Miracle on Shifter Street

by Braylon Black

  Would it happen again?

  I gripped the steering wheel tight. No, it can’t.

  As cute as he was, I had to be an adult about this. I was fresh out of a long-term relationship, my heart was still aching over my breakup, and the last thing I needed was to get my emotions all mixed up with someone else.

  I wished I was the type of alpha who could just have a one night stand with no strings attached, but that just wasn’t my style. Never had been. Call me a romantic, I guess. Knowing me, if I slept with Marlie, I wouldn’t be able to just leave it alone. I’d turn into a lovesick puppydog in no time. And I really didn’t need that on my plate right now on top of everything else.

  Something Marlie had said after the kiss had been bothering me all day, though. He said he hated kissing. Was that really true? What the hell kind of a person hated kissing of all things?

  I cleared my throat. “Um, hey—should we pick up some food for dinner? My tummy’s growling. Er—stomach. My stomach is growling.”

  Tummy? What the hell was wrong with me?

  Marlie smiled. “I’d rather cook for you. I’m pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. But fair warning, I’m a vegetarian. If you absolutely must have a juicy steak or something, we might as well get some take-out instead—”

  “No, no!” I objected. “I’m fine with vegetarian. Really.”

  “Good,” Marlie grinned. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”

  Marlie wanted to cook for me? Woah.

  Be still, my beating heart.

  “Knock it off,” I grumbled under my breath.

  “Sorry?” Marlie asked.

  “Oh... nothing. It’s nothing.”

  ***

  Marlie’s neighborhood was quiet and isolated, and consisted of just a few small houses tucked away among deep, dark woods. It was a big contrast to the festive, bustling town center just a mile or two away.

  “Shifter Street?” I asked Marlie, noticing the street sign.

  “Yep,” he replied. “You’ll wanna take a left here. I live at the very end of the road.”

  “It’s a nice area,” I said. “Very peaceful here.”

  “Yeah, sure is,” Marlie said. “It’s so peaceful because hardly anybody lives down this way. And ironically, no shifters actually live on Shifter Street, either.”

  “Really?” I raised my brow. “Not including yourself, of course.”

  “Oh, right. Sure.”

  At the end of the road, I pulled into a driveway. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in the sight of Marlie’s home. It was a cute little cottage surrounded by fir trees, and it looked like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting.

  “Aw, now isn’t this just the cutest house I’ve ever seen!” I cooed. Almost as cute as Marlie himself...

  Thankfully, I didn’t add that last part out loud.

  I grabbed my hastily-packed suitcase out of the backseat and we went inside. Marlie flipped on the lights and the house filled with a warm golden glow. It was just as cute on the inside. It was old-fashioned and every surface was littered with knick-knacks, mostly porcelain figurines of animals and babies. It was obvious Marlie hadn’t changed anything since his grandma had passed away, and I thought that was rather endearing.

  In the corner of the living room stood a big, bulging Christmas tree—a real one, I determined by the lovely scent—decorated with blinking golden lights, red and green ornaments, shiny ribbons, and an inordinate amount of silver tinsel.

  “Excellent tree you’ve got there, Marlie,” I remarked. “I consider myself something of a Christmas tree connoisseur, and let me say, you’ve got it down to an art. Most people just slap random shit on there with no thought to the aesthetic of it all.”

  “I’m glad you think so!” Marlie grinned as he headed towards the wood stove in the opposite corner. “Brr, it’s freezing in here. Let’s get the fire started so we can be warm and cozy. I’ve spent way too much time outside freezing my ass off today.”

  As he knelt down and opened the door to the wood stove, I was seized by a sudden jolt of apprehension.

  “Hey, Marlie...” I said, coming up behind him and placing my hand gently on his shoulder. “Why don’t you let me handle this part, eh?”

  Marlie turned and gave me a curious look. “Why?” Then the realization hit him. “Oh... right. Okay. Good thinking. I’ll start dinner while you do this.”

  “Perfect.”

  I went to work getting the fire started as Marlie left to the kitchen. Okay, so I’d never started a fire in a wood stove before, but I figured it couldn’t be too hard. It wasn’t rocket science.

  After several false starts, I finally managed to get a good base fire going. As pots and pans clanged loudly in the kitchen and the scent of garlic and butter wafted to my nose, I sat kneeling by the stove, watching to make sure the bigger logs actually caught fire. Once I was satisfied, I closed the stove door and wandered into the kitchen, my stomach growling.

  Marlie was hunched over a pan. He reached to his side and picked up a bottle of something from the counter. He lifted it high into the air and poured a generous amount of liquid into the pan—only for a gigantic fireball to explode right in his face. He stumbled back and fell on his ass, dropping the bottle. It crashed and splintered into a million pieces.

  I rushed over and slid my arms under Marlie’s armpits to pull him a safe distance away from the mayhem.

  “Marlie, are you okay? Are you burnt?”

  “I’m fine, but the curtains aren’t!” He pointed to the kitchen window, where the flames had indeed set the curtains on fire.

  “Shit!” I grabbed a kitchen towel and rushed over to pat out the flames. Then I removed the pan from the stove and turned off the burner. I turned to face Marlie with an exasperated look.

  “What the hell were you thinking?!” I exclaimed.

  “That’s how I always make brussels sprouts!” Marlie cried. “Garlic, butter, Himalayan pink salt, and when they’re almost done, I add a splash of white wine!”

  “That was not a splash of white wine,” I said. “That was practically a waterfall.”

  I sniffed the air and recoiled at the sharp, acrid scent permeating the room. “And I really don’t think that was white wine.”

  Marlie’s eyes lowered to the crashed bottle on the floor. “Oh, shit. You’re right. That’s my grandma’s old moonshine. I must’ve grabbed it by accident.”

  “Moonshine,” I repeated in disbelief. I sighed before offering my hand to Marlie. I pulled him to his feet and gave him a look. “Marlie, listen to me. This stroke of bad luck wasn’t really bad luck, now was it? It was just your own stupidity.”

  Marlie crossed his arms and frowned. “Hey—watch it. I was just trying to cook you a nice dinner, okay? I make brussels sprouts all the time and this has never happened before.”

  “All right, I’m sorry,” I said, immediately regretting my choice of words. Marlie was an adult—I didn’t need to reprimand him like a child. But how else could I get through to him? The guy was dumping moonshine on an open flame, for Santa’s sake! “Just be careful, okay? Especially now. I think having the rabbit’s foot in your possession allowed you to act carelessly in your day to day life because it prevented you from experiencing any real consequences. But you don’t have that protection anymore, so you need to be extra careful.”

  Marlie sighed. “Fiiiiine.”

  I dug my cell phone out of my pocket. “Now, let’s order some pizza, shall we?”

  ***

  “Ugh,” Marlie moaned, patting his bulging tummy. “I can’t eat anymore. I think I’m gonna explode.”

  “Same,” I said, smiling over at him. “But I’ll be damned if this wasn’t the best pizza I’ve ever had.”

  “Agreed.”

  We were sprawled out on the couch under a fuzzy blanket like lazy cats, one of Marlie’s legs crooked over my thigh. With the fire crackling in the wood stove, the Christmas tree blinking, the snow falling silently outside, and my belly fu
ll of authentic stone-baked margherita pizza… I just felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

  How did I even get here? I’d somehow found myself in a magical town that didn’t even feel real, hanging out with an eccentric omega who was like no one I’d ever met before. I really didn’t know what was going on, or what the hell I was doing... but for once in my life, I didn’t care. I was enjoying every minute of this weird little detour, and I was so ready to just roll with the punches and see what happened next.

  “Christmas is only two days away,” Marlie said, glancing over at me. “What are you doing here? I’m sure your family wants to spend time with you.”

  “Nah,” I shook my head. “My parents and my sister don’t really celebrate Christmas. They’re lame like that. I was gonna spend this Christmas with my in-laws, but... well. They’re not exactly my in-laws anymore.”

  “So you planned on spending Christmas alone on the beach, crying into your Mojito?” Marlie teased.

  “Hey, what’s wrong with that?” I grinned. “Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. What about you? I’m sure you’ve got a lot of holiday plans coming up. I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

  Marlie barked out a laugh. “Me? Yeah, right. No, I don’t have any plans.”

  “Really? No plans at all? Don’t you have family?”

  He shrugged. “Nope.”

  “No one? Not a single soul?”

  “No. Ever since my grandma died, I’m the only one left.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. But I’m sure you’ve got friends you could hang out with, right?”

  “Um,” Marlie looked away, blushing. “Acquaintances, sure. But nobody close enough to invite me to spend Christmas with them. That’s a family thing, mostly. I wouldn’t want to butt in.”

  “I’m sure any one of those acquaintances would love to have you over,” I smiled.

  “Maybe,” Marlie said. “But this year, it’s for their own good that I stay at home. I’d probably just end up burning somebody’s house down.”

  “Nah,” I chuckled. “As long as you stay away from open flames and moonshine, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

  Our eyes locked and we gazed at each other for a while. A pool of tingly warmth spread throughout my body as I lost myself in his beautiful blue eyes.

  “Logan?”

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah?”

  “Can we spend Christmas together? Just you and me?”

  “Of course,” I said. “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

  “I’m sure you’d rather be at the beach.”

  “Nah,” I shook my head. My gaze lingered, and I took him all in: his big blue eyes, his rosy cheeks, his disheveled platinum blond hair... and those soft pink lips that I longed to kiss again. “I’d much rather be here with you.”

  Marlie’s eyes widened and his lips parted in surprise.

  Shit. I shouldn’t have added that last part.

  “I mean, well, what I mean is that I’d rather spend Christmas somewhere with snow, and, and, with Christmas stuff going on, and all that. Christmas on a hot beach is just weird. You know?”

  “Uh-huh,” Marlie nodded slowly. A giddy smile spread across his face.

  Shit. He knew I liked him despite my earlier proclamation that I shouldn’t get involved with anyone right now. I mean, it was true. I really shouldn’t. It was a really bad idea. I was in a bad place emotionally. I was still hurting over my breakup. I shouldn’t...

  That’s when I realized I hadn’t thought about Toby all day long. Ever since I arrived to Vale Valley, I hadn’t wasted one single ounce of energy thinking about, or pining over that jerk.

  Still, Logan. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do—

  “Fuck it, it’s Christmas,” I said out loud. “I do what I want.”

  “Huh?” Marlie furrowed his brows in confusion.

  I put my hand on his jaw and pulled him close to me—slowly, this time—and pressed my lips to his.

  Marlie

  A whimper of delight escaped my throat as I sank into Logan’s kiss.

  Holy shit, this is really happening!

  Electric shocks coursed through my body. I scooted closer to him under the blanket. He wrapped his arm around my waist and let his hand rest on my lower back.

  The kiss was soft, slow, and exploratory at first—both of us just cautiously testing out the waters. But it didn’t take long for the kiss to grow passionate and wild. Logan grabbed my hips and pulled me on his lap. I straddled him, feeling the bulge of his erection rubbing up against mine.

  “Mmm,” he moaned against my lips. He pulled away and gazed into my eyes with a smirk. “I thought you said you hated kissing.”

  “I do,” I teased. “I absolutely loathe kissing.”

  “Do you really?” Logan chuckled, nipping at my bottom lip.

  I grabbed him by his cheeks and kissed him hard, sliding my tongue deep into his mouth. He groaned, rocking his hips into mine.

  Oh my.

  Logan’s hands traveled up and down my body, touching me everywhere: my neck, chest, back, ass... then he slipped them under my shirt and traced his fingers along my bare, goose-marked skin. I took the cue and pulled my shirt off entirely.

  “Oh, damn,” Logan bit his bottom lip as he drank me in.

  “Now you,” I grinned.

  I helped him pull off his shirt and oh my goddess, what a fine specimen. Blood rushed to my cock at the sight of him, and I couldn’t resist the impulse to sink my teeth in and feast on his delectable flesh. I kissed along his jawline, then down his neck and chest. As I moved lower, I pushed myself off his lap to kneel on the floor.

  Oh... was this really about to happen?

  Was I really about to do this?

  There was no debate; my mind was made up. I simply couldn’t resist this alpha. Why would I even want to? Santa had delivered an early Christmas present and I planned on enjoying it to the fullest extent.

  Logan sucked in a breath as I unzipped his pants and let his cock out. Goodness gracious, it was so big. It was long, thick, and absolutely beautiful. My mouth watered at the sight of it, and my own cock nearly burst in my pants.

  “Merry Christmas,” I blurted before bringing my mouth to the tip and brushing my tongue along his slit, where a delicious dewdrop of cum was already waiting for me. Goddess, he tasted amazing. Better than Christmas sugar cookies and pumpkin pie combined.

  “Ohhh,” Logan groaned, tossing his head back against the couch.

  I swirled my tongue around the head of his cock before opening up wide and popping it in my mouth. Logan sighed and rocked his hips as I went to work licking, tasting, and sucking as hard as I could.

  I hadn’t had a lot of experience with alphas; I’d only ever been with one guy, a coyote shifter named Greg, about five years ago. I was rusty as hell, and I honestly had no idea what I was doing. But based on the way Logan was groaning and rolling his hips, I knew I had to be doing something right.

  Logan put a gentle hand on the back of my head to guide me. With him lodged halfway down my throat, I glanced up and our eyes met. The look he gave me was so intimate and full of affection that it was hard to believe I’d only met this guy today.

  Somehow it felt like we’d known each other for years. I was already so comfortable around him. Indeed, it wasn’t like me at all to hook up with strangers. But… Logan didn’t feel like a stranger at all.

  And I wanted to make sure he felt welcome.

  I focused on the task at hand and tried to take him as deep as I could. With my cock throbbing painfully in my pants, I couldn’t resist. I unzipped and let myself out. Goddess, I was so hard, and already right on the edge of an intense orgasm just from having this gorgeous alpha’s cock in my mouth. Right now I wanted only one thing in the whole wide world: to make him cum harder than he’d ever cum in his life.

  But he stopped me. “Hey.”

  I lifted my head, letting his cock drop from my wet lips. “Yeah?”

>   “You’re doing an amazing job,” Logan smiled. “Seriously, you’re a fucking pro at this.”

  I grinned. “Really?! No, you’re just saying that.”

  “I’m not,” Logan insisted. He grabbed me by my arms and pulled me back up to straddle him. “You’ve got me right on the edge, but I don’t want to cum yet. I want to enjoy you... touch you... feel you.”

  He ran his hand along the length of my cock, wrapped his palm around it, and pumped.

  “Oh, Logan,” I groaned against his mouth. “Now you’re gonna make me cum.”

  “Not yet,” he whispered, nibbling on my bottom lip. “Marlie... can I be totally honest with you?”

  “Yeah?” I asked, pulling away slightly, a cloud of anxiety putting a damper on my lust. Oh god, what kind of a bomb was he about to drop on me now? I was still cursed with bad luck, so I braced myself for the worst.

  “I want you. All of you.”

  I pulled in a sharp breath. Logan’s green eyes burned with desire.

  He wanted to... go all the way? It was a little fast, but everything about this, about us, just felt so right. And the thought of that big cock sliding into me...

  “Yes!” I blurted. “Yes, yes! Let’s do it!”

  I peppered his face with hyperactive kisses as he laughed.

  “Okay, okay,” Logan said. “Only on one condition, though. We have to use a condom. With all our bad luck, you know... we wouldn’t want anything to go wrong. Unfortunately, I don’t have any on hand. I didn’t expect to wind up in bed with the cutest omega in the world tonight.”

  “Of course, of course,” I said. “Luckily, I’ve got some. They’re a bit old, but I think they’ll work fine.”

  Logan growled with satisfaction as he rose to his feet, hoisting me up along with him. He supported me with his hands on my ass, and I wrapped my legs tight around his waist. As he tried to move, his legs got caught in the blanket and he almost stumbled, but luckily he was able to kick it free before succumbing to calamity.

  Logan stopped and looked around. “Where’s the bedroom?”