I’d inherited it. I had spent some of my happier years here, and no matter how bad the area got, I wasn’t leaving. They would have to drag my cold, dead body out of this neighborhood. I made it two steps into my bedroom and dropped down onto my bed before there was a knock on my door.
“Fuck,” I groaned with my arm over my face. People coming to my house unannounced was always a risk, which was why I didn’t share my home address with anyone. As a shifter, I didn’t interact with everyone as the same person. The situation and what I needed from it often determined my appearance. At home, I was just me, which no one knew—for my safety as well as theirs. I contemplated ignoring the knock and going to bed, but it persisted.
“Baker, are you home?” Maggie’s voice called out as she banged again.
I shook myself and donned the Baker she was used to seeing without delay. This was no place for her to be at this time of day. I opened the door and she smiled, relieved as she rushed inside.
“I was worried I had missed you,” she said, slipping inside. She placed a cool hand on my arm. “Are you all packed?”
I blinked a couple times as her fingers lightly squeezed my forearm. It was damn good to see her standing in my house. The clutter of my mind and the soreness in my body disappeared when I looked at her. I was tired of just scraping by in life. When I looked at Maggie, I could see a future that was just out of my reach—always out of my reach. Who knew I would want the white picket fence and one woman to wake up with, but I did. It was dangerous.
I slipped one hand around her waist, pulling her closer. My other hand cradled the back of her head as I kissed her hard, relishing in the mix of pleasure and pain because at least it made me feel something other than half-dead. Her mouth was velvety and warm, inviting me to take it. Her soft moan clenched me deep inside. I lifted her off the ground, my hands running up the length of her thighs, pushing the skirt out of my way as she wrapped her long legs around me. Her fingernails dug into my back through my shirt. This woman was worth every risk I was taking by being with her.
Kissing her harder and longer, I backed her against the built-in shelving around the television. I peeled off my t-shirt and she hastily unbuttoned her top. I looked down at her luscious, kiss-swollen mouth, and she smiled just a little, almost like a dare. I was always controlled with Maggie, gentle. I didn’t want to be either tonight. She ran her fingernails down my chest hard enough to leave a mark and squeezed her legs around my hips as she undid the top button of my jeans. My lips took her again as I spread her arms out wide until she gripped the shelves behind her. Her satiny smooth skin tasted like vanilla, begging to be devoured.
The thin scraps of material of her underwear gave way with a hard tug and I buried myself inside of her. Her head went back and she shifted the position of her hips slightly, pushing me deeper. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of her surrounding me for a few seconds before I began to move in long, deep strokes until she begged me to go faster. Her hips rocked with mine, taking us higher and higher until we tumbled over the edge, sweaty and sated. She collapsed against me, arms cradling my head to her still heaving chest. All of my muscles were relaxed, and for the first time today, I wasn’t thinking about anything.
“I’m going to come with you to your conference.” She ran her fingers through my hair and my mouth went dry. “I asked off of work today.”
All my worries, all the decisions I need to make, came crashing back down on me. I backed away slightly, letting her back down.
She smiled widely. “I knew you would be surprised, but good surprised, right?”
“Yeah, it’s great,” I heard coming out of my mouth, but there was really nothing great about it. My ears roared. I was in pickle.
“Where are we going?”
I ran my fingers
“Fuck,” I groaned with my arm over my face. People coming to my house unannounced was always a risk, which was why I didn’t share my home address with anyone. As a shifter, I didn’t interact with everyone as the same person. The situation and what I needed from it often determined my appearance. At home, I was just me, which no one knew—for my safety as well as theirs. I contemplated ignoring the knock and going to bed, but it persisted.
“Baker, are you home?” Maggie’s voice called out as she banged again.
I shook myself and donned the Baker she was used to seeing without delay. This was no place for her to be at this time of day. I opened the door and she smiled, relieved as she rushed inside.
“I was worried I had missed you,” she said, slipping inside. She placed a cool hand on my arm. “Are you all packed?”
I blinked a couple times as her fingers lightly squeezed my forearm. It was damn good to see her standing in my house. The clutter of my mind and the soreness in my body disappeared when I looked at her. I was tired of just scraping by in life. When I looked at Maggie, I could see a future that was just out of my reach—always out of my reach. Who knew I would want the white picket fence and one woman to wake up with, but I did. It was dangerous.
I slipped one hand around her waist, pulling her closer. My other hand cradled the back of her head as I kissed her hard, relishing in the mix of pleasure and pain because at least it made me feel something other than half-dead. Her mouth was velvety and warm, inviting me to take it. Her soft moan clenched me deep inside. I lifted her off the ground, my hands running up the length of her thighs, pushing the skirt out of my way as she wrapped her long legs around me. Her fingernails dug into my back through my shirt. This woman was worth every risk I was taking by being with her.
Kissing her harder and longer, I backed her against the built-in shelving around the television. I peeled off my t-shirt and she hastily unbuttoned her top. I looked down at her luscious, kiss-swollen mouth, and she smiled just a little, almost like a dare. I was always controlled with Maggie, gentle. I didn’t want to be either tonight. She ran her fingernails down my chest hard enough to leave a mark and squeezed her legs around my hips as she undid the top button of my jeans. My lips took her again as I spread her arms out wide until she gripped the shelves behind her. Her satiny smooth skin tasted like vanilla, begging to be devoured.
The thin scraps of material of her underwear gave way with a hard tug and I buried myself inside of her. Her head went back and she shifted the position of her hips slightly, pushing me deeper. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of her surrounding me for a few seconds before I began to move in long, deep strokes until she begged me to go faster. Her hips rocked with mine, taking us higher and higher until we tumbled over the edge, sweaty and sated. She collapsed against me, arms cradling my head to her still heaving chest. All of my muscles were relaxed, and for the first time today, I wasn’t thinking about anything.
“I’m going to come with you to your conference.” She ran her fingers through my hair and my mouth went dry. “I asked off of work today.”
All my worries, all the decisions I need to make, came crashing back down on me. I backed away slightly, letting her back down.
She smiled widely. “I knew you would be surprised, but good surprised, right?”
“Yeah, it’s great,” I heard coming out of my mouth, but there was really nothing great about it. My ears roared. I was in pickle.
“Where are we going?”
I ran my fingers
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