by Leela Ash
Lisa stared up at the immense bear, almost afraid to believe this was happening. The beast, as though understanding her disbelief, poked her slightly with one claw on its paw. She jerked backwards, almost falling over. Then with one last glance back at it, she turned and began to run, expecting every second to hear its feet thundering after her and the large furry paws closing around her neck again.
But with every step that took her farther away, the bear just stood watching her, an almost wistful expression on its face.
It let her go.
She ran for all she was worth, gasping as she stumbled and fell. Her alarmed gaze flew over her shoulder again and then widened in disbelief; the bear was gone! In its place, she saw a naked man walking away.
He turned for one last glance over his shoulder, the distance masking his features, and then he himself disappear. She fainted on the spot in mid-stride.
CHAPTER ONE
2015
Lisa Fuller grinned down at three-year old Emily, sharing the little girl’s happy laughter as they both threw more bread down to the swans floating around in the pond.
Emily was a little girl with a tangled mop of blonde hair, deep-set dimples, and the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen on anyone. Emily had the sweetest smile possible and whenever she grinned at Lisa it felt as though all was immediately right with the world. You wouldn’t know it to look at her but she had known so much tragedy in her short life it was a wonder she even knew how to smile. Children really were resilient, Lisa decided.
“Lisa?” Emily chirped, in her little girl voice.
“Yes hon?” Lisa said, tossing a particularly large piece of bread to a giant swan at the far end of the pond.
“Who’s that man over there?”
“What man?”
“Over there. He’s been staring at us,” Emily said, pointing in the direction of another bench with the typical innocence of children.
“What man?” Lisa repeated craning her neck. In today’s world, a staring stranger could spell more danger than a rabid dog. “Stop pointing Emily,” she scolded gently as she finally saw the man who had caught the girl’s attention.
He was at least five-eight, slim with straggly strands of greasy black hair that fell all over his face and sunken cheekbones and hungry eyes that spelled ‘addict’. Lisa swallowed, her hands knotting together in her lap as a slight tendril of fear worked its way down her spine.
His gaze shifted imperceptibly to Emily and Lisa jerked to her feet immediately. She clutched the girl’s hand in a protective grasp as she turned and began to walk away.
The man followed immediately, a nasty grin on his face. Lisa quickened her steps automatically; so preoccupied with getting them both away from the man that she didn’t realize they had wandered into an almost deserted section of the park.
“Are we playing a game Lisa?” Emily chirped conspiratorially, her cheeks shining with good health.
“Yes sweetie. We need to walk as fast as possible so that that man can’t catch us.”
“So why don’t we just run?” Emily suggested happily, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Lisa tried not to roll her eyes. Emily had only one speed; run! But on occasion, running was just what the doctor ordered. She bent a little at the waist as they walked and leaned down towards the little girl.
“Okay listen Emily, when I say ‘run’ I need you to run and hide okay? You remember where Coby hid the last time we were all here and no one could find him?” Emily nodded, her pigtails bouncing. “Okay sweetie. Run!” Lisa whispered to Emily and the little girl took off like a light.
Lisa also began to run, risking a quick glance over her shoulder. The man had also begun to run after her, his gaze trained on her. It wasn’t Emily he wanted then, she thought with relief as she picked up her pace, running in an almost opposite direction to lead him away from the little girl.
The man was closing in on her now. In fact he was so close his rank smell hit her nostrils almost choking her.
Just as the stranger was about to grab her from behind, someone dived at him and tackled him to the ground. Lisa slowed, unable to believe her eyes as the new man punched her pursuer right in the face, then flipped him effortlessly and tied his hands behind him with a trip of wire. She had never seen anyone move so fast in her entire life.
The cops showed up almost immediately and carted the man away. As he left, he spat contemptuously in Lisa’s direction, hatred burning in his eyes.
Lisa drew back, alarmed. What had she ever done to the man? She was certain she didn’t know him.
“Ex-boyfriend?” someone asked casually from behind her. She whirled; it was the man who had saved her. He stood about six feet away, his hands in his pockets as he stared after the police car.
He had to be thirty if he was a day, with chestnut brown hair with flecks of gold in it, a long aristocratic nose, thick-set eyebrows that gave his face character, a firm jaw and a wide, mobile mouth. He stared straight at her, with grey eyes that seemed strangely familiar; she felt an insanely magnetic pull.
She looked away immediately, her eyes scanning the park for Emily. She spotted the girl peeping from behind a hedge and beckoned at her. Emily came out from behind her hiding place and raced towards Lisa.
The man stood at an impressive height of six-one. His strange grey eyes trained on her face. He seemed vaguely familiar too.
He was insanely handsome, she realized with every step that brought him closer to her. A faint blush stained her cheeks and she looked away, placing a protective hand across Emily’s shoulders as the girl reached her.
“Hello,” he said in a decidedly masculine voice.
He didn’t have any particular accent she noted but his features hinted at some exotic heritage like Greek or Italian.
“Hi. Thank you so much for saving us.”
“My pleasure,” he said with a shrug.
Lisa nodded. Now that he was even closer, she could see that he had the most beautiful pair of grey eyes she had ever seen, flecked with little bits of gold color. They seemed familiar but she was willing to bet she had never seen anybody with such beautiful eyes that made one want to stare into them forever.
A strange sensation niggled through her. An unbearable sense of familiarity.
“Should I know you?” she asked unthinkingly, cocking her head to the side.
“Excuse me?” he asked, tensing.
“I don’t mean to embarrass you or something but your eyes… Have we met?”
His eyes roved over her face as though memorizing every feature, then he seemed to collect himself, “I’m sure I would have remembered.”
His eyes trailed to Emily and he nodded towards her, “She yours?”
“Not in a biological sense,” she said.
“Oh?” his eyes held hers.
“I run an NGO.”
“Really? With a special focus on kids?”
“I really can’t say much else,” she said, inclining her head slightly towards Emily.
She saw his grey eyes flicker over her riotous mane of vibrant red hair, her slightly rounded cheeks, her puckered red lips, her breasts which were so large she sometimes felt embarrassed, her broad, generous hips. She had always been a buxom woman. To her mortification, Lisa felt her nipples bead into hard points beneath her shirt.
Something passed in his eyes and he stepped back imperceptibly as he said, “Of course. Have a good evening Miss…?”
“Fuller. Lisa Fuller.”
“Of course ma’am. I hope you won’t have any more trouble,” he said and turned and strode away without offering his name.
“Thank you,” she yelled after him again. He responded with a slight wave over his shoulder, but he didn’t turn around again.
“What did the strange man want Lisa?” Emily piped up.
“I’m not entirely sure honey,” Lisa replied as she shepherded the girl back to the orphanage.
What had made that man chase after her? He had seemed t
o hate her even though she was fairly certain she had never met him in her entire life. And the other man had seemed so familiar and he had also seemed to know who she was.
She flushed as she remembered how incredibly hot he was. She fanned herself with her hand as she blushed some more.
Really Lisa, stop blushing over a man you would probably never see again, her subconscious chided.
CHAPTER TWO
Raven Kindersley sank onto the edge of his bed, unable to still the slight tremors in his limbs as he flashed back to the woman he had seen in the park. She had really luxurious, curly red hair that hung all the way to her waist; beautiful, even, white teeth that flashed every time she spoke, a face a man could stare at all day and a voluptuous body straight out of his naughtiest fantasies. The most unsettling part was that he already knew this sexy, intoxicating, absolutely tantalizing woman.
He knew who she was alright. He had been watching over her for years but this was the first time he had shown himself to her in his human form. He had met her all those years ago as a werebear and known instantly that she was his mate. She carried his mark too, even though she didn’t know it. He knew it was that mark that had attracted Ramsey to her in the park.
He rubbed his hand tiredly over his face as he tugged on his tuxedo. Now she had seen him he had to stay in her orbit. It was the surest way to protect her, even if he could never have her. Once the others knew his mate was human, they would strike. Plus, he was afraid of hurting her. She was so small, she would fit him like a glove.
His blood stirred hotly in his loins and he felt his dick prod the zipper of his pants. He was so turned on he could actually feel his hands trembling in reaction. His veins began to bulge, his pupils dilated, fur appeared around his body until it erupted all over him and his hands and legs stretched further away from his body, lengthening painfully.
He knocked back a big glass of whiskey and waited for the reaction to fade. Nothing worked. It had started and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Hastily, he tore off his bow-tie and tux and raced towards the back of the house, only managing to clear the pool area before, with a mighty roar, he turned into a large werebear. His powerful hands shoved away the small gate at the back before he bounded away into the valley behind his house.
He had chosen this house with care. It was the only house for miles and it opened up into a thick dense forest which was his favorite place to go whenever he turned.
He roamed the thick, dense forest roaring loud enough to wake the dead. He lost all sense of reasoning, prowling through the forest in search of prey. The entire night became silent, the forest absorbing his roars as he prowled mindlessly through it until the last trace of passion fueling his transfiguration faded from his veins.
He finally came to, lying naked beneath a large oak tree.
He groaned as he rose creakily to his feet He was due at a charity function and he knew Lisa would be there. He had chosen to attend the function deliberately even before they’d met at the park. Tonight had been his night to meet her in person. There was no help for it, he would simply arrive late.
***
Raven Kindersley was late! Lisa had never met the man, but he was the guest of honor. Heck, the entire charity ball was his idea. Lisa searched her memory for what she had heard about the guy but all she came up with was, ‘business shark’.
It seemed to her that a person who was a shark would be time conscious. Perhaps he had had a change of heart? Panic knotted her insides as she thought of this. Most people here had come because they had heard that a deep pocket like Kindersley was going to be there too. Heck the ball had been named for him!
What if he stood them up? More panic coursed through her and her palms began to sweat. She unobtrusively moved closer to an air vent, plastering a smile onto her face as she greeted the next person.
“Lisa? There’s someone I think you have been dying to meet,” Melissa Stilwell, Raven’s PA said in a sing-song voice.
He was here then. Lisa turned around, a practiced smile on her face. She froze immediately she caught sight of the man towering over Melissa; that was the guy from the park!
She saw the brief flash of recognition in his eyes right before he smiled at her and damn near stopped her heart. He was an extremely attractive man but when he smiled like that he was downright dangerous. If she had thought he was handsome before, when he smiled he was an absolute knockout.
She swallowed nervously as he stretched out a hand, “Miss Fuller? A singular honor.”
“You have the advantage of me. I believe we met earlier today at the park. Thank you again Mr…?”
“Kindersley,” he said as he took her hand in a surprisingly gentle grasp for such a large man. “Raven Kindersley.”
A jolt of electricity shot through her from their joined hands and she jumped, before nervously withdrawing her palm from his grasp. Her surprised gaze met his and she couldn’t help noting he didn’t look a bit surprised as he gazed steadily back at her.
A faint blush stained her cheeks as she grinned up at him, “Mr Kindersley. Can I just say how honored we are at Forwardaid for your kind donations. The children have benefitted greatly. Melissa mentioned something about an idea you were proposing for Forwardaid?”
His strange grey eyes roved over her features, touching slightly on her mouth before moving down the rest of her body. She was dressed in a long, purple-colored elegant gown. The halter neck of the gown revealed the smooth skin of her neck and shoulders in a tantalizing expanse of flesh that made him clench his fists in his pants pockets as he strove for control. Her lips were ruby-red and slightly puckered as she smiled at him. Her breasts were so big he was certain she had to be at least a 38D. She was a big woman, but she was so damn sexy it was all he could do to keep his hands away from her. Her ass swelled invitingly beneath the smooth silk of her dress; he got hard just looking at it. His first instinct was to ravish her, right there. But he couldn’t do that to her. She deserved candles and flowers and romance. He couldn’t just pounce on her and start rutting!
If the glances coming their way were any indication, he wasn’t the only one who thought she was sexy as hell, he noted jealously.
“It’s my pleasure ma’am,” he assured her smoothly as he offered her his arm and guided her to their seats.
There were many events lined up including auctions, charity fashion shows, awards; but all through the night, Lisa was completely aware of the handsome debonair man sitting beside her. Power clung to him like a second skin but he was also gracious, polite and unfailingly courteous even to waiters. He was a perfect gentleman, she decided.
Every last nerve in her body was on high alert. She was so attuned to him that by the end of the night she was tired, deliciously so. She felt invigorated though, every last one of her senses on high alert as she smiled at every one and studiously avoided the piercing grey gaze of the silent, powerful man beside her.
She stumbled to her feet, aware that a few strands of her hair were escaping her elegant coiffure as she finally steeled herself to face him and bid him good night. His gaze clashed with hers, filled with such heat and unexpected passion that she gasped aloud.
“Miss Fuller, would you care to join me for a late glass of champagne to celebrate the success of this night and the possibility of future collaborations?”
Well how could she refuse when he put it like that?
“I don’t have much of a head for champagne,” she said weakly.
“Coffee then,” he murmured, smiling disarmingly at her as he proffered his arm.
A hot blush stained her cheeks and she ducked her head in embarrassment. She had never been one to blush, not since high school anyway. And suddenly she was blushing like a schoolgirl? He also seemed like someone she should remember, but from where?
She let him guide her towards the coat area and as she was picking up her coat, he went outside, apparently to make certain the car was being brought around.
Melissa appeared at her
elbow, her voice breathless with excitement as she whispered, “You seem to be getting along famously with Raven.”
Lisa fought down another wave of blushes as she said noncommittally, “He seems easy to get along with.”
“Oh I think it’s more than that. No one has ever seen him pay any woman more than a passing attention. Heck I was even thinking he was gay or something. But since he clapped eyes on you, he hasn’t taken them off. The entire show he kept watching you with such hungry”
Melissa cut herself short, and then threw a quick glance at a spot over Lisa shoulder before she said, “Pardon me.”
Lisa didn’t have to turn around to know Raven was heading towards her. Every last hair on her neck stood on high alert. The effect he had on her!
“Ready to go?” his deep voice said at her elbow and she turned to face him with a practiced smile that faltered a little when he smiled back at her, his eyes crinkling at the edges. He was so handsome she wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen him for herself.
CHAPTER THREE
Lisa nervously bit down on her lip as Raven pulled into the garage of his house which had turned out to be a mansion set on a huge sprawling estate that had to be the stuff of fantasies.
She was also acutely aware that she must seem painfully gauche and naïve to him as she openly stared around at the opulence of her surroundings. The silence was eerie; a huge mansion like this was like something made for the Dukes and lords of the Victorian ages to be filled with at least a thousand house guests.
It was completely empty, not a soul in sight, she noted with a shiver. God what if there was something wrong with him? How well did she know him? He could be a serial killer for all she knew.
“Are you alright? You seem cold,” he observed.
“Nah,” she said with a nervous laugh as he guided her into the biggest living room she had ever clapped eyes on.