Authors: Crystal Red
He reached for her arm, but she pulled
away. “You don’t want to go out with me again, do you?”
Her scent still lingered in his
nostrils.
Kelsey sighed. “I do, but maybe it’s
best we stay inside. We could rent some movies and order a pizza. What do you think?”
“That’s perfect.” He grinned.
“Okay, bye. I have to get to bed on
time.” She leaned forward and hugged him.
He walked her to her house, making
sure she got inside safely. Once back in his room, he stripped down to his
black boxers and then headed to bed. Even after his head hit the pillow,
troubled thoughts filled his mind. The biggest question that hammered at him
was if Victoria was after him and Kelsey, would she stop at nothing until they
both were dead? His grip tightened on the corners of his blanket. He had to be
wrong. His ex-girlfriend couldn’t be that damn crazy, could she?
Chapter Six
Kelsey yawned, throwing her flower
comforter to the end of the bed. For once she woke up on time and actually had
slept well. She hoped a peaceful rest wouldn’t be short lived. With all the
crazy shit going on with Brandon and his ex, she wasn’t sure if she was now living
in fantasy land or what.
Just one more work day to get through.
She could do this. After she showered and dressed in a gray top, black skinny
jeans and her favorite boots, she put on a light touch of makeup.
Beth walked with her to the bookshop,
but didn’t say a word. Maybe that was for the best. Her friend needed to vent,
and Kelsey would give her some space if that was what Beth needed. She hoped
her friend, though smart, didn’t get manipulated to fall for Steve’s lies.
Once they arrived at the bookshop,
Beth unlocked the door. She stepped inside and Kelsey followed. Beth set up the
cash drawers, and Kelsey decided to do more inventory in the back.
If she stayed busy then the day would
go fast, and she’d be cuddling up to Brandon on his couch.
As long as he
doesn’t bite me.
She shook her head, arguing with herself. He wouldn’t do
that. At least not in his werewolf form. She chuckled to herself at the thought.
The bell dinged, and Kelsey’s heart raced. Maybe Brandon had come to see her.
“He’s here,” Beth yelled.
Kelsey hurried to the front of the
shop to greet Brandon. She ambled over to him. He held a tray with two coffees
and a bag of donuts. Her stomach growled. Why had she skipped breakfast? Gee,
he seemed to have the intuition she hadn’t eaten.
She inhaled the sugary scent mixed
with a nutty aroma. Hazelnut maybe? She sniffed again. Yep, he had her favorite
kind of flavored coffee. A latte with a splash of hazelnut flavoring.
“How did you know what kind of coffee
I liked?”
A smiled ruffled across his lips. “You
talk a lot when you’re drunk.”
Her cheeks burned. “Remind me not to
drink brandy ever again.” Her laugh came out rough and shaky.
“I don’t know.” He smiled again.
“You’re pretty fun when you’re drunk.”
She shoved his arm. “Not funny.” Her
lip curled downward.
“Ah, aren’t you cute?” He handed her
the hot drink.
“What kind of donuts did you get?” She
reached for the bag.
He waved a finger. “Let’s go talk in
the backroom.”
Beth rolled her eyes as she plopped
down onto the stool at the checkout register.
Kelsey blew on her drink before taking
a long sip. She followed Brandon into the storage room. “Are you going to come here
every day?”
“As long as you’re here I will.” He
set the bag of donuts onto the card table. Her pulse quickened as he stepped
closer. “Kelsey.” He ran the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip.
She trembled, craving more.
Yes,
touch me again.
Kelsey’s knees knocked together, making the rest of her
body feel like overcooked noodles. Could he really have such of an effect on
her in a short time of knowing him? Her breath caught.
Brandon pushed her up against a bare
wall. Her chest heaved in and out. Every time he touched her, or even looked at
her, she was powerless to resist him.
“Are you going to reject me again?”
His voice deepened into a husky whisper.
“No.” Flip flop went her stomach,
falling to her feet.
“Good.” His gaze lingered like a soft
caress.
He pressed his lips to hers, his mouth
warm and smooth as silk. As the kiss deepened, she drank in the sweetness of it.
She opened enough to let his tongue slide in and swirl with hers. He tasted
like coffee. She had to have more. A fire grew deep in her belly as he thrust
his hips into hers. She moaned into his mouth. He pulled away with a gasp,
staring at her with wide eyes.
“Now that,” he ran the tip of his
tongue over his bottom lip, “was worth waiting for.”
And I’m sure there’s
more to come. I can’t wait to find out.
He undressed her with his stare. She
swallowed hard and tried to move past him. He blocked her with his broad
shoulders. They’d only given each other a kiss. She certainly didn’t want to
have sex yet. If she kept telling herself that, then maybe she’d believe it.
Hell,
who am I kidding?
She’d jump his bones right now if she wasn’t at work.
Heat filled her belly, trailing down
to her core. Would she be able to keep resisting him? His kisses turned her on.
She could still taste him on her lips and tongue. Kelsey wanted him more than
her next breath. Too bad she had to get back to work.
“Brandon, please,” she pleaded.
His face softened, disappointment
filling his eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t hold you up.”
“At least you had a good excuse to
distract me.” She smiled.
Brandon’s lips brushed the top of her
forehead in a light caress. Goose bumps formed on her skin, sending heat in
places that hadn’t been touched in the past year. How had she gone that long
without a boyfriend? Maybe this time she wouldn’t have to worry about being
alone. She had Brandon, werewolf and all.
“See you at six, beautiful.” He kissed
the tip of her nose and then left.
* * * *
For a Friday, the day dragged on. Only
a handful of people stopped in the bookshop, and her customers only made two
purchases. Maybe Monday would be better. Hopefully. If things continued this
way, they wouldn’t be open longer than a month.
By the end of the day, Beth still
hadn’t spoken to her, at least not since Brandon had come into the bookshop.
Kelsey strode behind her friend, who apparently didn’t even want to walk beside
her.
A motorcycle roared, and a strong,
male voice shouted, “Want a ride, gorgeous?”
She turned to face someone she thought
was a creepy stalker. When she saw it was Brandon, her heart fluttered.
“Not on that crazy thing.” Her stomach
dropped at the thought of riding on something that fast with only two wheels.
She’d stick to the normal kind of bikes, thank you very much.
“Ah, come on. I have an extra helmet.”
Brandon pulled over to the side of the road where he stopped and parked his
bike. “And if you get scared, you can hold me really tight. I don’t mind at
all.” He winked.
Kelsey crossed her arms. “So you’ve
said. You know how many people die on those things?”
“Hey.” He sent her a wounded look. “My
bike has a name. Wild Thing. Just like its owner.”
I bet she’s wild in
bed.
She narrowed her eyes. “I’d rather
walk.”
“Okay. Have it your way. See you in an
hour.” He waved and then started his motorcycle before taking off with a trail
of white smoke behind him.
Kelsey continued her walk by herself.
Beth had managed to get way ahead of her. She was probably at home already. She
jogged the rest of the way to their house. Once she arrived home, she held a
hand to her heaving chest. She really had to work out more. The chocolate Long
John donut she’d wolfed down earlier didn’t help her diet. At least Brandon had
good taste. Probably only because she’d told him what she liked the night she
was drunk.
She hurried into the living room and then
entered her bedroom. Once she slipped out of her sweaty clothes, she changed
into a blue jean mini skirt and a pink tank top. Flip-flops were a better
choice than high heels. Besides, they weren’t going out. Staying in sounded a
lot better, anyway. She freshened up again and changed her makeup to match her
outfit.
For the last few minutes, she
distracted herself with TV. Nothing really piqued her interest. All her
thoughts centered on Brandon and how she wanted to cuddle and kiss him.
She searched around for Beth. No sign
of her friend. Beth must have run off to her bedroom. Could she really be that
pissed off at Kelsey? A tight knot ached in her chest. No amount of rubbing
made the pain go away. She didn’t want Beth to get hurt, but maybe it was too
late for that. Steve was such a jackass for cheating on her. He didn’t deserve
her.
The minute the doorbell rang her mouth
went dry. She leaped to her feet and rubbed her damp palms on the front of her
skirt. Somehow she made it to the door without tripping over her own two feet.
She yanked it open so fast he nearly knocked one of her breasts.
“We meet again.” He grinned.
“I hope you picked a good movie.”
“Yeah, I thought a werewolf movie
would be perfect.” His gaze raked over her body, the heat hot enough to start a
fire.
That tank top shows
off her breasts perfectly. I can’t wait to touch them.
“Very funny.” She playfully punched
his arm.
They walked over to his place where he
ordered a pizza, and she picked out a comedy movie to watch.
No werewolf
movies. I’m dating one.
She and Brandon enjoyed one slice of pizza before
shouting echoed off the walls of his living room.
It sounded like…Beth.
Kelsey exchanged a long look with
Brandon. They froze on his couch, getting an earful. He paused the movie. How
could they hear Beth over a movie? Her heart clenched hard as she waited and
continued to listen.
“Your sister? Are you fucking kidding
me, Steve? How stupid do you think I am?”
“Baby, I didn’t do anything wrong. I
swear!”
She ignored how hard her heart hit
each of her ribs. She shot out of the living room like a bullet. Brandon chased
after her, trailing a few inches behind.
Kelsey stood on his porch, staring at
Beth and Steve, who shouted and swore at each other.
“You expect me to believe that
bullshit when my best friend and her boyfriend told me they saw you yesterday?
You’re such a liar!” Beth glared at Steve, her fists balled at her side.
“Beth, I love you. I wouldn’t do
anything to hurt you.” Steve gave her an injured look.
Kelsey snorted and turned to Brandon.
“What a lying asshole. I hope she dumps his ass.”
“Damn right.” He grinned, nudging her
arm. “She called me your boyfriend.”
“Shh!” She put a finger to her lips.
“We’re done! Get out of here or I’m
going to call the cops.” Beth waved Steve away.
“But baby…” Steve made big, sad puppy
dog eyes.
Chad popped his head out the front
door and stepped onto the porch with them. “What’s with all the yelling? I
heard it over my video game.” His nostrils flared as he glanced over at Beth
and Steve.
“Steve won’t leave Beth alone. He
denied cheating on her,” Kelsey informed Chad.
Chad slammed a fist into his palm.
“That son of bitch. I’ll get him to leave.”
Kelsey flinched. What the hell was
Chad going to do? This couldn’t be good. She hurried after Chad and Brandon, as
both ran ahead of her, and finally managed to catch up to them. No thanks to
being out of shape, though. She held onto her sides.
“Hey, stupid ass,” Chad said with a
growl. “Why don’t you get lost?”
Steve’s eyes flashed with anger. “Why
don’t you make me?” He raised a fist ready to aim it at Chad.
“No!” Kelsey held her hands up to try
to stop them. “No fighting. Steve go home. Beth doesn’t want to be with you
anymore.”
“This is all your fault, bitch.” Steve
pointed a finger at her. “We experienced a good relationship until you opened
your big fucking mouth.”
“That’s it!” Chad charged toward
Steve. His fist slammed into Steve’s nose before anyone could pull Chad away
from him.
Blood trickled down Steve’s face and
he groaned. “I’m going to kick your ass for that.”
Beth’s lips twisted into a scowl. “The
hell you are.” She kneed him in the family jewels, and down he went onto the
porch, holding his crotch.
“Beth.” Kelsey exhaled. “I thought you
didn’t think he cheated on you.”
Beth frowned. “I wanted to be wrong,
but when I called him, I heard her. He tried to deny it, but I’m not stupid.”
Chad placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Well, he’s an idiot. If I had a woman like you, I’d never do anything to hurt
you.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Beth pushed his
hand away.
“What are we going to do about him?”
Brandon stared down at Steve, who winced in pain.
“I’ve got an idea.” Chad’s lips curled
into a smile.
Kelsey blinked. “What are you guys up
to?”
“I’m not going to be a part of
whatever shit you guys are getting into. I’m done with losers like Steve.” Beth
sighed and hurried inside their house.
Kelsey gaped at them as Chad and
Brandon carried Steve to the front lawn. Her heart drummed louder, missing
beats as Brandon morphed into his wolf form.
Holy shit. No. Why is
he doing this? What if one of the neighbors see him?
She pushed aside her negative thoughts
and hoped Brandon would do the right thing. If he scared the living crap out of
Steve in the meantime, that wouldn’t be so bad, would it?