Claws and Effect (Small Town Shifters Book 1)

by Lola Kidd

  The dragons shifted. Knox gingerly lifted Murry in his mouth, and they were off.

  "Do you have a phone?" Rhett asked as soon as they were alone.

  "Sure. Let me just wiggle into my car." He moved to stop her, but she put up a hand. "Don't worry. I won't hurt myself."

  It wasn't that hard to get around all the glass and into her car. It only took a moment to stretch and grab the cell phone from her cup holder.

  She triumphantly handed it to him. "Here you go."

  "Thank you." Rhett looked at her. "Give me a minute."

  Chapter Six

  "The tow truck will be here in half an hour," Rhett said, closing Joseline's phone.

  "Really? At this time of night?" Joseline took her phone and put it in her bag. "That's better service than I've gotten in some cities."

  Rhett grunted. The mechanic, Eddie, was doing him a favor. If it hadn't been him calling, it would have taken much longer. Being Keeper in town came with respect and perks. Plus, Eddie was a friend, and Rhett didn't ask for much. This was a very special circumstance, and Eddie understood without needing to be told all the details. Rhett would make it up to him.

  "Would you like a blanket or something?" Joseline asked him.

  "That would be nice."

  He wasn't uncomfortable in his nakedness. He was a shifter, after all. What he was uncomfortable with was not knowing what his body was going to do. His tiger was reacting strangely to Joseline, and anything could happen. If his tiger was acting up, who was to say his little man down south wasn't going to get a mind of its own too? Rhett hadn't had to worry about random boners for hundreds of years, and still here he was, nervous as a schoolboy.

  To be fair, Joseline was the most beautiful woman he had seen in a very long while. Maybe ever. Her long black hair made his fingers long to reach out and touch. He wanted to wrap all that gorgeous hair around his wrist and pull her close to him. Just to feel her curvy body against him would make his night. He didn't even need to do anything else to her. He wanted to, but just being able to feel her warmth against him would be enough. Plus, she didn't seem like the type of woman who would be all right with getting down before they'd at least gotten to know each other.

  Not to mention that she was wearing lingerie and was here to meet a "friend." He still didn't have the courage to ask her who this friend was and if it was a man. There was no way a woman like her was still single. If a human man hadn't snatched her up by now, there was a good chance a shifter had claimed her heart. She was headed to his town, after all. He hadn't seen her around, but maybe her man was keeping her a secret. Maybe he hadn't sealed the deal yet and didn't want any other shifters sniffing around. That gave Rhett a strange hope. Maybe there was still a chance for him. To do what, he wasn't sure, but his animal wanted something.

  "I found a blanket." She handed him a thin pink plaid car blanket. She smiled and eyed his torso but not lower. "I know this isn't going to go a long way, and it won't get close to covering all you've got, but it's better than nothing, right?"

  He tied it around his waist, ending up with something resembling a kilt. It barely reached past his manhood.

  "What kind of blanket is this? Does this even do anything to keep you warm?"

  She raised an eyebrow and bit her lower lip. "It's doing something for me right now."

  Rhett's face burned. He was blushing. A shifter centuries old, and he was blushing.

  "Are you cold or anything?" he asked her, trying to get his mind off what was going on down south. His body was going to betray him.

  "I'm a little wet, but I'm fine." She smiled at him wickedly.

  Rhett cleared his throat. He didn't know how to react to her. What should he say? She wasn't flirting, was she? She was definitely doing more than just being nice. He hadn't flirted in a while, but it wasn't like he had no idea how to seduce a human woman.

  No. Better not to do anything. He didn't want her to get mixed up with him, even if she were flirting. Better for her to go with whomever she was meeting in the first place.

  "Do you want to call your friend? I'm sure she's worried."

  Joseline tipped her head. "Are you joking?"

  "No. I'm not like those dragons. I'm not going to stop you from leaving if you'd like. Though I wouldn't suggest it right now. But when we get to town, it'll be fine for you to go your own way. Go ahead and call your friend. I'll step over here and give you some privacy. I won't even listen."

  Her eyebrows knitted together and her forehead wrinkled. "You're my friend."

  "What? I mean, if you want to call me your friend now, that's fine. We've gone through quite an ordeal, but you can call whomever you were going to meet. Or was that a lie?" He wondered if she was going into shock. She wasn't making much sense. Maybe he would have to make a stop at the doctor's house after getting her car to town.

  She threw her hands up. "I was here to meet you. I mean, have you forgotten already or something? How hard did you hit your head?"

  "I don't know you're talking about." And then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He inhaled sharply. "Oh, no. You have got to be kidding me."

  "What? I'm sorry I'm such a joke to you." Her voice was agitated.

  "No. This is not a joke." He put his hands up. "You have to believe me, but that profile you found? That's why you're here, right? That's not me. I mean, the picture is me. But that's not me. That was a joke by some kids."

  "I'm a joke?" Now she was angry. He knew that look. The way the tips of her ears turned bright red. The sneer. "And why would anyone do that? To lure women like me out here and humiliate us?"

  He shook his head. "They're trying to humiliate me. I haven't had a woman in a very long time, and they knew it would make me uncomfortable to have women coming to meet me."

  "You mean to have women like me come to try and throw ourselves at you?" Her cheeks were turning pink.

  The loud engine of the tow truck pierced the night air. Bright lights were visible from down the road. Eddie must have jumped out of bed and sped here. It hadn't even been fifteen minutes yet.

  "That's not what I said or what I meant at all," he told her. "Step out of the way, so he can get the truck in place."

  He was glad to have the distraction. He could tell he had upset her. He never should have said anything. Those damn kids.

  "Hey there, Sheriff," Ed called from his window. He whistled when he surveyed the car. "You got one good accident there."

  He got out of the truck and shook Rhett's hand. Then he walked around the car and found a space where he could hook up his tow. "Could you help me lift this? It's a little more beat up than I thought, and I can't get my hand in here."

  Rhett nodded. He went over to the car and grabbed the other side. Together, they raised it toward the truck platform. Ed did the rest of the work.

  "Ed, this is Joseline. You're going to drop us both at my house tonight."

  Ed's gave Rhett the thumbs up after looking at Joseline. "Nice to meet you. Would you like me to take your car to my place and look at it, or do you want it to go somewhere else?"

  "If you could look at it, that would be great," she told him. "I don't know if you'll be able to do much, but I would really appreciate it."

  "Well, you've got a lot of damage, and I doubt I can get this fixed up," he told her. "But if not, I know someone who'll take it off your hands. I have a guy who parts out broken-down cars. He won't even take much of the profit. You'll get more than you would if you straight out junked it."

  She groaned. "This is a brand-new car. My insurance is going to love this one."

  "Total bummer," Ed said. "You and Rhett can hop in the cab now. I'll be up in a second."

  On the way to Rhett's home, Eddie and Joseline talked the whole time. Rhett could barely get his mind right to say anything. He knew he was being rude, but it didn't matter. His animal was making a mess of his mind. Being close to Joseline was setting him off.

  When they got to the house, Eddie winked at him behind Joseline's
back after she'd gotten out. "She's gorgeous. Nice work, man."

  "It's not what it looks like. This is business."

  "Whatever you say, man. I think I need to get myself some of that business too." Eddie laughed and closed the truck door. "Have her come by day after tomorrow, and I'll see what I can do."

  Rhett nodded and went to his front door. "I know it's not much, but I can get you anything you'd like," he told Joseline. "I want you to make yourself at home and be comfortable."

  She wouldn't be leaving until he knew he could keep her safe. Those dragons weren't going to let up. He'd gotten them off her back for the moment, but until they knew she would keep her mouth shut, they would keep coming after her. Rhett wasn't sure how he was going to get around that, but as long as she was with him, they would do nothing.

  His best bet was to use magic on her. He could make her forget it all. The dragons were young and nowhere near as skilled as he was. But he didn't want to do that unless he absolutely had to. He was hoping for an easier solution to this whole thing.

  "I'm sorry I'm so disappointing," she told him before she stepped inside. "Don't worry, I won't try anything now that I know the truth."

  He grabbed her by the arm and stopped her from going farther into the house. "You're exactly my type. You're not disappointing at all."

  "Shut up." She was looking at the floor, but when she looked up she was smiling.

  That smile made his animal very happy. "It's true. When Tuck wanted you and went after you, I was sure I was going to have to fight him."

  "Really? And why would you fight him for me?"

  "Like I said, you're my type. Because I want you. Because my tiger wants you. Because maybe we belong together. But I want you to be careful while you're here. Those dragons will hurt you if they think you're a threat."

  "If you're here to protect me, I think I'll be fine."

  His tiger roared and wanted to be set free. Seeing her in his home just drove the point home. She fit right in. He longed to throw that coat off of her and take what was his beneath it. But he couldn't do that, not now and not ever.

  "Let me give you the grand tour," he said.

  Chapter Seven

  Rhett held his hands up by his sides and motioned to the room. "This is the living room and the foyer."

  "Lovely." Joseline put her hands in her pockets and wished she could melt into the floor. Her outfit was ridiculous. What had she been thinking? He hadn't wanted her. This was all a joke. He was being nice, but she could tell that she really wasn't his type. He hadn't made the first move, so she was breaking her rules. How humiliating. She hadn't even made it six months. She was such a fool.

  He opened the closet to his left. "This is the coat closet. I assume you want to keep yours on for now."

  She nodded and tried to pull the belt of her coat even tighter. When she chose this outfit, she'd thought she'd be taking it off for him. Instead, she wished she were wearing sweats. Next time, if she got the courage to do this again, she'd be wearing something much more low-key. No more going all out on the first hookup. Though the chances of her trying this again were very slim.

  "If you'll follow me to the kitchen." He led her through the door at the back of the living room.

  The style flowed well from the living room to the kitchen. She would call it shabby chic. There was a mix of DIY-looking pieces that he had probably painted himself and Pottery Barn stuff. Everything had classic charm. Worn in while still looking modern. The color scheme was mostly reds and neutrals. There was also a surprising amount of plaid. The pink blanket she had given him fit right in.

  "Here's the kitchen." He opened the fridge. "Here's where most of the food is. Anything you want, you can have. And I can go out and buy stuff for you tomorrow, too. Do you have any allergies or anything?"

  "Nope. I can eat whatever." She was going to make a self-deprecating remark along the lines of, "With this figure obviously I like to eat," but she didn't need to make fun of herself. She'd already done enough.

  He opened up a few cabinets. "Here are the cups and plates. Down here are the pots and pans. And that's pretty much the downstairs. I know it's not much, but I hope you feel comfortable. I'll show you to the bedrooms."

  They went back to the living room, and he pointed to the hall. "There's the bathroom for downstairs too."

  She followed him up the carpeted stairs to the second floor. It was big for an older home. The landing had enough space to fit a couch and a second TV.

  "You must really like TVs," she said appreciatively.

  He shook his head. "I don't. But when I have guests, I like to be able to accommodate everyone comfortably. Having more than one seating area helps when I have my big yearly gatherings. I don't watch much TV, though."

  "Oh, I love TV and movies. I can't get enough."

  "I'm more of a book man, myself."

  She frowned. She wasn't a big reader. Not that she hated reading; it just wasn't her favorite. But she knew that wasn't something to say to a man who liked to read. It would only give him the wrong impression of her, and he probably already thought little of her. She didn't want to make an even worse impression. He would probably think she was stupid.

  "You have a lot of parties?" she asked.

  "No. I try to have two each year, one in the warm months and one in the cold. I'm close with a lot of people in town, and I like to show my appreciation by having them over twice a year and going all out. It's a lot of fun, but not my usual thing."

  "Cool." She meant it. He didn't seem like a party guy, and it was nice that he would do that. She didn't have any parties at her apartment.

  "This is my room." He closed the door before she could look in. "I don't want you to go in there. It's too messy."

  She laughed. So, he did have flaws. "Where will I be staying?"

  Obviously, she would be staying with him. That was the whole reason she was even out tonight, but the only person who was trying to get to her body was a scorpion.

  He pointed to the room across the hall. "This one right here."

  She watched his butt as he walked into the room. He really was built beautifully. That made it even worse that she wouldn't get to be with him. At least his home was nice. The bed looked so comfy, even if she would be sleeping alone.

  "This will be fine," she said.

  "There's fresh sheets and pillowcases on the bed. The bathroom is right next door, and there are fresh towels in the linen closet in there. There's soap and shampoo, but I assume you'll want me to get you something different tomorrow. I know everyone has their own tastes."

  "No need. I can use anything for the short time I'm here." She was picky about her shampoo, but she didn't want to put him out.

  "I know, but if it goes on longer than we expect, I want you to be comfortable here. Seriously, I don't mind going out to get you whatever you need."

  Just how long would she be staying? She didn't have any jobs she had to get back for just yet, but he hadn't even mentioned how long he thought it would be. If he kept being vague, she would just tell him she had work to do. It wasn't like he was kidnapping her. He'd told her she could leave at any time. Still, he was stressing that she should stay for a while. This was starting to get confusing for her, but maybe she was just too tired to understand it all.

  "I'm going to sleep downstairs tonight," he told her. "Not that I think anything is going to happen, but just in case."

  "Well, now I'm worried." Her palms were suddenly sweaty again, and she shook at the memory of the scorpion attacking her car.

  "Are you okay?" He put a hand on her shoulder. "You're shaking. Are you cold or scared still?"

  "Scared, but I'll be fine. I just need some sleep." She willed herself to stop. She was fine. She was in this nice shifter's house, and he was going to protect her. Even if he didn't want to sleep with her, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

  "Listen, would you like it more if I slept upstairs, closer to you?"

  "Maybe." Downst
airs was so far away. If she screamed, how quickly could he get upstairs? "Yes. You should stay up here."

  He nodded. "If it'll make you feel better, I will. I'm going to get in the shower now. It's been such a long day, and I feel grimy. Please help yourself to anything you need. Would you like me to bring you water or a snack or anything before I turn in for the night?"

  "I think I can use a shower, too. That's all I'll need. Thank you for being so nice to me today and for saving my life."

  "It's my job. But you're welcome. I'm glad I was there to help."

  He lingered for a second and took his hand off her shoulder. He stared at her for a second longer and then left.

  She really did need to get to sleep. From the way he had lingered, she could have sworn he wanted to do something. Maybe not have sex, but it seemed like he had more to say to her.

  Maybe he hadn't been lying when he'd said she was his type. He did have a very nice house. The decorating was definitely her style. It made her like him a little more. Though, of course, he was already her type.

  She waited until she was sure he was in his room and then removed her coat and went to the shower. The warm water was luxurious, washing away the grime of the day. It had been such a long day and night. She was sure she would sleep like a rock.

  Sure enough, when she was all clean, she could feel sleep taking her over. The only problem was that she had nothing to sleep in. She sat in the bathroom in her towel for a full ten minutes before gathering up the courage to go knock on Rhett's door.

  "Yes?" he asked, opening the door a crack.

  "I have nothing to sleep in."

  He opened the door farther and she got a good look at his amazing body. He was wearing a pair of boxers. Somehow, that was even sexier than when he had been naked. It was like that little bit of clothes drew even more emphasis to his great body. "I'm so sorry. I can give you one of my shirts. Will that be okay?"

  She nodded and yawned. "I'll take anything right now."

  He threw a shirt and a pair of boxers at her. "In case you want something more."