by Ann Cory
Ian noticed a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders. Even the knot in his stomach didn’t seem as tight.
“I just try and take things one-step at a time now. Every once in awhile that means I take about three steps back and have to catch up.”
She sighed. “That’s all any of us can do. Life works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it takes longer than we expect to figure out our destined path.”
He heard a hint of remorse in her voice. “Sounds like something you can relate to.”
“My life’s very complex. I’m afraid I’ll never know who I really am.”
“What makes it complex? Maybe I can help?”
She averted her gaze and smoothed her hand along the rug. “I doubt you can.”
“Now hang on. You encouraged me to talk.”
“My situation differs greatly from yours. Trust me.”
“I’m going to use your own words against you if you don’t let me try.”
Her eyes darted back to him. “There’s a good chance you’ll want nothing more to do with me if I tell you.”
“You didn’t run off screaming when I told you my past. I can listen as well as you.”
She pressed her lips together. “Hmm. I much prefer listening than talking.”
“Out with it.”
“Have you ever heard of a kitsune?”
“A kit—what?”
“Kitsune,” she repeated. “It means fox in Japanese. Part woman, part fox.”
He shook his head slow. “Not that I’m aware of. Why?”
“Because I am a kitsune. I am able to be fox and a woman. I can take on both forms.”
Ian was certain he hadn’t heard right. Did she just imply that she was part animal?
The hairs on his skin bristled.
Chapter Four
Cassidy noted his reaction. His eyes reflected a mix of shock and fear. The way all the men looked at her after she confessed her identity. Of course, with the other men, she hadn’t wanted anything more to do with them, and telling them gave her an easy out. In this case, Ian meant something to her. She’d been wrong to keep her identity a secret and she was more emotionally invested in him than before. If there was any hope of them crossing paths again, he needed to know the truth, even if it meant losing him.
“Before I jump to conclusions,” he started, “what exactly does that mean? I’m not following.”
“I have the ability to become a fox or a woman. I can change at will.”
His eye twitched. “An actual fox. Bushy tail and paws kind of fox?”
“I don’t know any other kind, but yes.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck. “How does one become a fox? Do your bones snap and reposition like a werewolf?”
“Have you ever seen a werewolf?”
“Only in movies,” he replied sheepishly.
She bit her cheeks to stifle a laugh. “It’s nothing dramatic like in werewolf movies. There’s no pain involved. I’ve never really explained the process to anyone before, and I’m not even sure I can. I simply morph into a different form other than the one you see now.”
Cassidy liked that he asked questions. She’d rather he be curious than afraid of her. Plus, it kept him around longer.
He let out a long, low whistle. “I’ll be honest; I didn’t see that one coming. Not in a million years. I thought I’d heard everything.”
“It’s the way I was born, so it’s complete genetics, nothing strange happened to me or anything. I wasn’t bit or given some wild injection in a laboratory. And before you completely freak out, it isn’t contagious nor will you change into anything.”
Color spread along his face and ears. “I promise I didn’t think along those lines. I’m not freaked out, only curious and well, surprised. I’ve never heard of a—what did you call it again?”
“A kitsune. I’m not surprised. We’re falling to extinction. It didn’t used to be that way. In fact, at one time, we were all over the place. There have been a lot of silly things written about kitsunes in books. Urban legends.”
His brow rose. “What kinds of things?”
“Oh stuff like we possess or drive men mad. That through sex we feed on a man’s essence, like a vampire. That we’re malicious demons. None of those things are true.”
He chuckled. “I sure as hell hope not. Though, I believe the possess part. I swear you possessed me.”
Cassidy laughed with him. “I promise I didn’t. At one time, my ancestors had magical powers, but in the last few generations, those powers have faded off. From them I’ve retained a few gifts like my keen sense of smell, my intuition, and being an excellent tracker. Beyond that of course, the fact I can shape shift between being a woman and a fox.”
“So were you born a fox or as a human?”
“A fox.”
“How much time do you spend as a fox?”
She felt reluctant to say. “Most of the time. It’s the form I’m most comfortable in.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Why is that?”
“I’ve often wondered myself.” She wrung her hands. “It’s what I know, I guess. It offers me privacy. It allows me to be someone else and not stay committed to anyone. The men I’ve been with can’t offer me what I want. Anyone I tell about my ability to shift either doesn’t take me seriously or they look at me like I’m crazy. And I get that, trust me, it isn’t an easy thing to accept, but it’s part of who I am. I can choose to accept it or choose the form that keeps me in solitude. I could never be with someone who couldn’t accept me for the way I am.”
Several minutes of silence followed and she stared into the fire. She wondered what he was thinking.
“Can I ask another question, or am I being too nosy?”
“No, please ask away.”
“Why do you change back into a fox? Why not stay as a woman?”
She felt her cheeks burn.” When I change into a woman, it affects my hormones and makes me crave the kind of release only sex gives me. And being a fox is like wearing a mask. It’s a way for me to hide away when I don’t understand or am afraid of things around me. The downfall is that I live a solitary existence. I’m just looking to be understood.”
“And what about your home? You mentioned you were scared to go back.”
“I live in a burrow in the forest—a dangerous place to be when fox hunting season starts. Hunters came near my home and tried to track me with their dogs. I had to run or risk being shot and skinned.”
His face paled. “Shit. That’s messed up. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
“I have good survival skills. And I knew I’d be safe here.” She decided not to add that he made her feel safest of all.
“No wonder you didn’t know how to tell me. I’m glad you did.”
“I wanted to, honest, but I chickened out. I was afraid if you knew, you’d want nothing to do with me. So, now that I’ve told you the truth about myself, are you completely turned off?”
He reached out and stroked one side of her face, and then the other. “No. We all have our ghosts and things that make us unique. You’re just more unique than I realized.”
Cassidy leaned her face into his hand, enjoying the warmth.
“But,” he continued, “if you think I’m going to let you walk right out of my life because of a few issues, then you haven’t been listening to me.”
She raised her head and looked him square in the eye. “I worried you wouldn’t be able to get passed the weirdness of my ability to change.”
“Listen. I understand you more than you know. When I wear my uniform and badge, I become someone else. As a police officer, I’m no longer Ian who is lonely and tormented by his past. Instead, I’m tough and don’t take shit from anyone. The problem is I’ve spent so much time in work mode that I’ve left the real me behind. You helped me get in touch with that part of me again. My life’s pretty solitary too. Of course, it doesn’t help that I’ve shut everyone out. So see, we have a lot in common.”
“Not entirely,” she countered. “You’ve just heard a complete stranger tell you she changes into an animal. I’ve been in this position before and I know what’s going to happen.” She let out a long slow sigh. “We were intimate and you now feel the need to be kind. The novelty will fade. Why prolong things? Both of us have hurt enough in our lives.”
This time he reached out both hands and pressed them gently against her cheeks, his eyes intent. “You aren’t hearing me. I’m not pushing you away.”
Her eyes blurred with tears. “Then you’re just being nice. Or you pity me.”
“Do you pity me?” His tone roughened.
Cassidy willed the tears not to fall. “No.”
“Good, because I don’t do the pity thing. Understand?”
She nodded and sniffled. “Okay.”
“What do I need to do to convince you that I’m interested?”
“I don’t know.”
He brushed her tears away with his thumbs.
“I think I do.”
Without another moment of hesitation, he took her into his arms. Captured her mouth and sealed his lips over hers. The kisses were far more passionate and demanding than before. Any questions about his feelings were quickly erased. Her pulse accelerated as he raked his tongue along the inside of her mouth. He released her lips long enough for her to take a breath and gasp how much she wanted him. Mouth fitted over hers again, he sealed in her throaty cries. The kisses turned feral, making her dizzy.
Again he broke from the kiss and traced the bow of her lips with his fingers.
“Are you convinced yet?”
She smiled and shook her head.
“You little imp,” he laughed, his eyes fiery with need. “I should put the cuffs back on you.”
Cassidy reached out and filled her palm with his hard, thick cock. “Later,” she replied huskily. “Right now I want to feel you.”
His hot flesh in her hand made her pussy flood. The need and want of this man far surpassed her previous desires for men. She stroked him slow and squeezed him gently.
He took his hand and wrapped it over hers, simulating the action. “I like it harder and faster.”
She found her rhythm and reveled in the feel of his texture. His male scent grew stronger as she stroked. Her lips trembled at the thought of going down on him. “May I taste you, Master?”
Cassidy swore his body jolted at the question. “Yes. Take my cock in your mouth.”
She teased the head of his cock with her tongue and watched him watch her.
“Mm,” she moaned. “Master tastes good.”
Ian shuddered the moment her moist warm mouth enveloped his cock. She didn’t waste any time drawing him in deep. He held her long hair up to get the full view of her lips stroking back and forth along his length. The sight made him that much harder.
She teased his head again, swirling her tongue along the tip, and then took him in her mouth to the hilt. Her fingers grazed his balls while she sucked him and milked him, her lips locked around his length like a damn vise. He grunted at the multitude of sensations that barraged him. If he came now, he’d miss out on the one place he craved to have his cock most.
“Okay, you’ve had your fun,” he growled.
She slid her plump lips from his cock. “But I’m not done. I want to taste all of you.”
“I’ll be done sooner than I want if you keep on. As your Master, you’re to do what I say.”
He watched her bat her long lashes and then nod. “Yes, Master.”
“That’s a good—”
He didn’t even get to finish his sentence when she interrupted him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “What’s that long black stick hanging from your belt?”
Ian looked across the floor to his pants. “A baton. It’s in case I run into trouble with someone I’ve arrested, though I’ve never used it.”
“It looks nice and hard. Not as big as you, but I’ll bet it’s as hard.”
“Is that so?”
She flashed a mischievous glance his way. “I can think of some creative ways you can use it.”
“I’m not sure you’ve been that bad.”
“You make me want to be bad,” she whispered.
Her seductive words made his cock wrench so hard he had to catch his breath. Far be it for him to deny her a damn thing.
“If that’s what you’d like.”
“Yes.”
He swiped the baton from his belt loop and removed the encasing around it.
With the black tip, he took turns circling her nipples until they formed taut beads. Ian marveled at the way her skin flushed and eyes misted over. He leaned in and followed the same path as the baton with his tongue. She arched into him, her head back, moaning. So beautiful. So angelic. He could see exploring new territory together, and never tire of learning what excites her. To spend each day pleasuring her would be a welcome change in his life. The darkness had overstayed its welcome, and it was time to rejoin the world.
He brushed the baton along the rise of her breasts, between them, and slid it down her belly. She spread her legs wider and he swept the object up and down her inner thighs.
“Master, please.”
He lightly tapped the baton against her clit and watched surprise streak her face.
“Is that what you want?”
She squirmed. “Oh, yes,” she gasped.
Ian tapped the hard crest of her clit again and circled it along her silky rim. More breathy sighs followed. Her heavy lidded stare spoke volumes.
While he enjoyed the foreplay, he couldn’t be patient any longer.
“I’m going to fuck that beautiful pussy of yours,” he grumbled.
A wide grin curved her lips. “Yes, please, Master.”
He spread her thighs wide and rested his cock at her slick entry. Her heady scent infused his senses. “You’ll get it hard, fast, and rough—the way you said you wanted it.”
She wet her lips and faintly whispered, “Yes.”
With a single thrust, he entered her pussy. She was tight and wet beyond all belief. Waves of heat rushed through him. Time had made him forget how gratifying sex was. For every inch he sunk inside her, a new part of him awakened.
“Damn you feel good,” he groaned.
She tilted her hips and he wrapped her legs around his waist, wanting to get closer and bury his cock deep inside her.
“Fuck me good, Master,” she pled.
Ian thrust and pumped in steady strokes. His hands tight around her hips, bringing him into her further each time. He looked on at the beauty of her body in its bliss-filled state, skin streaked crimson and lips o-shaped. She fixed her gaze on him, eyelids fluttering, glazed over. Soft moans escaped her throat. He eyed the lace choker around her neck and again imagined a diamond-studded collar. He thought of her ankles and wrists secured, leaving her spread-eagle and open. Envisioned her heart-shaped ass up in the air, and all the ways he would fuck her.
She brought her fingers to her clit and rubbed the pink nub, which turned him on more.
“You’d better come soon,” he said between ragged breaths.
In response, she rocked her hips and met each of his long, hard strokes. Sweat streaked along his face and chest. An orgasm surged low in his gut but he fought its release for another few seconds.
“Come for me,” he all but shouted. “Come now for your Master.”
Her body jerked hard beneath him and she cried out. Ian closed his eyes and jetted his cock a few times more. He clenched his jaw and let loose the tsunami of a climax that refused to be ignored.
Spent he stretched out beside her on the rug and held her close.
Chapter Five
It took several minutes before the last spasm rocketed through her. Cassidy breathed a sigh of contentment and snuggled close to Ian’s warm body. The fire crackled peacefully in the background. She’d never felt safer or more sated.
“That’s one way to stave off the chill of winter,” she murmured.
/>
His hand trailed the length of her arm. “I’m surprised how comfortable this house is. It’s not even mine but it feels like home.”
“I feel the same way.”
He interlocked his fingers with hers. “What drew you here initially?”
“The garden. I’ve seen many gardens over time, but this one is the most beautiful. You should see it when the flowers are in full bloom and smell so sweet. Everything else about this house is an added bonus.”
“It is a beauty. I’ve been drawn to the architecture all along, but this is the first chance I’ve had to see the interior. There are a few things that could use fixing up, but otherwise it’s perfect. I’m tempted to see about buying this place. I’ve wanted to for a while now, but never had the nerve to follow through. What do you think?”
Cassidy couldn’t think of anyone who deserved it more.
“You’d be lucky to own a home like this. I think it suits you. Is your current place as nice as this one?”
He chuckled. “No. Not by a long shot. I’m renting a one-bedroom loft with barely enough room to stretch out. I’m there just to sleep, shower and store my stuff. I sold my first house two years ago. Thought it would help aid the healing process. As you know, it doesn’t work that way.”
“Nope.”
She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his fingers. They were still scented with her juices, and it made her smile. She longed for the day when she could cuddle up with someone she loved. As a woman. And just be.
“What would you do if you owned this house,” he asked.
“Me?” With that single question, her imagination went wild. “Where to start? I’d decorate it. Tend to the garden. Sit and read, maybe write in a journal that I’d leave behind for someone else to find. I’d paint. Learn to cook. Take nice long baths. Grow herbs.”
“Is that all,” he teased playfully.
“Not a chance. There are so many things I want to do. I have a special nook in my burrow where I keep pictures of things I want to do. One day I’d like to just open the box and start doing one thing after another until I’ve done it all, and then fill it back up again.” She propped up to her elbow and gazed into his big brown eyes. “What things interest you?”
