by Lauren Wood
I could hear footsteps approaching us in the distance. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at Zed, hopeful.
He winked.
It was Xam.
I pushed off and ran faster than I ever had before down the corridor toward the echoing footsteps. By the time Xam came into view, I was soaring. Seeing him set my heart free and I moved faster, faster until he was within my reach.
Xam picked me up and twirled me around through the air. He ran his hand through my hair and pulled me into his lips. I wanted this kiss to last forever.
“Are you ready to go home?” Xam offered me his battered hand.
I smiled, I was going home.
THE END
GIFTED LANCE
Chapter One
Sasha stared at the man across from her. There was just not something quite right with his face. Was his nose too small? Were his eyes too close together? She cocked her head. Maybe his eyebrows were too bushy.
“Wouldn’t that be great?”
Startled, she shook herself out of her daze. Shit. He had said something to her. What was his name again? “Tell me about your job, Don,” she said trying to divert his attention away from the fact that she had absolutely no idea what he’d just said.
He looked crestfallen. “I just did.”
Double shit. “I’m sorry,” she said with a smile. “Long day at work, and I just zoned out.”
Her smiled must have encouraged him because his face brightened. “I bet. So you’re a baker? I love cupcakes!”
Of course he loved cupcakes. He probably loved everything a normal ten-year-old boy loved. Why did she let her sister set her up on these blind dates? They were always a complete disaster!
The check arrived, and she watched as he grabbed it. At least he was going to be a gentleman and pay for dinner.
“Mom said girls like to feel independent on first dates. Dutch?” he asked with a smile. “You owe twenty-four dollars plus tip.”
Mom said? This date was so over.
After giving him the brush off at the car, she locked herself safely inside and quickly called her sister.
“Sasha!” she squealed. Sasha could hear her niece and nephew screaming in the background. Apparently they didn’t want to go to bed. “Is the date over already?”
“Already?” Sasha asked. “Calla, it felt like it lasted forever. Where the hell did you find this guy? Boring R Us?”
Her sister got oddly quiet on the other end, and Sasha started her car with narrow eyes. “Calla. Where did you find him?”
“Maybe you just didn’t give him a chance,” she said softly.
That did it. “Calla Lilly Thompson! You tell me where you found him right here and now or so help me God!” Their mom had a thing for flowers. Sasha’s full name was Sasha Rose.
“Okay,” she said with a huff. “You don’t have to yell. I signed you up for this online dating site. Don looked so handsome in his picture, and he seemed so stable and nice when we talked.”
“You mean when you talked and pretended to be me? Well that explains why our conversations made absolutely no sense,” Sasha grumbled. “You will take me off that dating site right now. If you don’t personally know the guy, you don’t get to set me up with him.”
“I just want you to be happy,” her sister sniffed. Sasha rolled her eyes. Her sister wasn’t really going to cry, was she? That hadn’t worked since they were ten.
Calla was two years younger than her, and she’s always felt guilty about being the first to get married. Sasha never felt bitter about it because she loved her brother-in-law, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she wanted what they had. But it was so difficult to meet a decent man these days. Either they were taken, they were single and deservedly so, they were gay, or they came with an insane amount of baggage. And Sasha didn’t want to settle. She wanted to feel that initial spark of passion.
“Stop crying,” Sasha demanded. “Take me off the website.”
Her phone beeped, and she looked at her Bluetooth dashboard. “Hang on. Work is calling me. I’ve got to go.”
“But,” her sister interrupted, but Sasha hung up on her.
“Sasha Morrows,” she said.
“Sasha! Oh thank god!” Her boss, Billy Anderson, sounded frantic. “Miriam just called. She quit. Quit! Something about moving to Vegas and eloping. I have no idea. But I’m still in Florida, and someone has to man the Hairy and Fluffy party tonight. Susan finished baking, but she thought Miriam would ice them after they cooled. Please tell me you’re free tonight. I’ll do whatever you want,” he pleaded.
“Three days of paid vacation next month,” she said immediately. She wanted to spend some time digging her toes in the sand and listening to the ocean.
“Done,” he said immediately. She smiled.
“Text me the address. I’ll head that way now.” She’d wasted her sultry red dress on the date, so she might as well wear it to the party.
“You are a lifesaver. A doll. My absolute favorite,” he gushed as he hung up on. Sasha rolled her eyes. By next week, Billy would be flipping out on her for something she hadn’t even done. She loved her boss, but he was a bit touchy. Especially when his husband was out of town, which was often.
She pulled up the directions to the party, turned her car around, and headed downtown. Hairy and Fluffy Dating Agency held a massive mixer three times a year in order for their members to meet. Shifters of all types were hoping to meet their mates and humans were hoping to hook up with an alpha.
Sasha knew the rumors. Shifters could sense their mates immediately, and Sasha thought it was ridiculous. How could you imprint on someone when you knew nothing about them? What if your soul mate was actually a huge asshole? What did you do then?
No. While Sasha certainly wanted some passion in her life, she relied on good old-fashioned logic. She wanted to get to know someone before she decided they were her soul mates.
Chapter Two
Cole nearly growled at his mother. She stood in the kitchen with her hands on her hips while he shook the invitation in the air. “This Meet and Greet has my name on it. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”
“No.”
“Why are you standing so defensively, then?”
“Because you’re always accusing me of something. Yesterday you thought I’d deliberately shoved a nail in your neighbors tire so you’d have to change it. Last week you accused me of collaborating with your brother so that you’d have to talk to his receptionist. I swear Cole, you’re getting a little paranoid.”
He felt his anger rising. He knew she was behind those little antics. His mother was tired of waiting for grandpups. She wanted Cole to marry, and she wasn’t below a little manipulation to get what she wanted.
“I told you that I would find my mate in my own time,” he hissed.
She smirked. “I know for a fact you haven’t satisfied your wolf in months. At the very least, you need to let him out to play.”
“How did you….” He shook his head in frustration. “Never mind. It’s my life, and I’ll do as I please.”
“Celibacy is dangerous Cole Grayson, and you know it!” She sauntered over and ripped the invitation out of his hands. “A Hairy and Fluffy party? A bit too forward for my tastes, but at the very least, you’ll find some damn release.” She slapped him on the chest with it. “Go. Find some pretty little thing to take home. Someone substantial enough to take your wolf, and pull that damn bug out of your ass.”
Cole growled. “If I find out that you had anything to do with this…” he threatened.
“You’ll what? I gave you life, Cole Grayson. So you adjust that attitude of yours, or I will take you over my knee!”
“I’m not going.”
“The hell you aren’t going. If you don’t, I’ll come visit you at work with a new woman to toss at you for the next month.”
The horror struck deep. “You wouldn’t,” he whispered.
“I’ll even cook. I thi
nk the boys at the fire station would enjoy that,” she said with a sly smile.
He groaned inwardly. His mother was the worse cook. Having her show up at the station while he was on duty would be a disaster. And he knew his mother. It was best not to call her bluff. “Okay, I’ll go,” he grumbled. “But I don’t promise that I’ll talk to anyone.”
She smiled. “Well I didn’t send that invitation, so maybe fate is finally stepping in. Go home and shower, darling. You smell terrible.”
“I’ve been working on my car,” he said self-consciously. Cautiously, he gave himself a whiff. Even his wolf was disgusted.
“Wear something nice,” she said as she rose up on her tiptoes. He immediately bent down so that she could give him a kiss on his cheek. “And be on your best behavior. I don’t want to hear about you getting into any fights. You need a lover. You need to find your mate.”
“Yes, mom,” he said with a sigh. What was the point in coming over here? His mom always won.
Always.
Besides, it had been awhile. He was tired of loveless fucking. He did need a lover, and he did need his mate.
But a Hairy and Fluffy party? How the hell was he going to meet one there?
Chapter Three
The party hadn’t quite started by the time Sasha got there. She checked on the baked goods. Susan had done a decent job, and she’d left enough ingredients to make more. Sasha pulled out her emergency apron and began finishing off some of the cupcakes.
“Oooh, those look lovely,” Lydia said with a smile. Lydia owned the dating agency, and she looked Sasha up and down with a smile. “And my, my, so do you,” she purred.
Sasha blushed. The dress showed off her ample cleavage and bit more of her plump thighs than she would have liked, but her friend had told her she was a knock out in it.
“I was on a date when Billy called me,” Sasha explained. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll be behind this apron and in the kitchen all night.”
Lydia frowned. “Well, if that’s what you want. Did the date go well?”
“No. No it did not,’ Sasha cringed as she remembered Don. Christ. What on earth did he say to make Calla think that he’d be a good match for her?
A slow smile crossed Lydia’s face. “Then perhaps you’ll find something else to cream tonight.”
She walked out before Sasha got her meaning. “Wow. This should be an interesting party,” Sasha murmured. She finished the first couple trays of cupcakes and cookies and sat them out in the meeting hall. The table was full of finger foods and punch bowls. Lydia must have expected quite the turn out.
A few of the guests started trickling in, and Sasha immediately ducked back through the doors to the prep room. There was no way she was going to get roped up into this.
In an hour, it sounded like things were in full swing. She’d just finished decorating another batch when Lidia came in. “Sasha, darling. We’re out of cupcakes. Do you have some more?”
Sasha nodded. “Coming right up,” she said with a smile. She grabbed her tray and bumped the door with her hips. It swung open, and she was immediately overwhelmed with the sexual charge of the room.
Beautiful woman roamed the room wearing slinky dresses and coy smiles. It was trendy these days to mate with a shifter. Some whispered it was the best sex ever, and clearly these women were looking to get laid. Men prowled the room searching for their next target. Sasha shuddered. She was glad she wasn’t the object of one of these intense stares.
She sat the tray of cupcakes down and wiped her hands on her apron. If the first batch had gone well, they were going to love these chocolate ones.
“I love a woman that can bake,” a deep voice purred. “I bet you’re going to taste just as sweet.”
Sasha grimaced and glanced to her left. The man had a pretty face, but he also had sleaze written all over him. “I’m not here for the party,” she said succinctly. Before he could object, she turned her back and headed back into the prep room.
Just before she pushed through the door, the man entering the room caught her eye. In that first moment of eye contact, all of her breath rushed out of her lungs.
Tall. She was a tall woman, and he easily towered over her. Hard. Even that button up shirt couldn’t hide the muscles that were rippling as he moved. Bronze skin. Amber eyes. She immediately grew wet. God, that man would do nicely between her thighs.
Two slinky blondes immediately sidled up next to him, and it gave Sasha a cold dose of reality. She was here to work, not pick up a guy to fuck. Shaking her head, she pushed through the doors.
As she worked on the cookies, she couldn’t get him out of her head. It had been awhile since she’d had a decent lover, and she could already tell that he’d be phenomenal. He was the type of man who could push a woman up against the wall and fuck her senseless. That was the kind of man that Sasha wanted.
Of course, by now, he’d probably have his dick in one of those women, maybe even both, and Sasha needed to stop thinking about it. She had three more trays of cookies that needed to be decorated.
Chapter Four
Cole turned up his nose as he looked around the room. His senses were on overdrive. Most of the women here were wearing pheromone enhancers, and it made his hair stand on end. They were beautiful, slinky, and seductive, but the fake aromas that wafted off them were giving him a headache.
One of them trailed a finger down his abdomen, and he shuddered as he tried to politely remove himself from the situation. She pouted. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Hungry,” he murmured.
A smile curved across her face as she mistook his meaning. She rubbed her body on him. “I think I have just the thing,” she whispered. A tongue darted out and tickled his ear.
“No,” he said more firmly. “I mean I am actually hungry. Excuse me,” he muttered.
He moved so quickly that she nearly fell over. “What the hell is wrong with you,” she snapped, but he was already trying to blend in the crowd.
It became clear that he was alpha male in the group. There were several cats and wolves, and even a bear, but he was the highest-ranking member of the group. The men frowned as the women flocked to him, but this wasn’t what he wanted. If he just wanted a fling, he could have one at any point. He was looking for something more substantial than that.
Of course, it was possible that these women were as well, but fucking a shifter was a trendy thing to do nowadays. If he couldn’t tell whose scent was real, how was he going to pick out who wanted something long term and who just wanted a fling?
One woman was still following him, and he groaned. He slipped through the service entrance and watched through the small window as she circled around trying to find him again.
“I know the cupcake tray in empty, but it’s going to take me a few minutes to finish them,” a voice said wryly.
He whirled around. The baker that he’d caught a quick glance at earlier was staring at him with icing in hand. He immediately felt himself stirring. Now here was a woman.
She was tall with luscious big breasts and an ass that a big man like him could really get his hands on. She was dressed in a hot little red number, but it was covered in flour and icing.
The best part? She smelled real. And she smelled good.
Really good.
He stirred. “Couldn’t wait,” he said with a smile. “Something in here smelled delicious.”
She narrowed her eyes. “As I’ve already told several guests, I’m not here for a date. I’m just here to provide something sweet.”
Cole laughed. “I bet you do have something sweet.” She blushed furiously, and he decided to keep going. “But I meant the cupcakes, not you, sweetheart.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and he knew he had her on his hook. “Well, you’re just going to have to wait outside like everyone else,” she hissed. She pointed to the door.
He moved easily into the shadows hoping to slink around and get a better look at that ass, but she kept a sharp eye o
n him. “Are you confused? The door is that way.”
He loved that sharp attitude she had in her voice. “There are worse things than to be locked in a small room with me, baby.”
“First of all, my name is Sasha. Not baby. Second of all, I’m not interesting in flirting with you. And third of all…” her voice faltered when he moved closer. If she tried to say she wasn’t attracted to him, she’d be lying. He could smell the spike of lust in her body. Just looking at him made her wet.
And it made him hard.
He hadn’t had a reaction like that in quite some time.
“Third of all?” he murmured as he took a step closer.
He watched, fascinated, as she swallowed hard. He figured she’d take a step back, but she clearly had more spine than that. She held her ground until he was only inches away from her.
“Third of all, I don’t like someone’s leftovers,” she said before spinning on her heels to stalk away.
His mouth dropped open. “Someone’s leftovers? Hold on just a second!” He reached out to grab her arm. “I haven’t been with anyone tonight.”
“Please,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen practically every woman here drooling all over you.”
“Been keeping an eye on me?”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on everyone,” she said prissily. “I like to know who’s enjoying my goods.”
“I haven’t quite sampled your goods yet.”
“Baked goods,” she snapped. She pulled her arm away and went back to decorating the cupcakes.
He wasn’t about to let her go that easily. Cole cocked her head as he watched her hips swing back and forth, and a sound of approval slipped out. Without even thinking, he slipped up behind her and pressed her body to his.
“Personal space!” she hissed. “Didn’t I already go over all the reasons that I wasn’t interested?”
“Let’s see,” he mused. He ached to put his arms around her, but he knew that it was too soon. “I believe you didn’t like that I called you baby. And that’s okay. I like Sasha just fine. Sexy.” God, he wanted to lick the column of her neck. “Secondly, you said you weren’t here to flirt with me. And that’s okay as well. I have something way better than flirting in mind.” He heard her inhale sharply, and he leaned over to watch her breasts heave. God. He was going to have to bend her over the table and take her right here. “And then you said you didn’t want anyone’s leftovers. I can assure you, there has been no one here to catch my eye tonight. Except you.”
