The Shifter's Kiss Read online

  The fruit was ripe, lush and juicy but almost tasteless as he recalled the sweetness of her nipples. When she went to shift her hand away, he gently ensnared her wrist and, before she could protest, sucked one finger after another into his mouth, licking away the mango juice.

  She shuddered and her eyes widened. Her voice had a needy quaver as she spoke. “There’s plenty of fruit.”

  He grew even harder as he imagined those parts of her he had not tasted just yet. Picturing the flush on her nether lips and the juices he wanted to wring from her, he was thankful for the tray that hid the way his cock hardened and jerked at those thoughts.

  But he didn’t want to rush her. Not just yet, so he nodded and released her hand, picked up a piece of fruit and offered it to her. Like a wild animal unsure of who was feeding her, she stole it quickly from his hand.

  They continued sharing bits of fruit and the empanada pastries until not a single thing remained on the tray.

  Victor leaned back against the headboard and rubbed his belly. “That was tasty. Did you make them?”

  She shook her head. “My father. My mother taught him well.”

  When she removed the tray and set it aside on the floor, her gaze dipped down to his lap and just that quick, needy look had him hungering for her touch and taste once more.

  “Are you always this...”

  “No,” he admitted quickly. Since being injured during the fire, and after, when he’d decided to finally follow his dreams, he’d had little time for relationships.

  “So why me?” she asked, but even as she did so, she slipped her hand beneath the sheet and covered his erection.

  He jumped at her touch, surprised by the openness of it. By that hint of innocent wonder he’d sensed in her.

  “I guess I could ask the same thing, Nali. Why me?”

  “You saved my life.” Her response was possibly too quick and she averted her gaze, looking down to where she moved her hand on him, stroking and exploring the length of him.

  “As you did mine,” he reminded her.

  A shrug followed his comment, unsure and almost evasive.

  Victor placed his thumb and forefinger on her chin and with gentle pressure urged her face upward to meet his gaze. “I like you touching me. I like touching you, but there’s more going on here than just that.”

  He surprised himself by saying that, true as it was. She fascinated him, and it had little to do with her beauty or the fact that she maybe wasn’t quite as human as she seemed right now.

  “Nothing else is here. Nothing but man–woman things.” Beneath her words there was pain and loneliness. Sadness gripped him hard with that realization.

  He was a man who didn’t like to see others suffer. It was what had driven him to be a firefighter. The realization of how he suffered was what had put him on the road that had led him here. Maybe that was fated to be. Maybe she also was fated, he thought and swiped his thumb along the line of her jaw.

  “Maybe in time you’ll see that it can be more, Nali.”

  She had been touching him the whole time, but now she stopped and tears shimmered in her gaze again, as they had last night. “There isn’t enough time. I cannot stay for long.”

  He nodded. “Then let’s make the most of the time we have.”

  He moved forward to kiss her once more, but yet again she demurred, looking away. So he took advantage and dropped a kiss on the sensitive skin just beneath the shell of her ear, continuing downward to the crook of her neck, where he inhaled deeply.

  She smelled as clean and fresh as an ocean breeze.

  He licked the soft skin there before closing his lips against her flesh and sucking gently. Her hand tightened on him and he smiled against her neck.

  “Do you like that, Nali?” He licked and sucked her again and a soft sigh escaped her.

  “Yes.”

  “What else do you like?” he asked and moved his head down the exposed line of her shoulder until he reached the edge of the dress she wore. He reached up and pulled the fabric downward, exposing the full swell of her breasts.

  “I like when you kiss me there,” she said and skimmed her gaze across her breasts for only the briefest moment before returning that gaze to his lap and the motion of her hand beneath the sheets.

  He lifted her dress up and over her head, regretting even the short moment she left him to allow that before once again diving her hand beneath the sheet to touch him.

  The soft daylight spilling in through the open windows bathed her body, bringing out the gorgeous golden color of her skin and the deep caramel of her nipples. They were already hard and he had to restrain himself from devouring her. He wanted to savor this gift from the sea and bring her not just pleasure, but joy.

  His body tight with restraint, he bent and touched the tip of his tongue to her nipples, ignoring the pull in his side, which objected to the movement.

  She jumped once again from that simple touch and then cupped the back of his head with her hand and pressed him close.

  As Victor encircled her nipple with his lips, Nali closed her eyes against the sight of it. Against the pleasure that tender touch brought.

  She didn’t even realize she had moaned until he asked, “Did I hurt you?”

  “No,” she answered without hesitation and tightened her grasp on the back of his head, stroking him harder beneath the sheet.

  A kaleidoscope of colors filled her vision as she took in all the sensations being with him brought. The heat and damp of his lips sucking and the gentle nibble of his teeth. The caress of his rough, calloused fingers—a man’s touch—along her nipples and the sensitive skin of her breasts.

  Beneath her hand his cock was hard and hot. So full and responsive. Her vagina clenched in emptiness, wanting to be filled by that length once more. At her core, her clitoris swelled and begged to be touched.

  She dropped her hand downward and found that nub, caressing herself until he whispered, “Let me, Nali.”

  He slipped his hand between her legs and, with a man’s sureness, exposed her clitoris to his touch. He stroked and pressed against it while he continued loving her breasts with his mouth and his other hand.

  Wave after wave of pleasure swamped her and she clenched her hand around his cock. Stroking harder, faster, he brought her ever closer to a climax, and she pulled him along with her with the caress of her hand.

  He grunted at one sharp pull of her hand and then said roughly, “I need to be in you, Nali. I want to be in you when you come.”

  She was almost there, and she didn’t hesitate to yank away the sheet and straddle him. Sinking down on him hard, she shattered, her back bowing as the pressure of him filling her sent her over the edge.

  His wild groan burst against her breasts as he joined her with his release, but he didn’t stop loving her. His lips skimmed the tips of her nipples, kissing the fullness of her breasts before moving up to that sensitive spot just beneath her neck. As he had before, he opened his mouth on her and sucked. Between her legs, desire slammed into her again, dragging her upward.

  She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, riding the ebbing hardness of his cock as with another bite on her neck she came once more.

  Chapter 7

  Victor cradled her in his arms as her body shook from the force of her climax. Her muscles milked the last of his release from him, the powerful undulations of her vagina caressing him. He maintained his erection long past the point he had thought poss
ible from the failing strength of his body.

  The spear through his side had not hit anything vital, but the wound and last night’s fever had weakened him.

  Even as he soothed her, running his hands up and down her back, kissing that sensitive spot on her neck where he had marked her with his loving, his mind and body were pulling him to rest and restore his strength.

  He fought back the fatigue, understanding just how much she needed the connection, both physical and mental.

  When some semblance of calm had returned to them, he shifted so they were lying down once more, facing each other. Their legs intertwined and his arms lay loosely around her waist.

  “Will you stay?” he asked, risking a glance at her face to judge her state of mind. He suspected Nali was much like the shark that had circled him warily in the water, approaching only to retreat once more.

  She surprised him by meeting his gaze directly and cupping his jaw. She ran her thumb across his lips in a caress as intimate as any kiss. It made him wish that by the time she left him, she would find the courage to really kiss him.

  “Why do you want me to stay?”

  “Because I’m tired of being alone.” An honest answer and one he hadn’t thought to make. Since leaving the fire department, his single-minded goal of becoming a marine biologist had kept him apart from those around him. It was only once he’d come here, to complete the task he’d dreamed of, that he realized he had no one with whom to share the joy of that success.

  Nali nodded and lay her hand along the swell of his chest, close to his heart. “Rest, Victor. I’ll be here when you wake.”

  With a smile, he closed his eyes, an unexpected lightness in his heart that matched the freedom that came to him beneath the surface of the ocean.

  Nali did not fail to miss the way the tension ebbed from his body. She waited until the slow, regular breath of sleep confirmed he was resting. Only then did she take a moment to explore him in ways she could not while he was awake, fearing they would reveal too much to him. Make her too vulnerable.

  She glanced up at his face in rest. That boyish smile still graced his lips. Lips that were both tender and demanding. She touched the spot where he had marked her and it sent a zing of arousal through her. She had never considered herself so wanton, yet he brought out the desire to always be joined with him. Even now, despite the satisfaction he had brought her just moments earlier, her insides vibrated with need.

  Tamping it down, she continued her visual exploration of his body, dipping her gaze to the damage along his shoulder, arm and upper chest. The flesh there was both shiny and rough, and she held back from touching it, afraid of waking him. But she had seen him grimace after he’d pulled himself from the water, and she suspected the wounds were more than surface deep.

  Definitely more than just physical scars.

  Tired of being alone, he had said and she understood. As one of the last of her kind, hunted as game, she spent far too much time in the solitude of the sea. Restlessly seeking that which she would never find there: love.

  Her father had found it on shore with Nali’s mother. He’d given up what he was, the leader of their diminishing group, to live on land with her.

  Only her mother had died and left them both alone.

  Just like Victor would one day leave, Nali told herself as she shut her eyes against the tears she had already shed far too often in his presence. They were a sign of weakness and she was far from weak.

  She was Nali, the shark goddess. Goddesses did not cry. Nor did they sacrifice who they were for mere mortals. Her father had learned the painful reality of that choice.

  Victor could only provide a respite from her loneliness. A week of loving before she returned to her home.

  With that decision made, she allowed herself to enjoy the sensation of him surrounding her. The warmth of his skin was as delicious as that of the Caribbean waters. The rasp of his chest hairs against her breasts was a tease much like the softness of his dick along her belly. She itched to reach down and awaken his passion once more, but she knew he needed to rest.

  Which reminded her that when he woke, she would need to check his bandages and feed him.

  Mentally she made a list of the things she required to help him heal quickly, and once she was certain he was in a deep sleep, she eased from his side to gather them.

  She intended to make the most of the time she had on land.

  * * *

  The enticing smells of something spicy woke him from sleep.

  He reached out for Nali, but she was gone and that made him pop up in bed, straining his side.

  She turned at the sound of his movement and smiled. She wore the dress made from the brightly colored molas the Kunas created and was busy working at the gas-powered stove at the far side of the room.

  She stopped stirring, shut off the flame, then walked back to the bed and sat on the edge as he rose and leaned back against the pillows. With an ease that relaxed him, she brushed a kiss along his cheek and rubbed the back of her hand along his midsection.

  “You slept the day away,” she said.

  He glanced toward the open windows and realized the sun was low in the horizon.

  “You wore me out,” he teased and stroked his hand down her arm.

  Her smile brightened and a stain of pink erupted on her cheeks. “You’re just weak.” Her smile turned awkward as she quickly added, “From your injury.”

  He grinned and shook his head. “Don’t worry, Nali. My male pride is not that fragile.”

  “I have some fresh ointment and bandages. We should change your dressings.”

  Before he could say anything else, she sprang into action. She walked to the table and came back with a tray that held a basin of fresh water, clean towels, bandages and a small dish filled with something green and pasty-looking.

  “What is that?” He pointed to the dish.

  “It’s more of the ointment I used last night.”

  He grimaced. “The one that stung like a bitch.”

  A mischievous grin returned to her features as she bent and unwrapped the bandage around his midsection. “Surely a big, strong man like you can handle a little sting.”

  “So much for my male pride,” he teased back, liking the easy way they had together.

  “It’s healing nicely,” she said, and he looked down at his side. The puncture wound had no traces of pink or anything else that warned of infection. Surprisingly, it even seemed to be knitting without the benefit of stitches.

  “It is.” He watched as Nali dampened the cloth and then gently cleaned both sides of the wound, exposing the smallish area that had yet to close. That made her frown and scoop up a goodly amount of the paste with two fingers.

  Her gaze flitted to his for a moment. “Brace yourself.”

  He did, dragging in a breath and gritting his teeth when she smoothed the paste over the area and the burn registered in those parts that were still raw. When he released his pent-up breath, she covered the areas with clean gauze. A moment later, she wrapped the bandages around his midsection again to keep them in place and apply pressure to help close the wounds.

  As she worked, the smell of her tantalized him and the feel of her hands on him, even at the simplest task, renewed his desire. He covered his growing erection with his hand, but she brushed his fingers away and instead eased her hand over him. Only the thin fabric of the sheet separated the smooth flesh of her palm from his dick.

 
“Why do you wish to hide this?” she asked, her caresses exploring the hardening shape of him.

  “I don’t want you to think that’s all I want from you,” he admitted. He wanted to know Nali, the woman, and not just her body.

  She shrugged and continued with her caress. “This is as natural as breath. As beautiful.”

  He reached down and stilled the motion of her hand. “I want to give you more than just this.”

  She pulled away from him and tilted her chin up at a determined angle. “What if this is all that I want?”

  He arched a brow in challenge. “Then I’d say you’re a liar.”

  In a burst of speed, she flounced away from him and back to the counter, where she tucked away the medical supplies in one of the cupboards. Then she started up the flame again and resumed her cooking. “You must be hungry. I know I am.”

  He was hungry, and not just for food or sex. He was hungry to know more about her and what made her tick. Maybe in time she would give him what he wanted.

  He hated the thought of being stuck in the bed all day, having had too much of that during his recovery from his burns. He scooted to the edge of the bed and applied pressure to his side for support as he forced himself to his feet. Dizziness made him waver for a moment before it passed, and he walked to the table she had already set for a meal.

  He was pleased that he could manage more than just a shuffle. Despite his earlier complaint about the paste she had applied, the heat of it working through his side had cut down on the pain.

  “What’s in that green glop?” He sat down at the table.

  “Some herbs and leaves the Kuna have used for centuries,” she answered with a sharp shrug before dishing out whatever she had been cooking onto plates.

  She walked over and placed the dishes on the table, her movements jerky. Clearly she was still annoyed with him, but he was not about to let her mood ruin the coming night.

  “Thank you. This looks and smells delicious.”

  “It’s a simple meal,” she replied as she forked up some of the omelet she had made.