by Leilani Love
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered before hearing Chad clear his throat.
When she looked up she blushed, embarrassed when she noticed how Chad looked annoyed. “Are you ready?”
Ally nodded giving them both one more pat before walking to the side of carriage and letting Chad help her up and into the back. There were a dozen red roses on the seat in front of them and a single rose on her seat. Picking it up, she sat down and smiled at him. “Chad, this is lovely. You shouldn’t have.”
Chad chuckled, taking the spot next to her and covering her with a fur blanket that the driver handed him. “Ally, you deserve nothing but the best and that’s what I plan on giving you.”
He tucked the blanket around them both and she smelled her rose as she took a quick glance around. She saw Jared talking to the carriage driver and watched as his jaw hardened while they spoke. When he walked to the front of the carriage his pace was quick and his back was rigidly straight. Ally couldn’t help but feel oddly amused as he sat up on the front bench next to the coachman.
Chad looked at the back of Jared’s head and growled. “I had hoped your little guard dog would stay put while we went around the park for a few hours, but it looks like there is no such luck.”
Chapter 5
Jared felt his aggravation with the night grow as he sat on the front bench with the driver. The driver had politely told him that he was aware that he might be joining them, and that Chad preferred he sit on the bench in the back of the carriage. It looked like the driver had done everything he could to make it comfortable, but Jared had refused as politely as he could and told the man he would receive a generous tip for allowing him to sit up front.
When Chad had referred to him as Ally’s guard dog he almost snapped. All night he watched as the man treated Ally like some mindless female. He watched as she pretended to eat the food that was ordered for her by a shifter who obviously didn’t take the time to get to know her. When Ally was petting the horses in the front she was the happiest Jared had seen her since the date had started, and Chad had put that to an end quickly.
Jared tried to block out the sound of them talking and focus on what was ahead of them. They rode around the park twice and from the way Ally was talking she was enjoying herself. She loved the crisp night air and when Chad had presented the chocolate covered strawberries she expressed her delight with a bite and a moan. Chad had bought the ones that were infused with champagne, and the hot chocolate he had given her had a liberal dose of rum, from what he could smell.
Jared didn’t know what was worse, the sound of them talking, or the periods of silence where he was forced to keep his head straight and not turn around to see what was going on behind him. It was torture and at one point he knew they were kissing because his dragon heard Ally’s heartbeat increase in concert with the sound of her breathing. Jared gripped the bench under him tightly. Eventually he heard the driver chuckling and when he looked over, the older man gave him a knowing look. He opened his mouth to say something but Jared cut him off. “Your horses are beautiful.”
“Thank you. They’re third generation purebreds. They’re actually siblings,” he said with a hint of pride in his voice.
Jared went to open his mouth and heard Chad clear his throat behind them letting them know he wasn’t happy about them talking. The driver smirked as they came back around to the restaurant, slowly coming to a stop. Jared got down on his side before walking around to the valet to have the car brought around.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Chad helping Ally down. His hand on her hips lifting her up and setting her on the ground. Chad kept his hand on her waist and stood way too close, forcing Ally to look up at him.
Jared heard the driver of the carriage chuckle again. “I’m not sure why you are following them around, but you’ve got it bad. Either tell her how you feel or walk away. Life’s too short to not tell someone you love them.”
“I don’t love her,” Jared said surprised that he would even think such a thing. “She just gets into trouble and I’m…”
The man chuckled again, shaking his head. “Whatever you need to tell yourself young man. And the best ones are always trouble. I’ve been married for over fifty years. There’s no one more troublesome than my wife, and no man has ever been happier.” With that he walked away going back to his horses.
Jared shook his head thinking he was crazy when the car was pulled around. Chad and Ally walked over and Jared opened the door waiting for them to say their goodbyes.
“I’m not ready for our time to be up. Why don’t I ride with you back to the hotel and we can spend a bit more time together? I can catch a cab later, I’m sure Jared here wouldn’t mind taking the long way back.” Chad said with a dismissive look toward Jared that he assumed meant he expected privacy.
Ally smiled at him. “I’d like that. The hotel has a lovely bar and sitting area.”
Jared watched as Chad’s face changed at the mention of the hotel bar. There was a look of disappointment that Ally missed before Chad helped Ally into the back seat. Jared closed the door, taking a deep breath before going around to the driver’s side. The car was a Lincoln and was larger than most luxury sedans. When he got into his seat he noticed that the glass divider was suddenly up and he knew Chad had done it. Thinking to himself that he was glad that he couldn’t see what was going on. Jared started to drive back to the hotel.
Jared tried his best to ignore the fact that he was annoyed that he couldn’t see what was happening in the back seat. There was a moment when he debated using his dragon’s hearing to know what the two of them where doing. An image of Ally in Chad’s arms kissing him made him growl and grip the steering wheel.
After about thirty minutes, when he decided that was enough of taking the long way to the hotel. Jared turned and decided it was time to head back when a distinctive loud, “No!” was heard coming from the back.
He let his dragon come to the surface and listened needing to make sure she was okay when he heard her, “No, Chad––please––get off me.”
He could hear struggling and with her words he knew Chad wasn’t listening. Jared slammed on the breaks, stopping the car right there on the road. In a flash he was out of the car and throwing open the back door. Ally looked up at him over Chad’s shoulder. There was a mark on her face where the asshole must have hit her. Her eyes were wide and bright with terror.
Without a thought, he reached in and yanked Chad up and off her and threw him out of the car. Traffic had stopped, and everyone was honking as they watched. Luckily for Chad the driver in the other lane had stopped to see what was going on, so he wasn’t in danger of being hit. The woman in the vehicle was watching everything with her mouth open wide.
Chad got up sputtering in protest and Jared pulled back and punched him. The crack of his jaw as he hit him with a right hook satisfied Jared more than it should have and without a second look he closed the door to the back of the vehicle before getting back in the driver’s seat.
Jared drove to the hotel, quickly. Driving around to a back entrance, he smiled at the security guard he had met earlier as he got out of the car.
“Jared, what are you doing back here?”
Reaching into his jacket pocket he grabbed his wallet and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and slid it into the guard’s hand. “I need a favor. I need to use the back elevator up to the penthouse suite and I need you to make sure this car gets parked in the garage for me. Just leave the keys with the valet, will you? Under my name please.”
The man nodded eagerly when he glanced at the tip in his hand. Jared took off his jacket and opened the door in the back. The image of Ally, her eyes puffy from crying and her makeup streaming down her face had pulled at his heart. Jared saw that her dress had a tear in it and he wrapped her up in his jacket before picking her up and carrying her out of the back.
When the security guard saw him pull a girl out of the back he stopped him. “Jared, you are taking that girl to he
r room right. You aren’t ––”
Jared gave him a polite smile as his voice trailed off. He could understand why he would be worried about a woman whose dress was torn. “I’m just a helping a friend who had a bad night.”
He nodded, giving him one last look as if hoping he were telling the truth. One of Jared’s duties as security was to always know the back exits. Through the kitchen was a server’s elevator that went to the very top. Jared got a few looks but the staff was trained to “not notice things like this” and just kept going on about their jobs.
Ally occasionally made a sniffling sound but was silent in his arms and Jared held her tight until they got to her room. Shifting her slightly, he opened the door and carried her into the room. She had gone so silent and still in his arms he began to wonder if she had gone into shock.
The best thing he could think to take care of her was to put her in a nice warm bath. He walked into her room and sat her on his lap as he let the water warm before filling the tub. Once it was ready he managed to unzip her dress and remove her shoes while holding her as he took the dress off her. He decided to leave on her stockings and undergarments. As he picked her back up to put her in the tub she held him tightly whispering, “Please don’t go.”
Jared bit back a moan before kicking off his shoes and stepped into the tub fully dressed. Setting her on his lap, adjusting her so she was comfortable, he reminded his body that he was comforting a girl who had been attacked and that now was not the time to react to the curvy body curled up on his chest.
Jared held her until she fell asleep in his arms. Brushing her hair back from her face he looked down at her. She was beautiful. Everything about her drew him to her but the life she wanted was the one he was desperately trying to walk away from. He carefully dried her off and removed the wet undergarments from her body before he tucked her into her bed. Not wanting to be too far from her, he stripped off his wet clothes and put on a pair of sweat pants before lying on the couch and falling asleep listening to the sound of her breathing from the other room.
Deep in sleep Jared jumped from the couch when he heard Ally crying out like she was being attacked. He ran to her room and saw her in the bed. Her words were a mixture of Celtic and English and he knew that whatever she was dreaming had happened a long time ago and she was being hurt. Carefully he approached her side of the bed and brushed back the hair from her face as he whispered, “Ally.”
Chapter 6
Ally’s eyes popped open and she reached up to the hit the man who was touching her. When her hand connected with a solid body she realized she was no longer dreaming. A grunt from the man above her in the dark room was all she heard followed by a small chuckle. “Good morning, Princess.”
Ally felt her cheeks heat up and she blushed. “Jared, I’m sorry, I…” her voice trailed off and she was at a loss for words.
“You have a hell of a punch,” he said before brushing her hair back.
“I’m so sorry. I –– I didn’t know it was you,” she said while sitting up to try and look at his face. When she felt the cool air hit her breasts she squeaked as she pulled the blanket up to cover herself. She didn’t remember taking off her clothes and was surprised she was naked.
She couldn’t see him but knew he was smiling at her and she couldn’t help but smile to herself. She felt his hand come up and his thumb brush the side of her cheek. “You should go back to sleep.”
She was wide-awake now and didn’t think she could fall asleep but knew he was right. When she lay back down he tucked the blankets around her. As he got up she grabbed his hand. “Jared, would you mind staying for a bit longer. I don’t want to be alone.”
For the longest moment, he didn’t speak, only stood, looking down at her in the dark. Ally swallowed before releasing his hand. She turned on her side when she felt the bed start to dip. “Move over Princess.”
More eagerly than she should she quickly moved over to the center of the bed. When he lay down next to her, she rolled over, so she could watch him. He put his hands behind his head and settled on top of the blankets.
“Go to sleep, Princess,” he commanded, and she closed her eyes, a giggle escaping her at being caught.
Ally didn’t know how long it took her to fall asleep, or what she even dreamt about, all she was aware of was that when she started to wake, she was laying on someone hard. She heard the sound of a heartbeat steady under her head then she realized her thigh was tucked between someone else’s.
Her brain in a morning fog, at first she didn’t care who it was running fingers through her hair and down her back. A content sigh escaped her before she took a deep breath and realized it was Jared. She should pull away. She knew he hated her and that he was just being kind to her after the terrible night she’d had, but she didn’t want this moment to end.
She lay contentedly in his arms until she felt the soft brush of his lips on her head and he whispered, “My Princess.”
Jared’s words startled Ally and she turned her head to look up at him. Jared’s face was so close to hers she felt his breath on her lips. Her eyes snapped up to meet his and she could almost see the dragon that he kept hidden beneath the surface. He looked wild, intense, and for the first time she felt all that energy directed at her.
Ally swallowed hard before licking her lips and when Jared let out a growl she felt his hand slide from her back to grip her ass and force her higher on his chest. As he did this, his mouth claimed hers in a kiss that took her breath away. His lips were firm, yet gentle, and when his tongue came out and licked her lips, she parted them with a sigh. Her hands slid into his hair encouraging him to continue, silently begging for him to give her more.
He seemed to understand what she wanted and a gasp escaped, her lips parting more as he rolled her to her back and settled between her thighs. She wished the blanket wasn’t between them as her hips arched up in offering. Her right leg had come out of the blanket as he rolled her over and she felt him grab her naked thigh and put it up on his hip.
He seemed happy with her leg on his hip and she was distantly aware of his hand sliding up her bare skin. He continued to kiss her with a passion that made her toes curl and she felt him grip her hips and angle her to deepen the contact. She felt his cock through the blanket before his hands came up to cup her breasts.
She broke the kiss, arching back against him as she cried out in pleasure. She felt his lips curve in a smile against her neck and he whispered, “So beautiful, my Princess.”
With her eyes half closed, she pulled on his hair as his lips traveled down the column of her neck. His fingers began to tease her breasts, kneading and massaging them until his lips finally covered the hard-sensitive nub, sucking it into his mouth.
Ally’s back arched up off the bed while he teased one breast with his mouth as his hand found the other and began to gently caress it. When he released her nipple from his mouth she cried out in protest and tried to force his head back to her. Jared must have found her antics amusing because he chuckled and blew on her other nipple before playfully nipping at it. “Do you want my mouth here, my Princess?”
“Yes,” she panted and felt his lips curve before he gave her what she wanted. His mouth began to tease her nipple like the other before, finally flicking it with his tongue.
Her hips moving on their own, she tried to push the blankets down so she could touch more of him only to have him grab her wrist and pin it above her head. Jared released her breast and looked down at her. His eyes dark with desire. “Princess, if you touch me I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”
Ally pulled on her hand and he released her without a fight. She smiled as she slid her hands down his chest, between their bodies, and over the blanket to stroke him over his clothed cock. “I never told you I wanted you to stop.”
He didn’t move at first and she bit her lip, worried that maybe he no longer wanted her and she whispered, “Please, Jared. Make love to me.”
Those words seemed to be his und
oing as a fierce growl escaped him and he pulled the blankets out from between them. Before he settled back between her thighs he pulled back to remove his sweats and for just a moment she could view his beautiful body. His chest muscles seemed to taper down to his waist where his long cock was standing proudly and a large glistening bead of precum on the head made her lick her lips in want.
He must have read her thoughts because he growled and the next thing she knew he was settled between her thighs again. He naturally seemed to slip between her wet folds as his mouth claimed hers. His hands were everywhere as his tongue dueled against hers. He picked up both her thighs and put them high on his hips opening her more for him while his hips rocked back and forth causing him to brush her sensitive clit. His cock slid between her folds and she moaned into his mouth. Once both her legs were in place his hands slid up her sides until they found her breasts.
Jared played Ally’s body like a master. Making her crave more of his touch. When his hips pulled back she whimpered into his mouth and she knew he was smiling with masculine pride as he found her entrance and thrust all the way in with one deep hard stroke.
She broke the kiss as she arched her back gasping. She wasn’t a virgin, but it had been a long time since she had been with a man and Jared was very thick, stretching her. The pleasure was intense and he hadn’t even moved yet. He looked down at her and she could see the restraint on his face as he watched her. His forehead beaded with sweat as he held back. “Did I hurt you?”
Ally shook her head and tentatively rolled her hips. He growled above her as he continued to hold himself still. “Please,” she whimpered.
His movement was slow and in control and she felt her hips come up to meet his thrust greedily with one of her own. Her hands slid around his back as she held him, her nails digging into him as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She needed to hold him, to be as close to him as possible as he began to move faster inside of her.