Shifters on Fire: A BBW Shifter Romance Boxed Set (53 page)

The tigress flung her arm out, gesturing around the jungle. “The Shifter Survival people,” she growled. “They’re supposed to be watching us. They’re supposed to intervene if something dangerous happens! You were nearly killed by a jaguar, where the hell were they!?”

Mason looked around them. He had yet to see a sign of any other people. He knew they were out there though. Episodes he’d watched in the past had all sorts of footage of the shifters shot from a distance. He knew they were practically surrounded by cameras. The thought they hadn’t helped him made him shiver.

“Maybe they knew you were coming,” he offered.

Bianca snorted. “You could have been killed.”

Her anger on his behalf almost made him grin. He would have, if the close call with the jaguar didn’t still have him trembling.

~~*~~

“Beautiful!” Alina cried, watching the footage.

“Do we have another angle of that?” Shane asked. “We need to modify these cameras, I’d love to get the jaguar pounce from Mason’s point of view.”

“This is great,” Alina said. “I’m curious, Thais, what would have done if Bianca hadn’t gotten there in time?”

A man repeated the question in Portuguese. Thais smiled and responded in the same language. The man laughed. “She says, she worry more about what will happen if the tigress decided to attack her.”

Thais said more while Alina and Shane laughed.

“But, Thais says, she would have missed the fox. Knock him down, but let him get up and keep running.”

“Well, we really appreciate it. You put on a fantastic show,” Shane told her.

“Thank you,” she said carefully after his praise had been translated. She followed it with her own language.

“Will you tell them the jaguar was a shifter?” her translator asked.

Alina shook her head. “The more people who know that we sometimes… make things more exciting, the less our viewers will enjoy the show.”

“They’ve had this thing in the bag since Day Three,” Shane said. “A little jaguar scare was just what we needed to shake things up. Especially since we have to edit out most of their um… night scenes.”

Thais laughed when it had been translated.

Chapter Eight

“Are you okay?” Bianca asked softly. She rolled to her side, to get a better look at the fox shifter. They had modified their shelter to give them a better view of their fire from inside. The flames had died down since they had gone to bed, but Bianca could easily see Mason in the dim light, thanks to the full moon. He was sitting by the fire, poking at it with a stick. Exactly where he had been when she went to be alone, instead of joining her for their customary bedtime chat. Even though Bianca’s pheromones were in overdrive with the moon, Mason had yet to make a move. She had a feeling the smoke from the fire was helping to block her scent.

He nodded. “Yeah,” he added, in case she couldn’t see him. “I’m sorry. That jaguar freaked me out.”

“Don’t be sorry. It freaked me out too.” She
did
love him. It wasn’t just the pheromones. The scare had proven that. The idea of something happening to Mason had terrified her. Every second it took for her to race from the camp to where she heard the fox yelping had seemed like an eternity. And yet, her body and the full moon didn’t care about mortal danger. She was horny. Sitting there worrying about Mason just seemed to make it worse. Bianca wanted to ask him to join her, but being in heat was her problem. If Mason’s brush with death had shaken him too much to mate tonight, Bianca sure as hell wasn’t going to push it.
That
, she supposed, was more proof she really loved him.

Then, without her prompting, Mason stood and came toward the shelter. He crawled in and settled down next to her. Bianca took his hand and, just for a moment, they were still. Just silently watching each other. Mason closed his eyes and let her scent wash over him, soothing him. And arousing him. The fox mind, still shaken as well, seemed to uncurl from within him. The moon and a mate were calling and the animal couldn’t be bothered by the jaguar anymore. Mason wished it was that easy for his human mind. He let the fox take the reins, just for a bit.

He moved closer to Bianca and kissed her. The kiss ignited the desire she had been trying to suppress. She grabbed Mason by the back of the head and pressed her lips against his. Their tongues dueled and their legs tangled. She practically tore off his shirt. She rolled to give him access and felt his teeth instantly latch onto her neck.

It was hard. Fast. Primal.

Their nails were long from the lack of clippers. Bianca felt Mason’s digging into her thighs as he took her. She knew her own must have been just as long. She rocked against him, moaning as he thrust into her. His teeth ground into her neck. Her nose, stronger during the full moon, filled with the musk of male shifter, mingled with her own heat-scent. Her neck vibrated under his growling and Bianca felt herself shaking.

They came together, howling, and sank to the ground. They fell asleep right there, wrapped around each other.

~~*~~

Day Fourteen

“When do you think they’ll come?” Mason asked. He tossed another log on the fire. It would be a shame to let it go out now.

“Anytime tomorrow,” Bianca answered. “I think we need to assume they could show up at any moment and make sure things are all set.”

The fox nodded and looked around their camp. It all seemed all set. Their ‘pantry’ was well-stocked, the fire was going strong, and their shelter couldn’t have been better. “I think we won.”

“There’s still one more night,” Bianca teased. The thought made her stomach clench a little. Tonight was their last night. In less than twenty-four hours, Alina and Shane would appear, check out their camp, and whisk them away. Bianca would go home to Florida and Mason to Oregon. And she’d never see him again.

“Shall we?” Mason asked, inclining his head toward their shelter.

Bianca nodded and stood. She looked around their camp. Yes, she’d miss this. And Mason.

They talked again. Curled around each other in the shelter, they talked. At last, the scent of shifter-in-heat grew too powerful for them to ignore. Mason rolled onto his side and kissed her, gently.

He loved her, he knew it. Tonight he wasn’t going to take her shifter style. He was going to make it last, make it special. This wouldn’t be mating, it would be making love. And then, tomorrow, he’d tell her how he felt.

Bianca moaned as Mason’s hands traveled across her body. He fondled her breasts and tickled her thighs. Then, he bent down and took a nipple into his mouth, gently biting and teasing. She arched into his touch, gasping in pleasure. One hand slid down between her legs, where she was already wet, aching for him. He slipped a finger inside her, slowly, savoring each moment.

Even after their nightly escapades, she was still tight, even around his finger. He worked in a second and kept things slow, even while Bianca writhed.

This was nothing like the other nights. No hard, fast shifter fucking. This was gentle, loving. Bianca couldn’t get enough of it. She came, exploded, just from his fingers. But, when she started to roll, she was stunned when he stopped her. Mason stretched out on top of her, dick hard as rock, pressing against her.

“We’re doing it like this tonight,” he breathed. Then, he kissed her. Long and slow.

Bianca loved how he tasted. He sucked on her lower lip, then dragged tiny kisses up and down her neck, nipping here and there. At last, when Mason couldn’t stand it any longer, he slipped his penis inside her. So hot, so tight. He kissed her deeply and slowly, teasingly, started to thrust. He kissed in time with their slow pace. It was almost lazy.

Bianca’s nails dragged down his back, tickling, yet pleasurable. Mason pressed into her with a groan. She nipped his tongue playfully and he responded by actually tickling her. Bianca squealed and writhed under him, sending a jolt of pleasure through both of them. They laughed, kissed, and then Mason braced himself above her and started thrusting harder.

“Yes, yes!” the tigress moaned.

They came in a rush. Mason rolled off of her and snuggled up against her.

“I love you.” Mason froze. He hadn’t meant to say it. Not out loud.

Bianca froze too. Did he mean it? Had she really heard it? “I love you too,” she said, pushing aside her concerns about heat. For now, at least, it was true.

He kissed her on the cheek.

Chapter Nine

Day Fifteen

Just as Bianca predicted, Shane and Alina appeared almost out of nowhere, halfway through the afternoon.

It was a whirlwind of chaos. Neither was used to anyone else being around. Suddenly, cameras and crew where everywhere. Mason and Bianca were bombarded with questions. It was almost overwhelming.

Alina interviewed Mason, while Bianca showed Shane around the camp and talked about their long-term survival plan. Both hosts made veiled references to the numerous cuts they’d have to make to keep the show PG, much to Bianca and Mason’s embarrassment.

Before they knew it, they were in a helicopter, flying away.

Bianca watched the camp, their home, slowly grow smaller and smaller. As it did, she felt like the knot of her anxiety grew bigger. She and Mason had spent the morning preparing for the end of the TV show. Neither had mentioned their post-sex confession. Bianca was sure Mason regretted it. Hadn’t meant it. She wasn’t even sure if she did.

When the helicopter landed, they hugged one last time. Putting on a good show for the cameras. They were each led to a hotel room and left to their own devices.

The shower was heavenly. Bianca nearly burned herself with the hot water. Cheap hotel shampoo had never felt so luxurious. Not long after her shower she heard a knock on the door. She tightened her bathrobe and opened it.

“Mason.”

“Hi.”

She had almost forgotten what he looked like without two weeks of stubble and mud-streaked hair. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him… but she felt a twinge of desire too.

“Can I come in?”

She nodded.

They stood awkwardly for a moment.

“You look beautiful,” Mason said.

Bianca laughed. She had forgotten to put a comb in her post-adventure bag. Her hair was wet and tangled, not to mention she was wearing a bathrobe and fuzzy socks.

“Please, I look disheveled and frumpy.”

“You do not.” Mason paused. “We fly home tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

“I uh… can I get your number?”

“For what?”

“To call you?” He took a deep breath. “I love you.”

“No, you don’t.”

That
was not the answer Mason had expected.

“What?” he blurted.

“You don’t love me.”

He stared at her.

Bianca sighed. “I’m in heat, Mason. It messes with more than just your senses. You’ve hardly even seen another person for two weeks. We mated… a lot,” she laughed. “You just think you love me.”

“I know I do,” he insisted.

She smiled sadly. “Heat will do that.”

“Well, how do I prove I do?”

“Go home.”

“And?”

Bianca sat down on her bed. “And wait seventy-two hours.”

Mason frowned. This wasn’t how he had been expecting the conversation to go. “
And
?”

“In three days the effects of my pheromones will wear off. You’ll know if you really love me or if you’re just attracted to me because I’m in heat.”

“Then what?”

“I guess then you can call me.”

Mason nodded. “And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you love me?”

The tigress shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Well, it’s hardly worth calling you in three days to confess my love if you don’t love me back.”

“I don’t know.”

“If it’s worth it?”

“If I love you.”

Mason bit his lip and regarded her sadly. “Because you’re in heat?”

She nodded. “I’m trying not to think about it.”

“Why not?” he demanded.

“Because I haven’t seen another person in fifteen days. Because I’ve never mated with one person that many times. Ever. Because… Because if I do love you and you don’t love me… it’ll hurt. I guess… I guess I need three days too.”

“You’ll still be in heat, won’t you?”

Bianca nodded again. “But I’ll be away from you. If I still love you in three days, it’ll be real.” She grabbed a piece of hotel paper and wrote down her number. “You should go. Let it start wearing off as soon as possible.”

Mason took the paper. Before Bianca could react, he stepped forward and kissed her. “I lo… I’ll call you.”

Then, the fox walked out of the door. Bianca watched him, eyes stinging. Had she done the right thing? What if he was right? What if he did love her? Would he even call?

~~*~~

“Whoa!” Bianca’s best friend stopped on the threshold of the doorway and looked around the condo. There were flowers everywhere. “What’s with all of the flowers?”

“What, Susanne?” Bianca yelled from the bedroom. Only two other people had the key to her house; her mother and her best friend. Since her mother had already been and gone, she assumed that the muffled shouting had come from Susanne.

She quickly splashed water on her face. She had been crying. It had been five days without word from Mason. She knew now that
she
loved
him.
Beyond a doubt. It hurt, so much, knowing that he must not have felt the same way.

Bianca glared at her reflection. Maybe she had scared him off. Why, oh why had she refused to admit to him she loved him? She had known it wasn’t just her in heat. Making sure Susanne wouldn’t notice she had been crying, she fixed her hair and headed out into the main room.

“I asked, what’s up with the flowers?” Susanne said when Bianca came into view. “I mean, other than the obvious you’re a florist.”

Bianca grinned and started for the kitchen, knowing Susanne would follow her. “The flowers are from friends and family. You’d think I was gone fifteen years, not fifteen days.”

“Plus travel.”

“Okay, seventeen.”

“Welcome home by the way.” Susanne examined one of the larger arrangements. “You’d think people would buy you something other than flowers. I guess, on the bright side, you could just resell these.”

Bianca snorted in amusement and sat down at the counter. She flipped open her laptop and took a deep breath, preparing to check her work email for the first time in over two weeks. She was sure to be swamped with orders. Even though she had been home for a couple of days, she had used them as a much needed vacation and transition back to modern life.

The doorbell rang.

“I got it,” Susanne announced, skipping out of the kitchen.

“Thanks!”

Bianca heard muffled voices, followed by the door slamming.

“More flowers!”

A sigh escaped Bianca. As much as she liked flowers, she got more than her fill of them at work. “From?”

“Uh… oh my god, it’s from the Uptown Steakhouse!”

“The what?” Bianca yelled.

“The Uptown Steakhouse? The fanciest place in like, the state?”

“Never heard of it.”

“Because you live under a rock. Shifters come from miles and miles to eat there.”

“So, why are they sending me flowers?”

“I dunno.” Susanne walked into the kitchen, examining the card. “It just says
The Uptown Steakhouse
.”

Bianca looked up from her laptop. The card clearly said more than that. She spotted numbers when Susanne flipped it over. “What else does it say?”

“Oh, it’s today’s date and… oh! No! I think they’re inviting you! It says
7:30, The Uptown Steakhouse
. They’re inviting you to dinner tonight!”

“Why would…” Bianca trailed off as she turned her attention from the card to the flower arrangement Susanne was holding.

It was tiger lilies and foxgloves.