Shift Happens

by Christy Gissendaner

  A few minutes later, with chocolate chip cookies clutched in both hands and a mug of milk hooked around her thumbs, she crept back down the hall toward her room. She bent her head to take a bite of a cookie and lost her grip on the drink. She cursed when the mug fell out of her hands. The milk spilled across her toes and the ceramic shattered when it hit the wooden planks.

  “Ellie!” Jackson jerked his bedroom door open and appeared in the doorway, disheveled and entirely too yummy. He wore nothing but boxers and oh geez, he had a six-pack. A perfectly lickable six-pack that made her mouth and sex water. She hoped she wouldn’t drool, although it was a distinct possibility.

  “I’m sorry for waking you.”

  Jackson ran a hand over his shorn hair. “Fuck. I thought they’d found us.”

  “Nope, just the cookie monster.” She held up the cookies in her hands and grimaced. How embarrassing. “Want one?”

  He came forward until their toes touched. Hers, milky and chilled. His, warm and dry. She wanted to feel her feet wrapped around his beneath the covers. She wanted to feel everything of his beneath the covers, actually.

  His thumb brushed the corner of her lips. “Chocolate,” he explained right before he licked his finger.

  Damn her knees. Useless joints that they were. “Umm.”

  And damn her larynx for not working properly.

  His gaze dropped and she suddenly realized she was in the too-short, too-tight nightgown. Her boobs stretched the cotton material and she didn’t need to look down to know she was nipping. If she turned around, he could probably tell she wasn’t wearing panties. She’d never been so self-conscious before, but never had she been in the presence of a hot-ass canine shifter who was practically naked.

  Jackson’s expression turned predatory. His cheeks seemed to hollow out, becoming more pronounced, and his nostrils flared as if he’d caught a whiff of something. Perhaps it was her. The quick shower she’d taken had been hours before. Then again, no panties. Perhaps he smelled her scent. She clamped her thighs tight together and prayed he didn’t laugh. The situation was embarrassing enough without suffering unrequited lust.

  “Ellie.” He spoke her name again, but it was low-pitched and soft.

  Oh God. She wanted to eat the cookies in his bed. But later. Much, much later. “Yeah?”

  “I owe you something.” He slid a hand around her waist and cupped the upper swell of her butt. His fingers spread out in a proprietary manner, as if he was sure of his welcome. “I wanted to wait until all this shit was over, but you’re killing me. I can’t hold out any longer.”

  Neither could she. She went up on tiptoe and puckered her lips. He stared at her as he traced the seam of her lips with his index fingers. “I think you misunderstand the type of kiss I want from you.”

  He pried the cookies from her hands and tossed them aside. She bemoaned the loss for only a second because he hooked both hands behind her ass and lifted her. “Holy shit!”

  She’d been lifted before, but not like this, although she’d dreamed of it ever since watching The Fast and the Furious. Her legs dangled uselessly until she took a cue from one of her favorite, hot movie scenes and wrapped her thighs around his waist.

  Jackson held her weight easily as he maneuvered them into his room. “No panties. I like.”

  No way was she admitting the only reason she was naked beneath the gown was because the tiny panties she’d picked out earlier were about three sizes too small. Dental floss would’ve provided more coverage.

  It was shadowy in Jackson’s room. The patter of rain and the lack of moonlight made it feel cozier somehow, more intimate. He carried her as if she weighed practically nothing. She thought he was headed for the bed, but he proved her wrong when he turned and pressed her against the wall.

  Still, he didn’t kiss her. He dipped his head and nuzzled her neck. His hair tickled the underside of her chin as he teased his lips against her throat.

  “You smell good,” he murmured.

  “You too.” And he did. Like the mint she remembered from that morning and whatever body wash he’d used in the shower. It reminded her of the woods in fall, dark and smoky with a hint of cedar.

  She’d never been with another shifter. Would sex be different? She rolled her eyes at herself. Just look at him, dummy. Of course it would be. He oozed sex appeal from every pore.

  Jackson braced her against the wall with his hips. His hands were free to roam her body, cupping and caressing the bits he encountered. She held on to the back of his head. His buzzed hair abraded her palm in a delightful manner, bringing her alive with the sensation. She wanted to feel it against her breasts, between her thighs; wherever he could reach, she wanted it.

  Still he didn’t kiss her.

  “Jackson.” She spoke his name cautiously, not sure she was brave enough to demand more.

  “Hmm?” He lifted his head. His eyes were sharp and intent, ringed by a band of green so light it almost blended into the white outside his irises.

  Her cheeks flushed. “I’ve never done this before.”

  He frowned. “What?”

  She licked her lips and continued. “Had a one-night stand.”

  He was silent so long she worried he’d fallen asleep standing up. “This isn’t a one-night stand.” He cupped his hands over her ears and drew her face forward. His lips played over hers as he whispered, “This is us getting to know each other better.”

  She didn’t stop to question the logic. A relationship would never work. Even she wasn’t that naive or optimistic. She no more belonged in his world than he did hers. They were from different places, had different ways of life, but for now, this moment, all that mattered was being here with him.

  Safe. Warm. Protected. Maybe not loved but damned close enough.

  “Ellie.” He tightened his grip and lifted her face to his. “Don’t close your eyes.”

  Every nerve ending in her body exploded as he kissed her with their eyes wide open. It was too much, way more intimate than she’d thought, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away. She was falling into him, falling into the beautiful depths of his gaze, as he showed her how much he wanted her.

  But it was eyes that showed the truth. No, this wasn’t a one-night stand. Nothing this good could be only for the night. The possibility of permanence scared her, but not enough to stop. So she took a figurative leap and gave in to the desires that had ruled her since she’d met him.

  Each swipe of his tongue awakened the latent desire beneath the surface. How long had it been since she’d felt like this? Forever and a day.

  No. She’d never felt like this, but she’d always wanted to.

  Jackson’s muscles were unyielding beneath her palms. She slid her hands down and marveled at the washboard abs she encountered. Christ, he was hard. The pun wasn’t misplaced. He was firm everywhere, especially where it mattered most. She couldn’t wait to have him inside her. If he was as thick as he seemed to be long, she was going to have one hell of a night. Made her wish she’d opted for a sexy nightie instead of the long-sleeved cotton gown with cartoon characters.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Jackson whispered against her lips.

  And the odd thing? She felt beautiful. She’d never suffered extreme self-esteem issues, but she was plumper than the women she’d seen plastered across magazine covers with Jackson. It was difficult to measure herself against the perfect, plastic beauties and not come up short, but the way he looked at her reassured Ellie that he meant every word.

  Jackson slid a hand up her thigh and caressed the bare skin of her hip. Tingles followed in his wake. She’d shaved the night before. That was a plus. Nothing but skin on skin.

  Delicious skin.

  She moaned in the back of her throat and rubbed her crotch against him. The elastic waistband of his boxers slipped lower, but not enough for her to feel him where she needed him most.

  He seemed to want to go slow, while she wanted to rip away their clothes and jump him. It had been too
long to play it safe. In an unaccountably bold move for her, she took his hand and led it between her thighs. “Touch me, Jackson.”

  His fingers visibly shook as he caressed her inner thighs. “I plan to. For as long as you’ll let me.”

  She held her breath as he moved closer to her pussy. At the first brush of his fingers, she bit back another moan. The drumming of the rain picked up. Or maybe it was the echo of her pulse, which raced out of control. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would be pinned against a wall with a man like Jackson. His fingers played across her pussy, each stroke surer than the one before. There was no embarrassment, no shyness. She felt desirable and sexy, two qualities unknown to her prior to Jackson. Suddenly she wanted him to know exactly how turned on she was.

  Leaning forward, she nibbled his ear lobe. “Fuck me, Jackson.”

  “Oh God,” he moaned. His fingers moved between her legs faster.

  She licked her way down his throat, pausing at the spot where the pulse visibly pounded beneath the surface, and playfully bit. “Hard.”

  She gasped when Jackson slammed her into the wall and covered her lips with his. He shoved a finger inside her and swallowed her gasp of surprise. She’d unleashed the beast. Finally. She wanted to know what shifter sex was like, needed to experience the wild abandon that came with it.

  She curled her fingers and dug her nails into his shoulders. Jackson hissed and inserted a second finger into her damp pussy. Her muscles gave way to the intrusion and the delicious sensation of fullness threatened to overtake her. She gripped his hips with her thighs and clung to him, doing her best to take control of the kiss.

  Jackson refused to let her. His tongue boldly claimed her mouth. His teeth scraped her bottom lip as he sucked it into his mouth. He released it with a pop and lifted his head. His features had changed, his eyes transformed, more slanted and a darker green. His nose and lips were wider too. Still handsome, but with an edge of wildness.

  She sensed his wolf and her dragon crowed with delight. Tingles delighted her skin as his gaze swept over her. “Mine,” he growled, the timbre more animal than man.

  “Yours,” she conceded. For as long as he would have her.

  Heat sizzled between them despite the cool night and ever-present rain. Ellie scratched her nails down his spine, and Jackson howled. The sound was one of pleasure and she felt an answering call deep within her womb. Thank goodness for the sturdy walls of the cabin and near seclusion.

  She rolled her hips forward and gasped when he touched a particularly sensitive spot within her. The thickness of his fingers was perfect. She writhed back and forth, just like a bull rider in a rodeo, as she’d once heard it described. But it wasn’t fear of falling that led her to cling to him.

  Or maybe it was. She’d definitely opened up more to him than any other man.

  Jackson held her in place with his hips and one hand, while his other hand cupped her breast and pinched her nipple. She tossed her head and shuddered with pleasure. The bite of pain sent need coursing throughout her body. She wanted it rough and hard, vicious enough to leave marks the next day.

  What was wrong with her? She felt like clawing at his skin and exposing the man beneath. The unfamiliar need grew until she couldn’t bear it anymore. “Please, Jackson. I need you to fuck me!”

  He lowered her to the floor. His fingers slipped out of her and he trailed a damp fingertip up her belly, over her breast, and continued higher. He painted her lips with her essence. “I can’t wait to taste you.”

  She licked her lips, tasting her own arousal and fanning the flames of her desire even higher. “Then do it. Now!”

  He shook his head slowly, but his gaze remained locked with hers. “I don’t plan on going out like that. It’s going to be a long night for us both.”

  She nearly suffered a heart attack when he knelt before her and parted her thighs with his shoulders. He brought his face to the juncture of her legs and inhaled. Her skin heated with shock and lust. So close.

  Jackson dipped his head and licked her from the top of her clit to her perineum and back again. Her legs wobbled and she gripped the planked wood behind her. His tongue kept moving, laving her until she thought she would scream. She wasn’t used to oral sex, as least not on the receiving end, but surely Jackson deserved an award. He left no part of her untouched. His stubble tickled her thighs, and his nose bumped her clit. The all-over sensation overload took her breath and replaced it with something resembling helium. If she had to speak, she’d squeak. No doubt about it. Jackson won the cunnilingus contest hands down.

  She couldn’t take it anymore. She bent her knees and sank to the floor before him. His face glistened with moisture, her moisture, and the scent of their mingled arousal lingered in the air. She snagged the waistband of his boxers and reached inside.

  Oh God. So much more than a handful. She wrapped her hands around his unseen shaft and moved up and down. He was huge, much larger than she’d ever dreamed possible. If she’d been a virgin, she probably would’ve run screaming from the room. Instead, she licked her lips with anticipation. He would fill every inch of her pussy and then some.

  “Are all wolves like you?” she asked.

  Jackson’s gaze watched the motions of her hand, but he cocked his head to give her his attention. “What do you mean?”

  She blushed and lifted an eyebrow. “Umm…in size.”

  He chuckled when he caught her meaning. “I don’t know. I’m not in the habit of checking out every shifter I encounter.” He gave her a mock frown. “And you’re not going to do so either.”

  She gave him a cheeky grin. “You’ve opened Pandora’s box for me now.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her to lie beneath him on the floorboards. “Just so you know. The only wolf who’ll be filling your box is me.”

  He looked so sexy and serious that the smile slipped from her face. “Jackson, you know this can’t last.”

  He pulled off his boxers, spread her legs and positioned his cock at her entrance. “Who says?”

  “Reality.” She drew up her knees and widened her thighs.

  He hooked his arms under her knees and opened her farther. “Try telling me that in the morning.”

  “That sure of yourself?” she gasped as he eased inside her.

  “That sure of us,” he corrected. “Jesus, Ellie. You’re so tight.”

  She wouldn’t be for long; that was for sure. He shoved his length inside, and she stretched to accommodate him. She felt like a virgin all over again. He was thick and wide, his shaft easily as big as her wrist. She angled her hips to take him deeper and the change in position caused a riot of tingles, starting inside her and radiating down to her toes.

  “So good,” Jackson breathed into her ear. “Hold on.”

  Before she could ask why, he swept her into his arms without missing a single thrust and tossed her onto the bed. She sank into the mattress. His body covered hers and continued the delicious torment.

  Jackson braced his upper body on his elbows and pivoted within her. His biceps stood out in stark relief. She marveled at the man above her. So gorgeous and all hers. At least for a little while. She touched his cheek before trailing her fingers down his taut abdomen. She caressed him and moved to grip his hip. It still wasn’t enough. She put both hands on his ass and squeezed. “Don’t stop.”

  “Who said anything about stopping? We’re just getting started.”

  She arched her hips and rose to meet his thrusts. She grunted with the effort it took to match his rhythm. Her abs were getting a definite workout. She ignored the burn of her muscles and tried to keep up with him. The sheets stuck to her body and she broke out in a sweat. Oh, yeah. She was going to be sore the next day. That’s how she knew it was really, really good sex.

  Out of nowhere, she had a craving to bite him. She shook her head at the thought. What? Since when did dragons bite during sex? The wolfie thing had to be getting to her. She glanced at Jackson’s face and
stilled. Although he was still human, his eyes had gone full-on canine. They gleamed in the darkness, a golden tint shielding the beloved green.

  “Do my eyes change too?” she blurted out.

  He didn’t miss a beat. His cock continued moving in and out, even as he leaned down to peer at her. “They’re darker. Almost amber.”

  “Amber?” Cool. Sounded much better than normal, run-of-the-mill brown.

  Jackson grabbed the hem of her nightgown. “Why are you not naked yet?”

  “Distracted, I guess,” she answered with a laugh. She sat up so he could pull the gown off. Once she was naked, she lay back and waited for his reaction. His gaze heated, the golden tint reflecting his appreciation of what he saw.

  “So goddamned beautiful.” He traced her nipple with a fingertip. He bent his head and took the nipple into his mouth. He lightly bit it and then laved it with his tongue.

  “Again,” she demanded with a moan.

  He bit, but much harder the second time. She arched her back and let out a squeal of delight. “Yes!”

  He continued to nibble, planting tiny bites on each of her breasts, before moving to her neck. He buried his face in her throat and rocked his hips forward. “You feel so fucking good.”

  She patted his rock hard ass with both hands, silently urging him to continue the mating. Her belly was a riot of dynamite, set to explode at any second. All it would take was one more thrust to ignite her. And still when the combustion happened, she was unprepared for its intensity.

  She screamed his name before burying her teeth in his shoulder. She broke the skin, and a trickle of blood coated her teeth. She licked her lips, tasting the iron and dark sweetness of his blood, as he cried out his release.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, Ellie!” Jackson shouted. He twitched within her, and she felt the warm rush as he came. She was on the Pill, so she didn’t have to worry about pregnancy, but for a moment she wondered if she’d given in too easily. Had she really just slept with someone she met that morning?