Page 47 of Twisted Mates

Her lips part and she pulls the straps of her bra off her shoulders, dropping it to the floor. I try to keep my eyes on her face, but I’m drawn to all that smooth, tan skin she just uncovered. Goddess, she’s magnificent. And even more so right before the shift, under the full moon.

“Drink me in, then, baby,” she says with a smirk, quirking up the corners of her mouth. “I’m all yours.”

I do take my fill of her, but I don’t move any closer. The moon will shine any minute now. As soon as its beams hit the earth, our bodies will transform from flesh to fur. Our eyes will take on an inhuman glow, and our joints will crack and reform until we are standing on four legs. If only we were mates so it would be possible for us to fuck during the shift. But we’re not, and it’s a sacred act reserved for those whose bond is solidified. They say that nothing on this earth compares to the sharing of flesh and blood during the shift. And that’s why I can’t risk closing the distance between us. The moment I’m near her, I’ll want to take her, and that is a line I refuse to cross this close to the full moon.

I roll my wrist, gesturing for her to continue as I say, “It’s all got to go. Give me a good show.”

She grins and unties the ribbon on her pajama pants, sliding them down her hips. When she kicks them to the side and standsstraight, I see she’s only wearing a scrap of lace that can hardly be considered underwear. “This what you had in mind?”

I push my jeans down my thighs and mimic her kicking action so our pants are lying side by side, leaving me in my underwear. Gesturing to the hard-on the thin material isn’t doing a great job of concealing, I raise a brow and say, “What do you think?”

She runs her tongue along her top teeth and flips her hair over her shoulder before hooking her slender fingers in her panties and pulling them down, leaving her fully bare to me. This is the first time I have seen her completely naked, and I am paralyzed by her beauty.

“I think you like what you see.”

“Damn right I do,” I say, dropping the last of my clothing on the ground.

I want her. I want her so fucking bad. Every cell in my body is aching to claim her. Alexia Rush has me going out of my mind with my raw need for her.

My hands curl at my sides, the clench of my fists so tight my knuckles throb with pain. I’m seconds away from pouncing on her like a ravenous animal when the first sharp pang of the shift courses through me.

“It’s time,” I say, my voice strained from the pain.

She nods. It’s difficult to talk when the shift begins. A single thought takes up all the space in your head—intense pain is about to rip through me.

Alexia follows me to the double doors along the far wall of my room. I open them, revealing a balcony that overlooks the rear of the property. The moon sits high in the twilight sky peeking out behind thick snow clouds. Flurries drift to the ground, covering my mother’s rose garden below. The tall pines along the property’s edge are already adorned with a thin white dusting.

Alexia steps to the iron railing and looks down. Unable to find my words, I slide in beside her and bump her with my shoulder. It’s a simple act that conveys exactly what I want. She lowers her head in a quick nod. And it is all I need to let go and give into the moon goddess’s will.

My world turns into a hot flash of red and gold. Burning pain sears my joints, my skin. I don’t fight it. I give in to it. I’m ready to free my beast.

When I look beside me, every ounce of pain I feel melts away. All of it means nothing because all I see, all Ifeelisher. Alexia Rush is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’ve already admitted that much to myself and all but said those words to her.

But now I can see she is also the most beautiful wolf I’ve had the pleasure of laying eyes on. Her fur is midnight black with white specks on her paws, and I can tell without even touching it that it’s sleek and soft. I’d give anything to run my fingers through it, but right now, she’s looking at me with those dark eyes that I’d recognize anywhere. And I feel this jolt unlike anything I’ve ever experienced when our gazes connect. I don’t have time to think about it for long because she nudges me in the side, and I can see she’s ready to run.

We leap from the balcony with no regard for the drop below. When our paws hit the ground, we’re off. We run side by side into the trees, weaving through their trunks and leaping over massive logs draped across the forest floor. When she erupts into a high-pitched howl, I join in. Our muzzles face the moon as our beastly cries fill the night. It’s the most magnificent sound I’ve ever heard.

Hours fly by as we surrender to our animal instincts, chasing prey and stretching our limbs in sprints. I love every second of it, but I especially enjoy when Alexia turns playful. She tackles me from behind, sending us tumbling through the snow-covered leaves. We fight for dominance and more than once I let her pinme. I’d give anything to spend the night watching the cocky sway of her tail when she thinks she’s bested me.

I wish I could tell her how gorgeous she is as we lay under the stars, my head against her ribcage. I can hear every breath she takes, and it reminds me how alive we both are in this moment. How lucky I feel to be here with her. Without even realizing it, I let out a little huff, and she sits up, forcing me to do the same.

We sit facing each other, our paws nearly touching, and just looking in her eyes makes every cell in my being come to life. I swear, something’s happening between us, and I am powerless to stop it. I don’twantto stop it. I nuzzle her face with my snout, wanting to show her what being here with her under the full moon means. That it’s not just a regular shift to me. That Clayton was right about one thing: Thisisan intimate experience. That what we’re sharing is a big deal.

That’s the amazing thing about being a shifter—I don’t need to say it. She’s reading every movement of my body. She sees the contentment in my eyes and my strong stance tells her how proud I am right now. Without a single word, she knows what I feel. And I see all the emotions radiating from her as well. The slight tip of her head tells me she is concerned and when she nudges my cheek with her nose, I know she is happy I’m here with her. But it’s those brown eyes that are screaming at me. She desires me just as much as I want her.

In need of a little physical touch, I brush my body along the side of hers. I swear I hear her sigh. I can’t blame her because her fur against mine does something to my insides. I’m sure I’m melting, becoming a complete mess for this woman.

She turns and mirrors my motion, and I jerk my head in the direction of the house. I know there are things we won’t do in our shifted forms because we aren’t mates but there is one thing Icando with her that would make me happy. I just don’t want to do it out here and lose track of time.

Alexia follows me and we run back in the direction of our house, at a calmer pace this time, glancing back and forth at one another every couple seconds. It’s as if we can’t keep our eyes off each other, like we’re magnetized.

When we finally get back to the house, we go into the garage through the dog door that my mother had installed when we first built this house. Miraculously, we get back to my room without any incident, and as soon as I kick the door closed with my back paw, I jump onto the bed, making room for her. She immediately joins me and sighs contentedly, as if there were no place in the world she’d rather be.

She curls up with me and my furry body jostles with the equivalent of a wolf chuckle. Here I am with this incredibly sexy woman that I can’t get off my mind, and if someone walked in, we would look like two pups settling in for an afternoon nap. It’s sweet and innocent, the very opposite of what I want to be when she’s around. Yet, this is all I want right now. How is it that one being has me at such odds with myself?

I don’t know, but I don’t think I’d change it, even if I could. The feelings she awakens in me have gone too long unfelt, and I love this too much.

FIFTEEN

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