He looked at me as if I were crazy. “Kill you. I saved your life twice tonight and three times since we met and you still think I plan to kill you?”
I couldn’t say a word and then managed to make myself speak, “What are you?”
He sighed, “If you promise not to kick, bite and scratch, I’ll get you out of this trunk and tell you.” He held his hand out to me and I was torn: Could I trust this man beast?
Chapter Five
“What are you?” I said again sitting on the edge of the trunk while Paul stood in front of me. His body was tense as if he were afraid that I would try to escape.
He looked at me. “I’m human, just like you.”
“You-no-you’re not human.”
He nodded, “I am. I just have certain abilities.”
“Like running down mountains and turning into a bear?”
He nodded, “Yep.”
“Yep?”
He shrugged, “I can’t explain what I am. Why do you think I’m so interested in mythical creatures? It’s not just an interest. It’s my obsession. I don’t know how I became this. I was adopted and have no idea who my biological parents are. I’ve traveled everywhere trying to find out more about me, but as far as I know, I’m the only one.” He sounded frustrated and pained about his predicament, if one could call it that.
I immediately felt less fear and more sympathy. “Are you some sort of werewolf?”
He shrugged and laughed harshly, brushing a hand through his hair. I then noticed that his hand was cut open and dried blood caked the wound. A souvenir from the mountain lion, I thought wryly to myself.
I immediately reached for his hand, forgetting that only minutes ago I had been pleading for him not to kill me. As he said, he had rescued me multiple times. If he meant me any harm, then he could have let me die. Speaking of which...
“That was you that night on the campus? You saved me? I wasn’t attacked by an animal. That was a man who grabbed me.”
He nodded, “When he saw me change to bear-form I scared him so bad, he started to have a heart attack.”
“Excuse me?”
He sighed, “He literally grabbed his heart and hit the ground right then and there. I tossed him into the dumpster. The problem was, I had already turned into a bear. People saw me, as a bear that is, so I had to come up with a good enough story. I left you behind the bushes. You had fainted anyway and I just slipped my clothes back on when I transformed back into a human. It took only a minute and then I drove you to the hospital and called your parents. Their number was in your cellphone.”
I couldn’t get past the other statement he made, “So you left the other guy in the dumpster? Was he still alive?”
He shrugged, “I didn’t particularly care to check. I could only imagine what he planned to do to you and I made sure he didn’t do it.”
I nodded. He had a point. I couldn’t even let my mind think about what that man might have done to me if Paul hadn’t saved me when he did.
“So what’s next?” I asked him.
He looked towards the full moon and said, “I don’t know. I still plan to try to find out more about my kind. Travel the world. Do more research. Someone must know something.”
“And you plan to do this alone?”
“Yeah. Absolutely.” He then paused and said, “Not that I would turn away any company.”
He approached me and I said, “Paul?”
“Yeah,” he was now leaning down to kiss me.
“You’re naked.”
He laughed, “And you would be right.”
His mouth covered mine and I didn’t think about anything else as he wrapped his arms around me and picked me up leading me to the backseat of the car.
Both of us had scratches and bruises, but at that moment, it didn’t matter. He pushed me down into the backseat and pulled at my jeans. They got tangled around my ankles and I tried to push them off. Frustrated, Paul pulled them off for me, pushing my panties down in the same effort. I tried not to think too much about what had happened earlier in the evening. I was done thinking about humans shifting into animal form or hungry mountain lions in the Texas hills. Or about potential killers hiding in the bushes. If I learned anything in the past month, it was that I was safe with him. And so as he tossed my shirt to the side and began kissing my exposed breasts and tugging at my bra; I more than welcomed his touch. I sighed as his mouth covered mine, and he brought his hand up between my legs to touch the wetness of my sex. I practically purred when he slid his finger into me. In the cramped backseat with my head pressed against the door and my legs wrapped around Paul’s waist, there was no place at that moment that I would have rather been.
And as he wasted no time sliding into me, I screamed his name.
He planted a wet, open-mouth kiss on my lips while he moved in and out of me, taking his time thrusting into me. He then lowered his head a little and began to plant the same types of kisses across my breasts, pausing at my nipples to bring one and then the other into his mouth.
“Paul,” I whispered hotly. My skin was on fire. My sex quivered around his own and I had to stop myself from coming. I was that turned on. He grunted and started moving deeper inside of me, stretching me with each thrust. I didn’t say a word, I just wrapped my arms around his neck and let my hands wander across his shoulders. He felt good, so delicious and I wanted more of him. I attempted to spread my legs wider and he gripped my hips and started moving in and out of me at a faster pace.
We were both slick with sweat and couldn’t get enough of each other. I forced my hips up, hoping I could take in more of him, but I couldn’t. He laughed and pushed inside of me again, making it clear that he was controlling every aspect of our encounter.
My sex began to clench around his shaft and he moaned and kissed my mouth again.
“Am I hurting you?” He said as he thrust heavily into me.
“No.” I gasped, running my hands up and down his spine.
“Keep doing that,” he said, and I continued while his hand disappeared again in between my legs and started to play with my clit. I threw my head back. The pleasure was too much and as he went to touch me again, I screamed and my whole body shook as I finally let go and allowed myself to come.
He caught my screams on his lips and groaned as he came inside of me. We came together. Both of us then were left gasping for air, trying to breathe, inhaling each other’s scents. It was some time before either one of us could talk.
I didn’t want to move, but then my leg started to cramp up and I figured I might as well. But before I worried about the cramp, I reveled in the feel of Paul’s body on top of mine. I honestly did feel warm and secure with him.
“I have a bad habit of seducing you in cramped corners,” Paul’s voice said in the darkness and I smiled to myself.
“You’re right. First a supply closet and now the backseat of a car. You’re treating me like a loose woman.”
He lazily rubbed a hand down my thigh and said, “Loose? I don’t think so. You’re definitely very, very tight.”
And it was at that moment that I realized he was still inside of me, and he was getting hard again.
I wiggled my hips, trying to line our groins up, hoping that I could take him deeper once he was fully erect again, and he moaned against my ear.
“Keep doing that and I’ll come again,” he whispered.
“That’s exactly what I want,” I whispered back. And as quickly as that, he was hard again inside me, his cock pushing against the walls of my sex. I clenched and unclenched around him. He began to move and instead of slow and gently, how he had been before, this time our lovemaking was hard and he slammed me back against the door with the force of his thrusts. I felt the car rocking as we nosily made love, groaning, moaning, screaming and breathing heavily. It was amazing how free and wanton I felt with Paul and when he flipped me over and made me kneel on all fours and shoved his cock into me again, I readily tried to part my legs even wider to give him de
eper access, but the backseat was too narrow.
I gave a frustrated whimper and Paul hushed me, slapping me roughly on my behind and when I squealed, he caressed the area of my bottom where he smacked me. I was beyond aroused so when he grabbed my hips and shoved into me again, while kissing my spine, I came again. His hot lips on my flesh coupled with his cock so far up inside me was too much to handle. This was pleasure, I thought to myself as I collapsed onto the seat, breathing deeply and Paul kept my hips up and started pounding into me again, coming hard.
I had a smug little smile on my face as he slowly dropped down on top of me, breathing heavily as he rested his full body weight on me. I knew he had to be uncomfortable in the tight confines of the car. As if reading my mind, he kissed my shoulder blades and sat up, away from me.
I slowly did the same. I settled at one side of the car and he settled at the other. I looked out through the windows and realized for the first time, that he had parked directly near the entrance of a cave.
“Don’t tell me you live there,” was all I was capable of saying as I tried to get my thoughts together, and steady my breathing. He glanced around confused and then saw the cave, and he erupted in laughter.
“What?” I was a little offended.
“I live in a house. You know, like a normal person. I just pulled over when I thought you passed out in the trunk.”
“Yeah, about that. No more putting me in trunks.”
He raised his hand as if to ward me off, “I didn’t want to put you in the trunk, but you were hysterical and wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Hmmm...Let’s see why: I had just witnessed my boyfriend turn into a bear after we were both attacked by a mountain lion. A mountain lion that I swerved to avoid, which unfortunately left me falling down a cliff. I think I had a right to be a little hysterical tonight.”
He smiled, “So I’m your boyfriend?”
I gave him an annoyed look, “Is that all you got out of that lecture?”
“Yep.”
I motioned to get out of the car and he stopped me and pulled me into his arms. Now that we weren’t making love, I could feel the chill in the air and I shook. He settled me closer to him.
He brought his chin to rest on the top of my head, “I would like to be your boyfriend, if you’ll have me. Maybe you could go on sabbatical and you could help me search for others like me. Help me solve the mystery of being me.”
The way he said it so simply with so much sincerity tugged at my heart, and I rubbed my palm across his cheek, “ I would really like that. I would love to help you.”
He kissed me gently on the mouth and I felt my eyes growing heavy as I leaned against him. Not only did his arms feel safe and warm, but in my heart, being in Paul’s presence felt like home.
The End
Billionaire Protector
Second Chance Romance
About the Book
Cara Ford has seen enough men come and go that she’s sure she knows what they want: one night, and a conquest. Orphaned at twenty and adrift in New York City, she fell for the worst man she could have picked—Craig Daugherty, a trust-fund boy with perfect looks. When she got pregnant, he left her to raise the baby alone, and Cara lost her dream of becoming a scientist.
Seven years and a dozen failed romances later; Cara is barely scraping by as a waitress in a 24-hour diner. When Perry Hammond waltzes into her life, she expects nothing but his contempt, and she turns him down flat when he asks her out to dinner.
But Perry Hammond isn’t an ordinary man—he’s a billionaire who built himself up from nothing, and in Cara’s fierce independence, he sees a woman who is a match for him. Cara isn’t willing to take his help, and Perry isn’t willing to give up… but does he have what it takes to show Cara that she’s not alone?
Chapter One
“I don’t care what you have on tomorrow night,” Cara hissed into the phone. The voice chattering back from the other end was a drawl, disaffected and bored. “No—no, no, no—Craig. Craig, please—“
The sound of the click echoed down the line, and her shoulders slumped. She replaced the receiver, shaking, and then let herself lean against the wall. There were tears starting to form in her eyes, and she had nearly worn out her ability to keep them back. She pressed her hand over her mouth, and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep from making a sound.
“Cara?”
Oh, God. No one could see her like this. Cara whirled away from the door and fumbled with her apron, acting as if she had come in here to change.
“Cara?”
“Uh-huh?” Her voice sounded a little strained, but she might have pulled it off.
There was a pause, and she knew Lexie was looking her over. The night cook at Bell’s Diner was young and supermodel pretty; blonde-haired and blue-eyed. She looked about fifteen…but she was one of the most clear-eyed, observant people Cara had ever met in her life. There was no point in trying to fool her. “You have a customer, sweetheart.”
Cara managed a laugh. She knew Lexie humored her by acting like every other world-weary diner chef out there, and humor was just what she needed right about now.
“Are you okay?” Lexie asked, more softly this time.
“I’m all right.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll be okay.” Cara turned around and wiped her eyes; no use in pretending. “Is my mascara running?”
“Nope.” Lexie smiled and disappeared. “I’m going to go start cooking. This guy always gets the same thing. Give him decaf.”
“Thanks.” Cara smiled after the girl’s retreating form. Four weeks on this job and she was just getting used to the dizzying array of people that came in. When she came out to see a tailored suit and a copy of yesterday’s Times, graying dark hair peeking out from above the pages and a Rolex glittering on the man’s wrist, she hardly gave it a second thought. There were only two kinds of people who came in this late: drunks, and stockbrokers.
She supposed he might be both. That would liven up the night somewhat. Without tips, she was practically working this shift for her subway fare.
“Decaf?” She asked lightly, pasting her diner-waitress smile on her face.
Her smile faltered when he folded his paper and looked at her, assessing. She had expected someone portly, or run-down, but this man looked to be in the prime of his life. The salt and pepper in his hair had clearly been earned with time, but the man wore his suit like he’d been born in it, the polite cut failing to disguise well-muscled arms and broad shoulders. His skin was caramel, his sharp jawline free of stubble, and his eyes were somewhere between black and brown.
“Yes, please,” he said politely.
Cara had to force herself to take a step, and then another. She seemed to have forgotten how to move; her fingers were clenched around the handle of the coffee pot so tightly that she was worried she might break it, and she knew she was staring like a fool. So this man was one of the most attractive people she’d ever met in her life. He was a customer. He was a rich customer. No one needed her staring like a teenager.
“I don’t believe I’ve seen you before,” he observed as she poured. His tone made it clear that he remembered nearly every person he saw.
“I’m new here.” Cara managed to jerk the pot up just in time to keep the cup from overflowing. “I don’t usually work this shift.”
Don’t usually, but didn’t have much choice, she thought. How many months in a row had it been since the child support had shown up? And Craig, she thought bitterly, didn’t even have anything to spend the money on. He lived with his parents and talked about clubs and champagne.
But it was no use thinking about that. And no use thinking about Darren, sleeping in their neighbor’s apartment because Cara couldn’t get the thought out of her head that someone might break in while she was gone. She tried not to let her smile flicker.
“My name is Perry,” the customer told her, and Cara nodded.
“Cara.”
“A
beautiful name.”
“Thank you.”
A ding sounded from the counter, and Perry smiled over at the plate. “Bless Lexie, one of these days she’ll have my food ready before I even get here.”
“You know Lexie’s name?” Cara asked, rendered curious by this turn of events.
“I make a habit of knowing everyone’s name,” he said gravely. “And Lexie’s eggs are better than Jamie’s. But he makes better pancakes.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Cara said, at a loss for any other words. She wove her way behind the counter and brought the plate out. “Ketchup? Hot sauce?”
“Hot sauce, please.”
Please and thank you. So he was one of those stockbrokers. The kind that said they weren’t too rich and privileged to remember people’s names. People like waitresses and cooks. People less than them. And wasn’t everyone going to be impressed now?
Cara set the plate down in front of him with rather more force than was necessary.
“Thank you,” he said, so mildly that she had to grit her teeth.
“Anything else I can get for you?”
“No, thank you.” His eyes focused on hers. “Are you all right, ma’am?”
“…Ma’am?” Cara asked him. Too polite. He was mocking her.
“It seemed overly familiar to call you by your name.”
“I see. Well, if there’s nothing else I can get for you—”
“Are you sure you’re all right?” He asked, his forehead creasing. “Have I said something to offend you?”
“No,” Cara snapped. “You haven’t. Please enjoy your food.”
Back in the kitchen, she leaned against the wall and groaned softly. She was never going to make it if she couldn’t be polite to customers.
“What was that about?” Lexie asked, looking over from where she was scraping the grill down. She was relentlessly neat, so much so that she threw a sponge towards Clara and gestured to the countertops. “Help me out.”
ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense) Page 28