Seduction's Shift

by A. C. Arthur

  Falling to his knees, Nick kissed each rounded globe of her buttocks, loving the feel of the soft, warm flesh against his tongue.

  * * *

  Even through her climax-hazed mind Ary knew what he wanted, what he possibly needed. She couldn’t explain their attraction and didn’t want to fight it. He was her companheiro, she knew that without a doubt, had known years ago. The fact that she was here with him right now was fate. What would happen tomorrow, she had no clue. All she could do was bask in the here and now.

  So she climbed up onto the couch, planting her knees firmly on the pillows and spreading her legs wide. With her palms on the back of the couch she bent forward.

  “Take me,” she whispered.

  He kissed her, his tongue tracing long heated lines along her flesh. His strong hands held her buttocks parted open, and she shivered with the eroticism of his warm breath over her skin.

  “So long. So long,” he was mumbling.

  She knew exactly what he meant and how he felt. Her thighs trembled with need.

  “Please, Dominick,” she begged and didn’t care how it sounded. She wanted him to take her, right there where he was; she wanted his thick length planted deeply inside her.

  When he stood over her, he licked up and down her spine. She felt his fingers probing her anus and clenched her teeth. “More,” she was finally able to say.

  He went farther, stretching her slowly. She clasped the material of the couch and moaned. With his other hand he slid between her legs, touching the hood of her pussy, rubbing slowly, milking her center.

  Her body began to shake, a keening sound coming from deep within. Ary arched her back, the cat inside hungry for more.

  He wanted her, there was no doubt. The feel of him tapping the tight head of his dick against her anus was like heaven, and she whimpered.

  “Yes.”

  “Slow, baby. I want you slow and deep.”

  She bit her bottom lip, pushing her hips back because his slow was just too damn slow for her. With a quick stinging sensation the head of him was buried inside her.

  “Dammit!” he yelled through gritted teeth. “I said slow.”

  “Now!” was her reply as she pushed back again.

  Nick was thick and long and stretched her farther the deeper he went. The pleasure/pain sensation was bordering much more on the pleasure side and Ary cried out again. She rotated her hips, needing him deeper, faster.

  He slipped two fingers into her opening and thrust quickly in and out. “There you go, little cat. There you go.”

  Ary worked those fingers, pushing herself closer to another release. “More!” she demanded.

  “Bossy,” he quipped and slapped his free hand on her buttocks.

  With his dick moving inside her anus and his fingers thrusting faster and faster inside her center, Ary was out of control. Every nerve in her body seemed heightened, sensitive. Her blood rushed through her veins so hard she could swear she heard it. And her cat scratched and mewled and chuffed. This was her mate, she wanted to make sure he knew it.

  When Nick began moving faster simultaneously she thought she would lose her mind, the pleasure was so intense. Her head jerked with Nick’s motions, her breasts slapping against themselves, the sound of her sweaty flesh even more arousing.

  “Gonna come, little cat. We’re gonna come together,” he growled, leaning low to her ear.

  “Yes!” Ary yelled the moment everything inside her exploded.

  Nick stiffened behind her, his sharpened canines finding a spot at the nape of her neck and biting down.

  The combined roar that came from them was probably enough to ensure that the neighbors would be calling the police on them very soon.

  Chapter 14

  The second Kalina entered the condo she knew what they’d been doing. Their calor was spicy and lit the air like incense. Nick had answered the door wearing basketball shorts and a T-shirt that still clung to the dampness of his back. She followed him inside and watched with interest as he seemed to be fixing his patio door.

  “So where’s Ary?” she asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs that faced the balcony.

  “She’s getting dressed,” he answered in a clipped tone.

  “I called her over an hour ago, figured she’d be ready by now.” Kalina tapped her fingernails on the edge of an end table that sat beside the chair. She found it interesting that Nick wouldn’t face her. Very interesting.

  “You know it takes females a long time to get ready.”

  “Maybe an ordinary female, but Ary’s not ordinary, is she?”

  “No, she’s not.”

  “She’s a very special shifter. One with a special future, I’d imagine.”

  “I guess” was his noncommittal reply.

  Kalina almost laughed. He would not look at her and would not answer her questions with any sort of commitment. This was not the Nick Delgado she knew. It wasn’t the cocky attorney or the kick-ass shifter she’d met a couple months ago. No, something had definitely changed within this shifter, and Kalina was willing to bet the ten-carat William Goldberg Ashoka ring Rome had purchased for her that that something was the female shifter in the next room.

  “Why did you really leave her?” she asked him seriously and waited for his answer.

  His back stiffened as he stood straight. “I told you it was an agreement between our parents.”

  Kalina remembered the story Nick had told them back in the Gungi, and she didn’t doubt that was the way things happened. But something told her there was more. In all her years of interrogating suspects, she’d learned how to read people. And Nick’s tight posture and stiff responses definitely said he was lying, or at least holding back.

  “The Nick I know would never let somebody tell him what to do, especially someone like Davi Serino. The guy was a slimy piece of crap. I could see that and I’d only known him for a day.”

  Nick turned to her then, the scowl he’d been wearing a lot lately etching his face. It was funny how she clearly remembered their first meeting. Nick Delgado was charming as he’d smiled at her that day in Rome’s office. He was just an average man to her at the time; he’d surveyed her assets and made a half-assed play for her to anger Rome. The first thought Kalina had was that he matched his profile: rich, good-looking, terribly arrogant, immensely enticing.

  He was still all that, but now that she’d seen him in action, she knew there was so much more to him. More that included Ary.

  “What are you trying to say, Kalina?”

  “I just want to know why you walked away from a female you knew was your companheiro?”

  “Because I don’t give a shit about that crap!” he snapped. “She was a female like any other.”

  “That’s a piss-poor lie, counselor.” She kept her eyes on him and he kept his on her. No more hiding from the interrogation, she thought. Okay, that was fine with her.

  “You were in love with her then and it scared you. One of the most eligible and sought-after bachelors in DC was afraid of a young healer in the forest.”

  “First,” he said folding his arms across his chest, “I wasn’t one of the most eligible bachelors when I was nineteen. And second, it was more than that. You have no idea how hard it was.”

  “How hard what was?” Ary asked, coming into the room.

  Something told her they’d been talking about her, or about something they didn’t want her to know about. Guilt had a crisp scent that opened the airways and made Ary take notice.

  “Well, don’t you look cute,” Kalina said, rising to her feet and looking at Ary.

  For a minute she felt self-conscious. Nick was also looking at her, and the little dress she had on was nothing spectacular. She didn’t own many regular clothes, but she did have some outfits for those occasions when she went to the human village. This was one of the dresses she wore there. It was a dark orange color with capped sleeves and was tight around her breasts because she’d had it for years. The length stopped midthigh, and t
he only shoes she had were her ankle-high boots. Not a gorgeous picture, she knew.

  “I look confused” was her reply to Kalina. Then her gaze found Nick’s.

  “Kalina’s right, the dress is cute,” he said in a dry tone.

  Yeah right. Even the smile that followed his sentence didn’t convince her.

  “Well, if you could make me a loan, I’ll be able to get some more appropriate clothing today. I don’t know when I’ll be able to pay you back, but—”

  She had been talking to Kalina when Nick interrupted. “Here, use this. If they ask any questions just have them call me.”

  Because Ary stood speechless, staring at the card he extended to her, Kalina snapped it out of Nick’s hand.

  “Never turn down a man’s credit card,” she told Ary and slipped the plastic into her purse.

  “You need a purse, too. We’re going to have a good time,” she said, smiling at Nick.

  “I will repay you,” she told him seriously.

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “No. I want to repay you.”

  “Ary,” he started, then stopped. “Fine. You can pay me back.”

  With a nod Ary felt uncomfortable all over again. How was she supposed to leave the room? Were they supposed to kiss or say good-bye or what?

  “I’ll have her home by dinner,” Kalina said.

  “Dinner?” Ary asked.

  Kalina nodded. “Yes. Nick’s taking you to dinner.”

  Nick looked as surprised as Ary felt. Then he cleared his throat and gave her that partial smile again. The one that made her heart skip a beat even though she suspected that wasn’t his intention.

  “Our reservations are for seven,” he told her. “Buy something sexy to wear tonight,” he added. Ary’s cheeks warmed.

  “I will buy what I need.”

  “She’ll buy everything she needs,” Kalina said, looping her arm in Ary’s and leading her to the door. “See ya later,” she called to Nick.

  * * *

  Almost six hours later Ary wanted to scream. Walking wasn’t foreign to her, and she wore her boots all the time. Still, her feet hurt like hell from walking on all this concrete.

  “There was a time when I would have rather walked on fire than walk around a mall. Or two in our case,” Kalina said with a chuckle.

  They’d just come from the car where they’d dumped off bags that were too heavy and too many to be carried around with them. Ary had three bags with shoe boxes in them on her arm, and Kalina had a huge bag with two purses she’d just purchased.

  “I mean, I hated shopping,” she finished.

  “What changed?” Ary couldn’t help but ask because, wow, they’d been shopping all day long.

  Kalina shrugged. “I don’t know really. I just got up this morning and figured we’d head to the mall. It’s been sort of fun, I guess.”

  Ary had to chuckle. Kalina really looked as if she were trying to figure out if all this walking and trying on clothes and shoes and hats and other stuff she’d probably never wear could be construed as fun.

  “I don’t know if its fun. I guess it was necessary, however.” Ary figured all she could do was be honest.

  “You don’t sound very pleased. Was there something you wanted to get that we missed?”

  She shook her head. “Oh, no. I have no clue what I’m supposed to buy anyway. So it was really great of you to make this offer. I just wish Nick weren’t paying for everything.”

  Kalina waved a hand at her. “He can afford it.”

  “But I don’t want to owe him—or anyone else for that matter. I want to be independent.”

  Kalina had just steered them into another store. Ary followed her just as she had been all day long.

  “My foster mother used to tell me that you have to crawl before you can walk. You just crawled out of the forest, out from your father’s clutches. Independence isn’t going to come overnight.”

  “I know,” Ary admitted. “It’s just with Nick…” She trailed off. With mechanical motions she pushed hangers on the rack from side to side, mimicking Kalina and the other women in the store.

  “What about Nick?” Kalina asked.

  When Ary looked back at her she saw that Kalina was no longer going through the clothes but rather paying close attention to her. The glare she was giving her was quizzical or knowing; Ary couldn’t quite tell which. Either way it was a little annoying and made her feel very uncomfortable.

  “That’s just it. I don’t know about Nick. Or about Nick and me.”

  Kalina nodded, her lips tilting slightly into a smile.

  “What’s so amusing about that?”

  “It’s just amazing to me that you two can’t see what everyone else does.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “That you’re meant for each other.”

  Ary was only slightly surprised by that answer. “I knew he was my companheiro the first time we met. That doesn’t mean anything to him.”

  Kalina made a face that confused Ary even more.

  “I don’t think any of them like to hear that word or even consider that they have a mate that needs to be claimed.”

  “I don’t want to be claimed,” Ary replied quickly. “I mean, I do. But I don’t. Do you understand?”

  Kalina was quiet. “I think so,” she replied. “Here’s what I suggest. You need to buy something so sexy and so enticing that Nick won’t be able to keep his hands off you.”

  She was leafing through the dresses on the rack again. Ary didn’t even look at the clothes. “We don’t have any problem in that department.”

  Kalina nodded. “I know. Rome and I didn’t, either. It was all the specifics that tangled us up.”

  “Specifics,” Ary repeated. She wondered if that’s what was plaguing her about Nick. Was it the specifics that they didn’t speak about? Or was it the arrogance with which he just assumed what they were?

  “So like I said—” Kalina held up a black dress that looked like nothing more than straps and swatches of material. “—you need to knock him off his feet. Keep him so flustered he won’t want to do anything but mate with you.”

  Ary was already shaking her head. “I don’t know. Shouldn’t he want to do that already? I mean, shouldn’t he just know that this is what we’re supposed to be?”

  “Look, Ary. I don’t claim to have a lot of experience with men. Actually, I have very little. I just go with my gut instinct. And now my gut’s telling me that you and Nick simply need a little push in the right direction.”

  “This dress is going to be a big push in a direction we’ve already mastered,” Ary said to Kalina. But she took the dress and dutifully went into the dressing room to try it on.

  * * *

  They were in Rome’s home conference room again, Nick and X on either side of Rome, who sat at the head of the long mahogany table. Eli and Ezra sat beside them. There were no other guards or officers at the meeting; they needed all hands on deck to cover the streets in search of Sabar. Both of the speakerphones in the center of the table were activated as Sebastian Perry, the Mountain Faction Leader, Jace Maybon, the Pacific Faction Leader, and Cole Linden, the Central Faction Leader, joined in from their respective locations.

  “Bas, why don’t you start us off with your update,” Rome began once Baxter, Rome’s butler, had set pitchers of water and carafes of coffee on the table with all the accompaniments and left.

  “Sure,” Bas said.

  His voice sounded a little low so Nick motioned for Eli to adjust the speaker. The guard moved one of the speakers closer to the end of the table where they were sitting.

  “I informed X of the shipment that came in two days ago. As I stated, one of my guards followed one of the drivers to a location in Albuquerque. We’ve had guards rotating watch on that house ever since. For the first day and a half it was quiet. Then earlier today an SUV approached. It was a rental, which instantly alerted the guards that they might be moving whatever was in
that shipment. We were right. About an hour later the SUV left the house, boxes loaded in the back.”

  “Fuck! They’re making deliveries now,” X said with a frown.

  “We still don’t know what’s in those boxes,” Rome stated.

  “My money’s on drugs,” Nick added.

  “I have to agree,” Bas put in next. “We’ve had a rise in the movement from the Cortez Cartel as well. Border Patrol has their hands full with those guys.”

  “Competition,” Cole said. “They’re seeing who can move more product.”

  “At this rate we’re going to be looking at an all-out drug war soon,” Jace added. “We’ve been monitoring the police blotters: three ecstasy ODs in the last week.”

  “I don’t think he’s moving ecstasy,” Nick said.

  Rome looked at him. “What do you think it is?”

  “He wanted Ary to help him mix something new. The herb he gave her, the damiana, has the same aphrodisiac effect that ecstasy does. So why try to duplicate a product you’re already selling?”

  “True,” X said with a nod.

  “What do you think it is?” Bas asked. “I mean, you know the curandero, has she given you any thoughts on what Sabar could be trying to create?”

  Ary was the one person Nick did not want to talk about at this meeting. Coming in, he’d known that wasn’t going to be possible with all that was going on. Still, he didn’t like that on some level she might be considered an accomplice to Sabar.

  “She just said the damiana induces relaxation and awakens the sex drive. He’s not going to re-create the wheel. He’s going to look at whatever brings him more money, faster. If that’s a new synthetic drug, then that’s what he’s going to aim for.”

  “I agree,” X said. “Bas, were you able to keep a tail on the SUV?”

  “They stopped at a private landing strip. We’re still working on getting the manifests to see where the plane was going,” Bas told him.

  “Bet a million dollars its here in DC,” Nick said, slapping his hand on the table.

  Rome nodded his agreement.