Alpha Temptation: Sanmere Shifters Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  “Indeed,” Archer said. He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose before he pushed himself all of the way up. He leaned down and pulled his jeans and boxers back up. Brianna sat up.

  “You’re fastening those like we’re done,” she teased him. Archer felt his eyes widen, and he looked at her. She laughed at his shock. “What?” She blushed suddenly. “We only have tonight. We might as well make the most of it.”

  She stood up, and Archer swallowed hard as he looked at her. Her body was spectacular. He could still see rosy suck marks on her neck, and he felt his cock responding instantly to her. She stepped towards him, took his hand in hers, and led him across the lounge, down a hallway and to her bedroom.

  “You’ll have to excuse the mess.”

  “I’m not looking at anything but you, Brianna, and believe me when I say you’re anything but a mess,” Archer said.

  Brianna gave a soft laugh and blushed a little. She reached out to him and grabbed him by the waistband of his jeans. She pulled him closer and tilted her head up, finding his mouth with hers. His body once more responded to her, and he pushed his hands into her hair as their tongues met.

  Brianna wasted no time in getting his jeans back open, and Archer kicked them and his boxer shorts off and away. He kicked his shoes and socks off, and finally, both he and Brianna were naked, and he could feel her skin on his everywhere.

  She kissed down his neck and chest, and then she got to her knees before him. She leaned forward and took his hard cock in her mouth. Archer sucked in a gasping breath as her warmth enveloped him, sending him wild. He could feel his wolf once more straining to break free, pushing hard against him as lust overtook his body. He fought the wolf, keeping it at bay, not wanting to scare Brianna.

  Her mouth worked over his cock, her tongue rough and her lips smooth, pushing Archer closer and closer to the edge. His whole body trembled as pleasure coursed through his veins, lighting him up in places he had never even known existed.

  Brianna looked up at him, his cock still in her mouth, and he felt his heart slam in his chest, his breath catching in his throat. He couldn’t hold back from her any longer, and he reached down and took her hands from his hips. He pulled her to her feet, and she came up easily, smiling at him. He felt a rush of warmth flood him as he looked deeply into Brianna’s eyes and kissed her, holding her tightly against him.

  He broke their kiss and turned her around so her back was pressed against his front. He ran his hand down her body until it came to rest on her mound. He pushed his fingers inside of her lips, rubbing them over her clit, making her gasp loudly. With his other hand, he pinched one of her nipples between his thumb and his forefinger, making Brianna cry out.

  She pressed herself back against him as her orgasm flooded her, and Archer felt her knees give way. He released her nipple, catching her around her middle, holding her up against him. He still worked her clit, listening to the almost pained moans she was making, loving knowing he could make her body sing this way.

  Her head tumbled back against his shoulder, and he kissed her neck. He felt her clit throbbing against his fingers as her orgasm tore through her. She turned her head slightly, looking at him as her muscles tensed once more. Her lust filled eyes found his, and the look on her face brought his wolf to the surface again. He blinked and looked away quickly when he felt his eyes changing, turning black. Brianna frowned slightly, and he knew she had seen him changing. Last time, he wasn’t sure she had even noticed, but this time, she had. He cursed himself, pushing his wolf back. He had ruined everything.

  Archer moved his fingers away from Brianna and helped her towards the bed. He sat her down, and she shuffled backwards. She looked at him questioningly when he made no move to join her.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that, Brianna. I… I lost control there for a moment, but I swear, I would never hurt you,” he said.

  “Hurt me?” She scooted forward again and took one of his hands in both of hers. “I never thought you would. You don’t have to apologize for who you are,” she said. “I was just surprised to see your eyes changing like that. But I’m not afraid, Archer. They were beautiful.” It was Archer’s turn to frown in surprise. Brianna laughed softly and pulled him down beside her on the bed. “I knew you had an animal side going into this, and I want you to embrace it.” She gave him a playful smile. “Just don’t pee in the corner or anything, okay?”

  Archer laughed, part with surprise at Brianna’s joke and part with relief that she wasn’t suddenly scared of him.

  “Don’t worry. I’m fully house trained,” he said with a grin. He reached out and cupped her face with his hand, his smile melting away as they looked into each other’s eyes, searching for answers to questions both of them knew must remain unasked.

  “Make love to me, Archer,” Brianna said with tears shining in her eyes.

  Archer leaned in and kissed away a single tear that spilled over. She turned so her lips were on his again. He felt the familiar lust engulfing him, the warmth inside of his body. She was right in her wording. This wasn’t fucking. It was making love. He was falling for Brianna, and he knew it. His wolf was telling him she was the one, but it didn’t matter what his wolf thought, what he thought. She couldn’t be the one. She could be his for tonight only.

  He pushed her onto her back and climbed on top of her. He kissed her again as he entered her, and she moaned into his mouth. This time, the sex was slower, more tender. He kissed her lips, her neck, her shoulders. He saw her eyes come to life as her orgasm began to approach, and he upped his pace, pushing her swiftly over the edge. She clung to him, her nails piercing his skin as her pussy clenched around him, and when he felt his wolf once more clamoring to the surface, he didn’t hold himself back. He felt his eyes change and his senses sharpen. He could smell Brianna’s scent and feel how right this was in every cell of his body.

  He fought his wolf back when he could no longer handle the feeling that he was about to walk away from his soul mate. Brianna was writhing beneath him, and the way she moaned his name, her voice dripping with ecstasy, pushed him over the edge, and they came together.

  When his orgasm faded, Archer rolled off Brianna and lay beside her. His chest was heaving, his heart racing. She rolled onto her side and rested her head on his chest, her arm draped over his waist. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her there, both of them panting.

  Once he had recovered, there was so much he wanted to say to Brianna, so much he needed her to know, but he couldn’t find the words to tell her, so he lay silently, just enjoying the warmth of her body pressed against his.

  As her breathing deepened, Archer knew she had fallen asleep. He lifted his head slightly and looked at her face. Her mouth was open slightly, her eyes closed. She looked so peaceful, and Archer felt a rush of warmth flood him as he watched her sleeping on his chest. He had fallen for her. His wolf had won. She should be his. She was meant to be his.

  He knew it could never be, though. She wasn’t immortal, and bringing her into his world would just be irresponsible, especially with a hunter on the loose. If something were to happen to her because of him, he could never forgive himself, and that was why he had to let her go.

  He could feel his eyes starting to close, but he fought it, making himself stay awake. He gently moved Brianna’s head from his shoulder and slipped off the bed. Brianna muttered something unintelligible and rolled onto her back. Archer smiled and pulled the duvet over her, tucking it down the sides of her body. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

  He didn’t want to leave her, especially not like this, but if he stayed until morning came, he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to leave. He had to make the right choice for Brianna. Staying would be selfish.

  He gathered up his clothes and went through to the lounge to find his shirt. He slipped out of the apartment, already feeling the pull in his heart to go back to Brianna.

  9

  Brianna finished getting ready and left her apartmen
t, heading for college. She smiled almost sadly as her eyes grazed over the couch on the way past it. She couldn’t help thinking of Archer. Last night had been epic, amazing, but now it was over, and the memory of it was more than a little bittersweet.

  She had expected to have this morning. She had allowed herself to believe that maybe she and Archer would share breakfast together, and that they would definitely have fit in at least one more session. When she had awoken, she had known instinctively he had left. When he was with her, she felt his presence completely, and that feeling was gone. Still, she had called his name and searched her apartment, just to be sure. She had felt empty inside, a little disappointed that Archer hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye.

  However, she understood, and even though it hurt her a little, he had done the right thing. They had gone into last night knowing that was all it could be, and if he had still been there this morning, if they had made love again, it would have only made saying goodbye even harder, perhaps even impossible.

  Brianna knew she had fallen for Archer. It was more than just the way he made her body feel. It was the way he made her heart feel. And while she didn’t want to jump to conclusions, she was almost certain he felt the same way about her. His human eyes had looked at her softly, tenderly, like he never wanted to let her go. His wolf eyes had been fierce, intense, but rather than filling her with fear, they had made her feel safe. That fierce intensity told her he would never let anyone harm her.

  It hurt to know that he felt the same way, and yet they still couldn’t be together, but it had to be that way. He was immortal, and she wasn’t, and she didn’t want to be. She didn’t want to be a part of a world she didn’t understand. She didn’t want to live forever. It would be too heartbreaking to watch everyone around her get old and die. She didn’t want that life. She just wanted to be normal.

  For the first time, she found herself wishing she had asked Raina to wipe her memories of the supernatural world. She would have bought the sheriff’s story about Caroline, convinced herself she hadn’t seen what she’d seen. And Archer would have been no more in her mind than a grieving friend of Caroline’s, a brief acquaintance she could have forgotten about.

  By the time Brianna reached the college, she had managed to once more convince herself that not seeing Archer again was for the best, but she still couldn’t quite get him out of her head. She was glad when she saw Macey coming towards her as she walked across the campus.

  “Hi,” Macey said, falling into step beside her. “How’s things? How did your date go?”

  “It wasn’t a date,” Brianna laughed. “It was just drinks. It went fine.”

  “Are you seeing him again?” Macey asked. Brianna shook her head, forcing herself to smile so Macey would think she was fine with that and the conversation could finally move on.

  “No, but that was always the plan. Like I said, it was just drinks. Now, enough about me. What did you do last night?”

  “I had a great night. Pizza and studying.”

  “Sounds fun,” Brianna agreed. “What where you studying? We don’t even have any assignments yet.”

  “I just want to make sure I have some idea of what’s being said in the lecture,” Macey said.

  “So you were like, pre-studying? You realize the whole point of the lectures is to teach us things they don’t expect us to know, right?” Brianna chuckled.

  “On a rational level, I know that. But on another level, I feel like I have to stay ahead, like it’s the only way I can be sure I won’t fall behind.”

  Brianna didn’t really know what to say to that, and she was glad when Mark, another medical student, joined them.

  “Hey. Sorry to interrupt, but I just need to steal Brianna for one second, if that’s okay,” he said.

  Macey and Brianna exchanged a look, Macey’s look asking if she should leave. Brianna gave her a small nod. She was intrigued about what Mark could want that Macey couldn’t hear.

  “Sorry about that. Was it rude?” Mark asked.

  Brianna shrugged. It kind of was, a little bit, but she didn’t want to make Mark feel bad. He looked nervous enough. He kept pulling at a loose strand of hair that hung out of place over his left ear, and his other hand gripped the bottom of his jacket like he was clinging on for dear life. Brianna felt herself suddenly becoming nervous. What the hell could he want that was making him behave like this?

  “I… I wanted to ask you out on a date. I’ve wanted to since orientation, but I kept chickening out,” he said. “So, would you consider it? A date with me?”

  Brianna ran her hand over her lips to cover her smile. Now it was clear why Mark had been so nervous. He wasn’t really her type. He was good looking enough, but he was just so quiet and serious, and she had no idea what they would find to talk about. She was trying to think of a way to let him down gently. He shuffled from foot to foot and then peered at her face.

  “I’ve made you uncomfortable, haven’t I? Oh, God, I’m sorry. Just forget I asked,” he blurted out, and Brianna realized she had taken too long to answer.

  “It’s not that,” she said quickly. “Honestly, I’m not uncomfortable. I just… I’m not really looking for a relationship right now.”

  “I asked you on a date, not to marry me,” Mark said with a nervous laugh.

  Brianna found herself laughing with him. His quick response surprised her, and she thought maybe she had misjudged him. Maybe once he came out of his shell a bit, he wouldn’t be so quiet, and they would find things to talk about.

  She decided it might not be such a bad idea after all. Going out with Mark would surely help her to forget about Archer, and she didn’t have to feel bad about it. She had been honest and told Mark she wasn’t looking for anything serious.

  “Okay,” she said quietly.

  He grinned. “Okay, you’ll go out with me, or okay, you accept I’m not proposing?”

  “Ok, I’ll go out with you,” Brianna answered.

  “Great. How about Saturday, lunchtime? Maybe we could have a picnic in the park and get to know each other a little better,” he said.

  Brianna nodded. She liked the idea of a quiet park much better than a bouncing bar. “I’d like that.”

  “Give me your number, and I’ll text you a time and a meeting spot,” Mark said.

  Brianna gave him her number and hurried away to class, smiling to herself. Mark would be exactly what she needed to get over Archer, and maybe they had more in common than she thought.

  Brianna laughed and shook her head when Mark offered her another cupcake. She lay back on the blanket and rubbed her tummy.

  “Oh, no, honestly, I couldn’t eat another thing,” she groaned. “I didn’t think I could even manage one cupcake after everything else.”

  “You have to have at least one, though, don’t you?” Mark laughed, laying back beside Brianna. “They’re the reward for eating the meal.”

  “True,” Brianna giggled.

  “I should probably stop saying that if I’m going to be a doctor, huh?”

  “Yeah. You have to tell people to eat kale and avocado and shit.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s not what I signed up for,” Mark said.

  “What did you sign up for?” Brianna asked, propping herself up on her elbows and looking out over the greenery in front of her. “What made you want to be a doctor?”

  “I want to make the world a better place,” Mark replied. It struck Brianna as a bit of a strange answer, and she frowned. “What? You don’t think doctors do that?” Mark asked.

  Brianna shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess they do. I just didn’t think of it that way,” she said.

  Mark sat up abruptly and then pushed himself to his feet. Brianna made a surprised sound and began to gather her things.

  “You don’t need to do that. I’m just going to the bathroom,” he assured her. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”

  “Yes, of course.” She watched Mark make his way to the brick building where
the toilets were.

  She drew her knees up and rested her elbows on them. This wasn’t working how she had hoped it would. Mark was a nice enough guy, but he was doing nothing to take her mind off Archer. In fact, if anything, he was making Brianna think about Archer more, as she couldn’t help comparing certain things he said and did to the way she thought Archer would have responded in the same situation.

  She felt kind of bad about Mark. He was clearly making an effort, and she felt like she was just using him. If he asked for a second date, she would have to say no. That wouldn’t solve her problem with Archer, though. He would still be in her head, and she still couldn’t be with him.

  Except… she could. If she wanted to, she could become a shifter. She had the Sanmere protein in her blood. She couldn’t imagine herself becoming a part of the immortal world, but she was starting to think that maybe she could come around to the idea, given time.

  The thought of becoming a shifter had horrified her so much in the past because it had been something that had almost been forced upon her. It would be different if she made that choice for herself—if she chose an eternity with Archer. She let her mind go there for a moment, to a place where she became a wolf. The thought scared her, but it also excited her. Was it really so bad to have eternal love? Lots of people would kill for that kind of chance.

  But what if she did it, and she and Archer weren’t really meant to be, and their relationship fizzled out? She’d be alone for all eternity, and she didn’t think she could handle that. That was the trouble. There would be no going back if it didn’t work out. It was like making an eternal commitment, and that was too huge to just jump into. What if something happened to him? Something like a hunter, and she would be left alone, grief stricken, forever.

  Maybe I could take some time. Maybe Archer and I could test the waters and then see if I wanted to turn or not, she thought. That seemed unfair to ask of Archer, though. To expect him to put his life on hold and just hang around, waiting for her to make her mind up one way or the other.