Stephani Hecht - A Wicked Caress

Noah endured a year of harsh captivity by the Ravens before finally being rescued by his fellow feline shifters. Scarred in more ways than one and traumatized, hes trying to settle into a new life with the family he never knew he had. Too many bad memories and fears are making the transition less than easy, however. Even though his siblings claim to care about him, Noah feels that because of his haunted past, hes unworthy of their devotion.

Only one thing brings him any sense happiness, a tiger shifter named Seth. The problem is, Seth is the complete opposite of Noah. A soldier in every sense of the word, hes strong, sexy and honorable. Noah knows the other man is out of his league, so he vows to keep his feelings a secret.

Then one day Seth offers to help Noah learn how to defend himself. Even though Noah knows he should refuse, he agrees. His driving need to not be weak anymore and his deep feelings for Seth make the temptation too much to resist. But in getting closer to Seth, will Noah be in danger of losing his heart?

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A Wicked Caress

Copyright 2010 Stephani Hecht ISBN: 978-1-55487-607-5

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Lost Shifter Series Book Five By

Stephani Hecht

As a kid, Noah had loved Sesame Street. Hed plant his ass on the threadbare carpet of Mrs.

Millers living room and lose himself in the land of letters and numbers. Gone were the troubles of not having parents or anyone who gave a damn about him. Instead, he could briefly pretend he lived on that street with furry monsters and happy storeowners.

One of his favorite things about the show had been the music. One song in particular, One ofThese Things is Not Like Other Things. Probably because it could have been the anthem for his fucked up life. Even before hed outgrown the Pampers and Gerbers, hed instinctively known he was different from everyone. Somehow off. An unwilling pretender.

At first, he thought those feelings came from being an orphan and having no roots to base his life on. Then as he got older, he wondered if perhaps it had to do with him being gay. It wasnt until nearly two years ago that hed learned the real reason.

Boy had it thrown him for a fucking loop, too.

Okay, maybe he never expected those missing roots to be sounexpected. Still, when he found out who he really was what he really washed never felt more different. Seriously though, how could one prepare themselves to find out that they werent human at all, but a feline shifter?

As if that hadnt been enough, Noah had discovered that he had a real family out there. A family that had been searching for him. One that had the military power and training to destroy a small nation. He also discovered that his oldest brother was the leader of the feline coalition.

Another brother had a love for explosives, plus a third one had an uncanny knack for mishandling firearms and shooting innocent bystanders.

Yeah, he bet Thanksgiving was a real blast in his new home.

As he sat at the huge ass dinner table in his prodigal familys living quarters, Noah tried his best to put on a happy face, all the while covertly studying his siblings and wondering how in hell hed ever manage to fit in with this odd group.

Thankfully, the only ones there for lunch were he and his two older brothers, Brent and Mitchell.

Although the two large men were both from the same litter, and yes, thats the word they used, litter. Mitchell was the one who led the coalition and ran the family while Brent was the one who liked to play with anything that went boom. Both of them had the same hair, a medium brown with darker brown speckles in it. Mitchell wore his a bit shorter, but they both had what one would call regulation cuts.

In other words, they were true soldiersbuilt like brick houses and with the whole dont-mess-with-me attitude. Noah on the other hand filled out the role of thin, scrawny and weak, perfectly.

His buddy, Ranger, had once called him a twinkstwink and even though it stung, Noah had to admit he had a point.

Luckily for him, at the moment, Brent and Mitchell were talking business so they werent paying him any attention. That meant that Noah could continue to study the two men who were supposedly his blood relation, unnoticed.

When are Jacyn and Logan supposed to be back from their mission? Brent asked Mitchell.

Jacyn was yet another brother. He came from the middle litter, which still made him older than Noah. He also shared the same hair and eye coloring as the others. The only one who didnt was Noah. While he had brown eyes, hed been cursed with black hair. Not dark brown, but a true black. So dark that in some lighting, it almost appeared blue. When hed asked Mitchell why he looked differently, it had earned him a close-eyed look and a dont worry about that now.

He did worry about it though, because it was yet another thing that set him apart from the others. As he stirred his soup, he wondered if hed ever feel like he belonged somewhere.

Theyre supposed to be back tonight. Not only that, the Alpha team should be pulling in soon, too. So, its going to be a busy night, Mitchell answered.

As Noah continued to stir his soup, he had never felt more small and insignificant. Everyone would be busy, but him. They didnt trust the weak, black sheep of the family to do anything. So the most pressing thing Noah had was deciding what car hed be driving in Mario Kart.

A lull in the conversation brought him out of his musings and he glanced up in horror to see Brent and Mitchell looking down the long table at him. Mitchells face remained as unreadable as always while the corners of Brents lips were twitching. Noah let out a loud gulp. Sorry, did I miss something?

Besides you singing a kiddy songno, Brent replied, his voice light and almost teasing. I cant figure out which one it was though.

It was One of These Things is Not Like OtherThings, Mitchell supplied blandly.

Shocked that a bad ass like Mitchell actually knew that, Noah jumped. His embarrassment went up another level when his spoon hit the bowl with a loud clatter. Not wanting to come off as an even bigger loser, he pasted on a fake smile. After all, false grins and assurances that he was okay was something hed learned to excel in over the past six months. I guess I was just reliving my childhood.

When Mitchell and Brents expressions turned concerned, Noah immediately regretted that statement. Eager to smooth things over, he said,

Not all of it was bad. When I turned six, they sent me to live with this older lady named Mrs. Miller. I liked it there a lot.