by Anya Nowlan
The hunter becomes the hunted, Blair thought, slipping into the sea of dancing, chatting, and laughing people.
Little did she know that one does not simply hunt a hunter. At least not a man like Dash Frost…
CHAPTER FOUR
Dash
Dash was being a tiny bit childish; he wasn’t above admitting that. But getting a rise out of Vix was so easy when he set his mind to it and honestly, could anyone blame him for wanting to let off a bit of steam?
Vix probably could, Dash mused with an inkling of amusement.
He’d been playing a very convoluted game of hide and piss-off-the-younger-brother for the better part of the ball now, going so far as to recruit a few helpers from the flock of younger shifters in Shifter Grove. Rush Dean turned out to be an especially adept troublemaker and Dash recognized a kindred soul in him. Shame the guy was already married—to a gorgeous creature Dash might add—and was only of any use when playing practical jokes.
Dash was taking a moment to breathe, unbuttoning the first two buttons on his dress shirt and letting his tie loose as he stood on the back porch, overlooking the large and well-kept grounds. It was awe-inspiring what the Warfangs and the rest of the Shifter Grove “founders” had done for the area.
While it had always been inhabited by one shifter group or another, including a few prominent werebear clans and werewolf packs, it had never had a major settlement. But the new residents had recognized the area for what it was—a haven nestled amidst lakes and mountains—and settled in like they intended to stay forever. While Dash was sure that was supposed to insult some kind of ancient sensibilities in him, he couldn’t have been happier for them.
It was a good place. Well worth settling down, if one were so inclined.
Dash Frost, though? Naw. He wasn’t that kind of guy. What kind of a woman could put up with a workaholic pilot who preferred the skies to home and the whine of an engine to the breathy moans of the right kind of girl? Well, the second part was maybe an over-exaggeration.
Dash grinned to himself, thinking about the woman he’d involved in his little play session before. Her curves had been perfect under his palms, both thick and welcoming, just like he liked them. And the dress she’d worn? Damn, like someone had poured molten silver on her and through some trick of the mind called that “decent.” She shouldn’t have been let out of the house looking like that unless she wanted to be the cause of the heart attacks of every single, red-blooded male shifter at the ball.
Then again, by that smug expression she’d been wearing, maybe that was exactly what she was going for. He liked that in a woman—confidence. Taking a sip of his Scotch, he was about to stalk back inside when the vision that had been haunting him all evening drifted to the entrance to the porch. She was backlit by the magnificent chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and they made her skin glow and glisten. Her full lips were a fetching shade of dark pink and her long neck yearned to be kissed.
For the first time in a long time, his buck reared up, demanding to be heard. It was a rare occasion for Dash Frost that he and his buck saw eye to eye, but this time, there was no doubt in either of their minds. Whoever she was, she had to be theirs. If only for one night.
Dash put his drink down and walked over to her as she studied the ball, as if looking for someone. The ugly head of jealousy perked up for a fleeting moment, with Dash wondering if she was looking for someone that wasn’t him. But he pushed it down and when he slid his arm around her waist and cupped one of her palms with his other hand, all of that worry left him faster than he was prepared for.
Of course she was looking for him. When she twirled around in his arms with a gasp, that much became immediately clear. For a second, her hands rested on his chest and Dash pulled her closer, one hand on her lower back, almost cupping her luscious ass.
His other hand still held her palm in his, like he was about to lead her to the dance floor. But he had no intentions of wasting their time on being surrounded by countless other bodies when the only one he had any interest of crushing against was hers.
“Missed me?” he asked, cocking a brow, though it remained hidden behind his mask.
Her lips were curved in the most delectable little O, and he had to have a stern talk with himself to keep from kissing that surprise right off her face.
The hell’s going on with you, Dash? We’re not getting attached. We’re only having fun.
It was ridiculous that he had to remind himself this, but there it was. At a pre-New Year’s Eve ball in Shifter Grove, after night after night of making Christmas miracles come true, Dash Frost was getting a tiny bit nervous. It was beyond impossible, and yet it was clear as day to him.
She closed her mouth quickly and tried to tug her hand from his, but he wouldn’t give in so easily. Reluctantly, he raised his hand above her head and released her from his grip with a little twirl that fit in with the last notes of music, before leading her out onto the balcony and away from the constant murmur of conversation coming from the ball.
It was cold outside, but he had a hard time noticing that with her so close to him, making his blood boil. But he saw the pinpricks of goose bumps popping up on her skin and he took off his black suit jacket, slipping it over her shoulders before she could bring up cold as an excuse and leave him hanging again.
“So, are you going to tell me what your name is now or do I need to charm you some more?” Dash asked, leaning on the balustrade with one elbow and picking up his glass again.
She smiled, and it made the corners of her mouth curl up in a way that made him wonder what her lips would look like when she screamed his name. When, not if. Considering how firmly she had planted herself in his head, he couldn’t fathom a world so cruel that it would leave him without a taste of her.
“It’s Blair,” she said, and he mulled the name over.
It wasn’t lost on him that she didn’t offer him her last name, but he’d let her keep her precious secrets. Spirits knew that he had plenty of those himself and he could understand a bit of the need for privacy.
“Blair,” he repeated, trying it on for size.
It would be pleasant to growl her name as well, with that lovely rolling R. He liked the way she looked when he said it, her eyes twinkling and the tip of her tongue darting out to wet her lips. She was a vision, wasn’t she? Like a force field of some sort, she simply drew him to her and he didn’t quite know what to make of that.
Sure, Dash was no angel. He’d done plenty of things that he wasn’t proud of and left more than one broken heart in almost every major city in the world. It sort of came with the job. But little Miss Blair here… well, he wasn’t looking forward to the goodbyes yet, that was certain.
“I like it. Was it worth the cloak and dagger, though? Or are we now in private and before I should have been worried about the murderous glances of a boyfriend, an ex…?” he asked, trailing off.
Why would you care?
It was a very good question. Why would he care? He had never given a damn about whether or not a woman was taken before, yet with Blair, it seemed to hold some weight. Like he couldn’t fathom her being tied up with anyone other than himself. She shook her head and Dash couldn’t help but notice that a damn boulder was pushed off his chest.
He straightened up, finishing his drink in an effort to hide his relief. It wouldn’t do to come off quite so obvious with a young lady he had full intentions of spending a mutually unforgettable, but a never-to-be-repeated sort of night with.
“No, none of that, thankfully. But the mind games were certainly worth it, Mr. Frost. After all, it was you who came to me, not the other way around,” Blair said, cozying up in his jacket.
It looked good on her. He imagined his dress shirt would look even better on her the next morning. But he was getting ahead of himself. As much as he wanted that body naked and under his fingertips as soon as he could, he was intrigued by this seemingly coy, but entirely self-aware and confident woman.
Running
a thumb along his lower lip, he nodded thoughtfully.
“You’re right. Is that what you were after? Me chasing you?” he asked, grinning like the idea sat with him very well.
“A little chase has never hurt anyone,” she said with a shrug, rolling her eyes upward a little in a fake show of shyness.
But he could see right through that. This little minx was the furthest thing from shy. She knew exactly what she was after and as much as Dash was interested in wining and dining her, he knew he had one night. By the looks of her, so did she, and they both knew what they wanted to do with it.
Without thinking about it for too long, he took a step closer to her, the two of them standing so close that there was barely enough room for air between them. He looped his arms around her under the jacket, pulling her against him by her waist, and then bringing one hand up to her chin slowly, letting it glide over her soft stomach, the generous swell of her breasts, and then the delicate skin of her exposed collarbone and neck.
She sucked in a little breath and dammit if it wasn’t the most delicious thing he’d ever heard. Dash could feel his pulse racing as he kept his thumb on her chin, lifting it up a bit to face him.
“I’m going to kiss you now, Miss Blair,” he said, his hazel eyes sparking with desire. An electric current ran through his body when she parted her lips the tiniest bit in anticipation, her long lashes fluttering against her cheeks.
There was a pause, only long enough for her to decide whether she wanted to stay or run. When she leaned into him, her body flush against his, Dash didn’t hesitate a moment longer. He crushed his lips against hers, not wasting time to try and taste or ponder. No, it was a kiss that could have sent fireworks blazing up toward the skies if there had been any within thirty feet of them.
His hard fingers dug into her lower back, cradling her against him as his cock grew hard and rigid, demanding her. She kissed him back with eagerness, her mouth open, her tongue lashing against his, intertwining in their desire. Like it was doing so of its own volition, his hand went from her chin to scruff into her hair, messing up her careful hairdo, and all the admonishment he got for it was a breathy moan that left little to the imagination.
Dash could have kept kissing Blair for hours. It felt that good, that right. But after a bit, he had to reel himself in, practically tearing his lips away from hers, but still keeping her close.
Looking into her dazzling blue and green eyes he conjured a smirk on his face, if only to hide the look of surprise under it.
“I have a proposal,” he said, forcing his voice to sound stern and low.
“I’m listening,” she replied, grinning like she could see right through him.
“We’ll go get our coats, ditch this party, and have one of our own. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like my kind of plan,” she replied, and before she was done saying it, Dash had already grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the entrance with all the eagerness in the world to grab the truck and get out of there.
He led her through the maze of bodies and when he saw Vix standing in a crowd, laughing and making jokes, he passed by close enough to whisper over his shoulder.
“Don’t come home tonight, I’m calling the house.”
The frustrated sigh he got in response from Vix was worth the evening already, but Blair made the victory a million times sweeter. Dash looked back at her, her teeth grazing over her lower lip in a private moment, and his cock throbbed in his pants. Dammit all to hell if she wasn’t the hottest thing he’d ever seen.
Guess he owned Uncle Nick an apology for being so annoyed with his forced vacation. Bet that guy was getting used to it.
CHAPTER FIVE
Blair
The drive to Dash’s house was mostly spent in tense silence. It wasn’t that they didn’t have anything to talk about, but after the second time they stopped by the roadside and practically devoured one another, it became imperative to actually make it to a place with a bed and an opportunity to tear her dress off. Blair actively cursed herself for choosing a gown that did not hold up well to car sex, otherwise the whole exercise would have been a lot less frustrating.
“Holy hell, your house is gorgeous,” she gushed as Dash took her hand and sprinted up the few steps leading to the front door.
The porch light was on, illuminating the heavy snowfall and the gorgeous, shadowy landscapes around them. One glance at the building told Blair that she would have loved looking at it in the sunlight, but at that moment, she wanted to look at Dash a whole lot more.
In a flurry of arms and legs and kicked-off shoes, they made it into the house, leaving a trail of clothes behind them by the time they got to Dash’s bedroom. He grabbed her by the wrist when they made it to the door, spinning her around and then slamming her against it, making her crawl up on her tiptoes in an effort to get both further from him and closer to him.
He’d shed his jacket, his tie, and his shoes, and Blair’s hands were on his belt by the time their lips met in another frantic, longing kiss. Dash kept her there for a minute that seemed to go on like delicious eternity, before finally opening the door with a growl and scooping her up in his arms. She yelped, flinging her arms around his neck, and then giggled.
Because she was tall and had a body that didn’t scrimp on the curves, it wasn’t often that a man could throw her around as if she were some petite featherweight, but Dash did it with a huge grin on his face and his mouth seeking hers even when he walked into the room. He gently put her down on the bed and Blair sunk into the silky sheets. His fingers were already undoing the zipper on the side of her dress and then coaxing her out of it.
Any other time, Blair would have been reaching for the lights, wanting to keep things discreet for the first time, but her hunger for Dash was far greater than her fleeting sense of modesty. While she was comfortable with her body, she’d always had one argument too many with it and it took time for her to get comfortable with a new partner. But none of that happened with Dash.
The way he looked at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, the exact opposite of the disinterest she’d gotten from her boyfriend Collin. He sucked in a breath through gritted teeth when her dress came off, revealing the black, strapless bra and panties she was wearing and the thigh-highs hugging her pale legs.
“You’re absolutely stunning,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt.
Suddenly, he seemed to have all the time in the world, his eyes ablaze as he kept them on her. Blair hiked herself up on her elbows, watching him undress, loving every inch of flesh and muscle that was revealed to her. He threw off his shirt and then the undershirt followed, and Blair made no effort of swallowing the pitiful mewl that crawled up her throat when she got a full view of his magnificent torso.
Every bit of it perfection, every inch of him as if carved only for her. The wide planes of his chest, the ridges of his abs, the way his ribs tucked in just right at the sides, narrowing into slim hips with a thin trail running up to his navel, which was dark and promising. Her hands were on his zipper, tugging it down as he put his hands on either side of her head and lowered himself on top of her so slowly, making the air disappear from between them.
Blair groaned as he assaulted her neck and chest, roughly pulling down the bra that covered her already taut nipples. He sucked one into his mouth so seamlessly, his growl shuddering through her as she pushed his pants down. When his hard, jutting cock pressed against her thigh and her stomach, her legs parted around his hips, practically begging him to take her, to fuck her, and to make all of those memories she’d been struggling with disappear like they’d never happened.
“Fuck me, please,” she pleaded, her nails raking down his sides, lost in a world of ecstasy she hadn’t known for far too many years.
At that moment, Blair could lie to herself. Tell herself that it was only sex, and that she wanted him for his body and he wanted her for much the same reasons. That there was nothing there but the yearning of two people at
the right place at the right time. And that would be fine for now, but a little voice in the back of her head kept saying that she was getting in far too deep and once she gave in, there would be no getting out. She’d drown in him completely.
And that was fine with Blair.
“With pleasure,” he said, that cockiness that she loved to loathe in his voice, edging her on.
Dash shucked his pants off and ripped off her panties as well, giving Blair a moment to admire that rigid length of cock that seemed impossibly big, completely foreboding and oh-so-sexy. When he parted her legs again with a rough hand, she grinned, falling onto her back and coaxing him down with her.
The head of his cock pressed against her wet slit, rubbing up and down the length of it slowly as he kissed her again, giving Blair plenty of time to shiver and fret like this was her first time. But he teased too long and finally, Blair decided that this was her rodeo. She’d made the decision that she wanted him, she’d found him, and damn it if she wasn’t going to have him in all his hard, thick glory.
“I said, fuck me,” she said, keeping the whine out of her voice, though it badly wanted to creep in there.
She locked her legs around his waist and pulled him in roughly, making both of them gasp and groan as he thrust into her. Dash filled her up only halfway but that alone made explosions of pleasure streak through her so hard she thought she was going to cum on his dick right then and there. He paused for a moment, grunting, before pulling back a little and then pushing into her again with excruciating slowness, splitting her around his hard length.
“Is this what you need, Blair?” he growled, crushing tangles of her long brown curls in his fingers as she fought to remain in control of her own body. “My big cock stretching you wide, filling you up?” he asked, making it sound so filthy that she wanted to scream from the fucking rafters that it was exactly what she wanted.
