Strange Neighbors (27 page)

   "But if you're up in the air, the fall could kill you!"

   He shrugged. "Like I said, I've been lucky. But under stressful conditions, it's a lot harder to handle the shifts."

   "So I guess you really have been lucky."

   He hung his head. "I couldn't shift back for quite a while this morning. I'd never have shocked you like that if I could have avoided it."

   "What was so stressful this morning? I mean, yes, I was having a hard time with the pressure to marry you so quickly, but why would it matter if it's before spring training or after?"

   Jason pursed his lips. Eventually he answered in a voice that sounded so serious it scared her. "If we go forward and we're bonded, I could die without you."

   She shook her head and tried to look into his eyes. "I don't understand."

   He fell silent and pensive, as if trying to find the right words to explain.

   "It sounds as if you mean that literally," she continued.

   "I do." He took in a deep breath before he continued explaining. "We began a mating process, you and I, and because falcons are one hundred percent monogamous, you'll be my partner for life."

   "Are you saying you were a virgin before you met me?"

   He chuckled. "No, I'm not saying that. But I've always kept dating superficial so that bonding wouldn't happen until I was ready."

   "Wait a minute, didn't you tell me you were in love once before?"

   "Almost. I thought I was, but I didn't know what love was back then. And almost doesn't cut it for falcons. You either are or you aren't. Plus, she and I never had sex."

   "So why didn't this mating process begin with someone else if you've had sex?

   "I didn't stay with anyone long enough. I had to protect my heart until I found the right girl. The minute I fell in love with you, and made love to you, we were bonding. As our relationship progressed and deepened, you may have felt it too."

   "I—I guess so. I really panicked when I thought I'd lost you—the you I thought I knew."

   He caressed her arm. "I understand. But I'm the same man, and you'll never lose me."

   "So tell me everything I need to know if I'm going to be your wife. Wait, not just what I need to know. Tell me everything."

   He took her hand and nodded slowly. "Falcons mate between March and May. It's not a choice. We don't decide when it's right for procreation. It's an instinct."

   Confused, Merry tipped her head. "Are you saying that come spring, we'll be boinking like bunnies?"

   He laughed. "Only if you want to." Then his expression grew serious again. "This is where being a shifter complicates things. We not only have physical instincts, we have human emotions too. Falcons who can't mate when their bodies tell them to can create havoc with the extremely stressed human half."

   "God, the shifts must be really hard to control then." "You betcha. Can you imagine that instinct hitting full force while I'm in Ft. Meyers, Florida, and you're in Boston, Massachusetts?"

   "I guess that's a long flight, either by plane or wing, and if you shift during the trip… Oh no! What a tragedy that would be."

   "You do understand. My only other alternative would be to give up my livelihood, which would kill me in a different way. My whole life has been about this sport, and I love it. To give it up would be like giving up a piece of my soul."

   Merry nodded, and then something occurred to her. "So, if we're bonded, you can't have sex with anyone else?"

   "No, and I wouldn't want to."

   "Works for me." At last, she could relax completely. No worries when he's on the road—no matter how many female fans show up at his hotel room.

   "Once I have a full-blown sexual relationship, the mating instinct sort of turns itself on and can't be shut off."

   "So now that you're fully blown and your instincts are turned on in more ways than one… what does that mean? Is this a done deal? Do I get any say in the matter?"

   "Well there is one more step, but it has to happen in the spring. If I come to you in falcon form, holding a symbolic gift, even just a pebble, it's a sign. It signals the nesting instinct. Quite often falcons begin their mating this way."

   "So what happens if I don't want to get pregnant right away?"

   "Just stay on the pill."

   "Hey, I'm open-minded and stuff, but are you sure

about all of this? I mean, how do you know what will happen if I'm not with you in the spring?"

   "I've seen it happen. I had another uncle besides Ralph. He wound up mating with a woman who wasn't so open-minded. She left him, disappeared, and couldn't be found. The result wasn't pretty."

   "What happened?"

   "He killed himself, but not before going stark raving mad."

   Merry gasped. Could she live with herself if she did that to Jason? Was it her fault if she didn't go with him and something horrible happened?

   "Oh, my God! So this is really a case of do or die."

   He nodded, then one corner of his mouth curled up. "Or you could say we have to do it or die."

   She laughed. At last the worst of her worries had been relieved and she could laugh again.

   "So do you have any more questions?"

   "Yeah. You said your Uncle Ralph is a shifter, too. What I can't picture is Ralph choosing a woman like Dottie. I mean no disrespect, but, um… she isn't the most open-minded person on the planet."

   Jason blew out a deep breath. "No, she isn't. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know."

   "How the hell has he managed to keep a secret of that magnitude from his own wife?"

   "Veeeery carefully."

   Merry elbowed him. "Very funny. That joke's older than you are. Oh, wait. That brings up another question. Do you have a normal lifespan? Are you immortal or something?"

   He laughed out loud. "No. Immortality doesn't exist."

   Hmm… I know someone who says it does. Merry wondered again if she should tell him about Sly. Since they were speaking open-mindedly…

   Jason continued to talk before she could think of how to tell him. "Falcons have a life span of about thirteen to sixteen years. That's why we stay mostly in our human forms. We live longer."

   "Especially your Uncle Ralph!"

   He chuckled and nodded. "Especially my Uncle Ralph."

   "How does he do it? I mean, Dottie is continuously stressed out. Why doesn't that rub off on him and cause him to shift?"

   "He's one hundred percent shifter, so he has great control. And he tunes her out a lot."

   "Sheesh. Okay, I think I only have one more question."

   "Shoot. No, don't shoot, but ask away."

   "If someday I get pregnant, will I lay eggs or have babies?"

   He burst out laughing and didn't stop until she hit him.

Somehow, Jason needed to seal the deal. He probably wouldn't feel secure until she put his ring back on her finger, but the boat had stopped rocking. He had brought her muffins for breakfast and taken her out to lunch, a museum, and dinner, but they hadn't spent the day together as he'd hoped—in bed.

   They kissed in the elevator all the way up to his apartment. He hoped she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. He needed to make love to her. As much as he didn't want to come off like a caveman, he was having trouble controlling the passion that grew within him all evening.

   Without letting her pull away, he continued to kiss her and walk her backward at the same time, guiding her toward his bedroom. Fortunately, she must have known what he had in mind and began fumbling with his belt buckle. That's all it took.

   He wanted to rip her blouse off, but forced his shaking fingers to undo the buttons one by one. By the time they reached the bed, she had managed to undo his pants and plunge her hand down his boxer briefs.

   Dear God! His cock strained at its confines and he hurried to undress himself the rest of the way. Merry unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the carpet. She stepped out of it just as Jason straightened. A red G-string met his gaze.

   "Damn, Merry. You're killing me." He tackled her. After they landed and bounced a couple of times, she giggled.

   "Then prepare to die, because I've barely started." With that, she unhooked her matching bra.

   He growled and slid his arms around her to take it off. As soon as that barrier was removed, he lowered his head to the breast nearest him. He licked it mercilessly before taking the hard, distended nipple into his mouth to suck. She arched and a low moan of pleasure emanated from her mouth as she clutched his shoulders.

   His fingers trailed down her soft skin and hooked her tiny thong. Sliding it off, he opened her to many more pleasurable possibilities. Overcome by sensations, he nipped her other breast and suckled deeply as she undulated beneath him.

   His hand found her mons and cupped it possessively. Mine. All mine. The building fire inside roared in his ears. He'd never felt anything like this. Amazed and dazzled by the irrational effect she had on him, he'd stop at nothing to win her over. Expensive gifts, weekends in Paris. All the things he told himself she'd see right through, he'd offer anyway.

   His whole body burned with the need to couple, and soon. Her body churned restlessly against his as if she felt it too.

   "Merry, I want… no I need…" his breath hitched and he could barely speak.

   "What do you need, lover?" she asked, her voice soothing as silk.

   "I need… you. All of you."

   There. He'd acknowledged his deep desire to merge with her as one. Sex was part of it, yes, but his heart and soul were on the line too. He gazed into her eyes, hoping she'd see the full truth of his few words.

   She stared back at him without blinking, then puckered up. Jason assaulted her mouth with all the passion a kiss could convey. He wanted to venerate her. To sear her with his brand as a sign that she was his—all his. She squirmed and he realized he could be frightening her.

   He broke the kiss reluctantly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rough. It's just that…" He began to shake and couldn't finish his sentence.

   "Jason, are you all right?"

   "No. I need to be inside you. Now."

   With a look of concern, she opened her legs. Even though he wished he didn't have to rush her, sweet relief flowed over him like cool water. He positioned himself between her legs and plunged into her to the hilt. He moaned as she cried out.

"Oh, God! Did I hurt you?"

"No." Her shallow breaths begged to differ.

   "I'm so sorry." He kissed her softly and waited for a go ahead sign before he began the familiar rhythm of joining.

   "I'm fine. Really."

   He kissed her again. "I love you," he said as he withdrew and thrust. "I'll always love you."

   She closed her eyes but didn't answer, not that he had asked or even implied a question. He kissed her neck, shoulder, temple, and nipped her earlobe as he rocked back and forth. He finally closed his eyes too and reveled in the feeling of her channel tugging on his cock as if she wanted to keep him deep inside of her.

   He felt his orgasm building to a fevered peak. His rhythm had accelerated. When did that happen? He slammed in and out of her, all the while trying to maintain control and losing.

   "Merry!" he cried and jerked with the release of his seed in deep spurts.

   She shuddered and shrieked out while climaxing at nearly the same time. He rode her until she whimpered and all the tension had drained from her body.

   When she opened her eyes, they shimmered. "Jason," she whispered. "I love you so much."

   "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?"

   She grinned. "If you did, you can hurt me like that again sometime."

   He nuzzled her neck and breathed in their mixed scents. Her willing commitment would happen. She would be his soon.

The next evening, Jason and Merry made their way up to the third floor to Gwyneth's and Morgaine's apartment. He said, "I'll admit I was kind of amused when you asked me to go for a tarot card reading date. But then I thought, why not? It sounds like fun."

   "Good. I thought it would be easy to date right in our own building. And I think they're looking forward to it too. Gwyneth wants to practice her fortune telling with cards and tea leaves, and Morgaine's an expert in a lot of interesting things. She'll be there to supervise."

   "I was wondering how they learned this stuff. Witches, huh?"

   "Yeah, I hope it's all right that I told you."

   "Since you've been open-minded about my idiosyncrasies, who am I to judge? I figured I owed you the same courtesy." Can people predict the future? He didn't know, but it might be interesting to hear what they had to say.

   He had spent the past hour at Merry's place, intending to "pick her up" like a proper date should, but they got good and distracted. Fortunately they didn't specify a particular time for their readings, or they'd be late, late, late.

   They stood before the door to apartment 3B, but before she knocked, Merry asked him, "Are you going to be okay with whatever they have to say? I don't want to put you in a situation where you might freak out and shift."

   He smiled. "I'll be fine, but thanks for the thought."

   Gwyneth opened the door without their knocking.

   "Wow," Jason joked. "How did you know we were here, Gwyneth? You must really be psychic."

   She shrugged. "I felt y'all's energy and saw y'all's auras."