by Liza Street
Barnum, the leopard at Jessica’s feet, stirred, then shifted back to human. He sat up. “The fuck’s going on?”
“We lost,” Alleman said. “Let’s go.”
There was grumbling from some, but the crowd thinned out. Injured shifters walked gingerly or limped away, back to wherever they made their beds. Soon, it was only Marcus, Jase, Blythe, and Jessica. Marcus and Jase found their clothes on the ground. They dressed and came toward the women.
The sun was beginning to rise, its early gray light sneaking through the trees and clouds. The nightmare was finally over.
Jessica stumbled toward Marcus, relief making her knees weak. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered.
Marcus gathered her in his arms. “I’ve never been more scared in my life,” he said, “as I was when I found out they’d taken you.”
“Did you really mean what you said about me being your mate?” Jessica asked.
“Yes. I don’t care what the boundary does to us.” Marcus squeezed her tightly. “It can keep us in, let us out, it doesn’t matter. You’re my mate, and I’m yours.”
26
Marcus kept his arms around Jessica. Her freesia scent filled his nose. Over anything else, her happy, sweet scent was a reassurance to him that she was all right. There was something coppery mixed with it, though.
“You smell like blood,” he said.
“There’s a cut on my hand, from the cage. It isn’t bad.”
He picked up her hand, needing to see for himself. She wasn’t a shifter; she wouldn’t heal like he would.
A teasing smile graced her lips when he turned to gaze at her again. “I told you it isn’t bad. Couldn’t you hear that I was telling the truth?”
“I can’t help it.” He tugged her close again. “I have to make sure you’re okay.”
He was aware of Blythe and Jase standing nearby, but he was having a hard time letting Jessica go.
“Sorry, for my part in all of this,” Jase said, his dual colored eyes—one gold, one green—lowered in regret. “They took me down. If they hadn’t surprised me, Jessica, you wouldn’t have been brought to the cage.”
“It’s okay,” Jessica said, giving Jase a gentle smile. “It all worked out.”
“It’s nearly impossible to keep someone safe here,” Marcus added.
Jase pointed to the gravel line nearby. “You two should try again.”
Frowning, Marcus stared at the boundary. They’d tried twice. He didn’t know why it hadn’t worked, and he hardly cared. He knew Jessica was his mate, without a doubt. They might have to figure out how to stay safe here in the Junkyard for the rest of their lives, despite whatever other shifters got dumped here, despite the grumbling acceptance he’d received from the others after he and Jase had laid down the law.
Jessica pulled out of Marcus’s embrace. She took the few steps over to Blythe and grabbed Blythe’s hand. Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked at Marcus. “I’m sorry—I can’t leave without Blythe. I know I said I’d do it earlier, but there’s just no way.”
Marcus was about to respond, but Blythe let go of Jessica’s hand and spun to face her.
“Are you shitting me?” Blythe asked, her green eyes narrowed. “If you have a chance, you need to get out. I’ll be pissed if you stay for me. I’ll tie you up and push you over the line if I have to.”
Marcus tended to agree with her.
“But I’m part of the reason you’re in here,” Jessica said. “If I hadn’t gotten you in trouble—”
Blythe interrupted her. “We both know Chaole was looking for a reason to boot me from the program. It’s okay, Jessica. I’ll find my own way out. Jase told me there’s a witch or something.”
“The witch died,” Jessica said.
“Then we’ll find another fucking witch,” Blythe said in an exasperated tone. “If you can get out, I want you out. And you’ll come visit me, I hope?”
“Of course,” Jessica said.
“Good.” Blythe hugged her.
“But I’m not going without Marcus,” Jessica said.
Marcus took her hand. “Like I’d let you get away from me.”
“Really?” She looked up at him, hope shining in her brown eyes. “You’ll leave with me?”
When he nodded, she flashed him a brilliant smile. Then she looked once more at Blythe. “If you’re sure…”
“Yes. Go. Right now.” Blythe grinned.
“She’s not lying to me, is she?” Jessica stage-whispered to Marcus.
“Hey,” Blythe said, affronted.
Laughing, Marcus led Jessica forward. “She’s telling the truth. She wants you to go.”
“Just had to make sure,” Jessica said over her shoulder. Pointing at Marcus and then at Jase, she said, “Look out, they’re lie detectors.”
Marcus and Jessica were three feet from the gravel. Three feet from freedom. Marcus didn’t know why he thought it would work now, when it hadn’t before, other than a feeling of rightness in his gut. Maybe a person had to be free on the inside before they could be free on the outside.
The sun had fully risen. Dawn’s gray light brightened into a rosy morning, and birds called to each other from their perches. Two chipmunks chased each other around a pile of rusted hubcaps.
“Ready?” he asked her.
“With you, always.”
They held hands. Their third attempt. He held his breath, pushed out with his free arm, and they each took a giant step over the gravel.
Nothing stopped them.
Jessica squeezed his hand, and he squeezed hers back. His feet were bare because he hadn’t bothered putting on shoes after the fight. He was glad, though, because there was nothing between his soles and the earth outside the Junkyard.
Looking down at Jessica, he couldn’t help but smile when he saw the excited grin on her face.
“I knew it,” he said.
“We never should have doubted,” she answered.
“Damn right.” He bent his head to hers and kissed her, hard and sweet.
“You fucking did it!” Blythe whooped.
Marcus and Jessica turned around to face the other two. Blythe was bouncing on the balls of her feet and smiling hard. She rushed to the gravel line and placed her hands up against the wall—there was no give.
“It’s freaking magic,” she said. “I can’t believe you two got over!”
Jase wore a small smile as well, but he wasn’t looking at Marcus and Jessica—he was looking at Blythe.
“Do you see that?” Marcus said, loud enough only for Jessica’s ears.
“I do,” she muttered from the corner of her mouth. In a louder voice, addressing Blythe and Jase, she said, “I have an idea. The guys in there sounded more agreeable to the mate argument Marcus posed. It’s a long shot, but Blythe and Jase, you could say you’re mates, and Blythe could be better protected by that.”
“Except,” Marcus said, “we can sense lies.”
Yet, the way Jase was looking at Blythe, with a soft look in his eyes…maybe it would work.
But the way Blythe was looking at Jase right now, with surprise and disgust on her face…definitely not.
“Not all mates are madly in love,” Marcus said. “In my pack, half the time it was more about commitment than it was about fate.”
“Just something to think about,” Jessica added, smirking at Blythe.
Rolling her eyes, Blythe said, “Yeah, I’ll think about it.”
“That was a lie,” Marcus said, grinning.
“Fine, be stubborn,” Jessica said to Blythe. “But at the very least, you should move into the trailer. The rest of the tequila is still with my backpack in there. Speaking of—would you mind getting the backpack for me? And the books, and a notebook?”
“I’ll bring you your backpack and books,” Blythe said. “But I’m keeping the tequila.”
Jessica laughed. “Fair enough.”
Blythe stopped ten feet away. “Um, where’s the trailer?”
<
br /> “I’ll take you there.” Jase said quickly. He nodded at Marcus and Jessica, then jogged to Blythe’s side.
“He’s a goner,” Marcus said, pulling Jessica into his arms again and resting his chin on the top of her head.
Wrapping her arms around him, Jessica asked, “Do you think so?”
“Yeah. The way he’s looking at her? Like the world revolves around her? That’s how I feel about you, Josephine.”
“I feel the same about you, Marvin. And look how much bigger our revolving world just became. You’re free now. We’re free.”
“Yeah, I guess we are. But it wouldn’t mean anything to me if we weren’t together.”
“I agree one hundred percent,” she said. “But now I’m wondering…what’s next?”
“This.” He bent to kiss her again, his lips meeting hers in a gentle, probing heat.
And whatever else was to come? He could picture it clearly in his mind. A little house for them to live in, with a greenhouse in the back filled with lots of plants for her to study. A forest behind that, where he could run. Days spent laughing together, learning more about each other. Nights spent eliciting pleasure from each other’s bodies and sleeping in warm embraces.
Together. Free.
27
Jessica frowned at the index card in front of her. On it, she had taped a print-out of a plant drawing. The scientific name for the plant was on the tip of her tongue. All she’d have to do was flip around the card and she’d see it.
“Come on,” she muttered. “I know you…”
She knew dozens of scientific names, including all of those of the plants she had used to decorate her and Marcus’s little rental home.
Yes, it was a rental. Her parents had offered to buy them a house, but Jessica wanted to do things on her own—and Marcus had agreed. She loved her parents, but their favors often came with expectations, and she didn’t want to have to worry about their expectations anymore. She had her own goals and dreams.
So she was getting a second degree in botany, and she had a part-time job with the forestry service. Marcus had found work designing websites, much to Jessica’s surprise. She hadn’t known he was a tech-head, but apparently he had a real talent for it.
Marcus came in the back door, naked, a pair of sweatpants balled up in his hand.
She loved it when he came back fresh from a run in the woods. He smelled like trees and earth, and he was always naked, with his short hair sticking up at wild angles. It made her want to press her body to his and run her fingers through his hair.
“Can you take a break?” he asked.
“Mm, yeah. The quiz isn’t until next week.” The community college course was low stakes, but she wanted to do well on it. She loved studying botany and she was getting clearer on what she’d do with that passion—teach others about plants, as well, and how important they were to ecosystems.
Her parents were still trying to understand Jessica’s dream. Jessica was learning, though, that whether or not they understood was their business, and not Jessica’s. Spending time in the Junkyard with Marcus had taught her that sometimes things were out of your control, and you had to take your own path to the best of your ability and let others take theirs.
Like Blythe, opting to stay behind. Jessica had spoken to her last week, and she was doing well. Jase had stood several yards away, in the trees, and Blythe told Jessica she could barely walk ten steps without him shadowing her.
Marcus placed his hand on Jessica’s shoulder, and warmth spread through her body.
“You want some help studying?” he asked.
“No, I think I’m done for the night.” She flipped over the index card and read the plant name, committing it to memory. Then she looked up at Marcus. “Are you excited about Marianne coming for dinner?”
He nodded. “She’s bringing someone, did I tell you?”
“No, you didn’t. Friend, or something more?”
He scowled. “Something more.”
“Be nice,” Jessica said, leaning back into the couch. “Marianne deserves love and she’s smart enough to weed out the duds.”
“I guess you’re right,” Marcus said.
She straightened her index cards. “I’m always right.”
“You know, I saw this in my head. Exactly like this.”
“What?” She tossed her notebook and index cards on the coffee table. “Me tearing my hair out trying to memorize more scientific names?”
He laughed, then flopped down on the sofa next to her. “No. I saw you and me, in a little house like this one. Filled with plants.”
She looked around at the cluttered windowsills and counters, at the several pots on the coffee table and the hanging plants in the kitchen. “There aren’t that many plants, come on.”
“Judi, there is no end to the plants in this house.”
“There’s plenty of room for more,” she said, sniffing and leaning forward to grab her notebook.
“Yeah?” he asked. “Where?”
“In your pants.” She pretended to read the words on the page in front of her, but she was more attuned to Marcus’s heat. “Plenty of room in your pants.”
He went still, and his voice was low when he said, “Juliet, are you talking about the size of my cock?”
“Not at all, Macaulay. Why would I do that?” She looked over and gave him a big grin, and saw the playfulness sparkling in his eyes.
“Maybe you miss it. It’s already been…what, six or seven hours since I gave you orgasms.” Marcus reached for her.
She shrieked, trying to scoot to the other side of the couch, but he caught her around the waist and tugged her into his lap. Snuggling into him, she breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the forest on his skin. The cock in question was half-hard and pinned between her hip and his stomach. She wiggled, giving herself enough room to reach down and stroke his generous length.
She could try to make fun of his cock all she wanted, but he’d hear the truth in the end—she was damn impressed by it, by the way it filled her and wrung every drop of pleasure from her body. His dick should be the model manufacturers used to make sex toys.
Kissing the side of her neck, Marcus whispered, “Do you want more orgasms, Jessica?”
Ooh, he was using her name. Play-fighting time was over, and her panties were already getting damp.
She moaned in response to his question, then pulled off her shirt.
His hand immediately went to her breasts, where he alternated light strokes with harder pinches, working her into a frenzy on his lap.
Now that she was on the pill, she could take him bare, and she loved that freedom, to be able to fuck whenever and wherever they felt like it. She shoved him so he reclined against the back of the couch, climbed off his lap, then took off her shorts and panties.
“Jessica,” he said in wonder. “I will never get tired of this view.”
Easing down over him, she straddled his thighs and watched in approval as he held up his cock so she could impale herself on it.
“Marcus,” she gasped as she eased down.
He kissed her, his tongue asking entrance to her mouth. She granted it, twining her tongue with his as she slowly lowered the rest of the way onto him, allowing her body to stretch around his girth. So thick, so good.
He held her neck with his arm, keeping her in place for his kiss. With his hand, he lightly pinched her nipples. She felt drenched with slippery wetness as she glided over him, lifting up and down to take pleasure and to give it. A light sheen of sweat decorated his chest and she ran her fingers over him, delighting in the signs of their exertion.
Her orgasm was building, filling her body, causing her muscles to tense. She rocked harder against him, changing the angle so her clit would drag against him.
“Marcus,” she whispered against his mouth.
Their kiss grew frantic along with the rolling movement of her hips, and pleasure sparked throughout her body. She shouted with her release.
Mar
cus let go of her neck and breasts to grab her hips and thrust up into her, drawing out her aftershocks while he chased his own orgasm. He came, the heat of his come coating her inside.
“I love you, Jessica,” he said, reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.
She squeezed her walls around him, and grinned when she felt him twitch.
“Greedy woman—you want more already?” he asked.
“With you? Always.” She winked and squeezed him again.
Grabbing her around the waist, he pressed her down and over the couch, then hovered over her, gazing at her with his beautiful gray eyes.
“We have all evening and into the night,” he said. “Tell me what you want to do first.”
She had a few million ideas, but she knew they’d get to them all eventually. There was no rush, no danger. They had all night in this little house, and years and years after this.
Ready for more trashy romance? Pick up Filthy Alpha, the next book in the series!
* * *
“So, we need to fuck,” Blythe said, walking into Jase’s workshop.
Jase dropped the metal piece he’d been holding, which he’d been getting ready to screw into the waiting table top perched against the sawhorses.
“What?” he asked.
Hell, he was down, but she couldn’t have actually meant what she said.
“Have intercourse.” Her tone was patient but businesslike. “Sex. Make love. Screw. Do each other. Make some hanky panky—”
“I got it.” He stared at her, at the way her flame-red hair framed her face and made her green eyes shine. Make some hanky panky. Had she really just said that? “I just don’t understand where this sudden desire to jump my bones has come from.”
She was already lifting her shirt over her head, revealing her tits. Fuck, she wasn’t even wearing a bra. His dick leapt to attention.
“Barnum was asking questions,” she said simply, her green eyes blazing as she dropped her shirt on the floor. She took several steps toward Jase. “If he figures out we’re supposed mates who aren’t even fucking, I won’t be protected here any longer.”
