Shifters in the Snow: Bundle of Joy: Seventeen Paranormal Romances of Winter Wolves, Merry Bears, and Holiday Spirits

by J. K Harper

  She was no longer a person. She was just nerve endings, and pleasure, and throbbing, aching need.

  As his tongue plunged inside her, stars floated in front of her eyes.

  “Oh God, Quinn. I’m going to—“

  Then everything exploded inside her and she couldn’t speak any more.

  When the shuddering and shaking slowed down, Quinn kissed her on the mouth, hot and slow. She could taste herself on his lips.

  Lifting his shirt, she pulled it off him so his muscular chest was bare. She bit his shoulder softly, and he growled.

  If she didn’t feel him inside her right now, she was going to lose her mind.

  “Fuck me,” she whimpered. “Please.”

  That was an invitation he couldn’t refuse.

  He grabbed at his zipper, and she helped him remove his pants, shoving them down his legs with her feet.

  Instantly, his hardness surged against her. It felt amazing.

  She gyrated her hips, sliding his thick shaft up and down her wetness. He groaned.

  “I can’t stand it, Tyla. I have to have you now.”

  She ached for him. “Do it. I need you inside me.”

  Without another word, he surged inside her. She cried out, pushing back against him as he edged in deep.

  Hitching her legs around his waist, he pulled her further onto him. He filled her completely, then pulled out so she yearned for him all over again.

  Gripping onto his hips, she let him lift her up, so she was sitting on his lap. He bounced her up and down by holding her ass, moving her faster and faster until she could feel herself close to the edge again.

  The pressure on her most sensitive part was so raw, it almost hurt. In a good way.

  It didn’t take long until the friction sent her past the point of no return. Seconds later, her orgasm erupted once more. She bit down on his shoulder again to stop herself from howling too loudly.

  She felt him thicken and throb inside her.

  “Damn it, Tyla, I can’t hold on any more—“

  With a roar, Quinn slammed her down onto him and pinned her there with his strong grip as he came. She grasped him tightly with her knees as he pumped his seed deep inside her.

  It felt right. It felt amazing.

  It felt like they’d never been apart.

  Is this what fated mates feels like? Like you’re two halves of a whole? Like you belong together?

  Tyla knew in her heart that it was.

  * * *

  Locked together, they slumped back onto the sofa, panting.

  “God, I missed you,” he said.

  “Me too,” she whispered.

  “Let’s never be apart again.”

  “Deal,” she nodded, as she fell asleep in his arms.

  Epilogue

  TWO YEARS LATER

  “Come on, baby. We need to pack for LA soon. Daddy has a big event next week, remember?”

  “Can I take my bike to our LA house?”

  “Sure you can, honey. Although you do have a bike there too. Remember?”

  “Oh yeah. Can Stowe ride my bike then?”

  “Stowe’s ten months old, honey. I don’t think he’s quite ready for a bike.” Tyla kissed Louella’s head.

  “Yeah, you’re a big girl of six, sweetheart. You’re great at riding your bike. But this little guy?” Quinn tickled Stowe’s stomach, and the baby dissolved into giggles. “He just wants to cruise around, and watch his big sister. Right buddy?”

  Stowe babbled agreeably.

  “Can I teach him to shift?”

  Tyla looked nervously at Quinn. He was smiling, so she relaxed.

  “Yeah, why not? As long as your Mom says it’s okay.”

  “Mommeeeeeeee?”

  Tyla threw up her hands and laughed. “Hey, if it’s okay with your Dad, it’s fine with me. He’s the shifting expert.”

  Louella took her sweater off carefully. “So, Stowe. You always need to take something off if it might get torn up. Shifting is hard, and you might get tired. That’s okay. Remember to drink plenty of water when you’re learning.”

  Stowe burbled and rolled over on his back, waving his arms and legs at his sister.

  Quinn slipped behind Tyla and slid his arms around her. His breath was warm on the side of her neck as he kissed her there.

  “She’s doing great,” he murmured. “You think we should train her up in witch stuff as well as shifter stuff? It’s a part of her heritage too.”

  “Definitely.”

  Quinn turned her around and placed a slow, tender kiss on her lips. “Maybe you can show her how it’s done.”

  “I’ve only been training myself for a couple of years. You sure I’m up to the job?”

  “Totally sure. And you’ve been doing great with that. Guess you’ve been pretty motivated to get your ancestral knowledge back.”

  Tyla threaded her hands through his hair. “What happened on the ice two years ago… I can’t help thinking that I could’ve helped with that. The spell cast by those people wasn’t powerful enough. They needed more magic. I couldn’t do anything, even though my magic should be pretty strong, because my family never taught me how. It’d always be useful to know how to use my gifts. Right? Kind of like learning your family’s native language even though you never spoke it before.”

  “That makes perfect sense.” Quinn squeezed her close.

  Louella was still talking away to Stowe, delivering his shifting lesson. The baby was enraptured, clapping and gurgling at her.

  “Mommy, can you show Stowe how to do some magic?”

  “Well, now. Let me see.” Tyla concentrated really hard. She was only on level 2 magic, but it was still enough to impress a six-year-old and a baby.

  With a flourish, she made Stowe’s blue teddy change to rainbow colors. He squeaked with astonishment.

  “Awesome!” yelled Louella.

  “Nice.” Quinn kissed her lazily while the kids went wild over the new colored teddy. “Hey, how about I cook for you tonight?” He brushed a tendril of hair off Tyla’s face. “Something special, for our last night in Rocky Falls. Well, our last night here for a few months.”

  “Ooh, that sounds good.”

  “April and Noah wondered if Louella and Stowe might like a play date at their house this afternoon. We can drop them off in twenty minutes. And then we’ll have—“Quinn checked his watch. “Three hours or so? Three hours, all to ourselves.”

  “Wow. And what do you plan to do with me for those three hours?”

  Quinn raised one eyebrow and gave her a wicked grin. He leaned in close to her ear. “I plan to ravish you, Mrs Darbyshire. And then leave you gasping and panting for more.”

  “Ooh. I like the sound of that.”

  “Mommy?” Louella stood with hands on hips, frowning.

  “Yes sweetie?”

  “I like Stowe, but he’s getting real big now.”

  Tyla and Quinn laughed. “He sure is,” Quinn said. “They do that. Babies grow up. It happens to us all, kiddo.”

  “So can we have another baby in the family please? Stowe will be a big boy soon and I don’t want to have no babies in the house. It’d be so sad.”

  Tyla and Quinn looked at one another. Tyla’s hands crept to her stomach.

  “Do you want to tell her,” muttered Quinn, “or shall I?”

  Tyla knelt down so she was face to face with Louella. “As a matter of fact, we have some news,” she said. “We’re going to have another baby, next May. You’re going to be a big sister again!”

  Louella squealed and clapped her hands. “Yay! Can it be a girl this time?”

  “We don’t know what it is yet. We’ll find out soon enough.” Quinn picked Louella up and twirled her around.

  “Can we have lots more babies Daddy? Not just one? Pleeeeease?”

  Quinn lifted her high above his head so she shrieked with delight. “Working on it, honey.” He set Louella down on her feet, and wrapped his arm around Tyla, grinning like the happies
t man alive. “Working on it.”

  Stowe pulled himself up on Tyla’s leg and stood bouncing on the spot.

  “Here’s hoping we have a whole pack of cheetahs in this house soon,” Quinn said. “And witches. Witchy cheetahs. Cheetah-witches.”

  “Wheaty Cheetos?” suggested Tyla.

  “Itchy Weetos?” added Quinn, hugging his family close to him. “Damn, I love you guys.”

  “I love you all too,” Tyla said. “That includes you, little Witchy Cheetos.”

  “You mean Itchy Weetos,” Quinn said.

  “You’re silly, Daddy and Mommy,” announced Louella.

  “Ba ba da da,” agreed Stowe.

  Inside, Tyla felt the baby kick for the first time. She grabbed Quinn’s, Louella’s and Stowe’s hands and pressed them all to her stomach.

  “You see? Baby loves us already too,” she laughed.

  Tempt Me Cowbear

  by Liv Brywood

  Chapter 1

  Donna grabbed the helicopter pilot’s hand and carefully stepped out of the cockpit. Spinning helicopter blades whipped snow into a swirling frenzy. As she ducked to avoid decapitation, she pulled the hood of her jacket up to cover her hair. She should have opted for a French braid today. Her blow-out was going to be ruined before she’d even have a chance to meet everyone at Curvy Bear Ranch.

  She grabbed a pair of sleek Coach luggage bags and dragged them toward the ranch house. Even though she’d packed the bare minimum necessary for a week away, she was surprised by how heavy they were. She shielded her eyes, looking around for the bellboy. Well, this was a first. Was she going to have to carry everything herself?

  Behind her, the helicopter kicked up another blast of snow as it took off. She turned and waved at the pilot. As soon as the wind relented, Donna pulled a compact from her pink Prada purse. She flipped it open and surveyed the damage. At least she’d brought everything she needed to fix it.

  After applying another coat of red lipstick, she checked her teeth and snapped the compact shut. She’d just finished stuffing it back into her purse when a woman appeared on the front porch. Dressed in jeans, a flannel shirt, and thick boots, she looked half lumberjack. Donna wrinkled her nose. She wouldn’t be caught dead in that outfit.

  The woman hurried down the steps.

  “Hi, I’m Madison,” she said. “You must be Donna?”

  “That’s right. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’d shake your hand but…” Donna held up her bags.

  “Oh, let me help you with that.” Madison grabbed one of the bags and lifted it effortlessly.

  Donna sized up the pretty blonde woman. With such a sunny disposition and a complete lack of wrinkles, Madison had to be in her late twenties. Donna swallowed against the rising lump in her throat. Anytime she came across a woman who was still in her twenties, especially a pretty blonde, she had to try extra hard to relax and play nice. At thirty-two years old, she could already feel her collagen depleting and her winkles increasing. She never told anyone her real age. She’d been shaving four years off of that number since the day she’d turned thirty.

  As they approached the bed and breakfast, Donna smiled. Although the house was smaller than it had appeared in the pictures on the website, it was cute. Several people stood on the large front porch with steaming coffee mugs in hand. She shivered. Weren’t they freezing their butts off? It was easily below thirty degrees outside even with sun directly overhead.

  Donna couldn’t wait to get inside and check out her temporary home for the next week. If there was coffee to be had, she’d enjoy it alone in the warmth of her room.

  “I’m excited to have you in my class,” Madison said. “I’ll be your cooking instructor this week. I can’t wait to get started, but there are still a few guests on their way in.”

  Her smile was open and genuine. Donna immediately liked her. She didn’t get that hostile, vicious, backstabbing vibe that so many women seemed to have these days.

  “I’ve been looking forward to the cooking class for weeks,” Donna said.

  “Do you do much cooking at home?” Madison asked.

  “Well no, not really. My kitchen staff prepares my meals, but I’d love to learn something new. The minute the ink dried on my divorce papers, I decided I would go on a year-long quest filled with new experiences.” The word “divorce” danced across her tongue and tasted like pure freedom. “When I found your website online, I signed up immediately. It seemed like the perfect way to start.”

  “It sounds like you’re going through a big transition,” Madison said. “Hopefully this week will be both enjoyable and relaxing.”

  “It will be,” Donna said.

  As they walked up the porch steps, Madison waved at the other guests. She gave an extra big smile to a rather dreamy-looking cowboy with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. Judging by the rings on both their fingers, Donna figured they were married. Marriage…never again.

  She huffed and puffed as she followed Madison up the flight of steps. Damn luggage. Next time she’d find a way to pack lighter. Or at least make sure they had a bell hop. The B&B really needed to invest in an elevator.

  “We’re going to have a lot of fun this week,” Madison said as they reached the landing. “My goal is to get everyone in touch with the sensual side of cooking.”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had anything sensual in my life,” Donna said.

  She stopped and rested for a second. The trip up the stairs about killed her. Maybe she shouldn’t have fired her trainer when he’d suggested that yoga wasn’t exercise. Of course it was. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the same as running on a treadmill. But running sucked. Yoga was at least fun.

  “Your room is at the end of the hall. I hope you don’t mind. There are a couple of older ladies attending and I already feel bad that they have to go up and down the stairs several times a day.”

  “Have you ever thought about adding an elevator?” Donna asked.

  “We don’t have a place to put one. Someday we’ll redesign the B&B, but in the meantime, everyone’s going to get a little extra cardio in their day.”

  Madison set the suitcase on the ground in front of a heavy pine door. A plaque with a wood-burned bear holding the number twelve sat at eye level. She unlocked the door and gestured for Donna to go inside first.

  The room was small but cozy, with a wooden bed topped with comfy-looking pillows and a brightly colored quilt. There was a decent-sized dresser, a small night stand, an older-looking TV set, and two windows facing out into the woods. She eyed the open doorway to the bathroom, pleased to see there was plenty of counter space.

  “It’s cute,” Donna said, finally getting her breath back. She reconsidered her aversion to running. Although she loved her soft, sexy curves, all that huffing and puffing couldn’t be good for her.

  “I’m going to leave you to your room, but please feel free to come downstairs and meet the rest of our cooking class.” Madison flashed a quick smile. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

  “Sure thing. Thank you.”

  Once Madison quietly shut the door behind her, Donna got to work unpacking. By the time she’d finished emptying the first suitcase, the entire bathroom counter was covered with a smorgasbord of face creams, skin cleansers, makeup kits, brushes, and all the different hair and shower products she owned. She stood back for a moment, nodding to herself. It might’ve been a pain to drag everything up the stairs, but it was totally worth it. One bag down, one to go.

  “Jesus!” she groaned as she lifted the other suitcase onto the bed. One by one, she pulled out each article of clothing before arranging them into pairs of tops and bottoms. She hung the carefully planned wardrobe in the small closet next to the bathroom. When she finished, it was stuffed. Okay, so maybe she’d overpacked a little, but it was all completely necessary. She had to make sure she could put together the right outfit for any occasion.

  Donna sat back on the bed, contemplating whether she wanted to go ahead
and take another shower after all of that, but decided against it. If she took another shower now, she’d have three hours of work ahead of her. Even if she rushed, she couldn’t possibly blow-dry her hair and put her face back on in under two hours.

  Since she didn’t feel like moving, she pulled her phone out and dialed Ebony’s number.

  “Hey girl. Are you already settled in?” her best friend asked.

  “I am. And it’s gorgeous out here. The natural lighting really does wonders for my complexion.” Donna chuckled as she checked her nails for chips.

  “Glad to hear it. You know how I worry about you.”

  “There is absolutely nothing to worry over, darling,” Donna said.

  “What are your plans again? You’re taking like a week-long cooking class, right?”

  “It’s called A Culinary Week of Decadence. I’m so excited; I can’t wait to dig in. This is just the first step in my plan to indulge in the seven deadly sins.” As Donna lay back on the bed, her blonde locks spilled around her head in long waves.

  “Oh yeah, how could I forget?” Ebony’s tinkling laughter warmed her heart.

  “Now that my pitiful excuse of a marriage is over, it’s time for a big dose of gluttony. I’ll figure out lust, greed, pride, envy, sloth, and wrath later. I could go for a nap, so that would cover sloth.”

  “You’re so crazy,” Ebony said.

  “But you love me anyway. I saw some of the possible recipes on the website. It’s going to be so delicious. You know what else is awesome? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and with whomever I want. This new adventure is a huge turn-on, so God help the poor soul who gets in my way.”

  “That’s right girl, you tell them,” Ebony said. “I have to run, but I want to hear all about it when you get back home. I hope your gluttonous week is fabulous, you little minx. Love ya.”

  “Love ya.”

  After ending the call, Donna sighed with contentment. She couldn’t wait to get into all kinds of trouble in the kitchen.