Lone Star Secret (Shifters in the Heart of Texas Book 4) Read online

  But Kaiya somehow knew deep in her gut that Pierce wasn’t dangerous. Not to her at least. Pierce had the look of someone who could easily kill anyone who crossed him, but he didn’t seem crazed enough to kill off a random bookstore owner. No, he wasn’t trying to hurt her. He needed her help for some reason. But none of it made any sense to Kaiya right now.

  She shook her head, as though trying to shake off the strangeness of the situation, and then she climbed into her car to head home. She would worry about Pierce and the strange journals later. Right now, she wanted to focus on her date with Drake Wilson. Just the thought of sitting across from Drake at dinner tonight was already making her heart do flip flops in her chest. She hadn’t felt this way about a man in a long time, and she was going to savor every second of it.

  Chapter Four

  Kaiya had eaten the flourless chocolate cake from the Persimmon Springs Steakhouse dozens of times before, but it had never tasted quite this good. Sitting across the table from Drake in the romantic candlelight, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world. The chocolate cake was just a bonus. As the sweet dessert melted on her tongue, she nodded her head enthusiastically at Drake’s analogy of the latest poetry anthology he had read.

  Kaiya was drunk on red wine, good food, and the company of the smartest, most handsome man she had ever had dinner with. The strange journals from earlier that day were long gone from her mind. All she could think about right now was how Drake Wilson was the perfect man for her. Why had she never noticed him before? She’d wasted so much time pining away for men who were all wrong for her. Drake was everything she could have asked for, and more. Smart, sexy, funny, and kind.

  As much as Kaiya was enjoying her chocolate cake, she was getting antsy for this meal to end so that she and Drake could be alone somewhere. Her insides were on fire at just the thought of his lips on hers. And maybe, just maybe, they could take things further than simply kissing tonight. Kaiya wasn’t usually the type to move this quickly, but, then again, nothing had ever felt this right before. Drake’s laugh rang out across the restaurant as he reflected on the hidden comedy in one of his new favorite poems, and Kaiya closed her eyes for a moment just to relish the musical sound.

  It appeared she wasn’t the only one anxious to find somewhere more private than the restaurant, either. As soon as she had put the last bite of her dessert into her mouth, Drake signaled their server for the check. Kaiya felt the warm tingling in her core intensifying as Drake looked over at her with fiery eyes.

  “I’ve got a bottle of a really nice red wine at my place,” he said. “Do you want to come over and have a glass with me?”

  Kaiya wasn’t sure she could handle any more wine. She didn’t want to get all out drunk, and she was already feeling quite tipsy. But the wine wasn’t the real point of the question, and she knew it. What Drake really wanted to know was whether she was ready to be alone in his bedroom with him.

  And she sure as hell was.

  “I’d love to,” she said, giving him a sultry smile.

  Drake grinned at her as he handed his credit card to their server.

  “Good,” he said. “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

  Kaiya felt another thrill go through her. He was definitely talking about more than just wine right now.

  Fifteen minutes later, Drake was holding the front door of his house open for Kaiya.

  “My lady,” he said with a slight bow.

  She grinned at him and walked in. They both kicked off their shoes in the entryway, and Kaiya looked around at the roomy ranch style home. His place was decorated with a very modern style. Kaiya loved the airy, crisp feel of it, and she was impressed with how well everything flowed.

  “This place is awesome,” she said. “You did a really great job of decorating it.”

  “Thanks,” Drake said as he closed the door behind him. “Although I’m afraid I can’t take much credit for the furniture and decorations. I’m actually quite hopeless when it comes to that sort of thing, so I hired an interior designer to do it for me. I’m very happy with how she spruced up the place.”

  “Well, you should be,” Kaiya said. “She did a great job. And good for you for getting help. I can appreciate a man who acknowledges his weaknesses and gets help overcoming them.”

  Drake grinned, then stepped forward to put his arms around Kaiya. He pulled her body close against his, and Kaiya felt the now familiar thrill of passionate heat rush through her at his touch.

  “What should I do about you, then?” he asked, his voice husky and low in her ear. “Because I would say that right now, you’re my greatest weakness.”

  Kaiya trembled as she looked up and met his eyes. She didn’t say anything, just parted her lips in invitation.

  All thoughts of wine were forgotten as Drake responded. Kaiya felt the breath go out of her as he kissed her. He was so strong, and yet so tender with her. His tongue was hot and smooth, dancing with her tongue and sending ripples of pleasure through her entire being. He pushed her up against the wall of his kitchen, just as he had pushed her up against the brick wall of the building earlier. Only this time, they were alone, and neither one of them had to get back to work. There were no worries about time, or about who might be watching. The only thing Kaiya could think about was how wonderful Drake’s hips felt pressed up against hers.

  She could feel his erection through his jeans. He was large, and she whimpered with anticipation. She wanted him inside of her right now, but, at the same time, she wanted this moment to last forever. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to memorize every detail of his kiss. She loved the way his broad chest put pressure on her breasts, and she could feel her nipples standing stiff and alert, aching for his touch. He seemed to sense this, because at that very moment he reached up to unbutton her shirt. He pushed her soft pink blouse off, and then reached to unclasp her bra, sliding it off quickly as well. He stood back for a moment, his hungry, fiery eyes taking in her bare breasts with appreciation.

  Kaiya trembled under his gaze. Her body felt like it was burning up from within, and she could feel the juices of her desire soaking the clothing between her legs. With a soft moan, she reached to unbutton Drake’s shirt as well. She pushed his shirt off, and took a moment to do some admiring gazing of her own. His chest was broad and muscular, and it gave way to abdominals that were shaped into a perfect six pack. She could see the beginning of a muscular “V” taper just above the hem of his jeans, and she moaned again. She knew where that “V” led to, and she could hardly wait to see it.

  Drake let out what sounded like a low growl, and then he lifted Kaiya off the floor. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, and he growled again as he nuzzled her ear with his nose.

  “Come on,” he said in a voice that was hoarse with passion. “Let’s go somewhere a little more comfortable.”

  He carried Kaiya to his bedroom, and the whole way there she felt tingles of pleasure as her nipples grazed against his bare chest. When he reached the bedroom, he laid her gently down on the bed. He unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, pulling them off and leaving her wearing only her lacy black panties, which were soaked with desire by this point. He unbuttoned his own jeans and pushed them off, too, so that the only other clothing between their bodies was his tight black briefs. Kaiya could clearly see the outline of his erection now, and she couldn’t keep another moan from escaping her throat.

  Drake gently pushed her up so she was lying on her back on the bed, then he straddled her so that his hips were even with her hips. The rock hard stiffness of his dick felt amazing even with their underwear between them. Drake leaned down over her, and put his mouth on her nipples. He sucked at first the left, and then the right. He swirled his tongue around the hard nubs, and then used his teeth to gently chew at them. Eventually, he nibbled harder, sending shocks of tingling pleasure through Kaiya’s body. She arched her back and moaned. She had never felt her body so warm. It was almost like she was
on fire, but there was no pain. Only the most indescribable pleasure she had ever felt. Drake was a quick study, and soon knew all of the spots on her breasts and neck that would drive her the wildest.

  After several rapturous minutes of this, Drake pulled back and looked into her eyes, his own eyes full of passion but also filled with a gentle, concerned expression.

  “Do you want more?” he asked, his voice a husky whisper.

  Kaiya whimpered and nodded.

  “Are you sure?” he said. “I want nothing more than to make love to you right now, but I know we’re moving fast. I want to make sure you’re comfortable with this.”

  “I’m sure,” Kaiya breathed out. “I’ve been daydreaming about this moment ever since you kissed me outside of the café.”

  Drake smiled, then leaned down to give her a soft kiss on the lips.

  “Well, then. I wouldn’t want to disappoint you,” he said with a small grin.

  He slid backward so that he could grab her panties and pull them off. They left a trail of wet desire down Kaiya’s legs as he pulled them off, and she shivered as the cool air of the bedroom drifted over the moist trail. Drake threw the lacy garment aside, and then stood at the edge of the bed for a moment to push off his own underwear. His erection sprang free as he stood fully naked in front of Kaiya. She drank in the sight of him, hardly able to believe that this giant of a man was standing there aroused because of her. She let out another soft moan, and Drake responded to the sound.

  He climbed back onto the bed, hovering over her slick entrance and looking at her eyes one last time to be sure she was ready and willing. She gave him a slight nod, and they both closed their eyes as he slid into her.

  The heat in her body instantly intensified. She hadn’t even thought it was possible, but the fire within her burned even hotter. Drake’s erection pushed against her, filling her completely and pushing against her inner walls. Every nerve ending between her legs was tingling, and Kaiya gasped at how deep inside of her Drake had gone. He was enormous, and he was setting off sensations within her that she had never felt before.

  He slowly began to rock his hips back and forth. The motion caused the tingling pressure within Kaiya to build rapidly. She could feel herself nearing the point of total release, but she held on as long as she could. The pressure and tingling of his dick sliding in and out of her was the most delicious sensation she had ever experienced. Finally, though, she could hold back no more. With another arch of her back, and a long, loud scream of his name, she gave in.

  Her body spasmed over and over, sending a fresh wave of hot electricity through her with each tremor. Her inner muscles clenched around Drake’s dick over and over, hungrily claiming it as hers. Kaiya was lost in a tsunami of hot pleasure like she had never felt. She was so overcome by the moment that she barely even realized what was happening as Drake stiffened and threw back his head, letting out the loudest roar she had ever heard.

  He came into her, pulsing a hot stream of himself into her body. The feeling of it set off a fresh wave of tremors in Kaiya’s body, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she let the moment wash over her. It was a full minute before the intensity of the moment began to slow down.

  Drake slid out of her, and lay next to her, pulling her into his arms. She was a sweaty, sticky mess, and so was he. But neither one of them cared. They lay together in each other’s arms for a long time, neither one of them speaking. Finally, Drake kissed her nose and smiled at her.

  “You’re incredible,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m the luckiest guy alive.”

  Kaiya blushed, suddenly feeling shy. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she said.

  “Please tell me you’re staying the night,” Drake said. “I want you in my arms when I wake up tomorrow morning. I can loan you one of my t-shirts and whatever else you need.”

  Kaiya grinned. She didn’t have to open the store tomorrow, so it wouldn’t be a problem that she didn’t have any clothes here. She wouldn’t have to wake up extremely early to go home and get ready for work. And nothing sounded more wonderful right now than spending an entire night with Drake.

  “I’d love to stay,” Kaiya said. “Although I wouldn’t mind a quick shower to clean up. Our, um, recreational activities were a bit messy.”

  Drake smiled and sat up, pulling her with him.

  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll shower with you. Maybe we can both get a little dirtier before cleaning up.”

  Kaiya couldn’t keep a silly grin off her face as she allowed Drake to pull her off the bed and into the master bathroom.

  Chapter Five

  Forty-five minutes later, Drake and Kaiya finally made their way out to the kitchen where the bottle of red wine he had promised her was sitting on the counter. She was wearing a pair of his gym shorts, and one of his t-shirts. The sight of his shirt grazing across her perfect curves was enough to make him go hard yet again.

  They had gone for round two in the shower. Drake had been mostly joking when he’d implied they should make love again before cleaning up, but Kaiya had taken his invitation very seriously. As soon as they were under the hot stream of water, she had knelt down to use her mouth to pleasure him. Drake had quite literally gone weak in the knees, and after she made him come into her mouth, he’d been unable to stop himself from pushing her up against the shower wall. He’d driven her crazy once again, right there under the steaming cascade from his showerhead.

  Now, however, they were finally settling down. It was almost midnight, and Drake knew he had an eight o’clock appointment tomorrow morning. But he didn’t want to go to sleep yet. He wanted this night to last forever. And so, he offered Kaiya the wine, even though he knew they’d both had more than enough to drink already. She hopped onto one of the barstools next to his kitchen island and smiled.

  “I think I better not have any more wine,” she said. “I’m afraid if I drink any more, I’m going to wake up with a nasty hangover. Do you have any decaf coffee or tea?”

  Drake nodded. “Yup, sure do. I could make a peppermint tea?” he offered.

  “Sounds good, thanks,” Kaiya said.

  Drake busied himself boiling water for the tea, stealing glances back at Kaiya every now and then. She had looked incredible when he picked her up for dinner, all dolled up with perfect makeup and hair. But he almost liked her better, now. Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, and it had a natural, healthy glow to it. Her damp hair was pulled up into a loose, messy bun, and a few tendrils fell around her face, framing it perfectly.

  She looked tired now, and Drake figured he should probably get her tea made quickly and get her to bed. He didn’t want to be responsible for her feeling like a zombie at work the next day. As soon as the water boiled, he poured it over the fresh peppermint tea leaves.

  “It just needs to steep a few minutes,” he said, his back against the countertop as he spoke. Kaiya nodded, but didn’t say anything. She suddenly had a faraway look in her eyes, and her brow had furrowed a bit into a worried expression. Drake suddenly felt worried himself, as alarm bells went off in his head.

  Was she frowning because of him? Should he have held back on sleeping with her until they’d gone out a few more times? He knew they had both wanted to make love in the heat of the moment, but perhaps he should have given her more space to rationally consider things before moving forward. The last thing he wanted to do was mess things up with Kaiya. He had barely started dating her, and he already knew that he wanted this to last forever. He could feel a warm glow in his core, and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was the lifemate bond. Kaiya was meant for him. He had to do whatever it took to make her feel at ease with him.

  “Kaiya?” he prodded gently, forcing himself to use a calm tone. “Is everything okay? You look a little troubled.”

  Kaiya focused her eyes on him as he poured peppermint tea into a mug and set it in front of her. She wrapped her palms around the mug and stared at the steaming liquid for a few moments before speaking.

&nb
sp; “Yeah, it’s fine. I was just thinking about work today. It was kind of a weird day,” she said.

  “Weird how?” Drake asked, pouring himself a mug of tea and once again leaning against the counter as he waited for her to continue. Her brow was furrowing even deeper now, and he could tell that she was trying to decide whether to tell him more about what was bothering her.

  “Well, it was actually a pretty normal day, for the most part,” she said. “The store was really slow, and I was counting down the minutes until five o’clock, so I could lock up and go home to get ready for our date. But then, right before I closed up the shop, a strange man I had never seen before showed up.”

  It was Drake’s turn to furrow his brow. He didn’t like the sound of this. “What did he look like? Did he threaten you in any way?”

  Drake could feel his dragon raring up within him. If anyone tried to hurt Kaiya, they would have to answer to him now. His dragon would not hesitate to burn to a crisp anyone who dared to lay a finger on his woman. Drake already knew that he would fight to the death for Kaiya. In one day, she had woven herself into the fabric of his heart. He was ready to go to battle for her at a moment’s notice, but nothing could have prepared him for what she said next.

  “He didn’t threaten me. In fact, he was very polite. But he asked me to safeguard a box of journals for him. He told me I was supposed to give them to someone, and that I would know when the time came who was supposed to have them. I kind of thought he was just some crazy old fool, but he spoke so clearly and purposefully that it was hard to pass him off as a lunatic.”

  Drake couldn’t explain why, but he suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Kaiya was more right than she knew. Something more than just a crazy old lunatic was at play here.