Real Men Shift Volume Two: Paranormal Werewolf Romance Boxed Set

by Celia Kyle

  “Before the Kincaid pack broke apart completely, this human reporter showed up asking questions. Seemed to me she had it out for ol’ Dick, like she wanted to write an exposé on him or something, but I couldn’t very well tell her everything or the National Ruling Circle would have had my head for exposing shifters to humans. Besides, at that point, I didn’t know about his shiny, new business model. When I found out what he’d done to that other pack, I knew I needed to stop running and start hunting. I had to do something big that would slow him down, get the message across that we wouldn’t take his shit anymore.”

  “That’s why you blew up his trailer,” Zeke said, putting the last piece of the puzzle in place.

  Max nodded. “Then I found Trina… or she found me, I can’t be sure, but either way, at that point, the focus of my life shifted. I wanted to comply with your command not to do anything illegal, but I knew your plan to work within the law wouldn’t stop McNish. When Cassandra mentioned that words were more powerful than deeds, something sparked in my mind. I remembered that reporter.”

  Trina’s hackles went up at the mention of a female in his past. She must have growled a little because everyone glanced at her and tried not to smirk.

  “I’m sorry for running away like I did, Trina,” Max said, obviously not realizing exactly why she was pissed. “I didn’t want to waste a second, and it would have taken forever as a human. I ran and ran, all through the night, to reach the lair I’d left behind before going rogue. I didn’t have much by then, but more than I wanted to carry on what I’d assumed would be a suicide mission. The other pack McNish targeted gave me some of their evidence, and I had a stack of my own that I’d hoped would one day be McNish’s downfall. I left it behind in my lair, along with some food, water and spare clothes, thank god. How awkward would it have been to walk into a newsroom buck naked?”

  Trina’s teeth lengthened in her mouth as an image flashed in her head of a naked Max strutting around in front of a beautiful bombshell of a reporter, but she did her best to hide her jealousy.

  “Before anyone asks, let me reassure you I never let on that McNish has been targeting shifters. I framed it as McNish targeting the descendants of original Georgia homesteaders. The reporter was impressed with what I brought her, but she warned me it would be a longshot trying to get an exposé published. Seems after she started poking around, she’d quickly discovered the guy has friends in high places. Even so, she said she’d do everything she could. She clearly despises the guy.”

  Trina hated picturing them together, hunkered over a newsroom desk in such close proximity. If she could just get her claws in the woman…

  “Don’t worry,” Max told her, interrupting her inner murder fantasy. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently before pressing her palm to his slightly stubbly cheek. “There’s no one else for me but you, Trina. You know that.”

  It wasn’t a question, and she did in fact know it. His mere touch soothed her inner beast, though her cheeks heated up a little with embarrassment about her reaction. “I know,” she whispered, smiling up at him. Her mate.

  “That was what?” Max continued, turning to the others. “Three days ago? I’m guessing if the article hasn’t run by now, it’s probably been axed by her editor or publisher before she even wrote two words. I knew it was a longshot, but I had to try.”

  Another weighty silence fell over the war room. Zeke’s expression was unreadable as he slowly pushed back his chair and stood. Warning bells clanged in Trina’s head as he talked toward Max. The best she could hope for was that Zeke would yell at Max, maybe lecture him a bit, but the worst would be that he’d prohibit him from joining the pack. What would they do then? She held her breath and kept her gaze on her alpha.

  When his hand shot out so fast she barely saw it, Trina gasped. It took a second for it to sink in, but he wasn’t going to hit Max. He wanted to shake his hand!

  “Welcome to the Soren pack, Max,” Zeke said with a grim, but genuine smile as the men shook. “You’re going to fit in well here, as long as you can handle not being the alpha.”

  Max broke into a grin. “Fine by me, Zeke. I never wanted to be alpha in the first place. I want nothing more than to join your pack.” He slid a glance over at Trina. “Well, except to finally claim Trina as my mate, of course.”

  Trina’s heart thumped triple-time at the suggestion. That too was her biggest wish.

  Zeke threw his head back and laughed, slapping Max on the shoulder. “You two had better get started then.”

  Warren groaned and clapped his hands over his ears in disgust, but Trina’s heart soared. Max turned to her with such a look of pure love and adoration in his eyes, she knew.

  It was time.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They stumbled into Trina’s cabin minutes later, her heart racing as her passion rose, her desire spurred by Max’s touch. Max exploring every inch of her he could reach, his wandering hands gripping her ass and kneading her roundness. He kicked the door shut behind them and then spun, whirling them around and pushing her back against the door. A delicious growl escaped him, the sound creeping through her, vibrating against her sensitized nerves.

  He held nothing back as he attacked her with his passion and she wasn’t about to make him stop. Not now. Not ever.

  Max pressed their bodies together so she could feel every inch of him, every inch of hardness he had to offer—from his firm pecs to those flat abs she’d caressed with longing. Everything about the large wolf set her on fire. His very scent made her lose focus and it took every ounce of control not to melt into a hot mess at his feet.

  One of those talented hands went to the bottom of her shirt, working its way beneath the fabric and onward, stroking her skin and then the cups of silk and lace that held her breasts. He teased her with his touch, fingers dancing over her shielded flesh, pinching her hardened nipple and drawing out a quick gasp. The small bite of pain added to her arousal, her need.

  But she craved more. So much more.

  It wasn’t long before his tormenting fingers abandoned her breast and moved to her back. He brought his other hand to her back as well, deft digits quick to unhook her bra. With that barrier gone, he didn’t hesitate to whip her shirt over her head, bra slipping down her arms until she was naked from the waist up—bared to his scorching gaze.

  The moment her top fluttered to the ground, he moved his hold to her ass and cupped the rounded globes, lifting her with ease. She wrapped her legs around his waist, loving the feel of his hard cock trapped between their bodies. His heated length scorched her, arousing and tempting her like nothing else.

  He carried her to the large couch, lowering her until she rested on the cushions, his larger body pinning her to the seat. She was his captive—willing captive.

  Max leaned away, resting on his knees between her spread thighs, and pulled off his own shirt to reveal his chiseled body. How had she gotten so lucky? His body was like a god’s, carved out of granite and utter perfection in every peak and valley. She wanted to trace every ab with her tongue, tease and explore him, drive him mad just as he sent her into a crazed frenzy.

  There was something so unique about this wolf, the heat that filled Max’s gaze as he stared down at her bared body. The aggressive lust and hunger in his eyes burned her exposed skin. He might be working to integrate into the pack, but there was still the hint of feral wolf from his time being alone that would always be with him. It was an edge, a primal attunement to those instincts that filled him at that moment. The feral edge excited her, drawing her in like a moth to a flame.

  Trina didn’t know how Max felt about the remnants of that ferocity, but it was part of her mate she embraced without hesitation. With the benefits and complications that came with that part of him.

  Max descended on her, mouth capturing one of her hardened nipples in a whip-fast sweep. He suckled her breast, tongue flicking and tormenting the firm nub. He circled and lapped, pointed tip of his tongue teasin
g her without pause. She writhed beneath him, arching her back and searching for more from her mate.

  His hands weren’t idle while he tortured her with his mouth. He reached for her pants, the button and zipper that hid her from him. He worked them open, cool air bathing her heated skin while his mouth continued to drive her mad. He nibbled her with his pointed teeth, adding the smallest bites of pain to the whirlwind of pleasure he stoked within her. Trina reveled in his heated breath fanning across her breasts, his rapid breathing telling her that he was just as aroused as her.

  Soon her zipper was lowered fully and Max reached for the waist of her pants and panties, tugging on the fabric and inching them lower on her hips.

  He released her breast with a soft pop and eased away from her once more, pulling her pants and panties down her legs and she lifted them to help him along. The moment she was free of the fabric, she parted her thighs once more, bracketing him with her legs.

  Nude. She felt his appreciative gaze as if it was a physical touch as it caressed her from head to toe.

  Trina kept her attention on Max’s face, cataloguing his response to her bared body. She spied that cocky grin that had her aching for him, the sexy smirk that said he knew exactly what he wanted to do to her. And she wanted it too, even more as he worked his own jeans open to expose more of those washboard abs. Then lower until she spied the trimmed curls that surrounded his dick.

  Max’s cock sprang free and a shiver of need stroked up her spine, her pussy aching and growing heavier with a fresh wave of arousal. He fisted his length and stroked himself from root to tip, all the while his attention on the juncture of her thighs. Her core tightened, clenching on air and she wished she was already filled with his thick shaft.

  But instead of claiming her, he changed position, lowering until his mouth hovered over her wet pussy. He settled his gaze on her, their stares locked as he extended his tongue and lapped at the seam of her sex. He licked her once more, tip delving between her lower lips, teasing her inner labia with his tongue.

  Though it was soon clear that Max wasn’t playing. He wasn’t in a teasing mood any longer. He sought out her swollen clit, the firm nub aching for his touch. He sucked her clit between his lips and teased it with his tongue, sending a new bolt of pleasure along her spine. He licked and tasted her, circling her clit and tapping the bundle of nerves in a rapid rhythm.

  Trina laid back and let the sensations wash over her, the results of Max’s relentless attention. She could so easily allow herself to be swept away by his touch, his caresses, his torturous explorations. She could let it happen and find herself claimed between one breath and the next without any conscious thought.

  But she had to be sure.

  Fooling around with the half-feral wolf was one thing, but Max was about to claim her. Forever. Was she ready? A week ago, she had been so sure that wolves only had one mate in life, but then Max appeared and blew that wall to gravel. Was she ready to let him build a life out of the wreckage?

  “Hey.” A rasping, husky voice drew her away from her worries and she turned her attention to the gorgeous male between her legs. She focused on Max, on his strong features and the slight glistening around his lips. “You got tense.” He rubbed his cheek against her inner-thigh. “Do you want this, Trina? If you need more time…” It was such a far cry from when he’d almost pulled her onto the bed while she’d been unsure of him. She smiled and reached for Max, stroking his scruffy, ragged cheek.

  “I… I was just thinking about that,” she whispered. “I want this, Max. I’m afraid, but I want this so much. No more guilt. No more fear. I want you. Now.”

  Trina flirted with fire, but the raw desire on Max’s features at that moment had her throwing caution to the wind. She wanted to mate Max. She wanted to make babies with Max. She wanted to live the rest of her life with Max at her side. Realizing the depth of her surety was one of the most liberating rushes she’d experienced in years.

  Max rose above her once more, his hard body flush with hers and his thick cock teasing her sex lips with his heat and intimate caress. He ground himself against her and she rocked her hips, reveling in the connection. The delicious sensations of his dick were so close to where she needed him most.

  Trina melted, heart fluttering with the prospect of having Max in her, claiming her, taking her for his own. He would fuck her until they both screamed with the ultimate pleasure and he flooded her with his cum. She’d imagined it so many times and now she hovered at the precipice, the horizon of gaining what she craved.

  Max gripped her hip with one hand, holding her still, and pressed the tip of his cock against her quivering entrance. So very, very close. Trina wrapped her legs around his waist, aching to pull him into her, but simply waited for him to make the next move.

  But his next move was unexpected. It wasn’t a fierce thrust to consume her, but instead, he simply lowered his head, their lips just shy of touching. His gruff voice vibrated through her as his warm, moist breath fanned her cheeks.

  “I love you, Trina Edgecomb.”

  Trina’s breath caught in her chest for a moment before she rushed out the words that lived in her heart. “I love you.”

  She licked her lips, tongue flicking over Max’s mouth, and she tasted herself on him. Salty. Sweet. The scent of her desire teased her nose, reminding her where else she wanted to coat him in her scent.

  “I love you, Maxwell Kincaid. Now, claim me.”

  Trina’s words spurred Max into action. He captured her plump lips with his own and at the same time thrust into her waiting warmth. Her wet sheath enveloped him in its tight grip, squeezing him tightly as he pressed forward until his heavy balls slapped against her ass.

  She rippled around him, massaging his dick with her inner walls, the wet velvet milking his length and… damn. It took everything in him not to come right then and there. So fucking wet and tight. So fucking perfect.

  Max fisted her hair, sinking his fingers into the silken strands and tightening his grip. He used his hold to reposition her as he craved, tilting her head back and exposing her neck. He pulled his mouth from hers and moved on to tasting her, exploring her flushed skin with his lips. He nipped and kissed his way across her cheek to her neck. He nuzzled the spot beneath her ear that he knew she loved and then scraped the sensitized area with his fang, pulling a gasping moan from his mate.

  He breathed deeply and drew her scent into his lungs, savoring her smell. Sweetness mixed with the musky heat of her desire—a desire that made him crave her and want to unite with her on every level. Trina was everything to him now. Freedom and domestic bliss in the same package.

  Trina meant the security of settling down with a pack. Yet their mating also meant risking caring for someone other than himself—something worth fighting for. A healthy hint of fear teased him. He knew he had to face this fear even while he was deep inside his mate, rocking back and forth, giving them both pleasure.

  So much pleasure. So much bliss. So. Fucking. Much.

  Max withdrew and thrust forward, picking up a delicious rhythm that brought their hips together in an increasing pace. He pounded into her hard and fast, taking and giving in equal measure. He wasn’t a slow lover and he didn’t think that was what his mate craved right then. There would be time for slow and tender later. Right then, they both craved a raw, primal release they’d been hunting for so long.

  He released her hair and moved his grip to her hip, bucking into her with a harsh thrust. His cock slid effortlessly in and out of her slick folds. Pushing them both closer and closer to release. And he wanted it. Wanted it so fucking bad and yet… he didn’t want it to end. Not just yet.

  The way he moved, the fierce possession of her pussy, made him glad that Trina had been so devoted to his recovery. He wouldn’t have been able to fuck her like she deserved if she hadn’t kept him in check.

  But that was just who his mate was—a forceful healer with a strong personality. A woman Max had fallen head over tail for. He had
come to love listening to every word as much as he adored the feel of her soaking tightness wrapped around his cock. She squeezed and tightened, teasing his orgasm closer and drawing pre-cum from his dick.

  The nearer his release drew—the nearer that irreversible step came—the more his fear of the future lessened. Max wasn’t afraid of settling down as long as it meant being with Trina. He could handle anything for the opportunity of mating her.

  As if she saw the fierce battle in his expression, she reached for him, her touch gentle. Coaxing. Soothing. He leaned close, so close their faces nearly touched, and she stroked his cheek.

  “I know.” She assuaged his fears without him uttering a word. “You’ve lost so much.”

  His pace stuttered and he froze inside her, unmoving. “So have you.”

  “It’s all right to be afraid of loss.” Trina rippled around his cock, her next words coming in breathy panting. “It you’re not, it’s not worth the risk. Are we worth the risk, Max?”

  Worth it? He nearly snorted. Instead of answering with words, he flashed her a relieved, hungry smile. Then he gave them what their bodies craved. He picked up his pace once more, adding a fierce power behind each thrust and jarring his mate as their bodies connected. More than that, he allowed himself to become lost in her. He simply let go and let himself feel what they were, what they could be.

  What they would be once he sank his teeth into her flesh.

  He thrust into her with relentless, wild force, grinding against her most sensitive depths. He couldn’t help but capture her mouth with his own once more, kissing her deeply and teasing her tongue. They mimicked the movement of their hips, fucking with every part of themselves.

  Again and again, over and over, pleasure given and taken. It gathered within him, forming a ball that expanded with every shift of muscle and bone. The bliss scraped and clawed its way through his body, teasing his nerves and forcing the ecstasy to rise higher and higher.