The Shifter's Soul

by R. A. Boyd

Charlie pushed his boxers down until she could reach them with her feet, and then she pulled with the tips of her toes to get them off of his long, powerful legs. She rubbed herself against him until his hips were settled over hers. Her body shivered as he grasped his cock and slowly circled it around her wet entrance.

  “How are you always so wet for me?” His voice was surprised as if he were amazed at how excited he could make her by just existing.

  She spread her hands against his chest. “It’s always just you.” She licked at the seam of his lips as he held his forehead to hers, hesitance evident in his body as he hovered over her. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “It’s too soon for you.” His voice was rough and low as if part of him wanted to bury his cock deep inside her, but the other wanted to give her more time.

  “Simon.” She nuzzled her nose against his. “Am I an adult?”

  He glanced down at her with a playful smile. “You better be,” he said, looking down the length of her body.

  That pulled a slight laugh from her, but it dwindled out into a sigh as she thought of yesterday. “Look in my eyes and tell me. Am I doing this to forget? Or am I don’t this because I love you so damned much and want to feel you, my mate and the man I love, fill me over and over? Showing me in more than one way that he loves me just as much as I love him?”

  After a few moments, she watched as a reassuring grin took over his beautiful lips. He hooked a finger under her chin and pulled her eyes to look into his. “Because I love you and you love me.” He kissed her once, twice, and then a third time in a quick succession of tiny smacks.

  Brushing her lips against his, she pulled her thighs higher on his waist and reached down, grabbed his cock, and pulled him inside her as she arched her back and took him in. A soft sigh escaped her lips as he filled her to bursting. Her hips rolled with his as he pumped in and out of her drenched heat. He moved slowly as he took her, and she basked in the feel of his hard length rubbing against the inside of her core, massaging that lovely spot just inside her pussy. It was driving her to orgasm faster than she wanted.

  She licked at the spot where he bore her claiming mark. His entire body shook as she tasted his skin, and it sent shivers upper her spine.

  “Deeper. Please go… oh God,” she whispered as his slow strokes deepened into her saturated pussy. She scratched her nails along his scalp and then grabbed a handful of his hair, forcing his lips to hers as a low purr started in his chest.

  “God-damn…fucking hell…so tight,” he breathed, punctuating the words with each of his deep thrusts into her. “Come with me.” He smoothed his hand up her full belly and gripped her sensitive breasts as they rubbed against his chest. He tweaked her nipple between two fingers and squeezed.

  The mixture of pleasure and pain was building the orgasm within her. That beautiful, warm feeling that Simon pulled from her body like magic. Tension coiled in her body and then snapped as Simon bent his head down and pulled her tight bud into his mouth, biting her nipple and sending her headlong into release.

  His fingers bit into the flesh at her hip as he pumped into her. Her core clenched around his cock, and she screamed out as his purr grew into a steady growl that made everything vibrate around her. Every time with him was better than the last. Each time they touched, their souls were being woven together so that nothing could tear them apart. This was love. Not just the love-making between their bodies, but the love-making that bound their lives together.

  His body stiffened, but she kept pumping her hips toward his as she tightened the muscles of her sheath that surrounded him, making the orgasm last between the both of them. Heat flooded her pussy as he came inside her, filling her with his seed.

  “Marry me,” Simon said as his labored breaths punched through his lips.

  Everything in Charlie paused. Simon had just proposed to her. Never in her life did she ever think she would accept a proposal. Her parents and grandparents had been a shitty example of what marriage could be. The only shining lights that came from both unions had been her brother and the life that her grandmother taught her to take for herself.

  When she didn’t answer, Simon eased away from her to look in her eyes. If the look of fear hadn’t hurt her heart, she would have laughed at him. Big, resilient, ancient shifter afraid of her words.

  Joy erupted in her chest as tears burned the backs of her eyes. She had to fight down her emotions so she wouldn’t cry. There’d been enough tears to last her a lifetime.

  She pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him. “You know I will.”

  Chapter 15

  “Hi,” Charlie said, looking at Benny from over the cash register. “What can I get you?”

  Benny slid his skull cap off and smiled. “Oh, whatever’s good.” He eyed the menu that sat on the wall behind Charlie’s head. “As long as it has bacon and buttery crust, that’s what I want. And something sweet on the side. And a cup of coffee. Black.”

  Charlie grinned as he kept rambling off all the stuff he wanted, and by the time he was finished, he had ordered three sandwiches and four different pastries for him and Melinda to share. Charlie liked to watch Benny pretend he wasn’t completely in love with Melinda. She was entirely blind to it.

  “Congratulations on your new job, Miss.” Benny reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

  Everyone in New Rose was so kind to her. If she could reach over the counter and hug him tight for congratulating her, she would. But it was too wide and a line of four people waited behind him.

  “Thanks, Benny. Did you know I had a brother named Benjamin? He was so sweet. I called him Ben, though.”

  Benny gave her a lopsided smile and handed her a twenty. “Handsome men are named Benjamin and Benny.”

  “They sure are,” she said.

  It had been almost a month since her father died, but having new people in her life had helped her transition. Yes, she had aunts and uncles, and maybe even a few cousins somewhere in the world, but her mother and father had stayed away from them. More like the random family tried like hell to stay away from her parents. Either way, once everything was situated with asshat Ronin/Samiyah and his looney band of bastards, Charlie would start searching for people in her family to connect with. And then she and Simon would travel together.

  Charlie handed Benny his change and poured a large cup of black coffee for him.

  “You know,” he said, tucking his bills into his wallet. “My name isn’t Benjamin. It’s a fine name, but my mom named me Benny. Just Benny. It was the name of my great-grandfather. Just so you know.”

  She nodded and gave him the bag of pastries as Riley packed up his sandwiches. “Thanks for telling me. There’s a handsome man attached to that name.”

  He smiled and winked at her and walked away.

  Charlie took the orders of the other people in line, and when the hustle died down, she went to the back to get more pastries from the oven.

  Simon was waiting for her when she returned. “Give me some of them strawberry chocolate shits,” he said, voice rough and low as he scowled at her.

  She gave him the finger, kissed the tip of it, and then blew it at him. “I don’t think you asked me a question, sir. Is there something I can get for you?”

  Charlie put the tray of sweets down, rested both of her hands on the counter, and then hopped up as Simon leaned toward her. “How goes it?” she asked, carefully lowering herself so she wouldn’t knock the empty glass pastry holder on the floor.

  He nodded and a lock of dark red hair fell into his grey eyes. “Pretty good. Been looking for Ronin, but I’m pretty sure he left town.”

  She made a low, noncommittal humming sound and shook her head. “You’ll find him. Have you heard from Jace?”

  Simon took in a breath so sharp his chest puffed out. He shrugged. “I haven’t talked to him. That’s either a really good thing or a really bad thing. I haven’t heard of any saber-tooth cats running around causing havoc, so that has to be good.” />
  “Go on,” Riley said as she came from the kitchen area with a pot of coffee. “It’s died down in here and you only have twenty minutes left. I’ll see you guys at home. And don’t look at me like that,” she said, resting her hands on her hips. “Cass and Audra are picking me up. Teague doesn’t leave the firehouse until tomorrow morning. I won’t be alone.”

  Charlie hugged the woman and ran to the back to grab her bag. When she came from the office, she ran into Simon who was kneeling next to the front counter. Did he drop something?

  When he looked up at her, he pulled a small, grey, velvet box from his pocket. Charlie gasped and dropped her stuff. “Charlene Alyssa Hinders. You saved me in so many ways and gave me back who I was. My beast and my soul.”

  She pulled her hands to her mouth and sobbed. Simon had proposed to her before, but it wasn’t like this. Seeing him on one knee, exposing himself to everyone in the shop broke a flood of happiness deep inside her. She wanted to scream and tell him she would marry him right now, but he wasn’t finished.

  “I can’t replace everything you’ve lost, but I promise I will love you until the day I die. You will never want for anything because I will give you everything, and it still wouldn’t add up to everything you’ve done and what you are.” He took the diamond-lined gold ring from the box and took her hand. As he slid it on the ring finger of her left hand, he asked, “Will you be my wife? Will you start a family with me?”

  Charlie nodded and looked down at Simon. “You know I will,” she said, sitting down on his knee and wrapping him in the biggest embrace her body could give him. “I love you so much,” she whispered in his ear.

  “Your love makes me feel like I got my wings back,” he said in a low voice as everyone in the café screamed and cheered. “Thank you for loving me when I wasn’t capable of feeling anything.”

  He was wrong. So very wrong. Even when she’d seen Simon hand his sister his favorite machete in the Town Hall, Charlie had seen the affection in his eyes. No, he probably hadn’t gushed his love for the people he met, but he’d shown them the only way he knew how. He supported them and did right by them.

  Even when he met her, something was hiding in his eyes that made her want to get to know him. How could he ever think he’d gone through a period in his life where he couldn’t feel love? She would work every day at loving him just as much as he loved her. He’d given her not only his heart but a group of people that loved her too.

  Shifter or not, Charlie was now part of the Ghost shifter clan, and she would fight for them.

  Life would only get better, especially with the love of Simon with her.

  THE END

  Up Next in the Ghost Shifters Series

  Jace gets his story in

  The Shifter’s Secret, Book 6

  Coming September 2019

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  A note from the author

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. It helps us authors out tremendously, and I would appreciate it very much. Plus, I get a pretty unicorn if I get enough reviews…

  Other Works by R.A. Boyd

  The Line of Lilith Series

  Hunted by Angels

  Lady and the Pack (Coming in July, 2019)

  Find out more about R.A. Boyd her:

  Website: raboyd.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RABoydwriter

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/ra_boyd