“It looks like Thanksgiving came in here and threw up all over the place!” she exclaimed, her eyes taking in all the fall harvest decorations. “I love it! Thanks for inviting me.”
Damon rolled his eyes when his saw her sweater. “J.D. loves the holidays, in case none of you noticed.”
“I do!” Seeing the empty spot next to Dutchy Forrester, she plopped down beside the fox shifter. “I mean, I love Halloween because that means it’s almost time for Thanksgiving, and I love Thanksgiving because it means soon it’ll be my favorite holiday of all time—Christmas! Woot!” She pumped her fist in the air.
“Oh God,” Gabriel slapped a hand on his forehead. “I forgot what a nightmare you are during the holidays.”
“I am not a nightmare,” she denied.
Damon raised a brow. “Remember that time you dragged us to Verona Mills so you could see Santa Claus and then got us kicked out of the mall because you fought with Santa’s elf?”
Oh yeah. How could she forget? As far as she knew, she was still banned from entering Verona Fair Mall. “That wasn’t my fault,” J.D. said. “He clearly lacked the Christmas spirit and needed to do a better job of representing the good elves of the North Pole.”
“You called him out because he wouldn’t let you sit on Santa’s lap,” Gabriel said.
“See?” She spread her arms wide, as if that proved her point. “Lack of Christmas spirit.”
“You were sixteen,” Damon pointed out.
J.D. harrumphed. “Unlike the sign they posted outside the Christmas village, the lyrics of that famous song didn’t say ‘to kids from ONLY one to twelve’ now did it?” She stuck her tongue out at Damon and Gabriel, then turned to Dutchy, grabbing one of the rolls of ribbons on the table. “Can I help?”
“Sure,” Dutchy said. “Here … let me show you.”
Her friend patiently showed her how to tie the shiny gold and orange ribbon into bows. Hmmm, simple enough, she thought. However, there was something missing with the wreaths. They didn’t look festive enough. So, she decided to unroll the entire spool so she could make bigger and better ribbons. Glancing around, she found a bunch of what looked like leftover decor stuff under the table.
Oooh! She grabbed a handful of maple leaves, some pine cones, an ear of corn, and a mini pumpkin. It took a lot of work, not to mention cuts on her fingers, but she somehow managed to get everything on an empty wreath.
“Uh, so did I do it right?” she asked Dutchy sheepishly as she held up her creation.
“J.D.!” Dutchy exclaimed. “What did you—how did you even manage to get these maple leaves wrapped up in here?”
“What?” J.D. asked innocently. “I thought it looked festive.”
“Er, it’s certainly … interesting,” Dutchy said. “But … let me give you some tips …”
As Dutchy helped her put her wreath to rights, more people joined them, including Daniel Rogers, his mate Sarah, and her adopted brother Adam. Of course, where they went, Darcey Wednesday, Sarah’s sister came, too, along with her mate, Anders Stevens.
“… but, great job, Dutchy,” Anders said. When his gaze landed on J.D.’s wreath, he grimaced. “Now that looks like your handiwork, McNamara.”
“Go fuck a French horn, Stevens,” she hissed.
“Be a nice kitty now,” he chortled. “So … how about caracal?”
J.D. crossed her arms over her chest. “Nuh-uh, you’re not going to make me say it.” The tiger shifter had been impossible ever since he found out she had shifted in front of other people and was now trying to guess what she was. Well, he would never find out, not if she could help it.
Darcey rolled her eyes. “I apologize for my mate. I swear, I can’t take him anywhere.”
“It’s all right, Darcey. Don’t apologize for him.” Getting to her feet, she turned to Anders. “However, I think you owe an apology to a tree somewhere for providing you oxygen.”
“Hey!” Anders protested.
J.D. chuckled. “All right, I’m gonna go look for some snacks.” She had forgotten to eat lunch since she was rushing to get all her work done, and now her stomach was gurgling with hunger. “I’ll see you guys around.”
Getting up from the table, she made her way into the main building. There was a vending machine somewhere on the first floor, but she couldn’t quite remember where.
Since everyone was probably outside waiting for the festivities to begin, it was empty inside and half the lights had been turned off. She walked down the main corridor, tapping her finger on her chin. Maybe it was by the locker room. Or the observation deck downstairs? Or—wait. An idea popped into her head.
Damon loved peanut butter cups, and when she had lunch with Anna Victoria the other day, she had seen her with a big bag of them. When she asked who they were for, Anna Victoria said it was for Damon to keep in his desk so he would stop being such a grumpy bear when he was busy and forgot to eat lunch.
Heading down the darkened hallway, she made her way to the very end where the door to Damon’s office was. She crept inside and dashed to the large oak desk, opening the bottom drawer on the right.
“Damon, you magnificent predictable bastard,” she exclaimed when she saw the drawer overflowing with not only peanut butter cups, but also other candy. “Don’t mind if I do,” she cackled, ripping a packet of peanut butter cups and devouring both. Before closing the drawer, she stuffed her jeans pockets with more candy and chocolate. Satisfied with her haul, she zipped toward the door. As she prepared to shove her weight against it, however, the door swung open, and J.D. found herself sailing forward.
“Shit!” Momentum kept her flying until she collided with something solid and hard. “What the—oomph!” She landed on the floor with a hard thud, the wind knocked out of her. It took her a second before realizing that it wasn’t the floor she’d landed on. No, she was right on top of someone. A living, breathing someone, based on the rise and fall of the chest she was now plastered to. “I’m so—oohhh!” A delicious male scent teased her nostrils, and she pressed her nose against the khaki fabric underneath her, taking a big whiff. Hmmm. That scent made her want to curl into a ball and wrap it around herself. Strangely, her cat felt the exact same way. Huh. Her prickly little feline never had an opinion on any male … ever.
“If you wouldn’t mind …”
The smooth voice sent tingles across her skin. “Actually, I do mind—hey!”
She found herself being pushed away, then hauled up to her feet as warm hands gripped her arms. “What do you think you’re doing, tossing me around like a sack of—” A gasp left her mouth as her gaze collided with the most unusual blue-violet eyes she’d ever seen. Even behind the gold-rimmed glasses, she could feel them examining her with cold, detached curiosity.
Mine, her cat purred from out of nowhere.
And his animal let out a triumphant roar as it answered back: Mine!
“Well, fuck me sideways,” J.D. breathed out. “You’re—”
“My mate,” he finished, that cool stare never leaving hers.
The low, edgy growl that rumbled from his chest sent heat straight to her nether regions. “Oooh,” she moaned, her knees weakening. Control yourself, woman, she chided herself as she leaned back to steady herself on the door. You too, you little hussy, she told her cat, which was now lying down on the ground, rolling on its back and showing its belly. Oh, come on now. Play it cool. That was the plan anyway, at least, until she lifted her head to meet those eyes again.
The icy, unaffected gaze slowly melted as his blue-violet eyes ignited with desire. Before she knew it, he pushed her against the door, his hands moving from her shoulders up to her neck and jaw as he lowered his head to hers.
Holy fucking moly.
His mouth attacked hers hungrily, like he’d been starving for weeks. Another growl sent her hormones through the roof. When she tried to move her hands up, he gripped her wrists and pinned them over her head.
Jesus Henry Christ, her panties practically fl
ooded at the dominant move, and she melted against him. His lips never left hers as he continued to devour her, their kisses rough and wild as their teeth and tongues clashed. At some point he had lifted her up, and her legs wrapped around his waist. Finding her hands free, she wrapped her arms round his neck to bring him closer.
She rubbed her hips against him, enjoying the little thrills that shot up her spine as the friction hit just right against her clit through their clothes. His hands cupped her ass, bringing her forward onto the hard bulge growing in his pants.
“God … need you …” he groaned.
“Yes. Now.”
She wasn’t sure what happened, but one moment he had her pinned to the door, and the next, she clung to him as he walked her inside Damon’s office.
The loud thud of the door closing didn’t even register in her brain as her body temperature rose, and that need to be with him, to have him inside her, eclipsed every other thought in her brain.
When he put her down, her hands fumbled at the buttons on his uniform shirt as his reached for the hem of her top. Their mouths only parted long enough for him to whip the sweater off her. She moaned when his hands found her breasts and cupped them through her bra, and she practically ripped the buttons off his shirt.
“Desk,” she growled against his mouth. He didn’t need to be told again as he lifted her up and crossed the room in half a second. She found herself planted on top of Damon’s neat desk, knees parting to bring their hips back in contact. Though she protested when he pulled his mouth away, her body jolted when his lips landed on her neck. She thrust her fingers into his scalp, loosening the long hair tied back into a ponytail.
With a guttural grunt, he planted her down on the hard desk, stepping back, his breath coming in pants. The light outside was waning, casting shadows into the room from the trees outside, and her shifter senses adjusted as she traced her gaze up from his small waist, perfectly-formed abs exposed by his parted shirt and chiseled chest before landing on his face.
Wowza.
Her mate was eye-poppingly, panty-droppingly, handsome. Long, blond hair framed a face that would have made Lucifer jealous, with its patrician nose, cheekbones that could cut glass, and firm lips that were now swollen. When he took off his glasses, the naked desire in his blue-violet eyes could have made her spontaneously combust right then and there.
Awoooooooooga.
He pounced on her, reaching for her jeans and unzipping the fly. She eased her hips up to help him pull them off, dragging her panties along. Another guttural sound ripped from his mouth as he unbuckled his belt and pushed his pants down. One arm curled around her waist, bringing her closer to the edge of the desk. Her arms reached up to his shoulders, as he bent down and something blunt nudged at her entrance.
“Yes,” she moaned against his ear. His cock pushed into her slick channel—Holy hell, she’d never been this wet before. Still, her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her skull as she felt his girth and length. Whoa, cowboy! She tugged at his scalp.
He must have sensed her discomfort because he stopped, letting her adjust. A few heartbeats later, she nudged at him, giving her hips an encouraging push, and he slowly began to enter her again. Oh boy. She was definitely going to walk funny tomorrow.
Arms came around her, hands clamping over her shoulders as he began to thrust into her. He buried his face in her neck, grunting and moaning against her as he sucked and grazed his teeth into her sensitive skin. Her body moved in time to his slow, languid thrusts, wanting more, but at the same time, wanting this to last.
Suddenly, a sound caught her sensitive feline hearing. Turning her head to the source, she found two familiar figures by the doorway, openly staring at them.
“Oh my God!” She made a motion to push him away, but his grip only tightened, and he gave her an indignant nip on the neck.
Neither Dutchy nor Krieger made a move as both of them continued to gawk. “You’re still here? Were you raised in a barn?” So she grabbed the first thing she could—a stapler—and threw it at the couple. “Get out!”
Quickly, they turned around and left. Perverts! “Oh!” Holy shit, her mate didn’t even flinch throughout the whole ordeal, but kept going at it. What a champ!
His thrusts sped up, and he brought her down on his cock, his fingers digging into her shoulders so hard she knew they would leave a mark. She clung to him, moving her hips in time to his until her body exploded with a quick and powerful orgasm.
She barely had time to recover when he pulled out of her, planted her feet on the ground, then flipped her body to bend her over the desk and kicked her legs apart.
Holy fuck! She had expected his cock to push back into her, but instead, she felt a warm, wet tongue lick at her pussy lips. The surprise coupled with the shock of feeling his mouth on her sent tingles of pleasure across her skin, and she found herself pushing against him, wanting more. There was something so carnal and dirty about not being able to see him, but only feel him and hear him eating her out that added excitement to this scenario.
A palm slipped under her belly and moved to her mound, fingers seeking her hardened clit. “Oh God!” Between his talented mouth and his wicked fingers, she came in half a second, her body vibrating against the great oak desk.
He shifted behind her again, his hands gripping her ass and giving it a squeeze before she felt his cock at her pussy again. Oh Lord. She couldn’t remember calling on the Big Guy this much in her entire life, but if this wasn’t a religious experience, she didn’t know what was.
She braced herself against the table as he pounded hard into her. The steady oak table rocked under her, and she had to grip the edge to keep herself from slipping off. He was relentless, rutting fast into her, and as if he wasn’t satisfied with how he filled her, hooked a hand under one of her legs to prop it up on the table so he could go even deeper.
“Yes, oh God, I’m coming!” she cried out as her body convulsed with another orgasm. Fingers dug into her hips as his thrusting became erratic, his cock pulsing inside her as he filled her with his warm seed. He let out a guttural cry, muttering words she couldn’t make out as she was too busy riding out the wave of her own pleasure.
When her body finally stopped shaking, she plastered herself against the tabletop, her body sticky with sweat. He followed suit, pulling out before he collapsed on top of her, his chest heaving as his breath came in hard gasps before evening out.
Well, I guess this is where the awkwardness begins, she thought to herself. Quick, say something to break the ice!
And so, she said the first thing that came to her head. She reached behind her to raise her hand. “Great game, champ! High five!”
Chapter Two
As the sexual haze slowly cleared from his mind and the muscles in his body relaxed, the first thing that came to Dr. Cam Spenser’s mind was, Well, that was something.
A mate. How fascinating.
As a man of science, the very idea of some kind of magical higher power controlling one’s fate and choosing one’s lifetime partner should have been horrifying to him. However, he couldn’t say he was entirely opposed to the idea.
He’d heard stories and even met one or two colleagues who’d experienced the bond of fated mates, and it fascinated him on an intellectual level. Because surely, there was some kind of scientific explanation to the consuming need, overwhelming attraction, and urgency to procreate with just one particular person. Perhaps something in shifter physiology could detect the pheromones of the most ideal partner to breed with. Or maybe the correct combination of hormones and body chemistry set off some kind of reaction. A thorough study with subjects, experimentation, and trials could unlock the mystery behind mates and this pseudo-metaphysical bond that supposedly formed and linked their souls.
Of course, when he said all that aloud to his colleagues, they looked horrified and objected immediately. Cam didn’t see what all the fuss was about—shifters were biological creatures after all, and he should know. He was
one of them.
Yes, he’d always thought it was a shame mating and bonding was one of those things that shifters found so private that no one wanted to study it. Think of the possibilities and applications, he had told his colleagues. But none of them were persuaded, and they became even more outraged at the idea that something as “precious” and “sacred” as bonded mates could be put to the test of the scientific method. If Cam weren’t already mired in the study of ecology and preservation, he would have considered pursuing such research. But now …
His polar bear roared in protest.
Sharing his body with a wild beast could be an advantage at times, especially when conducting field work, but it could also be exasperating. Such as now, when the damned thing suddenly turned protective of their mate.
Their mate.
The awareness of the soft body beneath his jolted him. He blinked at the hand in front of his face.
“Uh, no high five then? How about—oomph!”
With his shifter speed, he slid off the table and dragged her up with him, flipping her over to face him. Those eyes—mostly light brown with large gray flecks—that entranced him the moment he’d seen them threatened to overwhelm him again.
Mine, his polar bear roared.
And her animal acknowledged it with a slow, languid, mine.
Despite the fact that his lust had been sated mere moments ago, he wanted her again. Wanted to be inside her. To feel her lips on his. Lick at her skin and—
“Whoa.” She planted her hands on his chest. “Slow down, champ.”
His cock bobbed painfully against her belly, and he took a step back. “P-pardon me,” he said, clearing his throat. For God’s sake, he scolded himself silently. You’re a grown man of thirty-six with two PhDs. Stop thinking with your damned cock for two seconds.
He’d never lost control like he just had, but the moment their eyes met that first time, it was as if he lost his senses, and the only thing he knew was that he had to have her.
Blackstone Ranger Scrooge: Blackstone Rangers Book 6 Page 2
