ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) (65 page)
Authors: C.J. Ayers
On waking, Felicia tried to get her bearings. She looked around slowly, her head still pounding. Something felt
wrong
. She didn’t recognise her surroundings at all; it was someone’s plush and luxurious apartment and she was on a sofa, in what she assumed was the living room, wrapped in a blanket that smelled vaguely familiar. It all came slowly came back to her; Shadow, Caleb, Shelia, and the dead body of the young panther who had tried to save her.
“Caleb?” she called out in the empty room.
“I’m here.” His voice came from behind her, and she turned her head to see him sitting in a lounge chair by the window. He rose and moved swiftly to sit next to her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, his eyes tender.
“Caleb, I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
He looked confused, “Why are you sorry? It’s me that should be sorry – I can’t believe I put your life in danger, I’ll never forgive myself for this. I’m so sorry, Felicia.” He reached forward and cupped her face gently between his palms, staring into her eyes. She was struck, not for the first time, by how beautiful they were – they shone, vibrant, alive. Under his gaze she felt like she was chocking. The pain of not being with him, which she had valiantly tried to ignore earlier this morning, plundered her heart till she thought she might break. She had to get away from here.
“That panther died, and you almost lost your business. Because of me.”
“No,” he shook her gently, his eyes pained, “because of how I feel about you. And my business for you would have been a welcome exchange. The panther, Jake, was trying to save you,
for me
.” He smiled, “he’s also okay – in hospital with Jackson, but it looks like he’s going to make it through.”
It took Felicia a moment to process what he was saying. She stared at him, dumbstruck. She felt sweet relief wash over her on hearing about the cub, but Caleb’s words threw her completely.
“Caleb, I don’t think I understand.” She took a deep gulp, she felt too hot – the way he was looking at her made her feel flustered, and she could hear her heartbeat thudding across the silent room.
“Don’t you? Felicia, I meant what I said in the note I left you. I was always coming back for you.”
“Oh. I didn’t -” she stuttered, “I didn’t realize.”
He removed his hands from her face, slowly, “Unless this isn’t what you want. But I want you Felicia – I’ll never have enough of you, there will never be enough days for me to have my fill of you.”
“I want you too, Caleb.” She took his hand in her own, feeling his hot palm resting against hers; their bodies seemed to be burning together.
“It will be for always, Felicia. Are you ready for that?”
“Yes.” She hardly thought about the words, his body was so close and hers felt like it was orbiting his, drawing closer every second.
“No. Don’t just say yes unthinkingly, Felicia – I’m talking about taking you as my mate. I wanted to wait, I thought you’d be safer that way – I thought it would be better, to give you a chance to get used to the idea – but that left you unprotected, and almost got you killed.” His voice had become taught with anger.
“Caleb.” Felicia smiled at him, a quiet, peaceful smile that lit up her entire face. “I haven’t known you, in human form at least, for long. But I want to be free to trust my instincts on this. Take me. Make me yours, please.” She leaned toward him slowly. Her body ached from the events of the last twenty-four hours, but there was a stronger feeling of lust that ran like lava through every fibre of her being.
At her willingness, Caleb met her lips with his own. He sunk into the kiss, his hands moving across her upper body with deliberation, already familiar with her beautiful and voluptuous curves as if he’d memorized them.
With shaking hands, he removed the t-shirt he’d put her in, and removed his own – exposing her exploring hands to his rippling muscles and the scorching heat of his skin.
“Will it be painful?” Felicia asked, looking up into his eye.
“I – I don’t know; I’ve never done this before.” His eyes betrayed anxiety, whilst his body heaved with lustful breaths as he grew impossibly hard.
Felicia nodded, and lent her head back onto the sofa. He followed her down, kissing a line along the side of her face, down her neck and into her breasts. He removed his jeans swiftly, and then tore her pants away as if the cotton were as thin as paper.
She guided him into her, desperate for his body to complete hers. He moved within her slowly, their breaths coming in tandem, their rhythm rocking the furniture beneath them.
“Are you okay?” Caleb whispered in her ear. Felicia heard the tightness of his voice, and realised how much will Caleb was exerting to keep his movements languid, trying not to loose control.
She nodded, moving her body in an arch to take in his full length. As she did so, she heard a throaty growl escape Caleb. She watched in growing fascination as his face morphed slowly into that of Shadow. Those cat eyes, staring right into her soul. He nuzzled her sweetly in her neck, and it sent waves of pleasure shooting down her spine. A second later, he had opened his mouth, sharp and deadly incisors protruding, and exhaled a primal sounding growl before sinking his teeth into her neck.
Felicia’s head fell back into the pillows beneath her. The entire universe seemed to undulate around her, her body melting, tingling and a million other strange sensations that she couldn’t place, but only feel. She gasped in pleasure, her vision swimming. Caleb thrust into her a final time, and she met his eyes as he did so. They transformed back into human eyes as she watched – ones that appeared surprised at the ecstasy thundering through him.
“I’m yours, aren’t I?” Felicia gasped, she could feel it - a bond between them that felt almost like a physical thing.
Caleb smiled down at her in response, “You are. And I am yours. Always, Felicia.”
THE END
Kristin Dunning and Derrick Wellborn were childhood sweethearts- first loves, until their parents had a vicious falling out over some mysterious offense. Next thing they knew, their parents separated them, moved to opposite coasts, and forbade them from having contact.
Derrick, a cunning and focused panther shifter, is now a football MVP with a body to kill for and eyes so blue they could make the sky jealous, and Kristin is a bold and curvy sports doctor.
When Kristin accepts her dream job with the Washington Redskins, she is shocked to the core to find that the sexiest, most eligible bachelor in sports, Derrick Wellborn, has just been traded by New York to…. the Washington Redskins. What’s more, he has never forgotten her either.
When Derrick threatens to break Randy Wolfe's world record for rushing yards, he finds the woman who holds his heart seriously imperiled.
Will Derrick risk his entire career to keep Kristin as his own?
Can Derrick and Kristin’s parents put aside their differences to save their children?
"Derrick! Derrick! Over here!"
Derrick Wellborn looked up from the strings he was tying on his cleats into the flash of a camera. It stung his eyes for a second as a thousand flashes went off at once, then he smiled. His perfect white teeth glimmered for the cameras, and one lucky photographer caught the crowning cover shot, with Derrick's midnight colored hair swept back across his forehead and his tanned, toned skin looking like he'd just arrived at the stadium by tropical island ferry instead of a New York subway.
The cameras flashed again and Derrick turned towards them so they could get a better shot. Whoever said quarterbacks got all the glory never met
him
. This was one of the things Derrick loved most about playing football.
Reporters shouted all around him. "Derrick! How does it feel to be going up against Randy Wolfe today? Are you nervous?"
Derrick shook his head, already forming the words in his mouth. "No, no, it's all just a part of the game. You know." He smiled sheepishly, trying to look humble. He knew Randy Wolfe was about to get crushed. He was getting closer to tying Randy's rushing record—the all-time best in NFL history. If it didn't happen this game, it was gonna be soon.
"Derrick, you're only twenty yards out from joining the 2,000 Yard Club. Think you can conquer Randy's personal best after that? Set a new world record?"
Derrick grinned and shrugged.
A girl of twenty with bleach blonde hair and a big rack that she'd squeezed into a child's size pink halter top broke through the reporters and threw her arms around Derrick. She smacked her lips hard against his and ran her fingers through his hair. Derrick smiled wide. This was another thing he loved about being a superstar NFL player. He got all the girls he wanted, and man did he want them all.
A picture of his childhood sweetheart flashed through his mind, almost ruining the kiss the blonde with the rack was trying to plant on him again. He pushed Kristin from his head, like he always did. Maybe later he'd let himself think about her, just a little. If they won the game tonight and he broke Wolfe's record, there would be so much celebrating Derrick doubted that he'd remember to think about anything other than the trophies he was sure to get and the multitude of women who were bound to throw themselves at him.
"Derrick—"
"Sorry guys, game's on. I gotta go," he waved his hand in the air.
His legs got the twitch that they always did right before a game. The last—but not the least—thing Derrick loved about being a running back was the
running
. The panther in him longed to race across the field, breathe in the grass, and outrun everyone around him. He'd get to the end zone well ahead of them all and score the final touchdown. Tonight would be no different, except he'd finally have his chance to run against Randy Wolfe. He didn't bear Randy any ill will, the wolf was not the natural enemy of the panther, it was only that Derrick liked taking down the best. And the best meant Randy.
"Just one last question Derrick!" He turned his head towards the cute brunette who was waving her hand wildly in the air, the lone woman in a sea of testosterone. He shot her a smile and pointed towards her.
"Last one pretty lady, go ahead."
She flashed him a smile with pink lips and bright blue eyes that made Derrick's heart race. The cute ones always did. "What about the rumors you're getting traded?"
Derrick shook his head. "No way. New York's been my home since I was fifteen. I'm twenty-eight now. I'm not going anywhere."
***
Kristen ran her hand over Burt Young's knee. He twiddled his thumbs and refused to watch while she worked. Kristen didn't need to be telepathic, like her parents claimed to be, to know what he was feeling: his body shook with nervous energy and his eyes were wet.
"It's okay," she assured him. "Just an isolated sprain of the medial collateral ligament." Burt stared at her blankly. "That means you didn't tear it." She smiled as his shoulders relaxed.
"Thank God." He blew a steady stream of air from his lungs and hunched over, his head in his hands. "How long? Tell it to me straight."
"I don't think the sprain is very bad." Kristen put one hand behind his neck and gave it a little squeeze. "Stay off it for a few days and you'll be back in the next game."
She thought he might cry for a second—sometimes football players did when they thought they were out for the season—but then his head whipped up with confused happiness. "The next game...? The
next game
...?" It took a minute for it all to sink it, and Kristin gave him that minute. She was used to this—at least this time the news was good. Not all players were so lucky. Football was the toughest of all sports on a person's body.
"Woohoo!" Burt jumped off the exam table, balanced himself on one leg, and grabbed Kristen around the waist. He picked her up and spun her around the room before setting her back down.
"Thanks Doc! You're the best damn doctor we ever had here."
Kristen blushed. The red in her cheeks almost matched her hair. It was nice knowing that even though she'd never be a football player herself, at least she was still contributing to the game. Her phone buzzed in her pocket but she didn't pull it out.
"Remember what I said," she told Burt. "Off it for at least three days. I'll get you some crutches from the back.
Use them
."
"Anything you say Doc."
His smile was so wide she thought it might spread off his face, like an overdrawn cartoon character. It made her think of Derrick... the wide smile he used to give her when he'd pick her hand off the sand before holding it to his face. They were inseparable from the time they were five and had moved in next door to each other, to the time they were fifteen and they'd been ripped apart. That was thirteen years ago now. She was twenty-eight. He was famous. And a millionaire. Any chance they'd had together ended long ago with the falling out of their parents.
At the time, Kristin had asked her mom and dad about it till she was blue in the face. All her mom would say was,
"Sometimes things just happen."
As if that explained the sudden departure of Derrick's family not just from Los Angeles, but from their lives. From
her
life. Eventually, Kristen had given up asking.
She was sure Derrick didn't even remember her now. She saw the tabloids in the grocery stores like everyone else. And lately it seemed like every time she turned on her computer a new photo was splashed across the screen with a picture of Derrick and his latest squeeze toy. Kristin's round curves and voluptuous body wouldn't even fit inside the cover of a magazine, but she didn't care. She'd rather have full breasts and curves than the stick figures she saw Derrick with.
"Be right back," she told Burt when she realized she was still standing there.
When Kristin was alone she took her phone from her pocket and unlocked her screen. A new message icon displayed across the LED.
She scrolled through the email. It took forever for the general manager to get to his point...
Think you'd fit into the team nicely. Welcome aboard!
Kristin almost ran back to Burt without the crutches and picked him up as he'd done to her. She couldn't believe it. Finally! The Redskins! When she stepped back into the room her grin was even wider than Burt's.