He had watched the amber simmer uncontrollably just below the surface of her eyes and took pleasure in knowing he could excite her in much the same way. But she had chosen to let it burn after he had walked away.
Another shifter, but he had known from the day she walked into New York. Kyle had spoken non-stop about the naive but fierce treasure he had rescued from the wolves.
Kyle....
He let the memory fade back to the recesses of his mind- another friend lost to the ages.
Just then Emma got up as the meeting ended, and he watched her curves move gracefully out of sight.
“What’s your story Miss Emma Raynor? How did you come to be?” He whispered the questions to the wind that held his secrets and allowed the reaction in his pants to flood his body for a moment.
As his eyes glowed red with desire, he knew that no force on this wretched earth could keep him from having what he wanted.
Chapter 2
Emma had left work early intending to once again check Kyle’s apartment. She had been doing that once every so often since he had up and disappeared. She hoped beyond rationale that he would turn up soon the way he always did, but today again she was disappointed.
And once again she had forgotten she needed to find somewhere to live. These days she only remembered she needed to find an apartment when she was leaving work. She kept thinking of the house she had recently given up because someone kept breaking into it. It had been on the criminalist side of town anyway and it was full time she moved so she had packed her one suitcase and left. However, work had become so demanding that checking out of her hotel every three days just to go check into another one was becoming a bit tedious and she needed to find a place of her own. She knew she could always stay in Kyle’s place but that was an idea that seemed too haunted, so she opted out.
It was an issue she needed to resolve though so she would make some calls once she got back to her office. She had more work to do and she could either sleep there or the hotel down the road. That would depend on whether or not she got through the work she had to finish in time.
She took the long route back to the office trying to avoid traffic and peeking at all the suburban homes that had the “for sale” signs perched on the lawns. She couldn’t afford a house just yet, an apartment maybe, but not a house. That fact didn’t stop her from wishing she could. She had always longed for a home to call her own. Foster care had made that hard, and she had been a hot-headed child so that had not aided her quest either.
Now as she thought back to her shape shifting abilities, she realized that that must have been the reason she had found it hard as a child to keep her cool in the worse situations. Had she known back then she probably would have been better at controlling it.
Her parents must have been shape shifters too and she wondered what had happened to them. The foster care records said she was just another abandoned baby, but no one knew where she came from. They had run her DNA through all legal systems in an effort to get a match but not even that had turned anything over. She had so many questions and so few answers, but she would not stop trying to find out her own story.
As she parked in the underground parking lot her stomach rumbled and she found it was not human food she longed for it was the hunt that made her salivate. She ordered Chinese as soon as she got into her office, which would have to satiate her for now.
“This belongs to you?” she heard a voice interrupting her some time later. She had been buried in the paperwork on her desk that she had not heard the elevator.
“Yes,” she said looking into the dark eyes of Luke Maynard. “Thank you,” she said as she got up to take the takeout he held in his hand.
“No problem, I was heading up anyway so I just saved the poor delivery guy a trip.”
“How much do I owe you?” She asked looking at him, he had changed out of his suit to more casual wear. A white T-shirt hung loosely from his frame and the black pants he wore fitted his curved legs and toned ass perfectly. His ensemble was finished off with black and white Converse shoes and he walked with the stealth and grace of the tiger that was inside him.
“How about you don’t bill me any overtime tonight?” he asked and smiled.
She chuckled and told him they had a deal, but he didn’t leave, he walked to the door and leaned against it, watching her as she unpacked her food. Below his gaze she felt naked and she invited him in to join her.
“Don’t just stand there, come eat with me. You standing there is just kind of creepy.”
He smiled at her comment and she hoped her mouth hadn’t just gotten her into trouble. She had tried hard over the years to curb her tongue, but things always seemed to fly out of it before she could stop them. She looked at him to see if he was offended, but a twinkle in his eyes let her know otherwise.
He was like a mystery waiting to be solved and she had nothing better to do than play Nancy Drew with the man who had been giving her the eyes all day.
“So Luke Maynard,” she began as he took a seat across from her and started picking from a box of food, “I already know your brothers exist solely to try and best each other but what about you.”
“Call me the hall monitor,” he said.
“That’s the worst position in the history of worst positions to have, you spend all your time parting fights and being hated by the ones who think they should be right.”
He chuckled, “Well no need to ask me anything else Miss Raynor, that statement just summed up the story of my life.”
She looked at him through squinted eyes hoping that the closer she looked the more she would find out, but she saw nothing, but his face pleasantly staring back at her with intrigue.
“If you need glasses your insurance here will cover that,” he said at her. That got a laugh out of her and he got up to leave like he had accomplished his task.
“You are quite the mystery yourself,” he said turning to her from the doorway. “The mysterious tigress who swept into town one rainy night. She came with untold history and a penchant for success, and the only friends she had, either disappear or sell hot dogs.”
Her face lost the smile she had at the last part of what he said. “Some mysteries are best left unsolved,” she said with defiance, staring him square in the eye so he would know she was not afraid to tell him exactly what she thought.
“Oh I agree,” he said and walked off. “Some mysteries, not all.”
She didn’t like how that sounded but at the same time she was not sure if he was telling her to leave him be or inviting her to dig. It could have also been that he was telling her he intended to look into her. Had that come from Gavin, she would have been a bit bothered because the alpha of the tigers had a penchant for evil that preceded him. But coming from the mysterious Maynard, she was not sure what to make of it.
She buried herself in the remaining paperwork to quell the unease she felt and was still at it when France called to tell her he would be at the club in an hour. Her first thought was she would go home to get ready but then remembered she had no home. She closed her office and made her way to the hotel a few blocks away, checked herself into a room and fell asleep oblivious to the red eyes that watched her from a distance.
When France called to wake her furious she had not yet made it to the club, she contemplated staying in but got up and took a quick shower then headed out.
Chapter 3
Luke was beginning to feel like a bit of a stalker, but he couldn’t help it, he was drawn to Emma and he wanted to know her secrets. He watched as she sifted through her suitcase trying to find something that would fit her curves.
Her curves...he loved her curves. He found that his preference was always with a woman who had meat on her bones and not the stick figures his brothers touted around with pride. A woman with substance was always his preference. He lost sight of her as she exited her room looking dressed for the club and he found a ting of jealousy or was it possession- that she was going to likely meet with some ot
her man. He jumped from the building into the dark alleyway and made his way to the front of her hotel, hiding in the shadows until she exited. She walked a block away graciously and with ease in the heels and he had to smile. She wore blue shorts that framed her ass nicely and her athletic thighs glimmered in the moonlight. He instantly held an image in his head of them bent to accommodate him thrusting between her legs and the brain below his belt agreed with the image.
He smiled and followed her at a safe distance into the club.
Let’s see if we can make that dream a reality, he thought to himself.
The crowd inside swallowed her up but it was easy to follow her scent and as he watched her walk to the bar and toss back a shot France handed her, he smiled. Two more and she was on the dance floor bumping and grinding with France who Luke realized had his eyes on a young man across the way. France walked off and left Emma dancing by herself and as some sweaty dude came up to her she pushed him away and went back to the bar.
“That’s what happens when you go partying with you gay friends,” Luke said coming up behind her. She spilled the drink she was having as she turned in surprise and looked at him.
“Are you stalking me?”
He smiled and her and ordered himself a drink. He was, but he was going to leave her imagination up to her to concoct whatever she wanted to believe. Turning back to her as he drank his scotch in one go he offered her his hand.
“Care to dance?”
She looked at him suspiciously and he felt certain that had she not had quite a bit to drink within the small space of time she had been in the club, she would have probably said no. But she gave him her hand and in no time they were on the dance floor. The DJ had changed the music to more sensual R&B and he was happy because it gave him the chance to pull her in close as they bumped and grinded to the beat.
She turned her back to him and pushed her ass against his groin and try as he might he couldn’t control the urge that was rising inside of him. He gripped her hips and moved in time to the rhythm, the uncontrollable heat and as she turned towards him, he could see the amber in her eyes as clear as day. Her hands came up to rest on his chest and she gripped his shirt and pulled his head down to hers gently. As their lips met he let the animal loose. His hands pressed against the small of her back as she moved against him. He was sure she could feel his erection, and as he reached his hands lower to possessively grip her ass and grind against her, she groaned into his mouth and mirrored his actions.
He smiled against her lips and enjoyed the feel of her hands squeezing his ass, then he swiftly turned her around and whispered in her ear.
“If you keep doing that, I might not be able to control myself.”
“Control is overrated,” she whispered back and he bent his head and bit gently into her shoulder. She reached her hand behind her and hooked a finger into his pants and pulled him after her. She pulled him around a corner and to the bathroom marked VIP that was on the side.
“Ms. Raynor, you didn’t strike me as the girl who got down and dirty on the first date.”
“This is not a date,” she said and pulled him to her. She reached a hand under his shirt to take it off and as he saw the amber burn darker in her eyes he knew she was fighting hard to control herself.
He let his eyes changed as he stepped back to turn out the light in the private bathroom.
“You know the beauty about a shifter?” He asked her as he let the red burn in his eyes piercing the darkness with the desire that consumed him.
“What?” she asked as he felt her hands on the buckle of his belt.
“It is ok to lose control.”
He kissed her lips as his hands snaked under her shirt to the find her ample breast beneath. His fingers slipped beneath her bra that held them from him and he squeeze her nipples and she groaned against his lips again as their tongues danced together, speaking a language only their bodies could understand.
She undid his belt and slowly unzipped his zipper to release his manhood that fought to be free, as he pushed her shorts down and lifted her out of it. He slammed her against the wall as her legs wrapped around his waist and he entered her in one swift hard thrust. He threw his head back and growled at the pleasure he felt as the tightness of her swallowed him up and try as he could he again lost control.
He thrust into her keeping time with the music that slipped beneath the doors and echoed off the walls of the bathroom. She met each thrust by moving her hips to thrust back at him. As their rhythm grew he felt her claws extending and rip into his back and the pleasure that pain brought was enough to push him over the edge.
He felt her orgasm building as her pussy muscles clenched and massaged his cock and he could not hold it back any longer. He pulled back until he was almost outside her and gave one last thrust, burying himself to the hilt inside her as she screamed out with the pleasure of her release. Her legs clenched his waist and held him in place as the waves of her orgasm rolled over her. He turned his head and kissed her passionately even as he felt himself stirring again. He would have taken her another time had someone not turned the knob to the bathroom.
“Hey get a room, we need to pee.”
He thought she would have been embarrassed, but she laughed against his lips as he gently lowered her to her feet. He flipped the light on as she bent to put her shorts back on and he had to resist the urge to bend her over the counter and fuck her again. She turned to see the lust in his eyes and walked towards him kissing him slowly even as the knocks on the door turned into heavy bangs banging out their impatience.
“Want me to hide you?” he asked considerate to the fact that as a woman she might be embarrassed.
She smiled at him. “That’s sweet, but I am a woman who makes no apologies for enjoying my life.”
Just before they were about to exit, she turned back to him and ran her hand along the erection he still had.
“Thanks, I needed that.”
The sensation that built in him was not the pride that most men would have had, it was lust and a knowing desire that he would most certainly try to have her again. He followed her out the bathroom and back to the bar where France seemed to be waiting for her impatiently. He walked over to her and ordered them both a drink.
“What do we have here?” France asked eyeing him up and down. Then he turned to Emma and glared at her. “I hope you went missing for the only reason that would make it ok that you ditched me or you are an idiot.”
She smiled at him and then looked at Luke, winking at him.
“Well, well isn’t this interesting?” A voice said behind him and he turned to see his older brother at the bar.
Luke rolled his eyes and began to walk away, because anywhere his brother went trouble was sure to follow and he was in no mood for that.
“Ahh come on baby bro, have a drink with me.”
Luke walked away disinterested with Emma and they headed towards the exit.
Chapter 4
The following day Emma tried as hard as she could to avoid going anywhere she knew Luke would be. She had enjoyed him the night before, but didn’t want to complicate things especially since he was he was her boss. France thought she was stupid, and it would only make the desire so much greater the next time they saw each other but she wasn’t sure she even wanted more.
She sat in the silent halls of the library on the Maynard building that rarely anybody used. Her secretary brought work in stacks down to her and told of all the happenings she needed to know to keep up with her never ending responsibilities.
The quiet was relaxing, there were no whirring machines, people constantly calling her attention, no ringing telephones.
Just peace and quiet.
It represented a kind of equanimity she really had not known existed. As she finished the last stack of paperwork she had, she stood on the couch and looked out at the mid-afternoon sun. She crawled up on the window ledge and wished she had a bottle of wine to enjoy while she stared down at the bustling stree
ts of New York. It was entirely true that this city did not sleep.
“When you aren’t running away you are hiding, what an effect the Maynards have on you.”
Emma nearly hopped off the ledge at the sound of the one voice she had been avoiding all day. She turned to see that he must have read her mind because in his hands he carried a bottle of wine and two glasses. She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.
“I figured if we were avoiding the world and hiding out in a library we might as well do it with a bottle of Le Chateau.”
He sat below her on the couch and handed her a glass of wine. She could feel it making its way down and knew it would have instant effects on her sexual urges and her head. She had regrettably not eaten anything all day, and the wine would be fast at work.
“So why are you camped out in the library when we have provided you with an enviable office with a better view?”
She looked down at his lips just begging to be kissed and decided against letting her seemingly uncontrollable sexual desires take over.
“Peace and quiet,” she responded looking out the window yet again. “And if you keep talking you will ruin it.”
He chuckled and they sat there in silence drinking wine and lost in thought before he got up to troll the aisles. Emma leaned her head back against the wall and watched him, enjoying the sight of the way his ass moved with each step he took. When he felt her eyes on him he turned and she could see the red of desire blazing there.
“I have a question for you?” he said and she rolled her eyes at the fact that he simply refused to be silent so she could enjoy him. “Why are you living out of your car? We pay you well, do we not?”
She sipped her wine and smiled at him. She had many questions she wanted to ask him, like why he took such a keen interest in her, and what would his mate, whom it is rumored never left their mansion nestled in the woods, would think about their liaison. But she simply sipped her wine and smiled at him.
Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Page 37