by Leah Kent
"You know," Laurence said to her. His voice was next to whispered; he stood so close there was no reason to speak any louder, "when I found out you turned twenty-one a few months ago, I was hoping Lucy would quit."
Lucy had never been happy with her job, but no one had wished her gone. Everyone at Selkie's got along like a family; Lucy had just been the grumpy grandmother.
"Um, thanks?" Quinn tried to move away, but Laurence had her cornered. His hand remained on her lower back, keeping her in place. Her heart had started to beat a little faster, uncomfortable fear rushing through her veins. She wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't feel right.
"I watched you grow up, you know. From a little kid at sixteen when you started here into the woman you are today." The hand on her lower back started to dip downward, and Quinn gasped. Laurence's palm grazed across the globe of her ass. Some of the coins in her hand tumbled down and rolled across the floor. What was Laurence doing? Dread spread through her stomach and made her feel sick. She tried to pull away again, but he followed her.
"Please stop," she whispered, the words barely coming out. The tip money disappeared back into her apron to free her hands. Laurence was her boss and she didn't want to have to push him away, but right now he was being really inappropriate and he wasn't respecting her.
"How can I stop when I've wanted you for so long? Almost a year now I've been watching you, wondering how I could get you alone." Laurence encroached upon her from behind to press her up against the counter. Quinn squeaked, mind racing. This couldn't be happening. "Now we can spend every night together. How would you like that, Quinn? I can see to a big raise for you if you let me get my raise."
It was sick. Quinn planted both hands on the counter and used the traction to push herself away. The front doors were locked, but there was a back exit in the kitchen that locked from the inside. If she could just make it there she'd be able to get outside, and from there... From there she'd figure things out as they came. Staggering footfalls brought her to the swinging kitchen doors, but Laurence was on her tail.
"I've always had a thing for fat girls," there was huskiness to his voice now, like he was an agent of his lust. Quinn kept stumbling forward, praying she didn't fall. Her legs felt like they were made of gelatin for how they wobbled beneath her, ready to give out at any moment. Fat girls. The words stung. Twenty-one years old and she'd never had a boyfriend. Maybe only greasy creeps like Laurence could ever want a girl like her, and even then only as a fetish object and not to love and cherish. Tears stung Quinn's eyes. Why would he do this to her?
Quinn reached the back door and pressed on the heavy metal bar used to open it. As the door swung open, Laurence grabbed her by the back of the apron and pulled. The way out was clear, beckoning her, but Quinn found herself pulled back into the kitchen. A terrified scream burst from her lips as Laurence sent her toppling down to the floor.
There was no hope. Laurence was going to do whatever he wanted to her body and she wouldn't be able to stop him.
Chapter Four
It had been a long day, and Bennett was hungry. Military mantra was early to bunk, early to rise, but that had proved impossible. One of the young men in his class had a discipline issue, and it had escalated damn near all the way to the top. He'd been pushing papers and filing reports all day for the firecracker, and now that it was one in the morning he was finally free. Selkie's was on his mind. Well, maybe not Selkie's exactly.
The waitress, Quinn, he'd dreamed about her. She'd crawled across his bunk wearing that old fashioned dress of hers, straddled his hips, and put her hands on his shoulders to keep him pinned. In a flutter of her skirt she'd sunk down upon him and begun to grind until their bodies had joined and his hard rod had worked its way up her slick entrance. Bennett had woken up covered in sweat, dick throbbing, and he'd continued the fantasy until he found release. Not getting to go to the diner because of behavioral issues pissed him off. Now he could only pray that the place was still open and that Quinn more or less lived there. What he wouldn't give to see her face in person again.
When he arrived the lights were all on, but the doors were locked. A quick look through the window showed no one inside, not even staff. He was out of luck. Bennett's stomach rumbled. Meat. He needed some real meat. Maybe he could find one of the ranches and bag himself a cow. If not, there had to be wildlife in the area. Satisfying the hunger of his libido would have to come a little later.
Then he heard the scream.
Panicked. Desperate. Hopeless. Something in Bennett's gut turned, and he knew it had to be Quinn. The animal inside stirred to life and filled him with the urge to protect her. A quick glance revealed the street to be empty; small towns were ghost towns after the sun went down, and tonight he was grateful for it. She screamed again, and it was all he could take. One moment he stood before the diner doors in civilian attire, the next his lion had ripped free from his soul and sent him running on thick paws towards the source of the sound.
A side door to the diner was left open, the light from inside streaming out into the alleyway. Bennett could smell Quinn's fear on the air and the arousal of a man. The protective instinct that had gripped him moments before soured, and the lion narrowed his eyes in anger even as he ran towards the light. The scents on the air and the way Quinn screamed told him that whoever this man was she didn't want him, and he wasn't taking no for an answer. Fluid muscle propelled him forward, and Bennett wasted no time in launching himself down the alley and through the open side door.
A kitchen. A long silver grill gleamed against the wall; a wooden preparation table was set up like an island across the center of the floor. There was a serving rack where finished plates were placed. Pots and pans. Another range with heated elements. On the air Bennett could smell grease and meat. His stomach squealed, and it was that sound that attracted the attention of the two humans on the floor.
Quinn and a man easily old enough to be her father lay together on the floor. Quinn was beneath him, stomach down. Until she looked up she'd been squirming and fighting, but the man on top of her had her pinned. With narrowed eyes Bennett stared at them. Quinn had frozen in fright, but the man was quick to mobilize. As Bennett strode towards them on mighty paws, body tensed to pounce, the man scrambled to his feet and retreated back into the dinner, never taking his eyes off of the lion.
"What the fuck," he uttered, repeating the words over and over under his breath as he hit the swinging doors. Bennett followed him, eyes never parting from his target, tail twitching in aggravation. By all rights he should have torn him to pieces and devoured him bit by bit for what he had tried to do to Quinn, but Bennett did not eat human flesh unless it was a necessity. The only time he killed was on the battlefield. For the heinous crimes the man had wanted to commit he deserved death, but death would not find him tonight.
Bennett lodged himself between the doors to watch as the man made his way across the dining area and to the front doors. He unlocked them using a set of keys he hastily withdrew from his pockets and then, once outside, locked them again. Did he think simple glass doors could stop a lion? Bennett huffed and wound his way backwards and into the kitchen. Quinn lay on the ground where he'd left her in an attempt to play dead. She was a smart girl; running would have only awoken his instinct to hunt. She was safer where she was than running into the night. That was, if he'd been a normal lion. Even if Quinn had run screaming, no harm would have befallen her.
With a deep, rolling rumble close to a purr, Bennett dropped down beside her. Quinn had her head buried in her folded arms, but his sensitive ears picked up her muted gasp. It was natural to be afraid. Bennett pushed against her side with his strong stout and settled his head down next to hers. In time she would come around, he was certain.
And in time she did. Bennett watched as Quinn lifted her head just a little bit to peek over at him. He fixed her with a gentle gaze and remained where he was, a silent protector. There was hesitation, and then she lifted her head further, h
er eyes set on his.
"... Bennett?" His name tumbled from her lips, and Bennett felt the utterance strike him in the heart. How perfect the syllables sounded when she spoke them. He wanted to hear her say his name again and again. But more importantly than how his name sounded on her lips, if she spoke it to the lion it meant she knew. She knew it was him, even through all this fur.
Steeled by the familiarity, Quinn's body began to relax. With confidence she lifted her head and allowed her gaze to wander down his body. Then she reached out and let her fingers tangle in his mane. No one had touched him as the lion before, and Bennett found it brought a kind of delight he'd never imagined. When her fingers left his mane to trail down his side, stroking the shorter fur of his body, he couldn't hold back a purr. The sound was loud, and Quinn yanked her hand back. It was too cute. The frightened rabbit he'd seen the first day they'd met had returned. It was his job to sooth her fears.
Identity be damned, Bennett shifted back into his human form as he laid by her side. There was a feeling in his heart, a feeling that hadn't gone away since he'd first met her, that sooner or later she would find out about him anyway. The possibility that this curvy southern girl was his mate had crossed his mind more than once, and Bennett was willing to gamble with the chances. Maybe she wasn't the type of girl he'd imagined he'd take as his one true mate, but the way she made him feel even within a few short days of knowing her left him near convinced it was true.
It was time to find out for sure.
Face to face they gazed into each other's eyes, and before a word was spoken between them, Bennett curled his fingers beneath her chin and brought her in close for a sweet kiss.
The sparks that ignited in his stomach and the rush of joy that swept through his chest told him he'd been right. Quinn was the soul he was intended for, and from here on out he was going to do everything in his power to protect her.
Chapter Five
There was a lion in the kitchen. When Quinn looked up after hearing the strange rumbling noise, she saw it clearly. It was no trick of the light, no image in the corner of her eye -- there before her, fresh from the side door, stood a proud male lion, presence undeniable. A thick brown mane tinged with auburn puffed from his neck, and fierce amber eyes stared them both down. Quinn felt herself freeze. Out of all the animals that could have come from the open door, she never would have guessed a lion would join them.
Laurence scrambled off of her and the lion followed. Quinn remained frozen on the floor, terrified. Lions ate people, right? They were dangerous. But maybe if she played dead it would leave her be. It was a risk she had to take; her legs still felt like jelly, and she was sure the lion would outrun her even had she been in top form.
Minutes ticked by, how many she wasn't sure. The swinging doors opened; she could hear the creak of the hinges as they settled back into place. Then, a rush of air. The lion had settled down beside her and pushed his head against her side as though he were a tabby cat looking to be pet. When no harm came her way, Quinn lifted her head and looked at him. Up close she could see his face in detail. Long, thick whispers. A regal face ending in a powerful snout. And those eyes. She gazed into his eyes as familiarity gripped at her soul.
Burning amber eyes ridged with a dark outline. Yes, they were different from a human's, but Quinn knew she'd seen those eyes before.
"... Bennett?"
The fear had settled, and she reached out now to explore the creature. The soft fur of his mane, so plush and downy, parted for her fingertips. Quinn ran her hand down his side to feel how soft he was and as she did the lion made a rumbling noise she had not expected. She jerked her hand away moments before she realized it had been a purr. Big cat, big sound. But then there was no cat at all.
Bennett Cromwell lay next to her in the place of the lion. Quinn stared at him, trying to come to terms with his appearance. Maybe she'd hit her head when Laurence had pushed her to the ground and all of this was a product of her subconscious. Maybe all of this had been a nightmare, and she was actually home in bed. But maybe, just maybe, this wasn't a dream at all.
When he reached forward and curled his fingers beneath her chin, Quinn became aware that he was naked. Until then she'd only been looking into his eyes, enraptured. Once more her heart began to race, not from fear, but from his presence alone. Beyond the lion, there was something special about Bennett. Something that left her near breathless and craving more. Fierce, experienced, and yet stunningly attractive. When he drew her close and their lips met, Quinn knew that what she’d suspected had been true. There was more to Bennett than she could ever imagine.
There was bliss in that moment. Bennett's lips were firm and hard, but against Quinn's they felt wonderful. He directed their passion, keeping the kiss slow and meaningful. Words alone would never compare to the message behind the kiss; from it, Quinn knew how deep she ran through Bennett's veins. No man kissed like this without meaning it. Quinn didn't need experience to know that much.
Soon Bennett had wrapped his arms around her and had pulled her close. The heat from his body and the strength in his arms soothed her further. Against his tight, toned chest she was soft and dreamy, the perfect compliment. With Bennett here, an experienced soldier, there was nothing to fear. Quinn felt heat begin to spread through her sex at the thought. The man she'd been unable to shake the thought of was just as caught up with her. The proof was in the kiss they shared and the way he held her so protectively.
There was a gentle way that Bennett touched her which told Quinn she could get him to stop at any time, but as his hand moved down her side and over the generous curve of her hip, she found she didn't want him to. The heat continued to spread until it had consumed her. Slickness had spread between her legs, and she realized just how aroused she'd become for the older soldier.
"I want to make love to you," Bennett whispered against her lips. The sound of his voice made her tremble. How could a man have a voice that perfect? "I want to make you mine."
Naked as he was, Quinn could feel his erection press against her. She'd stirred it from him. All this time she'd been convinced that no one could ever love someone as big as she was, and yet here was a gorgeous, established man who couldn't hide how attractive he found her.
"What about," against his accent the touch of south in her own sounded obvious to her ears, "protection? I'm not on..."
His eyes met hers again, and Quinn trailed off. In that moment she knew that condom or not, she was going to let him take her virginity. The first man she'd ever been with was the last man she wanted to be with. Whatever the consequences, she was prepared to deal with them. She wanted him and much as he wanted her.
"It doesn't matter," he murmured in reply, letting their lips brush again. "Whatever happens I'll take care of you. I want you and I want you to be mine. If you give me a child, I want to take care of him, too."
Quinn did not doubt it. Her heart was full of him, and her head told her that he was being genuine. Her Northern sergeant meant what he said. He was going to take care of her no matter what happened.
The hand on her hip dipped inward, trailing across her thigh until it met the hem of her dress. Bennett's fingers pulled the fabric aside and traced across her skin, sliding downwards. Soon the tips of his fingers caressed her through the cotton of her panties, and Quinn moaned soft and low.
"You're so wet," he whispered, nuzzling the side of her cheek in a display of affection that was remarkably feline. A lion. Her lion. Quinn felt her heart melting at the thought. "Let me inside of you. I need you. Please."
Here was a man with a stable job, a handsome body, and tremendous bravery. Bennett was the kind of guy who could have whatever girl he wanted, and yet he'd chosen her. Quinn found she'd been holding her breath, and when she did start to breathe again each inhalation was staggered and shallow. Her thighs parted to give him better access and carefully she sank into a new position to further the job. Bennett kept toying, fingers caressing the wet stretch of fabric concealing her
clit. Quinn was left throbbing in excitement.
"I want you, too," Quinn whispered at last. Her voice felt small, but she knew he'd heard it. His amber eyes burned into her and she saw them smile. Bennett kissed her again as his fingers closed around the cotton of her panties, lowering them. When they'd passed her knees, Quinn squirmed out of them and kicked them aside. Bennett's finger returned to where it had caressed before, this time slipping between her slick lips to run light circles over her clit.
"Ohh," she breathed, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back. The flat of his finger felt so big against her bud, and Quinn pressed up against it with need. Never had she felt so aroused before; she could feel how her secretions coated her sex and slid between his finger and her clit. She parted her legs further, inviting him. The need to feel his cock inside of her had taken root, and Quinn was ready to give him her everything.
She hadn't noticed he'd moved until his bare knees pushed at her thighs. Until he was positioned the finger had kept working its light circles, applying pressure at random as she lifted her hips to push against him. Now Bennett used her desperate leverage to his advantage. The hand left her clit so he could grip her hips from either side, lifting her up. The length of his hardened cock ran against her slit, slicking itself, and then Quinn felt his swollen head press against her entrance.