Shifters and Spice: A Shifter Romance Box Set

by Desiree Holt

  He released one hand and reached down between them to grasp Dare’s cock, pulling a moan from the man, his fingers and hips synchronizing their thrusts. That was the first audible response he’d gotten from Dare. He tightened his fingers and twisted his hand as he stroked up and down and Dare moaned again, louder. In response, Dare inserted a third finger and Evan gasped at the mixture of pleasure and pain. Dare didn’t waste any more time, and as soon as he felt Evan was ready, he broke their kiss, pulling his cock from Evan’s hands.

  He flipped the lube open and slicked himself up quickly. Then bracing one hand on the bed next to Evan, he lined himself up and breached Evan’s prepared entrance.

  “Holy fuuuuck.” Evan pulled the vowels out, his brain short circuiting, his breath coming in pants. Dare was so hot. So hard. As conscientious as Dare had been about preparing him, his fingers were no comparison for his cock. Dare held himself still above Evan, arms shaking, breath unsteady.

  “Shit,” Dare muttered. “I forgot the condom.” He started to pull out, but Evan stopped him.

  “Are you clean?” Evan could barely believe the words coming out of his mouth. He’d never gone bareback with anyone before. But the feel of Dare in him…it was better, it was more than anything he’d felt before. He didn’t want that layer between them.

  “What?”

  “I’m clean. You don’t have to trust me, but if you do and you’re clean…” Evan let his voice trail off expectantly. “I mean, I trust you, if you say you are. I wouldn’t trust just anyone, but you’re Mindy and Cole’s brother—” He really should stop talking. He was babbling. And seriously, bringing up a dude’s siblings when he had his cock in your ass? So not cool.

  Before Evan could open his mouth and dig himself further in the hole, Dare’s eyes flashed again, his presence seeming to grow larger and more intense, if that was possible. “I’m clean,” he growled.

  Even though he probably could have used a little more time, Evan thrust his hips back, pushing Dare further in. That was definitely better than talking. Dare let out a yelp of surprise and pleasure, and with further encouragement from Evan, buried himself to the hilt and the two men stilled, trembling. As the tension eased from Evan’s face, Dare began twisting his hips in micro movements.

  The heat and press of Dare’s burning length took Evan out of his mind. He closed his eyes as Dare began to actually move. A moment later, he felt the soft, wet press of Dare’s tongue on his nipple, then the sharp sting of a nip. Evan’s hips jerked up, changing the angle just enough that on his next thrust, Dare hit his prostate and stars exploded behind the lids of Evan’s eyes. He could hear himself yelling, but couldn’t make any sense of it. Dare grabbed his ass with both hands and lifted his hips to keep the angle, thrusting faster, all while peppering Evan’s chest, shoulders, and neck with kisses alternated with bites.

  Evan felt his orgasm building again, losing control of his body to Dare. The sound of his voice escalated, bursting into a truncated yell as Dare buried his face and teeth into the cleft of Evan’s neck and shoulder, shooting hot streams of cum into his ass, tipping Evan over the edge.

  As their tremors eased, Dare collapsed on top of Evan, and Evan drifted into a half sleep. At some point, he felt Dare pull out. Dare quickly cleaned them up and then slid back into bed after turning the covers down on one side and rolling Evan over. He pulled the covers up around them, pressing his chest to Evan’s back, their skin cooling as sleep descended.

  Chapter 14

  Dare woke slowly, warm and more content than he could remember feeling in years. He tried to stretch out his arms, but a heavy weight pinned his right side to the bed. He looked down, surprised and then pleased as he recognized the blond tussle of Evan’s hair. He reached over to push a short fall of bangs out of Evan’s face and the man snuggled closer to him. If he kept that up, Dare’s morning wood was going to advance into something a bit more insistent.

  Dare burrowed deeper into the covers, pressing Evan closer to him. The previous night’s events played through his mind and he sighed in satisfaction. Maybe all he’d really needed was a good fuck. It had been a while since he’d been able to indulge without worrying about the potential diplomatic repercussions.

  Evan stirred, nuzzling into Dare’s chest before turning onto his back. “Morning,” he grumbled.

  Dare opened his eyes again to turn and smile. His eyes scanned Evan from his tussled hair, to his long nose, his kissable lips and dusting of beard scruff, small bruises lining his neck and shoulders from the attentions of Dare’s mouth, his mating bite…

  Mating bite?

  In his scramble to wake up and get a closer look at the bite shaped scar sealing the crease between Evan’s neck and shoulder, Dare fell out of the bed.

  Dare recovered, getting his feet under him, and by the time his head popped over the edge of the bed, Evan had turned onto his side and was blinking sleepily at him. He’d propped himself up on his right arm, and the bend hid the scar. Dare jumped on the bed and pushed Evan onto his back, his hand hovering over the mark.

  “Normally I need a bit of time to wake up, but I’m sure you can manage to get me there,” Evan said with a slow smile.

  Dare’s eyes darted between the mark and Evan’s eyes.

  Evan started to sit up and Dare lurched back as if burned. This wasn't the way this was supposed to happen.

  “What’s wrong?” Evan asked, his waking brain slowly picking up on Dare’s distress.

  Without answering, Dare slid off the bed and bolted out of the room, buck naked, leaving the door open.

  Dare sped down the stairs and the second floor hall, skidding to a stop in front of Mindy’s door. He banged frantically on it, yelling. “Mindy. Mindy get your ass out here. I need you. Now!”

  Mindy, wrapped only in a satin robe, came rushing to the door, eyes glinting yellow and nails elongating into claws.

  “Put those away,” Dare told her as he grabbed her hand and dragged her up the stairs to his room, ignoring her protests.

  He could hear Evan’s grumbles as they breached the top of the stairs and paused in the door way. Evan looked at him with frustration and then consternation as Dare pushed Mindy through.

  “What the fuck, Dare?” Evan had been climbing out of the bed, but jumped back in and pulled the blankets onto his lap.

  “Yeah, seriously, what the fuck?” Mindy echoed, covering her eyes. “This is not something I ever cared to see or know.”

  “Just look,” Dare commanded her, tapping the spot between his own neck and shoulder. She looked at him confused and he grabbed her face and turned it to Evan.

  “Ooooh. Shit.”

  “What?” Evan said, his voice rising an octave. “Guys? What’s going on?”

  Mindy looked between Evan and Dare, and, making a decision, turned Dare and pushed him out of the room. “You go talk to Mom and Dad.” She turned to Evan. “And you? Put on some clothes please? I’ll pretend I never saw this,” she said, waving at the rumpled bed and man.

  Dare could hear Evan complaining in return. He descended to the second floor again and turned in the opposite direction to his parents’ room, but he stopped in the middle of the hall, reality finally catching up with him. He fell into the wall and slid down it to the floor.

  Evan was his mate. His mate. He’d spent so long searching for another wolf, he’d never even considered… And to think that his mate had been so close to his family for the last six years, while Dare had travelled the world looking for him.

  Trembling, Dare pushed himself to his feet. This was not anything like he was expecting.

  Chapter 15

  “Tell me what’s wrong,” Evan insisted after Mindy closed the door behind Dare. “Is there something wrong with me?” He looked frantically down at his chest, then felt his face. He started to leap from the bed to the large mirror hanging over Dare’s dresser, but Mindy jumped forward, her hands held up.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Unless you’re really wanting to show off Evan
junior, can you at least put some pants on?”

  Evan flopped back on the bed. “Okay. You want to give me some privacy?” He gave her a meaningful look.

  “Oh no you don’t,” she said, grabbing a blanket and throwing it over the mirror. “Not until I’ve had a chance to explain.” She kept her back to the bed. “This is all you’re getting at the moment.”

  Evan pulled on his pants, grumbling about bossy siblings. “Fine. It’s safe.”

  She turned around to see he’d put on pants. “Okay, now don’t freak, okay?”

  “I’m clearly already freaking. What is it you don’t want to tell me?”

  “Come here.”

  Evan crossed slowly to stand in front of the dresser and mirror.

  “Like I said, don’t freak. This is completely normal, it’s just going to be new for you.”

  “Come on, Minnie, you’re freaking me out even more.”

  “Take a deep breath, yeah?”

  “Min…”

  “Just do it.”

  Evan took a deep breath, and Mindy pulled the blanket from the mirror. Evan’s eyes darted, scanning his appearance. “I don’t get it. What is—oh fuck.” He stepped closer to the mirror, his hands going to the new scar. “Fuck. What the fuck is that?” He turned to Mindy. “Where the fuck did this come from?” He could hear the panic rising in his voice.

  “Seriously, it’s not a big deal.” Mindy ran her arms comfortingly over Evan’s arms. “It’s completely natural.”

  “What in the world is natural about a freaking scar on my neck when I never had a wound?”

  “Well, I have a bit more to explain.”

  Evan’s legs started to shake and she guided him back to the bed.

  “Maybe you should sit down. Especially for this next part.”

  Evan was having trouble breathing, his lungs catching on each breath.

  “Ev? Breath. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Okay? You good?”

  Evan nodded as he concentrated on his breathing.

  “So, this might not be the best way to explain it to you, but…”

  Evan stopped breathing again as Mindy’s body began to contort and twist. He yelped as she dropped to all fours, but a moment later, she lifted her face. Her nose elongated, and her hair receded into her head while fur sprouted across her cheeks.

  “No way.”

  Draped in Mindy’s satin, cherry printed robe, was a wolf.

  “Nope. I’m dreaming. I’m fucking dreaming.”

  The wolf jumped forward and nipped his ankle, and Evan scrambled further on the bed, grabbing a pillow as a shield. “Not dreaming! Totally not dreaming.”

  The wolf rose to its two hind legs and morphed back into Mindy.

  “Ev, you okay?”

  “Nope. Not possible. No way are you a…what are you? Where did you put the real Mindy?”

  “This is me, Ev. It always has been.” She gestured to the bed. “Can I sit?”

  Evan reached out and poked Mindy in the cheek, jumping back afterward.

  “You feel real.”

  Mindy rolled her eyes and crawled into the bed. “Of course I feel real. I am real. I’m the same person you’ve always known…you just know more about me.”

  “What exactly do I know? That you’re some kind of crazy shapeshifter?”

  “Crazy, maybe.” Mindy grinned. “Shapeshifter, no. We’re werewolves.”

  “We?”

  “All of us. Me. Cole, Mom, Dad. Dare.”

  Evan’s hand flew to his scar. “And this scar? Am I a werewolf too?”

  “Oh, no no no. Werewolves are born, not made.”

  “So what the hell is this?”

  “Oh no. Not my job. Dare’s going to have to explain that to you. I can answer any other questions, though.”

  Evan forced himself to take a deep breath. “Anything?”

  “If I have the answer, anything.”

  “So, what do you eat?”

  Mindy snorted. “Have you not had a million meals with me? What do you think we eat? We’re not vampires.”

  “Vampires! Are they real too?”

  Chapter 16

  Dare had chickened out. After pulling himself together, he’d retreated to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast. The entire staff had the day off after the wedding which Dare was grateful for. There were plenty of leftovers packed into the fridge, but Dare felt the need to do something with his hands. He’d already turned the coffee on, made a giant pile of bacon, stuck a (store bought) pan of cinnamon rolls into the oven and was currently scrambling eggs.

  He wasn’t surprised when his mom showed up about twenty minutes after he’d started cooking. She’d always had a sense for when he was upset and where he might be found. She kissed him on the cheek and he prepared her a plate of bacon and eggs while she retrieved her own mug of coffee. As she sat down, his father trudged in. Mom’s doing, for sure.

  He set a plate in front of his father and then took a steadying breath to prepare himself.

  “I have something to tell you…” His eyes strayed to the door as Evan and Mindy walked in, Mindy’s arm looped through Evan’s and the man’s eyes locked on Dare. His parents greeted the two, then turned their focus to Dare.

  “Tell us what?” his father asked.

  After a long, drawn out silence, Mindy huffed in frustration and pulled Evan forward, tugging down the collar of his shirt to reveal the scar. Evan batted at her hands, but Dare picked her up and moved her to his opposite side, putting his body between her and Evan with a deep growl. Mindy raised her eyebrows, unimpressed.

  Dare’s mother placed her silverware primly on her half-finished plate. “I did try to tell you last night, Dare.”

  Dare spun to face her in disbelief.

  “Tried to tell him what?” Evan asked.

  Both parents’ eyes darted from Dare to Evan to Mindy, who raised her hands. “I told him that was Dare’s responsibility. Not mine.”

  “Well then,” said Mom as she gathered her plate and coffee, Dad following her example. “We’ll just let you two talk then, hmm?”

  Mindy grabbed a plate and quickly heaped it with food before making her escape as well.

  Dare refused to meet Evan’s eyes now, but busied himself preparing the man breakfast. The timer for the cinnamon rolls beeped, giving him further reason to continue stalling. Evan’s silence was unnerving. In the short time he’d known the man, he was never silent. Even last night when he was driven wordless, some sort of noise was continually escaping his mouth. Dare pulled the rolls from the oven, then proceeded to open several drawers, none of them containing what he needed.

  “What are you looking for?” Evan asked.

  “A butter knife,” Dare said, turning to another drawer. He heard the clank of silverware and the slide of a drawer.

  “Is this it?” Evan asked, and Dare turned to see him holding a knife. Of course. It was in the drawer by the refrigerator. Where the silverware had been for the past ten years at least.

  Dare grunted his thanks and began to ice the cinnamon rolls, very aware of Evan’s nearness as the man slid his back against the counter next to him. His arms were crossed. His ankles were crossed. Signals that he was closed off, shielding himself, but when he spoke, all Dare heard was confusion.

  “Dare. What did your mom try to tell you last night?”

  Dare spread the icing so fiercely he was stabbing the soft rolls. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. He was supposed to meet another wolf who knew the expectations and patterns of mating. Not jump his human mate in a lust-drunk romp. His human mate who, prior to today, had no knowledge of werewolves. Instead of elation and contentment, he was terrified. There was nothing other than the full truth and his friendship with Dare’s siblings to keep Evan here. Dare wasn’t even sure that would be enough.

  Chapter 17

  Evan cursed his inability to read Dare. He needed someone, anyone, to explain to him exactly what the scar on his shoulder meant, and it seemed that ev
eryone else had elected Dare. But trying to pull words out of him was harder than squeezing water out of a rock. Evan leaned down, trying to get a good look at the shorter man’s eyes, but Dare ducked away, realizing he’d left the oven on. He returned a moment later, hesitating a fraction of a second as he came within a step of Evan.

  What was his problem? His entire world hadn’t just been upended. He wasn’t the one who’d just learned his best friends were werewolves. Evan’s fingers drummed against his arms. He could out-silence the stern man before him. He could.

  He totally couldn’t.

  “So Mindy says you didn’t turn me into a werewolf.”

  That caught Dare’s attention. He looked up in sudden shock, then turned to wipe his knife clean, the icing complete. “No.”

  That was less than helpful.

  Dare moved to the sink to wash the knife and after a moment, Evan followed. He leaned against the counter again, bracing his weight behind him on his outstretched arms. Unexpectedly, Dare leaned into him. Evan blinked down at him, but the moment he started to circle his arm around to pull Dare closer, the man pulled back, reaching his hand up to hover over the scar.

  Evan could feel the heat of Dare’s body burning through the scar. It was almost erotic. But then Dare snatched his hand away and moved around the kitchen island, putting it between the two men.

  “Wolves mate,” Dare said suddenly. “It’s instinctual. Mating normally occurs between two wolves who know what they’re getting into.”

  “And last night we…mated? Sounds kind of kinky.” Evan’s cocky smile faded under Dare’s glare.

  “Normally there’s ceremony. Rituals. A wedding. Like Cole and Jessica.”

  “Cole and Jessica…she’s a wolf too?” Dare nodded. “Was everyone last night a wolf except for me?”

  “Many were. This morning, Cole and Jessica should be sporting similar scars to your own.” His eyes followed Evan’s hand as it pressed lightly against the location of the scar.