SpringFever Shifters in Love

by Lia Davis, Milly Taiden, Kerry Adrienne, Vella Day, Andie Devaux

  The question came out like a husky growl that made her pulse increase and her pussy ache for his touch. “Leave with strangers.”

  A wicked smile curved his lips. “We’re not strangers. We met this morning.”

  Oh, damn. The promise of passion and complete bliss floated on his words. “We should hurry before I lose my nerve.”

  “Hey, where are you two off to?” Connie said as she returned to the table, a little out of breath from dancing.

  Nichole’s cheeks heated, but it was Trey who answered. “Somewhere more private.”

  That sounded naughtier than it was meant to.

  Nichole gently bit her lower lip as Tiffany joined them. She cast her brother a narrowed gaze before giving her attention to Nichole. “You okay?”

  Nodding, Nichole rolled the hem of her sweater between her thumb and forefinger. “It was my idea.”

  Tiffany smiled. “Well, then. Have fun.” Turning to her brother, she said, “I’ll have Donovan take us home if we get too drunk to drive.”

  Trey nodded and led Nichole through the crowd and out the door. Outside, she let out a breath and reminded herself that she was an adult. Sleeping with a man she’d just met was normal. Right?

  Facing him, she let go of his hand and hugged her middle. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do this.”

  He cupped her chin and lifted it so she could meet his blue gaze. A spark of energy passed between them, raw and hot. Her nervousness eased a fraction as she lost herself in the intensity of his desire-filled stare. Reaching up, she cupped his stubbled cheek, the course surface tingling her palm. His skin was slightly warmer than hers.

  Dipping his head, he pressed his lips to hers, sending a shiver of need rolling over her. Warmth spread to her belly and lower. A wildness lingered in the taste of him, earthy with a note of cinnamon. A soft moan escaped her as he broke the kiss to scatter tiny bites along her cheek to her jawline.

  “You are beautiful and deserve to be shown that,” he whispered before lifting his head. “I will not do anything you don’t want.”

  She scanned his face, searching for a hint of a lie, but she couldn’t find it. Confusion clouded her mind. “I don’t understand what I did to gain your attention.”

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he gave her a sexy one-sided smile and pulled her across the parking lot to a black Jeep. After helping her into the passenger side, he climbed in the driver seat. “Where to?”

  Her mind went blank. “I’m not sure.”

  “How about ice cream?”

  “Oh, I don’t—”

  “Do you have food allergies? Or lactose intolerance?”

  A burst of laughter rushed from her lips. He stared at her, brows drawn together. “No. Ice cream has a lot of calories and I don’t need the extra.”

  He pursed his lips and turned in his seat to face her. “Okay, I was going to try the nice guy thing, but I can’t do it. I have to be upfront with you.”

  Her heart sank. Just her luck she would get dumped on a one-night stand before they’d even had sex. She was pathetic. Holding one hand up, she gripped the door handle with the other. “Please, spare me the excuses. I didn’t expect anything beyond tonight. I know I’m overweight and less than perfect.”

  Do not cry, damn it. Her eyes stung and a lump stuck in her throat as she opened the door and slid out. By the time her feet touched the asphalt, Trey was there, blocking her escape. How the hell had he gotten around the Jeep so fast?

  A growl rumbled from him. “You didn’t let me finish.” He lifted her chin with his fingers once more and held her gaze. “I don’t do one-nighters. Ever. And I never lie, it’s a waste of my time and yours.”

  A little part of her believed him, but experience with jerk-offs who only wanted sex or a free ride had taught her that no man could be trusted. It all ended the same. They’d run off with the first perfect size three who gave them the time of day.

  She opened her mouth, then closed it, not fully understanding what Trey was saying.

  He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “You’re perfect to me. I love your curves, your eyes, your scent.”

  Leaning in to her, he inhaled right before nipping her ear. She squeaked in surprise, then moaned as he sucked on her lobe.

  Drawing back, he stared with a frown. “You don’t believe me.”

  She shook her head and sagged. “Sorry. I just got out of a long-term relationship built on lies. It’s hard to believe someone I just met.”

  “Fair enough.” He stepped away a few inches, his sexy smile lighting up his features. “Will you let me show you I’m not a lying jerk?”

  “Yes, I will.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Good, now how about that ice cream?”

  Chapter Four

  Trey sat across from Nichole in a corner booth at a local ice cream shop several miles outside of his den. Her shy smile around each bite was too damn cute. He’d compromised with her to get a medium sized cup, promising he’d finish whatever she didn’t eat. Why did females always worry about how much they ate? Especially human females.

  “You have any hobbies?” he asked, watching her pink tongue lick a drop of ice cream from her lip. The urge to lick it for her nudged him. Just the thought of it made him impossibly hard.

  Her green eyes locked with his for a brief moment before she answered. “I like to read and paint.”

  He leaned forward, his interests lifting. She was an artist. Why wasn’t he surprised? “What do you paint?”

  She shrugged. “Whatever comes to me. My favorite subjects are animals. Connie and I went hiking last summer and we got some cool pictures of some bears playing that I want to paint.”

  A spike of concern rose within him. “Where at?”

  “We drove along Highway 2 for several miles until we found a trail we liked. I’m not sure I could ever find it again. I’m not good with directions.” She laughed and glanced at her ice cream.

  His Pack’s land extended to the highway she’d mentioned. However, they weren’t the only black bears living there. “You should be careful. Mama bears are very protective.”

  “Yes, the park rangers warned us. Connie has a professional-grade camera with a large lens. She takes the pictures and I paint them.” Her smile spread to her eyes, making the green sparkle.

  “I’d love to see your paintings someday.” He covered her hand with his and lightly stroked her knuckles.

  She averted her gaze, studying her melting ice cream. After a moment, she asked, “What about you? Any hobbies?”

  “Getting into trouble. It’s a gift.”

  A laugh burst from her, beautiful and song-like. He decided from that point forward he’d keep her laughing. “I’m serious. Sometimes I don’t even need to be in the area and I get blamed for things.”

  “Are you the youngest?”

  He shook his head. “The youngest son, but Tiffany is the baby. We have two older brothers.”

  “Wow, that’s a pretty big family.”

  “My parents came from a big family.” It wasn’t a lie. The whole den was considered family. Besides, his father was the oldest of seven. Alpha families were known to be big.

  She seemed to accept his answer and relaxed against the back of her seat. “When you’re not getting into trouble, what do you like to do?”

  “I love music. My brothers and I usually get together on weekends with a few friends and jam out.” He smiled as her eyes grew round.

  “You’re in a band?”

  “Not officially. It’s just a family thing we do for fun.”

  She set her spoon down and pushed the cup toward him. “I’d love to see you play sometime.”

  Lacing his fingers with hers, he brought them to his mouth. “You can. Tomorrow night.”

  “It’s a date.” She frowned briefly, then smiled as if she liked the idea. He liked it, too. And so did his bear.

  “Yes, a date.” His bear growled. The
beast didn’t want to wait, he wanted to claim her right then. But they couldn’t. It was all about trust and security with Nichole. From what Tiffany had said, Nichole had been let down and hurt too many times. Tiffany was still texting him warnings as she learned things from Connie.

  Trey had turned his phone off ten minutes ago. His sister annoyed him with her matchmaking advice.

  Nichole yawned, then looked at her phone. “Oh, wow. It’s late.”

  He sighed and stood, picking up their trash. “I’ll drive you home.”

  She silently followed him to the door and waited for him to discard the cups. His bear pawed at him, not liking the sudden mood change. The man agreed. Once they were at the Jeep, he gripped her elbow. She lifted her gaze to his and he frowned. “What is it?”

  Sagging against the Jeep, she sighed. “I don’t want to go home.”

  “Why not?”

  One shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “Because Connie will most likely bring someone home, or want to stay up talking about all the fun she had dancing and all the guys she met. I love her like a sister, and any other time I’d be on board with it, but I’m just not in the mood tonight.”

  “You want your own story to tell.” He couldn’t hold his amusement in.

  “Yes. Does that make me a terrible friend?”

  “No, it makes you human. Someone who just broke up with her boyfriend and misses the connection.” He had to take a deep breath to keep his bear from surfacing. The jerk who’d hurt her better hope they never met.

  Lifting her chin with his finger, he kissed her and let his lips linger on hers for a brief moment. “You can stay at my place tonight. No sex. Unless you want to.” He waggled his brows, drawing a laugh from her.

  “Are you sure it’s no trouble?”

  He almost laughed. If she only knew the storm he battled inside himself to keep from taking her in the back seat of his Jeep. No, Nichole needed their first time to be more than a fuck in the Dairy Queen parking lot. “No trouble. I live alone, mostly. Besides, I’m a male. Any way I can get you closer to my bed, the better.”

  She smiled and shoved at him playfully before she turned to open the door. He beat her to it and helped her into the seat. When he met her stare, he lifted a brow. “What?”

  “All this nice-guy act will stop as soon as you get me into bed, won’t it?” The spark in her eyes told him she was teasing.

  Nipping at her nose, he said, “Of course. What kind of male do you think I am?”

  A breathless laugh escaped and she shoved him before closing the door. Shaking his head with a happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time, he climbed in the driver’s side and pulled out of the parking lot.

  Her nervousness drifted around him in a bouquet of ice and berries, enticing the bear. Glancing at her hands, he sighed and covered her fidgeting fingers with his own. She relaxed a little, but her scent was still strong and drugging. His own relief came when he turned off Highway 2 onto a narrow road that led deep into the Cohutta Wilderness Area.

  Another ten minutes and he’d be home.

  All he had to do was tell her about his ability to shift into a large black bear and hope she didn’t freak out and run.

  He would have to chase her down because his bear wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Chapter Five

  She had gone crazy. Her belly had a thousand butterflies fighting for space. And it didn’t escape her notice that he had driven into the mountains, where, according to maps, there were no houses. Calm down, Nichole.

  She opened her mouth to ask where they were going when he pulled into a narrow, dirt driveway. Waiting to see where they ended up, she held her tongue. It was too late anyway. There was no way she’d be able to outrun him.

  God, she should have taken self-defense classes with Connie.

  A few moments later, they pulled to a stop in front of a modest size cabin with a wraparound porch. From the Jeep’s headlights, she noticed the rose bushes that lined the front of the porch and brightened it with red, pink, yellow, and lavender blooms.

  “Oh, this is nice.” She opened the door and climbed out.

  “Thank you, ” he said a moment later, coming up behind her. With his lips next to her ear, he whispered, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She whirled around. “I didn’t…know there were homes out here.”

  He let out a soft chuckle. “My family and I like our privacy.”

  “Well, there’s nothing more private than out here.” She couldn’t wait to see what it looked like in the morning. “It’s so peaceful.”

  “And beautiful.”

  Yes. It was.

  He took her hand and led her inside the cabin. The light flicked on and she blinked to adjust her sight. She crossed the oak, hardwood floors to the living room. A black leather sofa and two matching chairs sat in a semi-circle in front of a large flat-screen TV.

  “You said earlier that you mostly live alone. What did you mean?”

  He frowned. “My brothers like to pop in without calling or knocking. So don’t be alarmed if they do it when you’re here.”

  Shyness made her avert her gaze from him. He’d begun speaking like they were a couple and would be for awhile. Which was crazy. They’d just met. Although, she had felt a connection grow between them, getting stronger the more time they spent together. It was one reason she didn’t want to go home. She didn’t understand it and hoped to figure it out, or have him tell her why.

  No matter how nice he was to her, she couldn’t shake the feeling he was hiding something from her. She needed to know what it was before she slept with him or gave him her heart.

  Where the hell had that come from?

  “Are you okay?”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah. Fine.” She forced a smile and sat on the sofa.

  “That doesn’t sound too convincing.”

  Staring at him, she gathered her courage into a ball and clung to it. “What are you not telling me? I can tell there’s something. And why do I feel a connection to you? It’s like we’ve known each other for a lifetime, when we really just met.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and sat on the coffee table in front of her. When he opened them, his gaze seemed to glow. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

  She shook her head. “There was a time I did. Experience has taught me better.”

  “Well, I do. At least I believe there is a fated mate out there for me. You’re her.”

  Fated mate? What an odd way to phrase it. “I don’t understand.”

  He scooted forward and cradled her hands. “What I’m about to tell you can’t be repeated. My safety, as well as that of my family, depends on it.”

  She swallowed and nodded. His forehead creased and the blue of his irises darkened. A shimmer rolled through his gaze, reminding her of Connie when she performed a power spell. Curious, Nichole opened her mind like her friend had taught her and searched for Trey’s magickal signature. What she found was something different altogether.

  “What animal are you?” she asked, searching his gaze.

  His eyes grew round and his grip on her hands tightened. “How do you know?’

  Offering him a smile, she averted her gaze. “Connie taught me to read auras. I’m not a witch, but she says I have a bit of magick in me.”

  When he didn’t answer right away, she lifted her gaze to his. He relaxed. “Bear. I’m a bear. I was dreading your reaction and wasn’t sure how or when to tell you.”

  “I’ve known since I met Connie that she was a witch, but only recently found out about shifters. I’m not sure how I feel about it.” She frowned.

  A bear shifter.

  She knew nothing about bears, other than to stay out of their way. But that was the wild ones. His earlier words about finding a mate entered her mind. Oh, no. She couldn’t mate a bear.

  Fumbling with her tote, she scrambled from the sofa and rushed to the door. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this
.”

  He was in front of her before she took her second step. “Yes, you can. I can smell your desire for me.”

  She scanned his home and was reminded that she was in the middle of nowhere, completely at his mercy. As if picking up on her unease, he held out his hand, palm up. “Please, let me explain.”

  There was that damn, soft plea again. Damn. What choice did she have, really? She could call Connie, but she was most likely drunk and unable to drive. Defeat settled over her and she placed her hand in his. “Okay.”

  His eyes brightened slightly as he linked their fingers and tugged her back to sit on the sofa. Before she sat, he cradled her face. “Spend the next twenty-four hours with me. If I can’t seduce you into agreeing to the mating, then I’ll let you go and never bother you again.”

  The last few words were said with a low growl before his features darkened and he lowered his gaze. Her chest tightened. She could almost feel his sorrow as her own, but how? “Okay, but I get twenty-four hours after that to think about it.”

  He raised his lashes and the corner of his lips lifted. “Deal.”

  Sinking down on the sofa, she let out a breath. Why did it feel like she’d just signed her soul away to a bear?

  ***

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?” Trey kept his tone light. He could still sense Nichole’s need to flee.

  She locked gazes with him and smiled. Although he could tell it was forced. Damn, he wished he knew what to do to help her relax. “You don’t want to know. It’s a scary place.”

  At least she still teased him. Good. He’d go with it.

  “Not scarier than mine.”

  Her brows bunched. Fuck. Good one, jerk. Remind her you’re an animal. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I…” She shook her head. “I’m just trying to process it all. Can I ask you some questions?”

  “Anything. Are you thirsty? Hungry?”

  She let out a soft laugh. “After that ice cream, I can’t possibly eat anything else. What do you have to drink?”