by Sierra Brave
Writhing beneath him, she bucked her hips in time with his, pushing down on his ass with her hands as he glided in all the way to the hilt. He moaned and panted, sweat glistening on his chest. Scarlett lifted her legs and spread them a little farther as she huffed and puffed in time with Davis’s breathing. His skin was heated to a simmer just as hers was. The closeness, the warmth and the syncing of their beating hearts filled her with exhilaration until her mind went blank. There was no thought, only sensation. Every nerve ending was buzzing like a livewire and her muscles were contracting in spasms.
Davis released a long, animalistic groan as his rhythm increased. He rammed into her with wild abandon, pounding her into the mattress. He repositioned his body, grabbing her ankles and whipping her legs to the side. The sudden flurry of movement caught her off guard and she howled out all manner of indignant noise. In the frenzy, a hand caught her hip on the other side, yanking her up until she found herself on all fours. She arched her back, pushing back to meet each mighty thrust.
“Fuck! It’s good, Davis! It’s so good!”
She jostled forward, her hair swinging up around her face while her breasts bounced out of her corset. Every thrust culminated in a satisfying smacking sound. Scarlett mewed and moaned as the tightening coiled up in her tummy. She held on to the feeling as long as she could but the pressure and passion eventually boiled over.
“I’m going to cum!” she cried.
Davis reached around, placing two fingers on her aching clit and pressing down as he pushed in deep, nearly knocking Scarlett off balance. The sound of his loud, guttural grunt accompanied Scarlett’s tidal wave of bliss. The pressure of her release battled his, attempting to push him out. Davis held steady, holding her in place with a firm hand on her back as he climaxed. Exhausted, Scarlett crumbled onto the bed face down, panting and trembling.
Davis pulled out of her and stepped back, removing the condom and tying it in a knot. Scarlett managed to roll over on her side, curling up in the fetal position.
“There’s a wastebasket in my bathroom.” Limply, she raised her hand, pointing him in the right direction.
Silently, he left to take care of business but emerged a minute or two later with a couple of hand towels, one dry and one damp. He blotted her forehead with the cool towel, moving her hair to dab at her neck before rolling Scarlett onto her back. He folded the damp towel, placing it over her forehead while he tidied up her saturated limbs and between her legs with the dry one.
“Thanks,” she said weakly. “I’m afraid you wore me out.”
“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly.
“Don’t be sorry.” She scooted away from the foot of her bed where they had been making love and then pulled back the top sheet, inviting him to snuggle with her.
Davis slid in next to her. He took her hand before lifting it to his lips and planting a kiss just above the knuckles. “I want to hold you, but I need a minute for my body to cool down. Shifters have a higher body temperature to start with, and I feel as if I’ve been walking on the sun.
Scarlett snickered. “Me too.”
The two of them rested silently with only the sounds of their labored breathing around them.
“Davis?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m scared.” She trembled.
“How come?”
“I like you…a lot…but there is so much I don’t know. I don’t want this thing we have between us to end. All these feelings make my head swim and my knees knock.”
“Yeah…I know what you mean. I’m frightened of the same thing but I can’t stop thinking about you…I don’t want to stop.”
Scarlett managed to sit upright. “Will it really work between two people from completely different…um…?” She struggled to find the right word. Species didn’t seem right. Davis was undoubtedly human, but certainly not a regular man. Finally, she settled on a phrase she felt fit. “Different backgrounds.”
Davis rolled over, placing his head on her lap just over her garters. Only one of them was still snapped, and she wasn’t sure when or where her shoes got knocked right off her feet. “I’ve got relatives who were in the same position, and things worked out just fine. You met some of them on Christmas Eve. If you’ve got questions, I’ll answer.”
“Davis, like I said, I like you a whole lot, but there are a few things that concern me…”
“Such as?” His soft hair tickled against her thighs as he nuzzled there.
“I don’t want to offend you.”
“You won’t. Just say what you need to say.” His arm was gripping around her legs now as if he was afraid to let go.
“When we make love, our bodies seem as if they were designed to go together, but I…I don’t want… What I mean is, I’d be really freaked out if…”
Davis sat up and looked her in the eye. “I’m not going to shift while we’re having sex,” he said matter-of-factly.
Scarlett released a sigh of relief.
“The idea of that is just as disgusting to me as it is to you. It’s taboo in our culture. Even when a shifter marries another shifter, we don’t mate like animals. I hope this goes without saying, but we aren’t…” His face twisted in disgust as he spit out the rest, “horse fuckers.”
“Jesus, Davis!” Scarlett tilted her head. “I didn’t think that!”
“Horses are animals. We are equine shifters. I won’t say that being able to shift doesn’t help with training, though. We can mimic their communication methods and show them what we need them to do.”
“That sounds kind of cool.” Scarlett smiled. “Can you show me sometime?”
“Absolutely…hey, we still have time to get dressed and go to your office party if we hurry.”
Scarlett turned to look at the clock and turned back to him. “Let’s do it!”
Chapter Six
Arriving at the party at a little past eleven o’clock, Davis and Scarlett strolled inside arm-in-arm. Their clothing was a little wrinkled, and Scarlett’s hair was a bit limper than it had been earlier in the evening, but all in all, she thought both of them looked pretty damn good. Their untimely appearance drew a lot of attention but Scarlett couldn’t have cared less.
“Food! I’m starved,” she said, pointing in the direction of the buffet table.
“I worked up an appetite, myself,” Davis replied.
They exchanged looks and snickered guiltily before filling their plates with an assortment of finger foods. As a vegetarian, Davis stuck to the cheese and crackers and loaded up on chunks of fresh fruit and raw veggies. Scarlett chose similar options but also indulged in some shrimp cocktail and caviar.
“Do you hate me for eating meat?”
“Nah, most equine shifters are vegetarians, because we can’t stand the taste, and the smell of it cooking doesn’t sit well with us. It’s not a philosophical thing. We’re people, not horses,” he whispered in her ear.
A couple of minutes later, Jessica, the office gossip, came sashaying up with two glasses of champagne, offering them to Davis and Scarlett. “So, who is your friend?” she asked, smiling at Scarlett with inquisitive eyes.
Scarlett wasn’t able to hold back her chuckle but managed to introduce Davis to her nosy co-worker.
“Now this wasn’t the man you brought last year? What happened there?”
Scarlett’s eyebrows knitted and her jaw tensed. Ugh, who just comes out and asks something like that right in front of the other party? Calm down—she doesn’t mean any harm. That girl just can’t help herself. She took a sip of the champagne and came up with the perfect answer. “I upgraded.”
Davis slipped his arm around her waist, tucking Scarlett close to his side.
“Well, congratulations and happy New Year, you two,” Jessica removed the plastic tiara from atop her head and placed it on Scarlett’s.
“Back at you,” Scarlett said, clinking her glass against Davis’s.
As Jessica walked away, Scarlett looked at Davis.
“Sorr
y about that.”
“About what? I’m glad she asked. I want her to spread it all around this office that you already have a new boyfriend so none of these guys think they have a chance.”
“Oh stop.” She punched his shoulder lightly.
“You’re my girl now. Right?”
“Yes.”
The two shared a couple of dances before it was time for the countdown. A few minutes before midnight, one of the party planners ran around passing out noisemakers to everyone. Excitement filled the room as couples huddled together.
“Five…four…three…two…one… Happy New Year!” the crowd shouted.
Balloons dropped from the ceiling and dozens of noisemakers went off as Davis grabbed Scarlett and pulled her into a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she bent her knee and lifted one foot off the ground like the starlets in the old movies always did. As they separated, Scarlett barely noticed all the eyes on them. For the moment, she was only interested in Davis.
* * * * *
Midmorning on the first day of the New Year, Scarlett woke up in Davis’s arms. She sat up, yawning and stretching. “You kept me up into the wee hours last night…not that I’m complaining.”
Davis grinned. The only time he ever looked at all cocky was after he had rocked her world. “I had a great time.”
“Me too,” she said with an embarrassed giggle. “Let’s drive into town and get some breakfast at IHOP. Then we can pick up your truck on the way back home.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Davis hugged her tightly.
Scarlett snuggled into his chest, enjoying his warmth and scent. Next time would be her turn to visit Davis again. The commute was a little rough but he was worth every mile. Since Davis worked at a family-owned business, eventually, she would probably have to put in for a transfer at work and move, but for now, she was happy to live in the moment.
She glanced at Davis’s face and tilted her head. “What are you still grinning about?”
“I’m smiling because I love you.”
Scarlett’s heart did a somersault and she grinned. “I love you too.”
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Riding in the New Year Copyright © 2016 Sierra Brave
Electronic book publication March 2016
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author, Sierra Brave.
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book.
The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party websites or their content.
Real Cowboys Love Cats
Sierra Brave
Real Cowboys Love Cats
Having grown up isolated from other shifters, Abram’s not completely comfortable in his own skin. Nevertheless, after the death of his beloved human mother, he relocated to Horse Mountain to reconnect with his father’s side of the family. Love was the furthermost thing from his mind until he met Maddie.
When Maddie meets Abram, she’s smitten but doesn’t see much of a future. A man, who doesn’t like cats, should be a deal breaker for a mountain lion shifter like her. Yet every time he’s near, her body goes crazy. Could he possibly be her fated mate?
Chapter One
* * * * *
Abram shook the dirt off of his boots before stepping onto the barn’s concrete floor. The stable area smelled of hay and horses. His cousin, Davis, was already inside brushing out Thunder’s honey-colored mane. She was one of their most gentle mares. All the kids, who took riding lessons at the ranch, loved her. She was good with the tourists staying in the bungalows and the veteran’s participating in their therapeutic program.
“Hey, Davis, I already fed the horses in the paddock.”
His cousin looked his way, thumping his hat up to show his entire face. “Good because I’ve got something else for you to do now.”
“Sure, whatcha got?”
“I need you to take the truck down the mountain and pick up some cats.”
Abram grimaced. “Cats? Why the hell do you need those fuzzy lil’ bastards?”
Davis rolled his eyes. “Would you like to catch all the mice invading the barns?”
He huffed. Picturing those fat, lazy animals and their scornful expressions annoyed him. When he was four, he’d wanted a kitten more than anything. He caught one running around the farm, but the damn thing bit him and ran off. His parents didn’t know which cat had broken his skin. Since they couldn’t find the piece-of-crap varmint to test it, he ended up having to get a series of painful rabies shots. “Why does it have to be me? You know I can’t stand cats.”
“Yeah, yeah, I hate to tell you, but any idiot that chases a scared, feral animal deserves what they get.”
He frowned. “I was a young’un.”
Davis lifted his chin and the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. “Come on, man. I need your help. I’m swamped, and Becky is working on payroll. The trainers are busy. You’re the only one who does so little around here I can afford for you to leave for a while.”
He knitted his eyebrows. “Bullshit! I work hard. You don’t see Becky mending fences or any of your precious trainers doing any of the heavy lifting around here.”
Davis snickered. “I know. I was just messing with you. Calm down, man.” He reached up and patted Abram on the shoulder. “Please get the cats. I already put a pet carrier in the truck bed. The Catnip Calamity volunteer will relocate them from one crate to the other. Then all you’ve got to do is bring them here and let them go.”
“What the hell is a catnip calamity?” He shifted his weight from one leg to the other while lifting an eyebrow.
“They trap, spay or neuter, and then return feral cats to the area where they found them. Sometimes if there’s a hoarding situation, they have extras. We’re getting a few of the mousers who might not fare well if they were left completely on their own in the wild.”
“Yuck. They’ll probably spread rabies.” He scrunched up his nose.
“They get three-year vaccines. After we feed them for that long, they’ll be pretty used to us and we can start taking them to the vet.”
Ugh! This is not cool. Abram’s shoulders slumped as he resigned to the fact he’d be stuck dealing with a bunch of rowdy cats. “Give me the address.”
“Becky has it written down for you. Get it when you sign-out the keys.” Davis turned his attention back to Thunder while Abram strode off toward the office.
After parking the ranch’s red, Chevy pickup in front of a small cottage, Abram doubled checked the address scrawled on a yellow sticky note. He eyed the number on the white railing of the house’s front porch. He’d expected to find Catnip Calamity located in a veterinarian’s office or an animal shelter, not a dollhouse painted in white with a touch of berry. Seems this is going to be even more painful than I expected.
He stepped out of his ride and then closed the door before taking the pet kennel out of the back. While walking up the short driveway, the
scent of azaleas and geraniums caught in his nose. He looked around, admiring all the natural garden-style landscape. He recognized a lot of the different types of shrubs from his time working in turfgrass management. He was also familiar with the home’s craftsman-style beaded siding because of an old job in construction. He’d tried a lot of different professions before Gram convinced him to move to Horse Mountain for employment on the ranch.
His boot landed on the front porch’s wooden step with a thunking sound, disturbing a long-haired cat snoozing on the cushion of a wicker loveseat. The animal lifted its head and looked at him as if he was a gnat before resuming its nap. He pinched his lips together as he approached the Dutch-style door. The top half was wide open, leaving the home airy but also ripe for intruders. So reckless.
After ringing the doorbell, he waited until he heard a female voice call out, “Come in.”
While he stared at the knob, he stalled for a few seconds before reaching for it and opening the door. Craning his neck, he attempted to see the voice’s owner as he stepped inside. “Hello.”
“In here.”
He glanced around the room, admiring the cottage’s open floor plan. He estimated the place to be about eleven thousand square feet, but the high, vaulted ceilings and white paint gave it the appearance of having much more room. Natural light beamed on him through a skylight above as well as from two high windows near the ceiling and the set of box casements by the porch.
