Authors: Crystal Red
“What are we going to do?” Beth threw
up her hands. “We can’t have people being too scared to come to our shop
because of a murder.”
“We’ll think of something.” She had to
have hope for her friend and herself. If she didn’t, who would? A break from
work might do them good.
Once they made it to their house, Beth
went in, but Kelsey plopped down onto the front porch. Head in her hands, she
cradled her face. In her mind, she pictured poor Ms. Wein fighting for her life
while some werewolf clawed at her until the poor woman’s heart stopped. Fear
killed her, but on the other hand, maybe she hadn’t died from that. Could there
be more werewolves waiting to kill their next victim?
She jumped to her feet as a loud snarl
filled her ears. What was that? Please, no werewolves. Her heart thumped louder
as she came face-to-face with a hairy beast. It bared its sharp teeth, and
drool dripped from its mouth. Panic shot through her gut. Would it try to hurt
her? Maybe this same animal had attacked Ms. Wein. She thought back to the
night when Brandon had turned into a werewolf and killed an evil one. Just by
snapping the animal’s neck it turned into ashes. Could the same thing happen to
this one?
She gasped and ducked as the wolf
swung a paw full of sharp claws at her face. Her chest heaved in and out as the
beast tried to claw her again.
“Leave me alone!”
Kelsey hopped over the black railing and
then ran over to Brandon’s house.
Please be home. I really need you now.
God, I hope this animal isn’t Brandon.
She furiously pounded on the door
with her fist. She used the tip of her finger to hold down the doorbell. She
glanced over to where the wolf had tried to attack her. It had remained in
front of her house, but now ran toward her.
“Brandon!”
The door opened, and Brandon peeked
his head out, his black hair dripping wet. Her breathing slowed for a second
until she remembered what was behind her.
“Let me in quick!”
Brandon yanked her in and then slammed
the door in the wolf’s face.
“I thought…” She panted, trying to
catch her breath.
His eyes darkened as his face pinched.
“How could you think I’d hurt you?”
Kelsey trembled, fear still swimming
inside her. Would this nightmare never end? “I don’t know what to believe
anymore.”
“Are you okay?” Brandon tightened the
white towel wrapped around his waist.
“Yes,” she choked out.
She eyed him up and down. His long,
sinewy legs and arms were covered in dark curly hair. As well as his chest,
especially around his nipples. Her mouth watered as she gaped at him. Yeah, she
still wanted him. So much.
Loud scratching reminded her of what
waited on the other side. It was still out there. What was she going to do? A
lump formed in her throat.
“We have to do something about the
werewolf,” she whispered.
“It can’t break the door down. We can
just stay here until it’s gone. I won’t let the werewolf hurt you.”
She stared at him as if he’d grown a
second head. “This might be the same one who killed the older woman behind my
shop.”
His mouth dropped. “What?”
“I came home because the police were at
my bookstore. Ms. Wein, who owns a flower shop a block away from my work, was
killed and dumped behind there.” She rubbed her temples. “The cops said it
looked as if an animal had killed her. Now I’m afraid to work because of what
happened. The werewolf came after me, and I almost thought…”
His lips tightened as he shook his
head. “Don’t think for one second I’d come after you like that. This has to be
Victoria’s doing. She might be sending wolf packs after us. Evil ones.”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
Kelsey’s legs shook so much her knees were ready to give out.
“Stay here. Don’t leave without me. I
know you were pissed at me, but I’ll keep you safe. Where’s Beth?”
“Inside our house.”
Brandon paced the carpet. “Tell her to
lock the doors and not to leave. If there’s even one werewolf out there that’s
killing, we’re in trouble.”
She frowned. “Then why were you acting
as if it was no big deal when I told you one was chasing me?”
“Because,” he latched on to her arms,
“I didn’t realize someone had been already murdered. It’s a warning, you know.
A war is starting.”
Kelsey’s throat tightened, making
breathing difficult. He led her to the couch and then locked the front door.
After that, he pulled down all the shades and joined her.
“Text Beth, and I’ll tell Chad what’s
going on.”
Kelsey looked around the room. Her
chest still was heavy with fear. “Where is he?”
“He went to the shop early.” Brandon
grabbed his phone off the end table and then sent Chad a text.
Kelsey did the same with Beth. She
peeked outside the living room window. No sign of the beast. Even though the
werewolf had ran off, she continued to shake. Sitting beside one, having
feelings for him, didn’t make her life any easier. She had a strong feeling
things for them were about to go from bad to worse in a heartbeat.
Chapter Eight
Kelsey stared at everything in
Brandon’s living room, except him. She didn’t want to face what had happened to
him and her. Numbness spread through every inch of her body, as if someone had scraped
all the feelings out of her and left nothing but emptiness. She really needed
to be alone with her thoughts.
“Am I that bad to look at all of a
sudden?” He nudged her knee.
She flinched at his touch.
He leaned in and kissed her neck. “You
smell really good. I love the vanilla perfume you use.”
Her body hummed with pleasure.
Okay,
so maybe I’m wrong
. If Brandon wanted to hurt her, he could have easily
done it already. They were neighbors, after all. How could her attraction to
him outweigh her fear of him? A shiver rippled through her as he nibbled his
way across her shoulder.
“Brandon…”
He looked up at her. “You okay?”
“Should we really be doing this?” Her
voice raised as she pulled away.
He cupped her trembling chin. “You can
say no. I won’t get mad. I don’t want to rush you into having sex.”
“I want you, believe me I do, but
you’re…” She exhaled a slow and shaky breath. “A werewolf.”
“And you’re telepathic. We all have
our flaws. Neither of ours will get in the way if we make love.”
Oh no. He said the L-word. Guys only
used that word when they really cared about someone or wanted them to think so.
Otherwise, they use the F-word. Anything but the words making love. Did he
really care about her after only knowing her for eight days?
Her heart fluttered as he pressed his
lips to hers. Her shoulders loosened as she wrapped her arms around his lean
waist. She rubbed her fingers against the curves and outline of his abs. The
strong hardness of his lips pulled her in, and she was a goner. The taste of
his mouth lingered even after he released her.
Brandon’s erection pressed against her
thigh. “I forget about everything when I kiss you.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
“Want a tour of my bedroom?” A sly grin
stretched across his face.
“Yes.”
He scooped Kelsey into his arms and then
carried her into his bedroom. She didn’t even care when his towel landed onto
the floor, now leaving him naked.
Only having been in his room once
brought back memories of how she desired him even after she’d found out his
secret. Brandon being a werewolf wasn’t something she could accept so easily,
but the way he wanted to protect her gave her hope he didn’t want to hurt
anyone.
He shut the door with the heel of his
foot, then set her down onto the carpet and pressed her up against the back of it.
His hands laced with hers and held them there as if he wanted to chain her to
it. Hell, she’d let him do any damn thing he wanted as long as he kept touching
her.
She drew his face to hers, stealing a
long and slow kiss. Her knees weakened, but she didn’t care. Every time he
touched her, he had an effect on her. Kelsey moaned as he slipped his tongue into
her mouth. He swirled it around with hers, letting her savor each tender touch.
He pulled away, smiling. “I don’t know
why our kisses get better with every kiss, but they do.”
His eyes danced with amusement and
lust. Somehow she managed to find her voice, even when she stared into his
beautiful gray eyes.
“Are we going to have sex up against
the door?” Her voice came out shakier than she would have liked.
He stared at her with a tender gaze.
“Not yet. Besides, the condoms are in my dresser drawer.”
She frowned as he released her hands.
“Do we even know enough about each other to go this far?”
“I think we do. I’ve only had a few
partners. What about you?”
“A couple.”
“So,” he trailed a finger down her
temple, “you don’t want to have sex yet?”
She was pretty sure she’d do anything
he asked, let alone go anywhere. The man had a way of turning all her bones
into goo.
“I do, but who is going to run the shop
if you’re not there?”
He shrugged. “What about it? I’m the
boss. I can do whatever I want.” An easy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth,
showing his playful mood.
“You can do whatever you want to me.
Strip me. Let your imagination go wild.” Her voice dropped to a warm and silky
tone.
“I knew you liked kinky sex.” He
chuckled.
She grinned, pulling him toward his
bed. “I don’t have a skirt on like yesterday. Now it won’t be as easy for you
to get into my panties.”
“If you’re wearing any,” he murmured.
Kelsey batted her eyelashes. “I always
do.”
His hands slid under her black tank
top. He lifted it over her head, trailing his fingertips in a slow, tingling motion
across her belly. She shuddered, craving more. Needing another touch.
Brandon’s gaze raked over her. She
shivered in her lacy black bra. He eased the cups aside. He found her pebbled
nipple with his thumb and gave it a light stroke. Goose bumps broke out on her
body. She moaned. The intimate way he touched her breasts sent a surge of joy
through her. He slipped her rosy tip between his lips, sending tingles straight
to her core. She sighed in ecstasy and ground her hips into his.
“I need more,” he said with a growl,
his voice low and husky.
Damn, he could make anything sound and
look sexy. She wanted to wrap her legs around him and ride him until they both
drove themselves into a mind-blowing orgasm.
“I need you inside me,” she breathed.
“Now!”
“Baby,” he unhooked her bra, taking it
all the way off, “we’ll get there. I don’t want to rush this.”
She didn’t want to wait a second
longer. His muscles flexed as she trailed her fingers up and down all the
curves of his flat abs. She’d never seen such a sexy man in her whole life.
He’d been worth waiting for. If his big, bad werewolf form and attitude didn’t
scare her off, nothing would.
He kissed her long and hard. He
reached for the button on her dark blue skinny jeans. He’d barely yanked them
down before she stroked his length. Every part of him was long and hard, just
the way a man should be built. Their bodies would fit together like peanut
butter and jelly. Both were creamy and sweet, as if they were meant for each
other.
He pulled away as he tried to catch
his breath. As she slid off her lacy black thong, his eyes lit up. He eyed her
up and down with a flash of lust. The way he licked his lips, it was as if he
wanted to have her as a tasty snack.
Her pulse quickened as he pushed her
onto the bed. He dropped to his knees, holding her legs open with broad
shoulders. He slowly moved his hands downward, gliding along every inch of her
thighs until he planted them onto the small of her back. As he leaned in, he
placed a soft kiss on the middle of her belly. She gasped as he nibbled around
her bellybutton.
She lay down, closing her eyes, taking
in every touch he made. His tongue darted in and out of her belly button, then
slowly he made his way down to her center. Her pulsating core quivered as he
ran the tip of his tongue down the middle of it. She shivered. It wouldn’t be
long before she climaxed if he kept doing that.
She cried out for release as he
slipped a finger into her hot flesh. The added pleasure nearly sent her to the
edge. Brandon ran the pad of his thumb over the curve of her breast while he
continued to glide his finger in and out of her slippery core. He didn’t stop
using his tongue either. He flicked it against her wet center, not stopping
until she panted his name. She curled her toes and held his wavy strands,
tugging at them as she shattered against him.
Brandon rose to his feet and then lay
next to her. As he grinned, his face gleamed with sweat and her arousal. She
looked away as hers heated.
He nudged her shoulder. “Are you okay?
You were fine a few minutes ago.”
“Yeah.” She turned back to face him. “Sorry.
I haven’t had sex in a year, and I usually don’t rush into it this fast. I
always wait at least two weeks. I know it’s silly, but…”
“No,” He put a finger to her lips as
he traced the outline of them. “I understand. I feel the same way. It’s not easy
to let your guard down.”
With her, it’s easy.
I don’t know why, but it is.
A shiver snaked down her back. She
wasn’t sure if it was from his thoughts or his touch. Either way, she wanted
him no matter the cost.
“What should I do to you?” Her lips
formed an easy smile, the glow of hot sex still swimming in her veins.
“You know what I want.”
He sat up and grabbed a condom out of
his brown pine dresser drawer. He tore the package open and then slid the
rubber onto his hard member. He parted her legs before he climbed on top her.
As he entered her tender flesh, she
gasped. Ripples of joy soared through all her nerve endings. She bucked beneath
him, panting as she held on to his back.
He wiggled his hips, making slow,
slick motions in and out of her. “You’re so wet and tight. It’s as if you want
to swallow me whole.”
A low moan tumbled off his lips as he
continued his pace. He thrust deeper into her channel, making her heart pound
and her breath catch. She enjoyed every caress, exploding with waves of ecstasy
as they moved their bodies together.
The rush of sweet agony hit her all at
once, fighting for oxygen as he thrust, swaying his hips with hers. Once again,
her toes curled and she cried out as he slid his shaft in and out of her
faster.
He held her tighter as the final
moment came and shook against her. The whole entire time she was right there
with him, quivering with satisfaction. She clung to him for a few moments until
they got their breathing back to normal. Their lovemaking turned out to be
everything she’d imagined and more. So, how could she share something so
special with someone who was only half-human? The question hammered at her mind
the rest of the day.