Kissable.
She must have read his thoughts through his expression because the smile died from her lips. He watched her throat work as she gulped, felt heat enter his belly. Then he watched as her pink tongue came out and licked her bottom lip—an action that was innocent and alluring at the same time, which only had the heat going higher.
He groaned.
Realization hit her at what she’d done, and she tried to stand up. But his hand was already there, holding her in place by her arm. Then he was pulling her closer.
Then he was covering her mouth with his.
It was a kiss that started out soft, though there was nothing polite about it. It was experimental as he tried to get a taste of her. Just one taste and he’d stop. Just one.
But she tilted her head, or maybe his hand guided it—and the kiss turned deeper. Hungrier.
A soft moan escaped her throat, one that was surprised but aroused at the same time. It had his blood leaping up, had his cock stirring underneath his pants until it was as hard as a rock. At this angle, he could taste her fully—a mix of the Coke she drank from earlier, as well as the strawberries she probably had for dessert. But beyond that was something else, something earthy that threatened to drive him out of his mind.
His tongue came out to taste her some more, and his hand unbuttoned her dress and slipped inside, where her soft skin teased him. He wanted that skin under his tongue—wanted a lot of her under his tongue, until she was writhing against him and moaning out his name.
No, screaming his name in pleasure.
He groaned at the thought. Then, before things could heat up further, he was pulling away and trying to get his breath back, as well as trying to fight the urge to jump her then and there. The intensity of his hunger for her was alarming, and the need to slide his cock inside her right there on that couch and have his way with her was just…too much. He had to take a mental step back as his mind reeled with flashes of how hot she’d look like naked…how hot she’d look like with him.
Jesus.
Deana stood up from the couch as if she’d been shot in the foot, her chest heaving. It only made the temptation greater, and he tried to get another breath of air in.
Only to be assaulted by her scent of strawberries.
Bingo barked, effectively breaking the mood. Slightly.
“I’ll get the blanket,” she practically stammered before straightening her shoulders. “And you can sleep here. Just…just stay in your corner. That couch. Don’t go anywhere. Unless it’s the bathroom. Or the kitchen.”
“I won’t,” he promised. Evan looked up, meeting her gaze. “I won’t hurt you, Deana.”
And he realized that was the truth.
She nodded her head, her expression softening once more. Then she took a few steps back and turned around, leaving him alone.
Bingo stared at her, then stared at him. Evan stared back at the dog before sighing a deep sigh.
He had a lot of problems at hand, like vampires getting loose and all that. But here he was, bothered by how much chemistry there was between him and this stranger of a woman he was getting too attracted to.
And he had a feeling it wasn’t over yet.
Chapter 7
The week was busy as predicted, and Deana found her worries fading away as she concentrated on catering to her customers’ personalized requests: flowers to brighten up their homes, flowers to give to loved ones, flowers for special occasions and even flowers for a wedding. It amazed her how her flower shop was such a hit, and how overwhelming the positive feedback was. She thought they would be wary at first, and maybe they were—but that was forgotten when the customers on the first day spread the news, and they started trickling in like ants for the next few days. By the middle of the week, she was so busy that she decided to hire a sweet teenager named Ana, who wanted to earn a few bucks and was more than eager to run all the little errands for her. She supposed it was because the girl liked running in general, considering her nature.
The girl’s red hair and natural slyness practically gave her away, but at this point, Deana didn’t care anymore.
Even the likes of vampire diner owner Sam came, looking so deceivingly human as he told her he was glad she took over her grandmother’s place and that they neighbors should stick together. She didn’t know whether that was a threat or a friendly offer, but she decided to think of it as the latter and not stress over it.
So yes, she was adjusting quite well.
By the end of the second week, though, she was pretty exhausted, having not had any idea that running a business would take up most of her time. But it was a good kind of exhausted, putting her in such a good mood that she told Ana to go home early. Deana finished up inside her shop, putting whatever flowers she had left back in the freezer with thoughts of listing what were the most sellable for her to order again. There was a flower farm less than two hours away, perfectly convenient for all her stocking needs.
She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that it took her a while to realize she was no longer alone in the shop. The sight of tall, tanned Evan had her staring in surprise before she frowned at him.
“Good afternoon,” he said in greeting.
“Good afternoon. Do you always sneak up on people like that?”
“Sorry. It’s innate for me.” He moved closer to the counter, making deliberate noises now as he eyed the boxes of flowers she had left. “Need help?”
“Not necessarily,” she said. His closeness was unnerving, bombarding her with images of their last encounter—specifically, their last kiss, which left her just a little too rattled and tossing and turning in bed that whole night. She supposed that was a small price to pay for being protected from even more dangerous creatures.
He was dangerous. Maybe not to her physical safety, but definitely to her heart, judging by her reaction and feelings towards him.
“So how have things been?”
“Very busy,” she said. “I didn’t realize a small town like this needed so many flowers.”
“They’ve lacked it since Dana passed away, bless her soul. I remember she got customers during the big occasions, then cruised by during the rest. You’ll probably get the same reaction after the initial few weeks.”
“I’m fine with that.”
“Are you sure you don’t want help?”
Deana looked around, then shrugged. There was nothing insistent about his tone, but since he was here…
“I suppose you could help me with the remaining boxes.”
“Great.”
Evan’s mouth formed into a slow, steady grin, and the sight of it had her heart skipping a beat. She turned around and hurried to the freezer before he could see her reaction, not ready for it.
Belatedly, Deana realized that there was something missing in the equation—or, to be more specific, someone.
“Where’s Bingo?”
“Out with my workmate. They’re checking the borders and creating new security measures,” he said.
The sound of his deep voice so close behind her had her jumping, then whirling around to face him.
Big mistake. She bumped right into his chest, the solid warmth of it reminding her of their last encounter. She looked up, intending to apologize.
The words died in her throat at the look in his eyes—so full of hunger and want that it had her inwardly gasping. She was suddenly losing her breath, her heart racing so fast that she didn’t think he would be able to miss it this time.
Wanting to salvage herself still, she slipped past him and hurried to the freezer’s door, turning the knob.
“Thanks for your help. I can really handle everything from here, really. You should go home and take a rest and…” She frowned when the door didn’t budge, then realized it was locked. Refusing to look at him, she turned to where she placed the keys, blinking when she found the spot empty. “I forgot the keys outside.”
“You don’t say?”
She looked around frantically just
in case she left it lying around somewhere. But she did remember bringing it outside because she’d been planning to lock the whole thing up after placing the last boxes of flowers. Evan’s presence had erased it from her mind.
And now they were stuck.
“We need to get out.”
“I can shift and break the door.”
It was so preposterous that she ended up glaring at him. “You want to break my door down? It will damage the whole front of the shop.”
“Well, do you know how to pick locks?”
Deana shook her head. “No.”
“Do you have any spare key?”
“No.”
“Is anyone coming in at any particular time?”
“Well, it’s closing time, and that was the last batch of flowers, but there’s a delivery of materials coming in an hour or two.”
“Great. Then I guess we’re truly stuck here.”
The way he said made it sound like it was the most pleasant thing in the world, and she narrowed her eyes at him. Panic slid in her stomach, making thinking difficult. She liked the cold, yes.
But not this type of cold.
As if her body agreed with her, it shivered, and she had to subtly wrap her arms around herself. She looked at Evan, who was standing on the other side of the freezer and looking quite comfortable—nothing surprising, considering shifters supposedly had very thick hide. It was the very reason why he didn’t ask for a blanket when he slept on her couch.
The thought of that brought thoughts of the kisses in, and her cheeks heated. She tried to shake it off.
“I suppose you don’t have a phone with you?” she asked.
Evan shook his head. “It’s outside. I left it beside yours.”
“Great.”
He stepped forward, but she gave him such a sharp warning look that he stopped, tilting his head instead. “Are you afraid of me?”
“No, I’m not afraid of you,” she said truthfully. “But it’s best if you stay there and I stay here. We’ll just have to wait.”
“It’s cold.”
“Well, of course, it’s a freezer.”
He smiled at that, and she tried not to be distracted by it. “I can offer you my body warmth.” he said innocently—too innocently, in her opinion.
Deana narrowed her eyes at him again, trying to find some innuendo there. But he looked sincere, even worried, and she felt herself lightening up and shrugging. “No, thanks. I’ll be fine.”
She stayed in her spot. To her surprise, he didn’t push it as he stayed in his spot, too.
She only hoped that delivery guy would get the goods delivered tonight and not flake.
Chapter 8
“So, have you had any more vampire attacks?”
Deana shook her head and said things were peaceful on her end, something that had Evan inwardly sighing in relief. He hadn’t really offered to sleep in her cabin after that first night, knowing it was the best for them both: space to deal with whatever had passed between them. Then he became busy with work—particularly, with trying to break up a fight between two of their resident witches, who had a row after they discovered they were sleeping with the same human guy. It had resulted in a field burnt black and a house almost burned to the ground, and the two witches had to be called into the police station, where they were given a stern lecture on the damage they had done and the community service they needed to do to make up for it.
Then there was the incident of a family in an RV suddenly coming in and getting excited for accidentally discovering Orville on their way to another city. Evan found them parked right in vampire territory—a very bad event because the vampires had gotten wind of it and the young ones hadn’t been able to resist stalking the RV at night to see if they could find a way in. It had taken a whole lot of sweet-talking to finally convince the family that no, they didn’t really see fangs, and yes, wild bears and a serial killer had been reported spotted around here. That had been enough to drive them away, and enough for the vampires to have another point against them as tension rose in the town again.
Evan didn’t really have a problem with vampires unlike some prejudiced shifters he knew, but that didn’t mean they were best friends. They got along, yes, but getting along still had a long way to go in a town where they all needed to work together.
He did have a few friends, like Michael from the police force, who was a surly vampire most times, and Joan from the town center who liked flirting just a little bit too much. Actually, he had a feeling she wanted to do more than flirt, but he hadn’t really thought of her that way.
To be honest, he hadn’t really thought of anyone that way in a long time, not since his last tryst with a fellow shifter who was only here for a drive-by. That had been more than six months ago, and his urge had been pretty well contained since then.
Until now.
Until Deana.
He still couldn’t figure out what it was about her, which was why he’d opted to stay away. But seeing her now, he was bombarded with her scent again.
She wasn’t even wearing anything special. Just a green cotton dress under a brown cardigan, with her hair pulled free from her face in a loose braid. But it didn’t matter, because his stomach still jumped at the pretty sight.
Half an hour had passed since they were stuck here, and she found enough strawberries and red wine in a freezer compartment to get them through dinner and get them warm, too. He supposed it helped because her shivering had settled down. It also helped that they were now sitting in the back portion of the freezer, where the air didn’t hit them directly.
What didn’t help was how the wine was affecting Deana.
Whatever initial wariness she had of him was gone as she sidled closer to him now—for warmth, she said, even though her body was already warm enough as it was. It didn’t help with the scent, because this close, he forgot about the flowers as her addictive strawberry scent drifted closer to his nose and made his fingers itch. He fisted his hands and moved them away, watching her finish the strawberries before she took another gulp of the wine in.
“Take it easy,” he said. “I think you’ve had too much.”
“It’s not too much.”
“Do you have experience drinking?”
“Sure,” she said, then hiccupped. “Coffee.”
Evan shook his head and frowned. “So you haven’t had wine before?”
“I have, just not frequently. I didn’t know it would taste this good.” She polished off her glass, then licked her lower lip as if it was too delicious. She looked so delicious doing it that he had to stifle the groan about to come out of his mouth.
Realizing this wasn’t good for his system, he decided to take action by plucking the empty glass out of her hand. Her eyes flashed at him, and she reached back for it. He lifted it up in the air, shaking his head to indicate that he wasn’t going to give it to her. He expected a scathing remark.
What he got was Deana crawling forward and climbing on his lap, then sitting up to reach for it again.
The action stunned him, right before the feel of her soft body against his seeped into his senses. He froze—an action that gave her advantage as she snatched the glass back and gave him a gloating look. The look froze on her face when she saw him already looking at her, and Evan didn’t need a stroke of genius to figure out what it was on his face that she saw.
It couldn’t be anything else.
She tried to scramble away.
He placed his hands on her waist and clamped her in place.
“Are you really, really drunk?” he asked in a whisper.
Deana gulped, her mouth opening temptingly. She licked her bottom lip again before shaking her head. “I told you. I’m not drunk. Just…tipsy.”
“So you can still say no right now?”
“Of course,” she said haughtily.
Evan’s blood pounded. “Then tell me if you want me to stop.”
That was the only warning he gave her before he covered her m
outh with his again and took his second kiss from her.
While their first kiss started more experimental and slow, this one started fast—fast, hungry and so full of pent-up passion that it shocked him. He realized that it wasn’t just him who was hungry for this, and the way her mouth opened automatically for him was a testament to that.
They kissed like crazy. His tongue slid out, and her taste blew up in his system immediately, intoxicating him beyond belief. He heard her murmuring something, and at first, he thought it was her telling him to stop. But he caught on after the roaring in his ears dimmed, and he realized stopping was the last thing on her mind.
“Please,” she whimpered, a throaty sound that threatened to undo him. “Please. Touch me.”
He groaned at the plea. Then he did as she requested, letting his mouth roam down from her mouth to her jaw, then to her neck, where she seemed to be extra sensitive. His hands weren’t idle, wandering around her body until he found the side zipper of her dress and managed to unzip it enough that he could slide a hand in, where warm, soft skin awaited him. The first touch sizzled his palm, and her reaction was a writhing of her body. His next touch involved fingers sliding under her bra, cupping her breast before letting his fingers roll around her nipple.
Her body surged up, and she ground against his pants as if looking for something.
He knew what she wanted—he wanted it, too, but not like this. Gritting his teeth, Evan removed his fingers from her breast, ignoring her protest and sliding it down instead so he could slide her skirt up. He reminded her to tell him if she wanted him to stop, though hell knew it would be the most difficult thing in the world.
But she didn’t tell him to stop. Instead, Deana slid her own hand down his pants, working on his zipper until she got in—right on his cock, where those dainty fingers wrapped. Squeezed. Stroked.
He bit back an oath. The fact that he was dangerously close to exploding then and there told him he needed to finish this early; else he’d lose control altogether and fuck her right here on the floor.
Bear Guards: A Paranormal Romance Page 4