20 Shades of Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

  Each time, regardless of where they made love, was more intense than the previous time. With each powerful thrust, she cried out. He set an incredible pace she was struggling to maintain. Where did he get the energy after their run? She could barely catch her breath.

  For the first time, they climaxed together. He planted his seed deeply inside her. Waves of pleasure transcended from her core outward.

  Samantha leaned limply against him. He had no idea where the burst of energy came from to love her with such intensity. His feet barely kept him standing.

  Thank goodness the shower was open at the rear. He doubted he had the strength to open a door. He grabbed one of the towels that hung beside the stall and wrapped Samantha in it. Her hair was a tangled mess.

  There was a chaise lounge toward the back of the room he laid her on. He grabbed a towel for himself and sat beside her.

  “I need to get in better shape,” Samantha muttered. He wasn’t sure if he was addressing him or talking to herself.

  Barry was helpless to stop the smile of male superiority that crossed his face. He was never smug, but after that performance, he had every right to be. He had always been a considerate lover, making sure his partner was pleasured. But he had never loved a woman to the point of pure exhaustion on both their parts.

  “Do all wolves perform like that?” Samantha asked in wonderment.

  “I have no idea, but I doubt it,” Barry admitted. “It has to be because we are true mates. Each time we make love, we seem more familiar with each other and the act intensifies.”

  Samantha groaned. “I’m not going to survive our relationship.”

  Barry burst out laughing. “Sure you will, sweetheart. You were amazing. Throughout, you didn’t miss a beat.”

  Another moan escaped her. He didn’t believe it was possible to love her anymore than he already had, but he did. His adoration for her transformed into something he wasn’t sure he could define in a single word. It was a feeling he had little time to explore since seeing Samantha again. They seemed to have some level of stability when their lives became jumbled again.

  “We need to discuss you joining me in Colorado,” Barry said. “As soon as I recover from our latest bout, I’d like to go online and purchase a plane ticket for you.”

  “Barr, I’m still barely able to breathe. I can’t fathom making a decision past how I’m going to get upstairs.”

  He liked how she had abbreviated his name. There was a level of intimacy associated to how she said it. Regardless of what she called him, he knew better than to call her “Sam.” Whenever anyone called her that, she was quick to correct them.

  Finally, he had a second wind. He bundled her into his arms, towel and all. “How you get upstairs is no longer an issue. The only question that remains is what will happen when we get there.”

  “Youth,” she muttered.

  Maybe he needed to just hold her and they would talk. They still hadn’t had a serious discussion about their future. Whenever he felt they were ready, another calamity came their way.

  He shifted her in his arms when they reached her bed. With his free hand, he pulled back the covers. With great care, he laid her on the bed. His eyes roamed her naked body one last time before she covered herself.

  Within seconds, he was snuggling next to her. In moments like these, he was secure in their relationship. The outside world didn’t exist for the time being.

  “I’m serious about you coming to Colorado with me,” he said. “There are shifter communities in the area, but they won’t bother us. We can build a new life there. Tailor it to our needs.”

  Her long fingers brushed away his still damp hair from his face. She wore no specific emotion. He didn’t know her well enough to read what the blank expression meant.

  A slight frown alerted him to a negative thought about to be voiced. “Rather than judging us on being different species, they’ll focus on our age difference.”

  A heavy sigh escaped. “No one cares, Samantha. If we weren’t meant to be together, we wouldn’t be true mates.” His patience was all but warn out. “Debate me on that one.”

  She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. He wasn’t sure if he should continue the conversation or let her be. Since she hadn’t turned her back on him, he decided to charge forward.

  He slid closer to her. “You are sexier than any woman my age, younger, or older. There has only been one woman for me and it has always been you.”

  His words caused her to roll back onto her side and face him. Tears ran down the side of her face. She leaned toward him and brought her lips to his.

  “I’ll go with you,” she said after ending the kiss. “There is nothing holding me here. You are my world. I didn’t realize how incomplete my life was until you reentered it.”

  “I can’t promise you things will be easy,” he admitted, “but I will be by your side regardless of what the future holds.”

  He expected a response, but got none. Her silence concerned him. “What is it?”

  “I just wondered how many lives we are going to destroy in the process,” Samantha stated.

  This time he knew exactly what she was referring to. His parents.

  “Baby, the best thing to happen to my mother in a long time was leaving my father,” he replied. “If our relationship was the catalyst, then I’m glad. Alpha Hopkins had been aware there was possible abuse going on. My brothers are livid their wives hadn’t shared their suspicions with them.”

  “But—”

  Barry cut her off. “This is one circumstance that can’t be blamed on our relationship. You can absolve yourself of what is happening with my parents. She could never stand up for herself. I have total faith my brothers will protect her in our absence.”

  Samantha bit her lip. Yet again, she was holding back. He threw her a look he hoped would tell her she was in a safe place to share her thoughts.

  “Maybe a physical distance will help Nancy.” Samantha lowered her eyes. “She could join us in Colorado.”

  He thought it was a terrible idea, but didn’t want to verbalize it. Maybe if Samantha thought on it a little longer, she’d come to the same conclusion. Dealing with their relationship would only increase his mother’s stress level, regardless of what he told her earlier.

  An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them. He fought against replying to her statement. Words came out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

  Chapter 23

  Samantha’s mother had given her sage advice about marriage before she died. Never go to bed angry. But that was exactly what she and Barry did last night. After making love until she couldn’t see straight, they argued about Nancy. They both had such different perspectives related to her best friend.

  Where she was concerned, Nancy had been supportive of her career. The same was not true where Barry was concerned. She knew Barry had been right that his mother couldn’t join them in Colorado, but she was stubborn enough to make an issue of it.

  He slept in the same bed with her, but they didn’t touch. When she woke, Barry was no longer in bed. His scent was still on the pillow and the linens. She brought both to her nose and took in his scent. Their stupid argument cost her the joy of snuggling with him this morning.

  Aggravated with herself, she pulled herself out of bed and staggered to the shower. She had never been a morning person. Water cascading over her brought the clarity a new day always presented. All she had to do was apologize to him and everything would be all right.

  She put on a sundress that showed off her abundant chest and long legs. There was nothing wrong with displaying what he had missed out on this morning by escaping their bed early. She made the bed, secretly hoping it would be unmade shortly. After the physical exertion last night, she was starving.

  Barry was nowhere to be found. As far as she could tell, he left without grabbing something for breakfast. She ventured outside to validate his rental car was no longer in the driveway.

  Ha
rvey Smith approached her. “Good morning. Your lover took off early this morning. Having second thoughts?”

  Samantha stepped away from him. It wasn’t his words that caused her alarm, but his scent. Ian Perkins was on the property and had been as close to Harvey as she was now. Her eyes scanned behind him, but she didn’t see anyone.

  “You are aware there is a restraining order against Ian,” she warned Harvey. “He can’t be anywhere on the property or within a hundred yards of me off premises. Alpha Baker reinstated the order last night when Ian showed up at the restaurant.”

  Officer Smith’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like being reminded of what he already knew and disregarded. She needed to get indoors, secure the house, and call her alpha. The argument she had with Barry couldn’t have been more poorly timed.

  Samantha turned and ran toward the house. Fortunately, Harvey Smith didn’t follow. She shut and locked the front door. Her shaking hands picked up her phone and called Levon Baker.

  Before he had a chance to say hello, Samantha cried, “Ian has been on my property. I’m not sure if he’s still here. You need to take Harvey Smith off my protection force. He and Ian are friends and he reeks of him.”

  “Calm down, Samantha,” Levon said in a soothing voice.

  Those words were easy for him to say, but not so simple for her to act on. All the bad memories related to Ian came storming back into her mind.

  She pulled a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator before responding to Levon. “Easier said than done. I’m going to pull my gun out of the safe and keep it near.”

  “I’ll recall Smith and spend some time out there myself,” Levon informed her. “It’s been a while since I did some real work. Is Barry around?”

  Samantha took a sip from the glass she just filled. “No. We had a fight last night. He’s probably checking on his mother. But I know he’ll be back.”

  “Have you had breakfast?”

  She looked at the glass of wine and debated if it constituted being counted as a meal. “No,” she answered.

  “I’ll be there within an hour with bagels.”

  “Make them sesame or poppy seed. I have plenty of cream cheese and smoked salmon.”

  Ian was looming somewhere close by and she was engaged in small talk about what she wanted for breakfast. Part of her wanted to shift and run for the hills, but Ian would easily overtake her if he was still on her property. She took several more sips of courage. Since she was drinking on an empty stomach, she decided to delay retrieving her gun.

  She ached for Barry, body and soul. A scream of frustration escaped her lungs. It felt great.

  It dawned on her that she hadn’t checked to see if Barry left her a message. She reached for her phone and noted he had left her three messages. A sense of relief washed over her. As she suspected, he was at Nate’s checking on his mother. It said he needed to personally see how she faired. Lisa was cooking a large breakfast and he’d be back mid-morning.

  She debated whether to text him about Ian. There was nothing he could do and he needed to spend sometime with Nancy. In the end, she texted she missed him and would see him soon. She also told him Alpha Baker was coming over and providing them breakfast. He could read into that whatever he wished.

  With Levon coming, she decided to put on something a little more conservative. She changed into a pair of Capri pants and a matching jersey. After the comments made last night, she didn’t want to inadvertently give him any signs she was interested in him. She wanted to kick herself for telling him she had a fight with Barry.

  To kill time before Levon and the bagels arrived, she caught up on her e-mails. There were several queries about jobs in Colorado that looked promising. The timing couldn’t have been better. She responded to each message and told them she’d be arriving in Colorado the following Monday and she’d be in contact.

  The doorbell rang and Samantha looked through the peephole to validate Alpha Baker was on the other side of the door. He was loaded down with bags and cups of coffee. She opened the door and helped to lighten his load.

  “Are we having an army for breakfast?” she inquired.

  “A change of shift is about to occur. I thought I’d bring my men some food and fresh coffee.” He pulled out a smaller bag and two coffees. “Hang on a little longer. I’ll be right back.”

  While he was delivering breakfast to his troops, she cut two bagels in half and toasted the first one. She pulled out the cream cheese, lox, and some plates. It felt great getting her mind off Ian and the community’s reaction to her relationship with a younger wolf shifter.

  She was spreading the cream cheese and placed the salmon on the second bagel when Levon joined her. He had a scowl on his face. Her situation came crashing back into reality with that look.

  Samantha put down the knife. “What’s wrong?”

  “That son of a bitch lied to me.” She assumed he was talking about Harvey. “Smith has been giving me attitude and now he’s denied fostering Perkins. You were right, the bastard is covered in his stink.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Damned if I know.” Her alpha took a large bite of his bagel. “The dick has done nothing that violates any of our bylaws. He swore an oath to the pride, not to me. I know Alpha Hopkins is facing a possible challenge from the more conservative faction of his pack. I may be looking at the same damn thing.”

  She knew Levon supporting her wasn’t winning him any popularity contests. Her alpha had gone years without a viable challenger within the pride. If she was inadvertently responsible for him losing his role of authority, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself. Levon had been a loyal friend over the years and supportive of her decision to have a career over mating with another cougar.

  “I’m going to Colorado with Barry,” Samantha advised him. “We can leave earlier if it will relieve some of the pressure our community is feeling. Barry and I haven’t discussed any long range plans.”

  His eyes roamed over her body. It was obvious he was attracted to her. Had he always looked at her in that fashion and she had just noticed it? He moved toward her and she stepped back, her body’s movement was stopped by the kitchen counter.

  “What’s going on?” Barry asked.

  He hadn’t rung the doorbell, but walked directly into Samantha’s house. The last thing he expected to see when he walked into the kitchen was Levon Baker making a move on his mate. Samantha was pinned against the kitchen counter.

  His voice caused the cougar alpha to leap backward. Levon’s face redden. Samantha scurried around the massive cougar and stood beside him. Unlike the male feline, Samantha was pale. It was clear whatever had occurred was not her doing.

  “Alpha Baker stopped by to check on his men and brought breakfast,” Samantha choked out. She looked as uncomfortable as her voice indicated. “Ian has been on the property.”

  Yet again, he was taken aback. When she finally replied to her text, there was no mention of Ian’s proximity. Had she told him of the danger, he would have immediately headed back to her house. He didn’t want to discuss Ian in front of her alpha and certainly not after what he had witnessed.

  Levon looked uncomfortable. His fingers played with the collar of his shirt. “I should be heading back into town. Don’t adjust your plans on my account.”

  Samantha nodded and her alpha headed out through the back door. After he was gone, she poured herself another glass of wine. He wondered how many glasses she had already consumed. Although he wanted to grill her, he needed her to tell him what had occurred on her own terms.

  She threw away the two half-eaten bagels and put the cream cheese and lox into the fridge. The two plates were placed in the dishwasher and she wiped off the counter. Her usual tidy habits were a camouflage for whatever she was feeling.

  The silence between them had become unbearable. If she didn’t say something soon, he would break the stalemate between them. His usual patient manner was wearing thin.

  “How long has L
evon been attracted to you?” he asked.

  His question was met with a loud sigh. “That’s the least of our problems. Levon may be a large man, but he would never take advantage of a woman. I’m worried about Ian, Nancy, and the unease in our communities. I feel like we are standing on top of a land mine and a wildfire is coming in our direction. What do we react to first?”

  It became clear why she hadn’t told him about Ian. “You wanted me to stay with my mom as long as I wanted and not run back to protect you. Didn’t you?”

  She rubbed her right eye and then came into his arms. They were up half the night and she appeared exhausted. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulder. His fingers played with the tresses that fell beside his hand.

  “Nancy needed you and I had plenty of protection. Levon understands what we are to each other. I have no idea why he suddenly seems interested in me. Part of me expects Eclipse to be invaded by a swarm of locusts.”

  Barry laughed at her biblical reference to the plagues that hit ancient Egypt. Their lives had suddenly seemed epic. Everything that could go wrong seemed to have occurred.

  The council hearing had been favorable, but that in itself created problems. A clear expulsion would have sent them both packing and all the drama they now were experiencing wouldn’t have occurred. In the end, all they would have dealt with was the guilt and suffering over everything they had lost. It was very different when they still had to fight for their right to be together and still maintain their relationship.

  She needed his support, not his accusations. They were safe for the time being. He didn’t know the history between Samantha and Ian. Now was certainly not the time to ask. For the time being, his mate needed to relax and get some rest. They needed to both be at their sharpest when the next fiasco hit. He didn’t lie to himself that their problems were behind them.