Naomi and Tyler (Plenty of Shift Book 2) (5 page)

“You weren’t kidding,” she said.
Our first date’s going to be between two buildings.

He turned to her when they’d stepped out of the glare of the streetlights, coaxing her gently backwards until she made contact with the brick wall. Over her the big man stood, his blue eyes reflecting the dim light, flashing desire as they took her in once again.

“Tell me how you’re feeling,” he said.

“How I’m —feeling?”

“Yes. Tell me what’s going on in your mind.”

“I’m feeling as though if you don’t kiss me now I’ll go mad and never recover.”

He took both her hands, stretching them to their sides as he pressed his pelvis into her, his enormous erection making its presence known again. And then, as though they’d both waited a century for this moment, their lips met, need and want mingling in their hot, growing pressure. Everything that had built up released, an explosion of delight, wonder and euphoria, setting in a devastating craving for more.

Still he pushed his body into her as his tongue made its way past her lips. His very taste was sex, as though the sensation was foreshadowing how every other inch of him would feel on her own tongue. And his need echoed in his hard length, standing bolt upright, crushing against her softness in stark, beautiful contrast.

And then his sweet lips were on her neck, slipping along her skin and leaving a trail of ruin in its wake as she felt her body give in to every bit of desire.

Oh God.
His lips were finding their way aggressively to her breasts, the man on his knees, his hands working their way up the outside of her legs. He seemed to want to touch every bit of her, to absorb her with his senses.

Hungrily, fingers eased under her skirt, sliding up to the fronts of her soft thighs as he spread his fingers, grasping her tight as though to ensure that she was real. He buried his face in her, inhaling her scent as he cupped her smooth ass, fingers sliding in between her thighs.

Naomi let out a quiet moan of approval, encouraging him to continue. And so Tyler slipped his middle finger under her panties. He could feel her wetness, she knew, his finger dragging across her clit, a deep, satisfied sigh emerging from between his gorgeous lips. Her sodden pussy was a testament to her desire, as if he didn’t already know how much she wanted him.

“I don’t know where to start with you,” he moaned. “I want to take you piece by piece, then to put you together and start over. I want to do things to you with my mouth, my fingers, my…”

“You can do anything and everything,” she said. But somewhere in the back of her mind was another swift reprimand.
You haven’t gotten to know him. He’s hiding things, and you’re about to have sex with him in an alleyway.

But she hushed the voice. Stronger was the one that growled at her, her inner animal, telling her to give in to desire. That she should accept what was happening without question or analysis. She’d never wanted anyone like this in her life. Never been so aroused, so excited by a man. He was…
special.

T
yler managed
by some magic to be firm and gentle at the same time as he held her wrists, pinning her hands at her sides. His lips seemed to glide over any skin that was exposed, grazing her neck, her jawbone, her own lips again and again, each time a delectable tease. And still he pressed into her, forcing her body into a sort of willing submission as she enjoyed every second of intense pleasure.

“Have you ever been taken in a place like this?” he growled, the lion in him dominant as his lips landed on her collarbone, his body backing away slightly.

“Never. Have you taken many women in a place like this?”

“Never.”
But,
his lion growled internally,
I will take you here and now, Naomi. I need to claim you.

He pulled her away from the wall, his hands slipping behind her, finding the top of her zipper and making quick work of it. As the dress slipped away, Naomi felt hot palms on her back, seeking the closure of her bra. Her body trembled under his touch, as though already on the verge of explosion.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“Not in the least,” she said. “Though my teeth might start chattering. You’re doing…strange things to me.”

“Good,” he said, smiling as her bra came away and he slid his hands forward, pulling her clothes off her shoulders and down. He cupped his hands over her breasts at first as though wishing to provide her with a modicum of coverage. But it wasn’t long before they’d moved underneath the round white flesh, his eyes fixed on her nipples, which tightened with the cool of the night.

“Are your nipples sensitive?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He kissed her again and this time she bit his lower lip, the animal in her possessive and mischievous. She felt him smile as she did it; a sign of approval as his tongue swept over hers once again, savouring her taste.

As he pulled back, his eyes met hers and he brought a thumb to her mouth, slipping it over her lips as she understood. She took his hand with both of hers, his thumb penetrating her mouth as she sucked it, her tongue lapping at its tip.

“You have an exquisite mouth,” he said. “My little ferret.”

“Thank you. We’re known for our mouths.”

“I look forward to getting to know it more intimately.”

He ran his wet thumb over her nipple, staring once again as its tip reddened, hardening to a pebble as Naomi let out a soft gasp.

Tyler eased her dress down further then, slipping it over her generous hips, and she stepped out of it into the cool of the night air.

“You’re so damned beautiful. If I’d known what this evening might entail,” Tyler said, “I’d have been a happy man.”

“And are you? Happy, I mean?”

“So fucking happy that you don’t even know.”

He was on his knees in an instant, his fingers pulling at the waist of her lace panties, tugging downward so that he could see a tuft of well-groomed hair. As Tyler’s eyes came up again to meet hers, he slid an index finger into the dip between her legs, teasing her clit before finding her slick opening.

“I can’t believe how wet you are,” he moaned.

“Can’t you? I can. I was wet when I saw you at Miri’s. I was wet when you texted me. My pussy has been ready for you since the first moment I saw you.”

“Well, then, I shouldn’t keep it waiting.”

He yanked her panties down without hesitation, her high heels the only thing left on her body.

“Don’t be mad,” he said, kissing the tops of her thighs, his hands easing her legs apart. “I want to eat you out.”

“I’d be insane to tell you to stop,” she said, letting out a quiet laugh as she moved her feet apart. Something about standing in this dimly lit place in nothing but heels, her legs splayed, felt amazingly naughty, sexy and empowering, all at the same time. At any moment a person could turn this way and see her, the gorgeous man kneeling before her, his mouth about to send her into fits of ecstasy. What a sight the two of them must be.

But more amazing was the sensation. It had been so long since her pussy had been tended by someone’s tongue that she’d nearly forgotten what it felt like. But Tyler seemed to know just what to do.

Each hand crept up, his fingers gently circling her nipples as he lapped at her, slowly, surely, taking in each inch of her wetness as though grooming her. Inside, her ferret purred with contentment as it remembered the lion within him; the beast, strong and powerful, now as gentle as anything.

He pinched her nipples softly between the index and middle fingers, pulling them just a little as she pressed her palms into the wall, staving off the inevitable climax.

“That feels so good,” she murmured. “Keep doing it just like that.”

But, almost in defiance, he changed his pattern, his tongue focusing now on only her delicate bud. Naomi felt her channel tighten into a mass of nerves and contracting muscle, readying itself for him to be inside her.

“Naughty boy,” she said softly, her hands gripping his hair as she pulled his face away. He looked up at her and smiled, his teeth gleaming white despite the dark.

He rose a little, his two hands cupping her left breast, teeth biting her nipple gently as she tossed her head back. Again, he rubbed her with his fingers, his thumb and middle finger rolling her clit gently between them as he moved to the right nipple.

“Have you ever been naked in a place like this before?” he asked, his lips moving down her torso again as his hands grasped her thighs.

“No.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He returned his attention to her pussy, lapping at her so that his tongue penetrated her again and again, her juices coating his mouth. She was unabashedly wet, proud of how horny he made her.

As his tongue flicked over her clit she watched, enthralled and wishing that she were filming him. She could watch this over and over again—the man who devoted himself to her absolute pleasure. He was feral in his task, a wild thing, giving in to a desire to pleasure her before taking her for himself.

And then, without missing a beat, his cool fingers were slipping over her slit, then easing into her, two, three at once, splitting her open for him. He fucked her like that, his tongue still focused, still intent on its task.

She knew that he could feel it: the pulsing, the anticipation of her channel as it prepared for her orgasm. She would come, and then she would beg him to be inside her, if necessary. She needed the cock that she’d felt pressing into her backside. She’d never wanted anything more, in fact.

And as she thought about it, imagining what he would feel like inside her, she exploded, a soft cry escaping her lips as she came for him.

He responded with a moan as he ate her, his fingers driving into her deep, hard, a reminder of things to come.

Naomi flipped herself around, presenting her back to him and he understood, tearing his pants down to sit at his ankles. Once again she felt him push into her backside, his long, thick shaft resting for a moment in the cleavage of her round ass.

“Is it okay?” he whispered, his breath hot on her neck once again.

“Yes,” she said. “So okay.”

He was gentle, his cock head seeking her welcoming slit before easing into her. But when it had made its entrance, he thrust hard, eliciting another cry from his naked companion, whose palms lay flat against the wall before them as she bent to receive him. “You’re huge,” she moaned. “So huge.”

“Is that a problem?” he asked, half-grinning and half serious. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“So far from a problem. Fuck me,” she ordered. “Take my body, now.”

T
yler grinned
before his expression shifted to a serious one. Inside him, his lion let out a fierce growl; a possessive statement. She was his, this woman: she was his for good. He was marking her now, with his teeth, with his scent. And soon she would have all of him, just as he was taking all of her.

And it felt so good and so right, as he pulled out, his eyes taking in her shapely curves, her beautiful wetness spread over his hardness. This was as things were meant to be.

He pulled out completely before navigating back in and thrusting hard once again. He loved how vocal she was, as though she didn’t give a shit if anyone could hear them. She just wanted to be fucked; she was an animal, like him. And her pussy was sublime. Velvet, taking in his length and milking his shaft, tight and warm around him.

As he stared at her ass he felt his hips speed up, almost of their own volition, his body driving into hers forcefully as she encouraged him. His hands went to her hips, pulling her back as he pushed himself inside her, deep, his body slamming into her with conviction.

“I need you, sweetheart,” he said. “I need this.”

“Take it, take me,” she groaned. “Use me for every need that you have. I want it too.”

He slammed into her again and again, his pace frenetic. And then he felt his mind empty, his head spinning as he shot heat into her core, her pussy tightening around his cock, draining him of everything, his soul, his essence left inside her.

And even after he’d come, he fucked her slowly, not wanting to leave the pleasure of her body behind.

“You’re sweetness personified,” he said, easing in and out of her luscious body. “In every sense of the word. I could fucking eat you up.”

“So do it,” she replied.

“I will. I’ll eat you so many times that you beg me to give you a break. And then I’ll eat you some more.”

When he’d pulled out, she turned to him once again, making no move to grab her dress from the ground. Her body glowed light in the dark, a lovely sheen between her legs evidence of their combined arousal.

Tyler took in her eyes, shining in the dark. They were so beautiful, so feminine and sexy. They looked into him, searching for clues as to who and what he was, seeming to wonder if he was real.

He leaned in and kissed her once again, this time more tender than the last, his immediate need sated, if only slightly. “Please,” he said, his forehead leaning against hers for a moment. “Tell me that I can sleep with you tonight. Tell me I can do this to you again. That I can eat you some more. Please.”

“If you think there’s any way I’m letting you go home, you’re mad,” she said. “I’d tie you up and drag you into a cab if you made me. I may be a ferret shifter, but I’m strong.”

“Good. Get dressed and let’s go. I’m not leaving you anytime soon.” As the words came out, he wondered if he meant them.

I
n the morning
when Naomi awoke, her new lover was gone.

Only a note remained on the kitchen table:

In her gut, a nagging feeling began to churn.

The night had been fantastic. Tyler was everything that she’d wanted, and more: strong, sexy, gentle and firm all at once. After their tryst in the alley, she’d brought him home and they’d spent very little time sleeping; most of the night had consisted of his mouth on some part of her.

But now he’d left a terse note with absolutely no indication of interest in her. She wasn’t new to the rodeo and she’d seen this sort of behaviour before. In her experience, men had a nasty habit of running away after they’d gotten what they wanted. Maybe, after all, the gorgeous lion shifter was just like every other man. Maybe everything he’d said the night before had been bullshit; an attempt to get her naked.

She sighed. What the hell was it with males, anyhow?

But her shifter’s instincts had been so clear last night. He was somehow meant for her—she’d known it. Why the doubt this morning? Probably some sort of fog caused by a temporary addiction—the night of great sex had only made her want more. And sex with Tyler had been a few levels
above
great; it had been remarkable. He was working on a whole new level, and to tease her with his offerings, only to take them away immediately, seemed cruel.

Men sometimes seemed content to wander the world, spreading themselves around among the female population as though it were some noble act of generosity. A night of passion with a woman might be enough to satisfy a man like him before moving on to his next victim, even if
she’d
woken up wishing for a thousand more nights just like it.

Naomi rose from the bed, wondering if her first instincts about Tyler had been too on the ball. He was troubled deep inside, and that might mean that real intimacy might be impossible. He was a runner. Maybe she should have gone for Quinn, the wealthy wolf shifter. He was probably stable, at least.

Fuck it. I saw the guy possibly hitting on a way-too-young woman at the gala. He’s probably no better.
As she threw on her robe, she reminded herself not to regret choosing the lion over the wolf, and to hold him to his word, at least for the time being. He might call. No. He
would
call. He’d said so. She was filling herself with doubt because it was the easy way out. Being angry with him was far simpler than admitting that she’d quickly begun to feel for him as she’d never felt for anyone in her life. And it scared the living hell out of her.

But for now, she’d be a grown up and drink her coffee, trying to forget temporarily that between her legs her body was still purring with pleasure. She’d write her damn book. Something told her that today’s chapter would involve a spurned, angry woman. A woman whose heart had opened ever so slightly; just enough to let in a shred of fondness, desire and hope.

Stupid, stupid hearts. Fictional or not, they were organs of betrayal and foolishness. And hers was no exception.

A
s Tyler stretched
out his arms in the cab’s back seat, the vehicle surged towards his destination, its driver seemingly oblivious to the fact that the man behind him had spent several hours engaged in mind-blowing sex with the sexiest woman he’d ever met.

His eyes glazed over as he recalled the first thing he’d seen when he’d slipped out of Naomi’s bed that morning. Standing by the window, he’d turned to look at her as she slept, the newly rising sun projecting its first rays through the thin curtains that draped the large windows. It was earlier than he usually got up—not yet 7:00 a.m. But he was unaccustomed to sleeping with a lover. Lovers, historically, were only required for his own temporary satisfaction, a respite from the voices in his head condemning him as unworthy of their attentions.

But as he’d stared at her, pulling his tuxedo pants on, the voices in his head migrated to his chest. Naomi was so lovely. Her makeup was all but gone, hair tousled by their eventful night. His fingers had locked into that mane of hers more than once, and her fingers in his, pulling, pleading, demanding, the animals within them dominating their instincts as they’d possessed one another. And yet at moments they’d been gentle with one another, almost loving.

And now she was peaceful and quiet, the previous night’s passion mostly erased from her face. Though her lips, slightly parted, were still swollen pink and inviting—more evidence of their activities the night before. She was an angel, if angels gave incredible blow jobs and had pussies that a man’s cock could live in forever. If angels made a guy feel important, entertaining, and valued. And if angels walked the earth and shifted into ferrets—which seemed like a long shot.

As Tyler had stared at her, it had hit him: this was the sort of woman he could be with forever. And as much as he knew he should be happy about it, the thought scared the living hell out of him. If she was the one—or even
a
one—he would have to tell her about his past. And she would probably run like the wind. It would be the only sane thing for a woman like her to do, and he wouldn’t blame her. He should never have gone to Miri’s, never subjected a woman like Naomi to his presence. He was a jagged piece of glass, broken and dangerous.

He’d thrown on the rest of his clothes, jotted down a few words on a scrap of paper and left it on the table for her. It said that he had to check on the Sovereign, which wasn’t entirely true. But still, he
should.
He’d basically bailed on his duties the previous night, albeit with the blessings of a drunk lion shifter. It was his job to make sure that Lucas had made it home safely.

Outside, he’d hailed the cab and headed for Lucas’s place: a glass-walled penthouse atop one of the city’s tallest skyscrapers in the Shardik territory. Lucas had given his trusted bodyguards the access code so that they could come and go as they wished, and he intended to make use of the privilege rather than buzz and risk waking the boss.

The building stretched skyward, tall, narrow and silver, reflecting the clouds in its glass panels. Tyler looked up at its impressive height when he arrived, a slight pang of envy setting in. What must it be like to be able to live on top of such a place? But he was no Sovereign; he was a guardian. And they stayed closer to earth.

When he’d entered the foyer, he used his code to take the express elevator that landed him in Lucas’s living room and wandered over to plant himself on a high stool at the kitchen’s counter.

A few minutes later, he watched from his perch as a half-naked woman dashed to the bathroom, followed by Lucas, who walked behind her, cool and collected in a bathrobe. Noting Tyler’s presence he came into the kitchen, leaving his guest to her shower, and sat down opposite his bodyguard.

“So? Was your night as productive as mine?” Lucas asked, a wicked smile on his lips.

“It was very productive, thanks. And would it be unprofessional of me to tell you that you smell of pussy?”

“I’m supposed to. It’s in my DNA, as it’s in yours. Lions are big pussies and all that.”

“True.”

“Besides, I could say the same for you. Coming in here in a half-buttoned tuxedo shirt, smelling like you spent several hours pleasuring a woman with every part of your body.”

Tyler looked down and noticed for the first time how unkempt he was. There were, he’d decided long since, two possible looks for a man in a tux: well-groomed and handsome, as a man prepared out to whatever affair he had to contend with, and the absolute disaster of the morning after. Usually the latter involved a series of questionable stains and some sort of accidental exposure of the chest or belly. In his case, a bit of tanned, taut stomach showed through a gap in the shirt where he’d missed a buttonhole. He was fit enough that the sight wasn’t by any means disgusting, but it was still likely unappealing to the boss.

As he fixed his shirt he spoke again. “As you’ve surmised, my night was excellent. Thanks for letting me take off.”

“No problem. I could see that you weren’t focused on me anyhow.”

“Yeah, about that. I…”

The Sovereign chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I know how these things work. You meet a woman and your brain explodes. For all intents and purposes, you turn into a drooling moron for several days, or, if you’re really lucky, months. So, tell me about this lady who robbed you of your mind, and possibly heart.”

Tyler hesitated.

“Come on,” said Lucas. “You can tell me. I didn’t get to this position by revealing my friends’ secrets.”

Friends.
Yes, that was what they were, of course.

“All right. You know that I went to that dating agency the other day.”

“Yes, and you got selected by the lucky lady. And what happened?”

“Well, I’d never met her, but we texted a little and she sent a photo. And last night, there she was, at the gala.”

“A happy coincidence. So I take it that the two of you hit it off, given that you’re probably not wearing underwear at the moment, and quite I’m sure she isn’t either.”

“Hitting it off is putting it mildly. Something hit me hard last night—something powerful. I needed her, I had to have her. I don’t even know how to describe it.”

“You’ve found a shifter who could be your mate,” said Lucas. “I don’t believe in fate or any of that, but I do think there are only a few people out there who can give us what we really need. And it seems that you’ve found your way to just such a woman.”

“That’s very profound of you,” said Tyler. “I’m not really used to earnest talk from you, Luke.”

“Well, don’t get used to it. You should remember that I’m a jerkoff. And where is she? What the fuck are you doing at my kitchen counter, when you could be on top of her, chastising her soundly for her lack of panties?”

Tyler laughed. “You know, that’s a really good question. She’s probably still in bed. And if she’s not, she’s probably wondering if the note I left her is one big lie, and if I’m a total douche.”

“Note?”

“I said I’d call her later.”

“Ah. So you definitely fucked her brains out. Only a man who’s fucked a woman tells her he’ll call.”

“I will reveal nothing of our activities.”

“Maybe not, but your clothes reveal a lot. And don’t forget—there’s a lion inside me with a damn good nose.” Lucas sniffed the air around Tyler. “Let’s see—I’d say you went down on her, then fucked, then fucked about two more times. Probably went down on her several times in between, too. Well done, by the way.”

“You’re pretty close, actually. And thank you.”

“So you like her. Or at least your the beast between your legs does.”

“My beast, and the rest of me, like her a lot. But it’s the rest that I’m worried about.”

“Specifically the bit in your chest—the part that pumps the blood to your brain and cock, which, let’s face it, are largely interchangeable organs.”

“Yes.”

“You told me that you’re worried that if things get serious, you’ll have to reveal what happened a long time ago. And I’ll bet that’s why you ran away this morning, even though last night you resolved to do exactly the opposite, didn’t you?”

Tyler grimaced. Lucas was never to be underestimated; for all his womanizing ways, and all of his drinking, he was highly intelligent and intuitive. He knew exactly what was going on and why.

“Pretty much. I’ve avoided relationships all this time because I didn’t want to talk about my past. But Naomi—she’s amazing. I’d have to tell her, or risk losing her.”

“So tell her.”

“She’s a writer. What if she turns against me and puts it in a book?” Tyler grinned as he tried to avoid the matter through a feeble attempt at humour.

“Well a) she won’t. And b) if she does, sue her ass off and wear it like a hat.”

“We’ll see.”

“Fucking hell, Tyler. Don’t wind up like me. Don’t be an irresponsible pussy hunter who sleeps with a different woman every night. You have it in you to be crazy for someone. So be crazy. Go for it.”

“Maybe I will, boss. I think I need some time to figure this out.”

“Well, don’t take too much, or you’ll lose her.”

I
t was
around two p.m. that Naomi’s phone rang. Fully expecting it to be a telemarketer or someone even less appealing, she answered without even looking at the number. Her voice was rigid and hostile.

“Hell-o.”

“Naomi.”

“Yes?” Her heart did something approaching a back flip when she heard the voice. Well, this was unexpected—even though it shouldn’t have been.

“It’s Tyler. I don’t know if you remember me, but we met last night. Fucked in an alleyway. Then on your floor. Then in your bed. Or, if you prefer, we ‘made love with élan on several occasions.’”

“Yes, I remember now—black hair, right? You’re what? Five foot five?”

“Light hair. And I’m quite tall, actually.”

“Oh, well. I must’ve been thinking about the other guy that I fucked after the first guy left me without so much as a good-bye.”

“Okay, I deserved that. Listen, I’m sorry I took off this morning without kissing you. Hell, I’m sorry that I didn’t stay in bed with you all day. But I’d really like to see you again, and maybe I could make it up to you.”

Well, this was another surprise. She wanted to tell him so—that a man walking out like that was generally to be taken as a big fat slight—but she bit her tongue, literally.

“Okay,” she said, her voice forcing itself not to convey any internal excitement. She wanted at least to hold some power—to let him know that she wasn’t going to be jerked around, and that if he did so, it wouldn’t hurt. Even though it damn well would.

“When were you thinking?” she asked.

“How about tonight?”

Naomi could do nothing to resist the smile that formed on her lips then. Tonight was perfect.

N
aomi spent that night
, and every night for the next two weeks, with Tyler. Even when he had to work late and could only make his way to her place at three a.m. And each night, they’d made love in some form or other, each ending up a spent, content mess coated in perspiration and grins.