20 Shades of Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

  He was being sneaky. Dangling the candy in front of her sweet tooth. Looking up at the ceiling, Faye searched for the tiny remnants of orgasm that were trickling through her nerves. If she came like that with all her clothes on, what would it be like with him naked?

  It would be good. Really, really good, she knew. He seemed so relaxed. He kept smiling! She’d seen him for years and never saw him smile. Now he had a most undignified grin on his face most of the time. It had built over the last few days. Now he gave her those smiles so freely.

  Faye heard the water turn on and waited a minute. She wasn’t going to join him. Not today. She wasn’t sure when. Her brain was begging for some time to go over everything. Maybe if she could write it all down, see it in black and white, it would make more sense to her.

  That was just a delay tactic. This wasn’t about balance sheets. It was about fate. Finding your perfect match. Soul mates, if you believed in that. She knew the Kindred did. They lived their entire lives by it. Their community and family structure were all based on trusting when the perfect person presented themselves, you’d be grateful for the gift.

  It wasn’t about the details and logistics. It was about how you felt. Gideon was sure, solidly sure who she was to him. Faye had feelings for him. Strong ones that were almost impossible to ignore. Even then, she wasn’t ignoring them so much as running from them.

  A lifetime of Gideon looking at her like she’d hung the moon. What would that be like?

  She didn’t have an answer to that, at least not yet. Getting out of bed, she walked towards the door and had planned on not looking. Again, that’s what her mind told her to do. It was either her heart or the throbbing dampness between her legs that made her turn her head.

  Catching just a glimpse of the upper half of Gideon standing in the shower, she saw his mark shining through the water. Faye unconsciously reached up and put her hand over her heart.

  Stepping into the hallway, she dropped her hand. She could have a mark matching his. Proclaiming to the world that she was his and he was hers. It was nothing that could be bought or bartered. It was a gift of love.

  Faye wasn’t sure she was ready to accept it.

  Gideon finished his shower and dressed for work in a dark gray Armani suit. He heard Faye showering in the other room. He needed to move her clothes back into their room. He hoped that if he kept reminding her that what was his was now hers; she’d start to believe it.

  Heading to the kitchen, he made coffee for both of them and looked through the fridge to find anything edible. He came across some fruit and yogurt and figured it was better than nothing.

  Placing them on the kitchen table, he waited for Faye. Sitting down, he sipped his coffee and looked out the window. He’d never had coffee at his kitchen table. It was unnecessary. Now, it was a moment he wanted with Faye. It could be their morning routine. Sitting together and talking about their plans for the day.

  He loved that idea and decided it didn’t matter where they were in the world. They would have coffee together at a table and talk. Sure, people did it every day. But to him it was the beginning of a domestic life that he was excited to start. He was serious when he told Faye to redecorate. He wasn’t attached to anything and knew that anything she chose would make him happy. It would make the space Faye-like and everything Faye was good.

  Gideon smelled Faye coming. She was clean and smelled of a number of body products, though her warm sugar scent came through all of it.

  Standing, he pulled out her chair and kissed her cheek before sitting down.

  She was wearing a soft lilac-colored sweater over a pair of charcoal slacks and low heeled black Mary Janes with a pointed toe. Those shoes were not Faye's style at all.

  Her outfit was sweet and looked good on her, but it was her hair that he was staring at. She was wearing it down. Around the top of her head she had twisted and pinned her hair around until it looked like a crown circling her head. The rest flowed down her back in a soft brown waves.

  “I like your hair,” he said gruffly.

  Faye looked up from her seat and blushed.

  That blush sent the blood rushing to his cock. Sitting before he embarrassed himself, he handed her the coffee cup he’d already loaded with sugar and cream, as he knew she liked it. He also knew she liked her tea with honey, sometimes lemon. He’d learned that she didn’t like dark meat chicken last night. Gideon wanted to make sure her world was only full of things she liked and nothing that she didn’t.

  Gideon should have resisted, but her hair drew him in. He reached out a finger and snagged a thick strand and ran it over the finger to the end.

  Faye blushed looking up at him. “Thank you for the coffee,” she said taking a sip.

  “You’re welcome. I found fruit and yogurt. If you want something more, we can go out to eat?”

  “No, this is fine.”

  “I checked the news last night. They have more pictures of us. Mostly of me. But it means they aren’t going to be letting up. The speculations are rampant and I didn’t want you to be caught unaware.”

  “Thank you. We made it into work fine yesterday. We’ll just do it again today,” she said with a shrug.

  “You’re amazing. Most people would be upset by the photos.”

  “I’m not upset. I’m more confused than anything. I don’t understand why they care. I mean it’s just a relationship. They happen all the time. Every day, in fact. That they think this one is more interesting than others is weird.”

  Gideon held himself still. He wanted to reach over and kiss her. She said they were in a relationship. She said it casually and as a matter of fact. Baby steps, but they were steps.

  “Well, now they have a real story. I half-shifted in front of humans for a reason. That reason was to protect you. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist for them to figure how you’re important to me. They will want your picture even more now.”

  “Take the fun out of it. Let’s walk out today and ignore them. Ruin the chase for them.”

  “You’d do that? I’m used to them but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or that you aren’t safe.” Gideon didn’t give a flying fuck about those people. He only cared about how it affected his mate.

  “Won’t Tucker or one of the other guys be there?”

  “Of course. I’m thinking you might need someone full-time on you. Maybe a female Kindred? I know my security company has a woman, but she’s usually very busy. King could find us another.”

  “Whatever you think is best. I don’t mind the guys. They’re big and scary but not to me.”

  “Then we’ll just up our security until this dies down some.”

  Faye shrugged and picked a blueberry out of her yogurt and popped it into her mouth.

  Gideon didn’t want to push her. She seemed so comfortable and at home. He wanted to make it as stress-free as possible, so he kept all the things he wanted to talk to her about inside and ate his breakfast.

  There was a buzz at the door when they were almost finished.

  “Is that one of the guys?” Faye asked.

  “Maybe. It also might be something I put into motion before I figured some things out. I’m sorry if it’s too much. I just thought it might make you happy.”

  Faye immediately looked suspicious. “What did you do?”

  Gideon didn’t answer; he just stood up and went to the door. Faye stayed at the table either out of stubbornness or worry.

  Answering the door, he saw his doorman holding a wicker basket. The doorman smiled broadly and gave him a little salute.

  Carrying the basket back to the kitchen, he set it on the table.

  “A basket?” Faye asked, confusion on her face.

  “No,” Gideon started then the basket meowed.

  Faye’s eyes went huge as she looked up at him. She stood up and whipped open the lid to the basket. Inside was the fluffiest gray kitten Sabrina could find. The little creature had large blue eyes that looked totally traumatized from its brief tim
e in the basket.

  “I know you couldn’t have a pet at your place but you can have whatever you want in our home. So I got a kitten. Then after I had arranged it, I remember you said you loved that dog from the shelter.”

  Faye turned to him with a jerk. “You didn’t!”

  “He’ll be here this afternoon. They’re micro-chipping him and making sure he’s ready to move. I’m sorry if it’s too much. I didn’t want you to worry about the dog. And well, at the time, I thought if you could love a kitten maybe you could love a bigger cat,” he said pointing to himself.

  “Gideon! This is insane,” she said with a laugh.

  He was relieved she wasn’t angry. She was smiling so big; she probably didn’t even realize it. Faye picked up the kitten and tucked her under her chin to snuggle. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

  “A girl. I figured with Cornelius here we needed to keep the numbers even.”

  “Hello, baby. What’s your name?”

  “I think that’s your job to name her,” Gideon said.

  “That’s what you think. Animals have an opinion; you just have to figure out what they are trying to tell you. Isn’t that right, precious?” she cooed to the kitten.

  Gideon wasn’t going to argue with her. She looked happy. A happy Faye was the most beautiful thing in the world.

  Faye pushed some of the plates away on the table and set the little kitten down. She tapped on the table trying to get the kitten to attack her finger. The little creature wasn’t interested and went to inspect the remaining food in the bowls. Her little nose dipped into the yogurt left in Faye’s bowl and she sneezed.

  The kitty shook her head to clear the blockage and Faye giggled. “See, her name is Nilla.”

  “Nilla?”

  “Short for vanilla like the yogurt.”

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  Faye stroked the cat and scratched it behind the ears. Then she looked up with worry. “We can’t leave her alone here all day!”

  “Then bring her with you.”

  “To work? A kitten?”

  “Why not? Leave her in the mailroom. She can’t get into that much trouble. I’ll have a litter box and food, toys, and the usual items brought down.”

  “What will everyone think?”

  “In case you haven’t realized yet, I really don’t care. If my mate wants to bring her kitten to work, then she will.”

  He expected her to argue with him. Instead, she chewed her bottom lip for a moment then smiled at him like she was getting away with something.

  Good, let her have the upper hand in life. She deserved it.

  “I think we should head out. Do you want to put her in the basket?”

  “No, I’ll hold her.”

  Gideon nodded and went to retrieve their coats. He helped Faye with hers as she fumbled the kitten back and forth. When they were ready, Gideon opened the door and found Anson standing there waiting.

  “Good morning, Anson,” Faye called out before Gideon could. “Look at my kitten!”

  Anson smiled. “Well, he looks like a tiny terror.”

  “She and she’s an angel.”

  “If you say so, ma’am.”

  Faye wrinkled her nose. “Please don’t call me that. It makes me sound old.”

  Anson looked beyond her to make eye contact with Gideon. He just shook his head with a smile.

  “Anson, will you tell Royce we’re meeting him out front today?”

  “Out front, sir? It’s not clear out there. I would suggest the garage plan.”

  “Faye doesn’t want them to have a reason to chase. Today we are going to give them the pictures and see what happens. If it’s not safe or we can’t control it, we’ll reevaluate.”

  “Let me call ahead and get him in place.”

  Gideon exchanged a look with Anson that told him that although his words were casual, the situation was as volatile as it had been previously. They were trying something to ease Faye’s worries.

  They waited in the entryway until Royce confirmed he’d moved the car. The three of them boarded the elevator.

  Faye didn’t seem aware of the tension between the two men as she was so wrapped up in talking baby talk to her new charge.

  As they reached the lobby, Gideon scanned and saw only the doorman. Beyond the glass doors there were at least twenty people standing around with cameras. Even a news station had sent someone hoping to get video to play on the nightly news.

  “Faye, stay between me and Anson. We’re going straight to the car and getting in. No stopping, no talking, okay?”

  “Sure, whatever you say,” she said easily. She snuggled the kitten under her jaw, pulling her coat around it to keep it warm.

  Gideon was a little more than surprised at Faye’s lack of concern. She seemed only to be worried about the kitten.

  Taking a bracing breath, he pushed open the door and the flashes immediately started. Gideon had Faye’s hand in his as he pulled her along. Anson was behind her with his arms outstretched.

  As they reached the car door that was open, Gideon turned and saw Faye with her head down, her focus on protecting Nilla from the flashing lights. When she stopped, she looked up at him and her face went from concern to a brilliant smile.

  The audible uptake in pictures being taken assured Gideon that her smile was going to be on the front page of every website and possibly newspaper by lunch.

  She should have been terrified. Worried, even unsure. But she looked at him like she didn’t have a care in the world. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling back at her. The clicks picked up again.

  Guiding her into the car, he followed, and Anson shut the door behind them.

  “I don’t think she liked all those people,” Faye said, pulling Nilla out from her coat and giving her a once-over.

  “You didn’t seem to mind,” Gideon remarked.

  Faye treated him to a small frown. “I was just taking care of Nilla. Hopefully they got the pictures that they wanted and we won’t have to worry about them until later.”

  “I wish we never had to worry about them. Being with me means you and I are of interest to people.”

  “Sounds like those people need to get a life.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. I’m just warning you there won’t be a time that they won’t be taking your picture. It’s part of being my mate.”

  Gideon waited to see if she took that well or not.

  “So, I shouldn’t go out in curlers?”

  “Faye, I’m being serious. Privacy is something we’ll have to work at.”

  “Then we will work at it.”

  “You’re thinking long-term then? Me and you?”

  He didn’t want to push but damn it if he didn’t want her promises to him. He was so certain of his feelings. How his heart craved her. He lay awake holding her and thinking about how much he wanted to make love to her and how many amazing things he wanted to do for her. Travel, experiences, showing her the meaning of being Kindred.

  “Faye, do you believe we’re supposed to be together?”

  Chapter 29

  Faye continued to pet her kitten. She was in love with the little girl. It was her very own pet. She never thought she would be able to have one. Even the pet deposit would have been hard for her to swing.

  Nilla was like a little miracle. Gideon could have bought her diamonds, a car, and an island. It wouldn’t have meant nearly as much as the tiny gray bundle of floof in her hands.

  He had thought of something she’d wanted. Money being no object, he went for something that would touch her heart. Knowing that Cornelius was on his way was icing on the cake.

  She had so many feelings warring inside her. Gideon was a good man. If she had to imagine a man she could see herself with for the rest of her life, sure, she’d dream up a man like Gideon. But then she would temper her wishes, make them reasonable and settle for a guy with a stable job that liked the same movies as her.

  Anything beyond that would seem greedy.
Now she was faced with everything she could possibly dream up and then some.

  He was perfect. Gideon wanted her to tell him that he was good enough for her. The idea was almost ludicrous.

  “Gideon, I can’t deny that I feel things for you. You know that I do. I might have a hard time saying them out loud. I’m not ignoring it; I’m just processing it. It’s a little surreal. All of it.”

  “Surreal?”

  “You, your house, your… leopard.”

  “My leopard? You know it’s still me, right? It’s not the animal. The outside of me has changed, not the inside.”

  “I understand that. I mean it’s just so much more than I ever thought I would have in my life.”

  “My sweet Faye. You have been without for too long. I’m here to change all of that. And before you think it’s about what I’m giving you, understand that if you chose to never see me again after today, I wouldn’t survive.”

  “Please, that’s dramatic. You would just go back to the way you were,” she said. There was no way he could have grown so accustomed to her that it would be a loss.

  “You don’t understand. Every moment away from you is like a pain that I can’t escape from. My first thoughts will always be of you. I will worry about you, protect you, love you, and be proud that you are the one that chose me.”

  “You said this was all fate. That the universe chose me for you.”

  “It did, for me. But you can choose to not be with me. Your life will be no different but I’ll be forever altered. My heart and soul will crave you until the day I die. But you get to choose. And if you choose me, then I’m the luckiest man in the world. I get to tell people that my mate wanted me over every other person in the world.”

  Faye couldn’t believe that he would think that way. But it was the same thing she was thinking about him. That he could have anyone. To Gideon, she could choose anyone too.

  “I could never hurt you that way. I’m with you, you just have to be patient until I can come to terms with it being real.”