On the Growl: A Shifter Romance Anthology

by Lynn Red

  Well, she took that back. He’d nipped her when she’d been about to eat an armadillo. In retrospect, it was probably smart that he’d warned her off because they carried diseases. She’d bounded after a deer instead, and while she hadn’t caught it, she’d had an enormous amount of fun chasing it. For most of the day, she wandered the Merino land as a cat, and when day turned into night, she continued to frolic and play. Leaves were endlessly entertaining to chase, and so were the frightened squirrels she sometimes chased out of the trees. She napped in the moonlight, and rolled onto her back, exposing her belly to the skies and licked her chops contentedly.

  And then she napped again.

  When she woke up, the sun was rising in the sky and her body was slowly reverting back to human form, her fur receding. Her bones crackled and popped and her spine hunched, preparing her body for the inevitable change back. She was just bracing herself for the change when Adrian showed up next to her, changed into his human form as effortlessly as if changing clothing, and then began to stroke and pet her shoulders, encouraging her with murmured words and touches.

  And his comforting presence helped. Soon enough, she was back to her human form, no worse for the wear except for the roadkill taste in her mouth and the scratches on her arms and legs. And she was tired. So very tired. Mandy yawned, and Adrian was there to put a supporting arm around her shoulders. She was barely awake as he helped her back to his tiny house, led her to the bathroom, put toothpaste on her toothbrush for her and waited as she brushed and then spit, and then tugged her back to bed.

  “Rest,” he told her. “You’re tired. It’s always wearing when you have a long shift.”

  She snuggled the pillow, noticing that it even smelled like him. “You win,” she murmured.

  “Win?”

  “I changed. I’m stuck now. I didn’t even make it three days.” Mandy yawned. She’d be depressed about it in the morning. “Now I’ll never be free.”

  Her last thought before going to sleep was that Adrian had a rather unhappy look on his face.

  She woke up again at night, rummaged through his fridge, ate all the leftovers she could find, and then padded back to bed, curling up against his warm body and going back to sleep. Turning tiger was a bit like having the flu, she decided. You lose the days you’re sick, and then spend the next two recovering. Mandy still felt wrung out, but it wasn’t a bad sort of wrung out, just a good, mellow tired.

  But when she woke up again, it was to the sound of Adrian puttering in the kitchen. The bed was empty, and she knew she had to face him and figure out what came next.

  Since she’d lost their ridiculous bet, she was now his mate, wasn’t she? Mentally, she tried to be upset about it. And she was, a little. Here everything was decided for her again, all without her say-so.

  But part of her was kind of…excited? Titillated about being possessed by Adrian. And she remembered that sweet, gentle kiss he’d given her, and the feel of his body against hers. He’d been good to her in ways Johnny never had. He asked her opinion, and he hadn’t minded when she signed up for classes. If she had to be a tiger, she supposed Adrian was the least of the evils she was presented with. Buoyed by that, she dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and headed into the kitchen.

  Adrian was pouring a cup of coffee when she entered. She gave him a hesitant smile, and he immediately pulled another cup out of the pantry and poured it full of coffee, then handed it to her. “Breakfast?”

  Her stomach was a little iffy. She wasn’t sure if it was last night’s leftovers-binge or an after-effect of the shift. “Any suggestions on what?”

  “Your call.”

  She frowned. “What do you recommend for post-shift?”

  “What shift?”

  Mandy blinked. “Huh?”

  “How about oatmeal? It’s easy on the stomach.” He turned and opened the pantry, scanning the contents.

  “Um, sure?” She sat and waited as he pulled oatmeal packets out of a box. Then, she had to ask. “So…what do we do now?”

  He looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, now that…things happened?”

  Adrian poured the oatmeal into a bowl and then ran the faucet over the flakes. As she watched, he put the entire thing into the microwave and turned it on. All very normal. All very avoiding her question.

  “Adrian?”

  He looked over at her. “Not sure what you’re referring to, Mandy.”

  “I’m confused.” She was actually really, really confused. “Did I hit my head or something?”

  Adrian’s gaze was totally calm. The microwave beeped and he reached into it and pulled out the cup of water, then poured it over the instant oatmeal. “I don’t think you hit your head, no.”

  Was this some weird tiger shifter thing where you didn’t talk about shifting? She didn’t know the rules. “I changed yesterday. I lost our bet. I thought we needed to discuss what happens next.”

  He stirred the oatmeal and then put the bowl in front of her. “Deal’s canceled. Eat up.”

  Mandy blinked at him, not comprehending. “Um…what?”

  “I didn’t see anything. You didn’t change.” He gave her a hard look. “Therefore, deal’s canceled. You’re free to go.”

  Just…just like that? Instead of feeling elation, Mandy felt a bit…abandoned. Didn’t he care about her? What would happen to her? If she left, who was going to help her the next time she shifted? “Why did you change your mind?”

  “You said yourself that there’s no benefit to being tiger. That you’re trapped and no one understands you. That no one gives you a choice.” He spread his hand. “So here I am, giving you a choice, Mandy. You’re free to go. Or you’re free to stay. But this time, it’s all on you.”

  She stared. She might have even gaped a little. “You won’t tell anyone that I changed?”

  “Nope.” He focused on his coffee cup, raised it to his lips.

  “And what if Vic asks where I went? What then?”

  “I’ll tell Vic it’s handled. Don’t you worry about him.”

  Her hands twisted in her lap. This was what she wanted, right? Why did she feel so unhappy, then? Why was he being so cold to her after he’d kissed her last night and they’d cuddled? “But…I thought you wanted me as your mate.”

  “I do.” His gaze flicked up to her, and there was no mistaking the hot, possessive look in his eyes.

  Well, now she was even more confused. “But you’re just letting me go?”

  “Mandy,” he murmured, voice husky. He set down his coffee mug and rubbed a hand over his unshaven chin. He should have looked messy and unkempt, but to her, he just looked sexy. “I want a mate that wants to be with me. Not someone that feels like a captive every day of her life. What I want between you and me doesn’t matter if it’s not what you want. Understand?”

  She did. She licked her lips, staring down at her breakfast that she no longer wanted.

  “It has to be your choice. And I won’t force you to choose me, no matter how much I might wish it otherwise. If I do, I’m no better than Johnny. So I’m letting you go.”

  Just like that? Just now, when she was starting to feel comfortable with who she now was? After he’d kissed her and made her feel things? “So you’re just going to mess with my head for a few days and then release me back into the wild? How very noble of you.”

  The look in his eyes grew tortured. “Mandy. I want to do what you want. What will make you happy.”

  “Which is rather ironic,” she told him. “Because when we first got together, all I wanted was for someone to let me make my own decisions for once. To let me be my own person. And you have. You’ve let me lead all week. You let me choose what I want to do, you let me determine my own future, and you’ve supported me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. But now that I’m finally getting to a place where I’m happy with things, you kiss me and then you tell me that I can leave. So you’ll have to forgive a girl if she’s a bit confused.”

&nbs
p; “Mandy.” He rubbed his face again, and his expression was tortured. “I’m trying to give you what you want, here.”

  “I want someone that treats me like what I think and say matters. I thought that was you.” Tears brimmed in her eyes. “But now you’re pushing me away. So what the fuck am I supposed to think?”

  “You should think I’m trying to make you happy.”

  “Maybe I’m happy when I’m with you, though.” Funny how she realized it the moment she said it. But really, hadn’t he been giving her everything she’d ever wanted? Love, patience, understanding, companionship, and letting her have a say in her life? He was everything Johnny wasn’t. And if he let her go right now…she didn’t know what the hell she’d do.

  “So what are you telling me?” Adrian’s eyes gleamed with his cat-shifter side.

  “I’m telling you to shut up and come over here and kiss me,” Mandy said. “And to quit making my decisions for me.”

  A hint of a smile curved his mouth as he stepped over to her side. “Is that what I was doing?”

  “Yep,” she told him, and her hands went to his shirt. She fisted them in the soft fabric and tugged him closer. “I thought I was the lady in charge around here?”

  “You are,” he told her, a smile on his gorgeous mouth. “I’ll do whatever you like. You just tell me how you like it.”

  “You’re still talking,” she told him, studying him. Then, she leaned in and licked his mouth.

  He groaned, his eyes closing. “Fuck, that was hot.”

  “You’re what I want, Adrian,” Mandy told him. “So quit pushing me away, all right? Maybe I want to be your mate.”

  His hands went to her shoulders, slid down her back, and he pulled her against him. “You do?”

  She nodded. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to be headstrong and demand to get my way.”

  “I’m pretty sure I can handle that. And I like you when you’re bossy.”

  “Then take me back to bed,” she told him, and nipped at his chin again. “And show me what it means to be mated.”

  He groaned and dragged her hips against his. “You sure that’s what you want?”

  “I’ve decided,” she said firmly. Her fingers tugged at his shirt. “Don’t make me rip your clothing off with my claws.”

  “Wouldn’t want that,” he murmured, but the flare of reflective green in his eyes told her he liked that idea quite a bit. “Besides, I don’t think you have enough control yet.”

  “I thought the point of sex was all about losing control?” She teased. God, she felt so good. So light and happy. Utterly carefree. This was where she belonged, really. How funny that it nearly took Adrian booting her out to recognize what she truly wanted.

  “You want control, you want to lose control,” he teased. “How about you make up your mind, Mandy?”

  “I will…eventually. But I’m open to convincing.” Her fingers slid down to the waistband of his jeans and she skimmed the edge of the fabric.

  “I know just the thing to convince,” he told her, hands roaming over her clothing, her skin. “But it involves a little trust and a lot of naked skin.”

  “Hmm. Now you’re speaking my language,” she told him, her hands tugging at his shirt.

  “Bedroom,” he told her, and moved in to give her another kiss.

  As soon as his lips touched hers, she realized that this was, in fact, what she wanted. His mouth felt so incredibly right against her own. It wasn’t just his lips and the fact that they seemed to be the perfect mix of soft skin and firmness that she adored. It wasn’t that his tongue flicked against her own, asking as much as it was daring. It was that his taste matched hers perfectly, and when she wanted more from him, he’d increase the pressure of the kiss until she was gasping with need, and desire was flooding every inch of her skin.

  Like now.

  She made a soft little moan in her throat as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her toward the bedroom, their mouths still locked in an endless, tongue-filled kiss. A low rumble escaped her throat and she gasped, pulling away from him. “What was that?”

  “You were purring,” he told her with a pleased grin. “I’m about to make you purr some more, too.”

  “Oh,” she breathed. Her entire body ached with need at his confident words, and she wondered what he’d do to her in bed. She’d never been this aroused, not with any prior boyfriend. Johnny had certainly never done a thing for her—

  She gasped, her hands flying to his chest even as he coaxed her backward onto his bed. “Adrian?”

  “Hmm?” He leaned in and nibbled at her throat, distracting her.

  “I didn’t have sex with Johnny. I just want you to know that.”

  His head lifted and he grimaced. “Do we have to talk about Johnny right now when my mouth is on you?”

  Mandy bit her lip. “I feel like it’s important to bring up. I never slept with him. Never even got close. The day he bit me, we’d kissed, but nothing more. I think he bit me because he was trying to get me to go further with him. Kinda worked in the opposite direction.” Her hands smoothed down his chest. “I just wanted you to know, because I know he’s your brother and all.”

  Adrian leaned in and gently kissed her mouth. “I know he never touched you.”

  “How do you know?”

  His nose brushed against hers in a knee-melting caress as he smiled down at her. “Because he’d have never let you go if that was the case.”

  Oh. “Boy, you’re good at making me want to fling my panties off.”

  He chuckled and then wagged his eyebrows at her. “Wait until you can see what I do once I get your panties off.”

  She giggled and pulled his mouth against hers in another long, sweet kiss. His tongue met hers, and she eagerly flicked her tongue against his as she tugged at his clothing. Touching Adrian was like a drug, she decided - one hit and she was addicted. His scent was in her nostrils, spicy and enticing, and she wanted all of his skin against her own, warm and delicious and sensual. Just the thought of their bare bodies pressed against each other made her wet, and she clenched her thighs at the thought. “Can we get naked now, please?”

  “Absolutely,” Adrian told her, and he helped her sit up on the bed. His hands tugged at her shirt, and she helped him pull it over her head. Her bra quickly followed, and then she shimmied out of her jeans and panties. She knew he was looking at her, but she wanted to get all of her clothing off before she got distracted again, because she knew once she saw the look in his eyes, and saw his naked body, she was going to be mighty distracted indeed.

  She kicked off the last bit of clothing and then leaned back on the bed, looking at him expectantly. She knew she had a decent body. She wasn’t a virgin, and she’d been told that her breasts were nice and full, her hips had just the right amount of curve, and she had great legs. But she wanted to hear Adrian say it. She wanted to know what he thought of her. So she bit her lip, gazed up at him, and waited.

  His gaze swept over her, and she watched as he seemed to eye every inch of her body in what felt like slow motion. Then, he gave himself a little shake. “God damn, but that’s the best thing I’ve seen, ever.” His hand reached out and he brushed his knuckles over the peak of one aching breast. “I’m going to touch you now.”

  No asking, this time. He was telling her what he wanted to do, and she shivered with need because she wanted it, too. “Yes, please.”

  His eyes flared with that reflective green again, and then his hands were stroking over her skin, petting every inch of her. And maybe it was her cat side coming out to play, but Mandy loved it. She closed her eyes and reveled in the glide of his fingers over her skin and the sensations he evoked.

  Then, his mouth was on one breast, and she moaned. “Oh God, Adrian!”

  He flicked his tongue over her nipple and she dragged her fingers through his hair, clutching at him. It was like he knew exactly how to touch her to make her wild. She whimpered as he lavished attention on one breast - licking, n
ipping, tasting - and then moved over to the other to give it the same treatment. By the time his hand slid to her sex, she was arching on the bed and desperately wet.

  “Sweet, delicious Mandy,” he told her in a low, husky murmur, and to her surprise, his mouth left her breasts and started to trail down her stomach. “I’m going to taste all of you.”

  She shuddered with need; she knew exactly what that meant, and she couldn’t wait. In response, her legs fell open in silent invitation.

  Adrian groaned and kissed down her belly, past her navel, until his mouth hovered over the curls of her sex. He stroked one hand along the inside of her thigh, encouraging her to spread wider for him, and then parted her flesh with a thumb, leaning in and giving her a long, sweet taste.

  Mandy cried out at the sensation. Her hips rose and she rocked in time with his mouth as he began to lavish attention onto her clit and her folds. If she thought his mouth was talented on her lips, well, she’d clearly been underestimating him. “Adrian,” she moaned. “Oh God, make me come.”

  He slid a finger deep inside her and she arched, but it wasn’t quite enough. Even as his tongue flicked against her clit and his finger pushed inside her, she needed a bit more.

  He seemed to know it, too. Because in the next moment? He was purring. A deep, vibrating rumble started in his throat and as he licked and sucked at Mandy’s sensitive flesh, the purr made her skin react in explosive ways.

  And now she was coming, crying out his name and screaming her pleasure, the purr in his throat working like a vibrator against her clit. And it was incredible. So freaking incredible.

  She was panting as she came down, and her eyes opened, dazed, just in time to see Adrian stripping his clothing off. “You’re not in heat, are you, sweetheart?” He asked. “Not close?”