Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter (18 page)

“Name’s Jackson,” he said. “Now, show me what you need done to this place and I can give you a quote.”

“Let go of her,” Ramsey growled.

Jackson let go of my hand easily, but he didn’t look frightened. “Not trying to steal your mate, friend. Just trying to hear about the job.”

I felt the absurd need to please Jackson and then realized what it was. The handyman was not only a wolf but he was also an alpha. That was weird. I looked over at Gracie, who was specifically avoiding eye contact with him. With Ramsey here, though, I wasn’t scared. Jackson’s demeanor was calm and relaxed—not vicious like the Andersons. “There’s
a lot we need to get done around here. I’ll show you the most urgent ones, and then Ramsey can supervise.”

“Aren’t we going into town?” Gracie asked suddenly. “Your sister wanted to go wedding dress shopping, remember?”

Oh, jeez. I’d totally forgotten. Poor Bath. I grabbed my purse off the counter. “Ramsey, can I take your truck?”

“You can. Just be safe and call me if you’re going to be late.” He leaned in and gave me another kiss, which made me flush. It was like he couldn’t stop kissing me now that he had permission.

“Show him the shower and the ceiling and the—”

“Go on,” he said gruffly, touching my chin. And then he leaned in. “And take Gracie with you. Please.”

“Got it,” I said and dashed out the door. Bath wouldn’t be thrilled, but as long as Gracie didn’t try to invite herself into the wedding party again, we’d be just fine. As we got in the truck, I looked over at Gracie. “You sure you don’t want to stay? Dress shopping’s not all that fun,” I said. “And Jackson’s kind of cute.”

She rolled her eyes. “The last thing I want in my life is another alpha wolf. I’m looking for a little variety, thank you.” She grinned and twirled a lock of her hair. “That’s why I think I’m going to like your dating agency.”

Several hours later, Gracie and I pulled up in front of the house. Jackson’s van was still there, and when we got out of the car, I could hear hammering.

Gracie flounced out of the truck and immediately flipped open her phone. “I’ll catch ya later.”

I watched her saunter through the yard. “Shouldn’t we, uh, be spending wolf time together?” I asked her.

She waved a hand at me, not looking up from her phone. The woman got a constant stream of text messages, no doubt from all the profiles she’d signed herself up for. “Just remember the Kegels.”

“Right,” I said, picking up my pink bag and heading into the house. I yawned as I went inside. It had been a long afternoon, and I was exhausted. Between Bath’s insistence on checking out every store in the Metroplex area that even smelled of weddings, and Gracie’s constant smirky needling of her, I was worn out.

Plus, I kept smelling wolves wherever we went. I never saw anyone, but the scent of unfamiliar male wolves lingered whenever I turned a corner. Gracie always said she smelled nothing. My sister was human and couldn’t scent wolves, so that left only me.

Hell, I smelled wolves even now. The scent of male sweat and werewolf was all over the house, making my hackles rise. The scent was to be expected, since the handyman was here, but it still made me uneasy. “Ramsey?” I said softly. “You in here?”

Something crashed in one of the rooms down the hall, and I opened the door to see a tall, awkward teenage boy with a tool belt slung low around his waist and a plumber’s cap on his head. He held a hammer in one hand and stared at me, frozen.

His scent hit my nostrils—wolf. I froze in place, but the scent wasn’t Anderson. The boy quickly averted his eyes, as if not wishing to alarm me. “Mr. Bjorn said if you came looking for him that I wasn’t to scare you,” the boy said in low, even tones. “Want me to call him?”

“No, I’m fine.” I gave him an awkward smile and took a step or two backward, not letting him out of my sight. Roy liked to pounce on me when I had my back turned. . . .

“Sara,” said Ramsey’s low, delicious voice. “Come here.”

I turned and saw him down the hall. I knew his voice was low and calm because he was worried I’d become all skittish again. I moved toward him, placed my hand in his, and tilted my face up for a kiss, mostly just to see how he’d respond.

Ramsey leaned in and brushed his lips on my forehead. Which was a little disappointing. “We’re still working on the roof,” he explained. “Will you be all right with the Wilders here?”

I nodded and yawned.

“Tired? You should sleep.” He laced his fingers through mine, and when he stepped closer, I knew he was one inch away from swinging me into his arms and carrying me upstairs to force a nap on me.

“Just tired from watching Bath try on all those dresses. I think she tried on a hundred before she found one she liked.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“I don’t know. They postponed it because of . . . you and me. Bath says she doesn’t want to get married until we’re settled, and Beau agreed.” I guarded my words carefully, sure that the boy was still nearby, and moved in close to Ramsey so I could whisper the next part. “Jackson . . . he’s an alpha.”

Ramsey brushed a hand over my cheek. “I know.”

I bit my lip and tugged him down so I could whisper in his ear. “He . . . he’s not looking for a mate like the Andersons, is he?”

Ramsey’s face turned toward mine, so close that our mouths were nearly touching. “He knows you are mine, and that if he touches you, I’m going to remove his spine through his throat.”

Well, that explained why the boy had looked utterly terrified when I’d run into him. I leaned in and gave Ramsey a quick kiss, grinning. “Good.”

He nodded at my bag. “What’s that?”

“Nothing,” I said, hiding the small pink bag behind my back. After finding a bridal gown, we’d headed to a lingerie store, and I hadn’t been able to resist getting something a little naughty for myself. Just the thought of blowing Ramsey’s virgin mind had been enough to make me giddy with excitement, and I’d forked over far too much money for far too little fabric, but it was worth it.

When Ramsey caught me yawning again, his
mouth turned down in a frown. “You’re exhausted. Go upstairs and take a nap. Learning to shift takes a lot of energy. Energy that you’re going to need for later tonight.” His face abruptly turned beet red, and he added, “So you can shift again.”

I yawned once more, exhaustion suddenly crashing on me. “Okay,” I said, pulling my fingers from his. “You’ll come get me later, won’t you?”

“Promise,” he said in a low, rumbling voice that sent a shiver all the way through my body.

Chapter Twelve

W
hen I awoke, it was dark outside. Something radiated heat next to my side, and I rolled over to see Ramsey’s large form next to mine, his chest bare.

I gave him a sleepy smile. “Hi. Did I miss anything exciting?”

He pointed at the ceiling.

I blinked and looked up, tugging the sheets close as I did. Huh. “My skylight’s gone. How’d I sleep through that?”

“It’s just patched with a tarp for now,” Ramsey said. “I thought you’d prefer a roof. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow.”

I gave him a shy smile. “Thank you.”

He said nothing, simply watched me.

Well, okay, this could get a little awkward. Was he waiting for me to make the first move? I toyed with the sheets, noticing that I’d fallen asleep in my T-shirt and jeans. “And here I thought I’d wake up and find you pouncing on me,” I teased.

He stiffened, and the hint of a smile on his face
disappeared. “I would never touch you against your will.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I said quickly. I never thought of Ramsey like Roy. Surely he knew that? When he continued to stew in the darkness, I leaned forward and placed a hand on his chest. He felt large and warm underneath my fingers. “I know you wouldn’t. I was just . . . hoping for more of a reaction from you. After, you know, our talk earlier.”

“Sara,” he said softly, and I felt a thrill of delight at the sound of my name on his lips. “If you move your hand lower, you’ll know my reaction.”

A smile curved my lips and I did just that, feeling a little pleased when he jerked in surprise, then sharply inhaled.

I’d seen his equipment earlier, but feeling the massive length under my hand drove home the size difference between us. “Well, I’m glad it’s not just me that’s interested,” I said, keeping my voice playful despite the pounding of my pulse. I felt nervous now that the moment had arrived. Did he want me, or did he just want to have sex? Or was that just my shattered self-esteem talking?

He was still quiet.

I took a deep breath. “I know you’re not the most . . . verbal of guys, Ramsey, but I’m feeling a little nervous right now, and I’d really like to hear what you’re thinking. Please.”

He sat up and moved oh so close to me, his body leaning in against where I sat huddled in the sheets. “I want to touch you, Sara.”

“That’s a good start,” I said softly, unable to look away from his mouth. “Keep going.”

“I . . . keep thinking about your mouth on mine. Thought about it all day.” His breathing became quicker, the scent of his familiar musk stronger. “How it would feel on my body. What you would look like if I touched your . . . breasts. What you look like naked.”

My breath caught in my throat at his scorching words. “You’ve seen me naked,” I said softly.

“Not while you’re under me,” he said softly.

A shudder of lust ripped through my body, and I grew instantly wet. “That sounds . . . sexy as hell, Ramsey.”

He growled low in his throat, sending a ripple of anticipation through my body.

I dropped the sheets and put a hand to his cheek—smooth shaven, just for me—and leaned in for another kiss.

His mouth met mine in a hot, wet, open slicking of tongues that immediately made me moan. Ramsey was an incredible kisser; his tongue did amazing things to my insides. It stroked deep into my mouth, and I rubbed my tongue against his in response.

When we broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to mine. “Tell me what to do . . . to please you.”

I skimmed a hand down his front and brushed my fingers against the thick length of his cock.

He hissed and immediately pulled my hand away. “I want to touch
you
. Explore you.”

“Can’t I touch you?” I protested, sliding my hand back up the wall of muscle that was his chest.

“I’ll come,” he growled.

“That’s kind of the point of this,” I said softly, moving my mouth against his in a light, fluttery, almost-kiss.

“Want you to come first,” he gritted. “Want to make you come.”

My hips rose in response and my breath sucked in. Perhaps he wanted to explore my body before moving to the good stuff. I could get behind that. I lay back and let my hands fall to the pillow. “I am yours to play with.”

He stared down at me for a minute, and then his big hand hesitated, hovering over my body.

I wiggled to coax him. “It’s okay. You can’t break me with just a touch.”

His hand landed reverently on my shoulder, brushing against my shirt and flexing there. Nice and safe. “Where do you like to be touched?”

“Everywhere.”

He scowled down at me as if I was being supremely unhelpful.

“Everywhere,” I reiterated. “Anywhere you kiss me, anywhere your fingers touch, or your mouth touches, it’ll give me pleasure. I promise.”

His fingers flexed on my shoulder again, brushing lightly over my arm, and then stopped. He looked down at me again.

Clearly he was going to need encouragement to get to the good parts. I grabbed the hem of my
shirt and tugged it over my head, shimmying out and dropping it to the floor. I did the same with my pants, leaving only my panties on, and lay back down in the bed. My breasts were so small that I normally didn’t wear a bra, and my nipples were already hard, pointing at the ceiling.

Ramsey stilled, his breath rasping in his throat. His gaze moved to my breasts, but he still hesitated.

“Please,” I said and took his big hand in mine. I slid it to my breast and let him cup me there. “Touch me, Ramsey.”

His hand flexed against my torso. “You’re so small.”

“Probably not what you want to tell a girl when you’re feeling her tits,” I observed dryly.

His gaze slid to me, startled. “No.
You
. You are so small.” His hand slid to my waist and was joined by the other. His thumbs touched just over my belly button. “I could snap you in my hands.”

“Is this your idea of bedroom talk?” I asked irritably. “I want you to make me wild with desire, not harp about how you fear you’re going to hurt me.”

Another thought flashed through my mind and I sat up, nearly knocking my forehead against his. Maybe he thought my small, lean body wasn’t feminine enough. Maybe he thought I smelled like wolf—a foul odor in my own mind. “Is it me? Am I unattractive?”

His gaze darkened and he lifted one of those big hands and pressed my shoulder until I fell backward in the bed. “Don’t be stupid.”

“Well, it has to be something,” I snapped back, trying to shove him away. “Here I am, shoving my breasts in your hand, and you’re acting like you’re about to go to a funeral. So I kinda have to think it’s
me
.”