“Leigh?”
“Hmm?” I had so much food in me, the only thing able to improve my day would be a nap stretched out in Ian’s massive feather-soft bed.
Ian’s expression changed, taking on a worried appearance. His brows creased, alerting me to something heavy on his mind. Our short friendship and even shorter marriage didn’t hamper my ability to read him like an open book.
“What is it?”
“I decided to run for sheriff in the next election.” The apprehensive expression remained.
“Won’t you have to be here a lot if you run for sheriff, Ian? I thought you liked going away with your squad and taking up your government contracts.”
“I do,” he said. “And I can still do that, it just won’t be as often as it used to be.” I wanted to leave my seat to rub his tense shoulders. “But I want to do something for this area besides throwing my money around at people. Sophia deserves to grow up somewhere safe. To be honest, when I married you, I knew then I’d be cutting back on the work I do.”
“This is great news!” I leaned out of my seat to throw my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. “People around here respect you. You’d make a great sheriff.”
“That’s not everything. We need to discuss one more thing first. There’s something I want to show you... and I know it’s going to seem crazy, but I need you to have an open mind.” He returned my embrace then ran his fingers through my hair, smoothing strands back from my face.
I raised my brows. His pale, champagne colored eyes watched me closely. “Okay? Ian, you’re driving me crazy with this somber mood. Just tell me everything.”
“The thing I need to show you has an incredible amount of importance for me, Leigh. I need to know I can trust you to keep this to yourself, because it affects more than me.”
Was he going to let me in on something related to one of his top-secret government jobs? My pulse sped and my mouth went dry, prompting me to pour another glass of lavender lemonade from the pitcher. I sipped it nervously and cleared my throat before answering him. “Ian, I’ll keep any secret you want me to keep. What’s wrong?”
“I think it’ll be easier if I show you first. Then we can talk about it.”
Ian rose from his seat and pulled off his shirt, in the sexy way where guys grabbed a t-shirt by the back of the collar.
“Are you giving me a strip tease? You didn’t get a tramp stamp of my name or something while away, did you?” I tried to ease the tension with some humor, sensing he needed it as much as I did.
Ian chuckled nervously and unfastened his jeans. I sat up straighter in the chair and stared at him. My child napped indoors, tucked safe and sound in her crib with a monitor on the table beside it, so if Ian was fishing for sex, he’d picked an excellent time for a second intimate encounter.
“Ian?”
His pants dropped and his boxers followed. He was perfect from head to toe, the very idea of masculinity. Because hard muscle and a lean build made his age indeterminable, I wouldn’t have guessed my husband to be a day over thirty-five, despite the generous amount of silver in his dark hair. Ian’s youthful features contradicted the loss of his chestnut brown coloring.
I lost the battle against my willpower and let my eyes drop below his waist. Even in its unaroused state, his cock was nearly as large as some of the guys I’d dated in the past when erect.
“Just remember it’s me. Don’t freak.”
“Ian, I’m not going to freak because a hot naked man is standing in front of me. I’m freaking because you’re being mysterious. What are you—?”
Ian’s slim body contorted and a loud, cracking sound filled the air. A tiny shriek ripped from my throat. Before my eyes, he jerked one direction and shrank as a rush of ivory and brown plumage materialized into being. It may have all happened in a split second, but for me, it lasted an eternity. Ian wasn’t there anymore; in his place, a proud American bald eagle stood on the wood patio deck. The eagle I touched in my very own yard less than six weeks ago.
When the raptor came closer to me, I slammed against the bricks beside the patio door. At some point, I must have leapt from my seat and stumbled against the back of the house.
It’s Ian. I tried to tell myself it was Ian. The bird hadn’t spirited him away, and he hadn’t pulled a disappearing act worthy of Houdini. The bird was him. I leaned against the house until the threat of fainting was long over. My bird was him.
My heart leapt into my throat. Speaking became difficult, like a fist clenched my neck.
“Ian?” I whispered.
The bird tilted his head. They had the same gorgeous eyes, a too pale shade reminiscent of rose gold. How had I never drawn the comparison until now?
My racing pulse demanded for me to run, but the sensible part of me saw the man beneath the feathers and knew he’d never hurt me. Fighting against instinct, I crouched low and raised one trembling hand to the top of the eagle’s head. I stroked him then let my fingers travel lower until I petted the silky feathers covering his breast.
“You’re so... so gorgeous. I don’t understand.” I felt dizzy again. “I need to sit down. I need to sit down.”
Ian was Ian again, a man crouching with me, his strong hands on my shoulders steadying me. Speechless, I couldn’t even make lame come-ons or joke about his nudity.
“I’m a shapeshifter, Leigh.
“Not possible. This isn’t possible.” It became a struggle to control my breathing, and I was in danger of hyperventilating. Quick intakes of air whistled in and out of my lungs. “I am dreaming. Any minute I am going to wake up because you’re walking through the front door and I’ve been asleep on the couch taking a nap.”
“I knew from the moment I first saw you, that you were the woman I wanted. Because I’m a shifter and because I’ve been drawn to you. You met me once like this Leigh, because I wanted to see you again after I took you home.”
The light-headed feeling didn’t abate. When I wobbled again, Ian coaxed me to sit on the deck. I’d recently swept it clean of leaves and debris at least. “Like love at first sight?” It was hard having a conversation with a naked person, harder when the naked person had transformed from the shape of a bird.
“Sort of. You could call it such, I guess. I could have resisted if I wanted to, but the thing is, Leigh, I didn’t. When I saw the way the people at church treated you, I couldn’t let it pass.”
“So you helped me because of what?”
“Because no one deserves to be treated that way, Leigh. Hell, I’d have stepped in for anyone, but finding you at the same time...” He sighed. “Come on. Let’s get you off the ground.”
Ian helped me up to my feet, but I stumbled against him and into his hard body. His strong arms surrounded me without hesitation.
“What’s this mean, Ian? For me and Sophia. For... us.”
“It means I don’t only want you for a year, or until you’re out of school and on your feet, Leigh. I want you for the rest of my life, for as long as you’ll have me. I never intended to let you go without a fight. When I married you, I hoped you’d eventually come to want me, too.”
And then I had visited his room in the middle of the night. I trembled, distracted by the memory of his lips against mine. I wanted to be afraid. I wanted to be terrified of a man who could turn into a wild animal in the span of a second, but in my heart, I knew he was the same Ian who rescued me from my shitty life decisions. Cold from the shock, I pressed closer against him to reap the benefits of his body heat.
“Are you okay, Leigh?”
“I’m fine,” I whispered.
“If you want out, I’ll understand.”
“I didn’t say that.” The idea of ending it all and walking way away seemed scarier than the secret he’d revealed. I’d have to be a fool to go.
Sophia’s sudden, piercing shriek interrupted our conversation. “I have to check her... um...”
“We’ll finish this when you’re done,” Ian assured me.
; I returned inside, glancing once over my shoulder to see him gathering his clothes off the deck. By the time I’d finished comforting my infant by changing a wet diaper, Ian had brought in our leftover goodies and clothed himself in his jeans. That was regrettable. We crossed paths as he exited the kitchen and moved our conversation to the living room where we settled on opposite ends of the same couch.
When Ian didn’t speak first, I bit the bullet and started us off. “So... You turn into an eagle. Bet that was useful in the Air Force.”
Ian’s faint smile held a trace of amusement. “It was, actually. I’m the leader of a special group of individuals, each of us with a unique skill set related to our shifter traits.”
“Wait a minute. Wasn’t Russell in your squad? Are Dani and Russ eagles too?”
His rich, deep laughter filled the room. “No. Not eagles, sweetie. Dani is as human as you are, Leigh. My kind are incredibly rare.”
Ian gave me a lot to think about and too many questions to ask at once. If Russ wasn’t a human or an eagle, what was he? And had Ian settled for me due to the lack of women among his own species?
“I can see the question in your eyes. Russ is a bear.”
Shit. A bear of a man and an actual bear.
“Does Dani know?” I whispered.
“Yeah, she does. Took Russ a while to tell her, though, and I didn’t want to make the same mistake with you, Leigh. I wanted to tell you as soon as I knew I could trust you.”
“I want to be pissed at you. I want to be so mad that you kept it from me. But another part of me wants to kiss you, because I missed you so much.”
“I’ll take the kisses,” he offered helpfully.
So would I. We closed the distance between us at the same time, practically leaping at one another across the couch. His fingers tangled in my hair and our lips came together in a hard, bruising press. We were frenzied, as if a day apart had starved us of each other.
Ian tore away my camisole without a word. Warm sunlight spilled through the window over my bared breasts and upper body. He didn’t need a bedside lamp to see me, and I didn’t give a damn that he could. His mouth lowered to one nipple and then the other, delivering playful nips to the tip of each breast until they were stiffly budded peaks.
Without thinking, I snuck one hand in the waist of my pajama bottoms. I was soaked, and having Ian so close brought out the shameless side of me I never knew existed before. I circled my clit until his fingers closed around my wrist.
“You’re not allowed to touch yourself,” Ian whispered. His lips were at my ear, delivering a teasing nibble against my unpierced lobe.
“No? Why not?”
“Because it’s my duty to give you pleasure, Leigh. I’m your husband.”
A shiver coursed through me as Ian knelt and pulled down my capris. He tugged aside my bikini style panties before tonguing my slit. He lapped at my folds, making my body tense and my heart race with every parting lick and the discovery of my clit. Within seconds, he proved he was as skilled with his tongue as he was with his hands, introducing me to ecstasy I’d never experienced before. His lips closed around my clit, trapping the tiny nerve bundle for a series of torturous strokes. Just when I was on the verge of climax, he stopped and kissed the crease of my thigh instead.
The tiniest twitch of my hands toward my body resulted in his longer fingers encircling my wrists. He pinned me down with the lightest touch. It was all he needed.
“I couldn’t wait to get back to you to do this, Leigh.”
“Ian, don’t stop... I need... I need...” I needed him inside me. To feel our bodies connected together as one.
“I know what you need.” The sexy confidence in his voice convinced me it was true.
“Ian,” I pleaded softly, squirming on my back until his mouth descended again. He lavished fleeting licks and split my folds with his tongue. At the end, he sealed his mouth around my clit and suckled.
Molten heat crashed over my body and swept me on the tide of passion. I arched my back and gripped his salt and pepper hair in one hand until the last contraction ended and I became a boneless heap on the couch. Afterward, Ian, traced lazy circles over my thigh. I moaned something unintelligible. My orgasm had made my limbs feel heavy as lead weights.
“Do you think I’m finished with you already, sweetheart?” His index finger teased between my thighs until my legs parted again and yielded access. One brush of his fingertip made me shudder again.
“Ian...” He bent his head and kissed me, brushing our lips tenderly at first. I could taste myself on his tongue, a discovery that turned me on more than anything. An overwhelming urge came over me to have Ian in my mouth, to feel the hot pulse of his cum. Somehow, it reinvigorated me.
“Bedroom. We need the bedroom,” I gasped, pulling away from him.
“It’s just us, Leigh. In our house.”
Ian fished a foil square from his discarded jeans and tore it open. Licking my lips in anticipation, I watched him roll it over his hard length. He was definitely well-endowed for a bird-man, and I wouldn’t have him any other way.
“My eagle wants to bond with you and claim you, Leigh. There’s no undoing it for me after this, baby. I need to know if you want this. If you truly want this.”
“I want you exactly as you are.”
Ian flipped me onto my belly and dragged my lower half off the couch onto my knees. Before I could speak another word, he nudged his dick between my folds and gradually penetrated me, drawing out our merging one tedious second after the next. A pitiful moan parted my lips.
“Leigh?” I heard the question in his tone: had he hurt me this time?
“Don’t fucking stop,” I growled at him.
My encouragement inspired a series of ruthless thrusts. He took me hard and fast from behind, slapping our bodies together, and his pelvis against my softer ass cheeks. Each slam jerked me forward into the couch. His arm was like a steel band around my waist, securing me against him while one hand palmed my breast.
It didn’t matter that it was only our second lovemaking. We both knew how we liked it and what we wanted from each other. Once we found the rhythm, we kept an urgent and desperate pace. My every nerve was alive and humming with power. Without me having to ask or guide him, Ian’s other hand dipped below my belly and traveled south until his fingers curved between my thighs. He touched my clit with confident fingers and introduced me to ecstasy.
“Close, so close,” I panted out.
His lips skimmed my ear. “You’re going to be more than close, baby.”
I clenched around his dick. Fuck, I loved it when he called me baby.
In a torturous move, Ian slowed his pace until the imminent threat of my release dimmed. Then, just as swiftly, he pounded into me with renewed vigor. The back and forth pace drove me toward my finish.
The first orgasm was comparable to detonating a stick of dynamite, exploding and igniting the next charge in the set. Arching my back, I screamed as the next rolling series of endless contractions lit through my soul, calling his name over and over more times than I could count. Through it all, his motions never ceased.
Just when I thought it was over, Ian’s backstroke set off another chain reaction as he stiffened behind me in climax. His breathless reaffirmation told me exactly what I needed to hear.
“Mine.”
When I came to, Ian’s concerned face was gazing down at me. He sat cross-legged on the floor with me over his lap, a sweaty sheen still glistening over his shoulders.
“What happened?” The sound of my hoarse voice startled me. One moment I was experiencing the best climax of my life, and in the next, I was staring up at my lover from the floor.
“You passed out,” he answered with a sheepish look on his face.
“I passed out during sex?”
“I think you were still kind of hanging on at the end there, so, technically, it was after sex, but yeah.”
I tried to lift one hand to weakly swat at him, but it on
ly fell back to my side again. “Is that a shifter thing?”
“It’s actually rare, hon. Or so I’ve been told.”
“Nngh... maybe it’s a credit to your sexual prowess that it made me faint then.”
Once I assured Ian I was fine, he helped me from the floor and stole a tender kiss. We spent most of the afternoon sprawled on the couch together while I listened to the sound of his strong heartbeat. He was right. It was our home and no one could see us enjoying it in the way we wanted. It wouldn’t last once Sophia was older, but for now, I planned to enjoy every minute, especially until she awakened from her nap.
“I never meant to mislead you, Leigh,” Ian broke the silence.
“I know.” I raised my head to look into his eyes, and for once, I saw the vulnerability beneath his masculine bravado. Ian was tough, but he needed me as much as I needed him. “Your secret is safe with me. I promise.”
Chapter Eleven
~Ian~
Leigh forbade me to from telling Dani and Russ she was in the know, but I warned her Russ would be able to smell the change in her scent and know we had bonded.
“So? Bonding doesn’t mean you told me the truth about his furry side,” she pointed out. “Or your feathered one for that matter. Let me have a little fun with him.”
“True.”
Our friends visited us for lunch a couple days later. While they were around, we made Thanksgiving plans for a big dinner at my house to save my grandmother the obligation of attempting to cook. The women shuffled around the kitchen while Russ and I drank beers in front of the television and discussed plans for an upcoming trip to Israel.
“Food is ready. Here, give Sophia to me,” Leigh said.
“Nah, I got her, babe,” I said.
“How are you going to eat with her flailing her fists into your plate?” my wife demanded.
“I’ll manage,” I insisted. “It can’t be worse than trying to eat with Russ nearby while on a surveillance mission in the east.”
Let Us Prey: BBW Military Paranormal Romance (Wild Operatives, #2) Page 10
