Authors: Crystal Red
Steve laid on the lawn passed out, but
when Brandon poked a claw into Steve’s leg and growled, his eyes widened with
fear.
“W-what the hell?” Steve sputtered.
“Welcome to your nightmare, dick.”
Chad threw his head back and laughed.
Brandon bent down toward Steve’s face
with his hairy sharp paws. He swiped one in the air as if he were warning him.
Kelsey cringed on the inside, but on
the outside she chuckled.
It’s funny, but in a weird
way
. They
might look back on it someday and laugh. Maybe.
“Stop it!” Steve yelled. Wetness
dripped down the front of his gray suit pants.
She covered her mouth, biting the
insides of her cheeks. Steve had pissed his pants. Who would have thought? A
grown man scared of something that was usually only seen in movies. Tingles
shot through her. The same fear had shaken her the moment she’d seen Brandon
take that form. So what had changed now? Was it the way he’d kissed her or
looked at her as if she were his everything?
“This is your only warning, Steve.
Leave Beth alone or we’ll hunt you down and scratch your eyes out.” Chad
snickered as he looked down at Steve.
Brandon whipped his claws over Steve’s
face one last time.
“Okay.” Steve covered his face. “I’ll
leave Beth alone.”
Chad chuckled, helping Steve to his
feet. “If you don’t, we’ll know. Then you’ll be sorry.”
Steve backed away, white as a sheet,
and scampered off to his car.
After he turned back in to his human
form, Brandon said, “I didn’t think it’d be that easy.”
“Me neither.” Chad high fived Brandon.
“Maybe I should go check on Beth.”
Kelsey glanced at the ground.
Brandon walked up to her, snuggling
close. “She’ll be okay. I’d like to continue our date if that’s okay with you.”
A pile of melted goo. That was what he
turned her into every time he touched her. “Okay, we can do that.”
Brandon kissed her cheek. “The pizza
is calling my name.” He rubbed his belly, which rumbled loudly.
I hope I’ll be
calling your name soon. He’ll probably have me squirming and begging for more.
“Will you check on Beth, please?” She
turned to Chad.
Chad nodded. “Sure.” He knocked on the
door.
Beth opened it with her lips tight.
“What?”
“You okay?” Chad’s eyes softened.
“Yeah,” Beth grumbled, slamming the
door in his face.
Chad shrugged and headed toward his
house. After they entered Brandon’s living room, she got cozy once again on the
couch with him. She needed to be right there with him. Yet her thoughts swirled
in her mind, and she wondered if at some point the safeness of his touch would
end.
Her life could be in great danger the
minute she let her guard down. Something could happen. The question was, could
she live with the constant fear? She didn’t have an answer for that.
Chapter Seven
Even after the movie ended, Brandon
kept his arm secured around Kelsey’s shoulders. He couldn’t believe how Steve
had talked about her. The asshole deserved to piss his pants. Usually he didn’t
like to play around in his wolf form, but the situation called for it. Maybe
Chad would be a better choice for Beth. His best friend seemed to have a crush
on the green-eyed, ginger-haired neighbor. Maybe when Beth felt ready she’d
consider dating Chad. The four of them could go on a lot of double dates.
He chuckled, remembering all the other
times he’d double dated with Chad. His friend never liked to pick up the bill
at dinner. No worries, though. Brandon didn’t mind paying some of the time,
just not all the time.
“Why are you laughing?” Kelsey poked a
finger into his ribs.
“Hey.” He inhaled, and his voice
deepened. “You’re not playing fair.”
He skimmed his finger down to her
waist and slowly tickled her.
She giggled, pulling away. “Stop!”
“I hardly remember what the movie was
about,” he said, staring at her mouth.
She laughed as she licked her lips in
slow motion. He moaned. How could she make everything she did look so damn
sexy? He forced himself not to ravish her with the monstrous erection that grew
in his pants. Couldn’t he keep his body parts under control? Apparently not
with her around.
“Me neither.” Her lashes lowered, and a
warm pink glow appeared on her cheeks.
The sexy way she nibbled her lower
lip, made him want to have a go at it. He leaned in and met her mouth in a
slow, hungry kiss.
Hmm, popcorn.
The taste of butter and salt still lingered
on her lips. He nibbled on her bottom one.
She moaned into his mouth, running her
fingers up and down his spine. The sensation, so soft and feather-like, sent
ripples of ecstasy to every nerve ending. Never in his whole life had he felt
such a strong connection with a woman he hadn’t even known a week. Maybe this
could really go somewhere, but then again, attraction could be blind and fool a
person for a while until the shit hit the fan.
He nuzzled the nape of her neck. He
took in the scent of her.
Hmm, vanilla
. The aroma of her perfume invaded
his nose. She always smelled so good. He wanted to eat her up, inch by inch
with his tongue, then his lips. The first woman to accept him, he wanted to
show her how much he could satisfy her and leave her begging for more.
“Brandon,” she murmured.
“I like the sound of that,” he said
with a growl, kissing her softly along her collarbone.
She shivered. He trailed his tongue up
to her earlobe and sucked. She squirmed and dropped a hand onto his erection.
Without warning, she pulled back with
a loud gasp. “I can’t do this. Not right now.” She rose to her feet. Her limbs
trembled.
Kelsey walked away, but he managed to
grab her by the arm when he went after her.
“Hey.” He cupped her chin with a firm
hand. “What’s wrong? I won’t make you do anything you’re not ready for.”
Her gaze shifted to the floor. “I like
you, Brandon, but with everything that’s happened…”
“I know this isn’t going to be easy,
but don’t end it between us.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
To his surprise, she laughed. “I just
meant I didn’t want to have sex yet. I don’t think I could end things between
us even if I wanted to, and trust me I don’t want to.” She laced her fingers
with his. “Besides, I’m horrible with break-ups.”
“I actually am too.” He sighed,
swinging their hands. “When I dated Victoria, I danced around it until Chad
forced me to end things with her. She was ready for marriage and I wasn’t.
Looks as if she still isn’t taking it well.”
Her expression softened. “I’m sorry you
had to go through that.”
“I don’t know what she’s capable of.
She’s a witch and she could….shit, I don’t even want to think about it let alone
talk about the situation.”
“So don’t.”
How did she always know the right
thing to say?
Hmm, a mini skirt. I bet this comes off easily. I wonder if
she goes commando.
Her glare was hot enough to fry an
egg. “Are you going to keep thinking about me in such a sexual way all the
time?”
“Hmm.” He tapped a finger to his lips.
“I’m a guy. So, yeah. Sorry.”
Kelsey frowned. “I’m going home.”
She put her back to him and walked
away without waiting for his reply. His heart climbed into his throat.
Damn.
Did I just fuck it up again?
How many times did he have to do that until he
got it through his thick skull? Women were sensitive, emotional creatures.
Maybe if he kept remembering the thought would sink in one day.
* * * *
As Kelsey entered her apartment, she
shuddered at the thought of how disgusting men could be. Even knowing she could
read his thoughts, he still thought about her in a sexual way. What the hell?
She sighed.
I guess you can’t blame
a guy for trying. He’s only human. Sort of.
Maybe the animal in him couldn’t rest.
Obviously, it’d been a long time since he’d gotten laid, but still he could use
some manners in that department. What if it didn’t work out between them
because of that? She pushed the thought out of her mind. It’d be fine. Despite
Kelsey’s positive thoughts, her heart still swelled with pain.
Once she entered the living room, she
found Beth on the loveseat, sobbing into her hands. She sat beside her friend
and placed a hand on her thigh.
“At least you found out Steve was a
cheater before you guys got married.”
Beth sniffled. “Yeah, but this still
doesn’t make the pain go away.”
“Chad likes you.”
Beth snorted. “Oh, please.”
Kelsey blinked. What’s wrong with
Chad? At least he wasn’t a werewolf. Just a normal horny guy. Any man with a
penis thought about sex practically twenty-four/seven.
“You don’t think Chad is hot?”
Beth grabbed a tissue out of the
Kleenex box, which sat on the coffee table. “He may be hot, but he’s a guy.
They only think with their little brain.”
“Tell me about it.” Kelsey lowered her
head and glanced at her feet. “Men suck.”
Beth squeezed the edge of the cushion
of the loveseat. “What did Brandon do now?”
“He…” She raised her head to look at
Beth. “Nothing. We just got carried away. It’s normal.”
“If he tried to make you do something
you didn’t want to, you better let me know now. I will kick his ass. I’m not
afraid of him.”
You should be.
Kelsey shook her head. “I stopped us
from going too far. That’s all. I swear.”
“That’s good and thanks.” Beth patted
her thigh.
“For?”
“Telling me the truth about Steve.”
Beth forced a smile. “I know I didn’t want to hear what you had to say, let
alone believe it, but you never want to think the worst about someone you care
about.”
She took her hand and squeezed it. “I
don’t want you to think that all guys are like that. They’re not. You’ll find a
good man someday. He could be right under your nose.”
Beth frowned. “Hmm, don’t give me any
ideas.”
“And what would that be? Hooking up
with Chad?” Kelsey teased. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, but all she
wanted to do was cheer up her friend. She’d always been there for Kelsey. Now
it was her turn.
“Exactly.” Beth fanned her face. “He’s
hot, okay? I admit it.”
She slapped a hand on her thigh. “See?
How hard was that to say?”
“Harder than you think.” Beth headed
into her bedroom, and Kelsey did the same.
* * * *
The weekend flew by, and once again
Monday came. Kelsey kept her distance from Brandon. She needed time to think
about the situation. It wasn’t enough that he was secretly a werewolf. She also
had to deal with the fact she wanted to jump his bones every time she looked at
him. It’d only been a week. Far too soon. She had to get her shit together
before she let herself go there. Respect, that was what it was all about.
She and Beth walked together, side by
side, laughing at shows they’d watched over the weekend. After they arrived at the
bookshop, they saw a couple police officers outside their front door.
Oh no.
The last thing she wanted to be involved in this early in the morning was cops.
Especially on a Monday. Did they have a break in? So many questions spun around
in her mind. She exchanged a long look with Beth. Neither of them had a clue
what this could be about. She guessed they’d find out soon.
The gray-haired officer tipped his
head in a small nod. “Good morning, ladies. Are you the owners of this bookshop?”
His name tag read Tieman.
“Yes, we are. What’s going on?” Kelsey
asked.
“Is there a place we can go and talk
inside, maybe?” The second cop with black hair had asked. His read Strasser.
She looks really
young to be running a bookshop. The redhead too.
Kelsey nodded and unlocked the door.
The four of them walked into the backroom where she set out two tan metal
chairs. The officers remained standing.
“I’m Officer George Tieman, and this
is my partner, Nate Strasser. We came here today because we received a call about
a dead body someone found behind your shop.”
Sometimes I really
hate my job. No woman deserves this.
“Dead b-body?” Beth’s eyes widened as
she stammered.
Nate cleared his throat. “Yes, the
body was found in front of the Dumpster. One of the trash men reported it. He
recognized her as the older woman who owned a flower shop a block from here,
Ms. Wein. Did you know her?”
Kelsey shook her head. “Not really.
I’ve seen her around, but we’ve only made small talk.”
George jotted something down on his
notepad. “The victim’s body has already been taken to the morgue to determine
the cause of death. From the report of how she was found, it seemed like an
animal had attacked her.”
Kelsey swallowed hard at the word “animal.”
What if a werewolf had killed Ms. Wein? How could she live with herself if
there was a chance Brandon was behind it? Or he, at least, knew someone who
could be behind the murder. Her heart fell to her feet. How could anyone be that
cruel? She took a sharp breath.
She glanced over at Beth, whose rosy
cheeks faded to white. Her poor friend. Beth had no clue what was going on.
Kelsey hated secrets, but what else could she do? Kelsey picked up Beth’s hand
and squeezed it, but the pounding in her heart continued. How could she make
her friend feel better about the situation or herself?
“Why would an animal attack a human?
Unless it was a bear,” Beth muttered, clinging tight to the metal chair.
“I know this is hard to believe.”
Officer Strasser looked down at his notes and then up at the two of them. “The
victim had scratches all over her body. It looked as if something ripped out
her throat.” The cop’s voice shook.
It looked as if she could read cops
minds too.
It’s the worst murder
I’ve seen in years.
Officer Tieman rubbed his chin. “I
haven’t seen anything this gruesome in a long time. I really hope nothing like
this happens again.”
It turns my stomach
just to think about it. I can’t throw up again, not in front of these women.
“Me either.” Kelsey continued to clutch
on to her friend’s hand. Beth’s eyes were filled with tears.
“You ladies haven’t seen anyone who
looked suspicious around here? Like maybe they were out of place?” Officer
Strasser looked at Kelsey, then at Beth.
Beth shook her head. “We haven’t had
that many people come to the shop. We’ve only been open for a week.”
“Yeah, we decided not to open on
weekends either,” Kelsey informed the officers.
“That’s all the questions we have for
now. We’ll be in touch.” Officer Tieman nodded.
Beth and Kelsey stood, then shook the
officers’ hands.
“This is just great!” Beth kicked the
wall and groaned, hopping on one foot. “Now some kind of animal is killing
people? What next.”
“Beth.” Kelsey reached for her. “It’s
not worth hurting yourself. We have to make sure everyone stays safe.”
Officer Tieman looked toward them.
“We’ll keep a lookout on the shop. Have a good day, ladies.”
His partner followed him outside.
Kelsey walked out of the shop with Beth. Her stomach twisted into a hard knot.
Bile rose in her throat and barf flew onto the sidewalk.
Beth shrieked, jumping away. “Gross!
Couldn’t you have waited until I was out of the way?”
“Sorry.” She fumbled in her purse for
a tissue and wiped her mouth. “I couldn’t help it.”