She smiled, tears pooling in her eyes. She hastily brushed them away. "I can't tell you how happy that makes me, Ben. I've been falling in love with you since the first moment I saw you, which you have to admit, was impressive."
He grunted with laughter.
"I've actually been wondering, once Billy gives me the all clear, that maybe I could stay here with you." She shrugged, smiling. She glanced around the room, waving her hand to indicate her surroundings. "I can see the appeal of living like this. In the wild, in peace and quiet. And it might be the perfect place to raise my baby. He is a shifter. And what better man for me to fall in love with than someone who can be a father to him. Someone to help me raise him. I know it's not going to be easy..."
"I'd be honored," he interrupted before she could try to talk him out of it. "To be a husband to you and father to your baby... our baby."
He slid his hand over her bump, feeling the baby kick as if to declare his consent.
"Oh, Benjamin," Roxie said, curving her hands around his neck to pull him closer. "I love you. How did I ever get along without you?"
"You'll never have to wonder that again." He claimed her mouth for another long, passionate kiss.
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The End
Enjoyed Benjamin and Roxie’s story? Be sure to leave a review! Love shifters? You can read Loving Boone, the first book of the Cougar Shifters Series. And don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of Night of the Full Moon, a stand-alone steamy short story paranormal romance!
About the Author
Tricia Schneider is a multi-genre romance author. From werewolves, vampires and witches to wicked pirates and sexy aliens, she weaves sensual stories where happily-ever-after is a guarantee. She believes there is a book for everyone. A sentiment she gained after years of working as Assistant Manager and bookseller at Waldenbooks. After the store closed, she turned to writing full-time, publishing paranormal, historical, fantasy, sci-fi and gothic romances.
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Tricia lives in Pennsylvania with her four children and two rescued cats, Harley and Cassius. When she’s not typing away on her laptop, she’s riding shotgun in a ’67 Impala while keeping her eyes open for a madman in a Big Blue Box.
Join Tricia Online
http://www.TriciaSchneider.com
http://www.shadowsofromance.blogspot.com
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Read More of Tricia’s Books
The Merriweather Witches
The Witch and the Wolf
The Witch and the Vampire
The Witch’s Thief
The Witch’s Kiss
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Cougar Shifters
Loving Boone
Claiming Cody
The Pirate’s Lady
Ice Princess
The Mermaid
Her Haunted Valentine
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Anthologies & Collections
Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology
A Wink and a Smile Anthology
A Kiss and a Promise Anthology
Stolen and Seduced
Captured and Captivated
A Cursed All Hallows’ Eve
Holidays Bite
A Very Alien Christmas
Alien Embrace
My Guardian
The Santiago Pack, Book One
Laurie Treacy
About My Guardian
One evening the past comes back to bite them.
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Tired of a life dictated by vengeance, twenty-one-year-old Olivia Masterson decides to start over. In order to let go, she returns to the site of a childhood traumatic event. What she encounters there will alter her past, impact her present, and forever change her future. If she can survive it all.
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Exhausted by living his life based upon familial obligations, Rylan Santiago has one wish. To become Alpha, he wants pack acceptance of the woman he loves. Not only is she human, he knows Olivia has secrets, but then so does he. Can they have a chance at a future if their past is built on lies and secrets?
Olivia
Tiny prickles raced down Olivia’s back. She shuddered as if someone had touched her bare neck even though she strolled alone down the beach. Farther down, by the area closer to the walkway, many of her friends partied on this Friday night. Their voices carried on a warm breeze.
Somehow, she knew ‘something’ was coming. When would she know? It could happen tonight, tomorrow, or next week, but whatever it was she’d know soon. She wasn’t psychic or had any kind of power, this sometimes happened to her—a strong urge would overcome her, a feeling of knowing she referred to as instinct.
Cold, murky saltwater rushed over Olivia’s bare feet as she waited for a hint. She raised the hem of her long red dress. The Atlantic Ocean wanted to play a game of tag, and she was now “it.”
In seconds, the foam slipped off her skin. Some disappeared amidst the grains, while the rest was reclaimed by the sea. The motion reminded her of the quickness of life—here one moment, gone the next.
But enough with strange sensations and childish games. Earlier, as she easily moved from group to group of longtime friends, occasionally engaging in their lively conversations and laughing at their jokes, she had finally reached a decision. Everyone here, these faces that she grew up around, went to school with, they all aspired, had dreams, and made plans.
Olivia had…the past. That night twelve years ago had snowballed into something more. She’d allowed it to become something big—a quest—which then attached itself to her life. It consumed her thoughts, affected her actions, and interfered with everything.
So many of her friends would begin leaving tomorrow to go back to school. Most were seniors and this time she wouldn’t be joining them. She had already graduated this past May, after completing a rigorous accelerated program at a small private college in New Hampshire.
Everyone was busy with living. For the past twelve years, Olivia had been existing for someone else’s purpose, though they shared the same reason. Revenge. Maybe to some the word sounded dangerous or exciting. Certainly, that had been part of its allure before, when she was an angry child, suffering from huge loss, with the desire to blame someone, punish someone.
Revenge piggybacked her every waking moment.
It worked for characters in books and movies.
Soon to celebrate her twenty-second birthday, this quest had lasted long enough. Time she couldn’t recoup. Missed events. Memories she’ll never make. There were things she now wanted. Things like normalcy, to make her own decisions, work a job she chose, live where she thrived. Olivia could hear the laughter of another thing she needed. Correction, a person she desired. Ha! Excitement bubbled up inside her at the thought of what she had to do.
She had to reclaim her life. Olivia had grown tired. Hell, she was exhausted. She needed change. Maybe her instinct was part of this ‘bigger’ picture.
Whatever was to come, one thing was true: she had to free herself from the hold of the past. Retire it. Fire it. Release it. Just rid her mind and body of everything.
There was only one way to accomplish that.
First, there was a place she had to visit in order for her to begin the process of letting go.
And if by chance her instinct was wrong, she’d deal with it. But she wouldn’t be all right if she continued this path.
Standing taller, she released the bottom of her dress. This decision was right.
A stream of moonlight parted the waters like a beckoning trail, surrounded by the rest of the foreboding ocean. She spotted the blinking red lights of a passing freighter in the distance. Red means stop. A bell buoy rang, the sound calming. Listen to that voice inside. Waves crested and fell in their familiar dance. This place was her home. Whe
re the one she loved lived.
Striking a chord inside her, these signs symbolized and reinforced her decision. Move on. Begin again.
“It’s the full moon.”
She jumped until the voice registered and then she rolled her eyes. “How can you be so damned quiet, Rylan?”
He stepped up beside her, his trademark smirk plastered across his lips. “Practice, Masterson. Years and years…”
She giggled. There were two things she knew about Rylan Santiago. One, he could always make her laugh. And two, ever since she’d met him twelve years ago, he had always moved with graceful precision. Perhaps his stealth-like skill could be attributed to genetics. Whatever the reason, he successfully snuck up on her each time.
Except lately, her flinching was accompanied by something she might classify as longing—but that subject was one she didn’t want to focus on yet. “What about the moon?”
Hands in his short pockets, he chuckled. “You’re over here looking like you’re thinking about the world or, I don’t know, taking something big on. Whatever it is, I thought you could use some company.”
Rylan loved to kid around but there were moments when he was shockingly astute. No one else had picked up on what she’d been going through. Olivia rubbed her arms, aware of how goosebumps covered every inch of her skin. “Ry, what did you mean about the moon?”
He chugged his beer before answering. “Oh yeah. I bet you’re on edge because of the moon. Various lore called it ‘moon madness.’”
“Thanks for that. I did minor in Folklore and Mythology. I already knew that, Mr. MBA.”
“Alright! My apologies, Ms. BA. I forgot.” He raised his hands as though warding off her attack and then fast ran around her. When he came around for lap number two, she nabbed his bottle and took a swig. Rylan ground to a halt and watched her. His face turned sad while his gaze held on the movement of her lips.
Suddenly self-conscious, Olivia had to admit being the sole focus of Rylan’s attention was sexy as hell.
Almost dribbling what remained, Olivia unglued her own eyes off his. Too late. A heat stirred below her belly already aflutter with nerves. “Not fair. There’s nothing left.”
Rylan laughed and took the empty from her. “Did you know when the moon is full, it can incite, awaken, disturb. She stirs the monster inside us all.”
Olivia scowled at his choice of words. A breeze riffled his wavy, dark brown hair. Strands fell across his forehead. Not bothering to shove them away, he merely closed his acorn-colored eyes and sucked in a breath. His nostrils flared.
“What type of monster are you?” she whispered.
In response his mouth spread into a wicked grin before he regarded her and winked. “Maybe you’ll find out someday. I do like to howl.”
Even though she’d seen him cleanshaven and in a killer suit earlier, a lot of stubble already dotted his chin. Time to rein in the conversation. “We did cover the ‘lunar effect’ in a class on vampires. What did you mean exactly?” Olivia always enjoyed hearing other people’s take on the supernatural.
With an exaggerated sigh, he sat on a long piece of driftwood nearby. He patted the spot beside him. “Nothing really. Why did you make a face at my words? Do you have anything against monsters?”
Clenching the sides of dress close to her legs, she joined him. “I just think all monsters need to be put down.”
He studied her; the glow of moonlight painted an ethereal outline of his body. “Put down, huh?”
Crossing her legs, she shook her head. “I meant to say destroyed. All unnatural beasts or creatures, whatever you want to call them, should be killed.”
Rylan ran a shaky hand through his hair yet remained silent. The air turned tense.
Maybe she came across too hard. That was her truth, though. No use in lying about it. The longer she dwelled on the subject, the more the past wanted to resurface. Familiar stirrings began. This was what she needed to purge from her life. She still had time to make her stop before heading home.
The two faced the ocean, content to listen to her loud symphony. They’d known each other for so long. His grandparents owned The Lavender House, a historic hotel which sat on a hill overlooking their small village of Lavender Cove. The rooms offered gorgeous views of the sea. When his grandfather passed suddenly, Rylan’s parents returned their brood home to help. They wound up staying to take over the business.
A few months later Olivia tragically lost her mother and cousin. Afterwards, she’d frequently run into Rylan inside the cemetery which she frequently visited to be with her mom. He told her that peaceful place allowed him to think. She was an outspoken, friendly ten-year-old, he was fourteen and quiet. Loss brought them together. They became friends that summer.
When fall came, his parents sent him and his three younger siblings away to private boarding schools. A Santiago tradition, he explained. Olivia saw him on winter break and during summer vacation. He hated cell phones and computers, so they kept in touch the old-fashioned way: by writing letters. They repeated the process when he chose a small college in Seattle.
Olivia attended local schools until college. Just after she graduated last May, Rylan started showing up where she worked at her family-run restaurant, The Crab Shanty. First, he had lunch there once or twice. Then a couple days became a week. She checked who entered at noon to catch sight of him. Their chats during his break turned into meetings for dinner, followed by walks along the various local beaches. Always sweet and respectful to her, their friendship merely strengthened.
But that was all.
Maybe girls and dating weren’t a high priority. There was a four-year age difference and he had already completed his master’s before Christmas. With his traditional family and their prominent ranking in the hamlet, Rylan’s future had been mapped out. His taking over the hotel business was a given.
Then there was the issue of her relationship with Drake. That was for fun and something else she had to end.
Still, she wished Rylan would give her a sign about how he felt. Was he interested in her? Even now, with him inches away, this strange pull towards him existed. Just as she knew this night was different, she knew Rylan would play an important role in her future.
Instinct told her.
As though understanding Rylan grinned when he caught her staring. Her stupid heart raced. She swallowed and resumed gazing out at the water. Lavender Cove at night. There was no other place like it.
Rylan threw an arm around her shoulders, the move playful. She went along with it, even though her pulse jumped, again.
“When are you going to tell him? It’s getting late.”
Crap. The talk with Drake was long overdue. “I’ll do it now. I’ve gotta go anyway.”
His fingers played with the stragglers that had escaped her updo. “Need a ride home?”
“No, thanks. I drove straight from the hotel reception. Drake offered to pick me up, but I refused. Relying on others always has its limitations.”
Rylan nodded. “I know. Olivia Masterson doesn’t depend on others.” He pulled her closer to his body until the mix of his natural scents, a blend of musk and pine, threatened to embarrass her. The longer she breathed him in, the more she was tempted to shove him to the ground and reciprocate what his dream self had done to her when she slept. Oh, those phantom touches and kisses.
They were the best way to start a day.
Afraid he’d pick up on her feelings, she slipped out of his hold and was about to stand up when he stopped her. He clenched her arm right above the wristlet she wore. The satin rose with white ribbon had been specially made for tonight’s event. He knew she loved roses but was allergic to them. Her temporarily lowered walls slid back into place.
“I never congratulated you.” His eyes pleaded with her to stay.
Thinking back at the dinner he’d invited her to, she folded her arms across her chest. “I didn’t expect anything for helping out, Ry. It was a part-time job. I enjoyed it.”
&
nbsp; “I know.” His tone switched to serious. “I hope you weren’t embarrassed. I did set you up. It was my mom’s idea. She loved the marketing work you did for us. That campaign focusing on families and summer their traditions was a huge hit. Reservations are almost filled for next year. You work hard at the restaurant, you helped us, and I know I take up a lot of your time lately.”
She glanced at their reflections in the moonlight, how their distorted shapes suddenly joined when Rylan once again moved closer. He cupped her chin, making her face him. “After your talk with Drake, I need to share something with you, Livy.”
Hearing his shortened form of her name, her toes automatically dug down into the sand. Quickly, she changed the focus of their conversation.
“Hey, you did set me up, you bugger!” Olivia smacked his chest, her fingertips hit hard muscle through his soft cotton tee. “I have a certificate and a monetary award from your family. I’m grateful. What’s left?”
Besides that talk with Drake.
Rylan dropped his hold. “You’re still a brat. But don’t worry your beautiful head. I’m not going to tell you I’m secretly engaged and break your heart like you’re gonna do to someone else. Part of our chat will include future employment prospects.”
“What’s this about prospects?” Drake’s voice boomed from behind her.
Here was her chance and then she could leave. Time to begin again, Olivia. She twisted around on the driftwood to greet Drake.
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 117