by J. K Harper
“Are you sure? We can change things.” Violet had been an active participant in choosing colors, materials, and furnishings, but he hadn’t let her see the finished product. Partly because he wanted her to see it after it was all done, but mostly because he hadn’t wanted her breathing in the construction fumes.
She rained kisses all over his face and neck before giggling and pulling back. “Of course, I haven’t seen everything, but I’m sure I’ll love the other rooms, too.”
He gave her a warning growl as she stepped away from him. “Want the tour?”
Violet grinned up at him as she pulled her coat off and hung it on the banister before yanking her sweater over her head and setting it on top. “Only if the tour starts in our bedroom,” she said breathlessly as she turned and dashed up the stairs.
Joss watched, enjoying the view as she ran. By the time he reached the bedroom, her bra was on the chair, and she was pulling her jeans off her foot. All that was left was a little bit of white lace, covering her while not hiding a single thing.
“Damn, you’re stunning,” he said as he stalked closer.
Cheeks stained pink, her gaze met his, stopping him in his tracks. Violet pulled her hair over her right shoulder, then pointed to a spot right above her left breast.
Joss’s heart pounded.
“Do you know what this is?” she asked him, her voice soft.
All the moisture in his mouth disappeared. Unable to speak, he shook his head. He knew what he wanted it to be, but he wouldn’t assume.
“That’s the spot I want you to bite me, Joss. I want your mark. Right there, above my heart. Will you give it to me?” she asked as she trailed her fingertip from that spot down her breast, and over her already taut nipple.
Joss had hoped that the day when she’d allow him to make her his would come soon, but she’d never mentioned it, and he hadn’t asked. When the time was right, he knew it would happen, and he’d contented himself with that. But hearing her words, seeing the love shining in her eyes, it was almost more than he could bear.
He closed the distance between them and took her lips in a tender kiss. “Nothing would make me happier, love,” he said, his voice thick.
She dug her fingers into his hair, pulling him close and claiming his mouth. Her tongue darted out, demanding entrance. He opened up to her, moaning. She rubbed her body against his, her nipples grazing his chest, her hips wreaking havoc with his already engorged cock.
By the time she released him again, he couldn’t think past the haze of lust pounding through him. His cock, hard and heavy, strained against his zipper.
“You need to get rid of your clothes,” she said. Her chest rose and fell with her quick breaths, drawing his gaze to her breasts.
Joss grabbed his shirt at the back between his shoulder blades with one hand and yanked it off. Before he could reach for his belt, she was there. She made quick work of unfastening it, then popped the snap.
He loved when she took the lead, allowing her needs to come first. It proved how far she’d come. He couldn’t say the mild female he’d rescued was gone, but she sure as hell wasn’t in the bedroom. His zipper came down with a rasp, and he held his breath.
A moment later, she freed his cock and wrapped her fingers around the shaft. Heated pleasure rushed through him at her simple touch. The slow glide from root to tip had him moaning and thrusting into her palm.
Not wanting to waste a moment of their time together, he pushed his jeans down past his hips even as she stroked him. As amazing as her hand was, he wanted more—needed more.
Grabbing her by the waist, he lifted Violet to him. As soon as he did, she had her legs wrapped around his waist. He moaned at the soft rub of lace against his shaft as he pressed against her. “I want you, Violet. Right now.”
“Yes. Now,” Violet panted next to his ear before nipping Joss’s neck. Her teeth on his skin sent more pleasure rippling through him.
“How much do you love these panties?” he asked even as he grasped the material on either side of her hips.
She pulled back and grinned down at him. “A lot, but not nearly as much as I love you.”
“I’ll buy you more,” he said as he gave a little tug. The scrap of material slipped off Violet’s body and down to the floor.
Joss stepped out of his pants, leaving them behind as he took Violet to the bed. Her hands were in his hair again, making his cock throb with the little pulls on his scalp. She writhed against him, rubbing herself on his shaft. He leaned over, intent on laying her on the bed, then grinned at her lusty growl. “I want to savor this moment, love,” he said in the way of explanation.
This time, when he leaned forward, she released him, looking up at him with her eyes half closed and her lip caught between her teeth. She brought her hands to her breasts, cupping them, then tugging on her nipples as he watched.
Moaning, he leaned forward and flicked his tongue over first one peak, then the other. When she would have reached for his hair again, he kissed a trail down her belly.
He looked up at her from his position between her legs, his mouth poised just out of reach. “I can’t wait to hear you scream, Violet.”
Before she could say anything at all, he lowered his head. He licked all the way down her slit and up again, gathering her essence, taking it for himself.
She moaned and thrust her pelvis higher.
Gripping her hips, he held her steady as he tasted every part of her, dipping his tongue into her heated pussy, then licking and sucking on her clit until she writhed against his mouth. Her moans and sighs grew louder, and her hands found his hair again as she held him where she wanted him, but then an instant later, she stiffened and released him.
Shocked by the sudden change, Joss stopped and looked up at her.
“Not now,” she said as she took big gulps of air. “I don’t want to come yet. I want you inside me. I want you to bite me. Make me yours,” she panted.
He climbed over her and rested the bulk of his weight on his forearms. His heart pounded as he positioned himself at her entrance. With the candle light playing on her skin, her lips puffy from his kisses, and the love shining back at him in her eyes, she looked like an angel. So fucking beautiful.
Claiming her mouth, he sank into her, not stopping until he filled her. When he withdrew and slid back in, she tried to thrust up and take more of him than he was willing to give her, and he growled. The sound had her pussy clenching around him and her nipples tightening against his chest, so he did it again. Her hot grip made him moan right along with her.
He continued to plunge deep inside her as he kissed his way along her jaw and down to her right shoulder. He nipped her skin there before moving on to her breast. He licked a slow circle around her nipple, then sucked it between his lips.
She tunneled her fingers into his hair again, holding him as he continued his onslaught. Each thrust of his hips had another moan, longer and louder than the last, slipping past her lips. His cock ached, and his balls drew up tight.
When he didn’t think either of them could take any more, he released her and moved to the left. He flicked his tongue over the hard peak until she was chanting his name and the muscles in her pussy tightened around him.
He lifted his gaze to hers, finding her watching him with nothing but love and adoration shining in her eyes. Violet held her breath when he kissed the spot right above her heart.
Joss quickened his thrusts, filling her with long, hard strokes. He scraped his teeth over her skin, teasing her. When he gave her a small nip, her eyes rolled a little as her pussy fluttered around him.
“Yes, please, now, Joss,” she begged.
Unable to deny her, he did as she asked, biting into her soft flesh, marking not only her skin but her very soul. Violet threw her head back and screamed out his name as her pussy clenched and released around him.
He thrust into her, drawing out her pleasure until he couldn’t hold back. He came with a shout and stilled, emptying himself dee
p inside his mate.
The faint coppery taste of her blood lingered on his tongue from the bite he’d given her. He nuzzled the spot gently, in case it was sore. She was his. In all ways possible.
Violet wiggled beneath him.
“Are you okay?” he asked as realization set in that he was crushing her with his weight.
He tried to move to her side, but she grinned as she resisted. “Never better.”
Even though she tried to hold him where he was, he flipped so that she was on top of him. “Isn’t that better?”
She giggled. “Maybe. I guess breathing is a good thing,” she said as she nuzzled his neck, then nipped at the mating mark she’d given him the first time they’d made love.
“You’re a good thing. A very good thing,” Joss insisted.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Are we really leaving the babies over at Delana’s all night?”
“I asked them to keep them for the night, but they expect us after dinner,” he said, grinning when her smile brightened.
“That’s not for another four hours,” she said as she licked the spot above his heart.
He nodded. “Maybe we’re not ready for a whole night without them, but I’m sure we can find something to occupy us for a few more hours,” he said, stroking a hand down her spine.
She gave him a sexy grin. “Oh, I have plenty of ideas,” she said before she kissed him.
Panther in a Pear Tree
by Cynthia Fox
Chapter 1
“She’s a beauty. Her face is perfect. Make sure to account for wind speed, so you don't shoot her in the head. You want the bullet to go straight into her lungs.” The guide lowered his scope and motioned for one of the men behind him to step forward. “Any good taxidermist will make sure the hole is invisible when you display her in your living room.”
The young hunter focused his scope on the large cat in the valley below. “You can see her eyelashes.” His breathing was too heavy, causing his hands to jostle the gun.
The guide leaned in over his right shoulder and tried to steady his stance. “Are you nervous? Just hold your breath and fire when you’re ready.”
“Are you sure we’re allowed to shoot a mountain lion?”
“Yeah, isn’t that illegal?” asked the second hunter.
“You think I’d take you on an illegal hunt? I’m insulted!” The guide stood tall and crossed his arms in protest. “I mistook you two for hunters. You’re free to leave at any time.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a folded piece of paper. “I have all the proper permits. It’s population control. Feel free to take a look.” The young hunters shook their heads not wanting to insult him further.
“Sorry, Mr. Dennison,” they said in unison.
If they had pressed the matter, they would have discovered the folded paper was nothing more than a receipt for new tires. Tires purchased for his truck with their money. They answered his craigslist ad just in time to replace the bald treads and pay his rent.
David Dennison was one of those people who always seemed to be stepping in shit and not in an innocent, Mr. Magoo sort of way, where some invisible, protective bubble magically diverts crisis. No, he earned his karmic sludge from years of general swindling and much, much worse. Running from his past brought him broke and bitter to quiet Oak Grove. The residents were polite and too busy preparing for Christmas to glance twice at the new stranger.
The Internet was now his best friend and his most fertile hunting ground. “Here a schmuck, there a schmuck, everywhere a schmuck schmuck,” he would sing to himself as he searched for his next unwitting victims. When he arrived in town, the local paper announced the start of dove season. He was instantly inspired to start a new scam.
The two young hunters had driven close to twelve hours after the promise of camping and shooting sucked them in. Unfortunately, their trusty guide couldn't be bothered to pick up a permit for the poor, little birds. That would have meant less money for his vices. He also knew damn well no such license existed for mountain cats. The beautiful creature was a surprise bonus, and he wasn't about to let it slip through his fingers. As a newcomer, he had no idea they had followed the cat across the county line into Mistletoe Hollow where all hunting is banned. They also weren’t aware they had wandered into shifter territory.
Dennison had done a fair share of hunting back in his native Arkansas. The wild game wasn't needed for food. He simply loved the thrill of the kill. The same way he enjoyed pulling the tail of his mother’s cat when he was a young boy. Snowball was fat and fluffy and adored by his mother, seemingly more than she cared for her own son. It was one of those “chicken or the egg” situations. Did her coldness make him evil or did his darkness make her cold? If you asked her or Snowball, it would be the latter. Asking either of them wouldn’t be possible, though, as the dead can’t speak.
His mother died after a nasty slip in the shower, although closer examination would have revealed the wound on her head matched perfectly with a hammer resting in the garage toolbox. Once she was out of the way, Snowball didn’t stand a chance. “Shitball … Shitball … Shitball,” he seethed as he drowned the cat in the swimming pool. Snowball’s futile struggle excited him to the point of ecstasy and left him with faint claw scars on his hands and forearms. He didn't mind the marks in the least. Each time his fingertips ran along the raised edge of the scars, a smile would spread across his face, and his dick would get hard at the memory.
Now it was time to make new memories. Dennison was hoping the hunter would miss his mark and make the death slow enough for him to race down the mountain and feel the animal take its last few breaths. Another fucking cat bites the dust. He caught himself licking his lips with anticipation. The hunter’s finger hovered over the trigger as he waited for the cat to move into the perfect position.
Down below, Leah brushed her cheek along the trunk of a tree marking her territory. The familiar scent of an old friend was sending her on a trek throughout the valley, and she wanted to mask his scent with hers so no one else would try to claim him. Enjoying the scratchy bark against her fur, she closed her eyes and took a few more passes. Leah was so focused on the pheromones in the air and sensation of bark against her flank; she didn't sense the hunters on the hill above her. That mountain lion reference would have caused her to swipe at them. "I'm a pantherrrr," she would purr to anyone who needed clarification. "Leah Underwood of the Naples, Florida Underwoods. Rare and faaabulous."
Rare was an understatement. North American Panthers were nearly extinct with most now living safely within Florida wildlife sanctuaries. Leah, however, had always suffered from wanderlust. She obeyed her instincts and headed west until she found her home, and her heart found its place, in Mistletoe Hollow.
He always smells so damn good. Her nostrils flared as she followed the direction of his scent. He was Bobby Nelson, Mistletoe Hollow’s favorite visitor and honorary park ranger of sorts. Leah was giddy with excitement. I will pounce on him and accidentally tear his clothes off. Oh sorry, did I just lick your abs? As she stepped out from behind the tree to continue her hunt for Bobby, a piercing sound broke the stillness and sent wood bits flying all around her. It took her a moment to realize a bullet had caused the bark explosion.
Fuck! The adrenaline flood was instant, sending her zigging and zagging through the trees with astonishing speed. Another bullet zipped by her head before it was swallowed by the dirt and traces of muddy snow left on the ground. Her eyes focused ahead, searching for cover. A third bullet whizzed by and then another. Brush and twigs scraped the sides of her body as she sped across the ground. Her strong paws and legs performed a ballet of escape as she leapt toward a thicket.
Only the first bullet had come from the novice hunter. Unable to ignore the desire to kill, Dennison had ripped the gun from his client’s hands and fired repeatedly. His own advice to stay calm and not hit her in the head was thrown to the wind. Luckily for Leah, a mere desire to kill is not enough to make someon
e an expert marksman.
She raced to the edge of the thicket and slowed down when she heard voices. As she peered through the brush towards the clearing knows as North Fork, the pheromones smacked her in the face. Bobby! Leah shifted back to human form and crept forward, nestling her naked body into a cluster of bushes. She gathered brush around her for more coverage, ignoring the scratches growing on her bare skin. She tried to call to him, but he was frantically gathering a group of boys from around the campsite and ordering them to take cover behind his parked SUV. The sound of the bullets had startled the campers as well. Bobby grabbed a pair of binoculars from his camping gear and focused them up the hill. Leah could see his jaw clenching with anger. The mere sight of him made her want to cry with relief. She was tough and independent, but she was no match for flying bullets and hunters who wanted her dead.
“Motherfuckers,” he growled under his breath.
“Look! They’re coming down,” one of the boys wailed from behind the SUV and pointed up the hill.
“I see them. Just stay behind the car.”
“Are they going to shoot us?”
“Nobody is going to hurt you,” Bobby shouted over his shoulder. “But I may hurt them.”
Leah continued hiding as she listened to the sound of truck engines getting closer. Bobby paced as he waited, rubbing his knuckles and kicking dirt with his boots. He sent a small rock bouncing across the ground and into her hiding place.
“Ouch!” Leah yelled as the rock hit her arm.
Bobby stopped in his tracks and took a step closer, scanning the bushes for signs of life. He recognized her right away.
“Leah?”
“Don’t come any closer. I don’t have my clothes.”
“What ha—”
The rumbling trucks drowned out his voice as they kicked up a muddy cloud and came to a halt nearby. Bobby realized they had been hunting her and rushed to the first truck, stopping Dennison as he tried to exit.
