Shifting Changes (The First Shift) Read online

  No name tag. Only the swell of firm but generously sized breasts under a tight-fitting green top. Her nipples were hard, two naughty little pebbles that taunted him to touch, taste and tease them with his tongue.

  He hit the off button, again nearly sending himself careening off the machine as it ground to an abrupt halt.

  The woman’s soft chuckle caressed his ear. “Watch your step,” she said in a throaty purr. A shudder ran down Faolan’s spine. He had a thing about purrs and cats, and this one was tempting. She must have been a cat. The way she stared at him with slightly narrowed, almond-shaped eyes was unmistakable. Only real shifters could manage a look like that. Only real shifters could appeal to the animal inside him with an intensity that made him tingle all over with excitement.

  Faolan growled. The woman grinned.

  “I knew it!” she said. “You’re one of us!”

  “Hardly,” Faolan muttered. “I’m not your kind.”

  “No, you’re not,” she agreed, tilting her head as she scrutinised over his face. Then she trailed her gaze over his body, assessing him with those mischievous honey coloured eyes until she came to a halt at his crotch. She didn’t even try to conceal it, just checked him out openly. It seemed she liked what she saw. Raising her hand, she brought a finger to her mouth. Her lips parted and she took the fingertip in, dragging it across the soft, velvety skin. Faolan nearly fainted as the blood rushed to his groin. He didn’t know if she was only teasing him, but she was darned good at it if she was. He wanted her, and was aching already. His cock was hard against his stomach, throbbing in time with his overexcited heart beat.

  “What do you want?” he muttered, aware that he was nearly growling the words.

  She smiled, still resting that finger on her lips and flashing pearly white teeth amidst the pink of her mouth. “Isn’t that obvious?”

  “Uh…” Faolan didn’t know what to say. It was obvious, yes, or so he hoped. “Why me?”

  She laughed. “There aren’t many like us around here. I’m sure you know the problem. Humans just aren’t up for what we want.”

  “What are you?”

  “Can’t you guess?”

  “Some kind of cat. A big one, probably.”

  She cocked her head and pursed her lips. “It doesn’t matter, does it? All that matters is that we are here. I’m not interested in shifting anyway, but I need you to understand that there is more about me than what you see.”

  “Okay. Do we have this room to ourselves?”

  “Yes.” She shot him a wink over her shoulder as she walked to the door and raised a key ring. “For as long as we want to.” She pushed the key in the lock and turned it around, then walked back to him with slow, teasing steps. Faolan’s cock twitched. She was driving him mad with this slow torture.

  She stopped in front of him, head tilted to the side and lips curved into a tempting pout. It was more than he could bear. He grabbed her, pressed her slender body to him as he crushed his mouth to hers. She gasped in surprise and tensed in his hold, but then she melted against him, surrendering. He explored the sweet cavern of her mouth and savoured her unique flavour but it was just an appetizer. There was so much more of her that he wanted to discover and taste.

  She slipped her hands under his T-shirt, trailed the cords of muscle on his back upwards and back down, then squeezed his buttocks. He flexed his muscles and she giggled into the kiss. It was nice, so he did it again, but then he was no longer in the mood for playing.

  He lifted her up and carried her to the weight bench. She moaned a protest when he laid her down, but he ignored it and trailed his hands down her front, cupped her full, heavy breasts and squeezed them gently. Her moan became a sound of pleasure. He rubbed her nipples with his thumbs. They were erect and pushed against her thin gym top like two eager buttons waiting to be pushed, so he pressed them some more before he followed the line of her flat stomach further down to the hem of her shirt and slipped his fingers under it.

  He couldn’t wait to see her naked. Her well-rounded breasts were a temptation he couldn’t resist and he leaned down as soon as he had freed them, brushing a kiss across one and then the other before he closed his lips around the left nipple and suckled it. She let out a small gasp and he bit the sensitive nub, careful at first then harder until a soft cry escaped her. He turned to the right nipple and repeated the action. She arched up to him, welcoming his lips and teeth.

  He was sorry to let her go so soon, but he wanted more. Her breasts were exquisite but there was just so much more to play with. He trailed a line of kisses down her peach-skinned belly to just above her waistline. She didn’t complain when he tugged at her shorts, so he pulled harder and slid them over her hips. He’d gripped the little nothing that was her underwear along with the cotton shorts, so she was naked now. He leaned back to appreciate her. She was beautiful, all creamy smooth skin and lush curves. Despite her long, slender legs and arms, she had curves, a nicely rounded hourglass shape that made him long to run his tongue over every single inch of her.

  He started with her thighs. They, too, were soft under his touch and he stroked up and down their lengths a few times before he slipped his hands between them and parted them. She followed his lead willingly and offered him her core.

  Her scent filled his nostrils, sweet and spicy at the same time and his mouth watered in anticipation. He lowered his head and lapped at her. She twitched, then went still again as he traced her with his tongue, following each line and fold until he found the little sensitive bead.

  He took it with his lips, just like her nipple before and nibbled it in between lightly flicking it with the tip of his tongue. Little by little he found out what she liked and he was fairly pleased with himself when it didn’t take long until she gripped his hair and pressed his head deeper between her legs. She was moaning almost constantly now. He risked a quick glance upwards and found her watching him, plump bottom lip trapped between her teeth. She was so beautiful and even more alluring in her arousal than she had been before.

  Reaching up again, he cupped her breasts and played with her nipples just like he played with her clit until she jerked and shuddered underneath him. Then she went still and he knew he had the right spot. Just a little longer now, just a few seconds. He suckled her clit into his mouth and she came with a high-pitched wail, writhing and gasping in orgasm. It was all he could do to give her until she had caught her breath. He was so hard for her, aching with the need to come, and he wanted nothing more than to sink into her and bury his swollen flesh in her inviting, moist folds.

  Her flavour was still on his tongue as he leaned up to kiss her. He was close to howling with relief when she pressed a small foil package into his hand. He didn’t have a clue where she’d got the condom from and he didn’t care, but he loved her for it.

  Slipping the thin latex glove on was almost more than he could bear but he forced himself to hold back. No way was he going to pass on his chance to fuck her. He pushed into her and had to grind his teeth against the overwhelming sensations she caused in him. She was so warm, so wonderfully wet and slick and her body welcomed him, surrounding his shaft like a well-fitted glove.

  He thrust into that lush heat. She moaned and flexed her inner muscles, nearly sending him over the edge.

  “Too much for you?” She grinned up at him.

  “Cheeky,” he growled and thrust into her again, harder this time. She stopped grinning and sighed instead, closing her eyes.

  “Too much for you?” he mocked as he pounded into her with fast, hard stabs

  “Nn-nn.”

  It obviously wasn’t. She wrapped her legs around his hips to cling on to him even as he steadied her with his hands on her hips. He appreciated the supple but smooth flesh under his fingers, then he brought one hand between their bodies, to that place where they were united. His cock and her cunt created a magic of their own. He added his fingers to the mix, sought out the small bud he’d played with earlier and rubbed it. He could barel
y hold back now as he fucked her on the low bench, slamming his cock into her over and over again.

  She came first, again, and the contractions of her inner muscles as she climaxed wrung his own orgasm from him. He toppled over the edge after her, excited and on emotional overload as he witnessed her pleasure before he closed his eyes and gave in to the overwhelming sense of relief that swept through his entire being. He bucked over her, shot his load inside her body, then cowered over her, instinctively protecting his female. The irony wasn’t lost on him, but he pushed the thought away and enjoyed the feeling of blissful exhaustion instead.

  “That was…” he started after a while but he didn’t know what to say to describe this act so he looked down at Tara. She smiled.

  “Magnificent?” she suggested.

  “Hmm. Yes. That sounds good.”

  “I knew you were the right choice.” She pushed against his shoulder and he took it as his cue to pull out and move away from her. He removed the condom, then picked up her shorts and handed them over. “Did you?”

  “Yes.” She flashed a smile as she grabbed her clothes and pulled them on. A cute flush tinted her cheeks and her lips were plump and swollen. Faolan leaned in and claimed a quick kiss.

  “I’m not the only one around, you know,” he whispered, chiding himself the moment the words were out.

  “Aren’t you?”

  “No. My roommate,” he explained in response to her raised eyebrows.

  “Hmm. Good to know. My colleague checked him in and I haven’t met him yet but what she said about him made me assume you’d be more interested in me than him.”

  “What did she say about him?”

  “That he prefers guys.” She picked up her keys and shot him a wink. “We could do that again if you’re up for it.”

  “You know I am.”

  She nodded on her way to unlock the door. “I do. And maybe we can get that roommate of yours to play along. I bet he’d be a lot more willing if you were part of the package.”

  Faolan stared at her in surprise. “You mean… Both of us?”

  Lingering, she smiled back at him. “Of course. Or do you fear the competition? He could fuck you while you fuck me.” She didn’t give him time to digest this revelation and come up with an answer. She blew him a kiss and left him standing, confused but excited by the suggestion. A threesome. What a nice thought.

  Faolan returned to his room in high spirits and with a stupid grin on his face. It had been far too long since he’d had a quick shag in a public space and he’d nearly forgotten how good it felt. And that suggestion of Tara’s kept creating the most alluring images in his head, along with keeping him semi-aroused. Some of his high spirits dropped when he entered his room. Shayonn had made a tip of the place. There were sweets wrappers all over, empty glasses leaving water-stains on the furniture and a half-eaten sandwich attracted the flies where it sat sweating on the coffee table.

  The man himself lay curled up on the sofa, dozing in front of the TV like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Moving slowly as if approaching potential prey, Faolan inched his way closer. There was more than one reason for him to be careful. He still didn’t know what the guy was in his other shape and while was unfairly beautiful and looked innocent enough with his light blond, almost white hair and striking green eyes, it would be foolish not to take him seriously. That was the problem with shifters. You never knew which element of their other shape showed in their human form.

  Chapter 3

  Shayonn dreamed of blue skies and glistening waves. A huge castle, high up on a cliff, overlooking the bay. Its many turrets seemed to reach for the sky from Shayonn’s perspective, and just as they didn’t stand a hope to ever make it that far, Shayonn couldn’t get any closer to the castle. It was too high, and the sharp rocks were impossible to climb which was part of the reason his ancestors had built it in that particular place.

  Shayonn knew the scenery and even in his light, dozy dream he understood that his subconscious was showing him images from the past. The meaning of it wasn’t hard to figure out. A strange smell tickled his nose and he was awake in an instant. He couldn’t tell what that scent was. Nothing he’d ever come across before, that much he knew. It was alluring, tempting. Utterly arousing yet at the same time mystifying. There was something else in it too, something feral and ancient that went under his skin and took a hold of him.

  Its powerful effect surprised him. He was getting hard, which wasn’t all that astonishing really because the man in front of him was bloody hot despite the fact that he scared Shayonn a bit. No, what was unexpected was that Shayonn wanted to shift. He had the confusing urge to change his shape and become the animal he hid inside.

  He opened his eyes and found himself almost nose to nose with Faolan. All he’d have to do was move his head an inch or so and maybe tilt it to the side a bit and they could kiss. What would Faolan taste like? Enticing like the mysterious scent that clung to him or more like his other self, the hidden one?

  They stared into each other’s eyes for several long, tension-filled heartbeats. Faolan had seemed angry to start with, and Shayonn had a good idea why that was, but then the other man’s set expression softened and he looked merely bewildered.

  “What are you?” Faolan whispered.

  Shayonn let out the breath he’d been holding in a long sigh. “So you know what I am?”

  “Of course I know. Just tell me what you’re afraid of.”

  “I’m not—” Shayonn fell silent at the glance Faolan gave him. “I’m having control issues,” he admitted “When I’m… You know.”

  “In shifted shape?”

  “Yes. And when I’m in normal shape, but then it’s at least a bit easier to deal with.”

  Head tilted to the side, dark eyebrows raised, Faolan didn’t say anything, but Shayonn understood the prompt. He sighed. “I’m less likely to hurt people.” He was relieved that he managed to make the lie sound like a confession. Faolan would buy it. He seemed like the guy who would understand that reason.

  Faolan blinked only once, and briefly, and he never really broke the connection he had with Shayonn’s eyes. “You mean it has happened then?”

  Shayonn bit his lip and nodded.

  “Why?”

  “Why? What do you mean ‘why’?” Shayonn asked with a snarl that would have sent any other person cringing for shelter, but not Faolan. Shayonn wasn’t quite sure what the other shifter was, but doubted that he was physically superior. Few of them were and it seemed Faolan understood that, too. Shoulders squared and head lowered, he exposed the bare side of his neck in the universal sign of animal submission. Some of Shayonn’s anger evaporated at the sight, leaving a dull ache in its wake. Faolan’s skin was so inviting, so smooth and not for the first time, Shayonn wondered what it would feel like under his fingers. Against his lips. And what would it taste like if he licked it?

  “You think too much,” Faolan whispered. “You’re still young. You have to learn to control these urges but for that, you have to let yourself feel in the first place.” His breath was on Shayonn’s face as he leaned in and added, “Let yourself be and accept what you are.”

  “What makes you think I don’t?” Shayonn mumbled. Damn if he let the grumpy bastard play him like that.

  “Hmm, let’s see.” Faolan’s deep brown gaze flicked across Shayonn’s face, searching, exploring, questioning. “You’re a cheeky sod with attitude, yet when I mention that you’re a shifter, you get tame and shy like a little lamb. Just why don’t you accept it?”

  Shayonn winced, as usual when someone got too close to discovering the secret he kept so well hidden. “I do—accept it,” he replied reluctantly.

  “No, you don’t. You’ve locked yourself up in a hotel room instead of going out and roaming the woods the way you want. The way you should.”

  “You do the same,” Shayonn pointed out.

  “I know.” Faolan nodded. “But I do it because I want a break away fr
om it all. I need to spend some time among humans every now and then so I remember what it’s like.”

  “What makes you think it isn’t the same for me?”

  “I just know. You are hiding from something.” Faolan reached out, trailing his fingers over Shayonn’s cheek. Sharp arousal zinged through Shayonn, stronger than before, and longing burned in his groin. It had been so long, too long since he’d been with someone and Faolan was a temptation he just couldn’t resist. He needed him. Now. He lunged forward.

  “Shh, easy,” Faolan chuckled. He had taken Shayonn’s impulsive leap well, merely spreading his arms and wrapping him in a tight hug.

  “I…want…you,” Shayonn ground out in between pressing frantic kisses to Faolan’s shoulder. Damn, but the man tasted delicious. Of salt and sweat, his own sharp, musky flavour, and this mysterious other scent that clung to him and clouded Shayonn’s senses.

  “Seems you’ve changed your mind about me,” Faolan gasped, winding in Shayonn’s rib-crunching clasp.

  “Nn-nn. I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you. I know I shouldn’t, but you’re so damn irresistible. And you smell so fucking good.”

  “Maybe that is because I just had an intense, uh, work out,” Faolan murmured.

  “Did you?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  Shayonn shrugged and pulled Faolan closer. “I don’t care if you’re sweaty. I’ll make you sweat some more and then I’ll help you clean up, how about that?”

  Despite Faolan’s reluctance, his body responded to the soft motion of Shayonn rocking against him. A throaty moan escaped him and yet, he shook his head. “Honestly, I’m tempted, but not now. And not until you have told me—”