“He forced himself on you?” Edward asked, feeling his rage build. Images of tearing that man apart entered his mind. He bit his lip, hard to stop the violent imaginings from continuing.
“Yeah, I told him that he was a creep and if he tried to do anything else, I’d call the cops. I blocked his number,” she said and then dabbed at her eyes with her drink napkin. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” he said. “I’m here for you.” Without realizing, he’d leaned in closer to her. When she turned to look at him, their noses almost brushed.
For an instant, it was as if time had frozen. He was only looking into her eyes, gorgeous orbs of mahogany. He inhaled her scent, her sadness, her arousal. The beast inside him scratched at his chest.
She inhaled sharply and pulled back. He dropped his gaze.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to get so close.”
They were quiet on their way back to the car. The drive back home was silent. When they parked, she placed a single hand on his arm before he could slide out of the car.
“Thank you for a beautiful night, Edward.”
“My pleasure,” he told her.
He meant it.
Gabriella
Romance had never been Gabriella’s obsession in life. She’d had a handful of boyfriends, but none of them stuck out in her mind as extraordinary. Nice, certainly. Rude, sometimes. But, she’d never had a great love.
“So why are you fighting this crush on Mr. Gorgeous Shifter?” Alyssa asked on their weekly phone call. Her best friend wasn’t amused by Gabriella’s retreat from Edward’s handsome embrace last week on their impromptu date night.
“I’m not fighting it,” Gabriella argued as she dropped her voice. Edward had taken Falon on a walk around the neighborhood in a newly acquired stroller. It was cute seeing such a powerful man so happy to push around his adoptive baby. The moms in the neighborhood were loving it, Gabriella was sure. “I’m just not…pushing it.”
“What’s the hold-up?” Alyssa asked impatiently. “He was totally ready to jump your bones last week.”
“Maybe.”
“Not maybe. Definitely.”
“Sure, sure,” Gabriella muttered. “I just…am I ready?”
“Gabby, it’s been a year since you’ve been on a date!”
Oh, she knew that…and that last date had been with the creepy Jason. She sighed into the phone and fidgeted with a kitchen towel in her hands. “Okay, okay. I’ll think about it.” They ended the call just as Edward came rolling in with Falon.
“Nice walk?” she asked. He nodded and unhooked Falon from the stroller, placing the child in the high chair. He got them both some water. “Hey, Edward.” He glanced up from the fridge.
“Hey, Gabriella.”
She rolled her eyes while wielding the kitchen towel, motioning to smack him. “I was wondering…”
“Go on,” he prodded as he headed over to Falon.
“Would you want to do another visit to downtown?”
His smile was both wicked and mischievous. “You mean another date? Your mom says it was a date.”
“When have you been talking to my mother?!” she was horrified. He shrugged.
“Sometimes, she calls, and you’re not here.”
She put a hand up against her forehead, a mortified feeling coming over her. God only knows what her mother was saying on the phone to him. She groaned. “Okay, fine. A date.”
Now, he straightened and playfully rubbed his chin. “A date…Hmmm…”
Her eyes narrowed, but she was smiling. “You don’t have to be a jerk about it.”
“A date sounds nice,” he said. “In fact, your mom mentioned that she might be free to watch Falon tomorrow night…if something came up for us.”
She smirked. “How generous. It’s a date then.” She waltzed out of the room and to her bedroom, immediately descending into panic as the door shut behind her. She texted Alyssa quickly: Shopping today. Date tomorrow.
Alyssa was off work for the afternoon, so they grabbed lunch. Afterward, her best friend tried to shove her into borderline-pornographic dresses while they shopped. Finally, they settled on a red dress that hugged her curves perfectly and ended above her knees with a simple black heel.
When her mother saw her that night, the other woman’s face was positively beaming. She wiggled her eyebrows as she cradled Falon. “You two have fun on date night. Falon will have lots of fun with me.”
Edward licked his lips when he saw Gabriella step out onto the porch. He’d been lingering outside, waiting for her. His eyes dragged up from her feet all the way to her head.
“There’s probably a reason we don’t have women dressed like this in the clan,” he announced. She swatted him playfully as they left. His scent drifted by her as they got into the car. It was smoke, leather, apples. She breathed in heavily, feeling light-headed as she did so. His hand came over her hand, gripped hard on the steering wheel.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice thick with worry…and something else. The huskiness of his question sent a shockwave of excitement down her spine. She nodded quickly and started the car. Soon, they were on their way, much like last time. She tuned the radio to a jazz station, hoping the sound of calming music would soothe her nerves.
This time, everything was different. The air was thick with anticipation. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath on the drive to the downtown area. She’d made reservations at a romantic restaurant. Edward still wasn’t the best at managing human tasks. What if their server flirted mercilessly with him again? What if she said something wrong? She tried to think of how handsome he looked in his black shirt and dark jeans with the polished boots. God, was he handsome.
He was a wolf walking among them. Everyone sensed it as soon as they walked in. The hostess nearly stuttered over her words as she showed them to their table. It was a great table, with seats overlooking a spectacular nighttime view. Despite the light pollution, you could still see a few stars twinkling overhead.
She read over the menu with an anxious heart, feeling her blood pulsing. He smirked across the table as if enjoying a private joke.
“I’ve ordered us a bottle of wine,” he said.
Her lips quirked upward. “Did you?”
“Your mom taught me how to use the internet,” he said proudly and then with a wicked look. “There’s an awful lot of naked people on there.” She giggled as the server chose that moment to come and visit them, presenting a nice-looking bottle of red wine.
They ordered, and then he was staring at her with those fiery Shifter eyes. She felt a spike in her pulse and took a gulp of her wine.
“Are you afraid?” he asked in a sultry tone.
“No,” she answered honestly. “I’m nervous.”
“I’ve never met a woman like you,” he said. It sounded like a deep confession. Her heart fluttered in her chest.
“A human woman like me?” she asked with a stab of dark humor. His eyes lit up with amusement, his wicked smirk teasing her across the table.
“No, a woman.”
She shivered in her seat as the server approached with appetizers. This dinner felt very different than the one before…and she liked it.
Edward
Gabriella looked ravishing. That was Edward’s main thought. The food was good, the drinks fine. But, his eyes were sweeping across her smooth, flawless skin and the supple curves. Never before had the presence of a woman so excited him. He felt mad, like a teenager going through puberty once again. His father had been right to laugh. He hadn’t realized that his affection for the human woman wasn’t that of a friendly nature…until their last date.
* * *
Of course, he’d always sensed it. He’d sensed her desire, but she’d always been quick to snuff it out. But, something was different about tonight. She’d changed her hair, lined her lips red, and the aroma of arousal was coming off her endlessly. He swallowed hard, nursing the sparkling water in his glass as he w
atched her take a bite of her steak. God, he had never wanted to sink his teeth into something more appetizing. There had been Shifter flings, but this was different.
* * *
Gabriella could be a mate. He realized, almost stunned, as he considered this. She looked up from her plate with a sneaky smile.
“What?” Her voice was playful, too bewitching for him to ignore.
* * *
“Just admiring,” he said honestly. The world seemingly faded away from them. “Do you want to take our drinks to the outside bar after we finish?” They had a section of the restaurant outside on a balcony, overlooking a small garden. After they’d finished, they did just that. His hand went to rest on her lower back as they leaned against the balcony, admiring the string lights around the garden.
* * *
She leaned towards him, her chest brushing against her. His pulse rocketed up as he leaned down. Her eyelashes fluttered as his lips pressed against her own. It was electric. His heartbeat quickened as her lips moved against his own.
* * *
It was perfect. Utterly timeless.
* * *
And then her phone rang. She pulled away with an embarrassed look. “I’m sorry.” She answered it with a frown. “It’s my mom,” she quickly whispered before listening to the other end. Her eyes widened. “Falon is really sick.”
* * *
--
They rushed home without finishing their drinks. Gabriella’s mom was clutching Falon, feverish and coughing, to her chest.
* * *
“We’ll take him to the emergency room,” Gabriella said at once. “A sudden fever can’t be good. Do you have the insurance card that came with his stuff?”
* * *
“Yes, of course.”
* * *
They rushed to the nearest hospital. He clutched Falon to his chest. A dread he’d never known filled him as he felt the unnatural heat coming off the baby’s body: the worry of death. Not of his own life, but someone else’s mortality.
* * *
“Fevers are bad when it happens with vomiting,” Gabriella muttered worriedly as they waited in the waiting room. Soon, a nurse showed them into an examination room. He hated the smell of chemicals and cleaning products, but it couldn’t be helped.
* * *
Finally, a nurse came in to take Falon’s vitals, a process that she explained as soon as she saw Edward’s worried face and golden eyes. Soon, they waited, and the doctor came in with a slight smile.
* * *
“No worries. It’s just a bacterial infection. We’re going to send your prescription to the pharmacy. What’s the one that you usually go to?” He addressed Gabriella now, and she gave the doctor the necessary information.
* * *
As they left, he felt a rush of relief as they loaded Falon into the car. He was sleeping now, after his dose of medicine from the doctor. As they drove along, she let out a sigh of relief.
* * *
“That really scared me,” she admitted. “I’ve come to think of him…as ours. You know?”
* * *
He smiled. “Yeah, I do.” They both glanced in the rearview mirror to see the baby sleeping peacefully. She drove them through the twenty-four-hour pharmacy, a wondrous thing that humans invented, and then they arrived home. After putting Falon to bed, they collapsed on the couch outside the hall.
* * *
“Sorry about our date,” she said.
* * *
He smirked. “Fatherhood is exhausting. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.” The smirk softened into a smile though. “It’s fascinating though. To raise a child. I wonder if he’ll be a strong wolf when he firsts begins to Shift.”
* * *
“Can you change on command?” she asked suddenly. He glanced at her.
* * *
“Yes, of course. You stop changing accidentally after puberty…well, unless you’re in mortal danger.”
* * *
She nodded. “I’d like to see you as a wolf, one day.” She blushed as if realizing what just came out of her mouth. “I mean if you’re open to it.” He smiled and lifted himself off the couch.
* * *
“Ready?” he asked her. He began to strip, and she slapped a hand over her eyes.
“No!”
* * *
“I can’t exactly rip my clothes every time I shift. That’s expensive,” he informed her. “You can look if you like.” She kept her hand firmly over her eyes though, no peeking through. Finally, he transformed. It was always weird feeling his bones melt down into his animal form. Now, she took her hand off and watched as his morphing body became surrounded in golden light, the same color of his eyes.
* * *
He stood before here on the wood-paneled floor, his massive paws poised in a relaxed position. It was always best to be relaxed as possible when showing a human a Shifter form for the first time. Her eyes roved over his massive frame, her mouth opened to gasp.
* * *
“You’re beautiful,” she muttered and reached out a hesitant hand. “Can I…pet you?” He nodded his head, giving a grunt of approval. She stroked his head, and he reclined against the couch, his snout in her lap, enjoying the feeling of the scratches between his ears.
* * *
Soon, they fell asleep together. His head in her lap, listening to her soft snores and baby Falon slumbering in the other room.
* * *
Peaceful.
* * *
In a way, he’d never known.
Gabriella
Edward was gone by the time she woke up. It was with a ad heart that she reached for her lap and felt the missing warmth of his wolf body. She tip-toed into his open room and found him, human again, sleeping in the bed, Falon asleep in his crib. She noticed that the sheet was barely covering Edward’s powerful lower body. He was still naked. She blushed and placed his pile of clothes from the hall into the room before heading down the hall.
* * *
The sun was beginning to rise outside. Today, she was planning on cleaning all of the other rooms, getting ready for the other guests that were set to arrive in the coming weeks. High season was starting as spring was coming in. She stretched and got to work, listening to music with her headphones as she cleaned. She didn’t hear Edward’s approach behind her, only felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and accidentally careened into his powerful chest. Lifting her eyes up to his golden ones, she smiled sheepishly. He was shirtless but wearing a pair of sweatpants now.
* * *
“Hey,” she said, hoping that she didn’t smell too much of sweat and bleach. He swept his hand across her face, and then pressed her into his embrace.
“Working already?” he asked. She nodded into his chest, enjoying the warmth of his arms wrapped around her, inhaling his scent.
* * *
“You always smell of apples,” she informed him. He chuckled.
* * *
“And you, of vanilla and flowers.”
* * *
She glanced up at him. “I have a scent.”
* * *
“Of course,” he said, sweeping his hand across her cheek, admiring her. “It’s intoxicating.” Butterflies erupted in her stomach. She’d never been called intoxicating, any part of her. She buried her face into his face to avoid having to meet his golden eyes, brimming with amusement. He chuckled and rubbed her back. “Falon is still sleeping.” His fingers danced up and down her back. When they settled on her lower back, she unconsciously pressed her hips against him.
* * *
She looked up at him. “You like that?” he asked as he smirked down at her. She bit her lip.
* * *
“Maybe.”
* * *
“A man needs more than a maybe with a lady,” he said with a cocked eyebrow. Fine. If he wanted to play that way, she could play. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. He inhaled sharply from the surprise movement,
and his lips landed on her own with a powerful force. She smiled into the kiss and he grinded against her with pleasurable pressure.
* * *
“Falon,” she muttered.
* * *
“Sleeping with the door open,” he assured her. “We’ll hear him if he wakes up.” He moved against her again, and she wasn’t about to disagree with him.
* * *
“I look silly,” she said. “Not sexy.” She’d been cleaning in a pair of denim shorts and a black tank top, her hair thrown halfway up. He smirked.
* * *
“I disagree,” he muttered and kissed her forehead. “But, I’ll help you shower if you want.” She giggled as he began to kiss up and down the bridge of her nose. The light kisses sent sparks down her spine. She sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. He took the opportunity to sneak his lips back to hers. She gasped in delight when he kissed her, parting her lips to allow him deeper access to her mouth.
The Baby Shift- Michigan Page 3