The Shifter's Secret

by R. A. Boyd

  “Was that better?” he growled ominously as he reached for the waistband of his boxer briefs.

  “A little bit.” She smiled and opened her big legs for him and watched as his heated gaze shot to her drenched folds. “Got anything else for me?”

  Teasing him was fun. Emma wished she had the willpower to keep it up longer, but she wanted Jace now. She laid back resting on her elbows, eyes fixed on his cock as it sprang from the confines of his underwear. His muscular arms and ripped abs flexed as he slowly pushed the material the rest of the way down his muscular thighs. He kicked out of them once they hit the floor and then walked to the front of the bed.

  He stood there, cock proud and hard as his eyes devoured her. The heat in his eyes resonated through her body. As an invitation, she opened her legs wider. She looked up at him through hooded eyes and ran one hand down her body until her fingers hovered above her sex.

  “Touch yourself,” he muttered as he put one knee on the bed, slowly stalking her.

  She smiled and took one finger, dipping it in her sex up to her second knuckle. She was so fucking wet. Letting out a groan, she withdrew the finger and circled it around her clit. Her touch felt so good, but it was nothing compared to the magic Jace could work on her body.

  Closing her eyes, she rolled her head back as her hips flexed toward her fingers. She let out a slow moan as she felt the bed dip from his weight, and when she opened her eyes, Jace was face to face with her pussy. Would he taste her again?

  This time, she slid two fingers inside and then used them to squeeze her clit. Her body almost shot off the bed as Jace leaned down to give sucking kisses to the insides of her thighs. If she didn’t stop touching herself while he kissed her, she would orgasm again. But she wanted Jace inside her this time when she came.

  “You look so fucking perfect touching yourself.”

  His kisses moved up her body as she continued, and it accentuated the heat building in her core. Using his thumbs to caress the bend of her thighs above the curve of her ass, he urged her to bring her knees higher to give him room.

  Just as she was about to crest the wave of release, he pulled her fingers away from the apex of her thighs. She whimpered, gasping as her body came down from the orgasm that very nearly took her over the edge. When she started to protest, he pulled her soaked fingers to his mouth and sucked off every bit of moisture that was there.

  He took her hand and led it to his cock as if he wanted her to be the one to initiate their love making. He held himself over her as she wrapped her hand around his cock. Jace was big, but now she was ready to take every inch of him inside her core.

  She stroked the hard length of him as he put his hands on either side of her head on the bed. He lowered his torso and ran his tongue over the skin of her shoulder.

  “Take me inside you,” he whispered, warm breath caressing her ear.

  Emma took his cock and placed it at her pussy, swirling the head around her slick entrance and coating his shaft with her come. She lifted her hips and gasped as the mushroom-shaped head slipped inside her, stretching her. Slowly, he rocked his hips back and forth, going deeper and deeper each time.

  His chest heaved against her, and she looked down to watch his abs clench as he worked to go slow.

  “Oh, God, Jace. You feel so good,” she cried, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to bring him closer to her.

  Jace rested his forehead against hers as he went deeper. “So tight,” he said, face contorted as he fought to keep control.

  “Deeper,” she muttered. He wouldn’t take them any faster if she didn’t urge him on. “Please, Jace. Deeper.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered against her lips.

  “You won’t. And if you do, I promise I’ll love it.”

  She nodded when he looked into her eyes. As he held her gaze, he thrust his hips forward, burying himself to the hilt until their hips met. Emma cried out, but Jace crushed his lips against hers, drinking in her call.

  He was big inside her. It was the sweetest, most welcomed invasion she could ever imagine. He stayed like this, deep inside her as her body strained to accept the width and length of his engorged member.

  “Fuck me,” she moaned, ready to feel the sweet friction of his dick moving inside of her.

  He drove his cock into her pussy once and paused. He did this over and over until Emma started to move with him. Her body vibrated for him and him only. The delicious ache in her pussy began to dwindle as the fiery pressure of her orgasm started to build deep in her core.

  His hard body undulated above her as he moved in a steady rhythm, moving in and out, the thick head of his cock hitting that wondrous spot near the front of her pussy with each penetration. He must have noticed the subtle change in her body as he fucked her with the head of his cock.

  Now, he took her with shallow thrusts, his lips drinking in any noise that tried to escape her.

  “Are you going to come for me?” he asked as one of his hands dug into her hair and forced her head back until she was looking him right in the eye.

  She panted and said, “Yes, God, yes. Don’t stop.”

  Fuck, he felt so good. Every touch, every kiss, every bite and caress was a build-up to an orgasm they could share. Emma could feel his body clench as his own release approached. Just before his eyes rolled closed, she could see the flash of that beautiful gold she loved so much.

  His mouth took hers with such force that she groaned into the kiss. Just as the heat started to unfurl in her core, everything went silent. She couldn’t hear, couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. She couldn’t fucking breathe. As sight and sound and air came rushing back to her senses, her climax thundered over her. Her body bowed from the bed. She clawed Jace’s arms and back as his shallow thrusts went deeper and deeper, taking her orgasm to new highs.

  The feel of his cock pulsing inside her with his own release started a shiver that wracked her entire body. He spilled into her, warming her from the inside out.

  “God-damn,” Jace said through clenched teeth. The muscles in his neck strained as he bucked into her over and over until she thought she would come again. “Shit. I’m trying to be quiet,” he said, hips moving in a jerking motion as he emptied his seed into her.

  Emma couldn’t help it. She put her hand over his mouth and laughed. “I hope that two closed doors and a white noise making humidifier, we should be pretty good.” She winced as he pulled himself out of her. “At least I hope so.”

  Jace grabbed her by the waist and picked her up so he could pull the soft, navy blue sheet further down the bed. He pulled the covers over them and held her in his arms. With her head against his chest like this, she could hear and feel the steady beat of his heart. His chest puffed out as he breathed. This was bliss.

  Tracing the line of his pectoral muscles that begged for her attention as Jace breathed, Emma kissed his chest above his heart. “Do you work out or is this just a God-given perk of being a fallen angel? Oh, and a shifter?” She could lay on and touch his body all night long. There was something else she could touch all night long, but she needed a few minutes to let her hoo-ha recover.

  “God-given, Em,” he replied, humor and a bit of pride in his voice. “All this is God-given.”

  They laughed for a few minutes, joking about the fun they’d had in the past and the great times they knew their future held.

  Before long, the steady rise and fall of his chest let her know he was asleep. Even in his sleep, he kissed the tips of her fingers as she traced the Cupid’s bow of his lips.

  This was beautiful. This entire experience was beautiful.

  Could it finally be their time to be together? This was the happiest she’d been with any other living creature, other than Lily, in so long. And the fact that Lily was loving every minute of being around the Ghosts made their new life here in New Rose ten times better.

  Yeah, there were crazy shifters running around, but they wouldn’t last forever. This would all come to a
close one day. Maybe then they would work on those babies Jace wanted. Lily had been asking for a sibling for at least a year. Before a few days ago, Emma knew in her bones that Lily would be an only child. And now, here Emma was in the arms of her man, thinking about children.

  This was so wonderful. She was back in New Rose near her father and so many other people she’d grown to love. She needed to find a job. Jace told her on the way back here that she didn’t have to work. That if she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and take care of Lily, he would be all for it. It sounded perfect.

  Emma was used to taking care of herself. That’s the type of woman her parents raised her to be. Self-sufficient, independent. An awkward feeling rose in her belly at the thought of depending on Jace for everything, but dang-it, the idea seemed fantastic. Volunteering at Lily’s school, not having to have Lily be in school all day every day. Maybe she could go back to school herself.

  Mom had been a stay-at-home mother, and Emma loved and appreciated every second of it. Her mom had never been too busy to help with anything. She’d even homeschooled Emma for a few years. They’d traveled so much because her dad was in the military. Her mom put her in activities where she could still socialize with kids her age. Softball, gymnastics, and group piano lessons. Even the self-defense class offered her opportunities to hang out.

  Maybe she could do that for Lily Pad. Just for a little while. Lily always loved when Emma came and ate lunch with her in school. They could do it more often.

  That was it!

  Emma didn’t know if the idea was just that great or if post-coitus euphoria had taken over her brain, making her believe that things that once seemed unobtainable were now within her grasp. She would take a few days to think about it. Heck, she was pretty sure a few of the colleges in Baltimore had online classes.

  Yup. That sounded even better. Everything was falling into place.

  The slow rhythm of Jace’s breathing was now taking her under. She was sleepy. She could hear the light snores of Lily coming clear through the monitor. Emma could sleep now. They were safe in a magically warded community, surrounded by badass shifters and witches.

  Emma couldn’t be happier if she tried.

  Chapter 12

  “You can turn off the monitor now.” Audra’s low voice was barely audible so she wouldn’t wake Emma.

  As the days flew by, Jace had grown used to his sister coming into his house every morning to get Lily for breakfast. Before Audra even opened the front door downstairs, he would hear her shoes crunching on the gravel as she walked across the driveway. She would wait until she heard Lily moving around in her room before she gently knocked, asking if she was ready to get dressed.

  The first time Audra unplugged the monitor, static flooded Emma and Jace’s room. Jace had heard Audra moving around and wasn’t bothered, but Emma shot out of bed and almost dislocated her shoulder trying to get to Lily’s room to find out what happened. Now, Audra would whisper quietly to let him know to turn off the monitor so Emma could sleep late. Besides, having Aunt Audra be the first face she saw in the morning seemed to fuel the little girl’s day.

  After Audra helped Lily pick out clothes, brush her teeth, and get ready for the day, they would come and knock on the door so Lily could kiss her mother good morning. ‘See you at breakfast, Mommy.’ It was a routine that they all seemed to love so much.

  For the first time in his life, Jace knew in his bones that Audra was going to be a fantastic mother. She cared for Lily so much, and Lily simply adored Audra. Having a child in their community brought out something new in the Ghost clan. When he, Emma, and Lily came home a few days ago, Simon had just finished putting up a swing set in Jace’s backyard. Hell, Simon even managed to stop cursing around Lily.

  The faint sound of Lily knocking on the door brought Jace from his thoughts. He stood from the chair that sat near the window, ready for Lily to run into him like a tiny freight train on a mission to get to breakfast.

  “Mornin’ Jace!” she sang as he caught her and picked her up. Her tiny arms around his neck always made him smile. “I’m hungry.”

  He kissed the side of her head, rocking side to side as her little feet dug into his thighs. Apparently, she wanted him to lift her up higher. When he’d lifted her so that her chin now rested on the top of his head, she erupted into a fit of giggles.

  “I’m taller than you now.” She put her hand to her forehead and then zoomed her wiggling fingers above his head.

  He tickled her ribs and laughed when she kneed him on the chin, making his teeth clack together hard enough to rattle his vision. “So it seems you are. And you’re beating me up, Nugget. Is that one of those moves Audra taught you?”

  Audra started watching old Karate movies with her, and the proof was in the kicks and the throat chops Lily was trying on him. Lucky he didn’t bruise easy. Lily was a brawler.

  “I didn’t mean it,” she said, worry making her voice into a little squeaky song. “My knee just flew up when you tickled me. Did I hurt you?” There was a bit of laughter in the last part. She knew she couldn’t hurt him.

  Nodding quickly, he used his free hand to rub his face. “You almost took my chin clean off my face. But that’s a good thing.”

  “As long as you don’t try it on anyone in school, Lily Pad.” Emma’s drowsy voice spoke up from where she laid beneath the covers in the bed. “Please, please, please don’t try it on anyone in school.”

  He knew that Emma didn’t like Lily watching violent films, but she was okay with the old Kung Fu theater movies. Her father reminded her that they used to watch it every Saturday afternoon when she was growing up. She gave in and made her daughter promise to only play-fight at home.

  “I promise, Mama.” Lily thumped to the floor as Jace tried to lightly put her down. She ran over to Emma and hugged her tight. “Good morning, Momma.”

  “Good morning, Baby. I’ll hurry and get dressed so we can go to breakfast together.”

  Lily shook her head hard enough to make the little barrettes in her hair click together like beans in a maraca. “I want to go with Auntie Audra.” She kissed Emma on the cheek and ran toward the door where Audra stood. “See you at breakfast, Mommy!”

  “Come on, Nugget,” Audra said, reaching out to take Lily by the hand. Waggling her eyebrows, she glanced at Emma and Jace. “Take your time. See you in a bit.”

  Jace waited until he heard the front door close downstairs before he took off his t-shirt and walked over to the bed. He slid under the sheets, pulling Emma’s warm body against his. She molded her form to his, melting into his embrace. Her scent surrounded him as she nestled into the spot she called her personal nook, resting her head on his bent arm and using her hand to draw lazy circles up and down his sternum.

  “It’s been two weeks.” She trailed warm kisses after the path of her fingers on his chest. “You do realize she knows that this is your bedroom, right? She knows this is your house, Jace.”

  He shrugged and pulled her closer. “I know. I just don’t want her to think I’m trying to take you from her or insert myself into her life in a way that wouldn’t make her happy.”

  When he knew Lily was coming into the bedroom, he would get up and go stand in the corner or sit in the chair near the window. He’d come a long way. The first few times she came in, he would high-tail it to the bathroom and pretend he wasn’t even in the room.

  “Are you serious?” Emma laughed. She raised her eyes to meet his and shook her head. “If it meant we would stay here forever she would toss my butt to you faster than she could pick a name for her new loose tooth. And just so you know, she is pretty fast with picking names for her teeth.”

  He huffed a laugh and kissed her forehead. “Emma. As long as I’ve lived this life, I have never shared a house with a child. This is all new to me.” He thought for a moment and then shook his head. “I take that back. When we first got to Atlantica, a family allowed a few of us to stay with them. They had three kids.”

  “
What? Atlantica?” she said, voice going high as she pulled herself up to look at him. Her heart drumming in her chest fluttered against his ribs. “Like Atlantis?”

  “Yeah. We weren’t there too long.” He took in a deep breath and pulled Emma back down into her nook. “Anyway, the couple who let us lodge with them had three kids. But it’s different. I wasn’t with their mother. We were guests in their house, and they were intrigued by us. They knew we were different. Hell, everyone there had knowledge that we were different. They welcomed us anyway. And this with me, you, and Lily is so different from that.”

  Emma sat up again, beautiful face seeming to be in a perpetual state of surprise. “I agree. But, dude. You can’t just mention freaking Atlantis and not—”

  “I want to marry you and adopt Lily, but only if she’s okay with both.”

  The comical way that Emma’s voice cut off like a remote put her on pause would be forever fixed in his mind. Mouth wide open, her entire body went rigid. The only giveaway that she was processing what he said were her eyes. Her lids fluttered wildly; long, thick, dark lashes batting against her soft cheeks as she looked at him.

  Her emotions kicked up, flooding him with a torrent he wasn’t ready for. Love, fear, happiness, and pheromones. It was a potent mix that made his dick hard. The feel of his cock growing heavy, lengthening in response to whatever thoughts ran through her mind made his head swim.

  One eyebrow arched high as she chewed on her top lip. When she finally spoke, her words were soft as a whisper. “You want to marry me? And adopt Lily?”

  For a moment, Jace thought he’d done something wrong. Emma’s breath hitched in her throat, and her bottom lip trembled as she lowered her gaze from his. He was moving too fast. Precisely what she didn’t want. Even though they’d fallen into a pattern that made it seem as if they’d been this way for years, marriage could just be the thing that put them into overdrive. Talk of marriage and babies five years ago had been the trigger that ended them, and now here he was asking for both.