Three Shifters for Sarah (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Dani April

  “Be my guest.”

  He made her shoulder bare, and his fingers were massaging her skin. “This is going to sting a little when I put it on.”

  She tensed, waiting for the inevitable burn of the poultice. TJ hesitated, and she looked over her shoulder at him.

  “Are you sure you want to get rid of this?” he asked her.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Well I was just thinking if you ever do decide to become our mate, Ryan will have to mark you all over again. Maybe it would be better to just leave it and let you think for a while.”

  Sarah sighed and put her face in her hands. Perhaps inviting him back here to her place had been misleading to the young cowboy after all. She had to be a straight shooter with him because that’s what he had been with her.

  “TJ, I don’t ever want to be your mate.”

  “Okay.” He gave her a nod and seemed to accept her terms. When he pressed the wet bandage against her skin, he was gentle and there was only a small sting which didn’t feel bad at all with TJ’s sure hands touching her.

  “That actually feels good.” She looked down at her shoulder and watched his hands work their miracle on her skin. “How long will I have to keep this on for?”

  “Give it twenty-four hours. When you take it off, the mark should be gone.”

  Finished, he taped some gauze over the offending area and left it in place to heal her. With great care he brought the shoulder of her blouse back up and set it to rights over the tape.

  “How about some more wine?” TJ refilled her glass and took his seat back on the couch across from her.

  “What hotel are you staying at?” Sarah cleared her throat and decided to make small talk.

  “The Plaza.”

  “The Plaza? We were right by your hotel tonight when we took our walk after dinner. Now you’re another forty-dollar cab ride away. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Would you have thought I was trying to get you up in my room if I had?”

  Sarah thought about it a moment. “Well maybe.” She had to agree with him. She probably would have.

  “Sometimes a man needs to know when to keep his mouth shut.”

  “You’re a gentleman, TJ.” Sarah’s heart swelled in her chest at the feeling this shape-shifting cowboy inspired in her, and she wondered if she could have casual sex with him and not feel more, dangerous things she should not feel for a man she could never have a future with. But it was too late to back out now. Her raging hormones demanded action. “Do you want to spend the night with me?”

  A devilish but all-too-gorgeous smile lit TJ’s features. “Where’s your bed?”

  “You’re sitting on it.” Sarah laughed. “The couch makes out into a bed.”

  “Now that’s the best offer I’ve had in just about forever.”

  * * * *

  TJ had been hurt when Sarah told him she would not ever be his mate. It was the second time that night she had told him no to the mating proposition, but this time he almost believed her. But in a pinch he was good at masking his feelings, and he sloughed it off with a smile.

  He wanted to have Sarah that night, felt the need down to the core of his being, and he was pretty sure she felt the same way. Whatever direction their relationship might take in the morning, they were going to have tonight.

  TJ removed the cushions and pillows from the couch and went back to try and figure out how to turn it into a bed. He pulled and prodded, but the damn thing wouldn’t budge.

  Sarah laughed. “Here let me.” She took over for him and quickly got the mattress pulled out on its springs.

  “Damn if that thing ain’t more complicated than lassoing a bronco.”

  He didn’t give her time to respond. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her to him. Now was the time for that kiss he had wanted earlier, but this one was long and hard and wet. She parted her lips for him, and his tongue dove inside to taste her splendors. The velvet lining of her inner mouth proved to be heaven, and he prolonged the kiss until they were both gasping for air at its conclusion.

  “I want you to promise me something.”

  “If I can.”

  “No hickeys.”

  TJ smiled and let his hands roam down her curves. The warmth of her body held in his arms was the best feeling on earth. The mint smell of her breath as it blew against his cheek sent electricity down to his cock, and an erection started to bulge in his jeans.

  “I’ve got to warn you my bed isn’t very comfortable.” Sarah seemed flustered. “This is the first time I’ve ever shared this particular bed with anyone.”

  TJ arched his brow. It’s not that he didn’t believe her. But she was so pretty, smart, and fun to be with. She was clearly available. He knew up here in the city both men and women moved fast when it came to sexual hookups. He wondered how she could have been alone for even a short while.

  “You mean you haven’t had a boyfriend?” He tried to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

  “There was a man two years ago, but I didn’t live in this apartment then.” Again she seemed disconcerted. “Last week with Ryan broke a two-year sexual drought for me.”

  “Really?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised, cowboy. I’m not usually into one-night stands.”

  “It’s been six months for me, and I thought I had it bad.”

  Sarah laughed, and her smile was so honest and winning that he couldn’t help but pull her back to him for another ravaging kiss on her lips, and this time he extended that kiss across her cheeks, around the line of her jaw and down her neck. Her skin tasted like cream and was so soft and pliant he knew he would never get enough of touching it.

  They sat down on the edge of the mattress, and she helped him to remove his shirt while he lifted his arms high over his head and she pulled it off. He reached behind him into his back pocket, and at his coaxing, a load of foil packets popped out onto the mattress between them.

  “I wanted you to know I came prepared.”

  “We don’t have to use those if you don’t want to, TJ. I’m on the Pill.”

  He brought her back in for a hug and a renewed round of kissing. Her body, still fully clothed, felt warm and alive next to his naked chest.

  “Would it make you feel better if we did use them?”

  She thought about his proposition for a moment, and her face wrinkled in the most charming way at her consternation. “Actually it would. Thanks, TJ.”

  Then she noticed the clutter of condoms spread out on top of her mattress, and her eyes went wide in surprise.

  “How many did you bring anyway?”

  “We’ve got a dozen there. But I noticed an all-night drug store down the street from your place. If twelve isn’t enough I reckon I’ll go down there and fetch us some more.”

  A delightfully naughty smile creased Sarah’s face. “Twelve times?” she asked in disbelief. “In one night?”

  TJ returned her smile, and he knew their thoughts were both on the same mischievous and playful wavelength.

  “I don’t know whether to throw you out or take you down to the courthouse and marry you,” Sarah deadpanned.

  “I would much prefer the latter,” he whispered into her ear.

  She became serious for a moment and pushed back from him. “TJ, you do understand that tonight is just tonight and not a promise of anything more to come?”

  “I understand there aren’t any guarantees in life.” Both their voices had become hushed as they spoke. “But right now I just want to fuck you, lady.”

  Sarah closed her eyes and gave him a kiss. “I want you to fuck me, cowboy.”

  Chapter Ten

  Sarah could appreciate the sculpted figure of a well-built man as well as the next woman. In front of her TJ had stripped down to his white cotton briefs. His erection tented the thin fabric and though not exposed to her just yet, the clearly defined outline appeared larger than any she had seen in her past.

  TJ walked on his knees be
hind her on top of the lumpy old mattress to help her get undressed. The two of them together in that bed were going to be a tight fit. The springs creaked under TJ’s weight, and Sarah didn’t really think it had been built to hold two. But she thought it would be an interesting night to discover just how snugly the two of them fit together under her single damask comforter.

  Each part of her body laid bare by his unwavering hands he covered in soft kisses, using his tongue to tease and delight her skin, a hint of his warm breath sending jolts of pleasure down her spine.

  Sarah closed her eyes and slowly inhaled as she lay back and enjoyed TJ’s attention. He divested her of her clothes down to her panties. She’d worn those clothes all day since seven that morning when she had dressed for work and wished there had been time for a shower first. TJ’s body smelled so nice and fresh. She thought she could still scent some soap on him from his morning wash and didn’t know how he did it. He probably never sweated, and she wished she could say the same.

  TJ rolled over onto his back and hiked up his knees and brought the briefs off down his legs. Sarah covered the spreading grin on her face with her palm. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  He caught her staring and gave her a look, but she couldn’t help it, she was mesmerized by his size.

  “TJ, you’re…”

  “What?”

  Not wanting to embarrass him or herself she kept her comment to herself. Instead she sat up on the mattress, hooked her thumbs through the waist of her panties, and slipped them off.

  Giving him a look, she hoped she imparted to him her need to have his mouth back on her body, any part of her body. He seemed to get the message, and in a second they were kissing and touching once again. He was gentle as his tongue met hers between their mouths, and his fingers were lazy in their exploration down her body. She rested her palms against his chest and felt the heat of his body and unyielding strength of his muscles.

  Just for a minute he pulled away from her, tore open one of the rubber pouches still lying helter-skelter across her bed and sheathed himself. Her eyes strayed down to the outside of the violated package and she noticed the writing on the outside said “Extra Large.” She only hoped that was large enough.

  She let him take care of the chore and waited, thinking it better if the man dressed that particular part of his anatomy. Then he was finished, and she welcomed him back into her arms.

  She kissed across his face and felt the stubble of his beard tickle her tongue. As she became more adventurous her hands roamed south. The hot fire radiating against her belly now couldn’t be denied as his swollen cock rested against her. Grazing it with her fingers, she elicited a moan from him and took the meat in her palm and began stroking.

  He rolled her onto her back, and she extended her knees and let him crawl between them. Holding himself above her with an arm, he reached between them and tried to insert his cock. She knew she was wet, her pussy swollen in welcome of the coming invasion. But he couldn’t get the penetration started because he was so big, and the angry, swollen cockhead tapping at her entrance had never made her pussy feel narrower.

  “Here, let me.” She took his cock out of his hand and ran him along her pussy lips. He gave a little push forward with his hips and was inside her. At once she felt stretched, but it did not feel uncomfortable, just took a second of getting used to, and in a minute she knew it would feel damn incredible.

  It all seemed to come so easy to TJ. He moved slow and took his time, and the friction between their two bodies as they rode each other was glorious.

  In a few minutes her breath was coming heavy, and without even realizing it she had started to moan into the billows of the comforter scrunched up beneath her on the bed.

  She put her arms around his neck and looked up into his dazzling blue eyes. He was calm as he took her and his control impressive. It seemed as if he had something he wanted to say to her and there was so much she could have said to him in return. But she didn’t want to ruin this moment with words that would have no meaning later. The physical connection between their bodies was enough.

  “Will you let me be on top for a while?” she asked him.

  “Anything you say, my lady.”

  She sensed that her pleasure had become his top priority. “Thank you,” she said and reached up and kissed him.

  When she mounted on top of him and got him reinserted into her pussy, she could only take a part of his length into her passage before his head was poking at her cervix because with her being on top his penetration became deeper and harder.

  He reached between her thighs and fingered her clit with thumb and forefinger as she rode him. That did it for her. She couldn’t take anymore stimulation. An orgasm spread hot and powerful out from her pussy and she fell on top of his rock-hard body in pure bliss.

  * * * *

  They lay on their sides facing each other, the soft spread of the damask comforter pulled to their waists.

  During the night they had made love three more times. Finally she thought TJ had exhausted himself with his passion for her, and she was sated with total pleasure, in the afterglow and recovering from her last dizzying climax.

  This was the time of night a person told their lover they loved them, and it would have been so very easy to say to TJ. He was an amazing man, funny, kind and gentle, as honest as an open book. Yet she could not say the words to him, would not allow them to pass her lips. She loved who he was as a man, but could never accept what he was as a shape-shifter.

  TJ laughed and traced her lips with his fingers. “You make a funny sound when you come.”

  “No, I don’t,” she protested. “No one’s ever told me that before.”

  “I’m not just anyone. I’m one of your mates.”

  She lifted up on an arm, the lonely hum of late-night traffic passing under her window rousing her. “You’re not my mate, TJ.”

  “By shifter standards I am.” He turned over onto his back and looked up at the cracked plaster ceiling over the hideaway bed. “Why don’t you want me as a mate, Sarah?”

  “It isn’t that I don’t want you. It’s just something that can never be.”

  “Well then why can’t you be my mate?”

  Sarah looked down and played with the ruffle of her pillow. “Because you’re a shape-shifter, and I’m a human. Because you’re from Montana, and I’m from New York. Because you live in a wolf pack, and although it sounds wonderful, I would never feel comfortable living in it. As a matter of fact I’d be miserable there.”

  TJ was silent. He had no comeback for her words, and she watched a dark cloud pass over his features for a moment before it left, and his face returned to that of the handsome man who had just made love to her.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, TJ.” She ran a hand over his chest and felt the fast pace of his heart beneath his ribs. “You’re very special to me. The time I spent in Montana on the Circle T with you three was very special. But I think that we—”

  “I love you, Sarah,” he interrupted her, with the sweetest words of all.

  She bit down hard on her lower lip. Emotion welled in her heart, and she didn’t trust herself to speak for a few minutes. Moving against him in the small bed, she curled her leg around one of his and rested her head on top of his chest. He reached an arm around her shoulder and hugged her tenderly.

  “Have you ever thought of moving to New York?” she asked him. “You know if you ever did you could always crash at my place.”

  TJ shook his head sadly. “For me New York City is a place I like to visit, but I could never live here.”

  “I guess a shape-shifter would rather have a forest of pine trees to run through than a forest of skyscrapers.”

  “You can say that again. I’d be miserable if I had to live here. I’m sorry, Sarah.”

  Sarah bit down on her lip again until it hurt and told herself she was not going to cry. “So you see why it won’t ever work for us.”

  He ran long, gentle fing
ers down the curve of her spine and gave her a smile. “I’m either stubborn or dumb, or maybe a little bit of both, but I still don’t see that.”

  It would have been appropriate if she had told him that he’d find some nice shifter girlfriend out in Montana and maybe she’d still meet the man of her dreams here in New York and they’d both live happily ever after, but those ideas were repugnant to her. The idea of TJ with another woman out in Montana turned her stomach, yet she couldn’t claim him as her own. If she did it would ruin her life.

  “You’re very sweet, TJ,” she settled on telling him instead and brushed his chest with a kiss.

  “I don’t blame you, Sarah. You tried to warn me about this.”

  She looked over the arch of his chest into his blue eyes and wanted to tell him a million times how sorry she was.

  A playful smile turned the corners of his mouth and altered the mood between them for the better. “You also warned me how uncomfortable your bed was, and you were right.” He gave her a mock grimace. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to walk again. My back is killing me. This is the most uncomfortable bed I’ve ever slept in.”

  Sarah broke out into heartfelt laughter that felt wonderful, and TJ wasn’t able to keep a straight face for long either. “That’s right. I did try to warn you. I knew you’d hate my bed, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  He leaned down and touched her lips with his own. “Listen to me lady, last night a Great Plains twister couldn’t have kept me out of your bed. So screw my back. I reckon I’m right where I want to be at this moment.”

  Her knee grazed past something deliciously hard under the comforter. He was ready for her again. A hot flush enveloped her as desire overcame them. His exquisite kisses covered her body and his always sure hands had worked their way down to her butt cheeks and were wickedly delightful as they cupped and fondled.

  He knew she liked to be on top, and always quick to please, he was positioning her for another ride.

  In the back of her mind Sarah was aware that what they were doing was using sex to ward off the painful words that still needed to be said between them. But they had the morning to say their good-byes. Now as he entered her pussy in the night her thoughts became void of all but the pleasure of the ride.