He found her swollen button and began to stroke her, making her arch her hips and cry out with pleasure. It only took a few strokes to send her tumbling over into a place of pure ecstasy that she’d only dreamed of, each delicious wave that hit her making her gasp for breath and arch her hips.
When her body began to still, Steven rolled between her legs, but he didn’t enter her as she’d expected. Instead he kissed her, his hips resting between her spread legs, his erection pressed between her slippery folds, teasing a place deep inside her that began to cry out for more.
She began to whimper and thrust her hips, making the hard tip of his penis slide across her sensitive nub and an entirely new feeling of pleasure erupt deep inside her. Sure, that he was going to make her beg, and more than willing to do so, she opened her eyes and looked up at him.
He was focused on her, his eyes so green that they seemed to be pulsing in the darkness, were full of not only desire but something more, something that took her breath away. He pulled back his hips then began to slowly slide into her, filling her fully, stretching her until he stopped, his full weight not quite fully inside her.
His eyes were full of the question she’d been avoiding, but when she nodded her head, he understood and with one hard stroke filled her the rest of the way. She felt only a moment of pain, then the most glorious feeling of finally being whole, so she lifted her hips to pull Steven inside her deeper.
Steven had been holding himself rigidly above her, giving her body time to adjust to his, but when she lifted her hips, his control vanished. He pulled out of her then thrust himself into her again and again until she was writhing under him, her nails digging into his shoulders as the pleasure over took her.
With each thrust of his hips, Charlie felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge, her body driving her and demanding more. She wrapped her legs around him and thrust her hips up to meet his, a thrill of pleasure rocketing through her when Steven groaned and thrust his hips even harder.
When her orgasm came, it was unlike anything she could have expected, deep and powerful, she could do nothing more than hold on to Steven as her body bucked and spasmed with pleasure. Steven soon followed her, the last thrust of his hips causing one more eruption deep inside her, and all the breath to leave her body.
Steven collapsed on top of her and she welcomed the weight of his body. She had no words for what she’d just experienced, had no idea how to tell him that he’d just changed her life. And even if she did, she felt too raw at that moment to voice those feelings, they were still too new to her, to fragile to put out in the open.
Later, after their breathing had returned to normal, Steven leaned up on one elbow and looked down at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Charlie blushed, couldn’t help herself, but Steven kissed her, and her embarrassment faded. “It’s not something you discuss at the dinner table and I didn’t plan for this to happen,” she said, then asked, “Would it have made any difference?”
Steven thought about that for a second, “No, I mean yes,” he said, then laid back down on his back and pulled her into his arms. “Here’s the thing, shifters see what you did tonight as a big deal. You gave me a gift and it’s my responsibility to see that I honor that gift.”
Charlie was silent for a long time, then she said, “I’m sorry Steven, I didn’t know.”
Steven smiled down at her, “Oh, sweetheart there’s nothing to be sorry for. If I’d known I might have been a little gentler with you, but I wouldn’t have changed anything else.”
Charlie’s heart leapt at his words, “Me either,” she said, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 14
***Steven***
When Steven woke the next morning Charlie was still asleep, curled up against him, her head resting on his chest and his heart swelled with affection. Last night might have been a mistake, but he wasn’t the least bit sorry, that is until he walked into the kitchen to find Daniel waiting for him.
“Do you want to tell me what happened last night?” Daniel asked, before he’d even gotten a cup of coffee.
Steven sat down at the table feeling like he was being interrogated, “Well, Charlie is still asleep in my bed, just in case you didn’t know.”
“Oh, I knew. What I’d like to know is how that happened.”
Steven looked at his brother whose face he couldn’t read right at that moment, then said, “Charlie started remembering the night her parents died before she went to sleep last night, then she dreamed about that night. She remembers now seeing them change in front of her, she said that they were awful, fighting and snarling at each other. That scream you heard was her thinking that she was going to be like them.”
“And?” Daniel asked, his face stoic.
“I tried to tell her that not all shifters were like them, but she didn’t believe me, so I showed her,” Steven said, wishing that he didn’t have to tell his brother the last part.
“Okay, I get it, you shifted for her, but that still doesn’t explain how she ended up in your bedroom,” Daniel said, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest.
Steven thought about the night before and answered the only way he could, “I think I’m in love with Charlie,” he said, finally getting a reaction from his brother.
“You can’t possibly be in love with her, you’ve only known her for a few weeks, and don’t forget who she is,” Daniel said, dismissing Steven’s feelings.
“I know what I feel, and I love her,” Steven said, getting up from the table, “I don’t know if she feels the same way, I mean with everything else she’s going through….”
“That brings up my next point. Do you really trust her? She showed up here out of nowhere. How do we know she’s not after the amulet? How do we know that this isn’t all an act?” Daniel fired one question after another at Steven.
Steven reached up and touched the amulet that still hung around his neck, for a second he thought that it felt warm, but dismissed the feeling. “I just know,” Steven said, stubbornly, then asked, “Why are you suddenly so against Charlie?”
“I’m not against Charlie, I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing. There’s a lot at stake here, and I don’t want emotions to get in the way of solid judgement,” Daniel said, getting up from the table and pouring himself another cup of coffee.
“I know it doesn’t make much sense to you, but I know deep down that Charlie and I were meant to be together. All the rest of this is just a temporary problem that will work itself out in time,” Steven said, sounding surer than he felt about his prediction.
***Charlie***
Charlie woke, rolled over then realized that she wasn’t in her bed. Without opening her eyes, she felt the pillow next to her and found that it was empty, not sure if she was happy or sad about that. Then she realized that there was no way Daniel wasn’t going to see her coming out of Steven’s room and her cheeks began to burn.
She lay there trying to decide how long she could hide in the bedroom before Steven came looking for her, but a knock on the door answered her question. When the door swung open, she wanted to bury her face under the covers, but Steven was carrying a tray with a steaming cup on it and she stopped herself.
It would have been a childish thing to do but now in the light of day, she was embarrassed by the way she’d thrown herself at Steven last night. But seeing him transform into the powerful cat had stirred something deep inside her, something primal that only what they’d done would have satisfied.
She knew that her feelings for Steven went much deeper than just that primal instinct, over the last few weeks she’d learned to trust him, and last night he’d shown her that he trusted her. It had changed the way she felt about him, made her see that she was falling in love with him, but she wasn’t sure how he felt, what last night had meant to him.
He slammed the door closed with his foot, then walked over to the bed and sat the tray down on the nightstand. “Daniel’s
gone out to the barn already,” he said, sitting down with his back against the wall and pulling her into his arms.
“I told him it might be a while before we get there,” he said, with a grinning leer.
Charlie slapped him, “Please tell you didn’t really say that,” she wailed, her face flaming.
Steven laughed, “No I didn’t. In fact, I told him that we wouldn’t be helping him in the barn today, I have something else planned.”
Charlie’s embarrassment was beginning to fade, “Oh, what did you have in mind? Hopefully it’s handing me that cup of coffee on that tray before I have to climb over you to get it,” she said, surprising them both with her teasing tone.
Steven looked at her then over at the tray, “Hmm, I’d like to see you try,” he said, grinning at her.
Charlie lunged for the tray, but he caught her in his strong arms and began to tickle her. She shrieked and tried to get away from him, but he held her tighter, then whispered in her ear, “The more you fight, the more it makes me want you.”
She sucked in a deep breath, pleasure erupting inside her and stopped fighting. Steven rolled her onto her back, “That wasn’t supposed to make you stop fighting,” he said, smoothing her hair away from her face.
Charlie felt herself blushing and cursed, her pale skin, “I, umm, you make me….”
“What? Say it Charlie, I know you can,” Steven teased, using his teeth to gently bite her neck.
“I can’t,” she managed to say, her voice hoarse with desire, her body covered in goose bumps and moisture blossoming between her legs.
“Even if I do this?” Steven asked, throwing back the blanket and clamping his mouth over a swollen breast.
Charlie could only moan, any capacity she’d had for words gone in that instant. She never said the words to Steven, but she knew that he didn’t need to hear them, that he knew how much she wanted him. By the time Charlie got her cup of coffee, it was cold, but she drank it anyway.
When they finally managed to drag themselves out of bed, Steven asked her to make them a picnic and meet him out front. He had a mischievous look in his eyes and she wondered what he was up to, but she showered and put together some food then went out on the porch to wait for him.
Her question was answered a few minutes later when he showed up holding the reigns of two horses. “We’re going riding,” he announced when he got close enough. “My brother will kill me for letting you ride before learning how to groom the horse, but I’m feeling like breaking the rules today.”
Charlie looked at the horses, not sure how she felt about riding. “I’ve never ridden before, in fact until I came here I’d never even been around a horse.”
“It’s not that hard, I’ll teach you. You’re going to love it, I just know it,” Steven said, so excited that Charlie couldn’t help but smile at him.
“Okay, I’m willing,” she said, stepping down off the porch.
Steven gave her a quick lesson, packed up their food, then lifted her onto her horse. At first, she was terrified, her grip on the reigns so tight that the horse kept stopping, but then Steven distracted her with a story about the horse he was riding, and she began to relax.
They followed the trail up into the mountains, snow beginning to appear as they climbed. “Wow, it’s still winter up here,” Charlie said in amazement, shivering.
“I think this is a good place to stop,” Steven said, looking at the trail which was covered in places by huge snow drifts. “It’s still going to be a few weeks before we can bring the herd up here.”
“Is that what we’ve been doing, checking the trail?” Charlie asked, getting down from her horse when Steven got off his.
“That and teaching you to ride so when we bring the cattle up here, you can come with us,” Steven said, shooting her a hopeful grin.
“I think I’d like that,” Charlie said, grinning back at him.
***Steven***
Steven was watching and giving instructions while Charlie hobbled her horse, a skill she’d have to master if she was going to go on the trail with them when they moved the cattle. He was having a difficult time concentrating, his mind wandering every time Charlie moved just right, or bent over.
It was embarrassing but he was completely obsessed with her. He should be holding himself back, taking things slowly. But after last night and this morning, it felt like he’d lost control and the only thing he could do was hold on and hope that when the ride was over, they’d survived it.
He’d never imagined that love could happen so fast, that from one minute to the next attraction could turn to love and he knew exactly when it had happened. It hadn’t been last night when he’d made love, or this morning. It happened before that when she’d boldly stood in front of him and demanded that he shift for her.
In that moment, he’d known that Charlie was as brave and strong as she was kind and caring. He’d suddenly been able to see spending his life with her, had known that no matter what they faced, she’d be strong enough to handle it. Watching her struggling now, he saw that same determination and couldn’t help but smile.
“What are you smiling about? This isn’t that easy, there are all kinds of rocks in the ground,” Charlie said, putting her hands on her hips.
“Well, then move to a different spot,” Steven said, as if it was obvious.
“Tell the horse that’s what we’re doing, she won’t move,” Charlie said, tugging on the reigns.
Steven laughed and walked over to help, when they were finished he built a fire to keep them warm while they ate lunch, then helped unpack the food. They ate in silence for a while, watching the flames devour the wood he fed it, the warmth making Charlie sleepy.
“This is nice, thank you for bringing me,” she said, throwing the last of her sandwich into the fire and tucking the empty bag into her pocket.
“There’s nothing like a good ride and a nice lunch by the fire to make you realize that life’s not as difficult as we sometimes make it,” Steven said.
Charlie was silent for a minute, clearly thinking about his words, then she asked, “What if I’m human? I still don’t feel like a shifter and the memories are starting to come back.”
Steven took her hand, “It’s you I care about Charlie, whether you’re a shifter, a regular human or even a witch, that’s not going to change.”
“A witch?” she asked, thinking that he was teasing her.
“I’ve got three of them in my family now, someday I’ll tell you that story, but for now all you need to know is that it doesn’t matter to me what you are as long as it’s with me,” he said, then got to his feet, pulled her to her and kissed her to make sure she got the message.
Chapter 15
***Charlie***
Charlie slid the tray of cookies into the oven, closed it then set the timer. It had been two weeks since that first night with Steven and since then she’d all but moved into his bedroom. At times it made her feel a little strange to be suddenly sharing so much of her private life with him, but she couldn’t imagine sleeping without him now.
Life at the ranch had settled into a predictable routine now that calving was over, and Charlie discovered that she liked this life. She loved working with the animals, had discovered that she was an excellent cook, and was beginning to make some friends.
The only thing keeping her from being completely happy was the always present worry about who she was and where she’d come from. Her memories had come trickling back, she remembered dinner that night now, getting ready for bed, and the feeling of thirst that woke her that night.
But her clear memories ended there, after that all she could remember was the sight of snarling wolves in the kitchen and the terror she’d felt when she saw them. Margot was sure that the rest would come back eventually, cautioned her to take her time, to let them come on their own, but she wanted them back and soon, wanted to move on with her life.
She was no longer worried about what her memories might reveal about who she really wa
s, whether she was a shifter or a regular human, she’d learn to live with the reality of her heritage. And if it turned out that she was human, then that was only a bonus because that meant out there somewhere in the world she had a family that was probably still looking for her.
Imaging that reunion, she pulled the tray of cookies out of the oven and slid a new one in. She’d just pulled another handful of dough out of the bowl when her cell phone rang, expecting it to be Steven who’d gone to town earlier that day, she grabbed it and answered without checking the incoming number.
“You’ve been gone forever,” she said.
There was a long pause and then a deep voice asked, “Is this Charlie?”
Charlie couldn’t say anything for a second so embarrassed she couldn’t talk, but finally she managed to say, “Yes.”
“I’m glad I managed to reach you,” the man said, then went on. “I was a friend of your brother and sister, I just learned of their passing and wanted to convey my condolences.”
“Oh, ummm, thank you,” Charlie said, not sure what else to say.
“We were very close, and it was hard to hear that they’re gone, I’m sure you must be very sad,” the man said, but his words didn’t quite match his tone of voice.
“I’m doing okay,” Charlie said, still not comfortable with the call. “How did you get my number?”
“Your sister gave it to me a long time ago, just in case I ever needed to contact you,” the man said, but Charlie knew that he was lying, she’d had to get a new phone number less than a year ago.
“Oh, okay, well thanks for calling,” Charlie said, getting ready to hang up.
“Wait!” the man said, making it sound more like an order than a request. “Your brother and sister borrowed something from me and I need to get it back.”
Fairplay Shifters Boxset Page 44
