by Anna Lowe
Ty stayed in wolf form all the way back to the village, and she stroked his back the whole time, trying to settle her nerves, as well as her mate’s. With Ty as big as he was, she didn’t have to bend over to reach him. Thank God you’re OK. Thank God you’re OK.
They’d gone the last two years in a sort of happy haze, she realized, losing sight of reality. In the shifter world, there was danger everywhere. It could come anywhere, anytime, in any form. Even this close to home.
Lana, my love, Ty’s voice drifted to her mind, quieter than before. It’s okay.
Now he was the one comforting her. Lana forced her fingers to release the fur she’d been clutching. She could have pulled out a handful, and Ty wouldn’t have uttered a word. The part of her that ceased trembling in fear started quivering with other emotions: love, of course, and appreciation for the luck she’d had in meeting him. Humility, too, because shifters weren’t immortal, not by a long shot.
The kids ran ahead, spreading news of the encounter to the curious faces gathering in the street.
“Ty floored Harrison!” her nephew called, enthralled.
“Ty almost killed Harrison!” her niece squeaked, hero-worship filling her voice.
Ty scowled harder. What are they on about?
Lana cocked her head at him. Hadn’t he figured it out?
Ty, Harrison is the biggest shifter in this part of the state. He’s never been knocked off his feet, let alone floored. Never.
Ty scoffed.
“Ty beat Harrison!” the kids sang on.
A crowd was gathering, but Ty obviously wanted out. Way out. He whisked straight past the whispers and the wide-eyed looks, right to the guesthouse at the far end of the street. Lana pushed the door open for him without a word, letting her mate step into their private sanctuary. For all the alpha in her mate, she knew he wasn’t one for the limelight. All he knew was to protect, to provide, to defend.
She gave him his peace, going back to the others to quiet them and play down the encounter as she knew Ty would prefer.
“He had Harrison by the throat!” Len was saying as Lana walked up.
“He what?” That was her father, throwing an appreciative look in the direction of the guesthouse.
Lana couldn’t help but swell with pride. Her mate—the big, bad wolf of the desert—was no longer a stranger. He’d earned the respect of the Berkshires pack.
“You should have seen it!” Neal added.
A legend is born, Lana thought, watching the slack-jawed faces.
Five minutes was all she managed; then she made for the cabin, eager to check on her mate. A minute later, she was over the three creaky steps and at the front door. It was still ajar from when she’d let Ty in. She pushed it a little wider and leaned inside. Would she find a glowering wolf, tail whisking in anger, or a thunderous man, ready to damn the Berkshires forever?
Chapter Five
“Ty?” she called.
The house was silent but for the sound of flowing water. She shut the front door and stepped toward the bathroom, where she could make out her mate’s outline through the opaque glass of the shower door. His head and hands were leaning against the opposite wall as water cascaded down his broad back.
“Ty,” she whispered, aching at the sight. She stripped and stepped into the stall behind him, letting her hands soothe his back.
Mate. Mine, her inner wolf sighed.
“You okay?” she whispered, tucking her body around his. His skin was warm to the touch, warm as the water flowing over the both of them now. The man had been pushed right to the edge, scared as much as she’d been, though not for himself.
Bit by bit, some of the rigidity went out of his back, and a whisper reached her ears. “Sorry.”
She tightened her embrace. “Nothing to be sorry about. Harrison deserved a good scare.”
He turned to face her, tilting his head right, then left, as if he weren’t so sure.
“I mean, sorry if I scared you. Or the kids.”
So that was it, what had been eating at him. “Never be sorry about defending your family.” She turned him around to look up into his eyes. “Never.”
His jaw was working back and forth like it did when he couldn’t find the right words. Words had never been his thing, but who needed them when his eyes were saying it all? I will never let anyone harm you, they said. I will fight to the death for you.
She leaned into his chest and sent out a little prayer as his arms tightened around her. Let it never come to that. Please, let it never come to that.
They stood caught up in each other’s arms as the hot shower steamed into a fog. She felt Ty’s tension ebb with the steady rub of her chin over his chest. She kept her eyes shut and let her mate fill her senses. The dry, honest scent was something he carried with him, no matter how far he ventured from the desert. The taste of clear forest water played over his lips as she kissed him softly, then harder. Heat pooled in her body as her nipples peaked and her hips snuggled ever closer to his. She let out a sigh. This was good. Sinfully good. Just her and her mate in a cloud of steam that veiled them from the outside world.
Ty’s hands went from being determined clamps to pliant sponges, tracing her curves, chasing the water along her body. They slid down her rear then scooped her closer so she could feel the hard length of his cock against her stomach.
“Ty,” she murmured without knowing what she wanted to say. Something about love and faith and forever, but it was all muddled in her head. His responding growl churned her emotions into an even more potent cocktail until all she could do was whimper with the growing ache to join with her mate.
Ty lifted her so effortlessly she didn’t realize her legs had left the floor until they were wrapped around his waist. The shower wall was cool at her back and his body hot in front. A combination that made the ache in her throb harder. The growl went deeper, and Ty lifted her higher, then looked into her eyes as he lowered her onto his cock. A flash of heat shook her when he slid in, and the hand she threw out to brace herself left a wide smudge on the steamed-over glass stall.
She moaned his name, clutched her legs tighter, and begged for more. Her mate was not only the biggest, baddest wolf in town but also the most tender and sincere. What had she done to deserve this moment and so many others like it, when passion flowed free as a river over both of them?
She shook her head. Destiny had smiled on her and delivered her mate. She’d never deny him anything. She’d never doubt, never stray.
So what are you waiting for? her wolf piped up.
Nothing, she decided. Not anymore. At that moment, everything seemed clear. She was ready for the next chapter in an already amazing life.
“Enjoy this, alpha, while you can,” she said, her voice rising as he caressed her breast.
He lifted his head from her shoulder, breaking off a sucking kiss, eyes showing confusion. “What do you mean, while I can?”
“Last sex,” she grunted, working herself against him until his cock was seated even deeper inside. So deep, she lost track of her thought.
“Last sex?” he grunted, punctuating his displeasure with a forceful thrust that sent a tidal wave through her core.
She gasped, and then hurried to correct herself. “Last regular sex, I mean.”
He ground his hips against hers, working himself in to the hilt. “Define regular.”
It took her a second to get her bearings back. What had she been trying to say? Right, the long-delayed subject of cubs.
“I’m thinking it’s time we got to work on something bigger.”
He stopped, absolutely still, and for a moment, the only movement was the flare of his nostrils, the stream of water over their bodies.
“Work?” he asked, so low and lusty it registered in her bones.
Lana almost repeated herself in hopes that he’d do it again. “The best kind of work. I’m thinking it’s time I go off the pill. You wanted three cubs, right?”
His teeth nipped her lower lip and held on. �
�Right.”
The lusty Rrrrr echoed through her body. Oh, he could utter that sound into her mouth anytime. All the time.
“So let’s get started,” she said, ending on a whimper at his next thrust. Her fingers threaded through his hair as he started rocking against her. The motion grew hotter, harder until he’d worked her so close to the wall, the full force of his thrusts rocketed through her body. The pleasure-pain swelled within her, taking her higher and higher.
“God, I hope this is as good for you as it is for me,” she mumbled between gasping breaths.
“Good doesn’t describe what this is for me. What you are for me.”
For a man who wasn’t good with words, the man was a born poet. Like the desert, his words created beauty in their simplicity, their openness.
What you are to me, she echoed. She timed her next breath to coincide with his thrust and clenched down around his length.
Ty thumped his forehead on the wall next to hers with a deep, lusty groan. When he exhaled into her neck, the heat of his breath went right to her core.
“Do that again.”
“You do it again.” She puffed in his ear.
And he did, and she did, over and over until the glass stall was covered with a dozen smudged handprints that documented their desire. The feeling bubbled and took over until the two of them were clinging to each other, panting to keep up as the pace sped out of control. She was lost in the grip of it, lost in pleasure, her body shaking and her voice scratching at the air as she cried out. Ty grunted as the hot wave of his release filled her, his body going hard as steel.
Lana shuddered with her climax, clutching him through every wave until she went limp and boneless in his arms.
“Mate. My mate,” she sighed.
Love, my love, Ty replied. He held her against his body for a long time, as if she were the most precious thing in his world.
When he lowered her, the motion was slow and reluctant. Her senses dawdled before pulling their focus back into the space around them. She blinked away the water, willing her runaway heartbeat to calm down. The shower—that’s where she was. She and her mate were making love in the shower in a cozy cabin in the Berkshires. She traced Ty’s chin in long, languid strokes.
“So what do you think of the Berkshires now?”
Ty quirked his lips. God, the man was hot when he wore a smile—and nothing else. Wet was a good look on him too. They’d have to install a bigger shower back home.
“Not bad.” He shrugged then leaned in closer. “But home is better.”
Lana closed her eyes and imagined the landscape outside. The wooded hills, the hidden hollows, the babbling streams that joined and grew into rumbling rivers. It was beautiful and familiar, yet her inner compass was pointing to a different place, thousands of miles away. A new home had taken root within her, so deep that it was permanently lodged in her heart.
The desert. Ty. Those two elements defined home for her now.
“You’re right.” She nodded against his neck. “It’ll be good to get home.”
He sighed. “Yeah, and back to work.”
She puffed on his ear and ran a hand down his hip. “There’s work, and there’s…work,” she finished, squeezing her hips close to his.
The chuckle that rose out of his chest was a rumble from this close.
“So, what do you think?” she continued. “Two cubs? Or three?”
* * *
Thank you for reading Sasquatch Surprise and Desert Wolf: Friend or Foe. If you enjoyed these stories, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are the best way to thank an independent author for a story you’ve loved.
If you haven’t read the Twin Moon series yet, what are you waiting for? You”ll find links to every book in the series in the backmatter of this ebook.
If you’ve already read the whole Twin Moon Ranch series, don’t worry - fun doesn’t end there! Your favorite Twin Moon heroes and heroines all make repeat appearances in the BLUE MOON SALOON books, a spin-off series featuring bear and wolf shifters looking for a second chance at life and love. The action, emotion, and passion all kick off with Damnation, Book 1. Click here for a sneak peek, or order your copy today!
Anna Lowe also has an exciting new series out — ALOHA SHIFTERS: JEWELS OF THE HEART. The stories all take place in Hawaii and feature sexy dragons, irresistible wolves, touchy tigers, and burly bear shifters. Nothing is forbidden to this elite corps of bodyguards and private eyes — except falling in love. It all starts with Lure of the Dragon, Book 1! There’s a sneak peek at the end of this book, or you can order it on Amazon right away!
You should also make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter so you’ll be the first to hear about new releases, exclusive stories, and great deals. Finally, you can read about the inspiration for Sasquatch Surprise in the bonus materials section of my website, so please come and visit today!
Sneak Peek: Damnation
Book 1 in the Blue Moon Saloon series
Jessica Macks is a she-wolf on the run from a band of murderous rogues. When she finds a job at a shifter bar, it seems like a safe haven from her hunted life on the road. But the minute she walks through the swinging doors of the Blue Moon Saloon and comes face-to-face with the man she once loved, she’s tempted to march right back out. No way, no how is she risking her heart to that infuriating alpha bear again.
Simon Voss thought he lost everything in an ambush months before: his home, his family, his past. His new job at the Blue Moon Saloon is a desperately needed fresh start on life. Then along comes Jessica, the irresistible she-wolf his clan forced him to reject years before. When Simon is obliged to hire Jessica and work side by side with the one woman to ever make his bear go wild, he’s half in heaven, half in hell. He hasn’t forgotten her, and she sure as hell hasn’t forgiven him. Is this just another path to heartbreak or his last chance to claim his destined mate?
Behind the doors of the Blue Moon Saloon, alpha shifters confront their darkest fears and their deepest desires. Read on for the first chapter of Damnation, Book 1.
* * *
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Tina asked.
Jessica forced herself to keep up a steady, confident stride and nodded firmly. “I want to do this.”
I need to do this was more like it, but pride was about the only thing she had left.
Tina glanced at her, but Jessica kept walking down the sidewalk in the dusty western town, pretending not to notice. She was getting to be a champ at pretending lots of things, like the fact she wasn’t shaking inside.
Run! Run away! her inner wolf screamed.
If she hadn’t had her sister, Janna, to think of, Jessica might have done just that — hit the road running and never looked back. Except she’d tried that already, and it hadn’t worked.
Time to stop running, she told her inner wolf.
We don’t know this pack. We don’t know this place, her wolf whined.
“This is going to be great!” Janna smiled. “Is that the saloon?”
Janna wasn’t just putting on a brave face. She actually was excited about what she’d called their lucky break. As if they were lucky to have lost their pack to a band of rogues one awful night six months ago. As if they were lucky to be leapfrogging from one place to another in search of some safe refuge.
Jess shook her head. God, she was getting bitter. Her sister was right. This could be their lucky break. They’d found a pack willing to set them up with work and a place to stay. And not just any pack, but Twin Moon, one of the most powerful packs to emerge in the Southwest in recent years. Tina Hawthorne-Rivera was a leading member of that pack, and she seemed to have a soft spot for wayward shifters in need of a second chance.
Jessica bit her lip, thinking about the long road she’d traveled in the past few months. Maybe she and Janna could finally stop looking over their shoulders and catch their breath.
“That’s the place,” Tina replied, waving to the two-story building owned by
her pack. “Blue Moon Saloon.”
Jess drew in a long breath and slowed to look it over.
She couldn’t have conjured anything more Wild West out of her imagination if she’d tried. The whole historic center of the old town was like that — a high-altitude frontier town, barely dragged into modern times.
“Perfect location, just a block off Whiskey Row.” Tina nodded in pride.
Jessica’s inner wolf whined. I like home better.
Yes, well, home was gone, and she could never go back to that place.
Want my mate, the wolf whimpered.
Yeah, well. He didn’t want us. When would the stupid beast get that through its head?
Anger worked better than the grief that welled up every time she thought of that part of her past, so she hung on to it for the time being. She combed her long, brown hair back and stood at her full five foot eight. She needed this job, damn it. She’d get it.
“This is so cute!” Janna exclaimed. “Don’t you think, Jess?”
She took in the peeling paint, the dusty windows. Cute might describe the empty shop to the right, but not the saloon, which was dark and dreary, just like the people who gravitated toward a place like that, she’d bet. Waitressing, she didn’t mind. But getting her ass pinched… No, thanks.
She glanced at her reflection in the glass and grimaced at her worn jeans and checkered top. Maybe she didn’t have to worry about getting harassed. She’d gone from lean and athletic to downright gaunt in the past couple of months.
“The saloon ran well for years — well enough to pay the rent, at least — but the man we were leasing it to retired, and the new guys only took it over a month ago.”
Jess raised an eyebrow in a question.
Tina gave a tiny nod and lowered her voice. “Shifters, like us. None of the neighbors know.” Her stern look made it clear that none of the neighbors could ever find out. That was a given in the shifter world. The constant secrecy, the veil of normalcy. Shifters could blend in perfectly as long as they kept their beast sides tightly leashed.
Tina tilted her head toward the wooded hills surrounding the town. “Good place to run when you need a break.”
