Shifter Romance Box Set Read online

  “Uh-huh.” The officer held one ID in each hand. His gaze hopped back and forth from them to Abby’s and Tarik’s faces. Then he glanced down at the counter in front of him. “One moment.” His eyebrows furrowed, he held up an index finger.

  Abby gave Tarik a worried look but didn’t say anything. He didn’t speak either. His expression was blank.

  “Miss, I need you to pull your car into the parking lot, please,” the man in the booth said a moment later.

  She swiveled her head and tried not to look like a shoplifter who’d just been caught with a watermelon up her skirt. “Sure. Okay.”

  This time, she gave Tarik a “what-now?” look.

  He whispered, “Back up.”

  “But what about my ID?” she whispered. “I can’t fly without it.”

  “Back up,” he repeated.

  And so, despite some serious reservations about leaving all of her identification in the hands of the Canadian border patrol, she threw the car into reverse and hit the gas. As she turned to watch behind her, she caught the surprised expression on the man’s face.

  After she’d cleared the booth, Tarik grabbed the steering wheel and gave it a swift jerk, making the truck spin around. Before she realized it, they were driving forward again, although now they were headed back toward Eagle Ridge.

  She sucked in a deep breath. “Now I have no idea how I’ll get home. No way can I fly without my identification.”

  “We’ll worry about that later. If you’d parked, we would’ve ended up in handcuffs. I’ve been back and forth across that border many times. No one’s ever asked me to pull over. Torborg must’ve done something to keep me from crossing into Canada.”

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “Check into a hotel and get a little sleep.”

  “Is it safe to do that?”

  “Yes. I doubt he’ll get the local authorities involved, since he’s trying to keep this quiet. So, even if he knows we’re in Eagle Ridge, it’ll take a few hours to get someone over here. By the time they arrive, we’ll be long gone.”

  “Then you have a plan?”

  “Sure. But rest first. You’re going to need it. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. We’ve got to ditch this truck.”

  * * * *

  This time, as they carried their luggage and supplies into the dingy little motel room they were sharing, Abby told herself she’d have to be the one to get things rolling, so to speak. Her heart weighed more than a load of bricks. While she was scared and confused, she was also longing to be held. She ached to caress Tarik and comfort him. To make him feel special and adored and less like some kind of scientific disaster. She wanted him to feel like a man, a man who had someone who cared for him.

  Even if it was only for one more night.

  She’d never been very good at being a seductress. Acting the part of seductee had always been more fun. She had to admit she had a bit of a submissive streak in her. In her book, nothing beat having a strong, sexually aggressive and skilled lover take complete control in the bedroom. Although Tarik hadn’t exactly pulled out the handcuffs and whips, he’d proven he had the heart of a dominant. The whole animal thing actually made him seem even sexier. More dangerous. Wild.

  Grrrrroooowwwwllll.

  After Tarik had carted in the last of their gear and stowed the truck way in the back of the parking lot, he flopped onto the bed and gave her a crooked, tired smile.

  Oh yes, things were heating up nicely.

  Being in a mood to do something completely contrary to her nature, she turned on the charm, gave him her best come-hither look, and pushed her jacket off her shoulders. It landed on the floor behind her as she took a few hip-swinging steps his way. “Please tell me you aren’t too tired...”

  “Too tired for what?” He blinked.

  Yeah. Too tired for what? Right.

  She wasn’t buying the clueless act and he knew it. His smile was testimony to that fact. But would he continue to play dumb to see how far she’d take it?

  Come and get me, Dangerous. I’m in the mood for some playtime.

  A sparkle glimmered in his eyes. It appeared he either lacked the willpower to continue their game or simply didn’t care to keep it going. Before she had drawn in a breath to give him a more direct invitation, he jumped up and practically tackled her. Her feet literally left the floor as he scooped her into his arms, turned and tossed her on the bed.

  It became instantly clear the mattress had seen better days and the bed’s frame hadn’t been tested in some time. There were a couple of loud squeaks as she bounced, then a popping sound and then a loud thud. The mattress dropped about a foot and a half. Abby squealed in surprise and then fell into eye-watering, belly-clenching laughter. The tears flowed like champagne at a wedding. She couldn’t stop them. And she just about peed her pants when Tarik got all studly and pounced on the bed with her, and a loud rattle and crunch followed. “We. Broke. The. Bed,” she said between guffaws.

  To her glee, he turned all jungle cat and lunged forward, knocking her on her back. Holding his upper body over hers on outstretched arms thicker than her thighs, he looked down at her like she was his next meal. What an absolutely delightful place to be!

  Hungry, are you?

  He licked his lips and lowered his head to give her a toe-curler of a kiss. It started out soft and sensual, mostly lips, a little bit of teeth. She loved a man who could take his time with a kiss. It suggested he’d take his time with other things too.

  After teasing her mouth with his for a while, he set his tongue exploring. It delved into her mouth, caressed her own tongue, checked out the scene further inside then left to find new and unconquered territory—her ear. The entire left side of her body became covered with goose bumps and little bursts of heat shot through her bloodstream. She lifted her arms to reach for him, but he caught her wrists in his hands and pushed them up over her head until they were pressed against the mattress.

  She was ready to melt now!

  Whimpering because she couldn’t speak, she took one last, wandering look at the wonder that was Tarik and then let her eyelids fall closed, shutting her into the dark world of her desire. Sensations intensified as he ran his tongue down her neck. Touches felt stronger, more erotic. Sounds louder. She licked her lips, tasting the sweet flavor of his kiss and balled her hands into tight fists.

  Did he have any idea how much she wanted him now?

  “You’re absolutely perfect. Do you know that?” he asked with a husky voice that made him sound like he’d just run a marathon. Before she could answer, he added, “I want you so much.”

  Take me! Take me! Hoping he’d get the message, she kicked off one of her boots then followed up with the other one.

  The man proved once again how well he read her mind, body language, whatever. He unsnapped her jeans and yanked them off. When she started to move her hands to help him, he growled, “No. Don’t move.”

  She was really loving this!

  “Okay,” she said cheerily, returning her hands to their former position above her head.

  “If I could, I’d tie you up. I can tell you’ve been waiting for this, for a man who’ll take control in the bedroom.”

  Yes, yes!

  “You want to surrender to your man, don’t you?” he asked in a growly voice.

  “Yes,” she said on a sigh. But only you. Only this man.

  “You will surrender to me.”

  She felt herself smiling as he roughly removed the rest of her clothing until she was flat on her back, arms up, hands clasped together above her head, breasts pushed high into the air.

  Her legs were flat on the bed, pressed together. She knew they wouldn’t stay that way long.

  He ran a fingertip down her body, starting at the base of her throat. Down, between her breasts…the center of her stomach…into her belly button. It stopped just a bit north of her pussy. Her thighs clenched as expectation pulled her muscles into knots.

  Her own breath
ing echoed in her head. Fast and shallow. In between panting breaths quiet little sighs and moans slipped between her lips. She wanted more. So much more.

  He slid his hands between her knees and pushed outward, forcing them apart, wide, wider, wider. The cool air chilled her wet pussy, making her shiver. “Mmmm. I love the way you smell.”

  She loved the way he sounded.

  And looked.

  And felt.

  And smelled too.

  His hair tickled the insides of her thighs as he lowered his head to taste her.

  At the first touch of his tongue to her nether lips, she clenched her stomach and tipped her hips, silently begging him to deepen his touches. She needed him inside her. Her pussy was burning with the urge to be filled. How long would he make her wait?

  He parted her labia with his fingers and flicked his tongue back and forth over her clit. The motion sent little jolts of pleasure buzzing up her spine. Bursts of white light exploded behind her closed eyelids and she sucked in a few clipped gasps.

  More, more, more!

  He pushed two fingers inside her while continuing to torment her clit with that agile tongue of his.

  Oh, she was going to die. Or had she already died…and gone to heaven?

  To hell with thinking or wondering.

  More, more!

  Chapter Seven

  “I want to give you everything you’ve ever fantasized about. I want to be everything you’ve ever fantasized about.”

  A tremble wound up Abby’s spine. Tarik didn’t know it, but he had already lived up to that promise. And some.

  With every light flick of his tongue and thrust of his fingers, he carried her closer and closer to climax. It was going to end fast this time, too fast. She moaned.

  He stopped tormenting her clit and pussy, instead tickling the insides of her thighs with tender kisses. “What do you imagine? Tell me. What do you think about when you touch yourself?” He ran his index finger along her slit but didn’t push it inside. “I’m guessing you masturbate a lot. You’re such a sensual woman.”

  Out of instinct, she rocked her hips back and forth. Her insides were burning up with a fever only he could cure. The problem was she knew that even if he did bring her to climax, the fever would return.

  Again.

  And again.

  And again.

  “Tell me,” he repeated, reminding her that he was waiting for a response.

  “A strong, dangerous man in control,” she whispered.

  “Yes, kitten. Anything else?”

  She felt him leave her, heard him unzipping her suitcases. “What are you doing?” She opened her eyes.

  He was still dressed, standing over her stacked suitcases in the corner of the room. The top one was opened and he was holding a pair of socks in one hand, her scarf in the other. “Looking for stuff. Now close your eyes.”

  She giggled. “What kind of stuff?”

  “You ask too many questions. I’m in control. That’s all you need to know.”

  After rooting around in her suitcases for a while longer, he returned to the bed. The springs groaned under his weight and her nerve endings tingled as she pulled in a deep breath. The scent of Tarik and woods filled her nostrils.

  In her mind’s eye, she imagined them together in the woods. She’d never done it outside. Never thought to. Not with all the bugs and snakes and critters. But with Tarik, she decided it might be fun. She would make love with him outside. Someday. And it would be wonderful.

  While she imagined herself lying naked on a grassy clearing in a forest, he tied something around her wrists, securing them together. Then he kissed his way down her body until he reached her ankles.

  “You are everything I’ve ever fantasized about. Did you know that, Abby?” he murmured as he pulled her ankles apart. Her heart was beating against her breastbone like a kangaroo trying to bust loose from a cage by the time he’d tied them. Her legs were wide apart. She was stretched out in preparation for some kind of delightful torture.

  “If I had the chance, I’d make love to you like this every night. No, every morning, noon and night.”

  If. No, when. She wanted it to be when.

  He trailed a slick path with his tongue up the inside of one of her legs. “I’d tie you up and tease you until you begged me for completion.” He fucked her hard with his fingers until she was gasping and yanking on her restraints. He added a finger in her ass too, which acted to spike her temperature to at least a thousand degrees.

  “More. Oh God. More!” she begged when she couldn’t take the torment another moment.

  “Mmmm. You’re an impatient little thing, aren’t you?”

  She heard the quavering of his voice. She wasn’t the only one losing patience. “Yes.” She pulled at the restraints holding her ankles. There wasn’t a single cell in her body not screaming for release. She was burning up from head to toe. Aching and trembling and tense.

  “Oh yes, wider. I want your legs wider. I want to see your pussy when you come. I want to smell that wonderful scent when I give you release.” He untied her ankles and pushed them back, until her knees were bent and her legs were as wide as they could be. Then he tied them again. To what, she had no idea. She didn’t give a damn.

  “What about these tits? Do you like a little bit of pain when you fuck?” He simultaneously stroked her clit and pinched one of her nipples. The sharp pain and sweet pleasure blended together, threatening to send her over the edge. He stopped just before she sailed over the last hurdle to completion.

  She nearly cried in frustration.

  He kissed one corner of her mouth then the other. “Look at me.”

  She opened her eyes.

  His were focused on hers. Wide and warm. They were dark but full of tenderness. “I came to you because I had to have you. I had to possess you. But I’ve stayed with you because I need you.”

  His confession brought tears to her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much she’d longed to hear those words from him. And she hadn’t realized how much she ached to tell him she was falling in love with him. But she wouldn’t. No. She couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them.

  He settled over top of her and she shuddered as his dick prodded at her slit. He glided into her slowly, the leisurely pace of his thrusts making the most of every intimate stroke. He made love to her. Stroked her. Held her. Kissed her.

  His cock drove in and out of her, taking, claiming, but his touches and whispered promises were sweet and sincere. What had started out as a hot fuck ended as lovemaking beyond her wildest dreams. Lovemaking she’d never forget, no matter how long she lived.

  And when it was through, he untied her and held her until she drifted off to sleep. As she slipped into her dreams, she swore she heard him whisper, “I love you, kitten.”

  * * * *

  “Wake up, sweetheart.” Tarik’s deep, husky voice entered her dreams once again. In her mind’s eye, she saw his face. He smiled. “Time to get up. We have a long walk ahead of us. We need to get going.”

  Slowly, her dreams faded and the sensations of the world around her penetrated the haze of sleep. She didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to open her eyes. She just wanted to go back to sleep and dream some more. There, in the world of her fantasies, none of the bad stuff existed. Only good. Tarik. He loved her.

  “What time is it?” Her voice was gritty from lack of sleep. It felt like she’d drifted off only fifteen minutes ago.

  “Just after three.”

  She groaned and dragged the pillow over her face. “Why do we need to leave so early?”

  “We need to get moving if we want to clear the Canadian Customs before sunrise. I don’t want to tangle with Torborg until I’ve had a chance to get online, but if we’re going to get into town by a decent hour, we’re going to have to catch a ride from someone to White Moose. It’ll take us days to walk.”

  “We’re going to hitchhike?”

  “Sure. It’ll be safe. Most of the ti
me the only people driving these roads at night are vacationers in RV’s and truckers. I figure either way, we’ll be comfortable. Besides, those boots of yours aren’t exactly made for hiking. Your feet would be shreds if we walk. It’s only a few hours down to White Moose by car. We can be down there by breakfast. I’ll buy you steak and eggs at the White Moose Grill.”

  That set her mouth a-watering. Quite suddenly she realized she was starving. “Steak sounds good.”

  “Let’s go.” Since he was already dressed and ready to head out, he did a lot of pacing as she dressed, put on some make up, ate a snack and gathered her things. She knew they’d have some walking to do, so there was no way they’d be able to take everything they’d managed to haul to the motel, but she was determined to take everything she could. She crammed as much into her rolling suitcase as would fit—the thing had to weigh eighty pounds!—wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and nodded. “Ready.”

  He gave her one of those no-way looks and pointed at the suitcase sitting on one end beside her. “You can’t take that thing.”

  “Why not? It’s heavy but it rolls. I need the stuff in there.”

  “Hot rollers?”

  “Yes, hot rollers. We’re heading into a city, right? What if we decide to go out for some drinks? My hair’s frizzy if I don’t curl it.”

  “You look fantastic without going to all that fuss. Besides, I doubt there’ll be anyone there you’d want to impress. Take the small bag. Put a few clothes in it. Warm clothes. Some food. And let’s go. We’re not going to be walking along the road. If we’re going to get past customs, we’re going to have to cut through the woods. That thing’ll slow us down. A lot.”

  The woods? They were going to be walking in the woods?

  In the dark?

  Was that safe?

  She’d spent more than enough time on this trip thinking she was going to be snack for a bear.