by Stormy Glenn
"Well, Dad does know quite a few people from his time in the service." Ford frowned as he crossed his arms. "He doesn't talk about his service much, so I guess it was pretty nasty. I just hope this guy he calls isn't a complete loon."
"Do you think it was hard because of the circumstances or because he was a shifter?"
George had often wondered how shifters could serve in the military. It wasn't the whole serving his country thing he didn't understand. He got that part. It was a shifter taking orders from someone else.
Granted, he could probably take orders. He was pretty laid back about most things. But a lot of shifters had more aggressive natures. Taking orders had to be hard.
Ford shrugged. "Like I said, he doesn't talk about that time of his life very much."
"Yeah." George could understand that.
"So, have you thought about what else you'd like to do with the money? You can pretty much do anything."
"I don't know yet. I've been thinking about getting a place out in the country, maybe far enough up in the mountains where no one would be bothered if I shifted. I also don't want to be right on top of neighbors."
"Well, if you can't find anything, you can always buy a plot of land and build what you want."
That idea had merit. If he bought a big enough place, he wouldn't even have to see his neighbors. As for building a place, that actually intrigued him more than buying a pre-built house. He could design it just the way he wanted, with tall ceilings and wider doorways. He hated squeezing into some places. They made him feel like a freak.
"I want one of those custom-made beds with a mattress big enough for me to have room to roll around on and not have my feet hang off the end." That had been a dream of his since he grew past six foot.
Ford snickered. "Yeah, I could see where that would be nice."
"And I want a fireplace." George fantasized about shifting then stretching out on the floor in front of a warm fireplace. His apartment wasn't bad, but it got a bit chilly in the winter.
"I'd like a pantry big enough to hold everything I'd need for hibernation would be nice, too." George swallowed hard when saliva pooled in his mouth. He loved honey. "Salmon. I could have wild caught salmon delivered every single day."
"Yeah, but you'd get tired of salmon after a while."
George shook his head rapidly. "No, I wouldn't."
He was positive of it.
"Ohhh." Ford's eyes grew big. "Can you imagine the amount of honey you could get? And you could get the really good stuff, not that crap they sell down at the corner market."
"Oh yeah, that'd be nice." Good-quality honey was hard to come by. Most of the time, George had to make do with whatever he could find around the neighborhood.
"Honey buns," Ford said. "Like the ones they sell down at Partly Sunny Bakery."
"Fresh wild elderberries," George countered. He loved elderberries almost as much as he loved honey. "Fresh wild elderberries dipped in honey."
Ford grinned. "Honeycomb."
Yeah, that was a lot of honey, but they were bears. They loved honey as a general rule.
George groaned and rubbed his stomach. "Now, I'm hungry."
"Yeah, me too." Ford chuckled. "Want to go get a burger?"
George grinned. "Only if it has honey on it."
Bears really did like their honey.
* * * *
Leon kept a careful watch on his surroundings as he pulled up in front of the address he'd been given for George Carver. It wasn't the worst neighborhood he'd ever been, but it wasn't the best either.
Still, he made sure he took everything with him when he climbed out of his rental car. Most everything he'd need was on his body in some manner. He just had a few changes of clothes in his duffel bag. If this assignment took more than a few days, he might have to send for more stuff.
Leon locked the door then headed inside the three-story grey brick building. He could feel eyes on him with each step he took. He just wasn't sure if it was someone watching George, or simply a curious neighbor.
It didn't matter one way or the other. It wouldn't change how Leon did things. Until he knew better, he was in hyper-awareness mode. Anything and everything could be a threat, including people.
Leon took the stairs up instead of the elevator. He didn't like enclosed places like that. It hampered his ability to fight when he needed to. He preferred not to fight if he didn't have to, but he would when called upon to defend either himself or his client.
When he reached the third floor, Leon walked down the narrow corridor to apartment 3B. He cocked his head and listened for a moment. The low murmur of voices coming from inside told him George was not alone.
Leon smirked. Well, this should be interesting. He raised his hand and knocked. The voices stopped instantly. Despite reading the file on George, when the door opened, he was momentarily stunned by the sheer size of the man in front of him.
The massive man frowned as he looked down at Leon. "Can I—"
Crap!
"Hi, babe," Leon said quickly, and loudly. If anyone was listening, he wanted them to hear him. "Sorry I'm late. I got caught up at work."
George's dark brown eyes rounded. "Uh…"
"George." Leon dramatically rolled his eyes. "Are you going to let me in or not?"
"Do I know you?"
"Of course you know me."
George's eyes narrowed. "We've met?"
"George."
"I'm sorry. I just don't remember." A soft flush filled George's cheeks. "I tend to forget things sometimes."
Leon gave George his best seductive look. "Well, I obviously haven't been doing things right if you can forget me."
"Uh…"
"Are you going to let me in, or do I have to stand out here in the hallway all night long?"
"Oh, um…" George glanced over his shoulder.
A moment later, another man pushed George out of the way and stepped right up to Leon, which, considering how big George was, had to be no easy feat. "Who are you?"
Leon sighed heavily. "Seriously, Ford?"
He saw surprise flash in the man's eyes for a moment before they narrowed. "Look, dude, I don't know you. George doesn't know you. You need to leave."
"Of course you know me, Ford. We were introduced by your father, who is an old army buddy of my boss."
Ford's eyes widened, and then he stepped back. "Oh yeah, I remember you now."
"I should hope so." Leon pushed past Ford and stepped into the apartment. He took a moment to quickly scan the interior, looking for every possible hiding spot and escape route. There weren't a lot. It just wasn't that big of an apartment.
When the door closed behind him, Leon turned. He quickly held up his hand when Ford started to open his mouth. He knew the man had questions, but it was more important that Leon made sure George was safe. He could answer any questions after that.
"Is there a back door on this place or a fire escape?"
Still frowning, Ford pointed toward the kitchen. "There's a fire escape off the kitchen window."
Leon dropped his duffle bag on the floor then made his way into the kitchen. He was impressed with how clean the space was. Hell, the entire apartment. It wasn't OCD clean, but it was close.
He checked the window that led out to the fire escape. He wasn't thrilled with the placement, but a better lock might help. The one there looked rusted as all hell. Leon would be thrilled if George would allow him to put bars on the window, but he doubted that would happen. Not many people were comfortable living in a place that resembled a prison.
George and Ford were standing right behind him when Leon turned around. He smiled and held out his hand to George. "Hi, I'm Leon de Oro, your new boyfriend."
Chapter Four
If someone had asked George if he had a type thirty seconds ago, he would have said no. Now, he knew he did, and that type was a six-foot-one inch sexy tattooed biker bad-ass who smelled of elderberries.
The lip piercing was a nice touch.
George d
rew in a shaky breath then clasped Leon's hand. "Hi, boyfriend."
Leon's deep chuckle sent shivers of arousal spiraling down George's body, cascading down his body to the hardest dick he'd ever had in his life. He smiled nervously when Ford shot him an alarmed look. He had no doubt his cousin could smell his arousal. He was just glad Leon was human and couldn't.
"You're the man my dad's friend sent?" Ford asked.
"I am," Leon replied. "I work for Gareth Bradshaw. He said George here might need a little protection for the next few days. Sorry for my mysterious arrival. It's best if people don't know who I really am or why I'm here."
"And announcing you were his boyfriend was the direction you went with?"
George sucked in a breath when dimples appeared on each side of his mouth as Leon chuckled again. He now officially loved dimples.
"We decided, in my role as his boyfriend, I could go anywhere George goes and stick to him like glue." Leon glanced at George, one dark eyebrow raising. "Is that going to be a problem for you? Having a boyfriend, I mean."
George swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth as he shook his head. "No. That works."
"It doesn't work," Ford insisted. "George doesn't have a boyfriend. Everybody knows that."
George's eyebrows snapped together as he glared at his cousin. "I could have a boyfriend."
Ford's eyes rolled. "I'm not saying you can't have a boyfriend, George. I'm saying you don't currently have one, and everyone knows it."
"Well, yeah, but I could."
"It's going to look a little weird if you suddenly show up with a boyfriend, George."
George's shoulders slumped as the little fantasy that had been forming in his mind went up in a puff of smoke. For just a moment, he had dreamed of what it would be like to have someone as sexy as Leon to call his own, even if it was just for pretend.
"No, I know."
"You could tell people we met on the internet," Leon suggested. "Not many people would want to admit they started a romantic relationship with someone over the internet, which would explain why you never told anyone about me until now."
"The internet?" George winced. As sad as it was to say, he had actually joined a couple of dating websites in the hopes of meeting someone. He had never gotten up the courage to actually go out on a date, but it was nice to dream.
Leon crossed his arms and leveled a hard look at George. "If you can think of a better reason for my presence, I'm all ears."
"Can't you just be his bodyguard?" Ford asked.
Leon continued to look at George as he replied. "I can, but it would be easier for everyone if I was simply his boyfriend. People don't tend to pay attention to boyfriends, but a bodyguard would raise red flags all over the place."
"He's right, Ford," George said quickly, more because he wanted to be able to say Leon was his boyfriend than because he believed it would be easier. "We're trying to keep my life low-key, remember."
"Yeah, I guess."
George tried to keep the smile off his face as he glanced at Leon, but it wasn't easy. "Hi, I'm George Carver, but I guess you already know that"—George shrugged—"since we met on the internet and all."
He lost all ability to keep himself from smiling when Leon chuckled and those dimples appeared again.
"We'll need to sit down and go over a few things so when people ask us about each other, we have something to tell them."
George frowned. "What would you need to know? I'm not very interesting."
Ford snorted.
Leon, however, grinned as his eyes roamed over George. "Oh, I don't know about that. I'll bet you're plenty interesting."
George felt the man's gaze like a caress across his skin.
He almost groaned.
He reached up and tugged at the color of his cotton shirt. "Is it hot in here?"
It felt hot.
"So, you're about to come into a large amount of money," Leon said. "Your job is to learn how to deal with all that money. My job is to keep you safe while you do that. With that in mind, we need to set down a few ground rules."
"Rules?"
"I need you to not go anywhere without me."
"Like…to the bathroom?"
"No." Leon chuckled. He leaned back against the counter, looking very at ease in George's kitchen. "You can go to the bathroom by yourself. I just need you not to leave this apartment without letting me know."
"Okay, I can do that."
"I also need to know everyone who comes here, if they are someone you know, someone you approve of." Leon pointed toward the front door. "No one comes through that door that you don't approve. Understand?"
George nodded. "Ford and my aunt and uncle are always welcome here."
"Of course. Is there anyone else I should be aware of?"
"My parents." George's stomach clenched just thinking about them. "They are not allowed here at all. In fact, I'd prefer never to see them again if I can help it."
He was surprised Leon didn't react to those words.
"I haven't spoken to them in a few years and could pretty much go the rest of my life without speaking to them again." Harsh words, but George got sick to his stomach just imagining seeing them.
"Once they discover George has money," Ford said, "they will be on him like vultures."
"What about his former alpha?" Leon asked.
George shook his head. "He pretty much washed his hand of me when he banned me from the clan. I doubt he'd care."
"We're talking over a billion dollars here, George," Ford said. "Believe me, he'll care."
Leon leveled his gaze at Ford. "And your alpha? How will he react to George having a lot of money?"
Ford snorted. "He's too afraid of George to do anything."
George winced at the sharp look on Leon's face when the man glanced at him. He shrugged. "He's afraid I'll challenge him for the clan."
It was the story of George's life.
"Do you have plans to challenge him?" Leon asked.
"No." George couldn't keep the angry snarl off his face. He was so damn tired of people assuming he was a violent person simply because he was big. "I don't want the clan. I don't want any clan, but no one ever believes me."
Leon held up his hands. "I had to ask."
No, he really didn't.
"I was kicked out of my birth clan because my alpha was afraid I'd challenge him. He had help, though, so I don't totally blame him."
"Help?" Leon questioned.
"His parents," Ford said. "They kept trying to make George challenge the alpha, even to the point of smacking him around when he refused."
George glanced away when the memories of his parents' abuse flashed into his head. He never understood why he simply hadn't been enough as he was. He didn't think he needed to be an alpha in order to be accepted, contrary to what people thought.
"They roused several other members of their clan in support of George's leadership," Ford continued. "When George refused to challenge their alpha, his parents and those members were kicked out of the clan, but so was George. His alpha said George was a danger to the wellbeing of the clan."
"Have you had any contact with your parents since then?" Leon asked.
"No, like I said, I haven't spoken to them in a few years." George swallowed the lump building in his throat. "My parents expected me to go with them when they left. We were supposed to form a new clan, with me as the alpha."
"I'm assuming something happened to change that?"
Ford snorted again. "My cousin is nothing if not determined. His parents, the loving people that they were, locked him in a bathroom and set guards on the door so he couldn't get away. I have no idea what their plan was, but they certainly didn't think a man of George's size could slip out the bathroom window and get away."
Leon's eyebrows lifted. "You escaped out a bathroom window?"
George nodded. "It was a really small window, too." He'd had bruises on his hips for days after squeezing out the narrow window.
; "So, you haven't heard from your parents since then?"
George shook his head. "No."
"We were kind of hoping they had forgotten about George or washed their hands of him, but with George winning the lottery, they'll pop up."
George knew just how Ford felt when his cousin shuddered. His parents were bad news. They were all about being the best, living the best, and lording it over everyone else. They'd think nothing of walking right over the top of someone to get what they wanted, even him.
"Do you have any pictures of them?" Leon asked. "It would be helpful to know what they looked like so I can keep an eye out for them."
"When I left, I literally left with the clothes on my back." He hadn't been able to take anything with him. Escaping had been much more important.
"My dad might have a picture of them I can get you," Ford said. "I'll see if he can bring one up."
"How does your father feel about all of this, Ford?"
George smiled. "I borrowed someone's cell phone once I found a place to hide and called Uncle Allan. He drove all night long to come get me. He and Aunt Helen got the shifter council and their alpha to agree to allow me to stay in his territory as long as I keep a low profile and don't make waves."
"Uh, George," Leon said. "You just won one point six billion dollars. You're about to make a lot of waves."
Oh right.
Damn.
"Oh, man, George." Ford paled right before George's eyes. "We need to go talk to the alpha. He needs to know about this before it hits the news. He'll blow a gasket if this hits the wires and he doesn't know about it first."
"Is this man going to be a problem?" Leon asked.
"That's hard to say," George replied. "He seems to be pretty even-tempered, but he's an alpha who's afraid I'll take over. There's no telling what he'll do once he finds out I have money."
"He's a good alpha," Ford insisted. "He's just…" Ford shrugged. "He's threatened by George's size."
Leon frowned as he looked George up and down. "Why?"
George's eyebrows lifted. "Most people are intimidated by me."
"So you’re tall, so what?"
George gaped at Leon.
Ford wasn't so restrained. He broke out into hysterical laughter. "I've been saying that for years, but I grew up with George. People see how big he is and they flip. Anyone who really knows George knows he's too gentle for his own good. He couldn't hurt a kitten."