Midnight Wish: A Werewolf Shifter Romance (The Protectors Quick Bites Book 1)

by Keira Blackwood

  We hardly knew each other, and he was hurt. He’d nearly died. All business—I could do that, couldn’t I?

  “Shifters are fast healers.” He watched as I dunked a rag into the bucket and wrung out the extra water.

  “Good. But I’m still cleaning this.” I gestured to his chest—his gorgeous, muscular chest. Keep it together, Wainwright. First aid. Just business. “Can’t risk infection.”

  I cleared my throat and reached out to touch his shoulder with the rag. Water dripped down over tanned skin, washing away the dirt in its path.

  “Is this okay?” I cautioned a glance to Chase’s face and found his green eyes sparkling. It was a dangerous thing looking at this face, looking at those lips. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

  “No.” His voice was deeper than before, and it made my insides knot in the best way. “You’re not hurting me, Harper.”

  Holy fuck. I had to hear him say my name like that again. Like right the hell now. It was a caress, one that carried over my skin straight to my pussy.

  “Good.” My voice, on the other hand, was all squeak.

  I traced his collarbone with my cloth, then down to his pec before rinsing the rag out in the bucket. I put my hand on his chest again before I realized something was wrong.

  “The cuts…they’re gone.”

  “I told you, Harper. I’m a fast healer.”

  It was too much, too spectacular to be true. It wasn’t just his healing, it was everything about Chase that made me feel that way—he was too good to be true.

  I’d always loved nature, and he was a freaking wolf. We’d grown up neighbors and never knew it. He’d saved my dad’s life, and now I’d saved his.

  I trusted him. It was crazy, but I did. It seemed silly now that I’d tied him up. After I finished, I’d untie him. I’d let him up from where he laid on the floor, maybe even find him something to wear.

  I washed down a little lower, clearing the dirt from his abs. Every time my fingers brushed his bare skin, a shot of excitement washed over me, and I couldn’t help but notice I wasn’t the only one enjoying this. His cock was hard, huge and throbbing.

  “So, shifters...” I ran the rag over his abs, enjoying the firm feel of him beneath my palm. “You said you stay to yourselves usually.”

  “Yes.”

  “Does that mean you can’t be with humans?”

  I leaned over him, my breasts touching his wet chest. I wanted to, no, I needed to kiss him.

  He lifted his shoulders from the floor and took my mouth with his.

  His lips were firm and insistent, and his kiss set everything on fire. I straddled him, pressing my hips to his huge cock. The contact, even through my shorts, was magnificent.

  I opened for him as he delved his tongue into my mouth. It was the best kiss of my fucking life, and the rest of the world disappeared.

  When it ended, I closed my eyes and tried to catch my breath. “Tell me that means you can be with a human?”

  Chase pressed his forehead against mine. “Yes. And what I want is to be with you.”

  I kissed him desperate to hold onto this connection as long as I could. I wanted more. I wanted him.

  I reached between us and took his cock in my hand.

  He growled against my lips. The sound reverberated through my chest, and it was sexy as hell.

  “Harper, I need you.”

  I smiled. “Do you promise to behave if I untie you?”

  Chase brought his arms down around me, pulling me close. And there was a loud snap.

  I blinked hard, unsure what the sound was.

  Chase brought his hand to my breast, the twine I’d wrapped so tightly dangling frayed from his wrist.

  “No, but I can promise to make you come.”

  If I hadn’t been wet before, I sure as hell was now. Soaking, all for him.

  “That sounds like more fun anyway.”

  In a blur of motion, Chase flipped me onto my back. He trailed kisses down my neck, over my collarbone, and slowly, ever so slowly, to my breast.

  I wiggled out of my clothes, wishing I was already naked. I tore at the zipper of my shorts, pulled up on the hem of my shirt. Chase smiled and watched as I struggled before deciding to help. He slid his hand behind me, spread his fingers over my back, and unclasped my bra. I reached for his cock but it was too far.

  He shook his head. “Not yet.”

  I whimpered as he kneaded my breast. I arched my hips up at him.

  “You want me to touch you?”

  “Yes. Please.”

  With a gentle touch, he circled my clit.

  He did the same with his tongue on my nipple and already my entire body was ready to burst. This man could just look at me and say my name and he could make me come. It wouldn’t take much.

  His teeth grazed over the bud of my breast and I moaned, pressing my hips into his hand.

  He circled faster on my clit and dipped the tip of his finger inside.

  That was it, all I needed.

  A wave of ecstasy washed over me as I lay in the straw, and it was everything. More than everything, if that was possible.

  “Ready for another?” Chase waggled his brows, a wide grin crossing his face. It was the first time I’d seen him smile, really smile, and I decided it was my favorite of his expressions.

  “Yes.”

  He reached down to my slick heat and pressed his finger in deeper.

  “I want this.” I took his cock in my hand, and he let out a growl, his face growing serious.

  He grabbed me, lifting me against him. I wrapped my arms and legs around him as he rose to his feet and backed me into the barn wall. The wood was rough, a perfect counterpoint to the pleasure still clinging to my skin.

  “Are you sure?” His eyes were wild, barely controlled desire. Why was he holding back now?

  I leaned in and brushed my lips over his. “I’m sure.”

  That was all the coaxing he needed, and he sank his cock deep inside of me. It was glorious, and massive, and also fucking huge.

  Every stroke was easier to take than the last and my entire body was consumed in our connection. He was all around me, me around him. We were one as Chase buried his cock inside of me. The world faded away and there was only pleasure, only us. It was like nothing else existed, nothing else mattered, and in that moment, it didn’t.

  Heat coiled, building into something bigger than before. I could feel it, like I was high on a mountaintop, ready to jump over the edge.

  He squeezed me to his chest, his face buried in my shoulder. And he said my name. “Harper.” It was all I needed, like I was just waiting for him to say my name.

  I jumped over the ledge, and pleasure washed over me. I felt his cock twitch inside as my pussy squeezed. We came together, and for the first time in a long time, I was truly happy.

  Chapter Nine

  Chase

  Warm morning sunshine streamed through the window, heating my face. Peeking through heavy eyelids, I found myself in an unfamiliar space—Harper’s room.

  The curtains matched the comforter, a red plaid with little bits of gold and green. The headboard and dresser were a light-colored wood, well-worn from generations of use. There was history here, in every piece. It was homey, warm, so unlike my family’s manor.

  Harper stirred beside me and reached her arm across my bare chest.

  The skin on skin contact ignited memories of the night before. Memories of the best night of my life.

  I looked to her, to the subtle freckle on her nose that I hadn’t noticed before, to the one just above her right eye. She was naturally beautiful, and more than anything I wanted to wake up like this every single day of my life, here in her bed, by her side. She was my world, everything that I wanted, everything I’d ever need.

  Last night in the barn had been absolutely amazing, but incredible sex and accepting that we were mates for life were two different things. I knew I was ready, the wolf inside knew, but I couldn’t expect Harper to feel the
same. Not so quickly, not as a human.

  Harper arched her back and stretched her arms, and she squinted at me through thick lashes.

  “Chase.” A smile spread across her restful face. Her reaction filled me with joy. Every day I wanted to wake to that sated smile.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said.

  She opened her eyes wider and spread her fingers over my chest.

  Already my cock was stirring.

  “I should have been up ages ago.” She looked toward the window.

  “It can’t hurt to sleep in every now and then, can it?”

  She squinched up her nose. “I don’t think the animals will agree with you.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “The chickens’ll be all over me, and I bet the cows are already crying.”

  “You don’t have farm hands to help start the chores for you? Do they come in later?”

  “Nope, it’s just me and my dad. And with him hurt—”

  A ring sounded through the house. If I had to guess, I’d say it came from downstairs.

  “Crap.” Harper jumped from the bed, in just her tank top and panties, and raced down the hall. Her footsteps echoed down the steps and I heard her answer the phone.

  “Wainwright residence.”

  I climbed out of bed and straightened the sheets and comforter while I waited for Harper to return.

  “I’m so glad you called, Dad. I was going to stop by after a little—” Her voice had a jovial pitch. I tried not to listen to her conversation, but I couldn’t help hearing. It was good to know her father was well enough to call.

  “I’m on it. Getting done all the chores without issue.” I could hear the lie, sure as day. She needed help. Taking care of the ranch was too much for just one person, hell, it was probably too much for the two of them before her father got laid up.

  “You just worry about getting better. And yes, I’ll stay here and work, but you have to promise to call and check in so I know you’re okay. I love you, too. Bye, Dad.”

  I pulled on my pants and boots as Harper hung up the phone and started back up the stairs.

  When she reached the doorway, I took a moment to appreciate her soft curves. She was practically naked in her sheer white tank top and white panties.

  She looked me over and I could scent her desire. Her eyes sparkled as her gaze met mine.

  It took all of my self-control to pull my shirt down over my eyes and finish dressing instead of taking her there in her bed as I had in the barn the night before. That sure as hell was what we both wanted, but it wasn’t what Harper needed.

  “I was thinking we could visit my place today after we finish the chores,” I said. “The pack has a library full of the kind of old books that might just tell us what that thing in the woods is.”

  “We? You want to help me with my work?” Her arms dropped and her brows furrowed like I’d somehow confused her.

  “Yes.” I tossed her the jean shorts she’d had on last night. “I want to help.”

  “You know much about ranching?”

  “Only how much to put on my salad.”

  Harper tried to give me a stern look, but I could tell I amused her, at least a little. She pulled on her shorts, sliding them up over her hips, and threw a second tank-top over the first, hiding the details of her breasts. Good. It was hard to think when she was bare, although it would be hard to focus on anything else even when her clothes were on. She could wear a potato sack and I’d be in awe of her.

  “I’m a quick learner,” I said.

  “You do look strong enough.” Harper’s gaze raked over me one last time before she turned for the closet and pulled out a heavy brown bodysuit. “All right, cowboy, let’s suit up.”

  “You don’t expect me to fit into that, do you?”

  She held the shoulders up below my neck.

  “I suppose I don’t. But my dad and I wear the same size coveralls, so we might be out of luck.”

  “It’s fine,” I said.

  “You might get muddy.” A small smirk played on her lips.

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She pulled the coveralls on and laced up a pair of boots before heading for the door.

  I followed Harper down to the kitchen, where she offered me a muffin and some fruit. I gratefully ate every single crumb.

  She watched as I ate, her eyes flicking back to me time and again. I liked that she wanted to look at me. She could stare all she wanted.

  “You need more?” she asked.

  “I’m good,” I lied.

  “Yeah right, I can hear your stomach growling.”

  Okay, maybe it was. “You don’t have to feed me, I can eat more after we’re done—”

  “Nonsense, we’re eating now. Ranching takes a lot of energy and I don’t want you whining that you’re hungry as soon as we set out.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She pulled a container of hardboiled eggs from the fridge and set it down on the counter in front of me. “Have at it, big guy.”

  I did as she said, and ate them all.

  Harper’s eyes went wide as I swallowed the last bite. “You’re going to be sick, aren’t you?”

  “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

  She looked at me like I was crazy.

  “I told you, you didn’t have to feed me. Me and my kind, we eat.”

  “I see. Do you need anything else?” That smirk was back, and I knew she was going to tease me. “Armadillo steak?”

  “That’s not a thing.”

  “If you say so.” She shrugged. “If you’re done, then let’s hit it.”

  I followed Harper out the door. We mended breaks in the fence, put a fresh coat of red paint on the barn doors, carried buckets of grain to the cattle, and helped the herd from one field to the next. I couldn’t imagine one person having to wrangle the cows alone. It turned out one person needed to be on one side, the other on the other side, and if one cow got away, the herd would scatter like a firecracker went off. I had to admit it was more difficult than I’d anticipated, but I liked it. Not just the physical aspect of the work, but the fact that I was doing it with Harper.

  By the time we left the cow pasture behind, mud was splattered up both my legs and the daylight waned.

  “What’s next?” I rubbed my hands together and smiled down at Harper.

  She shook her head. “Not ready to give up yet?”

  “Never.”

  “All right, we head for the chickens then. But you’re going to need this.” She held out an apple in her palm.

  “I’m not hungry yet.” Okay, maybe I was a little hungry, but I was going to wait anyway.

  “It’s not for you.”

  “...Okay…”

  Her grin was wicked. What was she planning?

  I followed her from the valley up into the wooded mountainside below the farmhouse. The path was curved, and at times, narrow.

  Bushes lined both sides of the path, with a thick barrier of pine trees beyond. The air was filled with the scents of blackberries and evergreens, of the cool mountain freshness that felt like home.

  The path narrowed so there was only space for one person at a time. I gladly followed Harper and enjoyed the view.

  “Has it always been just you and your dad?” I asked.

  “For about a year now. Things were bad after Mom died—cancer. Then we lost a lot of money when lamb meat went down in value, had to clear the flock and let go of the help. It was hard saying goodbye to the people who’d worked with us for pretty much my whole life. It hasn’t gotten easier.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be, we’re managing. And I love it here. Spending my days out here on the ranch—I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “I know what you mean. It’s beautiful out here,” I said.

  “It really is.”

  “It’s nice to work with my hands,” I said. “A number of people in the pack do logging work the
next county over. Shifters need to stay physically busy. It helps keep the inner wolf content.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Oh yeah?” I wondered which part of what I said intrigued her.

  “What else does your wolf tell you?”

  That you’re my mate.

  There was a rustle in the brush up ahead. I grabbed Harper’s shoulder. She stopped.

  Beneath the scent of blackberries and forest was something familiar and wild—boar.

  “Back away slowly,” I said. “I’ll protect you.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “You know that apple I gave you? Drop it on the ground.” Harper turned to me and nodded.

  I did as she said.

  A massive pig burst from the bushes. She ignored Harper, and the apple, and charged right for me.

  I jumped into the brush to dodge the sow’s assault.

  “Riblet,” Harper tapped her thigh and held out an apple. Her voice shook—she was worried.

  The sow turned and charged again, clearly after me. No question, this was the same boar as before, the one who’d plowed through two fences to chase me.

  “She’s never...Chase, run!”

  I raced back the way we’d come, stripping as best as I could while keeping distance between myself and the big ass sow who apparently wanted to kill me.

  Chapter Ten

  Chase

  By the time I lost the damned pig, darkness had started to fall over the ranch. The forest path back to the chicken coop was completely overtaken in shadow. And, apparently, my clothes were missing.

  The chickens scattered when I reached the wire fence, hiding back up in their coops, while the miniature goat, in all of his selfless bravery, rammed his head into the chicken wire beside where I stood. Given that I appeared as a wolf, his spirit made the little guy a bit foolhardy, but if I had to guess, that was his job.