How To Flirt (Bernard Frankenheimer Center Book 2) Read online

  “I can understand you,” I say quietly. I lift my eyes to meet his gaze.

  “Cliff, does it hurt? Are you okay?” Immediately, Dale is beside me, crouching down and resting a hand on my shoulder.

  My heart aches at his concern. “It doesn’t hurt,” I say.

  “Cliff…how is this possible?”

  I sit back, sinking into the wet sand. “I don’t know.” I shrug. “I was born with this ability.”

  “You’ve always been like this,” Dale echoes, considering my words.

  “What do you think? Do you want to leave?” My gut is heavy, like a rock in my body.

  “What?” Dale gapes at me. “Of course not.”

  Before he can say anything else, I’ve wrapped my arms around him. I tug him toward me, practically into my lap, and just hold him. I’ve never told anyone before, and I was always afraid of what could happen if I revealed myself. I thought about it for years. And now that I’ve finally exposed my secret, I don’t know what will happen next.

  Slowly, Dale wraps his arms around me. We nuzzle together in silence. My heart is still beating too fast, too loudly. But I’m not scared anymore. I’m just grateful.

  Dale

  IN CLIFF’S ARMS, I can feel his heart pounding wildly. I know how scared he must have been to reveal his true nature to me. I feel honored that he trusted me enough to show me what he can do, what he really is. It’s amazing, and I know I don’t truly grasp it. But I want to. I want to know more about Cliff.

  So I hold him to me, to help him relax and calm down. I know I need to show him I’m still here. After a few minutes, he detaches himself from me. I catch him swiping away something on his cheek. I shiver as the cool wind sweeps over me.

  “We’ll catch cold if we stay out here like this,” I say, rising to my feet and offering him a hand.

  He accepts it and I hoist him up. Cliff towers over me, his shoulders are broader than mine, his jaw more chiseled. I’m struck by how handsome he is. Out here in the wild, he’s even more handsome than before.

  We return to our campsite and Cliff tosses me a towel. I slip back into my clothes when I’m dry, watching Cliff do the same. Wordlessly, we settle in front of the fire again, just taking in the night air.

  “What was it like? Growing up with that?” I ask, eyeing him.

  “It was hard,” he admits. “When I was a baby, I guess I shifted all the time and my parents had to try really hard to hide it. And then when I was a kid, I learned to control it. It took a long time to get the hang of it. It’s a really intense feeling, the urge to shift. When I was in high school, I’d get high to control it better. It makes me so emotionally reactive, as a teenager I was scared that if I got angry, I’d shift right in the middle of class the way I used to do when I was a baby.”

  I chuckle. “You were high? That explains a lot.”

  “What do you mean?” Cliff asks, a smile on his lips.

  “I remember seeing you, always seeming so relaxed. I just thought it was because you were cool. But the pot makes a lot of sense,” I explain, grinning.

  Cliff laughs. “Yeah, I can honestly say I don’t remember much of high school because of it. But it got me through, so I’m lucky.”

  “I just don’t understand how it’s possible,” I say. As a scientist, I was immediately thrilled by the display. As Cliff’s…partner, I felt proud that he trusted me. But I can’t help picking at it, trying to solve it.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugs.

  I sigh. I can’t study him like a test subject, even if I wanted to. He’s a human being. “I won’t tell anyone,” I say. “I promise.”

  And I mean it. The scientist in me is tempted to set aside the ARF device and just dedicate my time to studying Cliff and this phenomenon. But I could never do such a thing. I’ll take Cliff’s secret to my grave.

  “Thank you,” he whispers, smiling at me.

  I yawn, the stress of the day finally catching up to me. It feels like it’s been days since we infiltrated the Department of Fish and Game and rigged the lottery. Cliff rakes his eyes over me, sending a shiver through me, my cock throbbing. I suddenly remember that moments before he revealed himself, he gave me the most mind-blowing orgasm I’ve ever had.

  As if he can sense the shift in my mindset, Cliff grins mischievously. He takes my hand and pulls me on top of him. I settle on his chest, laying my head over his heart, just listening. It’s a steady beat, calm. His hand drifts over my back and to my ass.

  I peer up at him. “You’re definitely an ass man.”

  He laughs, a short, happy bark. “Only for your ass.”

  Smiling, I tug my shirt over my head and toss it aside. My pants quickly follow, then Cliff and I lie naked beside each other. He trails his hand along my side, from my shoulder to my knee. I shiver under his touch. He’s gentle but possessive. And it sends thrills of anticipation through me.

  He leans toward me and I close my eyes as I wait for his kiss. A kiss that never comes. Instead, his lips graze my collarbone, tongue flicking out. I gasp as his tongue swirls over my nipple, then drags slowly down toward my hips. My cock is hard and pulsing with desire as his lips reach it.

  He gently kisses the head of my dick and I jolt at the sensation. With a single sweep of his mouth, he takes me in completely, massaging my dick with his tongue. I shudder, gasping for air. My lungs suddenly feel too tight, my body too tense. I clench my hands into fists at my sides and just try to breathe as he pleasures me.

  It’s fire, lava and a glacial freeze as his mouth takes me deeper. I feel his throat clenching around my head and moan softly. His eyes flick toward me and he winks at me. He fucking winks at me. I groan, fisting my hands tighter.

  Cliff’s hand envelops mine and he pries my fingers apart gently. I try to question him but it comes out as a breathy gasp. Then Cliff’s lips are off me and he leans over, forehead pressed against mine.

  “Dale,” he murmurs. “Why are you so tense?”

  “I don’t like to be loud,” I admit, cheeks coloring.

  “There’s no one here,” he assures me. “It’s just you and me. And it makes me feel good to know that I’m making you feel good.” I bite my lip, my heart fluttering at his words. Before I can speak, he silences me with a kiss. “Just relax.”

  Without warning, his mouth slips over my aching cock again, and I know my precum is leaking into his mouth. I move to clench my fists again but his words ring through my head. I relax, letting my hands drift to his hair so I can tangle my fingers in his thick locks. His tongue runs the ridge of my cock and I moan, louder this time.

  Again, he takes me deep, sucking rhythmically. I gasp and hear the sound echo over the lake. I clamp my mouth shut but a gentle stroke of Cliff’s fingers over my arms reminds me to do otherwise. I can feel my orgasm building as Cliff pleasures me. His lips ease over me and a thrill courses through me. He sucked me off in his truck a few days ago, but this…this is much more intimate.

  This is pleasure. This is ecstasy. This is mind-blowingly sensual.

  DALE

  A scream rips through the quiet clearing, the sound singing over the lake. I hardly register that it’s me as my orgasm tears through me. The sound is so unfamiliar, so foreign, I don’t recognize it. I’ve never allowed myself to be so free with another person, particularly not during sex.

  But Cliff is dragging it out of me with his tongue, his lips, and his sturdy hands. I release another loud moan into the night as my cum rushes into his mouth. I can feel him swallowing, massaging my dick as he does. My body is out of my control, shivering and trembling.

  With each cry, Cliff renews his effort. He speeds up to relieve me or slows down to tease me. And it makes me all the more vocal. Finally, after what feels like hours, my orgasm fades, leaving me panting and shaking on the sand. Cliff lifts himself away and grins ferally at me, obviously pleased with himself. I return the grin and my body feels like it’s floating on a cloud of ecstasy.

  He stretches out beside me, hi
s fingers drifting over my chest. I can’t believe I’m here with Cliff Taylor. It seems impossible to wrap my mind around it. In high school, I used to fantasize about spending the night with Cliff. In my fantasies, he would sneak into my room, or he would pick me up in his truck and we would sleep in the back under the stars. This is so much better. It’s almost too good to be true.

  I roll onto my side, facing him, and our hands intertwine. His cock is still as hard as an iron pipe, but he isn’t pushing me to finish him off. I don’t feel any pressure at all from him. I can appreciate that in a partner.

  He pecks the tip of my nose and sighs happily. I match it. If it weren’t for the ARF device, I don’t know if I would be here with Cliff. It’s instruction and analysis gave me the confidence to move forward. Without that, chances are good I wouldn’t have approached him in the coffee shop or been able to charm him. There’s something about Cliff Taylor that’s always filled me with trepidation. I thought I grew out of my insecurities after high school, but whenever Cliff crossed my mind, I was taken back to the day he rejected me so coldly. With the device, I felt more comfortable approaching him and being with him. More like myself.

  My creation will change the world, I know that. And when its patented and on the market, I’ll be a billionaire in the next two years. That’s how powerful the device is. Of course, it will also inherently change the way we date. Everyone will wonder if everyone else has one, they’ll worry about being their most authentic self. And when I reveal my invention, Cliff will probably suspect that I used it. So I have to come clean. Or let Cliff go as a casualty.

  He pulls me from my thoughts with a pinch to my ass. I yelp and eye him ruefully.

  He grins unapologetically. “You’re always up there you know.” He pokes my forehead. “Lost in that brain.”

  “Not lost,” I say, playfully swatting his hand away.

  “What are you thinking about? Dare I hope that it’s me?” He draws me closer to him until I can feel his erection against my sandy thighs.

  “You may,” I tease.

  Cliff kisses me then, a long, slow, torturous kiss that has me hard all over again. He smiles as he feels my cock brush up against his leg. He doesn’t comment on it, but the way he teases me with his tongue assures me that he most certainly knows.

  I ease into his arms, fingers curling against his chest, grazing his soft chest hair. Our lips move as one, our breath coming faster and faster in the same rhythm. He tugs at my bottom lip with his teeth, a sharp thrill of pain shoots through me. It’s the kind of pain that doubles as pleasure, the kind that makes you feel alive.

  He moves my hand to his cock, and I feel the hot stickiness of precum grazing his head. I feel an intense need for Cliff, a desperation I’ve never felt before. I play my fingers over his balls as I pump his cock. His breath hitches and he starts to rock against me. I open my eyes for a moment to peek at his face. His lips are parted, his tongue raking over them, and his eyes are rolled back into his head. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

  Suddenly, his eyes snap open and clarity returns to his face. He gazes at me with an expression I can’t identify. A fire in his eyes, a wicked gleam. And I know I’m fucked.

  CLIFF

  F uck. Fuck.

  I arch my back, toes curling as Dale’s hand pumps my cock. Waves of pleasure are drifting through my body. Impossibly, I feel both at peace and wild. I need him. I can’t hold back any longer. I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want Dale right now.

  Swiftly, I lurch away from him, panting. He eyes me with confusion as I leap up. But when I wrench him to his feet and drag him toward the tree line I can smell the arousal on him. I inhale deeply—I fucking love that smell.

  We reach the trees and I sweep him around until he’s in front of me. As gently as I can with this wildness in me, I press him against a tree and as I put pressure on his back, he bends over obediently. Dale braces his hands on the tree and glances at me over his shoulder. He looks so sexy like that, like he’s ready for me. That he wants it.

  I grip his hips and position myself behind him, making sure he’s ready for me. Then with a grunt, I thrust into him. Stars explode across my vision at the sensation of his ass clenched around my dick. He groans with pleasure, and I can see him biting his lip.

  “Don’t be shy,” I growl.

  I slip my cock back until I’m almost out of him. I wait there, teasing him, thrusting shallowly. “Cliff,” he groans. “Please.”

  I smile wickedly. That’s what I like to hear. I appease him, pumping completely into him until he’s gasping. He moans loudly, biting down on his own arm to muffle the sound. A laugh rumbles from my chest as he curses under his breath. And then I’m even harder, thrusting deeper when I see his free hand wrapped around his cock. We match our rhythms, our bodies grinding together.

  Pleasure weaves through me, slowly making its way up my body and down to the tips of my toes. My wolf is practically purring as I fuck him, as I claim him. A roar shatters out of Dale as his climax claims him. His cum pours out of him and over the forest floor, coating his hand.

  The sight of it has me on the precipice. I try to drag out his orgasm, taking him slowly but deeply. But he turns to look at me over his shoulder and the sight of his face does me in. It’s his half-lidded eyes, the keen on his lips that sends my wolf and I careening into our orgasm again. It shakes me to my very core. My entire body is straining against him as I empty myself into him.

  He takes everything I give him with a moan, his cheeks flushed lightly. And I give him everything. I bellow his name into the forest and howl at the moon. I don’t stop thrusting until I’m drained, and the orgasm is slipping away.

  When I slip out of him, Dale rises from his stooped position on shaky feet. He laughs breathlessly as we survey each other, both coated in cum. As he smiles at me so sincerely, so pleased, I feel my heart swell in my chest. It’s an intense feeling I have for him. I’ve never had that kind of mind-numbing, toe-curling orgasm with any man before. Dale is truly special.

  We head to the lake together, sinking into the chilly water to wash ourselves off. I run my hand the length of his body, cleaning him with clear, cool water. He relaxes into me, letting me clean him. This type of intimacy is entirely new to me. My wolf and I settle naturally into the role. This is what a mate would do, so it’s what I’ll do.

  “Tired?” I murmur as he yawns.

  He nods sleepily, sinking back against me. Gently, I wrap my arm around him and guide him back to our campsite. I towel him off, trying to resist the urge to slip my mouth around his cock again. He needs to rest. A bout with a shifter can leave a normal human drained. So I dry him quickly and settle him into the tent.

  The sleeping bag easily fits two, and he crawls inside clumsily. I resist the urge to snort—he probably hasn’t slept in a sleeping bag in years, and of course, he’s exhausted. When he’s settled, I slip in beside him and zip the tent closed.

  Dale snuggles against me and sleep quickly takes him. I feel a surge of happiness as Dale snores softly beside me, his body nuzzled against mine. I press my lips against his forehead, inhaling his musky scent.

  “Tomorrow, you can meet the most important family in my life,” I whisper. “I’ll take you to meet the pups.”

  As if he can hear me even in his deep sleep, Dale mumbles his agreement. I chuckle, wrapping an arm around him and tucking him into the crook of my shoulder. It’s perfection, being here with Dale.

  I wish it could be like this forever.

  DALE

  I wake up next to a heater. When I open my eyes, I find Cliff already awake beside me, as hot as hell. Literally. “You’re too hot,” I groan, kicking my feet pathetically.

  He snorts, glancing away from the book he’s reading to peer at me. “Thanks.”

  “No, why are you like a heater?” I complain, rolling away from him.

  The sleeping bag is surprisingly roomy. I don’t remember getting into it last night, but I do remember Cliff
promising to take me to meet the wolf pups. He seems relaxed now, content to read in the morning light glowing through the tent walls.

  “Probably my metabolism,” he guesses, turning back to his book. “Good morning, by the way.”

  I settle, cooler now. “Good morning,” I say, somehow feeling a little shy.

  He smiles at me and rolls closer to kiss my forehead. Last night was amazing. The sex was unbelievable and utterly exhausting. But sharing a bed with Cliff was better. I was asleep, yes, but the intimacy, the promise of a future, that’s priceless.

  With a sigh, Cliff bookmarks his place. “You ready for breakfast?”

  I nod. “After that, are we going to see the pups?”

  “Yep.” He grins. “Come on, I’ll start breakfast while you get dressed.”

  I realize then that I’m still completely naked and my morning wood is on full display. I blush, but he merely strokes my cheek with a finger. Cliff is so tender. I lie back as he crawls out of the tent and into the warm morning air. He tosses my clothes back in after shaking them free of any sand.

  He busies himself around the stove while I tug my clothes on. I smell like lake water, but it’s a fresh scent and makes me feel at one with nature. When I’m dressed, I quickly dismantle the tent as he finishes breakfast. Cliff slaps my ass jokingly whenever I pass by, which sends me into fits of laughter.

  We eat quickly, a simple breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. Then, we’re back in his truck, heading deeper into the woods. I look back at the lake, our place. We’ve claimed it, Cliff and me. He catches my gaze.

  “We’ll go again,” he says, squeezing my knee. “In the winter, the lake freezes over and we can go ice fishing.”

  I make a face. “Sounds cold.”

  “Don’t forget, personal furnace over here.” He gestures to himself.

  I laugh. “I don’t know how I’ll manage to sleep with you every night when you’re burning up like that.”