Chapter Seven
Jasmine sighed as she laid her head against the pillows on the couch. It wasn’t as though she was uncomfortable. The couch was wide and long, just a little narrower than a single bed. The sounds of the house weren’t bothering her, either, since she had her phone sitting on the coffee table playing white noise.
It was the situation.
This late at night she should be safe to leave the house and go back to her apartment without worrying about reporters. Without worrying about what bloodsuckers were out there waiting to pounce on her and this family. Those reporters… she wanted to tell them all to mind their own business and remind them about the whole innocent until proven guilty thing. Of course, she couldn’t.
Her phone started to ring and she rolled over. Blinking in the sudden bright light, she saw that it was Lori phoning her. Jasmine frowned. She’d texted her sister to tell her that she wasn’t coming home tonight. She answered.
“Hello?”
“Jazz, I just got your message.” There was the sound of heavy music in the background. “What’s up with you not coming home? You got a hot date or something?”
Jasmine sighed. “No. It’s not like that. I’m…” The music increased and she pressed a hand to her forehead. “You know, I’ll tell you tomorrow. It’s late and I just need to get some sleep. But you need to be careful, Lor. Don’t get drunk. If you do I want you to call me, but I’m just… I’m really tired.”
“Sure, sure.” Lori hummed a moment. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.”
Lori continued to hum, then she let out a deep sigh. “So, if you’re not home can I bring a guy back to the apartment? There’s this really cute redhead who’s got these glasses and is rocking the nerd look. A bit skinny but he looks like he’s got stamina, if you know what I mean.”
“Ew!” Jasmine made a face, but even as she did so she had to wonder if her instant, rising anger was because Lori had no sense of dignity or if it was her own jealousy.
Her body felt like it was on fire, and she’d been like this since her talk with Eneko earlier–or, if she was honest, since she had kissed him. Her jaguar paced and growled, all but demanding that she get up and go to his bedroom. She’d never felt it this keyed up before. Never had this intense desire to be with a specific man. His smell was so strong in the room, musky yet clean.
“So, can I?” Lori continued blithely. “I promise, we’d be in my bedroom.”
“No,” Jasmine said shortly. “No, you can’t take him home. If you’re that horny get a vibrator. They won’t strangle and scalp you.”
Lori made a choking noise. “Now who’s ew? Honestly, girl, you got issues.”
Jasmine snorted. Her sister had no idea. The music in the background got louder again and Lori shouted goodbye. Then there was silence. She turned off the white noise maker and stood, stretching her back. Her throat was a bit dry, so maybe a gulp of water would help put her to sleep…
Rubbing her eyes, she padded to the kitchen. Only to find Eneko there, leaning against the counter with a glass of milk in his hand. He was shirtless, his bounteous muscles bulging against his smooth skin. In this light he looked so edible that it made her mouth water. She dropped her gaze as she went to the cupboard for a glass.
“Can’t sleep?” he gave her a tired smile.
“Yeah. I mean, no. Can’t turn off my brain.”
Eneko nodded grimly. “Yeah. Same here.”
Jasmine gulped some water and shook her head. “It makes me so mad.”
He didn’t respond, just looking into his glass of milk. Jasmine internally winced at her lack of tact. He was the one having to deal with all this crap, the last thing he wanted or needed to do right now was try to make her feel better. She finished off her glass of water, trying to think of what to say.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “It’s just that this is reminding me so much about the times I was in foster homes and something happened and I was blamed simply because I was a shifter.”
Eneko slowly looked up at her. “Foster homes?”
Jasmine bit her lip and nodded. She hadn’t told anybody in this town about her upbringing. Partly because she didn’t want to drag up the past, but also because even the people she considered friends weren’t close enough to share such intimate pain with.
“I thought you said you grew up on a farm,” Eneko said.
“I did. Or at least, I eventually settled on a farm. But for most of my life I was bounced between a lot of foster homes. They never really wanted to keep me. There were a few of them that thought that I just needed a harsh hand and strict guidance to rise above my shifter roots.”
Eneko sighed. The lines of sorrow in his face became more pronounced.
“It wasn’t until I ended up on the farm that I felt like any of them really cared.” She turned the glass in her hands. “Even the ones that tried to be good and kind just didn’t understand what it was like. For a long time, I just wanted to hide what I was. Being a shifter was… it was like I was supposed to be ashamed of the way I was born. Of who I was.”
Eneko took her hand in his. “I know. So many of my patients feel the same way. The world we’re in, this culture, it’s not built for us. And I think that it’s bad enough that we’re not even teaching our children what it means to be a shifter. I’m trying so hard with my children. Luken sometimes says he wishes he wasn’t a shifter.”
Jasmine nodded. He’d said it a few times in the month she’d been with them.
“It hurts, because this should be something that we’re proud of. We come from a rich history and culture. We should be proud of who we are.”
Jasmine squeezed his hand. “I wish I could just flip a switch and say yes, I am proud. I used to want to flip a switch and not be a shifter… but I’m so tired of not allowing myself be who I am…”
Her gaze moved to his lips and her jaguar pressed against her chest, pushing her forward. It mewled plaintively, begging her to just close the distance between them and claim his mouth. Jasmine looked away, fighting against the desire that kept building with every passing moment. She made to pull her hand away but Eneko held her fast.
“Jasmine… what I said earlier about it not being right to start a relationship right now…”
Her heart jumped, though she blushed at how easily she got excited. Eneko swallowed hard and smiled, looking a little shy.
“My brain won’t shut up. I know that it’s not really fair to ask you for this… but…”
“But…” She moved in a little closer. “What about everything? It’ll affect our relationship. And the kids… plus the whole employer-employee thing….”
Eneko chuckled softly. “I know. And I know I shouldn’t be asking this. I just don’t want to be alone. I… I’m not asking for sex. Not really. I just want someone’s arms around me, and to have… God, it’s too late for this. My brain isn’t making sense. No. No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I am being unreasonable and—”
Jasmine cut him off with a kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed as her jaguar started to thrum with satisfaction. Eventually she broke the kiss and smiled at him. “I want you. My jaguar wants you. Maybe it is a bad situation and maybe there are things to consider… but right now I know I’m never going to sleep without you. It doesn’t have to be sex… but I’d like it to be.”
Eneko smiled, laughing softly. He set down his milk and took her hand, leading her back to his bedroom. Her heart raced in excitement and she seemed to be able to see things that she hadn’t noticed before. Like the delicate curls at the back of his neck, how strong and steady his hands were, the way his muscles bunched at his back.
Once in his room, he shut the door softly and locked it. The windows and curtains were closed, but the lamp on the nightstand next to the king-sized bed cast the room in a warm golden light. Her body already felt hot, like there was a fire in her core. Eneko’s gaze heated as he looked at her, and she pulled her shirt over her head. Her hair fell over her breasts, covering her, and she slowly slipped off her pants and panties with one motion, not breaking Eneko’s gaze.
The doctor let his eyes roam over her, then with a smile he removed his pants. Jasmine let her gaze drop to him and the heat increased. Both of them knew that this wasn’t going to take long, that they couldn’t afford to have slow, leisurely lovemaking. Her jaguar urged her to jump on him, to go at it like a couple of animals in heat. She didn’t want it to be like that, though.
She held her hand out to Eneko. He took it and allowed her to pull him towards the bed. They laid on it together, hands gently exploring each other’s bodies. Jasmine felt suddenly shy, like she wasn’t sure what to do, but there was no hesitancy. This was what she wanted and it was going to happen.
Eneko made the first move, shifting her leg so it was over his hip, before moving his hand between her thighs. His touch made her gasp, her hands clenching on his arms. He kissed her fiercely as his fingers moved with a harder rhythm. She quickly found him with her hand, giving him what he was giving her. He stiffened and let out a throat groan, which she swallowed with another of her kisses.
“Jasmine,” he moaned into her mouth. “So beautiful. Like springtime after a winter of snow.”
Jasmine couldn’t help but giggle, but that quickly died away into her own moan as Eneko slipped a finger inside of her. She was ready and eager for him, a tight feeling winding in her core, coiled like a spring ready to burst. She rocked her hips towards him and he gave her a half-grin before grinding back against her. They moved together as one for a few panting breaths before Eneko rolled, trapping her beneath him. She was his willing prisoner, though, and pulled her legs further apart so he could ease himself inside.
The fit was so perfect that it only took a few thrusts for the rising flush to turn Jasmine’s face red. Eneko kissed her hard then moved back, his back bowing as his head rose. He growled deep in his throat before starting to make a snarling noise. Jasmine slapped a hand over his mouth, then with one hard thrust her back bent. Her head buried back into the pillow and she let out a short scream. Eneko’s hand covered her mouth. He dropped over her and they stared at one another, the backs of their hands touching one another as Eneko’s movements became jerky.
Darkness washed over Jasmine’s vision with a rush of pleasure that left her unable to breathe. She wasn’t even aware of what her own body was doing as the climax took her hard, wave after wave. Eventually it tapered off, leaving her panting in Eneko’s arms. At some point he had rolled again so he wasn’t crushing her. Jasmine’s eyes fluttered closed. Even as the blood rushed through her body, the exhaustion of the day combined with the release in all her muscles urged her to sleep…
“Thank you,” she whispered, cuddling closer to her lover. “Thank you.”