The Shifter Romances The Writer (Nocturne Falls Book 6)

by Kristen Painter

  Then why should she care about Alex seeing her in her bathing suit? He was just her neighbor. Not a guy she was interested in. Was she going to turn down a chance to soak in the hot tub, something she’d just been wishing she could do, because her neighbor might think she wasn’t in perfect shape?

  He’d already said he thought she looked fine. Which could have just been him being polite.

  Either way, she was letting Thomas get in her head. It was so hard to shut out the years of living with him. She could hear his relentless criticism about how sitting all day was going to make her fatter, how she needed to get off her butt and work out, how he didn’t understand why she wasn’t interested in keeping herself attractive for him.

  Meanwhile, he went out drinking beer and bowling with his buddies all the time. Like that was the equivalent of time at the gym.

  Her chin lifted, and anger filled her belly. Thomas could shove it. She did yoga every day and went for walks when the weather was nice. Could she do more? Sure. Who couldn’t? But she wasn’t exactly a shapeless blob who lay around the house all day eating bonbons.

  Although, technically, she’d had a bonbon today. A strawberry champagne bonbon. Her mouth watered at the memory of that particular goody sampled at Delaney’s.

  Then her back teeth ground together. Thomas was not in charge of what she did. She was going over to Alex’s, and she was having two slices of pizza, and she was definitely getting into that hot tub.

  Because Roxy St. James wasn’t about to let her soon-to-be ex-husband ruin any more of her life than he already had.

  Alex texted Delaney. She’s coming over.

  A few minutes later, Delaney texted back. Good. Let’s hope this works.

  Then you’d better hope Diego doesn’t do anything to get fired on his first night.

  I already told Bridget to make sure he stays busy the entire shift.

  He put the phone down and sighed. He was lying to Roxy, and he hated the way that felt. Yes, Diego had gotten the job, but Diego wasn’t going to be here this evening, which was pretty much what he’d led her to believe. Instead, it would just be the two of them, and his real objective was to get her to drink as much lemonade, made with good old Nocturne Falls water, as possible.

  If that didn’t stop her from seeing supernatural things, then it was Delaney’s problem. In fact, if he had to tell Roxy the truth himself, he would.

  He couldn’t stand lying in general, but to lie to someone he genuinely liked was an ugly feeling. Sure, it was for her own good. He guessed. But it didn’t feel right to him.

  On one hand, he understood why Delaney didn’t want to tell Roxy about the full reality of Nocturne Falls and the supernatural citizens who lived here just yet. But on the other hand, she seemed like a woman who could roll with it. She hadn’t freaked out over the ticket, and to him that was one barometer by which he judged people. Roxy was a pretty cool customer. Would finding out that her college friend had been turned into a vampire really be that odd?

  The woman wrote paranormal romance, for crying out loud. She might enjoy knowing that her next-door neighbor was a panther shifter.

  That gave him a thought. He picked up his phone and scrolled to his favorite ebookstore, then did a search on her name.

  Impressive. She had a decent number of books out. Most of them looked like vampire stuff. Maybe that’s why Delaney didn’t want Roxy to know what she’d become. Maybe Roxy painted vampires as the villains? But then, his mom read and loved the books, and so did Birdie. And from what Roxy had told him, her hero was a vampire. Or at least part vampire.

  Maybe he should read one for himself. He had the one she’d given him for his mom, but he didn’t want to break the spine. Instead, he one-clicked the first book in her Blood Moon Brotherhood series and opened it as soon as it downloaded.

  He was two chapters in when he realized he hadn’t ordered the pizza yet. He swiped back to the home screen, pulled up his contact list and dialed Salvatore’s.

  When the pies were on their way, he went back to reading. Roxy’s work was good. Better than good, actually.

  Roxy’s writing was dark, emotional, sometimes funny, a little over the top, but really readable. And smart. This was no throwaway story. The heroes and heroines were exactly what they should be. Strong, capable and sexy.

  He could see why his mom and her friends were so hooked. He also liked how the hero and heroine of this book knew right away they were meant to be together. He understood that feeling and wanted that for himself. A soul mate.

  Did that mean Roxy believed in soul mates too? She must. She wrote about them. But did that also mean she expected the next man in her life to be as perfect as the ones she wrote about? Because Alex knew he wasn’t that.

  Her hero was flawed, but he was also wealthy and worldly. And Alex was a deputy in a small town. Hopefully a sergeant soon, but even with the decent raise that would bring, he wasn’t about to be driving a Ferrari anytime soon. Was Wolfgang the kind of guy Roxy pictured as her soul mate?

  Maybe a better question was why Alex cared so much what Roxy thought. She was human, he was a shifter. They weren’t meant to be. Couldn’t be.

  He put his phone down and went out onto the back porch to make sure the temperature in the hot tub was just right. He adjusted it, then stood there for a moment, breathing in the night air.

  He hadn’t been on a good long run in his panther form since the last full moon. That was too long. Next day off, he’d drive up into the hills and let loose in the acreage the Ellinghams kept for just that sort of thing. He’d drag Diego along with him, too. A run together would do them good. Remind them both of their childhood, when being brothers was all that mattered. He tipped his head back and stared at the rising sliver of moon. Almost two weeks until it was full again.

  The urge to shift came over him, but he tamped it down, allowing only a partial shift into his half-form. A full shift and he’d never ignore the desire to run.

  A knock on his door brought him back to full human. Roxy.

  He glanced down at what he had on, never really caring that much before. His jeans and T-shirt were in decent shape, but they were nothing special. That was okay. This was who he was. Just a regular hard-working, blue-collar guy. Nothing fancy.

  “Coming.” He got to the door a few seconds later and opened it to find Roxy there.

  “Hey.”

  A blind man could see how attractive she was. A total package. Spending time with her was no hardship. He smiled. “Hey. Right on time. Come on in.”

  He got out of the way to let her pass. She wore a little polka dot sundress, the straps of a black bathing suit peeking out underneath. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Thanks for inviting me.” She held her hands out. “I feel like I should have brought something, but you didn’t seem all that interested in salad, so I’m empty handed.”

  He grinned. “You chose wisely.”

  She looked around. “Pizza’s not here yet, I take it?”

  “Nope. I ordered a little later than I meant to. Got distracted.” By her book. Something he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit, mostly because it felt a little like snooping. Or checking her out. Why else would a guy read a romance? Although he was pretty sure he’d get a few more chapters under his belt before he called it quits. Or maybe he’d read to the end. Which was more likely. “They should be here soon. Are you starving? I might have a PowerBar or something.”

  She laughed. “No, I’m good. A PowerBar.” She shook her head. “You’re such a guy.”

  He got the lemonade out of the fridge. “Is that a good thing? Because my options are pretty limited.”

  “Yes, it’s a good thing. Hey, speaking of guys, where’s Diego?”

  And so the lying began. “Oh, sorry, he’s not going to be here after all. Howler’s called him in. One of their bartenders came down with the flu or something, so they decided to put him to work tonight.”

  She gave him a look. “So we’re celebrating Diego’s
new job without Diego actually being here?”

  Alex nodded slowly. “To be perfectly honest, I’m more excited about him having a job than he is. You know this is the first time I’ve had my house to myself since he moved in?”

  Her brows lifted. “Does that mean you want me to leave?”

  “No.” He winked at her. “I can’t eat all that pizza by myself.” Then he realized she might feel uncomfortable alone with him in his house. “That is, as long as you want to stay?”

  She leaned against his kitchen counter. “And miss out on that hot tub? No way.”

  “Good. Ready to try the lemonade?”

  “Absolutely. If I’m going off my diet, I might as well have something cold to wash it down with.”

  He shook his head as he got two big tumblers out of the cabinet. “What’s up with all the dieting talk? Seriously, you look fantastic. I hope it’s not too forward of me to say, but you have a rocking body.”

  When he turned around, she was staring at him. He filled the tumblers and handed her one. “Did I cross a line? You look upset.”

  She took the glass from him. “Not upset. Just…not used to those kinds of compliments.”

  He frowned. “Are you kidding? You were married.”

  “Were being the operative word.” She stared at the drink in her hand, and her gaze took on a faraway haze. “He wasn’t…kind that way. He wasn’t a lot of things.”

  The doorbell rang, preventing Alex from asking any more questions. He paid for the pizzas, brought them back to the kitchen and set them on the counter. Roxy still didn’t look like her usual happy self, and he felt awful for being the one to bring up bad memories of her ex.

  He decided that made it his job to cheer her up. “I’ll be right back.”

  She looked up. “Okay.”

  He jogged back to his bedroom, threw on his trunks, then took two big towels from the linen closet and tucked them under his arm. Plan in motion, he returned to the kitchen.

  Her brows rose at the sight of him shirtless.

  He smiled as he strode past her and grabbed one of the pizza boxes and the pitcher of lemonade. “I say we eat this pizza in the hot tub. You in?”

  Her slightly dazed expression turned into a grin. “Yeah, I’m in.”

  “Great. Grab the glasses since I’ve got the pitcher.” It was impossible to be sad in a hot tub eating pizza. He opened the slider with one finger, then shoved it back with his hip. His feline senses picked up her pulse increasing like the beat of a distant drum. He hoped that was because she was happy and not worried about anything.

  He guessed he’d find out soon enough.

  The lemonade was a great idea, because Roxy needed something to cool down the fire burning inside her. Alex with his shirt off was almost enough to make her pass out. It was like one of her cover models had stepped off of their book. But better.

  She stared at the open sliding door, the sounds of sloshing reaching her ears. Alex was already in the water. Waiting for her.

  Her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty and she was about to strip down to her bathing suit and get into the outdoor equivalent of a bath with him.

  She swallowed. Then remembered the cold drink in her hand. She downed a couple of long gulps, happy to let the chilly liquid take the edge off her nerves. Didn’t hurt that it was delicious, too. She could do this. And not just because it was exactly the kind of thing Thomas would think her incapable of.

  She grabbed both of their drinks and marched outside, using her hip to close the door just like Alex had to open it.

  He was indeed already in the hot tub. He sat at the far side, facing her, the pizza box balanced on the wide lip. Steam rose up around him, glazing him with a sheen that made him even more irresistible.

  She might be in trouble here. Then she reminded herself that she was technically still married. And that whatever attraction she might be feeling toward Alex, he was definitely not feeling it for her. This was just a friendly get-together.

  And then there was the thing where he was crazy hot, and she was just short, curvy Jane Average.

  At least it was a little darker out here. She might be in his direct eye line, but there were enough shadows to give her some comfort at the thought of ditching her sundress.

  “I put the towels on the chair.”

  She set the drinks on the edge closest to her and glanced over her shoulder. They looked like bath sheets. Plenty to cover up in when she got out. That was nice. “Great.”

  He turned to open the box of pizza.

  She took the opportunity to shuck her dress and climb down the steps to slide in. The water was hot, and she would have liked to adjust to it a little more slowly, but cover was cover. She sank in to her chin in the bubbling water and took a seat that put her at a right angle to him.

  Little ripples headed her way as he came back around with a slice in his hand. His expression took on a humorous bent when he saw she was already in. “That was fast.” He tipped his head toward the box. “Trade you a slice for my drink.”

  “Deal.” Of course, that meant she had to leave her seat. She resigned herself to the fact that he was going to see her in her suit sooner or later and stood so she could make her way back to the lemonade without drowning.

  She handed his tumbler to him and put hers closer to where she was sitting.

  “Thanks.” He lifted the box so she could take a slice.

  She did just that, sinking back into her seat, but this time on her knees so the pizza wouldn’t get waterlogged. It meant exposing a lot more of herself to him, but the warmth of the water was already relaxing her and making her feel like that wasn’t such a big thing to be worried about.

  She bit into the pizza and groaned as the saucy, cheesy goodness melted over her tongue. “I know it’s not polite to talk with food in my mouth, but this might be the best pizza I’ve ever had.” She finished her bite.

  Alex nodded as he swallowed one of his own. “It probably is. You can’t go wrong with Salvatore’s.”

  “You eat this a lot?”

  “At least one night a week. Actually more sometimes, because we order it at the department, too. And it’s all Diego knows how to cook.” He stared at what was left of the slice in his hand. “I guess I do eat this a lot.”

  She pointed at him as she finished another delicious mouthful. “How do you look like that when you eat so much of this? It can’t just be the running.”

  His eyes narrowed, and a sly gleam lit his eyes. “Look like what?”

  She picked up her tumbler and drank before answering. “Like you own shares in Gold’s Gym.” The water bubbled around her, popping and spitting. “Like you’ve been gifted with Greek god genes. Like you could pose for one of my covers.” She took a long, slow sip of the lemonade in an attempt to cool herself off as the water got inexplicably hotter. “You don’t look like a guy who eats a lot of pizza, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Something gleamed in his eyes. Almost like…gold. He tossed the crust of his pizza back into the box and stood.

  He took her pizza and lemonade and set them aside, then pulled her to her feet to stand in front of him.

  That put them face to face. It wasn’t a small hot tub, but it wasn’t an Olympic-sized swimming pool either. He felt very close. So close the only thing between them was a little air and a lot of temptation.

  She tried to back up. And almost slipped.

  Alex caught her and pulled her against him, his hands firm but gentle on her arms. “You okay?”

  She nodded as she stared up at him, trying not to let his touch befuddle her any more than it already had. “I’m fine.”

  “Good.” His hands disappeared beneath the water to rest on her hips. “Because I’m going to kiss you now. Unless you tell me otherwise.”

  A tremor ran through her. Maybe from the boldness of his words. Maybe from the anticipation of what he’d just told her he was about to do. Maybe from the weight of his hands on her body. Probably from all three.
She shook her head, hoping he understood that meant she wasn’t going to tell him no.

  He got it. He bent down and put his mouth on hers in a kiss that was strong and sweet and deliciously wicked. She was half-naked, kissing a half-naked man in his hot tub. Her neighbor. The cop. The very sexy cop.

  The heat of the water steaming up around them only made the kiss more intense. Her head swam with dizziness, like she’d gotten up too fast. She hadn’t been kissed in a long time. And she’d never been kissed like this.

  Her hands slipped up to his thick biceps, in part to hang on to something and in part because she very much wanted to touch him.

  His body was gloriously hard. Warmer than even the water should have made him. She sank against him just a little, which was all she dared.

  Alex’s kiss held no obligation, no sense of duty. It wasn’t a token of a lukewarm relationship, it was the branding of something new and needful. Something as hot and urgent as the kisses in the books she wrote.

  Kisses she’d always thought were just fiction. But this, she suddenly realized, was a real-life romance novel kiss. She gasped at that thought, breaking the kiss.

  He ground his teeth together as if he was trying not to lose control, causing his voice to rasp out of him. “I shouldn’t have done that. But I guess if I was one of your romance heroes, I wouldn’t care about what I should and shouldn’t do.”

  She shook her head, still lost in the moment. “No, Wolfgang wouldn’t have stopped.”

  His answer held a pang of regret. “But I’m not Wolfgang. And you’re not Marabella.”

  Her mouth opened in surprise. “How do you know the names of my characters?”

  He looked a little sheepish. “My mother. And…I started reading one of your books. But the point is, we’re neighbors. This can’t end well.”

  “No?”

  He smiled sadly. “I guess it can. If we end it now. I’m sorry, that was foolish of me and—”

  “I didn’t stop you.” But she knew he was right. The last thing she needed was to get involved with another man before her divorce was even over. Especially one who lived next door.