Cougar's Victory: Pacific Northwest Cougars: (Shifter Romance)

by Moxie North

  “Well let’s slow down a bit, huh? How about we start the introductions again? Hi, I’m Effie Parks.”

  “Dax Hayes,” he offered chagrined.

  “Good, see that went well. Now let’s see, I’m here to have you look at the designs for your winery. Do you want to try that for a little bit? Then maybe we can talk some more,” Effie suggested.

  “That might work, only if you agree to come to dinner with me tonight. Please? I’ll take you to the best Italian place in town. I heard they have authentic checkered tablecloths,” he said, smiling at her with a bit of a blush on his cheeks.

  “Well that does sound fancy. I think we can handle that,” Effie laughed. Dinner she could do. And besides, she already knew the goodnight kiss would be worth it. “Should we look over the designs?”

  Sighing, Dax looked a little sheepish when he said, “Can I be honest? I like everything you’ve done up to now. It’s perfect. I just really wanted to meet you in person. There was something about your voice that drew me in and I had to see you.”

  Effie contemplated this. Was she flattered or freaked? Looking at this man was not like looking at her asshole ex. He was gazing at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She was going to go with flattered.

  “I appreciate your honesty. And since we’re sharing, I’ll admit that I looked you up. So I already knew how handsome you are.”

  “You did? You think I’m handsome? Which picture? There are some that make me look pretentious and stuck up,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Oh it was on the cover of a magazine. Very down to earth, one of the people,” she mocked.

  Shaking his head, he reached his hand up slowly to cup her face. “I don’t know how to do this, I don’t know what I should say. How to not scare you away,” Dax admitted. He leaned his head to hers and ran his nose along her temple, scenting her, drawing her in. Dax’s hand dropped to her neck and gave it a little squeeze.

  Wow, Effie thought. Every place his skin touched hers felt like it was under sunlight, warm and tingling. She knew she should shove him back, get some distance, reestablish her personal space bubble. How dare he grab her and kiss her. Who does that kind of thing? Apparently millionaire winery owners, that’s who.

  “I want you,” he breathed into her ear. “I need you, Effie. All of you, I’ll wait if I have to. But make no mistake. I’ll have you, even if it takes me years to convince you.”

  His hot breath skated over her ear and Effie shivered. Amazing how the sound of a man’s voice, a real man, could melt your brain. This wasn’t a man being a dick, this was a man making his intentions very clear. And by the dampness she could feel in her panties, her eager beaver was totally on board. She could use a hot tryst. It’s not like she had to marry the man.

  Effie heard Dax pull in a deep breath. She swore she heard him growl or rumble, then his hand pulled their joined fingers up to his mouth and he sucked one of her fingers into his mouth. His satin tongue twirled around her digit and Effie almost came.

  She did whimper and she watched as his eyes closed like he was savoring her taste. Then when they opened, his brown eyes were different. They were brighter, glowing almost, shining yellow around the edges. His pupils looked like they were longer, elongated. How was that possible?

  Pulling her finger out of his mouth, he let it drag over his tongue. Her scent even in that small digit swam through his senses. It was like a sweet drug, that he was getting his first taste of.

  “Effie, you are way too tempting for a man like me. I’m trying to be a gentlemen but I’m too desperate for you to resist. I know you like me, I can tell how your body is responding to me. This conference table is looking very appealing right now. You smell delicious and your skin is hot and soft. I want to lick every inch of you. Lap you up. Would that be wrong?” he purred, giving her mouth a soft teasing kiss.

  “Huh? Um…” she managed to whisper. She was not forming full thoughts in her head. How was she supposed to be able to speak? Her finger in his mouth was too much. It was erotic and crazy at the same time.

  “Can I?” Dax asked, his nose tracing along her cheek.

  Chapter 11

  “What?” He’d been saying shocking things and her brain froze. Like it was in a hotness meltdown. She could feel her knees shaking with tension, her body was wound up from a couple of kisses. Oh and from a hot man sucking on her finger. Yeah that apparently was her ‘on’ switch.

  “Can I lick you? Eat you? My sweet Effie?” he growled and she felt his raspy tongue trace over the shell of her ear. “I need to taste more of you.”

  “Here? Now?” Effie squeaked. She did have the forethought to realize they were in a conference room. Anyone could walk in.

  “I’ll lock the door and Margo is the only one on this side of the building. She’s covering the tasting room. No one will interrupt us,” Dax said low, letting his hand skim down from her neck to the mound of her breast. Flipping his hand over, Dax ran the backs of his fingers over the silky see through material. Tickling and tormenting.

  “I’m not sure what to say,” she admitted. Effie knew she was beyond turned on. But that wasn’t any reason to give in to her base instincts was it? At least that’s what her rational brain was saying. Her other brain, the one that lived in her pants, was already putting a sock on the door and closing the blinds.

  “Say yes, tell me yes, Effie,” he encouraged. Dax let his hands trace over her torso, lightly touching, just a promise.

  It wasn’t too often that Effie Parks got a break. Life was always a struggle and the sweet spots were few and far between. This definitely felt like a sweet spot to her and damnit she was going to enjoy it.

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly.

  “Mine,” Dax said back to her in a low hissing noise.

  In a blink he’d stood and locked the door. Turning back to his mate, he scooped Effie out of the seat and sat her on the table with her legs dangling over the edge.

  “Did you just pick me up?” she sputtered.

  Looking her over to make sure she was okay, Dax answered, “Of course.”

  “Of course you just scooped me up like I was a feather and put me on the table?”

  “Did you see me strain? You’re like a dainty sugar coated cupcake. I’d love to carry you around,” he said with a wicked grin.

  “Hmph, we’ll have to revisit this conversation at a later time,” Effie declared.

  Reaching for another tissue from the box that was still sitting on the table, Dax started gently removing her lipstick.

  “Don’t get me wrong, that lipstick is all kinds of hot. But I don’t think we want to end up looking like clowns later. And I intend to thoroughly kiss that mouth again.”

  “Reason enough to start wearing lip stain instead, handsome,” Effie said with a wink.

  “You do that,” he said, finishing by tossing the tissue aside. Standing between her barely parted knees, her skirt hampering his need to be closer to her. Dax brought his hands to cup both sides of her face. He used his thumbs to stroke over her now abused lips from the tissue. “So beautiful,” he said quietly, more to himself it seemed.

  Then he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. The fact he was kissing his mate was not lost on him. It wasn’t just a kiss, it was a blending of two bodies. Effie gave back as good as she got from Dax. Their kiss a battle for dominance with both sides advancing and retreating in turns.

  In between sips on her mouth, Dax asked, “Does this skirt go up? Or do we need to do a full strip down?”

  “There is no way this skirt is going up, darlin’,” Effie said with a little giggle.

  “Fine, I can figure this out,” Dax said pulling back. Looking over the situation with serious intent, he looked up to see Effie laughing at him.

  “Think it’s funny huh?”

  “Totally, it’s just a skirt, Dax. Let me help,” she said, hopping down from the table and reaching around the back to the zipper. A quick tug and she was shimmying ou
t of her skirt revealing a small black thong and thigh high nylons.

  “Damn,” Dax moaned. Her rounded hips were curved and cushioned. She was luscious flesh down to her toes.

  “I’ll have you know this is always how I dress. So I wasn’t coming here with the plan to get lucky,” Effie said, hoping he believed her.

  “I didn’t expect that, and this is how I dress at home too,” Dax teased.

  Dax moved his hands up to the buttons on her blouse and made quick work opening her shirt and sliding it down her arms. Stepping back he let his eyes run over the small tank top, the tiny panties and thigh-highs encircling her soft legs. Her sexy shoes giving her a few extra inches. Still not as tall as him though. She looked like a painting.

  “You are so beautiful. Do you have any idea how stunning you are?” Dax asked with a tone of awe.

  “I can almost believe it with the way you are looking at me. You might be very dangerous for my ego, Mr. Hayes,” Effie whispered. This situation was surreal. Normally she lost her bravado and was a lights out under the covers kind of girl. Now, she didn’t feel the need to hide anything. For some reason she didn’t have any doubts that Dax Hayes was very, very into her right now. And he was liking everything he saw, she could see the fire of appreciation in his gaze. Effie couldn’t remember ever being so sure of a man before.

  Chapter 12

  “You going to just stand there staring all day?”

  “Maybe,” he answered. It wasn’t a bad idea, being able to stare at his mate and drink in her beauty.

  See, truthful. Effie could feel it. This man was so complex. There were layers that Effie was sure would be fascinating to dig through.

  “You are one complicated man, Dax Hayes.”

  “You have no idea, sweetness. But I’ll always tell you the truth. Like right now, I can smell your sweet pussy and it’s driving me insane.”

  Effie let out a very unladylike snort. “That’s honest,” she agreed.

  Dax grabbed her around the waist and gently sat her back on the table.

  “Tell me yes again, sweet Effie.”

  “Yes,” she said, in a hushed breath.

  Dax moaned and slid down to his knees. He pushed her legs wide and Effie had to lean back on her hands for balance. Reaching behind her knees, Dax gave her a pull so her ass was just off the edge of the table. He leaned forward and dragged his nose up the center of her damp panties. She heard him rumble. He was a very vocal guy, she liked it.

  Moving his hands up her legs, he snagged her panties and pulled them down. Dax moaned loudly at the sight of her bare shaved pussy.

  Seeing his appreciation, she remarked, “I like swimsuits.”

  “I like you,” he answered.

  He pulled both of her legs over his shoulders. Sliding his face along the smooth skin on the inside of her thighs, his teeth ached to bite into her flesh. Dax leaned in to take his first taste. Running his tongue up the length of her damp pussy, Dax let his head fall back and his eyes close as her nectar rolled over his tongue. Opening his eyes, he saw Effie looking down at him with a sultry gaze.

  Dax was going to make his mate very happy. His cat was struggling and yowling in his head to get closer to his mate. He wanted to rub his fur on her, embed his scent on her skin while he soaked her into his coat. Dax held him back as best as he could, but the delicious mouthwatering heat coming off of the open lips of his mate, had his cat’s claw pushing out.

  Rolling his fingers so only the pads were digging into her legs, Dax could feel his tongue roughen and elongate. He kept up a constant push against his animal. If he wanted a taste of his mate, he had to let Dax do it.

  Returning to her dripping hot core, Dax kissed and sucked each lip into his mouth, tasting every inch of her. Dragging a knuckle up to her opening he massaged and teased. Pressing inside, he teased with the pressure and the idea of filling her full. Ringing the opening he pushed first his index finger then another into her tight core, he stroked as he pulled her clit into his mouth.

  Effie was lost. She had never been a big fan of guys going down on her. With Dax Hayes, she was making an exception. His tongue was thick and rough, she could actually feel the size and pressure of it when he’d sweep into her center. It was better than anything she could even attempt to compare it to. Her body was on fire as his rough beard scratched along her thighs and added another level of pleasure. She couldn’t help but rotate her hips closer to his mouth, seeking more pressure, more pleasure.

  “You have something of mine, Effie,” Dax said, pulling away from her but keeping his fingers working deep inside.

  “W...what?” Effie managed. What was he talking about?

  “Your orgasm, sweetness. I’m claiming every one of them from now until the end of time. I want one and you’re going to give it to me,” Dax explained.

  He leaned down and rapidly flicked his tongue over her swollen clit. “Give me what I want, Effie,” he ordered.

  Effie wasn’t in any mood to deny the man bringing her mind blowing pleasure. She also couldn’t keep her eyes off his dark head between her legs. One of his hands was wrapped around her thigh and would squeeze and release, it was driving her mad.

  “Dax,” she whimpered.

  “Let go for me, Effie. Give me my prize,” Dax growled. “Let me taste you coming on my tongue.”

  Dax sucked her clit deeper grazing it with his teeth and added a third finger to her tight pussy, stretching her burning flesh. He felt for her sweet spot and immediately knew he found it when Effie’s hands came up to his head and locked him in place as she rode his mouth and hand, screaming out her climax.

  Effie was lost, her mind shut down as the first shock of pleasure ripped through her. She strained for every last drop of it. She knew she made a lot of noise and just hoped Margo didn’t think she was being murdered in the conference room.

  Her orgasm rode over her again and again, all the while Dax was perfectly working her through it. He was perfection, knowing just how much and how fast to make sure she got every last spark of pleasure.

  As the shocks started to fade from her twitching muscles, Effie let go of Dax’s head and let her body drop back to the table. She was staring up at the ceiling trying to figure how she’d ended up half naked on a client’s conference table.

  Dax was slowly sipping away the last of Effie’s sweet release. His cat was beyond happy and Dax was pretty blissed out himself. His mate, his woman, the mother of his cubs. She was sexy and responsive and tasted like heaven. How did he get so fucking lucky?

  Giving her pussy one last kiss, Dax stood up and leaned over the table and wrapped his arms under Effie and lay chest to chest with her. He gave her a sweet kiss so she could taste just how good she was to him.

  “You’re delicious,” he whispered into her mouth.

  “Thank you,” she returned. No one had ever told her that. She believed Dax when he said it. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew he wouldn’t lie to her. Something inside her was reaching out to him. Like a string had snapped into being between them when they met. Effie wasn’t sure what to make of it, but again, she wasn’t going to reject a sweet spot just because she couldn’t explain it.

  Dropping his head to hers he sighed, “I’m so fucking happy right now.”

  Wow, Effie thought. Apparently her pussy had super powers. She was waiting for Dax to unzip and get his, so she was surprised when he just held her.

  “Uh, Dax?”

  “Hmm?” he answered.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?” Effie was never a selfish lover and she wasn’t about to start now after Dax had given her the best orgasm of her life.

  “I’m good,” he murmured, still holding her tight.

  Confused Effie tried to sit up and Dax feeling her move leaned back pulling them both upright. He kept his arms tight around her though, not ready to let her go, ever.

  “You okay?” he asked, worried all of a sudden. He had been so lost in how great he was feeling he was concerned he
hadn’t read her right.

  Chapter 13

  Running one of her hands through his hair Effie said, “I’m fantastic. I’m pretty sure Margo knows I’m fantastic. The guys in your warehouse might know too,” she laughed. “I was feeling a little greedy seeing as you have been doing all the work with no reward.” Effie ran her hand down his chest and felt hard muscles underneath.

  “Oh, I got rewarded. But I think we have a lot more to talk about before we move on to that. I need to make sure you know just how serious I am.” Dax locked his eyes with her, he couldn’t let her doubt his intentions even for a second.

  Effie furrowed her brow. How serious could he be? Sure, she believed in insta-lust. That was a basic human condition. But anything more than that? Effie figured that was for fairy tales.

  “I’m not sure how to take that, Dax,” she admitted. “I think you are attractive, and you just gave a screaming orgasm, so Go You, but outside of that I don’t know you.”

  “Give me time, Effie. Just that for now. Let’s go to dinner, talk over the designs. Find out about each other, the usual get to know you type stuff.”

  “Oh, that should be a hoot,” Effie said sarcastically. “Will there be alcohol involved? I have a strict rule about not sharing any secrets unless I can blame it on the booze later.”

  “There may be some wine involved,” Dax offered with a smile.

  Effie looked him over, he seemed serious. She didn’t plan on spilling her sordid past to him, especially on a first date. She was going to have to keep her wits about her.

  “How about clothes, then food?” she said, raising her eyebrow at him.

  Laughing a deep chuckle Dax agreed, “Yes, that would be wise. I’m not good at sharing what’s mine. Too many siblings and not enough toys to go around.”

  “I’m your toy?” she asked, a tad snarkily. Her strong assertive feminine side was too busy writing a statement of equality to recite later. Her girly side was giggling at the ‘mine’ statement. The hormonal girly side was texting her friends pictures and updates of her new thirty minute relationship. She needed to get her inner Effies under control.