Foxes' Den
Page 13
Trey hadn’t planned to embark on an intense, passionate affair, but he finds himself vowing to return after his next undercover mission is over. As months stretch into years, however, Jonah fears that Trey has broken faith with him—or is dead. There’s only one way to find out. Leave the safety of his lair and venture into a dangerous, deadly world…
Warning: violence, explicit sex.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Lynx:
Jonah had spent a hellish night lying awake, too wound up to sleep and worried that if he did, he’d have a wet dream with Trey in the same room. Gawd, he and his body’s urges were making himself sick.
“You’re looking a little peaked,” Trey observed.
“I’m fine.” He could barely force his breakfast down, and he was going to have to get out of here, away from Trey again. Jonah had never seen such a dubious expression on Trey’s face. He tried harder to pass off his bizarre behavior. “I’m tired, that’s all. Didn’t sleep all that well.”
“Any reason why not?”
“No.” He hunched at the tone of that no, which sounded surly, like he was twelve years old. But God, he wasn’t prepared to explain why. He had no ability to handle this gracefully.
“I think we need to have a talk.”
Jonah’s head shot up, and he stared at Trey, heart beginning to pound hard, worried that somehow Trey could read his mind.
“Because,” Trey continued, “I’ll be gone in a week, and you’ll still be here. On your own.”
Jonah had been studiously ignoring anything to do with the fact Trey might be departing. He didn’t see what he could do about it and he didn’t want to think about it. But he said, “Okay.” It came out hoarser than he would have liked.
“So, I thought we should talk about strategies that could make you a little more comfortable with your life.”
Jonah nodded. What the fuck was he supposed to say? There was silence, Jonah stared at his fists. Maybe it would be better when Trey was gone. At least he’d get away from this stupid tension gripping him.
“All right.” Jonah pulled in a breath and met Trey’s too-sharp gaze. “But I don’t see what I can say about you leaving.”
“This isn’t about my leaving, it’s about you.” Trey pulled up the bench so he faced Jonah sitting on the cot, their knees close but not touching. “First off, I’d like to come back here.”
“When?” Jonah said too quickly.
But Trey didn’t smile at his eagerness or his, let’s face it, desperation. In fact he looked more serious. “That’s the problem. I don’t know when. It could be months, it could be more than a year. Longer, if I’m unlucky.”
When Jonah didn’t respond—his heart was sinking over that amount of time, even if a part of him was gratified that Trey wanted to come back—Trey reached over, wrapped a hand around Jonah’s knee and gave it a shake, as if he was encouraging Jonah. He felt the warmth of Trey’s palm through his long johns. He had kept on a long flannel shirt to hide any unwanted reaction to Trey, which was, God help him, starting again.
“Jonah, I’d like you to actually tell me a little about what’s going on inside your head.”
“Well, Trey,” began Jonah, irritated by the tone Trey was taking and irritated by himself for responding so sexually to what was a friendly gesture. “I’m thinking a year is a fucking long time. Is that what you want to hear?”
“Sure.”
“Sure?”
“It’s great to hear anything when you’re trying to get a conversation going.” Trey dipped his head slightly so Jonah had to meet his gaze. He didn’t want to meet that gaze which saw too much, but he couldn’t resist. Trey continued, “Of course it’s a long time. Too long. I’m concerned about it. If I don’t get back before the summer, you need to go down to the town where you buy supplies and mingle a little more.”
“Mingle,” Jonah repeated in disbelief.
“It’s not healthy for you to stay alone up here all the time. You’ve done great for three years, but you can’t keep pushing it.”
“Mingle?” The anger was building and he set his jaw when he looked at Trey. “That’s unsafe. I need to get in and I need to get out.”
“That’s your mother talking and I understand why—”
“You understand nothing,” Jonah seethed. “You come in here, live with me for a few days, and before you take off you think you can tell me what I need to do to stay healthy?”
Trey looked annoyed, which normally would have upset Jonah, but not once he’d lost his temper. “Grow up and learn to listen to someone who has something useful to tell you.”
That’s it. Jonah stood, partly to get away from Trey who was too close and too warm and too intent. “You’re a tourist, passing by and impressed by my woodsman-style life, and then you’re gone. I don’t need your advice. And I’d like to end this less-than-helpful conversation.”
Trey stood too, stepped towards him, when Jonah wanted more of his own space. But he would not back up, give way. Trey, however, had gone all earnest again, not intimidating, and that made it worse because some of Jonah’s anger faded and he was left with an awful yearning that made it hard to breathe.
“I am not a tourist. Like you, I’m a shapeshifter and I’ve done my share of living in the wild. And I will tell you that shapeshifters don’t do well if they remain isolated.”
“You’re a wolf. A pack animal. I’m not. It’s hard to be around you at times.”
Instead of being shocked by this information, or offended, Trey’s expression gentled, as if he understood that Jonah was attracted to him, which, Jesus, maybe he did. Jonah’s face flushed deep red and he found he needed to get out of here, forget about standing his ground with Trey, forget about not giving way. As Jonah attempted to pass by, a hand wrapped around his upper arm and he couldn’t reach the door. He tried to shake off Trey’s grip.
Trey held on. “Uh-uh. You’re not going out there to freeze your ass off again. You did that yesterday, remember?”
Through clenched teeth, Jonah said, “Let me go. I need some fresh air.”
“For God’s sakes, fresh air is about the last thing you need. I’ve never met someone who had so much fresh air in their life.”
“Let. Me. Go.” Jonah was ready to snarl.
Trey slowly released his hold, and with some dignity, Jonah stepped towards the door, careful not to act like he was bolting. He still needed to get outside. But when he reached for the handle, Trey’s hand slammed down on the door, keeping it closed.
“Not today, Jonah,” he said softly, and there was something beguiling about the voice, a little huskier than normal though maybe Jonah’s imagination was making that up. If Trey only knew what was going on in his mind, he would be pushing Jonah out the door not holding the door shut.
Jonah stared at the hand, large and broad, powerful. Like Trey himself. He wanted to stay here, to be honest, to spend as much time as possible with Trey before he vanished, but it wasn’t possible with these feelings of longing, of desire. Bowing his head, he waited it out, though what exactly he was waiting for, he didn’t know. He felt like a condemned man.
“Jonah,” Trey murmured.
A shiver raced through Jonah and he couldn’t speak.
“Trust me a little, okay?” With that Trey ran a palm down Jonah’s spine, once, twice.
It was intoxicating, that caress, and though Trey did it to reassure him, not to arouse him, Jonah’s body didn’t understand that. Jonah’s body refused to flee, it shuddered under Trey’s touch, and Trey felt it all and didn’t stop. So despite all of Jonah’s fears, he leaned towards Trey. When Trey didn’t back away, when Trey stood strong as if ready to take Jonah’s weight, he nestled in Trey’s arm, asking for a hug that was easily given, and Jonah buried his face into the crook between Trey’s shoulder and neck.
An awful relief flowed through him, like he’d been starving and hadn’t realized it. The knowledge that Trey would have to push him away, and soon, didn’t stop Jona
h from lifting an arm and hugging Trey back. Still he was careful to keep his body angled away so Trey wouldn’t feel his erection.
“All right” was all Trey said, in that reassuring way of his, and even if he seemed resigned, he sounded…affectionate. That was a good sign, right? Maybe Jonah wouldn’t wreck everything that lay between them. They stood there for the longest time, Trey endlessly patient, until Jonah’s breathing came under control. All the while Trey repeated his assurance that it was all right, that Jonah was fine.
Eventually, because it wasn’t in Jonah to end this, Trey set him slightly apart, and Jonah could feel his gaze on him while he stared at the door he’d tried to escape through.
Trey cleared his throat, the noise more amused than embarrassed. “This wasn’t what I planned, for all kinds of reasons, and I’m willing to explain some of them, but…you’ve convinced me we need to take care of you.”
Despite being puzzled by Trey’s words and by the suggestive tone of his voice, Jonah couldn’t look up and see what was on Trey’s face. Not quite yet.
Then ever so lightly, Trey passed a hand over Jonah’s rock-hard but flannel-covered erection. He would have jumped twenty meters, except Trey’s arm around his shoulders held him steadily in place so he jerked under Trey’s hold. When he lifted his eyelashes to look at Trey, there wasn’t censure or anger on the wolf’s face. Just a strange openness Jonah had never seen before.
Then Trey smiled.
Foxes’ Den
Teresa Noelle Roberts
Love has a trick up its sleeve…
Duals and Donovans: The Different, Book 2
Some guys just don’t take rejection well. Sure, Akane’s affair with an uptight sorcerer’s boy toy backfired, but two hundred years locked in a mortal body is cruel and unusual punishment for a Trickster avatar. To free her fox form, she needs sex magic with a male of her own kind. Except none exist.
Adorable Trickster-touched fox dual Taggart Ross-Donovan is the closest she’s found. Even better, he’s married to Paul Donovan, whose red magic sizzles the air around him. One night with them will generate the extraordinary power needed to set her free.
The last thing Tag and Paul expect to find under a sorcerer’s curse is a kitsune, a beautiful one who gets under their skin without even trying. Tag is more than ready to take the risk she needs. Paul has reservations, but it’s nothing Tag can’t overcome with a little sensual persuasion.
No one goes into the ritual with more hope than Akane…or more fear. Failure will leave her forever entrapped. Worse, she’s falling for two mortals. And there’s only one thing that can kill a kitsune—unrequited love.
Warning: Contains sly fox men (with tails), foxy fox women (with multiple tails), sexy witches chasing tail, Trickster magic, cranky sorcerers, and enough gay, het and MMF sex to torch your Kindle.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Foxes’ Den
Copyright © 2010 by Teresa Noelle Roberts
ISBN: 978-1-60928-149-6
Edited by Linda Ingmanson
Cover by Natalie Winters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: August 2010
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