20 Shades of Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

  Barry scooted farther back on the couch, taking her with him. She had never been so comfortable sitting in this room. It wasn’t the furniture she spent a fortune on, but being with her mate. They had years of similar moments to look forward to.

  She once again thought of poor Nancy. “They say you can’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” It was an expression she had heard over the years, but hadn’t truly understood its meaning until now. “I never realized the magnitude of Dave’s control over your mom. Was it obvious when you were growing up?”

  “Wolves aren’t like cougars,” Barry pointed out. “Unless the female is an alpha, the female is subservient to the male. Cats have more equity in your relationships.”

  She let out a belly laugh. “I don’t know about that. I’ve had one too many males try to mount me and bite the back of my shoulder. That is one of the few feline characteristics that is carried over to our human selves.”

  Barry released her and shifted on the sofa to get a good look at her face. “Did you kick the crap out of any of them that tried?”

  “Bet your life I did,” she replied. “Each one also got unceremoniously dumped.”

  “I always thought you had the characteristics of an alpha,” Barry commented.

  She smiled and leaned over to kiss his lips. “You had many of the characteristics too, but had two huge flaws.”

  He reared back from her, hurt evident on his face. She could have better phrased what she said. It was critical she clarified what she meant, and fast.

  “Barry, I was referring to characteristics of an alpha, not anything else. You were never a fighter, but a diplomat. I don’t know if your human side fought any instinctual urge you had to settle things with physical strength. Alphas act, they don’t think.”

  She watched him as if he was under a microscope. When he nodded his understanding of what she meant, she slowly let out the breath she held.

  “And the second thing?”

  “You are a renaissance man, like Leonardo da Vinci. He was always distracted with his next project to finish whatever painting he was working on. Do you know he only finished fifteen paintings?”

  Her comment was met with a frown. “Explain.”

  “Your brothers were always involved in whatever sport was available. You on the other hand, wanted to build your own bike or understand how birds’ anatomy allowed them to fly. I was always amazed by your thirst for knowledge. It freaked out your mother.”

  Nancy always struggled to understand Barry. She was doubly confused by her husband’s refusal to even try. After the weekly bridge game broke up, she and Nancy would talk for hours.

  “I never realized you took such an interest in me when I was younger,” he commented.

  “At the time, I believed it was to support a friend. Now, I recognize it for what it truly was. My cougar was taking an interest in her future mate. Your mom realized it, I didn’t.”

  The past was so much clearer now with her new knowledge. She had partially mourned no longer attending Simpson family functions. Now she knew the real reason for her feelings of abandonment.

  She needed to leave her past, focusing on the present and their future. It was no longer about her relationship with Nancy, but with her son.

  “You were wrong about one thing,” Barry added. “You don’t understand the dedication and commitment it took to be a doctor.”

  Another smile broke through her efforts to stay serious during this discussion. “Yet, you aren’t practicing. An aspect of medicine has attracted you and you’re continuing your studies.”

  “Sweetheart, anyone who wishes to specialize has to complete a residency.”

  “The only thing that is related to you being a shifter is trying to understand what happens to our elderly after a stroke. Your efforts have nothing to do with the characteristics that make a strong alpha. It will not assist you in establishing yourself in the pack’s hierarchy.”

  Barry considered her words. His pupils dilated slightly when he finally understood her point. She noticed every nuance related to her mate that no one would have picked up on. If his respiration or heartbeat changed, she immediately felt the impact.

  “Where’d you go after your father said those terrible things?” she asked.

  She needed to understand how he dealt with stress. He was a social drinker, while she tended to use alcohol as a crutch.

  “I needed to run,” Barry admitted. “The older I get, the more I need to physically deal with stress. In the city, I work out at a gym. Here, I can let my wolf roam free.”

  Samantha grinned at his response. She was more than willing to get physical when he needed a release. Her mind normally didn’t think in that fashion, but with Barry, it was becoming second nature.

  “My dad followed me,” Barry added.

  Her momentary levity disappeared with that news. “What happened?”

  It was Barry’s turn to take a sip of wine. “Just a continuation of our earlier discussion. He gave me one more chance to toe the line and give you up. I told him I didn’t want the life he felt I should live. Even before we were reunited, I didn’t want it. This day was destined to occur, but I always thought I’d have to face it alone.”

  She sheltered herself into his body. “You are never going to be alone again.”

  It was a promise she had every intention of honoring. He wasn’t the only one who expected to grow old alone. The future was brighter than it had ever been. She just had to navigate around any cloudy skies.

  Barry hadn’t expected the subject to get so serious. It was his intention to carry her to the bedroom, undress, and shower together. They’d make love until they were both too exhausted to think.

  “I didn’t wash when I returned from my run,” he whispered in her ear as he kissed its rim. “If you don’t mind, I could use some help cleaning my back. Last night’s rain made it muddy outside.”

  He exaggerated, but a coy smile germinated on her face. There was a playfulness to her behavior he hadn’t expected. She was older than him, but there was a vitality to her he never possessed. It made him feel like a teenager again.

  Samantha’s body shook with laughter. “I just laundered the sheets. We wouldn’t want to get them dirty.”

  They rose from the sofa, clasped hands, and passed the suitcases his parents had left for him. They would deal with planning their next steps later. For now, there were more pressing matters to attend to. Like his rock solid erection.

  He reached behind her knees and brought her into his arms. She was a tall and willowy woman whose weight hardly impacted his ability to navigate the stairs. Her laughter echoed through the narrow corridor.

  It was dark the first time he navigated these stairs. Rather than family photos lining the walls, wilderness landscapes hung above the railing. He didn’t bother to examine any of the art; there would be plenty of time to explore her home later.

  He turned left at the top of the stairs. The waning light barely lit the room. Her bedroom’s walls were a light sea foam green. He helped a former girlfriend decorate her apartment, so he knew the name of the color. The room was as clutter free as her living room and kitchen.

  A California king bed dominated the room. Its bedspread was the same green color as well as light gray and charcoal hues. Pieces of furniture strategically placed in the room were wood stained with a light oak finish. Venetian blinds covered the windows in the room.

  “What’s wrong, why did you stop?”

  “The last time I was here; I didn’t get a chance to examine where you slept. It was dark and I left well before the sun rose. The room suits you.”

  He headed for the master bathroom. When they entered, he only had eyes for Samantha. The room could have been painted fire engine red, he wouldn’t have noticed.

  After carefully placing Samantha on her feet, he brought his lips to hers. He had all night to love her. There would be no need to sneak out again before the sun rose.

  His wol
f wanted to rip the clothes off her body, but he knew what great care she took in dressing. She always looked perfect, never wrinkled. His fingers unbuttoned her blouse. Once he finished the last button, he pushed the material aside and his eyes feasted on her light pink bra and the beautiful breasts it imprisoned. The lace foundation soon was on the bathroom floor on top of her discarded blouse.

  Before he could position himself to remove her slacks, he was forced to raise his arms as she lifted his shirt from his body. Her warm hands explored his chest, ultimately stopping when they met the top of his jeans. He waited as she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, then pushed them past his hips.

  They both removed their undergarments. She turned on the shower and they waited until the water was hot. In the meantime, they embraced and shared passionate kisses.

  When she deemed the water perfect, he entered the stall. He heard laughter behind him and turned to see what had caused her levity.

  “You really are filthy,” she said between giggles. “I thought it was just a ploy to get us to shower together. How did the back of your coat get muddy?”

  “Before the confrontation with my father, I rolled in a cluster of leaves. The high winds last night pushed the forests’ debris into a small depression. I hadn’t felt so carefree since I was a pup.”

  She grabbed a sea sponge and got to work cleaning his back. Although the action was utility oriented, he got further turned on by Samantha’s actions. Mates in the wild did similar activities.

  As one hand scrubbed, the other soapy hand explored his body. He closed his eyes and took in each touch and sensation it created. While she continued to minister to him, he didn’t attempt to do the same. As soon as he made contact with her naked flesh, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

  When she grabbed his cock, he reached for the sides of the shower in order not to stumble. “I’m going to embarrass myself if you continue,” he growled. He didn’t want to ejaculate in her hand, but in her warm body.

  “Then let’s get out of here before the water becomes cold, and get to work.” Her tone echoed his. She was adorable, even when she was angry.

  He turned off the shower and they were soon encased in her plush towels. His eyes traveled over her body, from her wet hair to her purple painted toes. She diligently dried herself. When she lifted one leg onto the commode, Barry was done looking.

  Chapter 16

  Samantha cried out in surprise when Barry grabbed her hips. The towel was all but forgotten when he brought her into his rock hard body. Her nipples hardened in response.

  An ache in her core that Barry’s presence always solicited intensified. Her back came down on the plush bathroom rug. His partially wet body covered hers. She wrapped her legs and arms around him, bringing their heated flesh together.

  Her arms unclasp his body and her anxious hands sailed up and down his back. His body was lean and muscular. She was used to shifter lovers who were bulkier, or humans who didn’t possess the muscle mass her other lovers possessed. Barry was perfect in his proportions.

  He grabbed her head and brought their lips together. She opened to him, craving his taste. Their tongues tangled in a frantic dance.

  His erection rubbed against her. She grabbed his rod and guided him toward her silken folds. He grunted when he noticed how wet and prepared she was for him. Her body was always ready to receive him.

  When he breached her passage, it was her turn to moan. Whenever he entered her, it was as if a missing part of her had been found. She never felt complete until he filled her.

  Her muscles contracted around him and released him as he moved farther toward her core. There was a new found confidence in his lovemaking. It was no longer performed with a chaotic urgency, fearing they may never be together again. Today, her mate knew she was his for the rest of their long lives.

  Tears of joy filled her eyes. She didn’t realize how impactful the security of their relationship was to her. A powerful thrust lifted her from her thoughts as Barry withdrew and entered her once again. His rhythm changed and her pelvis adjusted to the more enthusiastic pace.

  Barry wasn’t the kind of lover who quickly ejaculated and fell into a deep sleep. He continued to move inside her, causing sensations to build within her to a level she wasn’t sure she could withstand. She kept expecting to shatter, but he continued to drive on. It became more difficult to take in air as her breathing became more labored.

  When she fractured, sensations rocketed through her core. The intensity of her climax brought a scream from deep inside. Her cries were the only means she could release the energy their lovemaking produced.

  He reared back his head and shouted as he came within her. A second orgasm activated in response to his own. Her nerve endings continued to cause waves of pleasure throughout her body.

  Samantha’s legs uncoiled, falling limp beside him. Pure exhaustion overcame her. She was in a perfect place mentally after the euphoria they produced together. With everything that happened today, she didn’t expect to be as happy as she was at this moment.

  Barry rolled onto his side. “I couldn’t make it to the bed. I wanted you too much.”

  Her only response to his statement was a moan. There was no reason for him to apologize. She loved the urgency that came over them when they were together. They had already made love once in the shower, why not the bathroom floor?

  It was the cold tiles that caused them to abandon the floor in favor of the pillow top mattress and high thread count sheets. As they sank into the mattress, Barry took her into his arms and together they attempted to fall asleep.

  She was too excited to fall into any type of slumber. Her mind was too full of examining the possibilities ahead for them. There were a lot of decisions that had to be made over the next week. Barry was expected back at the hospital a week from Monday.

  Her eyes surveyed the room. It was probably too feminine for a couple to occupy, assuming they were going to keep the house. What did Eclipse have to keep them here?

  That thought startled her. She had no storefront business, everything was handled online. Over the years, she had not cultivated any friends other than the ones she played bridge with. It was only the large parcel of land and living around shapeshifters that kept her here.

  “Where do you live in Colorado?”

  “I live against Cherry Creek State Park,” Barry replied. “For long weekends, I have a small cabin near Pike National Forest. There is plenty of room for my wolf to roam. We have mountain lions in the area, so if your cougar is spotted, it won’t create an issue. The cougars live in remote parts of the park and are rarely seen.”

  “Do you have any friends?”

  “Baby, I don’t have time for friends,” Barry admitted. “But I do have some people from the hospital I hang out with from time to time. What free time I get, I generally head for the woods.”

  Samantha didn’t want to cross-examine him, but she had to understand what she was getting herself into. She had limited her business trips to two-to-three days, never being away from home long enough for her cougar to get antsy.

  “Are any of them shapeshifters?”

  Barry perched himself on his elbow and gazed down at her. “When I first started medical school, I contacted our council to coordinate interactions between me and other shifters in the area. They focused on setting me up with available female wolf shifters, so I stopped using that avenue. I finally found a dark website an old friend recommended. The council got me an ID to get access to the site. Overtime, I have developed friendships with a number of shapeshifters in the Denver area who I see on occasion.”

  It was promising news. She needed more than Barry and work to sustain her. Up until this point, her life had been centered on work and her girlfriends. Wherever she ended up, she needed a support structure of female shifters. Barry wasn’t going to be enough and she knew it.

  His cell phone rang from his jean’s pocket in the bathroom. They had finally drifted off to sleep. Last night,
he enjoyed the intimacy of lying beside Samantha and talking about their future. She had asked about his life outside the hospital in Colorado. He was facing long hours at work and she needed her own set of friends and activities.

  “Aren’t you going to get the call?” she asked in a groggy state.

  “If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.”

  He doubted it was anyone he wanted to talk to anyway. It was probably Nate or Marc and they wanted to know if he was all right. What was he going to tell them?

  It was then he realized everything his brothers knew about his relationship with Samantha was through his parents. He hadn’t confided in them as boys since he covertly met her, or when their affair became known to the council. Nate had come to support him, but had he talked to him since the diner?

  He swore under his breath and rolled out of bed, hoping to grab the call before it rolled over to voicemail. His phone was set to ring seven times before sending the caller to the message center.

  He glanced at the display to see it was Marc before he hit the accept icon on the phone. “Hello,” he barked into the phone.

  “Did I interrupt anything?” his brother inquired.

  “A matter of fact, you got me out of bed,” he replied. “I gather Mom or Dad talked to you.”

  Marc let loose an uncomfortable laugh. “Talk would be too weak of a word. Maybe rant would be more accurate. Nate and I knew it would ultimately come to Dad kicking you out of the family, we just didn’t see it being over a cougar.”

  There was a momentary silence. “Before you get all excited about that statement, I wanted to let you know we both like Samantha and support you,” Marc added. “We knew Eclipse wasn’t big or progressive enough to hold you here and you’d eventually leave. Dad had threatened to do it when you went to medical school, but the council stopped him.”