Escaping Monsters: A Reverse Harem Wolf Shifter Romance (Grayhaven Book 1)

by Rita Stradling

  It was distinctly possible that my panties were truly melting off me. I was pretty sure that Jasper was a live wire of sexual heat, and I was far too close. His hips pressed into my thighs, and it felt electric. My core pulsed and every centimeter of my skin felt sensitive, waiting for his touch.

  Jasper’s fingers closed around the button of my jeans, and he flicked it open and zipped down my fly. I gasped. “I wasn’t lying when I said that Kane will kill you.” The objection came out as little more than a whisper. “He’ll never let me go.”

  “Kane doesn’t need to let you go, Teagan. You’ve already escaped him all on your own.” Jasper’s hands tugged at my jeans, and I lifted my butt so he could pull them down. His fingers closed around my hips, rasping over the lace of my panties, and he pulled me tight against him. Pleasure pulsed through me where his rough jeans touched my core, sheathed only in a layer of lace. My head clouded with lust as my folds slickened with heat.

  Jasper’s hands caressed up my sides, his thumbs sliding under the hem of my shirt, and he said, “Kane no longer has power over you.”

  “Doesn’t he?” I asked as I lifted my hands, letting Jasper pull my shirt off too. I wasn’t wearing a bra, so I found myself topless, clad in only a pair of red lace panties in the middle of the packhouse. My skin prickled, and my nipples tightened into peaks.

  Jasper’s hands slid until they rested just under my breasts. “Kane will never again have dominion over you. I promise you that.”

  “That’s an impossible promise to keep, Jasper.” He sounded like he meant his words, but Jasper didn’t know what he was saying. Not really. I laid my arms around the alpha’s shoulders. “But thank you for saying that.” Leaning in, I laid a kiss on his warm cheek. “I agree with you that I am still letting Kane control my life—and fuck that.”

  “You ready for my job offer?” Jasper asked as his lips hovered inches from mine. “I overheard you tell the clerk at Cat’s that you have store manager experience, and because of that, the fire station is ready to offer you thirty dollars an hour, cash, paid daily. I need someone to inventory and restock the fire station. It hasn’t been done this year, and fire season is only a couple months away. After that, Lucas needs someone to inventory and restock his doctor’s office masquerading as a veterinary clinic, which the pack will pay for. There will be a lot of trade involved to get us everything we need to keep Grayhaven safe.”

  I laughed. “Do you always offer women jobs while they’re naked and straddling you? Or, is this you saying that you want to be my boss?”

  A small smile played over Jasper’s lips. “I was thinking more along the lines of an independent contractor.”

  “With benefits?” I asked.

  Jasper lifted a dark brow. “The job comes included with personal health coverage and dental.”

  I chuckled. “You mean Lucas?”

  “Yes. Lucas is included in your salary.”

  “It’s unbelievably tempting.” I ran my fingers up the back of his neck. “Jasper….” I sighed, “If I stayed here, your whole pack would be killed. I can’t risk that.”

  “Teagan, I already told you that this pack will be safer here than if we follow you up to Canada. The pack and I discussed the Kane situation on the night you arrived in Grayhaven. Every member of this pack is ready for this fight. Some of us have been ready since long before we knew you existed. Kane is only indestructible in people’s minds, but he has weaknesses like anyone else.” Jasper’s thumbs brushed over my bare skin. “I think fate brought you exactly where you were supposed to be, and that is right fucking here, with us.”

  “I don’t believe in fate.”

  There was no divine plan. I refused to believe that everything that happened in this life was meant to happen. It was just a random chaotic mess of pleasure, pain, and everything in between.

  “All right, how about this, then… were you lying last night when you told me that you wanted to fuck me?”

  A thrill of nervous excitement swelled through me at his words, and I managed to say, “I think you can figure that one out for yourself.”

  “Well, I believe in true mates.” Jasper pulled me tighter against his chest until my mouth was hovering only inches above his. “And from the moment you became a werewolf, I sensed that you were mine. As far as I’m concerned, the only person who can tell me that I can’t fuck my mate is my mate. Kane and I have a fight to the death that is long overdue, and nothing on this fucking earth will stop me from facing him. It’s about you, but it’s also about other crimes he’s committed, old wounds that have been ripped open. This is my fight.”

  “So, you want me to stay here and simply wait for Kane to arrive?”

  “What I want is for you to live your life like Kane Shipman is already dead because it’s only a matter of time before he will be. I’d love help preparing for fire season, but it’s just a job offer, you can take it or not. No one in this house is going to dominate you or take your power away, not ever. No one is going to pressure you to stay either. I just want you to know what’s on the table.”

  “And what’s on the table is the fact that if I leave, you’re going to follow and put yourself in danger anyway.” I grasped my hands behind his neck. “Okay, say I did stay, what about sex?”

  His gaze heated. “Yes.”

  I laughed. “No… what I mean is that Lucas told me that all five of you believe I’m your true mate or something along those lines. I still don’t even know where to put that in my mind. Will there be some sort of sexpectation if I stay with you guys?”

  “Sex expectation? No. Never. You don’t owe anyone here anything—that’s not how this works. I’m not asking you to commit to any relationship or job, I’m just asking you to stay in Grayhaven, taking things one day at a time.”

  It was such an impossible request, and yet, I found myself closing that little bit of distance and whispering over his lips, “I’ll take that job, Jasper.”

  Then, I pressed my lips to his warm mouth.

  Chapter Eleven

  Even though I was naked save for my lacy panties, when I leaned in to kiss Jasper, I expected a quick peck, but the alpha of Grayhaven wrapped his mouth around mine and kissed me so deeply, my toes tingled.

  His tongue plunged between my lips as his hands squeezed my hips. I kissed him back hungrily. I couldn’t even remember the last time I wanted to kiss someone so much, and Jasper’s kiss undid me. Lust roared through my body like quicksilver, and I molded myself against his front.

  Jasper broke off his kiss suddenly, and I immediately leaned up wanting to regain his mouth.

  “Declan and Lucas are coming in, and this first time I have you, I want us to be alone.” He lifted me off the kitchen island, and I wrapped my legs and arms around him as we headed through the house.

  I barely got a glimpse of a large room, full of bookcases and strange, random items, when Jasper set me down on the bed, climbed on top of me, and his mouth was again on mine. He sucked on my lips and licked in my mouth, and the passion and hunger in his kisses were enough to have the lust roaring through me spiking.

  My hands went to the hem of his shirt, and he lifted his arms so I could pull it off. Long healed scars crisscrossed over his shoulder and chest, and when I ran my fingers over the ridges, Jasper pulled away and looked at me.

  I snatched my hand away. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It feels good. Do they bother you?” he asked. “I can put my shirt back on.”

  Was he kidding? I would shred that shirt if he tried to put it back on.

  “I think every part of you is damn sexy,” I said as I ran my hands up and down his shoulders.

  Jasper lifted away, kneeling between my legs. He grabbed for his fly and zipped it down, revealing his thick erection. I wasn’t all that surprised the guy wasn’t wearing boxers.

  “Holy shit, this is happening,” I breathed as I stared at his long shaft.

  “Only if you want it to.”

  I nodded, and J
asper grabbed a couple of thick pillows and set them at the head of the bed. His hands went under me again, and he scooted me up to the top of the bed. “Good, because I want to taste you, and then, I want to fuck you, Teagan.”

  I closed my eyes as the full magnitude of our situation hit. There was no coming back from this moment. If I had sex with Jasper right here and now, either Kane or Jasper would die.

  Jasper tugged at my lace panties, and I shifted so he could pull them down my legs. He spread my thighs, and his hands cradled my ass, lifting me toward his mouth. I could feel his warm breath on my heat. His gaze fixed on mine, and I knew he was waiting for my permission.

  “I don’t want you to die because of me,” I said through heavy pants.

  “I won’t die,” he said. “You escaped. You’re free to do whatever the fuck you want, Teagan. Do you want this?”

  “I do.” I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then that’s all that matters.” Jasper’s mouth closed over my clit, and he sucked gently, sending a jolt of pleasure through my core that had my eyes snapping wide open. I cried out as he continued to suck, making tingling heat pool in my center, growing more intense by the second.

  “Oh my… fuck…”

  His tongue rolled against my clit. I screamed and grasped the headboard as stars exploded across my vision. Heat flushed up my whole body, and my legs shook. Holy fuck, what was he doing to me?

  He sucked again, and an orgasm exploded in a great rush of sensation through my center, and I cried out as Jasper licked down from my bud and plunged his tongue into my channel, thrusting in and out of me as a tide of pleasure pulled me under, and my vision blackened.

  As I came to, I braced myself for the wave of shame that always used to hit after pleasure, but I just felt languid and tingly over every inch of my skin.

  Jasper was trailing his lips up the length of my inner thigh, and I reached down and ran my fingers through his hair. “What did you just do to me.”

  “Nothing compared to how much I want to do to you.” Jasper’s hungry gaze came up to meet mine. “Do you want to use a condom?”

  I shook my head. “I have an IUD.”

  Werewolves didn’t catch or transmit diseases to one another, so the only thing we ever had to worry about was babies, something I had made sure that wouldn’t happen.

  Jasper moved up between my legs, covering me completely, and then he grabbed my hips and effortlessly flipped me on top.

  My breath caught, and I leaned down over him. “You didn’t strike me as someone who likes being on the bottom.”

  “I’m not,” he said, “But I think you need to be in charge right now.”

  I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be in charge. Choosing to do this was so much more than just giving in to my lust with Jasper, this was also a declaration that I was never going to be captured again. I was declaring that I was free to be here, and no one could tell me otherwise.

  My breath shuttered, and I slid back until the head of his cock pressed against my entrance. A shock wave of fear passed through me, and I locked up and froze in place. A chill crawled up my spine, and the room felt suddenly darker and colder. Closing my eyes, I laid my head down on Jasper’s warm chest.

  So much of Kane’s control of me was psychological—and I knew that I needed to shatter the mental wall he jailed me in with, but that prison was all I knew. I wasn’t even sure who I’d be if the walls around me came crashing down.

  “Sorry,” I whispered.

  Jasper’s hands ran over my hair, brushing it over my shoulder. “We don’t have to do a damn thing, Teagan. We can just lay here all night if you want to.”

  Fuck.

  I wanted Jasper so much that tears were gathering in my eyes, and at the same time, that pulse of terror was gripping my heart.

  Sniffing back my emotion, I raised my head and leaned over Jasper. “Will you kiss me through this?”

  “Always.” His hands came up and cradled my head, and his lips pressed into mine. Our kiss was gentler this time, soft and warm, and a sweet feeling of contentment spread through me, like slipping into a warm bath on a cold day. I ran my fingers down his wide chest, feeling his soft and hard ridges.

  I barely knew Jasper, but I couldn’t even remember a single time when I felt this cherished and tender with a man. Breaking our kiss, I slid down again, finding his hard length, still ready for me.

  My breath shook as I positioned him at my entrance and met his gaze. My breath caught as I pushed down, and the head of Jasper’s thick cock slid into me.

  He sucked in a breath, and his hands settled on my hips as I rocked back, taking him in deeper. We were well past the point of no return now, and the realization sent a sudden rush of power surging into me. This night belonged to Jasper and me, only. I chose to do this.

  Looking straight into Jasper’s eyes, I slid down until his thick length filled me, stretching my inner walls. “I’m not used to being in control.”

  He growled low, and he whispered, “Stay in control for as long as you need.”

  I leaned down over him. “I don’t need to be in control anymore.”

  Jasper gripped me, and he rolled me under him, all while deep inside of me. His lips crashed down on mine as he plunged deep inside and pulled out in long, slow thrusts.

  “Teagan,” he growled onto my lips as he plunged deeper.

  My eyes rolled back in my head as excruciating pleasure shook my core. I moaned over his mouth, as we came together and separated. My fingers gripped his sweat slick shoulder, as his hands slipped over my legs.

  He broke off our kiss, and his gaze glowed as it met mine. He didn’t say a word, but I heard his message loud and clear in my head: my mate. Mine.

  I opened my legs wider, and he pressed down on my knees rocking my hips into position for him to slide in to the hilt. Pleasure exploded through my center, and Jasper groaned long and low as his eyelids fluttered.

  He collapsed down but immediately rolled me on top of him. His hands rubbed up and down my naked back. “You’re shaking.”

  “In a very good way,” I breathed, because my legs were definitely shaking. “I honestly didn’t know sex could feel like that.”

  I probably was being too open, but right at this second, my whole body felt like molten liquid, and I was ready to forget the existence of every other lover I’d ever had.

  “This is probably not the best way to start a new job,” I said onto his chest. “What are people at the office going to say?”

  Jasper chuckled, and he combed through my hair with his fingers, pulling it over one shoulder. “We should probably sleep.”

  “I just woke up,” I said through a yawn, and even though it was true, I felt my energy draining away. “I need to shower and find my bag.”

  “Your bag is in here, and Declan traded for some shower products for you this morning. They should be in the attached bathroom.”

  “Going now,” I said, but I was already fading fast, and within seconds, I slipped off to sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  I opened my eyes to a pitch-black room and an empty bed. A folded piece of paper was under my hand, and I stumbled off the mattress and across the room, feeling the brick walls for a switch.

  As my surroundings flooded with soft light, I got a good look around at Jasper’s room. The oversized bed I just climbed off of took up half of the space and bookshelves and maps took up the rest. It wasn’t messy, just full of books and small treasures. The room smelled like ferns, pine, and old books, along with sex and sweat, and I raised the note in my hand.

  Patrolling Grayhaven.

  That was all it said. Jasper was a man of few words. My legs were still trembling as I made my way toward the bathroom, but I didn’t feel all the things I anticipated. Shame didn’t wash over me. There was no panicking anxiety that I was about to be betrayed. All I felt was thoroughly fucked and achy in the best ways.

  The shower products Declan traded for had no labels, but they were decorated in pa
inted flowers and smelled like cherry blossoms. He also got me a loofah and razor, and I scrubbed the ingrained dirt off my feet, cringing a little at the sight of the dark water draining away. By the time I climbed out, I was sure I’d shed a layer of my skin.

  I pulled my favorite jeans and shirt out of my bag, deciding to forgo a bra again, and I headed out in search of coffee. Three steps outside of Jasper’s room, I realized that it was pitch black for a reason. The clock on the wall read three-thirty AM, and the whole house was dark.

  Only one lamp was on in the entire firehouse, and it was over Lucas, who snored softly in a chair with a book on his chest and his feet crossed on a massive footstool. On one couch, a large gray wolf sprawled, his eyes open and watchful, and I could hear soft snoring coming from the loft.

  I took a step back, planning to turn around when a floorboard creaked, and Lucas’ eyes snapped open.

  He blinked at me. “Teagan… I must have fallen asleep.”

  “Sorry,” I whispered, raising my hands. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Lucas groaned and sat up. “I was sleeping on duty.” He reached over and scratched behind Chad’s ears. It was a very familiar gesture between two wolves—something you’d do with a best friend or if you were flirting. “Wake me next time.”

  Chad chuffed and laid his head down on his paws, closing his eyes.

  Lucas peeled out of his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m going to need a fresh pot of coffee. Want some?”

  “Yeah, there’s no way that I could go back to sleep. I’m pretty sure that I slept for the better part of twenty-four hours.”

  “How do you take it?” he asked.

  “With milk—do you guys have dairy here?” I asked as I looked in the fridge.

  “The fae sell dairy and claim it’s from sheep, but I have my doubts. Ace drinks it, though. I think it’s on the top shelf…” he winced and shook his head. “I wouldn’t if I were you. There might be some nondairy creamer, though.”

  The rich aroma of coffee filled the air, and I realized that I didn’t give a crap. I hadn’t had coffee that wasn’t from a gas station in a very long time. “I’ll take it black.”