by T. S. Ryder
Oskar nodded.
Melody narrowed her eyes at him. "I think I hate you a little bit right now. You have too much money."
"Is money all that matters to you?" Oskar teased. He waggled his eyebrows, and Melody fought to keep herself from smiling back at him. It was a futile, effort, though. "But I don't actually have an office with the FBI anymore."
Melody's eyes widened. "What? Why? Did they fire you because you followed Fezioni out here?"
"No. I quit. I can't stand taking orders, and they are just too restrictive. All their rules and their strict chain of command. I mean, I could work my way up to the top, but why bother starting at the bottom with them when I'm already at the top with all of my other enterprises? So I quit, and I'm going to focus on being an Alpha and businessman full time. I think I can do more good that way. Besides, I don't need a gun to be badass."
"That you don't."
By this time Melody had finished trimming the roses and arranged them in a vase. She shook her head as she put them on her kitchen table, narrowing her eyes slightly at Oskar.
He really did have that top dog, alpha male mentality, but quitting anything–even if he hated it–was just not in his personality. There had to be more to the story than what he was saying.
"So where does your son fit in with this?"
"I'll take some time to adjust and help Julius adjust. It's going to be a big change for both of us. But I'm going to be moving to Blackcliff, at least for the time being. He knows the town and he's got friends in school. I want a good place for him to grow up. I've been talking with the other Shifters, and a lot of them like the idea of getting out of the city, too."
Melody nodded. She knew some people would have a problem with having so many Shifters around, but they would have to deal. She would like Oskar being in town.
"Plus I'm still going to develop that ski hill and invest in a few hotels and new restaurants around here," Oskar continued. "So it's not like I'm going to be lacking in things to do."
"Good. Because I'm not going to start chasing ghosts all over the world with you so you can be a mega FBI star. I like being a realtor right here, thank you very much."
The smile on Oskar's face faded. "Speaking of ghosts…"
She knew what he was asking. Melody put her hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "I haven't seen Cindy since you started the process to adopt Julius back into your custody. I think she's moved on. That's a good thing."
"I know. I'm glad she found some peace."
Melody cupped his face, brushing her lips against his. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her closer, and she gasped. Her heartbeat increased as she tangled her fingers in his hair, breaching his mouth with her tongue. He opened readily for her, answering her movements with his own.
She thrust her hips forward, grinding through their clothing. A moan escaped–if they didn't get going right away, then it was doubtful that they would be leaving the house all night. His tongue swirled around hers and she decided she wasn't that hungry after all.
His hand cupped her ass. His eyes widened as he traced beneath the curve. "Are you wearing any underwear?"
Melody giggled. "A thong."
Oskar's eyes grew hooded.
"Do you have dinner reservations?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yeah. We can cancel, though." Oskar's mouth moved to her neck, sucking on the sensitive skin. Bolts of pleasure shot through her veins, pooling thick and hot in her belly. "I'm not very hungry."
"Me, either."
"Correction." Oskar pulled back, his eyes twinkling. "I am very hungry. For something I can't get in a restaurant."
"Me, too," Melody blurted. Reluctantly she pulled away from his arms, but only so she could grab his hand and lead him to the bedroom. Excitement coursed through her, her eyes bright as Oskar kept kissing her.
They fell into bed with a tangle of limbs, shedding clothing, their movements becoming more heated and desperate as the months of separation and tension broke free, finally letting them come together in full passion. Melody dug her fingers into Oskar's back, their gazes locked with one another, their movements in sync as he entered her.
"Is this what you wanted?" he grunted, suddenly stopping. A frown furrowed his brow. "To be responsible for a child so suddenly?"
Melody thrust her own hips forward, but finding Oskar unresponsive, she sighed. Apparently, talk came first. "No. It's not what I wanted. Did you want to become a single father?"
"No. But I want it now." Oskar smiled, almost shyly. "I'd like it better if I had someone with me, though."
"It's a little early for that, isn't it?" Melody arched a brow. "I mean… this is only our first date."
"Date? I thought this was a business meeting." He began rocking his hips again, making Melody moan, and she forgot what she was going to say. "I'd love to take you on a million dates. No, make that a billion dates. One for each of those dollars I have too many of."
"Sounds good," Melody gasped. "Now shut up and kiss me."
Oskar laughed and obeyed her.
*****
THE END
The Werewolf Boss's Baby
Description
A curvy gal climbing the corporate ladder PLUS her disturbingly sexy shifting boss PLUS an enemy lurking in the shadows…
Clara Maddison has fought her way towards the top of the corporate ladder every day since she was hired to work for Snyder Inc. She has no desire to let anything get in the way of her path. She is strong, independent and determined to one day become the CEO of the company.
That is, of course, until she meets Mr. Snyder himself...
Nathaniel (Nate) Snyder is everything that Clara has ever pictured her dream man to be. Dominant, witty and mysterious, there is something about Nate that drives her wild...
But she finds out that there’s more to Nate than meets the eye after accepting an invitation to join him for drinks after work. Clara is thrown into a world of shapeshifters and power struggles even more intense than those in the corporate world.
On top of it all, Clara can’t shake the feeling that someone or something is following her, watching her from the shadows and waiting to strike...
Will Clara be able to accept what Nate really is? Can she shake off her stalker? Will Nate protect her? Find out now in this steamy billionaire romance...
Chapter One
This job was going to be the death of her.
Clara Maddison’s cerulean eyes narrowed in on the stack of papers on her desk that seemed to be growing instead of shrinking as the day went on. All she was supposed to do was go over the accounts from the past quarter and put them into the system, and yet, as the day wore on, her coworkers continued to show up with files they had found buried in their desk.
It looked like it was going to be another late night for her.
Clara had been working for Snyder Inc. for over two years as a project manager. Her job was to develop and manage the construction of new restaurants, clubhouses and stores under Snyder’s growing veil of influence. It was not to work on files that should have been processed the previous quarter.
Unfortunately for her, the woman who was supposed to have done the work she was completing now had been fired two weeks before, and she was left cleaning up the mess that was left behind. Her direct supervisor had insisted that it be her that completed the project because she was the most likely to get it right.
She should be flattered, she told herself, but she wasn’t. She was just irritated that her plans for the night had to be canceled so that she could work well into the night.
Groaning softly as she sat back in her chair, Clara reached back and pulled her shoulder-length, chestnut brown hair free from the tail it had been constructed in since earlier that morning. She was a powerful woman in the company, working her way up the ladder quickly, and soon she was hoping she could work her way onto the board of directors. She always believed that her strong, curvy body looked better in pantsuits than it did in street clothes, an
d if she had her way she would be running the corporation before she turned twenty-eight at the end of the year.
That did, unfortunately, mean she had to do a lot of extra work around the company.
The last of her fellow employees had left over an hour ago, the groups chattering about their after-work plans. She had been invited to join several of them, but of course, she needed to stay behind and finish her project or risk the wrath of her supervisor, Mr. Snyder’s personal assistant Jeremy.
She wasn’t sure why, but she was pretty sure that Jeremy hated her. The man seemed to make it his personal goal to keep her at work late or ruin her weekend plans. On top of it, she had caught him staring at her out of the corner of her eye on multiple occasions. It was never in a friendly or even flirtatious way, either. It always seemed to be threatening and angry.
It took all she had to convince herself that she was just crazy.
Jeremy was the least of her worries at that point. If she wanted to get out of work before midnight she had quite a bit to get done. Her plan was just to keep working until the files were all digitalized, but unfortunately, she hadn’t eaten all day and her stomach was starting to sound like a war zone.
Grimacing as her stomach rumbled, Clara let out a grumble and pushed back her chair. She could at least go around the corner and find herself something to eat. Snagging her purse where it was hidden away under her desk, she quickly exited the workspace and headed for the elevator.
It was getting dark by the time that she exited the building, the sun dropping down behind the buildings. Waving at the security guard and explaining that she would be right back, she rushed to the nearest fast food restaurant she could find before making her way back.
The moon had risen completely behind her, and a cool breeze moved through the street, making Clara wish she had thought to bring her coat. Grimacing, Clara made her way up to the front doors, only to hesitate when she thought she could make out a shape trotting through the halls inside.
Moving closer, she felt her eyes go wide when she saw the shape disappearing down another hall. It looked like a dog of some sort, probably a stray, but how had it gotten past the fences and into the building?
“What in the world?” she whispered, slowly pressing open the doors. Holding her bags close to her chest, she moved into the deserted building once more. “Hello?” she called, making her way down the hall where she had seen the dog disappear.
Maybe she was just seeing things. After all, if there was a dog in the building that would mean that someone would have had to let it in. Otherwise, there was no way that it could manage to not only sneak past the guard but also pull open the doors and move inside without anyone noticing.
Maybe it was somebody’s pet that they snuck into the building, but somehow got loose? She doubted it, though. The only time she’d ever seen an animal brought into the building was a kitten that had been too small to be left at home alone. The woman who had brought it in had even gotten special permission to keep the kitten at her desk.
A sudden crash left Clara whirling.
Gasping as she quickly located the room that it came from, she bit her lip and slowly moved towards the open door. Peering inside, she felt her eyes widen as she spotted a massive, wolf-like dog pulling open one of the filing cabinets with his teeth before starting to paw through the papers inside.
That wasn’t normal. Something was going on here and she didn’t like it one bit. She had to go tell the security guard that there was some sort of demon dog going through their files. Her eyes wide, Clara reached out and pulled the door shut, locking it just as the beast whirled around in confusion.
Rushing away as the dog leaped for the door and started to shake at the lock, she quickly moved to go find the security guard. He would be able to do something about the beast.
Chapter Two
“Did you see what kind of dog it was?” the security guard questioned, moving into the building with Clara at his heels.
“I didn’t really stick around to find out. It looked like some sort of wolf it was so big!” the woman grumbled, moving over to the door that the dog was behind and waiting for the security guard to pull out his keys to unlock it.
“Well, whatever kind of dog it is, I hope it’s friendly. I really don’t want to have to call animal control,” the guard explained, peeking in through the glass to try and spot the beast. “I mean, they’re not as fun to talk to as you think they would be. Last time I called one they gave me a lecture on raccoons because I had to have one removed from an air duct,” he pointed out dramatically, unlocking the door and peering inside.
“Do you see it?” Clara whispered, only to squeak when the door swung open and a man was revealed standing in the doorframe. Both of them stumbled back in confusion, their eyes locked onto the amused-looking form.
“I’m sorry, did I startle you?” the man asked, flicking on the light in the room with a smile. “I was looking around in here for some files, and the next thing I knew I was locked inside.” He sighed, his dark chocolate eyes sparkling with amusement at the shock on both Clara and the guard’s face.
“M-Mr. Snyder!” the guard gasped, his eyes huge as he seemed to recognize the man in front of him. Instantly Clara felt her heart sink in her chest. Not only had she apparently mistaken a man for a dog, but she had also managed to lock her boss in a storage room.
The CEO of the company was standing in front of her, and she was pretty sure that she was either going to throw up or faint.
“You…there was a dog in here,” Clara stuttered, her eyes huge as Mr. Snyder and the guard exchanged glances.
“I believe you might have just seen my back while I was crouched over,” Mr. Snyder pointed out, his eyes slowly sliding over Clara’s form with a discerning look. “Of course, I’m not upset. If I thought I saw a dog I wouldn’t want it running around the building.” He laughed, smiling at the guard and waving him off. “Have a good night, Charlie. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He winked.
“Of course, Mr. Snyder!” The guard nodded, rushing away and leaving Clara alone with the CEO.
“Listen, Mr. Snyder, I didn’t…” Clara started, flushing when the man lifted up a hand to silence her.
“Please, my name is Nathaniel, but you can call me Nate,” Nate insisted gently, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement as he moved into the hall. “Now, Ms.-,”
“Maddison, Clara Maddison,” Clara managed to squeak out, biting her lip as she was led towards the back exit. “I am so sorry that I locked you in the closet! I had no idea that you were in there, I swear I saw a wolf. I must just be exhausted,” she stuttered out, terrified that she had just cost herself her job.
“Clara, calm down. You aren’t crazy, and though I have no way of knowing if you are exhausted or not, I can say that you did, in fact, see a dog in that room,” Nate pointed out, chuckling when she looked up at him in confusion. “Listen, it would be too much for me to explain right now.” He sighed softly, gesturing towards his car with a smile. “Would you like to join me for drinks?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“I would love to, but I have a lot of work that needs to be done by tomorrow,” she whispered, biting her lip as he let out a soft hum of disappointment.
“Well, I suppose that is unfortunate, but fortunately for you, I am your boss,” he reminded her, his eyes sparkling with amusement when she blushed and looked away. “Now, I’ll ask again, would you like to join me for a drink, Clara?” he asked sweetly.
Biting her lip as she looked up at the man, Clara felt her heart flutter in her chest at the sweet, flirtatious look on the man’s handsome face. How could she say no to a chance at drinks with the CEO of her company? Besides, she needed to figure out what he was talking about when he said that she had seen a dog.
“Alright, Mr. Sny…Nate.” She caught herself, smiling when he took her arm and led her towards his car. “But you have to promise that you’re going to explain to me exactly what’s g
oing on,” she said, earning a laugh from Nate as he nodded.
“I swear, Clara, you will be completely filled in by the end of the night.” He winked, helping her into the car before settling in himself. As their car slid away from the curb, Clara felt her heart flutter in her chest nervously. She was hoping that by the end of the night, the confusion that was bubbling in her chest would be resolved.
Chapter Three
She had been expecting the man to bring her to a bar, so when they pulled up in front of his home she felt a strange feeling of apprehension roll through her. Moving out of the car as he did, she bit her lip and allowed him to lead her up to the door.
“I hope this is alright. As much as I enjoy bars, I do find that my favorite place to drink is in my own home,” he explained, taking her coat and hanging it up with a smile as he undid his tie with a relieved sigh.
“It’s perfectly alright,” she smiled shakily, moving with him into his sitting room and finding herself amazed at the full bar that he had set up there. “I still would like to know what you meant when you said I had seen a dog. There was very clearly no dog in that room when we opened it,” she reminded the man, accepting the glass of wine he handed to her with a frown.
“You are absolutely right to be confused, Clara.” Nate smiled, sipping his wine and humming softly. “You see, things are not always what they seem at first glance. When you saw the dog in the first time you peered in, what you failed to realize is that this dog was not a normal run of the mill dog. It was a wolf.”
“A wolf? That makes even less sense. There haven’t been wolves in this area in hundreds of years!” Clara pointed out, watching as the man moved around the room, taking note of his rich, musky scent that filled the air as he moved past her.
“You’re wrong on that account,” he said, sitting down across from her in one of the plush chairs and gesturing for her to join him. “You see, many years ago there were hundreds of wolves roaming through these forests, and the legends claim that when man started to hunt them and chase them from their land, they developed the ability to mimic the shape of mankind,” he explained, earning a frown from Clara.