Authors: Crystal Red
She smiled. “I guess this means you
approve?”
“Yeah, you look hot.” He placed the
bouquet of roses in her hand. “You told me your favorite flower the night you
were drunk.”
Her cheeks turned red. “Thanks.” She
smelled the roses and smiled again. “I’ll put them in some water. Be right
back.”
He sat on the cement stairs and waited
for her to return. After she joined him again, he stood, offering her his arm.
“Careful,” he said as they stepped off
each step. “I wouldn’t want you to trip in those crazy heels.”
“I thought you said I looked hot.” She
laughed.
“You do. I’m just not sure about the
high heels.”
They walked to his yard. He’d drive
Chad’s blue Cobalt. He dashed over to the passenger’s side and opened the door
for Kelsey.
“Thank you.” She blushed as she got into
the car. “I have to admit, I’m not used to my dates being such a gentleman.
This is nice.”
He grinned and helped her with the
seatbelt. He climbed into the driver’s side before starting the car. The engine
roared to life. As he backed out of the driveway, she turned on the radio to a
rock station.
Pour Some Sugar on Me
by Def Leppard blared through the
speakers. At least she had good taste in music.
“I’m surprised you own a car, unless
it’s Chad’s.”
He stared straight ahead with his back
tight against the seat. This was going to be a night of a lot of questions. He felt
it in the pit of his stomach. What did it matter? The women he went out with
always asked him questions. It was nothing new. Most were nosy.
“Yeah, it is.” Brandon glanced over at
her. “How many times have you seen Victoria?” He swallowed as he waited for her
to answer.
“Only two times.”
They didn’t speak the rest of the
ride. He decided that was a good thing since he didn’t want her to question him
about his ex, but he still needed to find out why she was here. Victoria needed
to stay in his past where she belonged. He wanted the focus of his attention to
remain on Kelsey, and he needed to redirect his mind.
Once they arrived at the restaurant,
he tucked her arm under his as they walked inside the green and gray building.
The hostess led them to a booth and then handed Brandon and Kelsey a menu.
“What are you hungry for?”
I know what I want
for dessert. You.
He licked his lips. A low moan snuck
past his lips.
“Don’t be creepy now,” she warned.
“You heard that, huh?”
She rolled her eyes and set the menu
aside. “Of course I did, but lucky for you, I have the same thoughts.” She
leaned in closer, lacing his fingers with hers. “But you can’t hear mine.”
Yeah, too bad he couldn’t. Jolts of
excitement spread, zapping every nerve. He pulled away so she wouldn’t see the
hunger that had to be stirring in his eyes. Kelsey fanned her face, squirming
against the seat.
“Are you getting all hot and bothered?”
he asked with a sly grin.
“No!” She looked down at her knuckles.
“Maybe a little.”
He leaned back, studying his menu. “We
should get the never-ending pasta bowls. I can eat a lot.” He rubbed his
growling stomach.
Scents of chicken and pasta wafted around
them. Something else was in the air. The scent assaulted his nostrils. He sniffed.
Garlic bread? Yeah, but still it was something else. A familiar aroma. One bad
thing about being a werewolf was he could smell everything. Good smells and the
bad. No matter if it was right in front of his face or twelve feet away.
The scent hit him again. Blood, lots
of it. Either someone was dead or they were going to die. Oh, shit. Why now?
Who could it be? He inhaled a long breath. No time to panic. He had to stay calm
for Kelsey and protect her.
“The food smells good, huh?”
“Yep.”
The waitress took their drink orders
and then came back with their sodas. He kept his gaze on the kitchen door as
well as the front one. Any unwanted guests and this date would go to shit fast.
A couple seated a few tables over
caught his attention. His wolf senses tingled as he listened to their
conservation. They talked about getting a hotel room and fucking each other’s
brains out. Not only was his sense of smell heightened, but also his hearing.
He could listen to anyone’s conversations, even if they were across the room.
The guy was defiantly a cheater, and
either married or dating someone else. The damn bastard. He had a briefcase and
a gray suit. The man flirted with the woman, who was probably his secretary or
a client. Maybe he was a lawyer. Shit. Beth said her boyfriend, Steve, was a
lawyer.
What if it’s him?
He really had no way of knowing unless he
asked Kelsey.
“Have you ever met Beth’s boyfriend,
Steve?” He leaned closer, taking her hands in his. The warmth of her skin made
his stomach flip flop. Would this feeling ever go away?
Focus, damn it!
“Yeah, why?” Kelsey released one of her
hands and sipped her drink.
“Just wondering. What does he look
like?” His heart pumped hard until she answered.
She tapped a finger to her lips. “He
has wavy jet-black hair, brown eyes, stubble on his face. He’s about five-feet-nine,
and he wears a lot of different gray suits.”
Well, ain’t that a bitch? He really
wanted to be wrong, but in the back of his mind he knew it was Steve.
“Were they together when you left?”
Brandon crunched on an ice cube. Anything to keep from thinking about Beth
getting cheated on or Kelsey being in danger.
“Nope. She said he had to leave for a
business trip today.” She continued to sip her soda.
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “I can’t
believe that fucking bastard. He’s here, sitting a few tables away from us.”
A dazed expression covered her face. “What?
How could you know that?”
He pointed to where Steve and the
woman sat. “They just happened to catch my eye.”
Kelsey gazed for a long moment at what
he thought was Steve’s table. The color drained from her face. “It is him. I
can’t believe it. Beth is going to be so heartbroken.”
“We have to tell her.”
“I know,” she whispered, curling her
fingers tight over a napkin.
A few minutes later, their waitress
brought out their food. They’d only finished eating half of it before his wolf
senses burned again. Great, trouble. It was time to get out of there and fast.
He waved their waitress over to get the bill. He paid for the food, left a tip
and stood.
Kelsey stared at him, looking baffled.
“Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You know I’m not going to—”
He pulled Kelsey to her feet and then set
a finger on her lips. “I can’t talk about it here. If we don’t leave now, we’re
going to be knee deep in trouble.”
Kelsey held his hand and ran out the
door behind him. His footsteps pounded the pavement as he dashed behind the
Olive Garden. He sniffed. The intense smell grew as he headed into the back
alley. Besides the putrid odor coming from the Dumpster, the scent of rotten
flesh invaded his nose. Yep, someone was about to die there, and he had to make
sure it wasn’t him or Kelsey.
Kelsey clung to him. “What’s going on?
Why did you bring me back here?” She shook against him while her breath hushed
out in heavy pants.
He didn’t have to wonder about the
smell anymore. Two werewolves with red eyes and brown hairy bodies charged him.
The first leaped toward him.
Brandon dropped Kelsey’s hand. “Go!
You’re going to get hurt if you stick around. Run to my car. Now!”
Kelsey backed up a few inches, but then
froze, not moving a muscle. “What the hell are—”
He had no choice but to turn into his
wolf form in front of her. Anger built inside him, and his claws came out. His
clothes blurred as he changed. He bared his teeth at the wolves, snarling
loudly.
She stared at them with wide eyes,
still frozen in the same spot. There was nothing he could do but fight the
wolves and hope she didn’t get hurt.
Brandon ducked as one of the wolves
clawed at his hairy face. He swung at the wolf, scratching him in one of his
eyes. One growled, and the other jumped toward Brandon. The second wolf knocked
him to the ground.
His gaze landed on Kelsey. Her mouth
dropped open in horror. Loud screams filled his ears. The wolves clawed him
again. His heart slammed harder and faster. He had to get up and fight back.
Weakness threatened to engulf his body. He growled low in his throat. If he didn’t
protect Kelsey, who would?
Brandon batted one of the wolves in
the face and rammed the thing with all his body weight, knocking it onto the
ground. The wolf howled and then whimpered.
Brandon jumped to his paw. He ran over
to the wolf as it twitched, and bent to snap the thing’s neck. The wolf
disappeared into a white cloud, and nothing was left of the body but ashes.
Evil.
I knew it.
Brandon roared, waving to the wolf
that was still alive. The wolf hung his head and whined as he ran off. Brandon
groaned, rubbing his head as he changed back into his human form. Kelsey
gripped the corner of the building, shaking like a leaf in the wind. With his
heart in his throat, he walked over to her.
“Maybe it’s time we talked.” He
reached for her arm.
“D-don’t fucking touch me! I don’t
know what you are, but you’re never coming anywhere near m-me,” she sputtered
with a quivering tone in her voice.
“Kelsey,” he said in his best calm
voice, “we need to talk about this.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Her face twisted
in to a scowl.
“Kelsey, would you wait? Please.” He
had to make her understand. He didn’t want to hurt her. All he wanted to do was
protect her.
“I can’t,” she yelled without looking
back. Her high heels click-clacked as she stomped against the pavement.
Brandon ran after her, clutching onto
her arm. Damn, she was fast. “Why can’t you listen to what I have to say?”
Finally, she turned around to face
him, but the sadness that lingered in her eyes made his gut ache. “Please,” she
pleaded, tears filling her eyes. “I need time to think. This whole thing is a
mistake.”
His heart cracked. Not the response he’d
expected. “What was?”
“Going out with you.” She pulled out
of his grip, hurrying to the front of restaurant, where she flagged down a
taxi.
As he watched her ride off in the cab,
the ache in his gut grew deeper. He wished so many damn times he could change
how he’d become a werewolf. The problem lay in the possible event. He didn’t
have any control over his change into a werewolf and probably never would. So
much for living a simple life in Missouri.
Chapter Five
The white and red taxi dropped Kelsey
off at her place a few minutes after she flagged it down. No matter how many
times she closed and opened her eyes, the scene played out again and again.
Brandon wasn’t just a human, but an animal too. How could that be? She didn’t
have any real answers, and maybe she never would. Why did this have to happen
to her?
Tears fell down her cheeks, and she
wiped them away as she went inside. Kelsey didn’t want Beth to think anything
was wrong, even if it wasn’t the truth. She’d really thought Brandon was
different, but the secret he kept proved he couldn’t be trusted like the other
guys she dated.
Beth looked up from her romance novel
when Kelsey entered the living room. “Back so soon?” She set her book onto the
coffee table.
Kelsey shrugged. “We agreed to go out
to dinner. Plus, I’m not feeling well. My period must be coming.” She rubbed
her stomach, but her abdomen didn’t really ache. More like betrayal. Her belly
twisted.
Beth’s lips pinched. “I don’t believe
you. What did he do?”
“Nothing. He’s not the reason I’m
upset, okay?” She couldn’t make herself believe the lie, let alone Beth. So,
why did she stand up for a guy she barely knew?
Beth walked over to her. “What
happened? You know I can tell when something is bothering you.”
Kelsey pinched the bridge of her nose,
frustration building deep in her gut. “We saw Steve with another woman at Olive
Garden.”
The last thing she wanted to do was
bring up Beth’s relationship, but right now she really needed to distract her
friend from the truth. She didn’t have the guts to tell Beth that their
neighbor turned into a dangerous wolf-like creature. Who would believe
something like that? She still found the whole incident hard to believe
herself, and she’d seen all of it half an hour earlier.
“What?” Beth’s eyebrows furrowed as
she tightened her lips.
“Beth…he might be cheating on you. I’m
sorry you had to find out this way.” Kelsey squeezed her eyes shut to prevent
more tears from falling. She didn’t want her friend to get hurt, but at the same
time Beth deserved to know the truth. Her eyelids flipped open the moment Beth
spoke in a harsh tone.
“No! He wouldn’t do that. Steve loves
me.” She scowled and punched a fist into the palm of her hand.
Loves her? Beth never once had said
that about Steve. Could her best friend really be so blind to her boyfriend’s
faults? Kelsey was no guy expert, but then again she’d never had a boyfriend
cheat on her.
Maybe this is why I don’t date.
“Beth,” Kelsey touched her friend’s
arm. “We saw him flirting with another woman. I wouldn’t lie to you about
this.”
“You’re just jealous that Brandon
isn’t the right guy for you. That’s why you shouldn’t date men who ride
motorcycles.” Beth threw her hands up and stomped off into her bedroom,
slamming the door with a loud
bang.
A lump formed in her throat, and she
swallowed hard. Had she done the right thing by telling Beth about Steve’s
cheating on her?
I would want her to do the same if I had a boyfriend who
might be cheating on me.
Her heart ached for Beth. Maybe she
should have confronted the SOB. Then again, maybe it would have made things
worse. Steve wasn’t her boyfriend. It wasn’t her place to handle the situation.
Beth had to do this on her own. All she could do was be there to support her
best friend. She’d always be there for Beth no matter what.
* * * *
After Brandon arrived at his house, he
had to force himself not to run over to Kelsey’s place. He needed to give her
space for now. Maybe she would come around. A big if. What if he’d already lost
her? His heart clenched hard at the last thought.
No more regrets. What he wanted more
than anything was for her to give him a second chance. The short and strong
connection he had with Kelsey couldn’t be wrong when it felt so right. He had
to try. They could last forever. With a loud sigh, he sank onto the black
leather couch.
Chad poked his head out from the
kitchen doorway. “Why are you back so soon?”
Brandon’s shoulders slumped. “It
didn’t go well. Ran into some trouble with two werewolves. I had to kill one.”
“Shit, man.” Chad winced. “That sucks.
What happened to the one you killed? Did you have to get rid of it?”
He shook his head. “The myth is
actually true. Evil werewolves turn into ashes once you snap their necks and
kill them.”
“What happened to the second one?” Chad
sipped his can of root beer.
“It ran off. I gave it a warning.” He
rubbed the back of his neck.
Chad took a long swallow of his drink.
“Do you think they’ll be back?”
“No doubt about it,” he muttered.
“Wait,” Chad drank again. “Did you
change into your werewolf form, and did Kelsey see the transformation?”
Brandon groaned. The ache grew deep in
his heart. That’s where it went all to shit. “Yeah, how else would I fight them
off? Kelsey hates me now. She won’t talk to me about it. She saw everything.”
“That’s rough man.” Chad leaned up
against the wall.
“I didn’t want it to come to that, but
what was I supposed to do?”
Chad’s brow rose. “If you’d told her
the truth to begin with, maybe it would have been more believable.”
His stomach twisted, and bile rose in
his throat. He coughed. Damn it. The thought of Kelsey in any kind of danger
made him sick to his stomach. Now what could he do? He didn’t want to sit
around and wait for her to forgive him, if she ever did. Maybe it was a mistake
to get involved with her.
“She still probably wouldn’t believe
me. Women are complicated.” His jaw clenched.
“Ah, yeah. When did you find that
out?” Chad snickered and then took a long swig of his soda.
“We saw Beth’s boyfriend at Olive
Garden. He’s probably cheating on her.”
Heat flashed in Chad’s eyes. “I knew
that fucker was no good. Beth deserves better than that asshole. He needs his
ass kicked.”
“You like her, don’t you?” Brandon
chuckled.
“Yeah, she’s hot. Can you blame me?” Chad
whistled low in his throat.
Brandon stared at his knuckles. Why
couldn’t he have Kelsey in his arms? His lips on hers would feel like pure
heaven. So soft and silky, like fleece on a cold winter day.
Chad snapped his fingers. “Jeez, dude.
What planet have you gone to?”
He came out of his dazed trance. “Sorry.
I never got to kiss her.”
“Maybe she’ll come around. Women need
time to cool off when they get pissed just like you do.” Chad rubbed his chin
and then sipped his drink.
He jumped to his feet as soon as the
doorbell rang. “What if that’s her? I don’t even know what to say to her.”
“Just tell her how you feel.” Chad smiled.
“Or better yet show her.”
Brandon rolled his eyes as he rushed
to the front door. After he yanked it open, he wasn’t surprised to see Kelsey
there. She hadn’t changed from her red sexy dress. His mouth watered to touch
and taste her lips.
She’s so beautiful. I don’t know if I deserve her.
“Hey,” He inhaled a sharp breath. “You
want to talk now?”
She avoided his gaze. “Yes.”
“You can come inside.” He held the
door open for her, and she walked in without looking up.
“Should we go in the living room or
kitchen?” He tilted his head to the side to meet her gaze, but she still looked
away.
Her gaze landed on Chad, then she
looked at him for a second. “No. In your bedroom.”
“Make-up sex, huh?” Chad winked,
holding his hand out for a high five.
“Dude, no.”
Kelsey raised her head, glaring at
Chad, then at him. “No sex. Just talking.”
Brandon shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Wasn’t my idea.”
He took her hand, and they walked into
his small bedroom. They sat on his queen-sized bed that pressed against the
gray and tan paneling. Not his thing, being a neat freak. Instead, the blankets
were scattered over the mattress and almost falling off.
She slipped off her high heels, then
swung her bare feet. She cleared her throat. “What are you exactly?”
He placed a hand on her thigh. “I’m a
werewolf.”
She shoved it away. “So you killed an
animal?”
“Yes.” His chest heaved in and out at
a rapid pace. “I only killed the werewolf because it tried to kill us. It would
have succeeded if I hadn’t changed. There might be more. I’ll have to protect
you. Maybe Beth as well.”
Her eyes widened. “What about Chad? Is
he one too?”
“No. He’s human, and yes, he knows
what I am.”
Kelsey’s fingers tightened around one
of his blankets. “Why couldn’t you tell me this before we went out?”
“I didn’t want to scare you off.”
Her eyes frosted over in an icy stare.
“So, keeping it a secret was better?”
“No. I don’t have a good excuse.” He
rubbed his temples. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. At sixteen, another
werewolf bit me.”
“What do you mean?”
His fingers shook as he lifted his
shirt and showed her a scar from his bite. It spread out in a jagged line
across his left side. “I’ve had this curse for twelve years. You have no idea
how much I want to get rid of it.”
She trailed the tips of her fingers
across the scar, letting the caress linger. His stomach flip-flopped at the
feel of her gentle touch. He wanted to be normal and keep her in his life. Her
hand crept dangerously close to his favorite body part, and even without her
touching his shaft, he stiffened at just the thought of her stroking him into heavenly
ecstasy. When she stroked his erection, he let out a low growl.
“So, when you get turned-on, does it
bring out the beast in you?” She spoke in a low, seductive voice.
“Maybe I could show you,” he murmured.
She moved her hand to his thigh. “Not
yet. We shouldn’t move too fast.”
He fell back against the bed and tried
to think about anything but her sexy, curvy body. His raging hard-on stirred in
his pants.
She dropped beside him. “I’m sorry for
turning you on and not doing anything about it.”
“It’s okay.” He turned sideways to
face her, forcing a smile. “That kind of thing happens a lot to guys. It’ll
happen when the time is right. Unless I totally screwed this up. Did I?”
She stared at him tenderly. “I know
you can’t change what happened to you, but I don’t think it defines you. To me,
you’re not a beast. You care about what happens to Beth and me.”
Her kind words melted his heart, but
he wasn’t sure he deserved them. Maybe he wasn’t good enough for her.
“Brandon?” She nudged his shoulder.
“I thought you’d never talk to me
again after what happened. You told me to stay away from you.” The words spilled
out of him in a choked tone.
“I don’t know if I can trust you
completely, but I’m going to try. If you wanted to hurt me, you would have done
it already.” She blew out a heavy sigh. “The moment I met you, I knew there was
something different about you. At least now I know what it is. You kept me
safe. That made me want to give you a second chance.”
Brandon sat up and pulled her toward
him. She rested her head on his shoulder.
“I’ll do everything in my power to
protect you and make sure no one hurts you. Ever. Even me.”
“You’re so sweet.” Her arms trembled
as she clung to him. “Is it true that werewolves have a strong sense of smell?”
He nodded. “We can hear conversations
from twenty feet away. Sometimes even farther.”
“No wonder you knew Steve was a
cheater,” she muttered.
“Are you cold?”
“Maybe a little.” She shuddered.
He ran his hands up and down her arms.
Her skin prickled with each caress.
“I could look at you all day.” Brandon
wrapped his arms around her and then placed one hand on the small of her back.
“I really want to kiss you.”
“I don’t think we should yet.” Her breath
came out at a rapid pace.
She seemed to no longer fight the
attraction that sizzled between them. She raised her face to meet his. Her
lips, red and moist, were like a ripe berry. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to kiss
her. Even if he only got the chance to once.
“Why not?”
“Because…”
He placed a hand to her chest and felt
the hammering of her heart. He heard it pounding before. “You’re scared of me,
aren’t you?”
“I should go.” She yanked out of his
hold and stumbled to her feet.
“Kelsey.” He rose, his gray-eyed gaze
meeting her hazel one.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She caressed
his cheek with a light kiss.