In Heat: Mating Call (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #2) Read online

  She wished she could step away from him, but she couldn't move as he ran a finger down her throat.

  “I thought that was a lion,” she said idly. “And isn't the black panther the king of the jungle?”

  He growled and his eyes flashed as he stepped back.

  She could feel the whole room staring.

  “Leave,” she said, feeling more confident now. She had to get him out of her office before he did something that could ruin her career, or worse, reveal to everyone here that there were some people on the planet that could turn into animals. Her brows furrowed when he didn't move and she pressed her hands against his chest. “Leave. Please? If you give a toss about me...”

  He sighed.

  “I won't give up on you. I won't let him have you.”

  She swallowed the dry lump in her throat and was actually thankful for once when Laura stormed into the room.

  “All right, what's the disturbance up here,” she shouted as she approached. “No visitors, Kim. If he's not a client, he'll have to go!”

  Kristian's eyes flickered into their cat state for a moment and she wondered what he was going to do. He'd confused her so much by coming here and acting like this. Why couldn't he have remained the way he'd been at the ball? Why did he have to become so attentive and seductive?

  He smiled at her, sighed as he looked right into her eyes with his brows furrowed, and then turned away.

  Laura stopped dead the minute he did.

  Kim stepped forwards to watch as Kristian approached Laura.

  “My apologies, beautiful lady.” He took her hand and kissed it, bowing at the same time. “I am Prince Kristian of Denmark. I was merely here to ask Kim a question about business, but it seems she is too busy to attend to me.”

  Laura practically swooned.

  Kim rolled her eyes, half thanking Kristian for playing along and not getting her into trouble, and half wondering if this was the reaction he'd expected from her. She wasn't prone to fainting fits around men, not even when they turned up the heat in the seduction department.

  Seeing her chance, she snuck off and made her way up the stairs to the roof. She sighed when fresh air wrapped its cool arms around her and she pulled out her mobile phone.

  She was just about to call Erik when someone licked her neck.

  She jerked backwards and growled. “I said piss off!”

  The world blurred as she was spun on the spot, strong hands tightly gripping her upper arms.

  Erik was frowning at her, expression blacker than midnight.

  “Piss off?” he said.

  Her eyes widened. “Erik?”

  “Who were you expecting?” There was venom in his voice, anger that was dark and frightened her.

  She'd never seen him, had never felt him, like this.

  “K... Kristian.” She stumbled on his name when Erik's look blackened further. “He was here.”

  Erik growled and she flinched, hunching and instinctively making herself small. He grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him as he stormed towards the door to the stairs.

  “He brought me flowers, but I sent them back,” she said, desperate to clear the air in case Kristian was still in her office and he said something about them. If she didn't say anything, Erik would be angry with her too. He'd think that she had feelings for Kristian and she didn't want to lose him over something as ridiculous as that. “He kissed me.”

  Erik stopped dead, his face still away from her and his hand now gripping her wrist so tightly that she could feel him trembling.

  He roared, the sound echoing across the rooftops, and a shiver danced down her spine.

  She stumbled down the stairs behind him, practically running to keep up as he went straight for her office. A part of her hoped that Kristian wasn't still there. She didn't need them to start a fight in the office. If that happened, she'd definitely be out of a job.

  He pushed the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall. No one looked up this time. She couldn't blame them. The anger was radiating off Erik in waves so tangible she was sure that everyone would be able to sense them.

  There was a white card on her desk, embellished and fancy looking. She didn't get a chance to see what it said before Erik had screwed it up. He turned sharply to face her and she expected him to shout at her, but he didn't. He looked at her with eyes that clearly betrayed his internal struggle as they flashed between anger and fear.

  “I can't control it,” he whispered and hung his head, staring at his feet. “I can't let it control me... that's the step, the path, anger controlling it.”

  She frowned, trying to understand what he was saying. She lowered her head and searched his eyes. They were flicking between their human and panther state.

  “I can't be like them,” he said, so quiet she barely heard him.

  It clicked that he was talking about his father and his brother. He didn't want to be like them, he'd always made that clear, but he'd never mentioned before what made them different to him. Was his primal side, his panther side, sometimes controlled by anger or rage? Anger was an instinct, something base that everyone had but had little control over. Maybe it affected the panther side of him and drew it to the surface.

  She reached up and touched his cheek, stroked it, hoping to soothe him.

  “Fight it,” she said in a low voice so no one but him would hear her. “You'll never be like them.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, slow and with as much love as she could pour into it. He leaned into it, as though seeking the comfort it provided, and her heart went out to him.

  “You're too good to be them,” she whispered against his lips. “You're like your mother, remember?”

  Erik frowned and closed his eyes to hide the tears. He put his arms around her waist and held her close, flush against him. He savoured the way she stroked the hair at the nape of his neck, twirling it around her fingers as she soothed the beast inside him. A moment ago it had felt as though it had been pacing back and forth in his heart, fighting to escape its cage, and he'd been so close to surrendering to it. Now, it was calm, docile as Kim stroked him.

  He couldn't let the anger control it, not like his father and brother always had. He never wanted to be like them, to do the things they'd done. All lycans were susceptible to their emotions. The animals inside them reacted strongest to fear and anger, to negative emotions. It drove them to react, sometimes with explosive consequences. He'd seen the way it had controlled his father, paving the way for his primal instincts to take over until all he was interested in was sex, fighting and food.

  Taking a deep breath, he rested his chin on Kim's shoulder. He wanted to tell her how much what she'd said meant to him. He was like his mother, but there were times when the anger inside of him was so strong that he felt as though he was going to succumb to it.

  The idea that Kristian had kissed her again, that he'd come after Kim when he wasn't around to protect her, turned his stomach and made his blood boil. He wanted to look after her, to make sure that Kristian wouldn't get his way and steal her away from him. He couldn't lose her. He'd fought so hard for her, searched for decades to find her, and now that he had her, he couldn't lose her.

  “Don't leave me,” he whispered, voice shaking as he held her tight. Her grip on him strengthened and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You're everything to me, Kim, and I'm nothing without you.”

  He didn't care how weak he sounded. She knew in her heart already that she was his only weakness, that for her he'd do anything. He'd open his chest and tear out his heart so she would see that he loved her.

  She pressed kisses to his cheek and he silently thanked her for every one.

  “I love you, and only you. I was born to love you,” she said and pulled back. He looked into her eyes, seeing the truth there as her words melted his heart. “It's destiny, remember?”

  He smiled and she did too. He could see relief in her eyes and knew it was because his eyes were back to
their human state now. He hated scaring her like that, hated to see her frightened of him like she had been on the roof.

  She cupped his cheek and gave him a concerned look.

  “Do you want me to take you home?” she said.

  He shook his head but was touched by how worried she was.

  “I have to go to a meeting.” He caught her hand and brought it away from his face, holding it.

  Kim melted in his arms as he kissed her deep and slow. He always made her feel so liquid and hot. No one else kissed like him, with so much love and tenderness but so much raw passion too. She felt a little flushed when he pulled back and smiled at her, all trace of earlier gone as though it had never happened.

  “You'll call me if anything happens?” he said.

  She nodded and he kissed her one last time before leaving. She watched him go, cocking her head to one side as she idly stared at his backside.

  When he was out of sight, she sat down and sighed. What a day. She wished it was over already but it was still barely past one in the afternoon. This afternoon was going to be a long one. She could already feel it dragging.

  By three, she was bored but distracted.

  There was again a man beside her desk.

  Her desk that was lost under four massive bunches of red grand prix roses. The card sat on her desk and she glared at it, trying to figure out what to do. Her eyes scanned the words.

  I think I love you. Meet me. 9pm. The Ivy. Kristian.

  She picked it up and tapped one corner of it against the table as she tried to make a decision. There had to be a way to tell him that she wasn't interested. Something that would sink in this time.

  She smiled.

  “Listen love. Either sign the received box or the refused. I can't wait all day.” The man huffed and held the slip out to her again.

  “Is there a name on the slip?” she said.

  He frowned. “Your name is on it.”

  She frowned too. “Okay, I'll sign, but I want you to take them to someone else in this office. Is that okay? Just take them up and make out that they're for her.”

  He sighed. “Anything to get out of here.”

  She signed the slip and directed him to Laura's office. When he was gone, she grinned and leaned back in her chair. With any luck, Laura would be stupid enough to go along with it and Kristian would realise that she just didn't want him.

  She wanted Erik.

  Her brows knitted again when a woman came in with a white box tied with a big white ribbon.

  “Miss Clark?” she said and Kim nodded. “Sign here.”

  Kim took the slip and signed it. When the woman was gone, she took the little cream card from underneath the bow on the box lid and opened it.

  I love you. Erik.

  She smiled and opened the box, excitement bubbling up inside her as she untied the ribbon and then lifted the lid. Inside was a beautiful hand tied bouquet of pale pink peonies, white gerberas and lilac cornflowers. She pulled the bouquet out along with the bubble vase it was in and placed it on her desk.

  The raffia ribbon that tied the flowers set them off and made her think of the country house as she looked at them.

  She couldn't wait to get back to the peace of the country and wondered if Erik would ever hire her as his legal counsel.

  Maybe she could convince him to work from home too.

  It would be wonderful to spend every day there with him.

  CHAPTER 14

  The room was dark, barely lit. The candles were burning low and still she hadn't found what she was desperately searching for. She closed her eyes as he moved against her, cock thrusting deep and slow, driving her insane with hunger and need. She wrapped her arms around him, whispering breathy moans of encouragement into his ear as he breathed hard into hers.

  Their skin was slick with sweat, sticking together and hindering their movements as they both continued their search for completion. She closed her eyes and then opened them again when he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. She stared down at him. He smiled.

  There was a flash of fire in his eyes as she began moving, wringing his length in her depths as she raised herself up and down on him. He groaned and then growled, the vibrations of it making her moan as she stared into his eyes.

  They were so pale.

  She'd never seen eyes like his. Just like she'd never seen eyes like Erik's.

  He moaned again, thrusting slightly as she rode his cock, but not breaking the slow pace of their coupling. She couldn't bring herself to believe this was happening, but it was.

  She closed her eyes and groaned when something cool and wet touched her skin and then someone moved up behind her. She bit her lip when skilful hands rubbed the gel into her nipples, torturing them and adding to the pleasure she was feeling.

  Her eyes shot wide open when that same gel was squeezed onto her backside.

  “Wait,” a husky voice whispered. “I need to be inside you too.”

  She stopped her movements, much to Kristian's dislike, and leaned forwards, knowing what Erik wanted. He massaged the gel down the crack of her backside and into her anus, slicking her up and making sure she was ready for him. She looked over her shoulder at him as he slathered his hard length with the same gel and then dropped the bottle to the bed.

  Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax as he slowly eased the first inch of his cock into her anus. She breathed hard, panting against Kristian's smooth defined chest as Erik inched his cock into her. It stung a little, but she knew how good it was going to feel once they were going. He picked up the gel and squeezed more onto her when she flinched a little, and his cock slid right in.

  He pulled her back up and it took a moment to adjust to the feeling of two cocks inside her. The sense of dirtiness and the sensuality of it was maddening. She groaned when Erik's fingers closed around her hips and he pulled out of her. When he thrust back in, he lifted her off Kristian's cock and both men moaned. She knew it was the friction of their two cocks against each other making them groan, rubbing each other as they drove in and out.

  She lost herself in the feeling of them moving inside her as they took her, their cocks alternately thrusting into her. She leaned into Erik, panting hard as the pace increased, taking her out of her mind. She wouldn't be able to take much more. Her body quivered in Erik's arms and she moaned when Kristian's fingers teased her clit. It was too much. Her eyes screwed shut, her heart thundering as she let them take her. She relaxed and gave herself over to them, loving the dual thrusting and the way it sent sparks racing along her nerves and into her belly, tightening it and heating it up until beads of sweat were trickling down her breasts.

  Their thrusts deepened, quickened, and she tried to hold on but couldn't. She came hard, stars dancing across her eyes as warmth spread through her. She clamped her muscles down and Kristian followed her, thrusting and spilling himself inside her. Erik moved quicker, pounding into her and groaning hard by her ear as he shot his hot seed into her.

  She sighed as she felt them both throbbing inside her, their cocks moving as they made a few last slow thrusts.

  She felt so sated and sleepy, so perfectly at peace.

  In moments like this, having two men wanting her didn't seem so bad.

  * * * *

  Kim finished tying her wet hair up as she walked into the kitchen and tightened the belt on her white bathrobe. She absently flicked a smile at Erik and then looked at him properly when he grinned at her. There was mischief in his honey eyes and she wondered what was so amusing when he gave a low chuckle.

  “Something to do with you?” He pushed the paper across the kitchen island towards her.

  Staring up at her was a very uncomfortable looking picture of Laura and Kristian outside The Ivy. He looked positively enraged. Laura looked rather oblivious as she smiled for the cameras.

  “He won't let you go that easily,” Erik said.

  As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Kristian wasn't going to stop pursui
ng her just because she'd set him up on a blind date with her superior.

  Erik stood and her eyes followed him as he crossed the room to the coffee. She raised a brow at the small white towel wrapped around his waist. He always looked so good dressed like that—fresh from the shower with wet hair and only a towel to protect his modesty. The stark white towel and his bronzed skin almost glowed in the bright light filling the room, and was a contrast against the dark wood cupboards of the kitchen.

  He refilled his mug and then took another down and filled it. She was still staring at him when he held it out to her. The movement made his muscles tense and shift. It was glorious to behold.

  He cleared his throat, dropping what she could only think was a not so subtle hint, and she blushed as she took her coffee from him.

  “He won't, you know,” he said, driving his point home.

  She sighed and sat on the stool by the newspaper. Her attention focused on it, on Kristian in particular. There was so much anger in his eyes, as much as she'd seen in Erik's yesterday.

  “You're right, but he won't win me over.” She raised her head and looked at Erik as he sat back down on the seat he'd been in before. “I've got all the man I need.”

  He grinned and pushed his breakfast plate to one side.

  “You liked the flowers then,” he said.

  She hopped down from the stool and moved around the kitchen island to him. She slipped onto his lap as he turned to face her and looped her arms around his neck as she kissed him.

  “I loved them,” she said. “Nobody knows me like you.”

  He locked his hands around her waist and smiled. “What did Kristian send?”

  She shrugged. “About a hundred red roses.”

  He laughed and she poked him in the chest. When he scowled at her for telling him off, she rubbed him behind the ear. He instantly purred and then frowned again.

  “Stop that,” he said, trying to evade her hand.