In Heat (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #1) Read online

  She leaned back, her slick pussy pressing against his hardening cock. She ground it a little, feeling it stir beneath her and moaning when the head of it rubbed against her clit.

  She stared into his eyes as he opened them again, his hands coming down to skim up her thighs. Heat exploded inside of her, sweeping through her body in a shiver as his hands dipped in towards her crotch, and his thumbs brushed her pussy lips.

  He smiled, holding her gaze, trapping her in his. She couldn't look away, couldn't focus on anything but his eyes and the exquisite feel of his thumbs dipping into her slick pussy. He brushed one over her pert clit, circling it and slowly driving her crazy with need. She ground against him again, using his hard cock to satisfy her hunger as his thumb tortured her.

  Spreading her legs a little further, she silently begged him to keep touching her, give her the release she so rarely found in her dreams of him.

  He jerked his hips up, grinding the length of his cock against her while spreading her pussy lips with one hand. She moaned and writhed on him as he brought two fingers against her clit, slowly rubbing it.

  Her teeth teased her lip and she wanted to close her eyes but couldn't. She could do nothing but stare into his, letting him see how he made her feel with just a touch, and knowing that he could make her feel so much more if he was inside her.

  She frowned when he raised her up, making her kneel astride him, and then groaned low in her throat when he slid one finger up inside her. He withdrew it and then easily slid two fingers into her, making her eyes widen. She was so wet and hungry for him that she was sure he could easily fit more in her. He thrust his fingers up inside of her, pumping her slowly at first but building into a fast, hard rhythm that had her panting for him when he brought his other hand into play. He circled and squeezed her clit, thrusting his fingers up inside her.

  She closed her eyes and threw her head back, rocking her hips against his hand and not caring if she looked wild with abandon. She had to feel it, had to feel just what he could do to her.

  Opening her eyes a crack and looking down at him, she breathed faster and faster, her heart thundering in her ears until she was sure she was going to pass out. She desperately rode his fingers, his name falling from her lips over and over until it all became too much. Her stomach clenched, muscles tightened, and she convulsed forwards against him, her cheek pressed hard against his chest as her orgasm carried her away. His tempo slowed to a steady slide in and out of her, drawing out the last spasms of her orgasm.

  Lifting her head, she stared into his eyes, only half aware of his fingers leaving her and his hands coming to settle on her backside.

  “That was...” she breathed, not quite able to speak, but wanting to tell him.

  He shook his head.

  “This is just a dream,” he said.

  She frowned when one of his hands left her and his other pushed her backwards. His cock pressed against her entrance.

  He smiled.

  “The best is yet to come.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Kim couldn't bring herself to look up when she walked into the meeting room the next day. She couldn't see Erik, not after fantasising about him like that last night, and certainly not after waking up to find herself soaked with desire and tingling as though she'd just had an orgasm.

  Still, it was the hottest dream yet and at least she'd had some kind of completion in it. She gave a furtive glance to the room and raised her head when she saw Erik wasn't there.

  The only occupants of the room with her were two men she didn't recognise, and Laura and Simon. She figured that the two men were the other party on the contract. One was definitely a lawyer. The sharp suit and preened back dark hair weren't the only dead giveaways. It was the way he kept shiftily looking at her and Laura, and the way he insisted on whispering everything to the other man in a voice loud enough that they could easily hear.

  Her cheeks flushed the instant the doors opened and Erik walked in. She tried to hold his gaze but failed dismally when he smiled. Her eyes shot to the floor, her blush making her whole body burn.

  He drew the chair beside her out and she inwardly cringed as he sat down in it. Her gaze was drawn to his legs as he stretched them out under the table. She remembered the lithe, strong feel of them beneath her. She shut her eyes and told herself to get a grip.

  Plastering on a smile and hoping she wasn't going to spend the whole day blushing, she opened her eyes and looked at Erik.

  He was watching her, his intense honey eyes making her want to melt into them.

  “Could I get you a coffee or tea, Mr. Blackwell?” she said with a bright, cheery air. The tremble in her voice rattled it though.

  He grinned. “I could use a coffee. One hell of a night last night. Almost too hot for me.”

  She felt the blush but couldn't stop it from happening. She died a little inside, knowing she was probably now the colour of beetroot. He didn't seem to notice. If anything, his smile broadened.

  Shuffling off to get him a coffee from the urns that had been laid out at the side of the room, she took deep breaths and tried to calm herself. She forced a smile when Simon appeared next to her, his grin just a little too perky for this time in the morning. She poured him a coffee too, seeing straight through his false smile to the tiredness underneath. He'd probably been out clubbing all night or whatever it was that he did to keep him up to such unholy hours. He'd told her about it once, and had tried to get her to go along with him, but she'd excused herself by saying that clubs weren't her scene.

  She handed him his coffee and then looked at the other one she'd poured. She'd forgotten to ask Erik how he took it. She glanced over at him and was struck by the look he was giving the man opposite him. There was so much anger in it, so much hatred, that it caught her off guard. Why was he entering into a contract with someone he clearly despised?

  She grabbed a couple of the little wrapped sugar cubes and put them onto the saucer along with a spoon. Carrying it across the room, she cursed the way the spoon rattled against the china cup, betraying her nerves.

  She set it down in front of Erik and then sat in her seat, managing a real smile when he looked across at her.

  “I forgot to ask how you took it. I'm terribly sorry. My mind is all over the place today. Hope you like it black.” She silently berated herself for being so casual with him, and reminded herself that just because he'd given her a mind numbing orgasm in her dream last night, it didn't mean she knew him well enough to be so informal.

  “I like it black,” he almost purred the words at her and her heart leapt into her throat. He leaned closer, resting an elbow on the arm of his chair, and bringing his mouth to her ear. He whispered, “Black is such a sensual colour, don't you think?”

  She swallowed and nodded dumbly as he withdrew back into his seat. She stared at the table and then at his hands as he stirred the coffee. It was mesmerising to watch the spoon going around and around. Before she knew it, her thoughts had slipped to the way his fingers had teased her like that, circling and squeezing.

  He placed the spoon back on the saucer and she squeaked when he touched her arm.

  “Kim?” he said in a low, intimate voice.

  She nodded again, lost in his eyes.

  “I think you're wanted.”

  Her eyes widened. She was wanted? Her temperature rose to that of the sun and her mouth went dry. His fingers slipped from her arm, brushing it lightly and making her even hotter.

  He looked past her.

  She turned and found Laura standing at the end of the table with her hands on her hips.

  “Maybe you should get yourself a coffee, Kim,” Laura said in a sharp tone. “I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes.”

  Kim blinked several times and then left her seat. She went to the coffee urn, pouring herself as much as would safely fit into the cup and loading it with sugar. She thought about adding milk but Erik's voice echoed in her head, telling her how sensual black was. She clos
ed her eyes and squeezed her thighs together when a delicious ache settled there.

  No milk.

  Black was sensual.

  She'd always liked black.

  Sitting back down, she opened the file in front of her and tried to concentrate on her notes. It was impossible when she could smell Erik's aftershave, and could feel the heat of him so temptingly close to her.

  “Shall we begin?” Laura said, her voice shattering the daydream Kim had been slipping into.

  The lawyer opposite her stood and cleared his throat.

  “My name is Lyle McConnaughy. I'm here to represent my client, Alistair Blackwell, in these proceedings.”

  Her gaze moved immediately to the man sitting next to him. Alistair Blackwell? She turned to Erik.

  “My brother,” he said casually, answering her unspoken question.

  She frowned and looked back at the man. She could see the resemblance now. He had the same honey-coloured eyes, and same jaw line, but his lips were thinner and his hair was a warm sandy colour, almost strawberry blond.

  He nodded at her, his eyes narrowing the tiniest amount and the corner of his mouth tugging into a smile that she swore was meant to be seductive. She dropped her gaze to her notes, frowned at them and then took a sip of her coffee. Her heart thundered.

  It seemed Erik wasn't the only man who could fluster her with just a smile.

  A thick wad of paper appeared in front of her. She stared at the first few lines, seeing Erik's name and that of his brother. Drawing it towards her, she wondered why he was entering into a contract with his brother and just what it was for.

  The room hushed as everyone read through the contract. She noticed that the only people not reading their copy were Erik and his brother. They were staring at each other and she could feel the tension radiating off them.

  She shifted her attention to the contract and scanned the first page, flicked through to the next, and then looked at it as a whole. There were at least forty pages, all jam-packed with what seemed to be paragraphs about asset sharing.

  She was halfway through when lunch was announced. It passed by quickly, nothing more than a short break in which everyone milled around passing niceties. She excused herself and went to the toilet, desperate to freshen up. The temperature of the room was rising as the sun moved around to hit the courtyard. Everyone returned to reading the contract after lunch and before she knew it, she was almost three quarters of the way through it. The door opened and someone came in, announced that more food was on its way, and then disappeared again. She frowned at her watch. It was late afternoon.

  Her gaze shifted back to the contract and stopped on the last paragraph she'd read.

  It was about blood.

  What kind of contract had a clause about blood in it?

  She looked at Erik, torn between asking and not asking. She knew that this was meant to flow smoothly, no questions asked, just read the contract and let them sign it, but there was something very wrong about a contract between two parties that so evidently hated each other and a contract that mentioned blood.

  Erik turned to look at her and then at the contract. She knew her finger was resting on the paragraph. She watched him read it, frown and then look at his brother and sigh.

  “Finally...food,” Alistair said as the door opened. She looked across at him. He grinned at her. “I'm starved.”

  Erik stood sharply. She stared at his right hand. It was clenched into a fist and shaking. She raised her eyes to his face and saw he was staring across the table at his brother. Her eyes moved to him. His brother was staring at her. There was a hunger in his eyes that unnerved her. She got the impression he wasn't starving for food.

  Standing, she smiled when Erik looked at her, his eyes dark and saying things that she didn't dare believe. His reaction had nothing to do with the fact his brother had clearly come on to her. She was thankful for the distraction when Laura came over, nudging her out of the way so she could talk to Erik. The food was laid out on the table and she went to the coffee urn, desperate for another caffeine fix. Simon opened the doors onto the small garden and she took a deep breath when cooler air washed over her, waking her up and lifting the oppressively muggy air of the room.

  She went to the balcony and sipped her coffee, grateful for a break from reading the contract and from sitting next to Erik. Being so close to him was too distracting. She just couldn't focus on her work when he was near her.

  “There seemed to be something you didn't like in the contract,” an amused voice said and she felt someone step up close beside her.

  Really close.

  She looked up into the eyes of Alistair. He smiled broadly and devoured a small neat triangular sandwich in one bite.

  “Paragraph 157,” she said, watching his expression closely.

  He cocked a brow, the smile remaining fixed on his face, and then leaned closer to her. He smelt like sin—dark and enticing.

  “Wouldn't you like to know about that one,” he whispered, his breath cool against her face.

  She frowned. There was definitely something not right about this contract. Alistair grinned and licked his teeth. There was definitely something not right about him either.

  “You're not supposed to talk to the opposing lawyer.” Erik's deep voice stirred her senses.

  She turned to look at him at the same time as his brother did. His face was darker than midnight.

  “Oh...I didn't know,” Alistair said innocently and took hold of her hand. He shook it, running his other hand over the back of it and covering it completely. He held onto it. She frowned again. “It's been nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other soon.”

  He walked away and she stared at his back, confused and trying to figure out what he'd meant. She was going to be sitting across from him for the rest of the day and Tuesday too. Of course they'd be seeing each other. Or did he mean something else. He'd said they'd be seeing more of each other. Just how much more of her did he want to see?

  She looked over at Erik. He was leaning against the railings, his eyes fixed on the garden below.

  “What's paragraph 157 about?” she said, nervous about asking him. She had to know.

  “You read it,” he said.

  “But I don't understand it.”

  He straightened, turned and frowned into the room. She presumed it was directed at his brother. She was surprised when he walked in, leaving her on the balcony. It made her feel cold, as though he was angry with her for some reason, rather than his brother.

  She followed him in and placed her cup down on the side.

  “Do you have somewhere I can smoke?” Erik said, close by her elbow.

  “There's the roof.” She pointed upwards and felt a bit stupid when he smiled. It wasn't as though he wouldn't know where the roof was. They were generally on top of buildings.

  “I can take you there,” Laura said with a sweet smile.

  He shook his head. “Kim looks hot.”

  Kim raised her brows when he turned to look at her.

  He smiled and she blushed.

  “I think she could use the air, and maybe we could discuss that paragraph.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Kim toyed with the cuff of her jacket and then removed it. She folded it neatly and slung it over her arm. The lift was taking forever to come.

  Erik shifted foot to foot beside her. Her gaze crept across to his shoes. If she had to guess, she'd say Armani. He was wearing black again. At least now she knew why he liked the colour. It was sensual.

  She swallowed at that thought. What kind of client was so open with his lawyers? All the clients she'd ever met were formal, high-power businessmen who wouldn't have given her the time of day if they'd met on the street. But not Erik. From the contract, she could see he had money, and not just a little of it. Why was he so different?

  “Sorry it's taking so long,” she said, filling the silence.

  He shrugged and smiled. His expression could easily have
been taken for saying that he didn't care, but she didn't let herself believe what her heart was saying to her. He'd just seen how warm she'd been in the stifling heat of the meeting room and that's why he'd asked her to go with him.

  The lift pinged.

  The doors clunked open.

  She swallowed hard again and waited for him to step in before following him.

  Turning, she pressed the button for the top floor and breathed deep as the doors closed. She was all right. She took deep breaths, telling herself that everything was going to be fine. Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine herself in a larger space than the tiny cramped metal box that was now raising her up floors while leaving a perilously large empty shaft below for them to fall into when the cables snapped.

  Her heart began to race.

  It didn't help that she could feel Erik close behind her, just a little off to her right.

  Her hands shook.

  This was stupid. She shouldn't have mentioned the lift. She should have told him they'd have to take the stairs.

  She looked up and swore she could hear the cables rattling as the lift eased jerkily past a floor.

  Then her worst nightmare happened.

  It stopped.

  She stared wide-eyed at the walls of the lift, trying to sense if it was still moving, desperate to convince herself it was.

  She smiled shakily over her shoulder at Erik.

  He frowned.

  “It does this a lot,” she squeaked and then cleared her throat, trying not to let him see her fear.

  He stepped towards her, cool and collected and seemingly not at all bothered by the fact that they were trapped in a oppressively hot metal box about to plummet to their untimely deaths.

  And all she could think about was kissing him, because if she was going to die, she wanted to know for real what it felt like before she went. She'd die happy then.