Brink Of Passion (Alpine Woods Shifters) Read online

  “Doesn’t it bother you?” Because it sure as hell was bothering him.

  “The growling? Nah, I have three brothers, so your ultra alpha-ness doesn’t scare me.”

  Alpha-ness? Was that even a word?

  “Not me. You. Doesn’t it bother you to have so many people making eyes at you?”

  “Making eyes? What are you, eighty?” She laughed and the sound swept through him, punched through his frustration and brought a steady burn of lust in his gut. Low, with a hint of roughness that sent chills down his spine.

  Desire burned in the back of his throat and pooled in his belly until thoughts of Laurie took over his entire being. With another growl, this time one of pure need, Max leaned forward and nipped the top of Laurie’s ear. Her laughter ceased, breath catching on a quickly indrawn gasp. Fingers dug into his thigh, right above his knee, until he released her ear, soothing it with a small lick before pulling back.

  “I’m being serious.”

  Her eyes stared at him in confusion, lust still clouding their depths. He’d be lying if he said the sight of her desire didn’t fill him with pride and no small amount of excitement for the night ahead.

  After a minute, she shook her head. He could almost see her scattering droplets of bewilderment just as a dog shakes off water after a bath. The image broke through the tension from frustration and lust. He could be patient, because tonight would be the start of forever.

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

  She didn’t know. He could see it in her face. She wasn’t trying to be cute, or pretend innocence. She really didn’t see the way everyone stared at her. Somehow, that only made her more attractive.

  Unable to resist, he tangled his fingers with hers and leaned his other arm along the back of the booth so that he could play with her hair. Then he began to get to know her in earnest.

  Chapter 2

  Laurie wasn’t sure exactly how it happened. One minute they were sitting in the booth, enjoying a bottle of wine while discussing their favorite hockey teams—or rather arguing over their favorite hockey teams—and the next thing she knew, she was practically in his lap, his tongue thrust deep into her mouth.

  His hand slid under her shirt, blazing a trail along the bare skin of her back. The heat of his caress set her skin aflame, making her curse the clothes between them.

  She’d intended to take things slowly, but the fire burning inside her demanded satisfaction. She hadn’t felt this hot in years. The hand not currently trailing up her spine clutched her hip in a bruising grip. Scratch years, she’d never in her entire life felt this blistering hunger.

  The wine must be affecting her. Or maybe it was him. His scent, fresh sage and pure male, intoxicated her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t assemble a coherent thought. She gasped as his mouth left hers to trail a scorching path down her neck. She felt as if she’d burn to ashes if he stopped touching her. Kissing her. She was desperate for more.

  And why not? They were both adults. Sleeping together wasn’t a crime, and wouldn’t mean she deserved less respect. They could quench this fire now, and continue getting to know each other after. Her mind might not be ready to mate him, but her body was sure as hell ready for something more than conversation.

  “Hotel,” she managed between gasps. But she groaned when he pulled away, her body so desperate for his touch, it was almost painful to lose contact.

  Max threw down money for their drinks before pulling her out of the booth. Thank God he was leading, because the journey back to the hotel blurred in her mind. All her focus was on the feel of her hand in his. His thumb rubbed up and down the side of hers, prickling her nerve endings and sending sparks of desire shooting up her arm with every caress.

  It had been over a year since she’d last had sex. Since her last boyfriend had left town on business and found his mate. They’d parted on good terms, but it had hurt. One more person to find their happily ever after before her.

  Not that she believed finding one’s mate automatically guaranteed a happily ever after. It didn’t even mean being with them forever. Mating was animal instinct. And just like animals in the wild, there were multiple potential partners. The trick was not only finding a person who triggered the animal instinct in the shifter half, but also someone whose personality fit in the human half. At least that’s what she believed.

  She was neither fully wolf, nor fully human. Both sides had a part in this, and both had to agree. Right now, it was pretty clear her wolf was raring to go. Her human side needed more time. But even her human half was powerless to resist the draw she felt. And from what she’d seen so far, she wanted to learn more. To see if, just maybe, a happily ever after could happen for her with Max.

  There was still plenty of time to get to know each other. Sex could just be sex.

  The doors of the elevator pinged closed, and suddenly Max yanked her into his arms. His lips collided with hers before she had a chance to brace herself against the pure lust that crashed into her. Max’s leg inserted itself between hers, pushing the crease of her jeans against her clit as she rode his thigh. She moaned against his mouth as the pleasure ricocheted up her spine from the friction. A shudder wracked her frame. The sensations were coming at her too fast. Too intense.

  One strong arm circled her waist while the other framed her cheek, his fingers tangling in her hair. Laurie ground against his leg, twitching as each sharp sting of pleasure darted through her. The fire inside consumed her, until she lost sight of the metal walls boxing her in. Her entire focus centered on Max and the heat raging inside her.

  She drove herself against his thigh, gasping as her insides clenched, seeking release. The pressure intensified as her clit swelled, but it wasn’t enough. She needed…something more. Desperately. Her moan of pleasure turned into one of frustration as she sought something just out of reach.

  Max slid his hand out of her hair and down her front until he cupped her breast, leaving her skin tingling where he touched. He pinched her already-stiff nipples through her shirt.

  She gasped, her hips thrusting against his thigh as sparks danced on the edge of her vision, the contact just enough to push her over the edge. Pleasure crashed into her like a locomotive. Her thighs clenched against his leg, as the world around her disappeared. She rode out her climax as her hands seized on his shoulders.

  It wasn’t enough. Instead of taking the edge off, the climax only fanned the flames of desire higher. She needed him inside her. Filling her. Taking her over. She needed all of him. And she needed it now.

  Except... As her senses returned, she realized where they were, and what she had just done. She groaned and buried her face against his shoulder.

  These things typically had cameras, didn’t they? Were they just for observation, or did they record? Crap. That was the last thing she needed. A secret sex-in-the-elevator tape floating around the internet. Or worse, the convention. At least with the internet there was a chance it would get lost in cyberspace. Why couldn’t she think before acting?

  *****

  Max stared at the top of Laurie’s head as she leaned against his shoulder.

  “Did you just—” An escaped snort cut him off. He couldn’t believe she’d come, fully dressed, riding his thigh. In an elevator, no less. Although he’d be lying if he said it hadn’t made him feel like a badass, sexy beast. And made her even sexier, if such a thing were possible.

  “Don’t even say it.” Her voice, husky with passion, was muffled against his shirt. A shiver wracked her frame as he held her.

  He ran his hands down her back, and felt as much as heard her quickly indrawn breath. He’d intended to soothe, but the longer he held her, the scent of her release imbuing the air around them, the more his need for her surged. It pushed and pulled until he wanted to forget where they were, forget that they were seconds away from reaching his hotel room, strip Laurie naked and take her against the wall.

  The doors pinged as they reached his floor, and he b
reathed a sigh of relief as they slid open. A male coyote shifter stood waiting for the elevator, his nostrils flaring as he no doubt smelled the evidence of Laurie’s climax. Surprise widened his eyes before they narrowed in interest on Laurie.

  Max growled low in his throat in warning. The coyote smirked in response, attraction still lighting his eyes. Max released Laurie, stepping in front of her to shield her from the other shifter’s view.

  This was going to be a problem. An unmated shifter at a shifter convention was like a juicy steak, and an unmated alpha female who looked like Laurie might as well be ringing a dinner bell. He needed to mark her for the world to see. The sooner the better. There’d be plenty of time to get to know her after he moved her in with him. First, he had to make sure she wouldn’t be stolen away. Make sure other males knew who she belonged to.

  Careful to keep Laurie out of view of the coyote, Max eased out of the elevator, growls a constant rumble from his throat. The coyote opened his mouth to speak, and Max had no doubt whatever the man intended to say would make him want to kill something. The world around him altered as his eyes shifted to his leopard, the colors blurring, and his hands lengthened as claws broke through the skin on his fingers.

  “Oh for Christ’s sake, can we get over comparing penis sizes and get back to the sex sometime this century? I’d really like to get back to the sex.”

  Max looked at the end of the hall and saw Laurie with her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently. Until she’d spoken, he hadn’t realized she wasn’t safely tucked behind him, but had instead managed to pass him and the coyote without either noticing.

  At first, panic seized him. The coyote stood between him and his mate. The beast inside needed to protect against this threat. But before he could act, her words penetrated, reminding him that he had better things to do than play with some random coyote shifter in the hallway. And there was a better way to protect Laurie from all the horny shifters running rampant. Once he put his mark on her, she would be off limits to everyone else.

  Returning the coyote’s smirk with one of his own, Max left him standing by the elevators as the doors closed before he could get inside. The coyote cursed behind him, but Max didn’t turn around. He hoped the next elevator wouldn’t come for a long time.

  Grabbing Laurie’s hand, because being around her and not touching her was torture, Max led her down the hall and held his card to the reader until he heard a click and the light turned green.

  Max wasted no time, pulling Laurie into the room and flush against him. The door closed automatically before anyone saw more than a glimpse of Laurie’s stomach as he pulled off her shirt and tossed it aside.

  Her skin was silky and smooth, creamy but with a subtle tan pigment that urged him to taste every inch. He dropped to his knees and sucked at her abdomen as his fingers undid her jeans and slid them down her hips. The scent of her arousal hung in the air, and his cat wanted to roll around in it. To fill himself with her until she consumed him.

  Max urged her with his hands until she leaned against the wall behind her. Then he lifted her leg over one shoulder. He moved her underwear out of the way and slid his fingers inside. She was hot and wet, ready for him. His erection twitched at the idea, making his jeans even more uncomfortable.

  Need spiked. To be inside Laurie, surrounded by her warmth.

  Need to mark her as his own.

  So many impulses tangling together into one simple message. Take.

  Using his claws, he tore through her underwear, leaving it in scraps, and stood, pulling at his jeans. His claws, so helpful before, left him floundering.

  “Allow me.”

  Max groaned as her husky voice slid over his senses. He closed his eyes and prayed for enough patience to make this good for her, because all he wanted was to spread her legs and thrust inside. Her fingers weren’t gentle as they pulled off his shirt and shoved his jeans down to his knees, taking his briefs with them. At least she seemed as anxious as he was. There would be plenty of time for foreplay later. First, he needed to quench his thirst for her.

  “What are you waiting for? The important parts are out, now get to it.”

  He almost laughed out loud. How rare. For his mate to be someone to bring him humor when he was so far gone.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Gripping her around the waist and lifting her, he felt her legs wrap around his hips. He slid into her easily, clenching his teeth against release as her heat surrounded him. He was already so close, his impending climax pulsing at the base of his spine.

  “Please tell me you’re on the pill and clean, because I don’t think I can pull out in order to put on a condom,” he had enough sense to ask, belated though it was.

  “Yes. Both. You?” She asked even as her insides clutched at him.

  “Clean,” he managed to grunt as his hips thrust involuntarily against her. Her moan filled the air.

  Assurances made, he began in earnest. This first time wouldn’t last long. Already he could feel release tightening his balls. Longer, deeper, could come later. Right now, he needed fast and hard.

  He thrust, encouraged to feel Laurie’s nails raking down his back leaving stinging trails in their wake. She pulsed around him.

  Max gripped her hips hard enough to bruise, breathed in her scent at her neck before sucking against her shoulder. As she moaned into his ear, he filled his every sense with her. Touch, sight, smell, taste, sound. Everything was full of Laurie. His mate.

  The pressure in his cock built, readying for release, and he knew he was out of time. A slight pinching on his gums signaled his incisors had dropped. The anticipation of claiming Laurie drove him forward until he buried his fangs in her shoulder.

  Laurie cried out, her body twitching against him, but he didn’t have time to savor her release before his own overtook him. A wave of ecstasy slammed into him. He gripped Laurie’s hips, holding them steady as he repeatedly drove into her, spilling his seed with each thrust. Sparks danced around the edge of his vision. The metallic taste of her blood was replaced with sweetness as he released the mating enzyme that would forever link them together.

  In his mind, he felt something shift, something new clicking into place. A place he had never noticed before had been empty. A place she fit perfectly. Like a missing puzzle piece. He could think of no better analogy as his being entwined with hers.

  His growl turned to a purr as he coasted from the euphoric high mating Laurie had brought him. He stood, his cock still deep inside her, his fangs still buried in her shoulder, and savored the feel of her completely wrapped around him.

  Yep. He was pretty certain all was right in the world. And moving anytime in the next century was simply not a possibility.

  “What…” Her throat moved against his cheek as she swallowed. “What did you just do?”

  Laurie clenched around his cock as he removed his teeth from her shoulder, bringing him standing to attention with renewed life. It shouldn’t have been possible. Not after the intense release he’d just had. But logic didn’t explain away the hardening of his member inside her.

  She gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair. The scent of their mating still heavy in the air. Max licked the wound on her shoulder leisurely. Her head hit the wall behind her with an audible thunk.

  Next round, he would take his time. For Christ’s sake, she still wore her bra. This time he would do things right. Would find out the color of her nipples, and feast on them until she writhed beneath him.

  Determined to do just that, Max stepped out of his pants as he sucked a trail down her chest until he reached the cup of her bra.

  “No. No, no, no. Talk first. Fuck later,” she insisted, pulling his head away from her chest by yanking his hair.

  “Oww.” He reached up, feeling the back of his head to see if he had any hair left. “You could’ve just said so.” He took a step back, pulling out of her, and giving Laurie enough space to stand on her own feet. Now that she’d drawn his attention away from sex, he could feel the
tension in the air. Something wasn’t right.

  “Oh really? You wouldn’t have even heard me. Not with that thing talking so loudly,” she said, gesturing to his cock. Her gaze snagged on it in pure admiration.

  A grin curled the ends of his lips as she continued to stare. He’d admit he felt pretty damn smug that it took her a moment to regain her composure, which she did with a shake of her head.

  “You wanted to talk?” he asked once her gaze met his.

  “No use getting all cocky.”

  “Not if all we’re going to do is talk,” he stated in all seriousness.

  Silence hung in the air. Oh please, let her have a sense of humor. Earlier, she’d seemed to in abundance, but sometimes things changed once the bedroom door closed. Laurie tilted her head to the side, her hand covering her mouth. Good sign or bad? He couldn’t tell. Not until he caught a glimpse of the smile she’d tried to hide.

  “I’m trying to be serious here,” she stated after a moment.

  “Alright. What did you want to talk about? We already covered the basics, you’re clean, I’m clean, pill means no babies. What else did you need?”

  “That’s all you care about? You just freaking bit me!”

  Something in her voice made him frown. Concern was there, but that wasn’t what worried him. She sounded mad, but that wasn’t it either. Something in her tone made the small hairs at the back of his neck stand up.

  Laurie began pacing the room. He watched for a moment in confusion. Not exactly the image of a happily mated woman. He pondered her reaction.

  “That is what typically happens in a mating.”

  Could there be some kind of ceremony in wolf packs? He’d always thought it was biting for all shifters, but maybe wolves were different. He didn’t claim to be an expert on various shifter ceremonies.

  “That’s the problem!” She paused at the far end of the room, turning to face him. When he didn’t respond, she gestured between them. “Mating!”

  “Yes, mating. That’s what we came back here to do.” He spoke slowly, his brain still stumbling. What had her so upset?