Taming The Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shifter Romance (Gray Bears Book 5) (5 page)

“You're a good
Sheriff,” Kaylee said, as they headed towards a small pub.

“I do my job,”
Winston said simply. “It's a small town. Everyone does their
part.”

“Ah...” Kaylee
swallowed and chewed her lip. She fidgeted a little and finally
blurted out, “I would like to do my part too. I want to live
and work here, build a life and a future here. Can you...help me
find a job, Winston?”

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Winston turned and stared
at her for a beat. “I...I would like to find a job here.
And...you know, do my part,” she stammered.

A smile spread across his
face. It was a boyish, winsome, heart-stopping smile and it made
Kaylee's breath catch and her heart stutter.

Joy and pride lit up his
amber eyes, and she suddenly realized how good it felt to make
someone happy and proud. She had to be honest with herself. She
really liked and admired Winston. She didn't want to drift anymore.
She wanted to be more like him, grounded and stable and secure.

There was a simmering,
sizzling attraction between them, but it was more than that. Winston
was smart, kind and caring, and he was hot. Tall and broad, with
dark wavy hair and intelligent amber eyes. She saw heat and passion
in his piercing eyes, but she also saw humor and promise. He saw
her, truly saw her and saw what she needed and yearned for. He
wanted to help her, but he wasn't looking for anything in return. He
wasn't at all like any of the guys she'd been with. Those guys
always looked out for themselves first. They were domineering,
selfish and insecure.

Winston was a true alpha
male, she realized. He was strong and confident, not pushy and
arrogant, and he looked out for others. He was a protector, and he
didn't need to make others feel small in order to feel big and
important.

“Come.” He took
her hand and she blushed. Did he notice that she was ogling him? Of
course he did. He noticed everything.

But Winston didn't smirk or
laugh at her. Instead, he tugged her excitedly down the street.

“Where are we going?”

“The Round Table!”

Kaylee spluttered, “As
in...King Arthur?”

Winston chuckled and said
mysteriously, “Well...you
will
get to meet a Knight of
The Round Table. I'm not kidding.”

Winston hurried her across
the street and into a small, busy lane. He stopped outside a pub and
announced, “Here we are.”

Kaylee looked up at the
signage and laughed. “Ah, I see. The Round Table.”

They entered the small, noisy
pub and Kaylee looked around in wonder. The pub was cleverly done up
like a medieval castle, and there were swords, flags and even a
full-sized knight's armor on display.

It was Happy Hour at The
Round Table, and the place was buzzing with lively chatter and
raucous laughter.

The bartender looked up and
raised a brow when they approached the counter.

“Gareth, this is
Kaylee,” Winston said, sliding onto a stool. “She's
Ne-ma’s grandniece.”

“A Knight of The Round
Table at your service, m'lady,” Gareth bowed.

Winston rolled his eyes.
“This is my younger brother, Gareth.”

Kaylee chuckled. “A
Knight...Gareth Knight. Yes, indeed. I am pleased to meet you, Sir
Gareth.”

Gareth's amber eyes darted
from Kaylee to Winston and he gave his big brother a knowing smirk.
He leaned in to say something in Winston's ear and guffawed when
Winston punched him in the arm. Kaylee stared at the two brothers.
They had the same warm amber eyes and were tall and tanned, but
Gareth was leaner and had light brown hair.

“Kaylee's looking for a
job.” Winston scowled at his brother when Gareth continued
laughing and winking at him. “The position still open?”

“Yeah, yeah. I'm
looking for a barmaid.” Gareth cocked his head at Kaylee.
“Take a look around. This pub is small, but it can get really
busy and crazy.”

Kaylee swiveled on her stool
and took a quick look at the crowd. It wasn't a rough crowd. She
had worked in rougher, sleazier bars than this.

“You have a great
place,” she said.

Gareth nodded. “Can
you pour drinks? Wipe down tables? Mop up spills quickly and fend
off drunken customers?”

“I can do that. I've
worked in a bar before.”

Gareth raised a brow and
glanced at his brother. “When can you start, Kaylee?”

“Right now.”

“Great!” Gareth
grinned and pushed a tray of drinks towards her. “You're
hired. Now get this over to those four cackling witches at the
corner table!”

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

Kaylee was clearing a table
when Olivia came and took the tray from her. “I'll get this,”
the petite vampire said and pulled a face. “Shit! I hate it
when my gum gets stuck on my fang!” Olivia worked part-time at
the bar, and came in only after dark. She was a pretty, busty, young
vamp who favored blood-red lipstick and dark eyeshadow.

Olivia stuck her fingers in
her mouth and pulled the wad of pink gum from the tip of her fang.
“You better get going. The Sheriff's here.” Olivia
nudged her from the table with her hip. She winked at Kaylee and
fanned herself. “Ooh la la, a man in uniform. I'm a good
girl, but I'm willing to commit a crime just to feel his handcuffs on
me!”

Kaylee spluttered out a
cough. She looked over her shoulder and saw Winston standing at the
door, watching her. His eyes were burning into her, sending heat
racing through her veins with every quickening beat of her heart.
She saw his desire and hunger, and it made her own body thrum with
lust. Some of the females in the bar cooed at Winston and gave him
flirtatious, come-hither looks, but he only had eyes for Kaylee.

Kaylee swallowed and smiled
at Winston. He smiled back but remained standing at the door.

“Go,” Gareth said
as he walked past.

“B-but it's not closing
time,” Kaylee stammered. “And Olivia...

“Olivia can manage.
I'll close up,” Gareth answered. “Winston is going to
arrest me if I keep you much longer. He wants to take you...”
Gareth gave his brother a sly smile and drawled, “...home.”

She made a strained sound at
the back of her throat. Gareth was chortling as he ambled off, and
Winston...he was staring at her like he wanted to eat her, in a very
good, decadent and erotic way.

Kaylee pulled on her coat and
went to Winston. “Hey.”

“How's your first day
at work?” he said, holding the door open for her.

He tucked her hand into the
crook of his arm and walked her towards his car.

“Good,” Kaylee
said with a happy sigh. “Very good. Gareth's a good boss, and
Olivia...”
Wants you to handcuff her to your bed
.

Winston smiled. “Olivia
is a great gal. She's funny and outspoken, and she goes after what
she wants.”

Kaylee heard a low growl, and
she pressed her lips together when she realized the growl came from
her. She was jealous, she realized. But she had no right to be.

“You two dated?”
she asked, trying to keep her tone casual and nonchalant.

“Nah. I never went out
with Olivia, but she...”

“She hit on you.”

Winston shrugged. “Just
some harmless flirting.”

Kaylee huffed. She saw quite
a few women flirting with Winston at the bar, on the street, in the
shops, geez, just about everywhere! Couldn't the Sheriff just go
about town without women throwing themselves at him?

Kaylee ground her teeth. She
was getting all worked up, even though Winston wasn't her man. He
was single, available, and he could have any female he wanted.

“You okay?”
Winston asked, peering at her.

“Yeah,” she
grunted.

He patted her hand and opened
the car door for her. “You must be tired. Let's go home.”

They drove past Broomstick
Inn, but Winston didn't stop the car. “You just passed the
inn,” she started. “I...my suitcase...”

“Your suitcase is with
me,” he replied. “Your car is being repaired at the
garage.”

“Okay. You took my
suitcase from my car...but—” That made sense, sort of.
“But where am I sleeping tonight?”

“With me.”

When her eyes rounded, he
amended quickly, “You'll be spending the night at my place.”

“Y-your place?”

“Yes. I have a spare
bedroom. The inn is full.” That was what Ne-ma told him.

“Oh. I...thank you,”
Kaylee whispered.

Winston pulled up in front of
a really nice semi-detached house and killed the engine.

He waved towards the two
joined houses which were mirror images of each other. “The
house on the right is ours...um, mine,” he said, smiling and
reddening just a little. “My brother lives just next door, so
I guess you'll see him in the morning.”

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Winston held Kaylee's hand
and gave her a quick tour of his house. He loved holding her hand,
feeling her press close to him. His lion was edgy and impatient, and
he had driven to the pub two hours before closing time just so he
could see her again.

He was so hungry for the
sight of her, and he never wanted to stop holding her hand. No woman
had called forth his lion so strongly before. Sure, he'd dated and
bedded females, but the mating heat had never touched his lion
before. His heart and his beast had never stirred for any female.
Until now.

Right now his body, his heart
and his lion were all pounding, thrumming and burning with need. One
look into her large, blue eyes and his protective and possessive
instincts had roared to life. Kaylee had experienced heartache and
heartbreak, yet she was tough and brave. She didn't hesitate to help
Lorni Jones when she saw that the woman was in danger. She was sweet
and vulnerable, yet resilient and determined. She was determined to
make a fresh start and be a contributing member of the community.
She was rebuilding her life here, and he wanted so much to build a
future with her.

He wanted Kaylee to stay.
That was why he had been so anxious and eager to help her get a job.
He wanted her to put down roots here in Shadow Point and stay, with
him.

Winston led her upstairs and
showed her to the spare bedroom. Her suitcase was tucked in a
corner, and he scowled as he stared around the sparsely furnished
room. There was only a single bed and a desk. No one had used this
room in a long time. The room was cold and dusty, not at all lived
in and comfortable.

He put a hand behind his neck
and said gruffly, “I'll get more pillows and blankets for you,
and tomorrow, I'll buy an armchair and a few...”

“No, this is fine.
Thank you,” Kaylee said quickly. “I'll be very
comfortable here.”

“No you won't,”
he muttered under his breath.

“Where's your room?”
she asked brightly.

“Just down the
hallway.” Winston took a deep breath and clenched his teeth.
He wanted her in his bedroom, in his bed, not in this cold, barely
furnished spare room.

“Can I see it?”

He paused, then nodded.

Opening the door to his
bedroom, he ushered her inside and forced his hands into his pockets.
The urge to grab her was almost overpowering.

She was standing at the foot
of his king-sized bed, looking around his spacious bedroom. There
were some clothes, books and files on the couch and strewn across his
writing desk. His room was very lived in. He usually got home
pretty late, sometimes in the wee hours of the morning and he would
catch up on paperwork and read through reports and cases before
snatching a few hours of sleep.

Kaylee turned to him with a
smile. “Nice room. I like it.”

“You should sleep
here,” he said before he could stop himself.

Her lips parted, and she
sucked in a shaky breath. The room was suddenly filled with an
utterly feminine, warm and unmistakable scent.

The scent of her desire and
arousal flooded his senses, and his lion rose to the surface.
Mine!

He growled and stalked
towards her.

“Kaylee...” His
voice was hoarse and guttural, more feral than human.

She was breathing fast and
hard, but she didn't back away. She looked up at him, and he saw
lust and confusion swirling in those blue eyes. Her body was heating
up, responding to his.

She pressed closer to him,
her hands sliding up his chest to his shoulders. It was a mate's
instinct and reflex. She needed to touch him, feel him, have him.

They wanted and needed each
other. He saw the burning, consuming desire and tormenting conflict
in her eyes.

Fight it, or surrender to it?

Kaylee whimpered as she wound
her arms around his neck. When he grabbed her around the waist, she
gasped and he could scent the maddening, intoxicating moisture
seeping between her thighs. She was driving him out of his mind with
her touch, her nearness, her heat.