense than the last. Oh, God. I needed his hands on my breasts, my sex . . . “Please . . .”

He stiffened in shock against me. Before I could blurt an apology, he released me with a growled oath and vaulted out of the bed.

Surprised, I watched him slam out of the room, the door thundering shut behind him. Plaster rained from the ceiling as the house shook.

Well . . . shit.

I sat up, trying not to feel terribly humiliated. He’d figured out that I’d been turned on and it had grossed him out. I sighed and flopped back down on the bed, my hands going to my shirt. Maybe I’d take care of myself tonight and just picture him on top of me, biting my throat . . .

My hand slid down my shirt and then I stopped.
Something warm, sticky, and wet touched my fingertips just before the smell of semen reached my nostrils.

Ramsey had . . . come? On me?

What the fuck? I sat up and ripped my shirt off. Sure enough, he’d come on my side when he’d been biting me. Dazed, I stared at the shirt, and then at the door. He’d cussed under his breath and then jumped up like he’d been on fire.

I hadn’t noticed how raspy his breathing had gotten or how his body had jerked against mine; I’d been too caught up in fighting my own pleasure.

I tugged on another shirt from my suitcase and lay back down again, thinking hard. Ramsey had been in the Alliance since he was fifteen. He never dated. Everyone was scared of him. He’d left the bear clan and Nikolina at fifteen. And he came from a clan that didn’t date outsiders.

He’d come on my shirt, unable to stop himself. And then he’d bolted away, angry and probably embarrassed.

Holy crap. Was Ramsey a . . . virgin?

Chapter Ten

H
e didn’t return to bed that night. I fell into an exhausted sleep after a time and woke up when the sun was shining through the windows and ceiling. I dressed, ran a comb through my short, messy hair, and padded downstairs.

To my surprise, the kitchen had been scrubbed clean. Sure, the counters were still demolished and the cupboards had missing doors, but they’d been cleaned and food was placed in them. A shiny new fridge sat in place. When I opened it, there was no hum of electricity, but bags of ice had been stuffed into the compartments, with drinks sandwiched between them. Bread and cinnamon rolls lay on the counter. I grabbed a soda and a cinnamon roll and went outside, looking for Ramsey. We needed to talk.

I went outside and found his legs sticking out from under the house. He’d half crawled under the floors, and judging by his toolbox, was fixing . . . something.

“Hey, Ramsey,” I said brightly. “Thanks for breakfast.”

No response.

“Can you hear me under there?”

“Yes,” he said after a long moment. “I’m busy.”

Okay, so it was going to be like that. “Are you going into town today? I have work at eight.”

“Off today,” he said brusquely, then stuck a hand out from under the house. “Pliers, please.”

I shoved the last of my cinnamon roll into my mouth and handed him the pliers. Then I wiped my hands on my jeans and squatted down by his legs. “What are you doing?”

“Fixing the wiring.”

I smiled. “Awesome. What about the plumbing?”

“Not a plumber.”

“Can we call a handyman? I bet there’s one in the database at work.”

“Whatever you want.”

Excellent. “So how am I getting to work?”

“Austin’s going to come by and pick you up.”

Jeez. So much for the protective mate. “Guess I’ll see you later.”

He said nothing as I walked back into the house.

Man. A guy accidentally comes all over his fake spouse’s side, and he won’t even talk to her the next day.

“You look like you’re in a bad mood,” my sister observed as I came into the office. “Honeymoon over?”

I stuck my tongue out at her.

She grinned. “Looks like there’s a little bump in the road of true love.”

I said nothing and slid into my chair. You never knew what sorts of ears were listening in the next room.

“Anything I can help with?”

I gave her a look. “Probably not.”

“Come on. That’s what sisters are for.”

When it came to men, I had way more experience than she did. Still, dealing with a massive adult virgin was probably new territory for both of us. I played with a pencil on my desk as my computer booted up. “What do you know of Ramsey? From Beau?”

“Well, there’s some stuff Beau has asked me not to talk about.”

I stared up at her, hurt. My sister was keeping secrets from me?
Me?
We’d shared everything up until she’d met Beau. And while I didn’t resent her happiness, a little part of me felt . . . lost. Had she known about Ramsey’s mate and had decided not to tell me? “Is there anything you
can
tell me?”

She shrugged. “He’s a good guy. Beau trusts him with his life. He’s quiet. Doesn’t really socialize much.”

“He ever date around?” I asked casually. I didn’t want to tell her that I already knew he had a
real
mate. “I’m sure Beau has a string of ex-girlfriends. Most shifters are good-looking.”

She rubbed her neck, right where the mate marking was. I felt the oddest urge to rub my own
neck. “I’ve never heard of him dating at all, actually. Why?”

“I was just curious.” So Ramsey was definitely a virgin. Dear Lord, no wonder he’d freaked out on me. Did this mean he was never going to talk to me face-to-face ever again? The thought made me incredibly anxious. And then I thought of him leaning over me, his mouth pressed against my neck, and a flush crept over my skin.

The door to the agency opened, the bell clanging. I glanced up and my nostrils immediately filled with the scent of wolf. Anderson wolf.

“Welcome to Midnight Liaisons,” my sister called out as the girl sauntered past the waiting area. “Can we help you?”

The girl grinned and sat down across from me, ignoring my sister. Her hair was long, dark, and curly, a wild nimbus that probably didn’t see a hairbrush often. Her eyes were bright blue against her tanned skin, and she wore a spaghetti-strapped denim sundress that was so tight on her lean body that it left nothing to the imagination. Her legs—and feet—were bare.

The woman’s gaze rested on my neck and the mate mark for a long moment, and then she raised a hand in the air to high-five me. “Get some, girl!”

Oh, jeez. “You must be Gracie.”

She winked at me and wiggled her fingers, still waiting for the slap.

I sighed and reached up and gave her hand a halfhearted smack. At my sister’s inquiring gaze,
I explained, “My new wolf escort. Connor wasn’t doing the job, so Levi sent someone new.”

Gracie tossed her curly hair and gave me a smug look, then propped her feet up on the corner of my desk. “Gimme just a sec. I gotta text Daddy something.”

She glanced over at my neck again as her fingers flew on the keyboard, and she grinned. Her gaze moved to my neck again, and then she typed even more.

I flushed under her scrutiny.

My sister gave me a curious look and I gave a subtle shake of my head. I’d tell her later. Well, at least I’d tell her all she needed to know.

“Soooo,” Gracie said, dropping her phone back in her purse and swinging her feet back down to the floor. They were immediately replaced by her elbows on the corner of my desk as she leaned in and gave me an interested look. “Daddy wants me to show you how to shift. You any good at Kegels?”

Behind me, my sister spit out her coffee.

“Um?”

Gracie grinned. “What no guy will be able to tell you is that the concept behind shifting and Kegels is pretty much the same. There’s that inner muscle deep inside that needs a good workout in order for it to perform. Once you find it, you gotta exercise it.” She leaned forward and gave me a feral look that was supposed to be playful but struck me as vaguely menacing. “Go on, give it a try.”

“M-my Kegels?” I stammered.

“Sara, can I talk to you for a minute?” My sister went over to the coffeemaker.

Gracie rolled her eyes and whipped out her cell phone again, beginning to text once more. I wondered if she was going to report everything back to her father. No wonder he’d wanted to send her.

I hurried over to my sister, who whispered, “Can you get rid of her? At least for an hour? I have a very shy were-lion coming in at nine, and I don’t know how he’s going to react to her.”

Behind me, I could hear Gracie’s fingers clicking away as she texted. I nodded. “I’ll handle it.”

I returned to my seat and Gracie winked at me. “I’ll be on my best behavior, promise.”

Somehow I doubted a wolf’s best behavior was any shade of appropriate, but I nodded. “Thank you.”

Bath gave me a long, meaningful look. “I need to make sure today’s cases get wrapped up early. We don’t have any appointments tomorrow if we clear the books today, and I’d like you to go wedding dress shopping with me.” Her smile grew even wider. “The maid of honor has to pick out a dress, too.”

Ugh. Not my idea of a fun time. I’d rather go computer shopping than dress shopping.

“Can I be your flower girl in the wedding?” Gracie asked. “I got some daisies in the backyard.”

My sister froze. “Um, well, I really don’t know—”

Gracie giggled. “I’m just shitting ya.” She turned back to me. “Now, about those Kegels—”

The office door opened and a man walked in, tall, lean enough to almost be skinny, with fine cheekbones, tawny hair, and a leonine look to his face. His gaze immediately moved to the she-wolf. Gracie sat up, adjusted the hem of her skimpy dress, and gave him a too-sweet smile.

“Toby,” Bathsheba said with a smile. “Come sit down. Would you like a coffee?”

He moved to my sister’s desk, his gaze flicking to Gracie. The sweet smile remained curved on Gracie’s mouth.

“What can I help you with today?” my sister said in a calm, easy voice, drawing his attention back to her.

He gave another uneasy look back at Gracie, then my sister, and swallowed hard. “Elma didn’t work out. We’re too different. I’m looking to date someone new.”

No surprise there. Elma was our resident harpy, and she struck out more than she scored. My sister must have been desperate to pair a cat with a bird shifter; those types didn’t mix well at all. Poor Elma was totally scraping the bottom of the barrel.

“I see.” My sister began to type. “And what are you looking for in a companion? Do we need to update anything?”

“I’ll do it,” Gracie said.

All eyes turned to her.

She gave us a coy, playful smile. “I’ve never dated a lion before. I’d love to try one on for size.”

Toby blushed. I’m pretty sure my sister did, too.
I rolled my eyes. “What’s your father going to think about that, Gracie?”

“Daddy says I’m going wherever you’re going for the next month.” She continued to smile sweetly at Toby. “So if you’re at a dating agency all day long, I don’t see why I can’t date the clients if you’re my chaperone.”

“You don’t even have a profile yet,” I pointed out. “I’m not sure that Toby wants to date someone he doesn’t know anything about—”

“Sure,” Toby said in a slightly hoarse voice. “You wanna do lunch? Chili’s?”

Ouch. Not the smoothest choice for a first date.

But Gracie exclaimed, “Oh, mercy. That sounds delightful.” And she turned and gave me a wink. “Guess you should set up my profile right about now so we can get this logged in the system.”

“Guess so,” I muttered. “So what kind of date preference should I put on your profile?”

“All of them,” she said promptly.

“All?”

“You can even put a vampire or whatever else you’ve got on there.” Her blue eyes sparkled. “I’m open to everything as long as it’s a good time.”

Oh, boy. “Reservations at Chili’s, coming right up.”