Romance: Claimed By The Ape: BBW Shapeshifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 4)

by Ashley Hunter

  “Yes,” Erin picked at a parsnip root, slowly shredding it in her fingers, unable to meet his gaze, “I screw everything up, no matter how hard I try.”

  “What in the world have you screwed up?” Jack asked in playful exasperation.

  She peaked at him from the corner of her eye,” Well…. Us.”

  “Us?” Jack repeated, baffled.

  She stared down at her lap, anxiously threading her fingers together, “I just mean… I got all self-righteous about the car, and then practically threw myself at you. That’s some pretty mixed signals. I’m sorry.”

  “Erin...” the pain in his voice made her glance up at him in surprise. He stared down at her with an anguished expression, his crystal gaze locked onto hers, “Don’t-don’t apologize. You didn’t…” He stopped, closing his eyes, his face screwed up in concentration, as if inwardly battling with himself. When he opened his eyes again, they seemed to blaze with heat and vitality.

  “To hell with it,” he said softly.

  He leaned forward and kissed her, encircling her body with his arms. With one motion, he swept his jacket and the foraged plants onto the ground, and threw himself out on the camp bed, pulling her down on top of him.

  He kissed her the intensity of a first love and all the skill of a well-seasoned lover. She gasped as his mouth met hers over and over, his hands taking happy advantage of her position on top of him, drawing her ever closer, so that her breasts, belly and hips pressed against his well-muscled body.

  He quickly rolled her onto her back, propping himself up on one elbow, his free hand already at work on the button of her jeans. Suddenly he paused, pulling back, his expression serious. “I want you to be okay with this,” he said gently, “Are you?”

  She nodded, unable to contain the ridiculous smile that bubbled onto her lips. She was certain she’d never felt this sure about anything in her life.

  He grinned in relief, happiness visibly flooding through him like a wave, and seized her mouth once more. His touch was no longer cautious, moving over her with an intense longing that made her heart thunder within her.

  His fingers roamed across her body as if he was committing every inch to memory. He pulled back only to kiss her again, lightly, teasingly, on the tip of her nose, her eyelids, her temple, their shared laughter at his playfulness filling the cavern. How had she ever thought it was cold? - now it felt as if she could overheat at every moment, melting into his arms.

  She sat up a little, struggling with the hem of her shirt. Jack caught her hand in his, raising it to his mouth, and touched each of her fingertips to his lips in turn with a mischievous smile. “Allow me,” he offered, his eyes sparkling with mirth, and he tore the shirt clean off of her, tossing the tattered remains down beside them.

  “You’re lucky that wasn’t a favorite,” she scolded him with a giggle.

  “You mean like how I wear this one almost constantly?” He gestured to his own t-shirt. Before she could say anything, he seized the fabric and ripped the center open, revealing his toned Grecian body beneath, shedding his mild-mannered reporter costumer.

  “Yes, exactly,” she laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth back to hers. She revealed at the way he seemed to crave her, as his tongue into her, claiming her, silently bending her to surrender. She did so willingly, letting the softness of her shapely body fit into the sharp lines of his, every nerve that touched him on fire.

  He teasingly tasted her bottom lip, sucking gently as he undid the button of her jeans, his fingers shoving aside the band and cotton fabric of her underwear to caress the silky skin beneath. She instinctively recoiled from such intimate attention, but he held her, trapping her between the mattress and the length of his body.

  With just the tip of his tongue, he gradually began to move downwards, clutching her to him as he buried his nose in her neck. Her jeans were around her ankles; she kicked them off, embarrassingly and boldly aware that she was underneath him in nothing but her simple bra and panties. He seemed to pay no attention, eagerly pushing aside the fabric as he kissed the quaking mound of her breast.

  “You’re shivering,” he muttered against her flesh, running his fingers tentatively along the soft folds of her sex, “Are you cold?”

  “No,” she gave a little gasp as he smoothly pressed one finger into her. His teeth seized upon the edge of her bra. “Are you going to tear that too?”

  “I guess I can be civilized,” he muttered, and he yanked at the fabric, exposing her. Her nipples, already hard from his attention, swelled at contact with the icy air. With a grin that would have put any supernatural trickster to shame, Jack leaned forward and seized the tip of Erin’s right breast with his mouth.

  She cried out, the sound echoing through the cavern as her back arched up in pleasure. He took full advantage, pressing two fingers into her, letting her feel the full bliss of his care all over her.

  “Oh God, Jack…”

  Her hands glided over his body, feeling the firmness of his back and butt; she hadn’t even realized he’d removed his own jeans. The outline of his hard erection was evident against the cloth of his boxers, pressing into her, hot, unyielding, demanding. She spread her legs widely, abandoning any self-awareness as his fingers explored her. “Ohhhh,” she moaned in agony.

  He suddenly placed his mouth beside her ear. His breath was hot on her bare skin. “Moan like that any more and I won’t be able to control myself much longer,” his growl was filled with desperate want, his hips grinding against her as if he could barely help himself anyway.

  “So don’t,” she whispered, her own voice laced with naked lust.

  His breath hitched, and she felt his hand move from her to his own underwear, pulling himself free. “Say it,” he commanded, his voice rough with an almost animalistic rumble. His thumb pushed against the hard rub buried within her, his fingers working in and out of her with an ever increasing rhythm until Erin couldn’t remember her own name, couldn’t remember to breath, couldn’t remember anything except the touch of him.

  “I-”

  “Say it!” He demanded.

  “I want you! Fuck me!”

  “God, finally!” He shouted, and unable to contain himself any further, buried his cock deep within her, crying out together as he filled her, as he claimed her. He pulled back gingerly, his ragged breath harsh in her ear, and thrust again, sending spasms of explosive satisfaction through her.

  He thrust again, and again, each movement of his hips pushing her ever closer to the cliff. She felt it rising within her like a tide, her body growing tighter and more rigid with the increasing cadence of his thrusts. She wrapped her legs around him, begging him onward, letting him consume her as he seized her mouth again.

  “I’ve wanted you for so long,” he moaned against her lips, the pace of his hips ebbing and flowing as the tension built to unimaginable torture, “If you only knew…”

  “And I wanted you,” she gasped, hardly able to form words.

  He broke the kiss, grinning down at her, eyes alight with fire, “You have me, Erin.”

  “Oh God, Jack…” Without thought, without instruction, she went rigid beneath him, tightening and releasing around him. The feel of her was more than he could bare; he closed his eyes and gave himself over, his own orgasm tearing a loud, final gasp from him. They collapsed back onto the camp bed, entangled with each other, and completely spent.

  ~6~

  The snow had completed melted by the time Jack and Erin dressed and made their way out of the cave. Jack once again carried her to the car, and in the daylight, Erin could appreciate even more how miraculous Jack’s athletic prowess really seemed to be; they managed to travel what must have been two miles in just under half an hour, even with her in his arms the entire time.

  Then again, Erin admitted she might have been too distracted by the feel of his body against her as he ran to really pay a great deal of attention to their surroundings.

  They both agreed that there
was little point to proceeding to the party now. Once the tow truck arrived, they called for a ride back into the city. Along the way they picked up a veritable feast from the Somali deli (and Jack’s favorite banana smoothie) and spent the rest of their free day lounging in Jack’s apartment, trading teasing remarks and testing out just how much endurance Jack really had.

  After two simultaneous orgasms, a lovemaking session on the bed and another in which Jack held her against the kitchen cabinets while he fucked her, Erin finally conceded that maybe she was the one who should have been working out more.

  “Know what I realized,” Erin commented absentmindedly as they lay tangled in his bedsheets, watching the sun slowly set behind the city scape through his window, “I haven’t been home in nearly three days. I wonder if Amanda’s worried.”

  “She’s not,” Jack said easily, grinning down at her, “I texted her to say I was taking care of you.”

  Erin raised an eyebrow sardonically at him. “Taking care of me, are you?”

  “In the Biblical sense, at least,” he kissed the tip of her nose teasingly. Erin giggled, but slowly broke away from his embrace, stretching. “I should probably go home though.”

  “Why? What’s the rush? I have it on good authority that your boss doesn’t need you tomorrow,” Jack tried to make a grab for her, but she easily dodged him, bounding across the bed.

  “Yeah, thankfully the jackass does give me some days off,” she commented airily, trying not to crack a smile as Jack pretended to be mortally wounded at her words, “But honestly, I should go home… at least for a while.”

  She waited for him to make a joke or roll his eyes in exaggerated contempt at her too-pragmatic nature, but to her surprise, when she glanced at him, he was staring at the floor, his face dark with thought. “Jack?” She said uneasily, “What is it?”

  He quickly looked up at her, expression morphing into playfulness; and yet, there remained something melancholy just around his expressive eyes. “Nothing. Just… wondering which conquest I should call in the meantime.”

  “Oh, ha ha,” she stuck her tongue out at him, but unable to help herself, added, “Though…”

  “Though… what?” He repeated apprehensively.

  “Uh, nothing, I was just… thinking maybe it would be a good idea to, ya know, get some space.”

  “I’m not following,” Jack said blankly.

  “I mean, take a day to think this through. You’re my boss - I’m your employee.”

  “For another month,” Jack scowled a little, “Hell, the cast party’s in two weeks.”

  “And then you need me to help you pack and go back to New York City,” Erin said quietly, now staring at the ground herself.

  He didn’t say anything in response.

  Erin quickly scooped up her pants, trying to put on a show of bravado. “Anyway, just something to think about. I think I’ll head out now. Do you need anything before I go?”

  “No,” he said softly, staring out the window as the skyscraper lights across town came to life, “Thank you.”

  “Okay. Well, call me if you… need me,” unable to look at him, Erin turned and walked swiftly out into the foyer. Without even pausing to put her shoes on, she grabbed up her stuff and hurried out the front door, hopeful that if she went fast enough, she could outpace her immediate regret.

  * * *

  For the rest of the night, Erin battled her own divided sense of self. The truth was, she didn’t need any time to think. She wanted Jack. She didn’t just want him; she cared more for him than any other man she’d ever met.

  He made her laugh, and brought out that side of her she thought she would always have to keep hidden from any man she was ever interested in. He didn’t judge her, or constrain her, and she loved him violently for it.

  But her pragmatism wouldn’t give in easily. He was her boss; her boss who would be moving as soon as his job was finished here, who would never want to stay in her city that, compared to New York City, looked little better than a backwater village.

  Her boss, who was a notorious womanizer. And a brilliant actor on top of that, who could probably make any woman feel special, and if he would never stray, would love her eternally.

  Erin wasn’t a romantic by nature, and after years of dating, certainly wasn’t one by practice. She prided herself on being objective, on never letting anyone trick her or get under her skin again.

  Just like Jack had.

  For every argument her pragmatic nature put up, she knocked it down. She knew, knew in a way that she couldn’t articulate in her brain but felt violently, wholly through her heart and soul, that he cared about her; that he would never hurt her.

  The way he’d looked at her this past weekend, the way he’d held her and made soft jokes into her ear-there was no cunning, no artifice. She finally knew the real Jack Silver, and she loved him.

  At last, giving up her last defense, she sat down at her computer at 2am and wrote him an email telling him so.

  Dear Jack,

  I love you. There. Go ahead and make fun of me for saying it first, but it’s true. I love all the things you do with your mouth (talking, smirking, grinning, other things.) I love your laugh and your voice, how generous you are, and how you always try to make everyone’s day around you a little brighter.

  I would be the luckiest girl in the world if you would have me; multiple times a day, if you please. I’d even let you take me camping. Thank you for the best weekend I’ve had in a long time.

  Your loving assistant, Erin

  * * *

  Erin woke up the next morning feeling amazingly refreshed, despite her late bedtime. It was as if a heavy weight after been lifted off her by her confession. She checked her email, and wasn’t alarmed to see that Jack hadn’t responded; she realized, she had no reason to be afraid. (And she’d only sent it a few hours before.)

  She dressed in the nice pair of slacks that Jack said showed off her well-proportioned hips, kept her hair loose for once, and was out the door right on time.

  The usual routine was so ingrained into her now that she parked and made her way to the local smoothie shop on autopilot, her thoughts lost in fantasies about the upcoming cast party. The organizers had gone all out, renting a large mansion just outside the city, and cramming the guest list full with every local celebrity they could get their hands on.

  The weather had finally started to turn around, the air filled with the smell of fresh grass and flowers. There would be dancing and fancy hors devours, and maybe even a little canoodling under the starlight.

  Erin was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize someone was calling her name until she felt a light tap on the shoulder.

  “Erin!”

  She turned and found herself looking up into the face of the woman who had hired her all those months ago.

  “Oh my gosh, Dawn!” She cried happily, throwing her arms around the Amazonian beauty. Dawn laughed and hugged her back, “Have you gone deaf working for Jack? I said your name like three times!”

  “I’m so sorry, I’m in my own head this morning. I was actually just on my way to see him-just grabbing his morning smoothie first.”

  “You can get back to that,” Dawn seized her firmly around the shoulders and steered her towards the tables, “Here, I grabbed us a few coffees. Let’s sit and talk for a bit.”

  “All right,” Erin said uncertainly, dropping into the seat Dawn indicated. Why did she already have coffee waiting-had Dawn known she was coming?

  “I didn’t know you were in town,” she ventured as Dawn sat down.

  “Just for a few days. How are you doing?”

  “I’m good,” Erin replied apprehensively, trying to make out the strange vibe she could practically feel Dawn radiating, “Are you coming to see one of Jack’s shows?”

  “No, I’m in town for business,” Dawn paused, and then with a heavy sigh, said, “Look, Erin, there’s no easy way to say this. We’re having to let you go.”

&
nbsp; Erin’s throat tightened. “Let go? Why? Did I do something wrong?”

  “No! At least, not from my perspective. From what I can tell, you’ve been fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better substitute. Let me just say flat out, that I really appreciate the work you’ve done, and that I got to enjoy my maternity leave… well, most of it, anyway… in peace. I was absolutely sure Jack was going to set something on fire or cause some big scandal here, and yet, it’s been smooth sailing.”

  “Then… then why are you firing me?”

  Dawn bit her lip, “I’m not sure. I asked, but…. Radio silence on that front. However, due to your exemplary work, and the fact that we’re terminating your contract early, I was able to get you the rest of this month’s pay, and I’d happily be a reference for you.”

  “Dawn… thank you, I really appreciate it, I do. I just… don’t understand. I mean, has your boss talked to Jack? Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding.”

  “Erin-”

  “I think he’d be more than willing to tell them-”

  “Erin,” Dawn interrupted, firmly, but not unkindly. Erin went silent, her hands twisting together in her lap.

  There was nothing she could do but hear the words she’d already been expecting come out of Dawn’s mouth.

  “Erin…. Jack is the one who requested that we let you go.”

  * * *

  Erin forced herself to feel proud of her restraint. For a week and a half, she hadn’t cried. She hadn’t thrown anything, or left a rambling, drunken message on his voicemail. She hadn’t even called him. He’d never responded to her email, and she’d never deigned to send him another.

  After thanking Dawn for her kindness, she’d simply stood up, taken the bus home, and sat on her living room couch, unmoving, until Amanda got back from dinner with her brother.

  Since she technically had another full month’s salary coming, Erin did indulge a little; she went to bed late, gorging on sci-fi novels, horror stories, and historic biographies; anything that didn’t dare have a whiff of romance.