Arctic Heat 3: Ice White Read online

  Arctic Heat 3:

  Ice White

  By

  Kris Eton

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Ice White

  Copyright© 2009 Kris Eton

  ISBN: 978-1-60088-431-3

  Cover Artist: Sable Grey

  Editor: Barbara Louise

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  Cobblestone Press, LLC

  www.cobblestone-press.com

  Chapter One

  Caleb Barstow trudged through the wind-whipped snow. The storm had blown in quickly, like they often did in this part of the world. It reminded him how harsh the climate in Antarctica could be. He was a long way from sunny Arizona. He shivered in his arctic gear. Even though he wore several layers of clothing, a thick parka, and a fur-trimmed hood, the dry gusting winds blew straight through him.

  Thank God, one of the storage sheds was up ahead.

  He’d been hoping to get back to the Beta Group Research Center before the whiteout. But since he’d been at the Antarctic Research Observatory, or ARO, for three months, he’d learned the value of always having a Plan B whenever he had to make a trek outdoors. Dr. Tate would just have to wait for the additional supplies he’d requested.

  As Caleb trudged to the metal door of the storage shed, he noticed it had been left open a few inches. When he pushed, however, the door refused to open completely.

  His gaze lit upon the reason why—a naked and shapely hip blocked the door.

  Sweet Jesus.

  The soft rounded hip was part of the soft rounded woman lying on the floor, unconscious. Or dead? Drifts of snow blew inside the shed and skipped across her prone form. She didn’t move. His heart slowed. How long had she been lying there? In temperatures well below freezing, hypothermia took hold in minutes and death followed quickly thereafter. Worry battered his thoughts. What if he’d found her too late?

  With the storm screaming at his back, he hurriedly slipped inside, shut the door, and bent down to check the stranger’s pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a surprisingly strong thump under his fingertips.

  In the dim lighting from a small, snow-encrusted window he could only see the woman’s outline. What was she doing here? And why the devil didn’t she have any clothes on?

  He averted his gaze to keep his heart from pounding and his blood from boiling. He hadn’t had a good fuck since he left Tucson in October, and his damn hormones wouldn’t stop reminding him. He exorcised the inappropriate thoughts from his head. She needed his help.

  He grabbed a flashlight stashed on the wall and switched it on. The harsh beam revealed a strikingly beautiful woman. Her eyelashes were like snowflakes against her pale skin. Her hair was long and almost as white as the snow gusting outside.

  He unzipped his parka, and covered her with it. No jacket. No boots. What was she doing out here? He knelt down and brushed her hair off her face.

  From the dust that stirred, he knew she was breathing, but her skin felt chilled to the touch. He needed to warm her up. Fast.

  Leaving his flashlight on the floor, he scooped her up and tipped her back against his chest. The parka twisted around her lithe body, and his hands touched directly against soft, womanly flesh.

  Fuck.

  Gently, he set the woman on a pile of wool blankets stacked on a cot. Each shed contained the bare essentials should anyone get stuck in a squall. To get caught unawares in the changeable weather of the Antarctic wasn’t unusual.

  The storage shed held mostly emergency food and supplies for the shape-shifter enclave inside the block-shaped building on stilts about a quarter-mile from the research center. He’d never been inside the shifter facility, but he’d heard tales.

  He looked down at the beautiful woman. Was she one of them? Had she been part of the sex games and other wild things he’d heard about? She didn’t look like any of the black-haired shifter females he’d seen coming and going from the ARO.

  Dang, it was cold in here.

  He scanned the dark recesses of the eighteen-by-eighteen foot shed. A propane heater sat near a set of shelves full of unmarked cardboard boxes. Hopefully, there’d be some useful things in them. He grabbed a battery-powered lantern and switched it on. It lit up the shed with an odd white light.

  A quiet groan caught his attention.

  When he turned around, his mystery woman was wide awake.

  The parka had sagged off one shoulder, revealing the sweep of her collarbone and the top curve of one breast.

  He sucked in his breath.

  “Where am I?” Her voice was like sunlight, bright and warm.

  He passed a hand across his mouth. “In one of the storage sheds on the outskirts of the compound. There was a storm. I came here to wait it out and found you passed out on the floor.”

  A furrow appeared between her brows. She sat up straighter, and the parka slipped lower. “A storm...” She seemed to notice her state of undress just then, pulling the parka closer around her. “You aren’t from the facility.” The warmth from her voice was gone.

  “No, I’m not. I’m a researcher at the center. My name’s Caleb Barstow.” He took a step forward. “Is that where you came from, the shifter facility?”

  The woman gazed at him with glass green eyes. A sprinkling of freckles dotted her cheeks and nose. “Yes, but I don’t remember how...how I got here.”

  * * * * *

  Anna had woken up feeling very, very cold. Her hands and feet tingled painfully, and her lips stung with windburn. The last thing she remembered was climaxing with Jared at her side. They’d shared a session of mutual masturbation, and she’d only needed a few moments to feel the shift coming on. The electricity rolled from deep within her body and out toward her fingers and toes. To shift was highly erotic in nature.

  She hadn’t yet chosen a mate, but Jared had been her choice for most of her time at the facility. His wavy, white-blond hair and warm smile grabbed her immediately, and he had a lazy style of lovemaking that calmed her. Although she’d tried multiple sex a few times just for a taste of it, one-on-one was more her style.

  The only strange thing had been her problems with staying in shifter form.

  And somehow she’d ended up in a shed with Caleb. He was a tall figure in insulated bib snow pants and a green-and-black flannel shirt. Dark hair curled at the back of his neck. Definitely not a shifter—shifter males had white blond hair like she did—but she could scent him. Which was odd.

  Humans had no sex scent like shifters did. Shifters found their mating partners by detecting it.

  So why did she find his particular smell so...arousing?

  “My name’s Anna Gustafson.” She took in his scent.

  God, she wanted to jump him. Her attraction for this stranger was intense. Unlike anything she’d experienced with the male shifters. No one had mentioned to her this was possible. He was human for God’s sake. Humans were so, so...normal. She made sure to keep herself as covered as possible. It must be a glitch. She was probably in some kind of shock.

  “How long do you think the storm will last?” she asked. The wind howled outside.

  “I’m not sure.” He turned his back to her and crouched down in front of the propane heater. “I hope this works. Those blankets won’t be much help once the sun goes down.”

  She took the opportunity to slip on the parka and cover hersel
f. When she swung her legs over the side of the cot, it was so cold she thought the better of it and tucked them underneath her instead. If she was naked, she must have been in wolf form when the storm hit. She wished she could remember.

  “This has never happened before. I don’t usually get lost when I’m...” She wasn’t sure what to say. How much did the researchers know about the activities in the ARO and their abilities?

  But Caleb wasn’t really paying attention; his focus was on the heater. He pressed a small button, turned a knob, and the heater burst to life. “There we go.” He stood up and opened the vent on the far wall. “There seems to be enough propane to run this through the night. We should be okay.”

  “Oh.” Through the night? She was going to be here all night long with this man? Without meaning to, she took another whiff of his scent. Her nipples puckered in response.

  “Are you hungry?” He turned to the shelves filled with cardboard boxes. “All of these sheds should have emergency supplies.” He opened a box. “What the hell?” He glanced at her, his face flushed.

  “What is it?”

  He shoved that box back on the shelf and chose another one. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” His ears turned red.

  Anna, curious, got up from the cot and padded to the shelves barefoot. “What is it?” The parka hung to mid-thigh. She grabbed another box.

  “Don’t...” He reached for the one she selected.

  But it was too late. He caught the edge, she tugged harder, and the box dumped its contents onto the floor. Half-a-dozen cock rings lay at their feet.

  “Oh.” Standing this close, his scent overpowered her senses. She leaned toward him, wanting to get closer, wanting to feel the heat of his body against hers. Why didn’t anyone tell her this is what the shifter attraction should be like? All consuming. Desire over reason. She flattened her hands against his chest.

  He encircled her wrists, and his eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

  Scent drove her. “I need you, Caleb.”

  “What?” His eyes betrayed his need for her. His pupils darkened and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

  He sensed it, too. They were a perfect pair. Although he was human, she knew it to be true. She unbuttoned his shirt. “We are mates. I want to make love to you, Caleb. Here. Now.”

  Chapter Two

  Beneath the plaid shirt, Caleb wore a thermal undershirt. Anna growled in frustration. She wanted to feel his naked skin under her fingertips.

  He stilled. The hands that had secured her wrists moved to her shoulders. “I don’t understand.” His mouth descended toward hers. “How can this be? Who are you?”

  “I am the woman you were meant to love, Caleb. Me and no one else.” She unhooked the straps of his snow pants. “Take off these clothes. I need to see you naked.”

  Instead of obeying, he kissed her. His lips were gentle, soft, and nothing like what she needed. She bit his lip playfully.

  He jerked back his head. “Hey.”

  Her gaze locked onto his. “I make the rules here.” She wiped the tiny drop of blood from his mouth. “Not so fast.”

  A slight smile curved his lips.

  He liked it. He liked it when she took control this way. Her blood throbbed in her veins. Getting lost in the snow had been the best mistake she’d ever made. “Take off your clothes. I want to watch you undress for me.”

  The parka grew decidedly too warm. Her breasts felt full beneath the thick material. But she would see him naked first.

  He took off the plaid shirt and pulled the thermal one over his head to reveal a muscled chest with dark nipples and tight abs. Delicious.

  She picked up one of the cock rings and took a seat on the cot. The parka rode up her thighs, and she crossed her legs slowly, knowing he got a short glimpse of her naked pussy. His gaze traveled from between her thighs to level with her face. He licked his lip where she’d wounded him and unzipped his pants. He kicked them aside and stood before her in long johns and wool socks. His dick tented the tight cotton fabric leaving little to her imagination.

  “Is this just another game for you?” Caleb lowered the long johns a few inches revealing his hipbones and the flat expanse just north of his pubic hair. “I’ve heard what goes on in the ARO.”

  “You have no idea.” Slowly, she unzipped the parka. Her clit throbbed. He was beautiful standing there in the lantern light. Odd shadows stretched across his lean body. His dark hair was tousled from the hood he’d been wearing. Sweat beaded at his temples.

  Since this man was human, interaction of a sexual nature was taboo. The shifters didn’t discuss it out in the open, but she’d gotten the impression sex with humans was beneath a shifter. They were supposed to find mates to keep the shifter line pure. Instead of the diluted markers in one’s DNA that every now and then resulted in a shifter, they desired to mate the shifters to create one hundred percent pure shifters. Breed the humans out of the mix.

  But all of that purebred talk mattered little to her now.

  She moved the zipper farther down, exposing only a bit of cleavage. A wave of scent drifted over to her. Now that he was sexually aroused even further, his sex scent had increased. How did the human do it? Jared’s scent had been pleasant, but nothing like Caleb’s. Hot and feral. His scent called to her, told her subconscious that to mate with this man was essential and necessary to her well-being.

  His gaze was focused on her cleavage. She let the parka fall off her shoulders some, until her nipples were barely concealed by the thick fabric. “Do you want me, Caleb?”

  His hand rubbed across his aroused cock. “You know I do.”

  She shivered, imagining how incredible he would feel inside her. “Then strip and put this on before you’re too big.” She tossed him the cock ring.

  He caught it. “You want me to what?” He’d been on the verge of taking off the remainder of his clothes, but not now. “Hell no.”

  Anna unzipped the parka the rest of the way, spread her legs, and sat at the edge of the cot.

  Good, he was looking right at her pussy.

  “I want you, Caleb. I do.” She stroked her inner thigh with two fingers, drawing even more attention to the prize she knew he wanted.

  “Jesus.” He swallowed.

  “I want you to touch me right here.” She dipped two fingers into her hole. “God, I’m so wet, Caleb.” She sighed in pleasure, her head lolling back. She slowly spread wetness between her pussy lips and around her clit. “Mmm, that feels good.”

  Caleb kicked off his long johns and eyed the cock ring in his palm.

  * * * * *

  He had to be crazy. What had come over him? How did he end up naked in a shed during a blizzard with this gorgeous woman? And why was he even considering putting this thing on his penis. He eyed the cock ring in his hand. He’d never been one for kinky sex before. Missionary position had always been fine with him. If she wanted to be on top, why not? But toys and biting and...

  His gaze focused on the tempting female who sat just a few feet away.

  God, he could smell her from here. Her scent was musky, but sweet. Different than other women he’d known. Anna had a slim body with small, yet perfectly shaped breasts. Each one was tipped with a pale pink nipple. Nipples he’d love to squeeze and kiss.

  To watch her touch her pussy was almost unbearable. The moist pink flesh, so soft, so ripe.

  His erection hardened further.

  Anna laughed. “Now you’re going to need the lube.” She got up from the cot and rifled through the boxes on the shelves. The twin moons of her smooth white buttocks tempted him more than he’d like to admit.

  She turned and uncapped a brand new bottle of lubricant. “Allow me.” After pouring some into her hand, she fisted his cock in her small hand.

  God, did that feel fucking good.

  Her grip was tight, but not too tight. He groaned when she slid her hand down his length to coat his penis with the lubricant. He knew if she touched him like that much
longer, he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back. He settled his hands on her hips, massaging the soft curves. In one hand he still held the cock ring.

  She let go. “There, now let me put on the ring.” She took the rubber cock ring out of his hand.

  “I don’t know....” He looked from the ring to his erect penis.

  She smiled up at him. Her white-blonde hair was like a halo around her head. His snow angel. So beautiful. Her scent so delicious. “Trust me. I won’t hurt you—much.” Her smile turned playful and her eyes sparkled with mischief, further softening the impact of her vow.

  Before he could say anything more, she took the cock ring and rolled it from the tip of his penis to the base. He grunted. The pressure of the ring around his sensitive organ was painful and pleasurable at the same time. Quickly, she knelt down and slipped the loops over his balls to keep the ring in place. Her hands were cool on his heated sac. He clenched the muscles in his ass in response.

  “There, was that so bad?” She smacked his ass, hard, before she stood up.

  “Hey!” He jolted in his place.

  “No complaints.” She smacked him again. This time the sound echoed in the small storage shed. She rubbed her hand soothingly across the flesh she’d just punished, then smacked him again. “You like that, don’t you, Caleb?”

  “Is this what goes on there?” Curiosity filled him. He knew very little about the shifter facility, but rumor was rife. He stuck to his job, though, perfecting the techniques to identify shifters. The pay was out of this world, and he had to admit a strange fascination for shifters that went beyond tales of sensual excess.

  She rubbed her hand across his ass. He anticipated another smack, since he had ignored her question to ask one of his own. His dick throbbed in the ring. To his surprise, the spanking turned him on.

  “No questions. You’ll do as I say.” Smack!

  His cock throbbed and turned deep red. His need for her was intense. Almost too intense.

  “Sit on the cot.”