I watched as they circled each other, each taking swipes. The mountain lion shrieked as Jake's claws sliced against it's haunches. The cat tried to attack again and again but Jake never let it get close enough.
At last Jake seemed to grow tired of toying with the other animal and rose to his full height. I watched in awe as he stood to a height of nearly twenty feet. The mountain lion also seemed to be in shock because it turned tail and ran.
<3<3<3<3<3
Twelve ~ Jake
I woke up on a cold hard floor under a protected overhang. It took me a moment but then I remembered. I was on the Porch. At the cabin.
Alana's cabin.
There was a blanket covering me. She must have put it there. That meant she'd disobeyed a direct order.
Technically speaking, a mate wasn't supposed to be able to do that.
But she had.
I grinned and shook my head. Of course she had. It was clear that Alana was no ordinary woman. She was also no ordinary mate.
Still, we'd have to have a little talk about this.
I stood and knocked on the door, the enormous wool blanket barely covering my legs and ass. A moment later Alana opened the door. She stepped aside and let me in.
Without a word she poured me a cup of coffee and handed it to me. Her hair was pulled back into a french braid, showing off her pretty face. Her button down shirt fit her well and for once, it didn't cover that magnificent ass of hers.
I felt hot lust start to fill me once again.
It was impossible to ignore, the woman had a lot of fine qualities.
Even if she was ornery by nature.
"Good morning Alana."
She nodded and sat, staring at me expectantly. I sipped the coffee, stalling for time. She just raised an eyebrow and waited.
But she was wearing the ring.
She was wearing it!
Suddenly I felt a whole lot more comfortable having the talk. I resisted the urge to smile and scoop her into my arms. Not just yet.
"I assume I was already back to normal when you came outside. Since I told you not to open the door for anything."
She laughed.
"You were out there prowling all night. Finally I went back to bed. When I woke up an hour ago you were outside, naked as a blue jay. So I gave you a blanket."
I nodded.
"Good. I don't think I would ever hurt my mate but it's not worth taking a risk when I've been fighting."
The eyebrow went up again.
"Does that happen a lot?"
I shook my head.
"Maybe every fifty years or so. There aren't a lot of us left. He must have caught your scent. It's... not safe for a woman like you out here alone."
"A woman like me?"
I grinned at her lustily.
She sighed.
"Especially now that I've claimed you."
She sighed again.
Then she nodded.
"Alright Jake. But you're going to explain a lot more. I want to know everything."
"It's a deal. Now, let's go home. You'll like it, I promise. I have a big kitchen. And a bigger table."
I stood and held out my hand. She took it and I pulled her into my arms. She was laughing as I nuzzled her neck with mock ferocity.
"You smell!"
"You will learn to love it woman!"
And then I made sure she did.
<3<3<3<3<3
~ Nine Months Later ~
I stared into the crib. I could still hardly believe it. Jake and I had our very own little cub.
Payton was a fine, healthy boy. He had Jakes brown hair and my green eyes. He was so handsome it nearly took my breath away. Of course, once a month he got a little hairy. And rambunctious.
Right around the time of the full moon...
But that was just fine with me.
Jake came up behind me, wrapping his big strong arms around my waist.
"Ready for round two?"
I laughed. He'd never stopped taking me during the pregnancy, until the final month. He'd always been gentle. But since the baby had come seven weeks ago, he'd been chomping at the bit. Today was the first day the doctor had given the go ahead.
It had been exciting for both of us, to say the least.
I turned in his arms, tilting my head back for a kiss.
"Yes, I'm ready."
Jake was wrong about one thing though.
This was round three.
<3<3<3<3<3
WereShark's Lust
By
Daphne Davis
Fiona sighed as she cleared more dishes from the lunch rush. She glanced at her watch. It was just after 2 PM. She had a couple of hours before the happy hour crowd came in. Well, maybe crowd was the wrong word. The regulars. During beach season the place was packed from 11 AM until close. But during the off season, there was only a handful of customers coming in for a drink on a weekday afternoon. They were consistent at least.
"Sally, can you finish up for me?"
The waitress nodded, wiping down a table across the room. Fiona was grateful for her help, especially considering that business was slow. Waitresses depended on tips. As part owner of the Chowder House, Fiona made sure to give all the tips to the staff. It was a bit of a burn to be honest, especially since people tended to tip Fiona rather heavily.
She pulled off her apron and hung it on a hook behind the bar. She knew why they tipped so heavily. It was her looks. With her long dark hair, sloe eyes and pouty lips she was good looking. Her figure was exaggeratedly feminine, with curves that did not stop. But there was something else about her that seemed to draw men to her like moths to a flame. Sensuality. She oozed sex apparently. That's what her mother said anyway. Which was funny, since Fiona hardly ever had it.
Sex.
She took the stairs two at a time and stripped down to her panties. She slipped on her heavy duty jog bra. The thing was basically made of titanium to support her large round breasts. Her workout clothes and sneakers came on next. She picked up her iPod but decided against bringing it. The waves were ambiance enough.
She was on the beach in minutes, stretching perfunctorily before she took off at an easy pace. She let her mind go as the rhythm of her feet hitting the sand took over. Thud, thud, thud, thud. She inhaled deeply, the salt air filling her lungs. Slowly she picked up her pace until she was running hard and fast. She was a few miles down the beach when she stopped.
Above her, on the cliff, was a solitary house. Uber modern, with glass walls that overlooked the sea. It was the only house down here. All the other beach houses were packed tightly down the beach, but this one had plenty of room to breath with no other house for half a mile in either direction.
Who was she kidding? It wasn't a house, it was a mansion. Enormous and alien looking up there on the rocks. It looked completely foreign but somehow still in harmony with the nature that surrounded it. Some fancy architect had designed it. It was in all the papers last year.
She caught her breath and stretched for a moment. She always stopped here. There was something about the spot that drew her. It was so peaceful down here. Someone had told her that Davis owned all the land for a mile in either direction, including the beach. If he did, she rarely saw him. Other than when he came into the bar, which was getting to be a frequent occurrence.
She turned and started running back to her apartment above the restaurant.
David Johnson.
He was just another rich guy who had a house at the beach. Another over privileged asshole who thought that the poor girl who bartended summers would be a fun diversion from their rich city wives and girlfriends.
Except he wasn't. For one thing he could have bought all the houses around here without feeling the pinch. Fiona had heard someone say that once and it had stuck with her. She wasn't sure if the sheer volume of his wealth impressed or repelled her. No one knew what he did for his money either. He was very mysterious, to say the least.
Then there was the fact that he didn't actually hit on her like all the other douche bags who came in for a beer and a lobster, leering and pinching and asking her out. He hardly said anything to her at all. But his eyes. His eyes said a lot.
The first time he'd come in she'd been waiting tables. One of the girls had been out sick and she always filled in, no matter what the job was. She even washed dishes on occasion.
It had been toward the end of the season and especially busy that day. She'd been hustling around the restaurant when she'd stopped short, feeling someone's eyes on her. She turned around and saw him, his piercing gray eyes boring into her over his handsome, chiseled face. She'd waited for the slow smile, the leer, the wink but none came. He just ate his food and watched her work. She had felt the heat of his gaze on her face and neck. It was palpable, like a hand touching her lightly. She had felt it for hours, even after he paid his bill and left. She stared after him, noticing the way his jeans clung to his tight ass and muscular legs.
After that, he'd come in pretty regularly. Always alone. And always watching her. It would have been creepy, except that it wasn't. It was intense. Scary even. But he didn't make her feel uncomfortable. He made her feel hot. Every time he left the bar she swore it took her body temperature a full hour to come back to normal. She'd even tested it once, with a thermometer. Sure enough, there it was. 101 degrees and not a cold germ in sight.