Dreams of Wolf [Half-breed Shifter Series Book 2]

by Stowe, Miranda

  Stumbling to a stop, Knox pressed at the sudden ache in his chest. “Motherfucker,” he murmured. He’d yet to encounter the cubs’ father. He’d had no idea the male was human. “You mean, she could…she could be…”

  No, she wasn’t pregnant. He’d have known if she’d been going through her fertile time, would have smelled it. But the mere idea…

  Dear Lord.

  “My husband was a shifter hunter before I met him,” the jaguar kept talking, not that he paid her much attention. Realizing he could well and truly mate to Jaycee in every sense of the word had his mind whirling.

  “...now that he’s…retired from that life, he still has acquaintances—other hunters—who stop by occasionally. It’s safer to trust no one. When Jaycee first came to us, we didn’t know her. Later, however, by the time we grew to love her and she felt the same about us, she’d already started to date Donald—”

  “Donald?” Knox snarled the word.

  The female nodded. “He met her at our house, actually. He’s a hunter too. After Jaycee moved in with him, it was better for both her and us to keep the truth covered. We didn’t want her to have to lie to her own boyfriend…scumbag that he was.”

  “You should’ve killed the filthy hunter the first moment you met him.”

  Smiling, the jaguar gave a nod of approval. “I wish I would have. That man hurt her very deeply, something I won’t let happen to her again.” Her intense stare ground into him.

  Knox lifted his hands as if to show her he was unarmed. “How can I hurt her? All I am is a dream.”

  “Just make sure you keep it that way. You’ll traumatize her if she ever learns what she’s been doing…what you have been doing to her without telling her everything she needs to know. The best thing you could do now is just move on, wolf.”

  Everything inside him rebelled at the idea. Though he’d been telling himself that very thing all day, it rankled to hear the same demand spoken from this female’s lips. Besides, learning they could be together without nature standing in the way changed everything.

  “I don’t take orders, kitten. No one tells me what to do.”

  “Breathe on her wrong and I’ll have a whole troop of hunters after you so fast, you won’t know what hit you.”

  “Try it and I’ll tell them your little secret as well.”

  Her mouth curved with amusement. “You won’t have a chance. They’ll kill you before you can even open your mouth.”

  He snarled, his wolf growl rumbling from deep within his chest. “No one threatens me and lives.”

  “Right back at you, wolf. No one threatens my family and lives either. And Jaycee is very much a part of my family.”

  Her adamant claim caught him short. The sense of family loyalty tugged at him. His wolf howled for just that kind of connection. He was meant to be part of a crowd. He never should’ve been a loner. If Mathis had never found out about his stag side, if his mother had only kept her legs together, he’d still have his parents, probably a mate and a whole litter of pups by now.

  A longing ache speared through his chest. He wanted to belong somewhere, like Jaycee belonged with the Griffins. God, he wanted to belong to her.

  “I would slay anyone who thought to hurt her.” The words tumbled from his mouth before he could catch them. To his further humiliation, his voice crackled with emotion.

  The jaguar blinked repeatedly and slipped a step back, putting space between them. “You’ve bonded to her then?” she asked, tilting her head to the side with curiosity.

  He masked the way his own heart leapt at those words. Bond. To Jaycee. Shit, there went his pulse again, pounding with excitement. But he kept his face blank and eyes narrowed as he glowered at the nosey female. “That’s none of your business.”

  “Just heed my warnings, wolf. There are hunters nearby. If they learn of you, don’t lead them to her doorstep and get her caught up in the middle of your mess.”

  He nodded once. “I won’t.”

  Chapter Six

  Jaycee went to bed early that night. She wasn’t tired—in fact, she felt fairly restless—but her dreams from the night before had her tucking herself in when it was barely dark out, in the vain hope she’d have a repeat of her werewolf lover’s appearance.

  It took over an hour for her to fall asleep; she kept opening her eyes and glancing toward the entrance of her bedroom, but no wolf ever appeared. Finally, sleep won out and she dropped off into la-la land. She woke some time later to movement beside her. When she realized she wasn’t alone in bed, she gasped and jerked into a sitting position.

  Her dream lover sat naked on top of her covers with his legs stretched out next to hers, crossed at the ankles, his back propped against the headboard. Holding Bob, he turned the rubber phallus back and forth, studying it with a slight scowl.

  Pressing a hand to her jumping heart, she gasped. “Dear God, you scared the shit out of me. I thought I was awake and someone had crawled into my bed.”

  He continued to inspect Bob until he accidentally turned the vibrator on. Startled, he dropped the dildo onto his washboard abs.

  Jaycee burst out laughing. “What’re you doing?”

  “I’m trying to figure out what this thing is. It was sitting on your dresser last night and tonight both.”

  “It’s Bob.”

  He frowned, glancing at her. “Bob?”

  She quirked an eyebrow. Was he serious? “Bob. A dildo. Vibrator. Fake penis.”

  Confusion still wrinkling his brow, he asked, “Why do you need a fake penis?”

  “Uh… maybe because I don’t have a real one to put inside me whenever I want sex.”

  “Yes, you do. You have me.”

  She grinned. “Yeah, but when I’m awake and alone, you’re not usually around.”

  “So…you put this into your cunt?” Suddenly interested in Bob again, he picked it up. “Does it bring you to completion like I do?”

  She grinned. “Honey, no one brings me to completion like you do. But, yes, Bob has his moments.”

  Eyes glittering, he lifted his gaze. “Show me.”

  Jaycee’s belly tightened, tingling a trail to her nipples and cunt. Dear God, the idea of masturbating in front of him was hot.

  Lips quirking into a grin, she grabbed Bob off his sexy six-pack and gave the vibrator head, slicking its rubber surface with saliva. Her gaze never left the chocolate-brown eyes of the man watching her while he licked his teeth and stared transfixed at the fake cock disappearing between her lips.

  When Bob was sufficiently lubed, she slid it from her mouth and trailed its wet tip down her body, between her breasts and over her belly. Her lover gawked, a hoarse groan exiting his lungs.

  She reached the apex of her thighs and skimmed the surface of her clit. The vibration hummed through her, making her arch her back.

  “Mmm.”

  The wolf-man surged upright, repositioning himself to sit at her thigh, where he could see her work between her legs, caressing her pussy with Bob’s cool, wet length.

  “Holy fuck. This is hot.” Hand going to his cock, he stroked himself, each pump of his wrist stretching his penis longer and bigger until he was fully erect, the head glistening with pre-cum. “I love watching your cunt bloom open.”

  She definitely bloomed. Jaycee’s body, suffused with heat, felt like it was going to ignite at any moment. No one had ever watched her play with Bob before. She had no idea it would be so erotic.

  Getting into her voyeuristic teasing, she slid Bob’s tip to the opening of her vagina. Her lover groaned and jerked on his cock with a renewed fury.

  “Do it,” he grunted, the pupils of his eyes turning into vertical slits.

  She pushed the vibrator inside her, the buzz muting as her pussy muffled its sound. An electric current traveled down her legs and out the ends of her toes, tickling the heels of her feet.

  Jaycee met the gaze of the man watching her, and she came. She tried to keep eye contact, but the sensation was so strong, h
is face wavered in her vision.

  His groan was as loud and clear as his ripe curse.

  “Fuck. Oh, shit. I have to be inside you.”

  Her hand was batted to the side and Bob ripped from her so suddenly, she gasped at the loss. Blinking her sight back to normal, she merely watched as her lover hopped between her thighs, cupped her ass in his hands, and lifted her hips to align her still throbbing pussy with his fully aroused cock.

  Sweat beaded on his brow as he met her gaze. “Ready?” he choked out the word.

  For some reason, she knew this was going to be a rough ride. Reaching above her, she latched a firm grip on the bedpost and nodded.

  He pushed home, sure and quick, a massive, hot invasion compared to the cold, lifeless prodding from Bob. She gritted her teeth and clung to the headboard for dear life.

  Filling her repeatedly, her lover threw his head back and groaned as his body pumped like a well-oiled machine. Transfixed by the beauty of his all-consuming arousal, Jaycee could only watch as he gritted his teeth, his lips pulling back to show a row of pearly whites. She blinked, wondering why his incisors suddenly looked so jagged and the canine cuspids seemed particularly long. My, what big teeth he had.

  As he groaned again, his head fell forward so he could look at her. She was almost certain his eyes were dilated like a cat’s…or a werewolf’s. His fingernails felt sharp—claw-like—as they dug deeper into her hips. He held her tight, plunging into her body with complete abandon.

  Jaycee figured she’d be scared out of her wits if she wasn’t so damn turned on. But watching him lose his center and try to reign in his animal blew her away. To know she had so much power over him was her undoing.

  She threw open her body, giving it all to him, and came in a rush of pleasure.

  His eyes lit up, the single black slits of his pupils the only things not glowing as he roared and climaxed as well.

  Once again, at the very epitome of bliss, she blacked out, coming to with her lover leaning over her and repeating her name and shaking her shoulders.

  “’M okay,” she mumbled, ready to pass out some more. Not that he would let her by the way he sat her upright and shook her shoulders.

  “Jaycee, godammit. Open your eyes.”

  She did with a pained groan. “What?”

  Shoulders deflating, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Seriously. You need to stop passing out whenever I come inside you.”

  “Total buzz kill, huh?” she asked, her head muzzy and thick, but she was still able to see his smile through her gray vision.

  “Something like that,” he murmured. With a relieved sigh, he pulled from her body and collapsed on his back next to her, where he swiped his hand over his glistening face. “Though technically, you’re gracious enough to wait until I’ve hit my high before you swoon.”

  Lips spreading, Jaycee let out a big yawn and stretched her overworked muscles. “That’s it. We’re going to have to give you a name.” Dream man or not, she couldn’t keep thinking of him as simply that-sex-god-wolf-guy.

  Next to her, he murmured, “My name is Knox.”

  She blinked, then frowned. “Hey. This is my dream. Shouldn’t I be the one who gets to name you?”

  His brow crinkled. “My name is Knox,” he repeated, not leaving any room for negotiation.

  She sighed. “Fine. But I had a couple of doozies in mind. I mean, how can you go wrong with a name like, oh, say Philip the friendly Phallus?”

  He growled and sat up. She laughed at his irritated expression. Feeling the need to tease him mercilessly, she added. “Or Ben Dover or Dick Long or—”

  “Knox,” he muttered. “I’ve always been Knox. I stay Knox.” As if he thought she might argue, he loomed over her, crowding her backward until she was forced to lie on the bed, where he could hover above her.

  Instead of being overwhelmed, she was tickled by his prickly attitude. “Okay, okay,” she gave in on a happy chuckle, feeling more and more alive with every second. “I guess you can stay Knox if you’re going to be a big baby about it.”

  “Thank you,” he murmured, yet instead of pulling away, he continued to loom. “For that, I suppose I’ll allow you remain Jaycee.”

  She snickered. “Oh, that’s so kind and generous of you, my lord. I’m honored you would allow me to—”

  He clamped his hand over her mouth, muffling her. “You have no control over that smart mouth, do you?”

  Her eyes glittered with amusement. Shaking his head, he bent down and replaced his hand with his mouth. Kissing her, he thrust his tongue between her teeth.

  “God, you taste so good,” he groaned. “Why can’t I get enough of you?”

  Well, that had a simple answer. “Because it’s my dream. I don’t want you to grow tired of me.”

  He pulled back and stared at her. “I have a really bad feeling you just doomed me for the rest of my life.”

  Chapter Seven

  It was midafternoon the next day before a knock sounded on the Griffins’ front door. Shaw had been home for over an hour, buried in his office. When he’d come through the back door, he’d still been awkward around Jaycee, refusing to make eye contact. Head ducked, he told her he still had some work to do in his office and asked her to stay until Riley made it home. Then he’d hurried past, even forgetting to greet his children.

  Leaving the triplets in the rec room to continue playing video games, Jaycee strolled through the house and slipped aside a curtain to peek out the front window before unbolting the door’s lock. When she saw Donald, her breath stilled in her lungs. Dear Lord, what was he doing here?

  She hadn’t spoken or talked to her ex since he’d come back the night after being caught cheating on her, when he’d packed his things and moved out.

  Not sure if she could open the door to receive this man, Jaycee bit her lip until the bell rang again.

  “Oh, this is ridiculous.” If she couldn’t face the douche who broke her heart, she was going to disappoint herself big time.

  Slipping off the chain, she glanced down, then let out a moan of misery. God, if only she’d worn a skirt and heels to work today.

  Pasting on a friendly expression, she pulled open the door. Donald lifted his head, opening his mouth to speak, when he froze. For a moment, his eyes widened before he glanced down her body and back up again.

  “Jaycee,” he said, sounding surprised. “I…I didn’t know you’d be here. Shaw said he’d be home this afternoon, but I thought…”

  “He’s working in his office,” she cut him off, disappointment swirling through her belly. Donald had to be the last person she wanted to see, but the thought that he hadn’t even come here to talk to her stung even more.

  She’d met Donald here. He and Shaw had been Elks Lodge members or some such buddies. Donald had knocked on this very door, a complete stranger to her, one day. And she’d opened it for him, just like now. He’d scanned her body then too, grinned, and immediately begun to flirt. He’d chatted with her for nearly half an hour before he’d remembered he’d come by to see her employer.

  Stepping to the side, she opened the door to let him in. “I assume he knows you’re coming.”

  Eyeing her up and done one more time, Donald nodded. “Yeah, I, uh…I texted him.”

  Jaycee nodded and shut the door. Donald didn’t move as he continued to stare at her. “You look good,” he finally said.

  She arched him a nasty sneer. “Good enough to cheat on, huh?”

  He flushed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he gulped down his own shame. “Jaycee—”

  She lifted her hand with a sigh. “Look, save it. Okay. If you’re here to see Shaw, then go see him and leave me alone.”

  His face filled with misery. “I’m really sorry about…about everything, you know. You never gave me a chance to tell you that.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well I’ve moved on. It’s all water under the bridge.”

  “You have?” Brows burrowing with irritation,
Donald asked, “What’s his name?”

  She opened her mouth, then paused. When she’d said she’d moved on, she’d meant with her life, not with another man. Great, now he was going to think she was a pathetic loser if she didn’t give him a name.

  “Knox,” she said before she could stop herself. No need to add that Knox was a complete fabrication from her own dream.

  Donald nodded, but his eyes remained narrowed. “Huh.”

  “Donald,” Shaw’s voice came from behind them, making Jaycee jump and whirl around. She’d never seen her employee look so steamed as he glared past her to the man standing at her elbow. “I thought I told you to come later.”

  Donald brushed past Jaycee, forgetting her. “This can’t wait.”

  Shaw’s jaw remained hard and uncompromising, but after a second of glaring, he gave a stiff nod. Motioning his guest toward the back of the house, he said, “We can talk in the kitchen over a cup of coffee.”

  After waiting for Donald to move past him and disappear around a corner, Shaw slid an apologetic look Jaycee’s way. “I’m sorry. I told him to wait until after supper, when you’d be gone, before he came.”

  Forcing an uneasy smile, Jaycee waved his apology aside. “Don’t worry about it. This is your house, Shaw. You can have whatever guest here you like.”

  He opened his mouth as if he wanted to disagree and keep groveling. But he clamped his lips and gave a brief nod before pivoting on his heel and following Donald to the kitchen.

  Too curious to let this slid, Jaycee wandered back that way herself, keeping in the hallway and out of sight. Male voices floated toward her as she drew closer; she didn’t stop until she could distinguish their muffled words.

  “We tracked it to your backyard, Griffin. This monster is stalking you. If you’d just let us set up a couple traps—”

  “No!” Shaw’s voice was firm and almost angry. “No traps will be set up so close to my children.”

  “But—”

  “I said no. I can take care of my own family. A single wolf doesn’t intimidate me.”

  Jaycee’s lips parted at the mention of her wolf. Flushing as she realized she’d just thought of it as hers, she pressed her hand to her mouth, embarrassed by her own thoughts. For a second, she’d felt worried and protective of the wolf she’d seen in the Griffin yard a mere two days ago. Her dreams about Knox were starting to get the best of her.