The Reindeer's Halloween Claim Read online

  She delighted in the feel of his hardness moving in and out of her, of the way his body felt over hers, of the softness of his skin under her fingers. She smoothed and caressed her hands over him as he plunged inside her, feeding the fire of her lust and desire.

  Her body warmed as she felt him inside her and tasted the sweetness of his lips. She’d had good sex before – great sex even – but nothing had ever felt as phenomenal as this. There was just something different about Jax. Everything about him made her happy. Everything about him called to her, and it was both thrilling and worrying. She had never really wanted to keep a man forever, but as her toes curled and her body quivered, she knew she didn’t want ever to let him go. The realization shocked her, and she bucked against him in alarm.

  Jax growled and pushed himself inside her almost ferociously. The intensity of his movements threw her over the edge and Heather cried out as lightning struck her body. Her inner muscles clamped around his manhood, and her release shook her body.

  His lips crashed against hers, and he joined her in completion, his body shuddering as he exploded. She rubbed his back and nipped at his lips as they slowly came down from their high. He tried to move off her, she supposed so he wouldn’t squash her, but she wasn’t quite ready yet and kept him locked in her embrace. He let out a small chuckle and contented himself to nestle into her body.

  No, she wasn’t ready to let him go at all. Wasn’t sure she ever would be. But could he even begin to feel the same way about her?

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jax crammed a considerable amount of fruit into the blender – he needed to keep his strength up. His little human had been damn near insatiable last night. Well, not that she was his human… though, they were pretending to be a couple, and doing things that couples did…

  He wasn’t sure what this meant for them, but he wasn’t about to stop last night to have a relationship discussion. Though, he was a little nervous about what it meant now. Was he supposed to act normally and pretend it never happened? He had no experience to draw on for this – his one sexual escapade before Heather had just led to a lot of embarrassing looks and the two of them completely avoiding each other. But, he could hardly avoid Heather since they were living together. Not that he wanted to – no, he wanted to spend every second of every day with her. Would she want that, though? Yeah, sure she was attracted to him – after last night he was in no doubt of that! But a night of fun with him wasn’t the same as a lifetime of boredom with him.

  He stilled as he heard her padding through the apartment and blushed profusely as her hands snaked around his waist.

  “Mmmm, morning,” she cooed.

  Well, at least he now knew that she didn’t want to pretend nothing happened.

  “Morning,” he muttered in reply.

  She slithered around his body and grinned at him. “You’re seriously blushing after what you did to me last night?”

  The blush deepened, but he smiled in return. His lack of experience hadn’t been a hindrance at all. Heather had been very vocal in telling him what she wanted and how.

  He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Do you want breakfast?”

  “I always want breakfast.”

  “I’m making fruit smoothies and pumpkin waffles.” His waffles were excellent, even if he did say so himself.

  Heather eyed the blender. “Jeez, I had no idea I even had that thing. It was probably a gift from my mom – along with the apron and the half dozen cookbooks I have.”

  Jax chuckled. “You also have a waffle machine. It still had the price tag on it.”

  “Well, I’m glad someone’s finally getting some use out of my kitchen. You ought to be careful, you keep treating me like this, and I may never let you go.”

  Their eyes locked, and something flickered in her expression. He thought she was going to say something else, but she merely shrugged.

  “I need a shower.”

  Jax nodded and stepped away from her, but she caught his shirt and pulled him back.

  “Unless those waffles are urgent, why don’t you join me?”

  It was unlikely that he was going to get a better offer in his life, but in spite of his excitement, he played it cool. He just shouted ‘hell yeah’ and threw her delighted ass over his shoulder as he ran to the bathroom. Her giggles echoed through the apartment.

  *

  “I don’t usually dress up for Halloween,” Jax said doubtfully as she pressed several outfits into his hands and gave him a shove toward the dressing room.

  “Then this year is a good year to start.”

  Given all the effort his herd went to for Halloween, Heather couldn’t believe that he actually never dressed up in a costume. How could he not? When he had told her, she insisted they go out and get him a costume. Jax had been less enthusiastic, but he wasn’t given to saying no to her – she could attest to that after their time in the shower earlier that morning.

  She followed him into the dressing room, and let out an eep before pulling him into a cubicle. Jax frowned at her, and she peered through the cubicle door before sagging.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I thought I saw my ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t him – thank god.”

  Jax grunted.

  “Things did not end well,” she explained. “He was my one and only live-in boyfriend and well, by the end we hated one another.” She briefly explained how he had wanted her to change, and she absolutely refused.

  “I know I sound like a total cow. Oh, right, calling someone a cow isn’t an insult for you guys. A bitch then.”

  Jax cocked his head to one side. “Why?”

  “Because he wanted me to change, to be less selfish, and I refused to compromise even a little. I cared for him – at first anyway – but I didn’t want to change the way I lived when I was single, and that’s not really feasible when you’re in a relationship.” She felt a little sad as she said it.

  “You shouldn’t be with a guy who wants you to change,” he said firmly. Jax carefully took her shoulders in his meaty hands. “You should never change.”

  “I think most people would disagree with you,” she chuckled. “I think I have a lot of habits that are too irritating.”

  “I live with you, and I don’t think you’re irritating.”

  “You’ve barely been with me for a day – give it a week!” she scoffed. “Everyone agrees I’m hell after a week. My mom was almost tearing her hair out by the time I was eighteen.”

  “Would Temp agree?”

  “Well no, but she’s my friend.” Plus, she was perhaps one of the nicest people on the planet.

  “Don’t change,” he growled, and she warmed a little at his insistent tone.

  “I appreciate you saying that.”

  His expression softened, and she felt her body heating for a different reason.

  “Perhaps you should hurry and try on those costumes. The sooner you find one, the sooner we can get home, and I can really show you my appreciation.”

  At that, Jax decided to buy all the outfits, and he virtually ran out of the store, hauling a snickering Heather with him. He only managed to knock over two store assistants as he went – Heather waved and called out sorry to them, trying to tamp down her excitement.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The next few days passed somewhat peaceably, and the two of them almost fell into a routine. She mostly spent her free days at the charity center, helping to decorate it for Halloween, and he came with her to guard her, and you know, kiss her in case any cougars happened to turn up.

  Then they went out for dinner, or he cooked, or they had a hilarious double date with Temp and Harlan, where she and Temp teased Harlan incessantly. Then they went to bed and spent hours in each other’s arms.

  It was Heather’s most successful and functional relationship ever, even if it was only fake.

  Negotiations with the cougar pride continued, though neither side seemed about to give. Heather might have been a
tad worried about that, but she had Jax to distract her and take her mind off a potential future that involved giving birth to kittens. Not that she would mind being with a shifter, she just didn’t want to be with that particular shifter. If another shifter happened to want to be with her…

  “Wow,” she murmured as Jax came into view.

  He was already blushing, but the smile on his face showed that he didn’t mind. Why would he care when he looked so divine? The pirate had been a perfect choice of costume. He could swash her buckles any time…

  Heather’s eyes widened, and she gaged his expression. It hadn’t changed. Good. She hadn’t actually said that incredibly cheesy and embarrassing line out loud. For a second she thought her simmering lust had gotten the best of her. She had to watch herself closely around him – she barely had any control over the cheesy things that just wanted to spew out of her mouth.

  “Not sure about this,” muttered Jax as he fidgeted with his fake cutlass.

  “Don’t you dare change a thing,” she murmured, scooting over to him and running her eager hands over his chest covered by a billowing white shirt.

  “You look amazing,” he said, smiling sweetly at her.

  She beamed. “Thank you.”

  She had foregone all the revealing, sexy outfits and instead had found an eighteenth-century lady’s dress. She wanted to be the genteel lady who was debauched by the debonair buccaneer. It took her ages to get into it. The thing weighed a ton and hella itched, but it was worth it. She just hoped her pirate had patience because it was going to take him ages to get her out of it after the party.

  “Let me just grab my purse, and I’m ready to go.”

  She found her cell and checked her messages while Jax started picking up all the discarded shoes littering her bedroom floor. She had gone through about fifteen pairs while trying to find the right pair.

  “You don’t have to do that,” she said smiling, knowing full well he wouldn’t stop. He had been cleaning up after her since he got there.

  “I like doing it.”

  Yeah, he said that before, and she was starting to believe him. His mom had begun visiting the charity center and volunteering – much to Jax, Dex and Dozer’s annoyance. She confided that Jax had always been a tidy and considerate boy. She supposed he had to be considering his four brothers and father were disaster zones.

  He also liked cooking – honestly, he enjoyed it. He didn’t mind that she hogged the TV remote, and he actually wanted to give her foot rubs. He was… perfect.

  Sure he hadn’t been there long, but he wasn’t already bored or annoyed at her lack of thoughtfulness, wasn’t clamoring to get away from her, or hounding her to change her ways. No, if anything he was enjoying their time together, almost as much as she was. From the moment she met Jax, she knew there was something there – something she’d never felt before. She just worried how short their time together would be.

  Jax carefully put her shoes back in her closet, showing her possessions the love and care that she never bothered with, and he leaned against the closet door frame. Her voice caught in her throat, and her heart thumped erratically as a wave of love passed through her. It hit her at such an expected moment, and over something so mundane as putting her shoes away, but she knew it was real, knew she felt it. She loved him. For the first time in her life, she was in love.

  “You ready to go?” he asked, completely unaware at the momentous realization she was having.

  “Mmm hmmm.”

  His brow dipped. “You okay?”

  Heather plastered a smile on her face. “Definitely. Just don’t move too fast, I’m wearing about forty pounds worth of dress here.”

  Jax chuckled, and he kissed her, and he took her hand, and she tried just to enjoy their time together.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “What are you supposed to be?” sniggered Dex – who was dressed as The Terminator.

  “I’m a pirate,” sighed Jax, prepared to endure the teasing.

  He knew his brothers would taunt him – they did over everything, but he was fully prepared to take it because of the way Heather had looked at him with that mixture of arousal and delight that had him enraptured.

  Jax glanced over at the entrance to the haunted house where she was talking to Temp. He was kind of grateful that she had worn such a restricting costume – no way was she getting away from him tonight. He wanted her close. Never mind dickhead cougars intent on mating her, there were plenty of single reindeers who would happily get their hooves on her, and he was not going to let that happen.

  “Oh ho!” exclaimed Dex, like the reindeer who got the carrot. “So this is all for her!”

  Jax grunted in denial, but Dex wouldn’t hear of it “Dude, you’re wearing a frilly blouse – of course, this is for her!”

  Jax hooted in annoyance, but Dex was too busy guffawing. “Well done. Didn’t think you had it in you. Got yourself a fine looking female there.”

  “She’s a lot more than just fine looking, and she’s not mine,” grumbled Jax. But as his eyes strayed toward Heather, he knew he did want her to be his.

  *

  Heather rolled her eyes at Temp’s costume. “It suits you.” The Halloween party was amazing – kids and adults alike were having tremendous fun.

  Temp smirked and gave her a spin. She was dressed as a giant robin – the bird, that is. “Harlan’s dressed as Batman. We kind of had a miscommunication about our costumes.”

  “Well, you are still Batman and Robin.”

  “Yeah, it technically works,” laughed Temp. “What about you? Matching your costume to Jax’s? Very cute.”

  “Yeah, cute,” echoed Heather as her insides clenched.

  “So you two are having fun then?”

  “Yes, he’s… nice,” she finished lamely and knowing that the word couldn’t possibly begin to describe him.

  “I’m amazed you’re not driving each other crazy – you are not the easiest person to live with.”

  Understatement of the year.

  “I’m not, but he doesn’t mind my snoring, he tidies up after me, and he never even wants the remote to the TV, and as for long showers…” Well, sharing was so much more fun anyway

  “He is a sweetie,” agreed Temp glancing over at Jax where he was standing with his twin. Dex appeared to be having a laughing fit. Jax tried to slap him, Dex dodged and Jax managed to hit Alden, sending him sprawling into the buffet table. Jax was so adorable! “I can’t believe none of the herd females have snapped him up before now.”

  “Why is that?” asked Heather, glaring at a pair of passing herd females, mentally trying to warn them off lest they run over to Jax and throw themselves at him.

  Temp shrugged. “He’s just shy, and according to Harlan, female shifters see that as being submissive – they prefer dominant males because they want strong calves. Apparently, half the females in the herd were after Branch until he mated with Mira.”

  Heather narrowed her eyes as she watched Ariel walk over to Jax and Dex. The young reindeer shifter was dressed as a purple crayon. Not sexy, but she was young and beautiful and…

  “Please stop trying to blow up my sister-in-law with your mind.”

  “I was not!” Heather denied hotly.

  Temp gave her a smug look. “You do not need to be jealous – they grew up together, and she’s like a sister to him.”

  Heather was mightily relieved to hear it and almost sighed before she remembered that she was supposed to be outraged. “I am not jealous.”

  “Not now, no,” snickered Temp. “I think it’s sweet. You never get jealous over men – even when your dates flirt with other women you’re never jealous, you just dump their asses and move on.”

  “That’s not true,” sniffed Heather. “I was mighty p-o’d when Bartleby St. Clair gave a Valentine to Liddy Turtle.”

  Temp slanted her a look. “When was this?”

  “In the third grade – he’d been giving me his pudding every day for weeks, and th
en he turned around and gave the Valentine heart to that blonde temptress instead.”

  But she got over it when Carlton Dorble gave her an Almond Joy. Since then she’d never really got too attached. She just never really cared before if a guy did prefer another woman to her, but yes, she would definitely be upset if Jax did.

  Heather caught his eye and all thoughts of the third grade fled and the world took on a rosy tint. Her world always seemed better around him.

  Around them, she heard a ripple of sound, of raised angry voices but she just smiled at her swashbuckling reindeer. Of course, she couldn’t ignore it for long, not when Carson’s strident voice hit her like a slap to the face.

  “Get your hands off me you filthy reindeer!” he snarled.

  Jax was beside her in an instant. One hand pressed lightly against her back while he glared at the approaching cougar contingent. Clearly, they had flown in some more members of the pride to swell their ranks. Heather scanned them, and with relief saw they were all males. She half-wondered whether Carson’s first mate would have been there – her threatened sister wife.

  Branch led Mira over to Tank and his family – putting her behind his largest protector – before he, Harlan, Mal, and Clay approached the cougars. The rest of the herd hung back, glowering at the unwelcome cougars.

  “How dare you come here,” rumbled Branch.

  “No more stalling,” growled the cougar alpha. “You either give us our money, or you give us her.”

  He jutted his chin toward Heather and Jax hooted furiously.

  “She is here with a member of my herd,” said Branch slowly, his voice rippling with powerful menace.

  Carson snorted loudly.

  “They can’t prove they were together when the claim was made, which means she belongs to us.”

  “Puh-lease,” muttered Heather.

  The reindeer shuffled restlessly, and the cougars squared their shoulders.

  “If you want to continue with this ridiculous assertion, we will take this to the council and,” the alpha grinned nastily, “what exactly do you think they will do to your herd?”