by Beverly Rae
Warmth flowed from his naked form to reach and caress her skin through her clothing. If the cool mountain air had made an impact on him, he gave no indication as he placed his broad, strong hands on her shoulders. She’d left her backpack and rifle behind. Except for the clothes she suddenly wanted nothing to do with, she and Songan were equals. Hopefully alone.
Will you help me? was what she’d believed would be the first thing to come out of her mouth once they stood face to face. But sex had always defined their relationship. It still did.
“You’re back,” he said.
“My mother—you can’t be surprised to see me.”
“I’m sorry, Rane. Sorry about what happened to her and what’s happening to me right now.” Letting go of one shoulder, he cupped his cock. “This time of year, I can’t fight the elk in me. I wanted to be there for you, but—”
“I know.” Strangely, staring at what she could see of his cock was easier on her nerves than looking into his eyes. All except needing to have it buried inside her. “Remember, I was here when you matured. The first fall when the rut hit you—”
“I wanted to fuck your brains out.”
“Not just want. You did.”
Maybe he was no longer interested in going down memory lane. More likely sex held the upper hand as he pulled her against him. Her face mashed into his chest. Even as she turned her head so she could breathe, his cock grinding at her belly loosened and moistened her pussy.
Clouds were starting to gather, a brisk wind pushing them and bringing a faint, distant scent of snow. Except for acknowledging the cool air, she paid little attention to the change. It would take a lot more than a breeze to kill the desire tearing at her.
Songan’s hold let up a little. Freeing her arms, she wrapped them around his neck. No doubt about it, being in rut added bulk and muscle to his human form. As a wildlife biologist, she was familiar with the creatures that inhabited the Northwest forests. Songan was at his sexual peak. Depending on how well he took care of himself and how many bull-to-bull battles he got into, he could stay like this for years. Be everything she wanted in a man.
In a distracted way, she knew she had no business letting his body take control of hers, but she’d been fantasizing about this moment for too long, when she could be free of grief. Needed it too much. She’d gone looking for him because she wanted justice for her mother, but even that would have to wait.
First and maybe always came feeding this awesome hunger.
A low whimper escaped her as she stood on her toes, tilted her head and raked her teeth over the side of his neck. Grunting, he lifted her off her feet. Since moving away from Forestville, she’d engaged in rough sex with two men, but they hadn’t outweighed her by over a hundred pounds and weren’t more than a foot taller.
They weren’t half animal.
“What’s this?” Smiling slightly, he turned his head so she could see the red marks she’d left on him. “Some point you’re trying to make?”
“Impulse. Craziness.”
“Caused by what?”
My mother’s murder. “It’s not like we’ve ever set any limits set on what happens between us. Let me down.”
Smiling, he shook both his head and her. “Like you said, no limits or boundaries.”
He’s in his prime, dangerously so. Don’t do something stupid. Despite her warning, however, she lightly pressed a knee to his groin. “Things haven’t changed with you. You still insist on being in control.”
“Human nature.” Giving her a look she couldn’t fathom, he lowered her to the ground but kept his hands on her waist. Her fingers dragged over his neck.
“You aren’t human, not all the way.”
“And you can’t handle it. That’s why you left.”
“That wasn’t the only reason, and you know it. It was time for me to find out who I was. In part to break the addiction between us.” Any other woman would probably be too intimidated to say what she just had, but Songan brought out something strong and wild in her, something she didn’t understand or trust.
“You also wanted more than any elk shifter can give,” he said. “Me being there all the time.”
“Not now. That’s not what I—”
“What then?” he demanded. “Damn it, Rane. I am what I am, just as you are.”
“What are you saying?” Lightning hadn’t struck. Songan and Songan alone was responsible for what raged through her. “That I don’t live up to your expectations because I’m not a shifter?”
“I’ve always accepted you. I just wish you felt the same way.”
“It’s easier for you. You don’t have to deal with human emotions all the time.” The words weren’t out before she wished she could take them back. “Look, I’m sorry. This is hardly the time to—what brought you here?” She nodded in the direction of the dead elk. “Did you sense—maybe you heard shots.”
“I don’t know.” Letting up on the pressure around her waist, he started stroking her there. Her nerves jumped. “Maybe you’re responsible.”
He was talking about the powerful connection that had once existed between them, a connection she’d believed she had to sever if she was ever going to live her own life.
These mountains had once been part of her world, but they no longer were. She had to remind herself of that, somehow.
But later. When her body no longer cried out for him.
She’d intended to beg for his help in finding out who had murdered her mother, not beg him for sex. As early as this morning, she’d believed, or told herself she believed, that her need for justice would see her through seeing Songan but not wanting to fuck him.
What a damnable liar she’d been.
Clawed
Beverly Rae
His beast could rip out her heart…if she doesn’t claim his first.
Wild Things, Book 3
Chloe Long has cleaned up her last mess where her now ex-boyfriend is concerned. Desperate to clear her mind of her last images of him—in her bed with another woman, then with his hand around her throat—she heads for the mountains. The one place that refreshes her spirit.
Conan Cahill’s sojourn in the North Carolina mountains was supposed to be a break from the demands of his bear-shifter people…and the smell of humans. When he discovers a human female secretly sketching his naked body, though, his reaction catches him off guard. Not only does her scent rouse an aching need to touch and taste, her stubborn refusal to give up the drawing makes his body twitch in some very pleasurable ways.
Trapped with Conan in her tent during a storm, all thoughts of sleeping alone fly out of Chloe’s mind. She can’t help but grab something more than forty winks in her sleeping bag. They come together like thunder and lightning, but there’s danger beyond the rain. And the stirring of a love that may not survive their differences.
Warning: Getting back to nature is hot and wild. If you’re not ready to meet the mountain man of your dreams, stay in the city.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
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Clawed
Copyright © 2011 by Beverly Rae
ISBN: 978-1-60928-537-1
Edited by Jennifer Miller
Cover by Angela Waters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: October 2011
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