Alpha Beast (Southern Shifters Book 8) Read online

  She sniffed, the derision in the move crystal clear. "I'll never understand why it's fine for men to use sex as an outlet, but not a woman. Why can't we pursue men in the same way? Why is it so shocking? There's nothing wrong with that, you know."

  He smiled. "Oh, I know. Trust me. You don't know shifters very well, but let's just say it is not at all uncommon for the females to be the aggressor when it comes to fucking. We definitely don't have all the same hang ups about our bodies that humans do."

  She turned her gaze on him and this time it was filled with interest. "Really?"

  He nodded. "Happens all the time. Shifters in general are aggressive. And not just the males."

  She twisted her hands against her arms in another nervous move. "So does that mean you're open to the--ahh--possibility?"

  "Since I've imagined you naked no less than twelve times since we left the bar, I'm gonna say yes. I'm open to it, babe."

  A slow smile crossed her face and her bunched up shoulders relaxed a tiny fraction. "Really?"

  The resulting smile that crossed her face hit something deep inside him. While he hated to see her in any kind of pain, it soothed something in him to know that she wasn't perfect. Just perfect for him.

  That thought nearly stopped his heart. What was going on? He pushed his momentary lapse aside and pulled her right up against his thigh. "Really," he said, not bothering to hide the gritty huskiness of need settling in his voice.

  His nose flared when her arousal spiked and he took a deep breath to enjoy it. There were so many advantages to being a shifter and the ability to enjoy the sweet smell of his woman's desire certainly topped the list.

  "Do you want to wait until I get you back to your place or would you prefer to find a motel along the way? Can you wait?"

  She shook her head and the resulting animal howl in his head made him moan.

  "Fuck," he said, pulling her onto his lap with his hands locked tight on her waist. "You are so damned sexy." He lunged forward and captured her lips, sliding his tongue into the warm recess of her mouth. He stroked her tongue the way he wanted to stroke her with his fingers and his cock.

  Although how a man was supposed to think straight with a gorgeous woman like Marcy coming on to him he had no idea. Desperation began coursing through his veins as she wiggled around in his lap. Problem was there were too many clothes between them. Her scrubs and his jeans.

  Although that didn't stop him from sliding his fingers underneath her shirt and bra to swipe across hardened nipples and cupping her breasts. She moaned into his mouth, while leaning into his grasp making him groan in response.

  He pulled free from her mouth. "I want to be inside you, babe."

  "I want that too," she gasped.

  "Put your feet on the foot pegs and stand up," he ordered. When she complied that put her hips about level with his face and he nearly lost it then. The image of his face pushed between those sexy legs as he lapped at her core undid him.

  At this rate he'd never survive her naked. What was it about this woman that made him so crazy?

  She lifted the ties at her waist and undid them and he grabbed at them to yank them down along with her panties. With her scrubs down below her knees arousal assaulted his senses even deeper. The beast inside did more than stir, he pushed at Bhric's psyche to hurry and claim her. Although at the time he didn't understand the urgency at all, other than the fact he wanted her pretty fucking bad.

  His eyes rolled to the back of his head for a moment when he slid his fingers between her legs and found her wet and ready for him.

  Holy hell.

  She made his cock so hard it hurt.

  Unable to slow down, he reached for his belt and yanked it open. The zipper too until he got free. She watched him the whole time with her shallow breaths and her tongue darting out to lick her lips. It was enough to make him insane.

  He reached down and hooked one leg of her pants under her foot so she was no longer encumbered by them. Then with his hands at her hips he pressed her down until his tip rested against her opening. "One last chance to change your mind, babe."

  "Fuck that," she said and slammed down, impaling him with one brutal thrust.

  The gasp/scream that erupted from her almost made him come. Almost. But the snug grip of her muscles around him was more than enough to elicit his own groan. This definitely wasn't going to last long.

  With his fingers digging hard into her hips, he dragged her back up his shaft before once again brute strength and gravity had him fully seated inside her gripping body.

  "Harder," she begged, her fingers digging into his shoulders. "Make me forget everything but this."

  More than happy to grant her wish, he lifted and thrusted again even deeper.

  It's impossible how perfectly she fit.

  And how uninhibited she was as her moans grew louder and her hips jerked mindlessly. All he could think about was getting deeper and deeper inside of her until the pulse at her neck happened to catch his eye.

  Claim her.

  The beast is in his head again. Pushing harder than ever before at him.

  Take her. She's yours.

  Confusion and clarity swirled around him as their skin contact made one slapping sound after another, echoing the chants in his head. His teeth elongated and her pulse drew him closer.

  Claim her now.

  He couldn't get the words out of his head. He leaned forward and opened his mouth. The sweet scent of her skin and the slide of her beautiful perfect body against his more than he could bear.

  "Oh my God. I'm coming," she screamed.

  The first violent jerk of her inner muscles sent him careening over the edge with her as they come together. The erotic and sweet thrill of this woman falling apart in his arms overtook his mind and the urge to bite her overwhelmed him.

  Mate.

  He now understood what the beast had been trying to tell him all night. She's his.

  But she's not. That thought sobered him instantly as his mouth closed and his lips crashed into her neck. In the morning she would remember none of this. He will be absolutely nothing to her.

  The pain in his body that was triggered from that thought left him unable to breathe. His chest ached and he tightened his arms around her torso.

  "Bhric," she gasps. "Stop. I can't breathe."

  He sucked in air and loosened his grip. Jesus fuck what the hell had he done?

  "I'm so sorry," he said into her hair. Although she had no idea what he's truly sorry for.

  "It's okay," she said, stroking her fingers into his hair. "Believe me, I get it. That was incredible."

  He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth so hard he wondered if he might actually break his damned jaw.

  Not that it fucking mattered.

  He just gave away his mate.

  11

  Marcy sat on the bed listening to the sound of the shower running in the adjoining bathroom. She had no idea what had gone wrong. One minute they were talking about her loss of memories thanks to Mr. Cuervo and the next he'd stormed off to the bathroom pissed as hell.

  The part of her that made her a damned good nurse wanted to go in there and soothe the pain away. Or maybe she just wanted to see what he looked like naked. Either way she was beginning to crash from the earlier rush of adrenaline and she needed to do something about it.

  Leaving the bedroom she occupied, she wandered out to the opulent stainless steel kitchen and began poking through the cabinets. Making them food would keep her distracted.

  Although halfway through the kitchen she realized cooking might not be a possibility. Who in the hell had a kitchen the size of her entire apartment and didn't keep any food in it?

  "What are you doing?"

  She whirled at the sound of Bhric's voice behind her. But it was what she saw that made her jaw drop open and her mind shatter into a million sex starved pieces. He stood there in nothing but a towel wrapped low around his hips. Every inch of his torso was covered in tattoos as wel
l as his arms. His hair stood messy and wet as if he'd given it a quick rub with his towel and that was it. His eyes stared at her with hot intent, which might have been her imagination, but she was going with it.

  There were muscles on top of muscles, all of which she wanted to explore with every fiber of her being. She winced at the clichéd direction of her thoughts. Why did she seem to lose her mind around this man?

  Although that answer seemed pretty obvious with this gorgeous creature still staring her down like he wanted something in particular as well.

  "I was looking for food so I could cook us something."

  "You're not tired?"

  He took a few steps in her direction and her breath clogged in her lungs. It took several deep breaths to get her erratic heart under control again.

  "I--uhh--" She swallowed again. "I'm sure I'll get there eventually, but I'm still a little wired. Between the long night at work and then running from men with guns, I need to do something to burn off some of the stress."

  One of his eyebrows lifted and she imagined how that must have sounded. "Yeah, so that didn't come out right."

  He smiled. "I don't know... It sounded pretty good to me."

  For some reason she felt the heat of a blush rise on her skin. Since when did sexual innuendo make her embarrassed? She needed to take a step back from this situation before they went too far. It seemed obvious that if she wanted sex, Bhric would be more than willing. But there was something intense about him that made her feel unready for what might happen between them.

  She turned away from him and blew out a hard breath. She definitely had to get these feelings under control They weren't normal for her.

  "I think I am tired." Maybe she wasn't quite ready to sleep, but escaping from Bhric's sexual lure might not be a bad idea.

  "How about I cook us something first and then we'll rest?"

  Marcy nodded even though the implications that they'd rest made her mind immediately leap to the sleeping arrangements. She glanced around the kitchen. Although if the rest of this place was anything like this room, it led her to believe there would be more than enough bedrooms.

  As she contemplated going straight to bed or whether she could get through a meal with him without doing something stupid, her stomach took that exact opportunity to make its choice apparent with a growl that filled the room.

  As Bhric's eyebrows climbed up his forehead and a wide smile transformed his face, she knew she'd lost the argument before it even started.

  She sighed. "I guess I should eat."

  He nodded. "Take a seat at the bar, I'm going to go get dressed and then I'll whip us up some breakfast. You like eggs?"

  She nodded and then remembered there was no food in the refrigerator. It had only contained expensive bottled water and champagne. "We might have a problem with that though."

  He turned back. "Why's that?"

  "No food in that fridge." She pointed to the massive double appliance that was built into the custom dark wood cabinets.

  "Oh this isn't where the food is kept. This is Galen's private dining area. The food is kept in the chef's kitchen." He pointed to a door behind her that she'd yet to investigate. "Through there."

  "Ohhh. That's weird. I've never heard of such a thing."

  "Me either. But apparently when you are richer than the Queen of England, you need double or triple of everything. And even though no one has lived here for years, Galen keeps the place cleaned and stocked just in case."

  "Galen? That's your friend?"

  He shrugged. "Sort of. We have a sort of you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours kind of friendship."

  That sounded mysterious and maybe a little secretive. Color her intrigued. "What does he do for a living? I mean if he's that rich, maybe I should look into a different profession."

  "Probably not what you're thinking. He's a treasure hunter."

  She stopped and swung her head to met Bhric's gaze. "A what?"

  "A treasure hunter, seeker, whatever you want to call it. The man is obsessed with acquiring valuable things. Especially things like rare gems. Although most of the time I only hear about him buying up the latest and greatest technology. He doesn't live here and I don't see him often so I can only guess what he's up to these days."

  Marcy tried to absorb this new information. This Galen person sounded like something made up. I mean, were treasure hunters a real thing anymore?

  "If he doesn't live here, then where does he live?"

  Bhric laughed. "Hold that question. I'm going to change and grab some food and then I'll answer your questions."

  With her mind swirling, she nodded her head and then watched him walk out of the room. Her gaze dropped to that damned towel again that happened to hug his backside in true decadent fashion. Hell, she could see the muscles of his glutes flex as he walked.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to take a deep breath. It embarrassed her that she couldn't look at the man without thinking about having her body pressed against his. This house had so many nooks, crannies and surfaces, they could screw for days and not run out of ideas or places to break in.

  She wiped the images from her mind and forced herself to think about something different. Her job for one needed her attention and gave her more than an ample excuse not to get something started with Bhric.

  The offer of promotion had come as quite a surprise and despite her reluctance to answer on the spot, she already knew she'd say yes. Although why that made her head hurt a little confounded her.

  She plopped down on the stool and rested her head in her hands. Too much had happened in a short span of time. Of course she was on overload. Some food, a shower and at least a few hours of sleep should be just what she needed to put everything back in perspective.

  Sienna's scared voice popped into her head and reminded her why she now sat in a stranger's opulent private kitchen with Bhric just down the hall. They'd still not given her any answers since this whole thing started. The idea that she'd gotten swept up into some family feud that involved a gang of men on motorcycles with guns in their hands still felt surreal.

  This was not her life.

  By the time Bhric reentered the kitchen, Marcy had worked herself into a freaked out mess of nerves and fatigue and frankly, it was getting on her nerves.

  He stopped just inside the door and searched the room with his gaze. "What's wrong, Marcy. What happened?"

  The edge in his voice startled her and she jumped in her seat.

  "Jesus, Bhric. You scared me half to death."

  He ignored her words and stalked forward. "Why? What's going on?"

  His continual search of the space around them set her on edge.

  "I don't know. One minute you’re standing there looking hot and fun and the next you look like you're on the verge of killing someone. It's a little unnerving."

  To her dismay, he smiled again, disarming some of the confusion clouding her mind. "Stop that."

  "Stop what?" he asked, smiling wider.

  "Stop trying to distract me with your attractiveness. It's not fair."

  "Babe, you've been doing the same to me for months. Turn about is fair play, don't you think?" He padded into the kitchen, his arms laden down with their breakfast fixings. Eggs, bacon, butter, and a loaf of dark bread were all there.

  He set them down on the counter and reached into a lower cabinet, reappearing with a couple of frying pans. He clearly was already familiar with this place and knew where to find everything.

  "I didn't even know you until last night. So I hardly think anything about this is fair. If you knew me as you say and could have filled in my gaps then you should have done so. Hell, so should have Sienna. I told her the last thing I remembered was getting a phone call from her and she only said that I came to her engagement party to Gage and the liquor must have gotten to me more than I expected." She narrowed her eyes. "Except I don't drink tequila ever for a reason, so why the hell did I do it that night? What exactly is going
on with you all? Or more succinctly if you will, what are you all not telling me?"

  "You're overreacting,” he started.

  "If you dare start mansplaining this to me I'm going to take that knife your holding and cut off your balls. Then I'm going to fry them up with the bacon and feed them to you."

  Marcy winced at the same time Bhric did. That was pretty disgusting even for her.

  "Ouch. It sounds like you need to tell the lady whatever it is she wants to know. I don't fancy having to watch you eat your man parts this morning."

  Marcy and Bhric both whirled on the unexpected addition of another person. A tall, beautiful auburn haired man in a sharp three-piece suit stood in the doorway watching them.

  "Who are you?" she demanded. She was getting fed up with people showing up and seemingly causing trouble for them. She was too damn tired for this crap.

  He stepped forward and held out his hand. "Galen Ferguson at your service." She allowed him to take her hand and he lifted it to his mouth and pressed his perfectly curved lips to her skin.

  A distinct growl sounded from across the room and she turned to look for the dog she didn't know anyone had.

  "What are you doing here, Galen?"

  He smiled at her before turning to Bhric and she smiled back feeling a little mesmerized by the intensity of deep emerald eyes.

  "Well, considering this is my house shouldn't I be the one asking that question?”

  Bhric scoffed at the other man while Marcy began chewing on her lip. So this was the man who owned such a fancy house. He definitely did scream rich.

  "We needed somewhere to lay low and since you haven't been here in years, I figured this was the safest place."

  "Laying low? Do I need to alert my security team? What exactly are you hiding from?"

  The scowl on Bhric's face pinched tighter until she thought he might explode. "I'm not hiding from anything. I am protecting Marcy."

  "Marcy..." Mr. Ferguson turned his attention back to her. "Such a lovely creature. What are we protecting her from?"

  Okay, this was starting to get a little creepy. One man followed her for weeks and now a second overly handsome man was looking at her like he could eat her alive and not necessarily in a bad way.