by T. S. Ryder
Her gaze softened as she pulled herself a little closer. “And I am yours, Rex. Forever.”
Words weren’t enough to express the joy he felt. He kissed her gently, beginning to rock his hips. The rhythm of the waves added to his, and soon Mindy was crying out as their bodies came together again and again. She clung to him, and he clung to her. He kissed her neck, shoulders, mouth. She cried out his name again and again like a prayer. Rex grunted, trying to feel every inch of her body against his. He moaned, not wanting the moment to end.
Mindy suddenly bowed. Her legs kicked out and she writhed, making it difficult for him to hold onto her. She clamped down on him as she screamed his name. It became too much. A tight heat balled in the center of his being and exploded outward. His knees went weak as darkness waved over him, pleasure flooding to his fingertips. Mindy gave another cry, and then they both went under. Their bodies remained locked together, mouths kissing each other again and again as the ocean swallowed them whole.
When Rex’s lungs burned for air, he managed to find his feet again. His legs still trembled with the aftershocks of pleasure, but he waded to shore.
“I can walk,” Mindy murmured.
Rex’s arms tightened around her. “But then I’d have to leave you. This way I get to stay inside of you.”
He made it to the shore, slogging out of the ocean and carried her up the beach to the blanket laid out beside the table with their wine. There, he laid her down while hungrily kissing her. He started moving again, quickly picking up to where they had been before. As he watched Mindy, returned her smile and thought about all the years ahead of them, he couldn’t help but think that he was the luckiest man in the world.
He would never have to feel unloved again because Mindy loved him. And that was all he could ever ask for.
*****
THE END
Preview of Mated to Four Werebears
Description
A hunted gal PLUS four extra-hunky Alpha Bears PLUS danger lurking in the shadows…
Diana is looking for a hiding place, far away from the killer hunting her. But she gets more than she bargained for when she ends up on an island in the arms of not one, but four insanely hot men.
Things get only more confusing when she finds out that shifters exist, and that those four delicious guys are each the Alpha of their own Bear clan. They all have their eyes set on Diana because they need a mate and… babies. What’s a girl to do?
The battle of the Bears is on. Unless they share their queen…
Can the Bears put aside their differences for the sake of their clans?
Are they willing to share their mate?
And when Diana’s killer returns to strike, can they protect her?
Chapter One – Diana
Every eye seemed to be on Diana. Every person a possible threat. She walked quickly along the sidewalk. Even her wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses didn’t seem to be hiding her face well enough. The unease slithering down her spine that had caused her to buy new locks for the door and all the windows in her apartment made her want to vomit. She’d had the feeling for weeks.
At first, she had thought it was just paranoia, but when a dead dog showed up in her apartment, she knew the threat was real. She still shuddered as she thought of its lifeless eyes. Someone was after her, and she wasn’t going to stick around and find out what would happen. Not when there had been a string of murders in the news.
He'd been dubbed the Alphabet Killer. His first victim was Alicia Applebee in Atlanta. Next had been Brianna Beauchamp in Baltimore. The last one had been Christina Campbell in Chicago.
Diana Dobson from Dallas. The terror of potentially being the next victim was too great for her to take. The police had taken a look at her apartment and her past, deciding that it was unlikely that she was going to be the Alphabet Killer’s next target. He always went for women who were in new relationships, and she hadn’t dated for almost two years. He liked middle-aged blondes, she was a brunette in her late twenties. The dead dog, they said, must have been from somebody else.
But Diana wasn’t taking any chances – not when they weren’t taking her seriously.
And that was why she had traveled here, all the way to the California coast from Dallas. She was taking matters into her own hands. She needed a refuge, and she knew the perfect place. She didn’t have a lot of friends or family outside of Dallas that she could go to. But the four guys she’d been chatting with online had been saying that they’d like to meet her. That meant that she had a one in four chance that she could crash on the couch of one of them. They all lived on the same island off the coast. Even though part of her thought that it was entirely too coincidental and this had to be some sort of cult looking to lure in new members, she was heading out to them. She hadn’t had time to tell them of her arrival but hoped that they wouldn’t be mad that she showed up.
The problem was that no ferry service went there. So after signing a waiver at the dock, she took a boat and angled it toward the island. She had always been good with boats. It seemed to come naturally to her. She couldn’t see the island yet, but she wasn’t worried. She had spent a lot of time figuring out where it would be. She gunned the engine and left the feeling of being watched behind.
When land came into sight, she suddenly heard a great ripping noise from beneath her. The boat jerked to one side, the engine cut out, and water swamped her feet. Two huge holes had opened up on either side of the boat. Diana grabbed her hat off her head and started to bail water, but it was useless. Water was entering the boat at an alarming rate.
“Help!” she shouted as she jumped to her feet. The boat rocked. Her arms windmilled as she was going down. The boat had sunk.
Diana tried to keep her head cool. All she had to do was swim to the island. But that was easier said than done. There was a strong undercurrent that was dragging her down. The ocean water rushed into her mouth and lungs, causing her to choke and splutter. She resurfaced, but as she did so, her heart stopped. Paddling toward her was the biggest bear she had ever seen. Diana screamed and started swimming hard in the opposite direction, but within moments, the bear was beside her. She screamed again as its huge mouth opened. Teeth gleamed. A wave hit her, sending her tumbling beneath the waves.
And then two huge arms wrapped around her. She elbowed backward, thinking it was the bear, but then noticed how smooth the arms were. She surfaced again to find a blond god with sparkling blue eyes grinning at her. He seemed to have no trouble keeping the two of them above water.
“Hello, Diana,” the blond god said, his smile widening. “It’s okay. You’re okay now.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at him, recognizing him from the pictures. “Noel?”
***
If anybody had told Diana Dobson that morning that she would end up sitting on a plush white couch, staring at the four most gorgeous men she had ever seen, she would have laughed in their faces. Especially if they told her that each of those four men would gaze at her with such longing that it took her breath away.
And yet, here she was, her hair still damp and salty from the ocean. She was painfully aware of how she had no underwear or bra beneath the oversized t-shirt that she wore. She had a blanket tucked around her knees to make sure she didn’t accidentally flash any of these guys.
She hadn’t really thought about whether they would be as handsome in real life as their pictures suggested. All she wanted was a refuge. She hoped that one of them would be okay with a woman they hardly knew dropping in from the sky and staying with them. As friends, of course, even though that seemed slightly naïve now.
Now she was here, and they were offering her shelter. All four of them. They all wanted to protect her against the stalker, whoever it was. Plus, they were gazing at her in a way that made her want to yank the shirt up and over her head. She had had her share of passionate affairs, but she’d never considered having sex with people she barely knew. Until now.
Diana looked at each of them
again, starting with the one on the farthest left. Noel Davis: easily the most muscular of the group. This was his home – a cottage on the beach. The shirt she wore belonged to him. Right now, he wore only a pair of jeans, his bounteous muscles on display. His golden hair and blue eyes made him look like some sort of movie star named Chris . . . only better.
Next was Cedric Forrester, known as Ricky. His face didn’t have the same chiseled look that Noel’s did, but he wasn’t any slouch in the looks department. Amply muscled, he had more of the ‘strong everywhere’ look about him rather than the toned bodybuilder look. His dirty t-shirt clung to his body like a second skin. His brown hair was buzzed short and his brown eyes held a keen interest in them.
Kurtis Felton lounged in an overstuffed chair. He was easily the shortest of the group, though she’d have to stand on her tiptoes to kiss — reach — him. No jeans for him. He was immaculately dressed in a suit, complete with a blue shirt and black cufflinks. He winked when she met his gaze and swept a strand of silky-looking black hair out of his green eyes. He was also the palest of the bunch, looking as though he spent more time indoors than any of the others.
Last was Robert Frazier, or Bobby, as he liked to be called. Thinner than any of the others, he had a lean physique. Not skinny, but not overly muscular, either. There was something calm about his presence. He had green eyes, too, although his were almost gray. His hair was a bleach-blond and he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
“I know this is a lot to take in,” Bobby said. “You can take as much time as you need.”
“Can you all . . . ” She gestured at Noel. “You know. Do that?”
Kurtis sprang to his feet and grasped the front of his pants. “Want to see?”
Diana’s face flared with heat — as did other parts of her body.
“Well?” Kurtis had already taken off his slacks. He wore tight blue briefs which showcased a very, very impressive package.
Diana’s breath caught in her throat and she was unable to tear her eyes away. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Noel’d stripped off his jeans. Her protests died in her throat. She had already seen what he had to display once he had gotten her to the shore. He had turned into a huge bear, she had climbed onto his back, and he had swum to the beach.
Noel’s golden happy trail was thick and curly. His whole body was muscular – thighs thick and meaty with good definition. And he was huge. Diana had had boyfriends she had thought were big before, but Noel put them all to shame. How could a man that size even fit inside a woman? He was bigger than the toys she had sitting in her underwear drawer at home.
Those thoughts all fled when his form rippled. Thick golden hair, darker than what was on his head, spread over his body. His chest widened, feet and hands becoming larger. Everything about him became thicker and bigger except for that one part of him, which disappeared into the thick coat of fur. Round ears and a blunt muzzle dominated his huge head. A bear.
A bear.
Diana closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and looked. Noel lowered himself on all fours. His bear lips pulled back, mouth gaping slightly. Tips of sharp teeth could be seen, but when he rolled his tongue out, she was so reminded of a golden retriever that she couldn’t be afraid.
“And you can all do that?” she glanced at the others.
Kurtis didn’t waste any time stripping off the rest of his clothes. He left them in a puddle on the floor and put his hands on his hips, thrusting his pelvis out as he posed. Heat rose in Diana’s cheeks but she didn’t look away. If she had been wearing panties, they would have felt damp. As it was, she clenched her thighs together. It was ridiculous to feel horny now, of all times, but that tight heat she was well familiar with knotted in her core.
Kurtis always did like sending her filthy messages. Maybe now that they had met face-to-face . . .
Read it NOW
Preview of Werebear's Nanny
Description
A gal looking for a new start PLUS a Beary single dad with a rock-hard body PLUS a beast out for blood…
After a disastrous marriage, Cynthia has accepted that she’ll never have her prince charming. Her chance at a fresh start arrives when she gets a job as a nanny on a mysterious island.
But when she sees her new boss, with his sculpted abs, tanned skin and that deep V that disappears into his low-slung jeans, she knows that she’s in for trouble…
Tyrell is most definitely not looking for a mate. He’s more than happy working at his ranch and taking care of his daughter. Relationships only bring trouble.
But he’s in for the fight of his life when Cynthia unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep. Her smile knocks the wind out of him. She’s the forbidden fruit he longs to taste.
There is one small problem. Cynthia has never heard of shifters.
She doesn’t know that she’s landed on an island full of bears.
That not everybody wants humans here…
And that she’s in danger…
Prologue – Tyrell
Five Years Ago
Numb shock. That was the only thing he could think of to describe the feelings on the island. As if it wasn’t enough that so many of their parents, including the previous alphas, had been killed in a storm several years ago. Now, as he stared at the boat limping back after a massive earthquake, tsunami and huge storm, he knew that their worst fears had come true yet again.
His stomach clenched as the boat arrived. Half a dozen people, soaked to the bone and with various injuries, hopped out of the boat and tied it to the dock. He, along with everybody who had to send someone out into the ocean two days ago, waited. From the corner of his eye, he saw Rex Tesla. Normally his bear would have snarled at the sight of his rival, but today it remained subdued.
He searched the half-dozen people who came up the dock now, rooted to the spot. Rex let out a bellow of pain and charged forward. One of the fishers grabbed his arm, but he tore himself away and rushed to the boat. He leaped on it, screaming for his parents and sister. Even though there was nowhere for them to be hidden. Even though if they had been there, they would have been brought out. Still, Tyrell watched, hoping despite himself that suddenly they would jump up and shout ‘surprise’. But nobody came.
A hand touched his elbow and he jumped. He whirled to find his sister staring at him with soft, tear-filled eyes. She held out her arms to him, but he stepped away from her. He didn’t deserve comfort, not now.
“Angela,” he choked out. “Angela . . . didn’t come back.”
“I know,” Ruby whispered. “I’m sorry, Tyrell. I’m sorry. But there is nothing you can do here. Let me take you back home. Please.”
Tyrell closed his eyes but nodded. He wasn’t even certain if his body was actually moving as Ruby took his hand and started to pull him away from the docks. All around him he heard people cursing and screaming and sobbing. He couldn’t work up a single tear. All he felt was disgust, anger, and fear. He hadn’t loved Angela, but at that moment he wondered if he could have. If he had, actually, and simply refused to see it.
If he had only lied to her . . .
“Jarvis!” Rex’s voice rang out behind him.
Tyrell turned to find Rex charging toward him. He didn’t move, not even when Rex’s eyes turned black and fur began to sprout over his body. He didn’t want to defend himself, not after what he had done. His bear didn’t even stir. He held his ground, waiting. But before Rex could get to him, a large shape came out of nowhere and rammed into him, knocking him off course. Rex snarled and twisted, but the man, hardly older than either Rex or Tyrell, held him down.
“Stop it,” Noel Davis rumbled, the authority of the alpha clear in his voice.
Rex’s anger was so great that he struggled against his alpha until Noel snarled again. Then he went limp and started to sob. Tyrell still stood there, as though frozen to the spot. Ruby grasped his arm again and tugged him away.
He let her take him to the truck. When he took t
he keys from his pocket, she snatched them from him.
“You can’t drive,” he protested. “You don’t have a license.”
“I’ve been driving almost as long as you. You’re in no state to drive anyway.”
He had to agree with her. His heart was heavy as he climbed into the passenger's side. A glance outside the window showed him that Rex was still sobbing, collapsed into a heap. And Tyrell’s eyes finally burned. By the time they got home, he was a sobbing mess. Ruby sat with him in the truck, not saying anything.
“It’s my fault,” he finally rasped. “My fault. And there is nothing I can do to make it better.”
***
It was the next day that the alpha of the Flatlands, and his good friend Ricky, stopped by the house. He carried with him an infant’s car seat. Snuggled inside was the tiniest creature Tyrell had ever seen. And he lived on a farm, he had seen plenty of baby animals. Nothing had ever seemed too small and fragile as the little baby that Ricky passed to him.
“You are her father,” Ricky said softly. “With Angela passed . . . if you want to have her adopted, I will have the paperwork drawn up.”
A fit of panic seized Tyrell’s throat. The baby was wrapped snug in a pink blanket, eyes closed, a light fluff of hair showing hints of his red. He, of course, knew he had a daughter. But he and Angela had already decided that she would raise their baby. He’d been with her in the hospital, helped to pick out the baby’s name, but be a father?
