Moonlight Mist: A Limited Edition Collection of Fantasy & Paranormal)

by Nicole Morgan

  Tianna took a deep steadying breath as she looked around Hardy’s. She was surround by so much testosterone that it was almost stifling. This was probably the one part of the plan she didn’t like. The guys had felt like it would be a good thing to show that reinforcements had arrived.

  According to Eric, Brayden’s younger brother, they’d left their scent around the wooded perimeter of her home. She wasn’t quite sure what that meant but she had a vivid imagination and could guess what may have happened.

  What she knew for certain was that men this alpha had major egos. Getting each side riled up only ensured that the conflict wouldn’t be resolved in the peaceful way she was hopeful for.

  “Relax,” Brayden whispered in her ear. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she mumbled.

  He chuckled. “Let’s dance to the next song and see if we can get you to loosen up a little.”

  Before she could say no, Brayden stood and held his hand out to her. Tianna put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. They’d barely made it to the floor before he had her in his embrace.

  “I should have known you were up to something,” she said.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I want an opportunity to have you in my arms?” he asked. “Besides, you’re making everyone anxious.”

  “Oh, hell! Do I smell?”

  He grinned. “Just a little.”

  She groaned and buried her face into his chest. “A regular relationship has enough up and downs. Dating you may be enough to send me to an insane asylum.”

  “Hey now. It won’t be that bad,” he replied. “And getting you out here was a good thing. You’ve relaxed and so have the guys. All you needed was a distraction.”

  She tilted her head back to look at him. “Trust me, you are a major diversion. I haven’t gotten any work done since you arrived on my back porch last night.”

  “We definitely need to talk about that more, but first, there’s something I need you to do for me.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Go to the restroom, take off your panties, then bring them to me,” he demanded.

  Her eyes widened. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Possibly,” he said. “But, as we just determined, you need a distraction.”

  “How is taking off my underwear and giving them to you going to do that?”

  “That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he said. “I’ll be by the bar waiting for you.”

  When she protested, it was to a disappearing Brayden. He was actually walking away from her. This was insane. She stood there for another second, then headed in the direction restroom. It was either that or stand there look like an idiot.

  When she entered the restroom, she didn’t head straight to the stall. Instead, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

  Damn it.

  Brayden was right. Her eyes were wide and bright. She looked jittery. Closing her eyes, she took deep breath.

  Then another.

  When she opened her eyes again, some of the anxiousness was gone. To be honest, she wasn’t sure what had been the cause of the wild-eyed look. The thought of taking off her underwear and going without them for the rest of the night made her want to leave the bar and run home. She’d never done anything so risqué.

  Strangely enough, a part of her wanted to. Just to see what Brayden would do. She was certain he’d issued the challenge because he didn’t think she’d go through with it. That incited her more to want to do it.

  She took another deep breath, then walked into the stall before she could talk herself out of it. In that moment, she’d never been more grateful that she’d decided to put on a pair of leggings with her sweater. Otherwise she wouldn’t even attempt to take on Brayden’s challenge.

  She quickly removed her panties, doing her best not to think about the fact that Brayden had her undressing in public restroom at a bar. The countless number of germs present was the least of her worries. She now had to figure out a way to give her panties to Brayden without anyone else knowing.

  Folding the panties has small as she could, she tucked them into her waistband. Then she washed her hands. After taking another deep breath, she opened the door and walked out, right into the man who’d sent her to the bathroom in the first place.

  “I was starting to worry that you’d gotten lost,” he said.

  She shook her head. “Everything’s fine.”

  As discreetly as she could, she reached into the waistband of her pants and put her underwear into the palm of his hand. “These are for you.”

  Without awaiting his response, she turned and headed back to the table where the guys sat. A few moments later, he returned to the table as well. The underwear weren’t in his hand. Her thought automatically went to what he might have done with them.

  Then he leaned toward her until his lips were next to her ear. “You smell delicious. I can’t wait to taste you.”

  The carnal image his words elicited made her breath catch in her throat as she squeezed her thighs together. Considering his kissing skills from earlier, she had no doubt that he’d be good at it. She shifted in her chair, then reached for her drink. Thankfully she’d decided to stick with water tonight. She needed her wits about her with Brayden around.

  As she sat the drink down, she glanced across the table and saw that the guys were grinning. Mortification struck her when she realized they could smell her arousal. She looked at Brayden and frowned. He winked in response and she shook her head.

  At least now she knew why he’d wanted her to remove her panties. While she didn’t know what arousal smelled like to shifters, she imagined it to be more pleasant than anxiety and fear.

  And as if she’d conjured up trouble with her thoughts, the door to the bar opened and in walked two of the guys she knew had been at her home last night, flanked by two more.

  The body language of everyone at the table changed. A low growl reached her ears. When she realized it was Brayden, she reached over and placed her hand on his thigh.

  He settled some, but a low grumble continued until the guys reached their table on the other side of the room. She started to remove her hand, but quickly put it back when the sound increased.

  “I’ll only keep my hand there if you agree to remain civilized,” she said.

  One corner of his mouth curved upward. “That will be a hard promise to keep.”

  She ignored his response, knowing a reply would only encourage him. “How much longer do we have to stay?”

  “Just long enough for us to finish our drink. We don’t want to give off the appearance of being in a rush to leave. I’ve made the point I needed to for tonight.”

  Tianna sighed with relief and relaxed a little more. Brayden placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed. “I’m sorry that these are the circumstances we met under.”

  She smiled. “It’s definitely been interesting. Perhaps when things calm down a little we can get to know each other better.”

  “Trust me when I say that we already have.”

  Chapter Seven

  Tianna breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she stepped over the threshold of her home. Brayden closed and locked the door behind him.

  “What about the guys?” she asked.

  “They’re going to search the perimeter again. Once they’re finished they’ll come back to the house. Although, outside of Eric, the rest of the guys will be camped out around the outside of the house for the night.”

  “All night? Why? They can come inside. There’s plenty of room. I don’t mind.”

  “They know,” he said as he took her hand and pulled her close. “There’s a lot you have to learn about shifters. One of the main things is that we protect our own. The way they attacked me last night violates every shifter rule.” He smiled. “There’s also the added fact that you’re my mate. They committed two crimes in one.”

  Something within Tianna loosened as she realized men who didn’t
really know her, were willing to put their lives on the line to protect her. Then again, she’d pretty much done the same, the instant she met Brayden.

  Instinctively, she’d known that she had to help him. Not much longer after pulling him inside of her home, she’d realized she could trust him.

  “Now, go take a shower and get ready for bed. If you aren’t sleepy, you can come back out and join me on the couch and we’ll watch a little T.V.”

  She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and made her way down the hall to her bedroom. It didn’t take her long to prepare for bed. After a quick shower, she pulled on a flannel top, matching bottoms and a pair of fuzzy socks. If Brayden claimed he was in it for the long haul, he might as well get used to her normal attire now.

  Still, nervousness filled her as she made her way back to the family room. She stopped a few feet away from the couch. A second later, Brayden held his hand out to her.

  “Come join me. I won’t bite,” he said without turning his head.

  “Hmm…guess I’ll never be able to sneak up on you,” she mumbled.

  A grin was on his face as she stepped around to the front of the couch. “Is that what has you so anxious?”

  She sat down next to him and tugged at the hem of her sweater. “No. You are. Being around you is almost overwhelming.”

  “Because even though you’re human. You feel the pull of being my mate.”

  “You sound really sure of yourself,” she said.

  “Why shouldn’t I be?” he asked. “The kiss we shared earlier told me all I need to know. As a matter of fact, another kiss from you is all I’ve thought about all night. Will you allow me to?”

  “Yes,” she breathed without hesitation.

  Nerves danced as she smiled at him, enjoying the little jump in her belly as he wrapped his fingers around her neck and drew her gently toward him. She leaned in, warmth flooding her system as his arm came around her shoulders, his fingers lightly stroking her throat.

  He rested his free hand on her knee and when his mouth lowered to hers she didn’t even try to resist. She wanted this so bloody badly.

  His kiss.

  His touch.

  In that moment, she was struck by the irony that she hadn’t bothered to put any underwear on after her shower. He pretty much had easy access to her pussy should that hand on her knee decide to roam, but his fingers remained firm and almost resolute on her knee as he kissed her.

  His mouth was gentle, his kiss soft and coaxing. When his tongue slid against hers, she opened her mouth to invite him in.

  Her arms went around his neck and she was the one to deepen the kiss. It went on and on until her whole body vibrated with the need for him to touch her. Tianna slipped one hand from around his neck and ran her fingers down his shoulder, down his arm until she could cover the hand that rested on her knee.

  She hadn’t expected to get this point so quickly with him, but she couldn’t help herself. The draw to him was so strong she couldn’t resist. But before it went any further, she had to tell him.

  Drawing back a little, she broke the kiss and looked up at him. “Brayden. There’s something you should know before we do this.”

  “You already told me.” His voice was husky as he reached out for her.

  “No. Not what I said earlier about it being a while.”

  “Which makes me feel even more honored, just so you know.”

  “Thanks.” Even if it was untrue and spoken in the heat of the moment, Tianna let it go in the knowledge she had even bigger fish to fry. “This is important, Brayden. I— I had an accident two years ago. I fell off the back of a friend’s motorcycle and was badly injured.”

  He eased back a little and his eyebrows drew together. “How bad?”

  “Fortunately, he was going at a slow rate of speed. I still suffered a few broken bones, they healed fine. I was thrown along the road and into a gravel path. Thankfully, I was wearing a helmet, but I had no protective clothing. I was only wearing shorts and tank top.” She swallowed, her throat tightening as she pushed the words out. “The accident left me badly scarred.”

  He remained still for a moment, then touched her fingers lightly.

  “I’ve had surgery, but it’s as good as it’s going to get. I was lucky, considering. It could have been much worse.”

  “Your shoulder?” he asked gently. “I notice how you keep rotating it ever so often. You also tug at your top a lot. Thought you were just uneasy, but now I get it.”

  She raised her eyebrows at his observation. “My upper right arm, my shoulder, and my back. A little on the top and back of my thigh.”

  With his eyes fastened to hers, he raised his hands and touched his fingers to the hem of her shirt. “Is this okay?”

  Tianna swallowed, then nodded.

  Slowly, he eased the right side of her top upward, revealing the scarred portion of her back.

  Tianna’s breath caught. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut, to block out the disgust that would fill his eyes, but she made herself watch his reaction. She hadn’t realized until that moment quite how much she wanted it not to matter to him.

  His face expressionless, he ran his gaze across her back, then drew the shirt completely over her head, exposing the scars, patchy welts and pocketed flesh. Still he gave no reaction.

  She wanted him to say something, anything, but he kept looking at her scars. What if he tossed the shirt at her and gave her a bland smile accompanied by some platitude that it wasn’t that bad before walking out the door? It was possible. On the rare occasions, not long after the accident, that she’d revealed her damaged body to anyone’s gaze, she’d received a similar response. After that she’d been careful not to put herself in such a humiliating position and had taken care to cover herself.

  But with Brayden? God. She’d wanted him to touch her, to accept her. She really wanted it not to matter to him.

  It must only have been moments, but it seemed that hours slipped by and still Brayden only looked at her. She was about to yank the shirt up herself, cover her damaged flesh and get the hell out of there, when Brayden stayed her hand.

  “I’m sorry this happened to you, but you can’t think this would change how damn beautiful you are.”

  She felt her face heat as her throat squeezed. Of all the things she’d expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them. “Some people—”

  He cut her off with a kiss. Not gentle, not reassuring, but a hard almost punishing fusing of mouths that left Tianna’s head spinning. He kissed along her jaw, down her throat. When his lips reached her shoulder his kiss gentled. His warm mouth worked along the blistered, puckered skin all the way from the first scarring at the outer edge of her collarbone to the tip of her elbow. When he raised his head, he looked straight at her. “Did you really think this would matter to me?”

  She gave a slight shrug. “I thought you should know. If we’d gotten naked you might have been shocked when you first saw me.”

  “I should be pissed you think I’m that shallow.”

  “I didn’t think that, not for a moment. But some men—”

  “Are complete idiots if they think what happened to you makes a difference.”

  A huge inner sigh rippled through her body, releasing all the tension she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

  He slid his fingers down her arm, so gently she wanted to weep, then across to her breast. His eyes were hooded, dark, and full of desire.

  Her heart tripped at the realization he still wanted her, really wanted her. It gave her courage to take the lead. Watching him, she ran her fingers to his wrist, turned his hand palm up on her knee. She smiled a little as she began to slowly circle his palm with her thumb, enjoying his sharp intake of breath.

  Briefly, he closed his eyes and lowered his head. When he looked back at her, his eyes were sharp, glowing. “I don’t want you thinking I’m taking advantage of what you’ve been through.”

  Her smile grew as she continued to circle his palm. �
��I don’t.” She snuggled against him, rubbing her mouth against his. “I want this. Want you.”

  It seemed all the encouragement he needed, because he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. “Not sure you know it, sweetheart,” he grated as he took her mouth. “But you drive me crazy.”

  Tianna was sure she’d never driven a man insane before and had a moment to wonder if it was merely his current libido talking, but then Brayden’s hand covered her breast again, driving rational thought from her head.

  His determined hand worked her flesh, his thumb doing exquisite damage to her nipple. The mouth that claimed hers felt soft, but Brayden’s kiss was hot and determined, his tongue mimicking the tormenting flick of his thumb as it worked across her nipple.

  She almost grumbled a denial when he stopped the torturous movement of his thumb and moved his hand from her breast, but then he shifted her so he could take off her bottoms. Tianna gave her scars a fleeting thought, but then his fingers curled around the elastic of the waistband and slowly, far too bloody slowly, he slipped the material down her legs.

  His hands didn’t stop as he pulled the pants over her ankles and feet. Air brushed over her naked skin and she drew in a breath as she was completely freed.

  Molten heat radiated from Brayden’s eyes as his gaze tracked down to her breasts. His breathing hitched, giving Tianna spectacular pleasure in the knowledge her body had that effect on him. He toyed with her nipples, sending delicious heat burning down her body and zooming between her legs.

  Tianna’s head fell back as he continued the slow, delicious torture. When his thumbs left her nipples she murmured a complaint but then felt the hot, wet heat of his mouth cover her breast.

  If she hadn’t been sitting, her legs might have collapsed because they felt liquid, numb. She squirmed with pleasure as his tongue began a slow, steady slide over her nipple. Circling, flicking. All the while the heat of his mouth covered her sensitive breast, sending delicious shivers through her body.

  His free hand slid down to her knee and she opened her legs slightly as his fingers slipped over her thigh and moved upward. He drew his mouth from her breast and touched his lips to hers. “Wider,” he ordered, his tone dark and sexy as his mouth moved against hers.