Embracing Fate: A hot paranormal shifter book (Hidden Hills Shifters 4) (12 page)

He flipped on the light and faced her. “Yes. Unregulated drugs can have dire consequences. Even though the men who sold the drugs to my mother were put out of business a few years after I was born, the damage had already been done.”

She slipped off her jacket, tossed it on the back of the sofa, and faced him. “All of that is past history. You are an amazing man, Cord Triggert. You need to forget about it and accept your fate.” She stepped over to him and tried to unbutton his shirt, but he stopped her. She then gave him her sexiest pose, hoping to change his mind. “Don’t be that way. I thought we’d celebrate.”

He cupped her face and looked down at her. “There’s more. I’m not sure you can understand what it means, but I need to tell you anyway.”

His intensity scared her. “Tell me what?”

“You’re my mate.”

Chapter Eleven

P
iper couldn’t believe
it. “We’re really mates?”

She threw her arms around him and kissed him with every ounce of her being.

Cord planted his palms on her waist and leaned back. “Do you understand what that means?”

“My friends have filled me in, especially about the part where their men can’t keep their hands off them.”

He laughed, but then quickly sobered. “Before you get too excited, you should know that I have no idea if I’m capable of having children.”

One of the nurses she worked with had a husband who was unable to conceive, but that didn’t mean Sarah loved him any less. “I’m willing to take that chance. There’s always adoption.”

A sparkle came to his eyes. “Really?” She nodded. “That’s great, but are you sure you understand what might happen when I claim you as my mate?”

She thought back to what Cheyenne had told her about how she’d bitten Storm and turned him into a cheetah, like her. “I’ll be able to shift?” Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she’d ever possess that kind of magic.

Cord glanced off to the side. “Most likely, but I have no idea if you’d become a bear or a panther.”

“Who cares? I’m intrigued with the whole idea of having this super power. It really doesn’t matter to me which one I can turn into. They both have their pros and cons.”

“You are something else.”

Piper kicked off her shoes. “Show me.”

He grinned and her insides melted. “Now that I’ve told you that you’re my mate, my inner animal is bursting to get out.”

Piper worked hard not to laugh. No man had ever said anything like that to her before. “What are you waiting for?”

He dipped his shoulder, and when he lifted her up in a fireman’s hold, she laughed and grabbed onto his waist to keep from slipping off.

“It’s not funny.” He lightly patted her butt. “I hope you’re ready to be ravished.”

Even though she’d only known Cord for a short period, his sincerity, intensity, and caring had already worked its way into her heart. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved this man. “Wait and see what I have planned for you.”

He dumped her on the bed then beat his chest, acting like Tarzan. Piper giggled so hard, she rolled onto her side and curled up into a ball.

Cord crawled next to her and flipped her onto her back. He then plucked open her jeans and slid down her zipper. “Don’t laugh at me, woman.”

She saluted. “Yes, sir.”

His playfulness evaporated the moment he removed her jeans and panties. He then pulled her to a sitting position and stripped off her top. “You wore red?”

She looked down at her bra and now discarded panties. She’d only brought sexy underwear from her apartment. “You don’t like red? Don’t tell me you’re part bull, too?”

“I’ll show you what kind of animal I am.” He undid the clasp in back, rolled the bra down her arms then tossed it to the side. He sat back on his haunches and ran his gaze up and down her body. “I have to be the luckiest man alive.”

His words swirled inside her, bringing her great joy. To show him how much she wanted him, she grabbed his crotch. “I can make you feel luckier.”

He plucked her hand from his dick. “You have no idea what being around you does to me. The urge to make you mine is so overwhelming that staying in human form is hard.”

Piper leaned back on her elbows, planted her feet on the bed, and spread her legs wide. He growled, and then his teeth sharpened. The mere sight of him slowly turning into an animal excited her to no end. Wanting to tempt him beyond reason, she dipped two fingers into her pussy, removed them, and then dragged them across his covered cock.

“You are so going down,” he growled.

Cord jumped off the bed and practically tore off his clothes. His chest was covered in fur, and his nails had elongated. Despite the slight changes to his outward appearance, he was all man—and all hers.

Piper opened her arms. “Come here.”

Cord eased toward her, his dark eyes smoldering with passion and desire. She’d never seen anyone so focused before, but she wasn’t scared. This was her man, and he’d proven many times that he was capable of loving and caring for her forever.

“I don’t know where to begin.” His gaze shifted from her lips to her tits to the apex of her thighs.

She smiled, dipped her forefingers into her mouth to wet them, and then rubbed them across her hard nipples. “I can give you some suggestions.”

As if he was already in his animal form, Cord pounced, his knees landing on either side of her body. “You don’t need to tempt me to make me want you.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” She reached between his legs and squeezed his hard cock.

His eyes narrowed and when he swiped his tongue across his teeth as if getting them ready to claim her, her pussy dripped with explosive lust.

“If I don’t taste you, I’ll lose my mind,” he said.

Cord slid down onto his belly, forcing her to let go of his dick, and plied open her pussy lips with his thumbs. He inhaled, closed his eyes, and then dragged his tongue across her opening. Sparks of total bliss skittered across her body, and her inner walls contracted in need of his hard dick.

As much as she wanted him to impale her, this was the moment when the two of them would become one for all time. She hoped she could last long enough for the memory to be forever branded in her mind.

When he nabbed her clit between his teeth, oxygen rushed out of her lungs, forcing her to suck in a big breath. Her need swamped her, but she held on tight, loving each lick and flick of his tongue. “Yes, oh, yes.”

Cord thrust two fingers into her wet opening and nearly drove her off the bed. Not wanting to come too soon, she clasped onto the sheets and held on tight.

“Your arousal overwhelms me,” he said as he slid onto his knees and rolled her over. He dipped an arm under her stomach and lifted her onto her elbows and knees.

When Cord climbed behind her and planted his chest on her back, electric bolts ignited her core. Piper lowered her head to allow her hair to fall to the side and expose her neck. She wanted him in her in more ways than one.

He brushed the tips of her nipples with his palms, and his soft touch thrilled her. Not only could Cord be forceful and demanding, he could be gentle and oh, so romantic. When his lips touched her shoulder, she tensed, not having any idea how much a bite would hurt.

“Relax. I’m not ready yet. I want to love all of you first.”

She didn’t think she could last much longer since the sexual energy between them was higher than anything she’d ever felt before.

As he dragged his lips across her shoulder and her neck, goose bumps popped up on her skin. Not being able to touch him frustrated her, but she’d let him do this his way. He said he could sense her mood, and maybe that was why he pinched her nipples hard to shake her out of her random thoughts.

“Oh!”

“You drifted off.”

So, he could see into her soul. “Is there any way I can block my feelings from you?”

He lightly nipped her shoulder. “Not a chance.” He slid a hand down her belly straight to her pussy and pressed on her clit again. Heat instantly flared, and she wiggled her hips against his cock.

“Watch it,” he growled.

She loved that he was so sensitive. “Aren’t you going to bite me?”

He cupped both of her breasts and gently massaged them as he scraped his teeth along the shell of her ear. “Not yet,” he whispered.

Shards of lust pricked her from top to bottom, and just as she was about to beg him, he slipped his cock between her folds and drove into her with one powerful thrust. Her body exploded with desire, passion, and unbelievable lust that surrounded her like a warm, comforting blanket. She was floating, despite ripples of tightness pulsing inside her.

She rocked her hips back and forth needing more of him. With each thrust, her climax neared, and his groans and moans sounded increasingly more like growls. He dragged his teeth across her skin once more, his teeth sharper than before.

“You are mine, Piper Capshaw.”

The words had barely settled in when he plowed his cock straight to the hilt and pierced her skin with his teeth, forcing her to scream his name. Perhaps the joy and elation caused the adrenaline to block any pain. Euphoria flowed through her veins as her climax brimmed and flowed over. It would be impossible for him to read her thoughts right now because she had none. She was too overwhelmed with love and wonder.

Seconds later, his hot seed filled her and he wrapped his arms around her as his cock throbbed and pulsed. She thought she heard him whisper that he needed her, but she couldn’t be certain.

Piper wasn’t even sure what she was supposed to do now. Her body was weak like it always was after they made love, but she didn’t feel any different—at least none of her teeth were growing longer. The idea of having fur appealed to her but only in the winter.

Cord slipped out of her, rolled her over, and then jumped off the bed. “Hold that thought.”

Uncertain what he meant, he jogged bare-assed out of the room. The bathroom door squeaked open, and he returned with a towel and cleaned her up.

“Am I able shift now?” It could be a two-step process.

“Can you?”

She didn’t know why he needed to be a smart ass, especially now. This was a momentous occasion for her. Piper pushed up on her elbows. “How do I do it?”

Her friends had been born shifters and already knew how.

“It takes a lot of concentration.”

“That’s it? All I have to do is imagine I’m a panther or a bear and poof, I’ve shifted?”

He shrugged and pulled on his pants. Cord, for the first time, wasn’t being very supportive. Piper closed her eyes and pictured a panther. She tried to think of fur, nails, and sleekness, but nothing happened. She grunted out her frustration. “It’s not working.”

Cord slipped next to her. “Get dressed. I’ll take you home.” His tone had turned hard.

A burst of anger grabbed her, along with a heavy dose of guilt at having failed. “You’re kicking me out? Is it because I can’t shift?”

He shrugged. “I can only breed with another shifter. If you can’t change, we can’t be together.”

An ugly sludge dripped through her veins, feeling like he’d stabbed her heart with a heated poker. Had all his loving words been a big fat lie? Here she thought he wanted to be with her more than anything. Hell, he’d shifted right in front of her, claiming it was because he wanted her so much. Confusion burned through her body. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to discourage you.” He acted as if this wasn’t a big deal—that he hadn’t just shredded her heart.

What a jerk! She pushed aside the sheet and jumped off the bed. She stomped over to where he’d tossed her undies and jeans and stepped into them, forcing back the tears. From the bed, she snatched her bra and shirt. The whole time, he stood there watching her dress, his expression blank.

“I have to be up early tomorrow for work anyway. Let’s go.” Piper tried to maintain some shred of dignity.

Cord’s face fell. He stood and embraced her. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry, I had to lie.”

His sudden concern shook her. “What are you talking about?” She wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.

“Storm told me that his anger brought on his shift the first time. I said those terrible things because I wanted to see if it would help you to shift, but the waves of anger and betrayal coming off you are too strong for me to handle.”