The sad irony was, it was his child-like nature and immaturity that drew Jana to him in the first place. Charlie was fun. He had an amazing sense of humor, didn’t take himself too seriously, and was a ton of fun in the sack; at least in the beginning. There was a warmth and charm that Jana really liked, and eventually grew to love about him. Most of the first year with Charlie was wonderful; she just couldn’t figure out what happened after that.
The relationship turned her into someone she hated. Jana always saw those women out and about who would get bent out of shape at their boyfriends or husbands and for a long time, she had gone out of her way to avoid that kind of behavior. Now, she understood how those women wound up that way. Most of them weren’t born shrews and ice queens, but after a gradual wearing down process by the man-children they chose to partner with, they transformed into shrieking harpies with no patience.
Jana remembered being fun once upon a time. There was a time in her life when she was rarely angry to the point of screaming, and now she was tired of being angry and anxious all. She could handle stress in one part of her life, not all parts. She missed the relaxed, carefree side of herself, and she missed having sex– scratch that, she missed having good sex. Once playful romps with Charlie had turned into a lazy event that made her feel like Charlie was obligated to sleep with her occasionally because that’s what couples were supposed to do. She had stopped seeing the point after a while since Charlie made her feel as though she was no more important than a flashlight to him. The frequency had also dropped off to once a month or less. On the rare occasion she even felt attracted to Charlie, he was usually too busy arguing with twelve-year old kids online to be bothered with her double-ds wrapped in lace.
She closed her eyes and listened, hoping he would hurry up and go. Charlie shuffled around at an even slower pace than usual, lingering as long as he could. Jana prayed for him to disappear. She wanted so badly to hear the tell-tale click of the front door shutting so she could cry into her pillow in peace. If she lost it now, she would be vulnerable, and Charlie would be able to worm his way back in.
His muffled voice came through the door. “I’m all packed up and leaving now. Are you going to come out to say goodbye?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped for a clean break. “No. Goodbye, Charlie.”
Charlie sighed, but left anyway. He had felt the distance growing between them for a while, he just hoped if he ignored it, it would go away. When their relationship instead got worse, he scrambled to try and right the capsizing ship, but it had already taken on too much water and was going down. It was too little too late; he had lost her.
Jana waited for the rumble of Charlie’s ancient truck to fade away before she got up to lock the front door. She made a mental note to change the locks in the morning for the hell of it. She didn’t want any opportunity for Charlie to invite himself in when she wasn’t home. He had never done anything like that before, but she didn’t trust him and couldn’t rely on him to stay away.
The house felt empty and eerily quiet, yet peaceful in a strange way. She had chosen this home after touring countless places in and around Seattle. The house was a wreck. The vaulted ceilings had gone rotten from a bad leak in the roof, the kitchen was an 80s oak and Formica nightmare, and when she saw the master bath, she had almost thrown up. Dead bugs and broken tile had littered the floor, and black mold had bled through the walls. But with plenty of huge, floor to ceiling windows and a massive master bedroom, she saw the potential and threw all her extra money and effort into restoring the crumbling structure.
It took two years and a brand-new foundation, but finally, it was perfect. At least it had been. Tonight, the open, airy feel of the house felt empty and oppressive. The hardwood floors creaked as she padded back to her bedroom. Once her feet hit the threshold, it was as though a force field went up and wouldn’t allow her to enter. She had shared that space with Charlie for so long. Her bedroom used to be her sanctuary, but just standing there in the doorway she suddenly felt unwelcome. Sleeping in the bed she shared with him wouldn’t do. If she had any hope of getting rest tonight, it was going to be the guest room for her.
When Jana hit the reset button on her life, she meant it. It took her just over a month, but she sold off all her furniture, most of her décor, and her house. What he decided to keep had been packed into her Honda Element, and she drove off, leaving Seattle in her rearview.
She had no idea where she wanted to land yet, but that didn’t matter. The road trip down the coast was the only thing on her agenda; she needed to clear her head and purge her system of Charlie and her rotten luck with men.
Since she had kicked him out, Charlie called or texted her almost daily. Most of the time she’d get simply, a friendly hello, other times it was a plea to let him come home, and when he had been drinking, he would send her a misspelled diatribe about what a shitty human being she was. Not only was it time for a change of scenery, it was also time for a change of phone number. That was the most heartbreaking process of all, she’d had the same phone number since high school.
After cruising down I-5 for a few hours, she had crossed the state line and needed to pull off. Portland was only a few exits away, so she held on until then. Being a major city, there was less a chance of her getting turned around or lost. Or so she hoped.
She pulled off into the first gas station she saw and fueled up. The speaker over the pump was blaring the Muzak version of the local pop station. The instrumental version of Radioactive ended and an ad for a dating website came on. Jana rolled her eyes as the disembodied voice touted how amazing ComeShift was, and how many matches had been made in the last year. She heard the same old spiel that every dating site claimed.
What made her sit up and pay attention, was the part about meeting shape shifters. An old friend from high school had once bragged to her about her shifter boyfriend, and how amazing he was in pretty much every facet of their lives. She wound up married to him and they were now expecting their third child. Could shifters really be that different from “normal” humans?
Jana slid back into her seat and downloaded the app. There was no harm in looking. The sign-up process was easy enough. There were no complicated questions to answer about personal morals or philosophies. Just basic contact information, a space for a short bio, and a few questions asking what she was looking for in a date. The whole process only took about ten minutes. She chose the “Find me” option in the settings since she was on the move. At least that way, the app could auto update where she was without her having to think about it.
She set the phone aside and forgot about the ComeShift for the rest of her drive. She’d had a craving for some ocean time, and after a Google search, she found the perfect little seaside spot. She plugged Pacific City, Oregon into her GPS and stepped on the gas.
The sun started setting as Jana pulled into her hotel. She was exhausted and starving and her bladder was ready to burst. Her phone dinged as she checked in and got her cottage key. She figured it was her mother and would answer it later. The cottage rental community was close to the beach and Cape Kiwanda state park. Her rental was the third one in as she entered the neighborhood. She unlocked the door to her cottage and almost fell over. The interior was beautiful. The entrance opened to an open space that included the living, dining, and kitchen areas in one setting.
The living room area had a comfortably rustic feel with warm wood paneling and leather furniture, the kitchen had all stainless appliances and modern amenities; the building was a cottage in name and size only. But the ultimate surprise came when she pulled the curtains open in her bedroom. The picture window framed the most amazing beach view she had ever seen. Coming out of the water like a towering hulk was a huge monolith; she had her own personal Mt. Olympus to stare at.
“Good choice, Jana.” She whispered to herself.
She jumped as her phone dinged in her pocket again. “Whoa!” she had received two alerts from ComeShift already. The first was an interest alert, the other was an invitation from the same guy. Eagerly, she opened the app and checked him out.
His name was Stephen Marciano. He was a wolf shifter from Pacific City and was Capital-C Cute. The photo was a shirtless photo taken during a fishing trip. He was holding a giant fish as long as his torso, and looked damn proud of himself. She studied his beaming smile and every line, dip, and cut of his torso. The man was fit. He wore sunglasses and a backward baseball cap, so Jana didn’t get a good look at his face, but if that jawline was any indication, she had found herself a handsome fella.
She was all set to respond when she caught a detail out of the corner of her eye.
Age: 48
Forty-eight? Holy shit. Stephen was a full fifteen years older than her. “Nope. No, no. Too old.” Jana shut the app down and put her phone away. The free-standing tub in the master was calling her name and relaxation was a much bigger priority at the moment than some guy. Especially some old guy.
He was cute though. And a shifter. And old enough to know better. And probably well-versed in how to treat a lady. And experienced where it counted. Her thoughts ran around and round this same track while she soaked. After ten minutes, she decided there would be no relaxing.
The intrigue of a much older man was almost too much to handle. What would he be like? What did he do for work? How do men that age behave? Jana would bet that he didn’t even own a gaming console, and probably did things like hold a job and own his own home.
“Ah, fuck it.” Jana climbed out of the tub and opened Stephen’s invitation to see what he wanted.
Hi! My name is Stephen. I found your profile and I saw that you like to hike and be outdoors. What do you say we meet up for a morning beach hike?
The man got a point for being polite and a hike sounded like a lot of fun and far less emotionally dangerous than a dinner date.
I’d love to. What do you say to 7am. on Tuesday; would that work for you?
That would give her two days to get used to the idea that she was even going on a date. That could be the best or the worst idea she had ever had.
That sounds perfect. Let’s meet at Cape Kiwanda State Park. Bring a swimsuit.
A swimsuit? Oh, lord. Did she even still own one? Seattle’s wasn’t landlocked by any means, but Jana couldn’t remember when she’d last had time to go swimming or fishing. It probably had been years.
Still dripping from the tub, she padded across the hardwood to rummage through her suitcase and came up empty handed. It looked like she was going shopping in the morning.
Jana managed to score herself a new bikini that fit like a dream off the clearance rack. She also couldn’t sleep. Her brain buzzed with a whole hive of what ifs? and should I’s? Her first date in five years felt like a bigger deal than it probably should have. Never mind the fact that there was a fifteen-year age gap. That was the point that kept screaming the loudest at her. She had to deal with all her own personal insecurities to make sure they were silenced, and not ready to spring from their box to ruin her day. Of course, there were upsides, but the downs kept shoving them to the side so they could get all the attention. Perhaps, the biggest downer was wondering if they would have anything in common. She was trapped in a mental circle chase she couldn’t get away from.
When her alarm went off at five-thirty, after the longest night of her life, she had managed to log zero hours of sleep.
Thankfully, during her insomnia, she had packed, checked, and rechecked her backpack, and laid out her outfit for the day. A hike called for casual and comfy, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t wear a snug pair of shorts and a form fitting tank over her sassy new bikini.
The drive to the state park mercifully, took only a few minutes so the jitters didn’t have that long to ramp up. She pulled up next to a cherry red ’65 Chevy pickup that had been lovingly rebuilt. A beat up yellow surfboard looking cheerfully caked in sand, greeted Jana as she stepped out of her car. Staring at the beautiful old truck helped her forget her nerves; temporarily anyway.
A voice tickled the back of her neck, “Are you Jana?”
She whirled around, clutching her chest, to find a pair of sparkling blue eyes smiling down at her. As her focus and heartbeat came back she could see that those eyes were part of a very handsome whole. He had high cheekbones and a straight bridge nose, and the cutest dimple in his chin. The man had a very old Hollywood look about him that was quite fetching. “Yes. I’m Jana.” She held her hand out for a shake.
He took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “I’m happy to meet you, Jana. I’m Stephen. I’m so glad you could make it.”
The tense formality between them hung heavy in the air. Stephen could tell Jana was waiting for him to say something else. He wanted to tell her she was beautiful. He could tell her something poetic about the way the sunrise glinted off her hair, making it shine like threads of gold, but that was corny. He could tell her how hard it was to maintain eye contact because the shape of her legs made his head spin and his heart race. She had the strongest looking thighs he’d seen on a human woman, and it took every ounce of restraint not to think about spreading them.
When she popped up on his profile, all innocent smile and come-hither stare, he knew he had to meet her. He found her constant moving about intriguing as well. When he initially found her, Jana was in Portland. Once he decided to message her, she was in Newburg, and when he finally heard back from her, she was in Pacific City, which made him wonder; was she a vacationer or a runaway.
He peered over her shoulder into her car. The backseat was jam packed with bags and boxes. Runaway.
Jana’s husky voice pulled him back to Earth. “Since it’s such a nice day, let’s hit the trail. Should I follow you?”
“Oh yeah. Yes, of course. Let’s go.” The idea was to get to know her free from distractions and the rest of the world, but what he hadn’t considered was if things went wrong and they were in the middle of the woods somewhere. They wouldn’t be able to get away from each other. Why he hadn’t thought of it before startled him. He just figured things would automatically go well. They always did for him where women were concerned. The problem was, none of them were the right woman.
Jana took a deep breath and followed a couple of steps behind him. In her insomniatic state she spent some time researching Cape Kiwanda and the entire Three Capes Loop. Part of the trail snaked along a cliff side, most of which was fenced, which created a guideline for hikers to follow. The fence idea looked good on paper, but she still found one recent news article about a couple who ignored the trail warnings, hopped the fence, and slid to their deaths into the choppy Pacific. That story alone was the stuff of nightmares and Jana didn’t doubt it played a part in why she couldn’t sleep.
Stephen led her on the trail down to the beach. “Just so you don’t think I’m leading you to your death or anything, we’re going to head north to Tierra del Mar for a picnic breakfast.”
Oh, how lovely! Jana was pleasantly surprised at the romantic thought. And he wasn’t trying to kill her; double score! She looked forward to breakfast on the beach followed by a little swimming, and if things went well, maybe a roll in the sand. She flicked her gaze to scope out Stephen’s high tight ass. The man clearly spent a lot of time hiking.
After traveling for a few minutes, Jana needed to run the silence off. “So what do you do?”
“Oh, a little of this and a little of that. I retired from the military a few years ago with a healthy pension and a smart retirement account so I travel and take on the occasional odd job for something to do.” She didn’t need to know what kind of odd jobs he took.
“So, you’re a handy man?”
“Something like that. What about you? What do you do, Miss Jana?”
What a good question. At the moment she was working on a Master’s in running and hiding. “I’m in real estate, but I’m taking a much-needed vacation. Pacific City is just the first stop on my West Coast road trip.”
“You picked a great place to visit. I grew up here so I’m what you’d call, an expert.”
“Is that so? Well, while I’m here, maybe you could be my official tour guide.” Jana stopped in her tracks. Where had that come from?
“That might not be such a bad idea.”
Jana and Stephen continued their walk down to the coast and the view stole Jana’s breath away. Golden rock formations sprung up out of the ground around them, casting their long shadows into the Pacific Ocean. They created a sightline, drawing the eye to the vast blue expanse of water, stretching out until it spilled over the horizon line and out of sight.
Stephen pulled Jana closer to him. “If you look out over here,” he pointed to a massive monolith rising out of the waves like a Titan. “That’s Haystack Rock. It’s almost impossible to get a photo here without catching that beast in the frame.”
His hand lingered on Jana’s shoulder, but she hardly noticed. Her date was being totally upstaged by the splendor all around her.
“Come over this way and we’ll eat.” Stephen dropped his pack near the foot of a sand dune that had to be close to four stories high, and laid down a striped, natural texture blanket.
Jana waited on the sidelines, watching Stephen prep for breakfast. The age difference between them still nagged at her a bit, but that voice was being stifled by the part of her that was excited at the prospect of a man who could take care of not only himself, but maybe her too.
It’s not like she was one of those women whose goal was to be in a leisurely situation. It was most definitely not. She’d lose her mind if she didn’t work. Besides, here were too many ugly homes in the world for her to quit. However, to see that she could potentially find a partner, was huge and frankly, gave her hope for her relationship future. “Do you need a hand with anything?”
Stephen stood up and brushed his hands on his jeans. “If you could search the hill for some dry kindling that would be great.”
“Sure. You’re building a fire?”
“Of course. That is, unless you want cold coffee.”
“Oh, hell no. I am off.” As Jana trotted up the hill with Stephen chuckling behind her.
She zoned out as she picked dried grass and sticks, tossing them in the makeshift basket she made by holding out the front of her tank top. From her vantage point, she could see Stephen milling about below, but she had to take a minute to enjoy the landscape. A hike was a great idea and the sea air helped clear her head of any doubts about what she was doing. Getting out of Seattle was the right choice and not just because of the company.
She took in one last lungful of salty air and started for the beach and the silver fox below. The sun glinted off something to her left and caught her attention. A dark man lay on his belly in the grass. Jana couldn’t make out any more than the figure, but he seemed to be watching somebody down below.
It was odd, but she put it from her mind and sat on the edge, pushing herself forward so she surfed down to the beach on her ass. “Here’s your fire starter,” she said passing the armful of dried sea grass to Stephen.
“Thanks. I’ve just about got everything else set up so have a seat and I’ll get this coffee going.”
Jana parked herself on a corner of the blanket and was once again surprised. It would appear, Stephen had thought of everything. He had a spread of cut fruit, yogurt, and croissants under a mesh cover. He had a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket with a half-gallon of orange juice. “You really thought this through!”
“You sound shocked.”
“Well yeah. Guys don’t normally put this much effort into their jobs, let alone a date.”
“Then you’ve been dating the wrong guys.”
“Apparently. You’ve already scored more brownie points than my last three boyfriends combined, and I’ve known you, what? Two hours?”
Stephen chuckled and struck a match. He turned his back on Jana to get the fire going, and he was glad she couldn’t see his face. What was wrong with the male species today? All he did was take Jana out for some fresh air and that made him more impressive? Maybe he had been in the military too long.
With the little firing crackling and the coffee pot on, Stephen shuffled back to the blanket on his knees. “So how long has it been since your last relationship?” he asked.
She had a mouthful of food and swallowed hard before answering. “Um, about three weeks.”
“I’m guessing it wasn’t too long term then if you’ve already started dating again.” Stephen grabbed a pastry and tore into it.
“Not really, it was just shy of five years. What about you?”
Stephen choked on his croissant. Jana had to smack him on the back before he could speak again. “Five years? And you didn’t get married? What kind of putz did you date?” She flinched and turned away. Stephen felt like an ass. “I’m so sorry. That was out of line. It’s just that you’re so beautiful and if you haven’t been lying to me, you seem to have a lot going for you.”
Jana giggled. “You aren’t making this any better, you know,” she said playfully.
“I know. Please stop allowing me to talk.” He’d accidentally revealed his weakness: he was a nervous babbler.
“You didn’t cross a line, per se. You just caught me off guard. My ex was a putz. He was one of those who preferred to spend more time and energy on his Xbox and partying with his friends than on his relationship or you know, a job.” She dropped the chunk of melon she was eating and wiped her palms on her shorts. “But I don’t want to talk about that. I need to put Charlie as far behind me as possible.” She looked up into Stephen’s soft blue eyes and smiled weakly. “I’ve just sworn off man-children from here on out. You aren’t one of those are you?”
“You’re going to have to explain that to me. I’m not familiar with the term.”
“Really? That’s nuts! Okay, a man-child is exactly what it sounds like. They look like a grown man on the outside, with the ability to grow facial hair and invest in the stock market, but still pursue childish past times like, playing video games, reading comic books, and/or behaving with a level of immaturity and laziness that is abhorrent to the opposite sex.”
Stephen barked a laugh. That was the craziest thing he’d ever heard. “Wow! Now I know for sure I had been in the military too long. No, I do not behave like that. If I ever did, twenty-five years in the navy had beaten it out of me. I still like to surf though, is that frowned upon?”
Jana bit her lip and shook her head. “Only as long as you still mow the lawn and pay your electric bill.”
“Whew. I’m safe then. I live in a condo close by so all of that is one payment. Done,” he declared.
Jana mixed a pair of mimosas and took a sip of hers. In the back of her mind she recalled Charlie saying something similar about being responsible over his hobbies. Worry simmered in her belly. She wanted to like Stephen, but to do that, she had to remind herself that he wasn’t Charlie, or anyone else she’s been out with. Hell, he wasn’t even totally the same species. “Do you mind if I ask you about being a shifter?”
Stephen paused mid-chew. It wasn’t unusual for a new person to be curious, it had just been so long since he had to explain it to anybody. “Well, ninety per cent of my time is spent human so it isn’t too different than your life. I do live in a community of other shifters though, so I suppose I’m in sort of a bubble. The only real differences besides the obvious are, I heal stupid fast, I age a little bit slower than humans do, and when we find a mate, we mate for life.”
“That explains why you still look to be about my age with gray hair,” Jana teased.
Stephen’s eyes grew wide. “I have gray hair?” Making an incredulous face, he started pulling on the longer pieces in front, trying to see what it looked like. Jana started laughing at him.
“I’ve been going gray since I was about twenty. My hair seems to have missed the age slowly memo. You have such a pretty laugh. You remind me of Tinkerbelle when you laugh.” He said as he raked the hair back in to place.
Jana blushed and looked away. “Um, thank you,” she mumbled before she popped a strawberry in her mouth.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, it’s not. You were being sweet. It’s no big deal, really. I, uh… thank you.”
Silence settled over them again and Jana stared out at the ocean. She could see Stephen studying her out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t want to acknowledge him just yet.
What was the matter with her? He didn’t say anything that was wrong or not true. Charlie was never going to propose; neither were any of the other deadbeats before him. An engagement and marriage were possibilities she had never considered before, because they had never come up. At some point she must have just wrote marriage off as something that wasn’t in the cards for her and let it go.
But when Stephen mentioned that his kind partnered for life, she didn’t freak out inside like she thought she should have.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Stephen asked.
“Hmm?” Jana finally looked at him. “Oh nothing. I was just taking in this view. Seattle has a gorgeous skyline, but it can’t compare to this. I’ve been doing it wrong.”
Stephen scooted closer, but not so much that they were touching. “Would you like to go for a swim? The water might be a little chilly, but it’s nice enough weather that it shouldn’t matter too much.”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
Pacific City was feeling more and more like it was meant to be for Jana. After renting her Cape Kiwanda cottage for a month, it was time to buy. She got to know the town and a few of the people. She even hooked up with one of the local real estate brokers to see if there was reciprocity between her Washington license and getting one in Oregon.
The biggest selling factor though, was Stephen. Jana had been out with him at least twice a week since their first date, and it was going better than she could have imagined. She could hardly contain her surprise when she received a text from him after their first date, asking her out on another one. She thought for sure she blew it somehow.
There was one thing that bothered her. Whenever the topic of jobs or careers came up, he evaded the question by either changing the subject or answering with something vague and general like, “I was in the Navy.” She was curious about what his rank was, when he first enlisted, what was training like, any details at all, and she didn’t get any. Fingers crossed it wasn’t a red flag.
She wouldn’t let that sour her mood though, Jana was off to her first showing with some pep in her step and a smile on her face. The first showing was an open house within walking distance of Stephen’s condo. She was looking forward to getting back to work plus, there was nothing like an open house to get to know your community better because, they didn’t just attract buyers, oh no. They also attracted every nosy neighbor with six blocks of the property.
The open house started at nine, and the first shopper showed up at nine-oh-five. “Good morning. Here’s the sale sheet. If you have any questions, just let me know.” And so her spiel went between refreshing the muffins and pitchers of tea.
That is, until around noon. Jana was ready to call it a day, about fifty people had toured through, so she could call the last few hours a success. A dark looking man entered and glowered around in the entryway. He wore a black baseball cap, pulled low, which hid his close cropped hair, the edges were tinged with gray. The bill of the cap shadowed most of his face. His ill-fitting clothes were clean, if a bit sloppy. The intensity with which he carried himself immediately put Jana off.
Like a good agent, she still had a flyer at the ready, but didn’t love the idea of turning this guy loose in a client’s home. “Good afternoon, sir. Here are the details on the house. It’s a three bedroom, two baths, and just under twelve hundred square feet. If you have any questions at all, let me know.” The man leveled an ice cold stare her way and she wanted to fade into the walls. Jana was grateful she had her phone in her back pocket instead of in the car.
The man smiled, and his face transformed from menacing to warm and inviting in a flash. Jana had to blink twice to make sure she was seeing it right. He tipped his hat back away from his face to reveal the coolest colored eyes Jana had ever seen. They seemed to glow amber in the sunlight. “Will do,” he answered, and he set off to explore the house.
As soon as the man left she whipped out her phone to text Stephen.
Running a little late for lunch. Got a last-minute straggler and he is creepy!
The stranger returned just as she was putting her phone away. “So, what do you think?”
He nodded, looking around the bright living room. “I like it; and the price is right.” He peered out the window to check out the street.
“Well, if that’s everything my contact information is on the sheet I gave you if you’d like to put in an offer. I’m going to have to close up now, the open house is finished.” Her tone was a little more clipped than she intended, but something about the man felt wrong and she wanted him to go.
“Thank you. I’ll be in touch soon.” And he showed himself out.
Jana heart was in her throat as she tried to get her wits about herself, but she had a hard time shaking the sinister feeling that had settled around her.
“Jana, are you alright?”
She woke up from her reverie to find Stephen standing in front of her. “When did you get here?”
“Just a minute ago. Did that guy leave?”
“Y– yeah. I’m okay.”
Stephen wasn’t buying it. Something had left her spooked and he needed to find out what it was. “Stay here while I look around. I want to be sure that guy left.”
Jana nodded and clutched her stack of flyers to her chest as Stephen started shedding his clothes.
Her eyes widened as more skin was revealed. “What are you doing?”
With a wry grin he said, “Looking around.”
Jana’s eyes were glued to the long, lean lines of his body, the way his muscles flexed and contracted as he pulled his shirt over his head sent the butterflies loose in her stomach. He kept his back turned to her, but she was dying for him to turn around, so she could see the rest.
When he at last shucked his pants, he stretched and rolled his shoulders back. With a shudder, he shifted into his animal form. Jana’s jaw dropped at the sight of the timber wolf that stood where Stephen was only a minute before.
With only a single backward glance, he was gone.
Keeping his nose to the ground, Stephen zig-zagged across the lawn, hot on the track of whoever it was that scared Jana. The scent trail was strong and oddly familiar, but he couldn’t place exactly why and that was going to bother him to no end later. The scent didn’t belong to a human, that much he could be sure of.
His ears perked up. An engine roared to life close by. Stephen dove into the bushes to hide and watch the street from the safety of the branches. If indeed he knew who the person was, then chances were good he or she would know him too even in his wolf form. A late model, black Toyota Tacoma crept past him, far slower than even the neighborhood speed limit required. The driver was watching and waiting, looking for someone.
I do know him. Stuck to the rear window was a decal that was only available to certain people of a certain rank. His hackles went up as the truck paused in front of the house a moment before rolling away.
Stephen waited in the bushes for several minutes after the tail lights disappeared to make sure the truck didn’t double back. It wasn’t until he was positive the coast was clear that he went back to the house.
Jana was right where he left her, leaning against the counter looking properly disturbed. He shuddered again and shifted back to human form. “Jana? Anybody home?”
“That. Was. Incredible! I’ve never seen anything like that before!” She stepped up closer and touched his face. It was warm, solid, and human skin not fur. “What’s it like?”
Stephen closed his eyes and pressed her hand to his cheek. “It’s hard to describe. You know when you get a chill and you have an involuntary, full body spasm? Shifting sort of feels like that, cranked to eleven.”
Jana stroked her fingertips down his neck, over the day’s stubble growth. “Does it hurt?” Digesting what she saw was difficult, her mind still had its head in the sand, refusing to acknowledge that her handsome man also happened to be able to go furry at will.
“Only if you fight it. Every shift is uncomfortable and not very pleasant, but the change happens so fast you don’t really have time to think about it too much.”
Jana was using the barest of touches, leaving goose bumps in the wake of her fingers. Stephen stood stock still, and it took all his control to just stand there and take the teasing without touching her himself. Outside of some making out, they hadn’t really gotten physical yet; and he wanted to so badly.
Jana was plucked straight from his fondest wet dream. At first glance, her slim stature wouldn’t cause her to stand out from the crowd, but on a second look, he was caught like an animal in a trap. Her long legs were strong and well-muscled. With the amount of time they had spent outside together he had had plenty of chances to admire them; and imagine how they feel wrapped around his waist or hooked over his shoulders.
She had snuck into his head and starred in many of his fantasies as of late and Stephen was ready to try a few of them out.
“Oh!” Jana dropped her hand. “I’m sorry. Did I go too far?”
“What?”
“You’re uh, still naked. I wasn’t paying attention. Sorry.”
Stephen glanced down to find that he wasn’t keeping his thoughts entirely to himself. He looked back at Jana with a wolfy grin. “Don’t be. I won’t do anything you’re not ready to, and I’ll be patient, but I’d like to take you to bed, Jana.” He slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her against him and just held her gaze. It was up to her to make the next move.
Jana’s breath hitched as Stephen’s hands pressed on the small of her back. Was she ready? Lord knew there were more than a few close calls between them, each opportunity came to a screeching halt when Jana pulled away. Stephen said he would be patient, but would it be fair for Jana to test that patience any more than she already had?
As she stared into the stormy depths of his eyes, she felt herself drowning in them. The storm brewing in them sucked her down deeper, pulling on her harder with each attempt she made to get air. He was getting harder to fight and she was running out of excuses, none of which had anything to do with him and all of them having to do with her.
For the last month, Jana forced Stephen to carry her baggage from Charlie and the other jackasses she dated. Stephen had proved he was nothing like them and quietly waited while Jana dealt with those insecurities, so they could move forward; together.
Even though she was sorely tempted by the cock pressed against her belly, there was still just one thing she needed to know. “When you said your kind mated for life,” her voice came out rough and barely above a whisper. “How do you know when you’ve found that right person or shifter?”
Stephen smiled and leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. “We know when we’ve found the right person when the one we’ve found fits comfortably into our lives as if they’d been there all along.” He brushed an errant blonde lock off Jana’s forehead and tucked it behind her ear. “There’s a switch that flips inside us and that’s it. We can’t see anyone else but the one. It happens pretty fast after meeting that person.”
Jana’s heart did a little flip. She didn’t want to get her hopes up – after all the relationship was only a month old – but she couldn’t help but feel like Stephen wasn’t just talking in generalities anymore. The earnestness on his face and the way his eyes softened as he spoke, told her more than his actual words had.
She brought her hands to his neck, letting her fingers play with the soft curls at his nape. She was so done with fighting with herself. Raising up on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his. She drank him in as her mouth moved over his, exploring, tasting, allowing herself to be claimed by him, by finally allowing him in.
Stephen tugged her blouse out of the waistband of her skirt, and ran his hands up her taut belly to cup her breasts. When Jana sighed his name, his control slipped. He tugged her skirt up around her waist, and boosted her so she could sit on the kitchen counter. Fumbling with the buttons on her blouse, he nibbled along her jawline, and down her neck. He pulled down her bra, her full breasts spilling from their restraints.
Jana leaned back on her hands, her head thrown back as Stephen devoured her. Her underwear was soaked through already. As Stephen’s mouth closed around her nipple, she thought she would come on the spot. Her hands tangled in his hair, holding him to her as he sucked, and the pink bud into attention. She gasped as he nipped at the skin of her breast. The jolt snapped her back to attention.
“Stephen! We can’t do this here.” He teased her outside of her panties. “Ah, I have to sell this,” she drew in a sharp breath as he parted her lips. “Ihavetosellthishouse!” The next words after that were choked off by a moan as Stephen slipped two fingers inside her.
Stephen quickly scanned the room. All the doors were shut and locked and the blinds were drawn. Nobody was going to know. “Don’t worry about it. No one can see in. Of course, I don’t mind an audience.”
At some point she had quit caring. The magic Stephen was working with just his fingers would have convinced her to fuck him as the halftime show at a Seahawks game. She didn’t notice he had squatted down, but with the first flick of his tongue over her swollen clit, she nearly shattered. “Oh my God, Stephen!” she cried as she white knuckled the edge of the counter. The man was talented. The pace of his tongue matched that of his fingers, driving Jana closer to orgasm. “Unless you want me to come on your face, you need to get up here and do me right now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” That was all Stephen needed to hear. He rose to his feet and pushed Jana’s legs open wide. In one swift motion, he slid her closer to the edge and pushed inside her. As he thrust, Jana wrapped her legs around him, fulfilling one of his simpler fantasies; and they felt as amazing as he thought they would.
Jana dug her nails into Stephen’s back and cried out. With the size of him, he stretched her, each thrust was pleasure bordering on pain. Exquisite and delicious pain.
“Look at me, Jana. I want to watch you.”
She leaned back on her hands again, allowing him to push deeper. The angle gives Stephen full view of her bouncing tits and ecstatic expression. She threw her head back as she came, pressing her lips tightly together to keep from screaming his name out. Stephen came undone quickly after her. The experience was worth the wait and then some.
Jana giggled as she sat upright.
“What’s so funny?” Stephen shrunk back a little.
Jana pulled him in and kissed him deeply before answering. “Nothing. This is the reaction of a woman who has been well and truly fucked properly and I can’t wait to do it again.”
Jana sold the house within the week… to herself. She needed a place to live and while the cottage was nice, she couldn’t see it being home on a permanent basis. Besides, she had the itch to do another flip and at the open house, she realized the potential if someone would just put a little sweat equity into the property. There was also the little factor of selling a home she had already christened herself. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it; not with a straight face anyway.
Since that day, her feet hadn’t touched the ground. Jana hesitated to call it love – she felt it was too soon for that – but she was absolutely, positively, head-over-heels in lust with Stephen. He had awoken a sleeping dragon that refused to bed back down. It was a side of her she hadn’t known existed, but she was more than happy to get to know.
Her sex life in the past wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad, it just was. The relationships would start out hot and heavy right out the gate, and then slowly fizzle out starting with the quality, then the frequency, until finally she would settle into a sexless routine; and that’s what she just thought happened as time went by. Boy, was she surprised to find her forty-eight-year-old boyfriend had smoked every man that she dated in her twenties in just a few short weeks.
At first, she was surprised he could keep up with her; then she found that she had a hard time keeping up with him. Shifters had some amazing stamina. It was a good problem to have.
Jana had just settled in, in her office when a knock came at her door. Maura, the receptionist, poked her head in. “Ms. Oliver? There’s someone here to see you about purchasing a house. He says you met before?”
Jana furrowed her brow, trying to think of who it could be. “I’m not sure who he is, but I probably have and just forgot. Send him in.”
Maura nodded and pushed the door the rest of the way open, revealing the tall, brutish looking man from her first open house. The hair on her neck stood up, but she had to swallow her anxiety and put her most professional foot forward. The other one wanted to run screaming from the room. “It’s so good to see you again, Mister?”
“Walker. Theodore Walker, but you can call me Ted if you’d like, Ms. Oliver.”
His name in no way matched his menacing look. “Sure, Ted. How can I help you?”
“I am in the market for something a little older in the area. Something that might require some demo or rearranging a few features. Would you happen to have anything like that available?”
“Maybe. Give me a second to look.” She began typing the spec into her computer, but was quickly interrupted.
“That won’t be necessary. I know you have what I’m looking for what I’m looking for; I just can’t seem to find it. And by you, I mean you personally, not your company. My target is alluding me and I need a way to,” he waved his hand in the air as he groped for the right word. “A way to draw him out.” Ted sneered, revealing a missing front tooth.
Stephen! “I’m sorry, Ted. I don’t follow.” Jana figured if she played dumb, he’d go away.
Ted slammed his hands on the desk and lunged to his feet. He towered over her, the very presence of the man pressed down on her. “Where is Stephen Marciano?”
“Why?”
Ted’s sneer turned up higher in the corners of his mouth. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you and we wouldn’t want that, now would we?” With a Cheshire cat grin, he sat back down, resting his hands behind his head and his feet on Jana’s desk. Crusts of mud crumbled onto her blotter. “He’s been avoiding my calls and I have an urgent matter to discuss with him. So, what you’re going to do is pick up that phone and give him a little ring for me. Invite him for a lunchtime quickie.”
Jana remained frozen in place. Whatever this guy was, she wanted him gone. “No. And I thank you to mind your own business.”
“Oh, we are way past that, my dear. I’ve seen it all. I was particularly fond of the little black number you wore last week, but my favorite had to be at that first house you were selling with your skirt tucked up around your waist. You painted such a pretty picture, I thought about it for weeks.”
“You’ve been following me?” A mixed sense of dread and violation coalesced into a lead ball in her stomach.
“Following, watching, taking photos. But don’t worry, it’s not you I’m after, it’s that lap dog of yours. The photos are for my eyes only.” Ted watched Jana pale at the news. “So, go ahead and call Fido home so he and I can have a little chat.”
Jana steeled herself and put her foot down. “No. You need to leave Mr. Walker. I’m afraid I have nothing here for you in your price range.”
“Oh, I doubt that. You should see what I did to the women I met in Iraq while on tour; and that was for fun. Just imagine what a guy like me can do with a girl like you when there’s a purpose?”
She didn’t dare call his bluff. She picked up the phone and dialed Stephen’s number.
“Oh, and by the way, the promise still stands if you give away that I’m here. Keep it casual.”
She dialed the last number and prayed Stephen wouldn’t pick up. He answered on the third ring. “Hi, honey! How’s your day going?”
He sounded so cheery, like he didn’t have a care in the world. “I was just wondering if you’d like to meet me for lunch today?” She tried hard to keep the nervousness out of her voice.
“Of course. What time should I pick you up?”
Jana looked over at Ted for a time. He held up one index finger. “Can you do one o’clock?” The clock on her computer read eleven-thirty.
“Can you go a little earlier? Say noon? There’s this great little place I’d like to take you to, but they close at two and I don’t want to rush.”
Ted smirked and nodded in approval.
“Noon is fine. I’ll see you in a few.”
Stephen stepped out of his truck and paused to sniff the air. Something was wrong. It was the scent he caught at the open house. He would catch a faint whiff of it when out and about with Jana sometimes too. It was an acrid combination of human musk and something bigger and furrier.
As he hurried inside, the scent grew stronger. “Please don’t be who I think it is.” The trail was at its clearest at Jana’s door. Right before he opened the door he had figured it out and Jana was in a dangerous position. He dropped his mask in place and entered the room.
“Stephen!” Ted greeted. “How’s my favorite soldier? What’s it been now? Three years?”
Stephen replied through gritted teeth. “Not long enough.” Jana peeped out from behind the big man, all the color had drained from her face. “If you hurt her at all– “
“You’ll what? Bit my ankles? Is that how you greet an old friend Stevie, with threats? Now I got a proposition for you and you’re going to take the job.”
Stephen’s mouth set in a hard line. He wouldn’t take his eyes off Jana. “It’s not a proposition then if I have to do it. What do you want, Walker?”
“Just a little political assassination; nothing you can’t handle. I recall you having done that once or twice before.”
“I’d rather not discuss this in front of her.” The anger coursed hot through his veins and he clenched his fists to keep from shaking.
Ted simply smiled and grabbed a fistful of Jana’s hair, yanking her, whimpering to her feet. “You’ll discuss this wherever I damn well please. I made you and therefore, I can destroy you.” He tossed a manila envelope on the desk with a thwack. “All of your instructions are in there. You have one week and as collateral, I’m going to take this gorgeous arm candy with me. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Ted started for the door, checking Stephen out of the way.
“What if I say no? I got out, Walker. I’m not your puppet anymore.”
“Well, then you’d better go ahead and kiss this little lady goodbye because when I’m done with her, she won’t be the same.” That was the last word as Ted guffawed his way out the door, dragging a screaming Jana behind him.
For six days, Jana was locked up in a beach bungalow, which wouldn’t have been so bad if not for the bars on the windows and the deadbolts that only locked from the outside. It might have been the cutest prison ever, but it was still prison.
She had stayed curled up in bed pretty much since she arrived only eating and drinking enough to stay alive. She’d watch the tide roll in and out twice a day while catching snatches of sleep in between.
Ted hadn’t been cruelling to her, he hadn’t even done anything inappropriate. He brought her food three times a day and would try to engage her, but she wasn’t having any of it. With only one day left in Stephen’s mission, her safety hung in the balance. Ted didn’t say it explicitly, but Jana knew if Stephen failed to deliver or failed to deliver on his mission on time, Ted wouldn’t exactly guarantee Jana’s safety.
“Good morning, beautiful.” Ted set a tray down on the bedside table. “I’ve got your breakfast for you and as a special treat, I even brought raisins for your oatmeal. You’re welcome.”
It’s like Ted was two different people! He typically greeted her all cheery and smiles, but in an instant, he’d shut down and become cold and deadly. After six days of cheery Ted, Jana was sick of it.
“I’ve got some good news for you, Jana; it’s about your lapdog.”
She rolled over just enough to see him. “What news?” Her heart beat a tattoo in her chest.
“I just got word that Stevie-boy completed his mission, isn’t that great?”
For the first time all week, she could breathe. “That’s great news! So, he’s coming home?”
“In a round about sort of way. See, in the process of doing what he had to, he was gunned down, so we’re going to have to flush him.”
The rhythm her heart was pounding stopped abruptly as it was crushed beneath Ted’s boot. “Oh, God. He’s dead?”
“’Fraid so.”
The tears were coming fast as she gasped for air. “Oh, God. He’s gone. I’ll never see him again. He won’t be there when I get home!”
“When you get… Oh no, you’re not going home. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re staying here with me.”
The sobs came harder. Her stomach tensed so much, she was glad it was empty.
“You have the privilege of being the first new person picked for our program. Isn’t that great?”
“What are you talking about? Let me out of here!”
“In my tracking of your day to day, I noticed how athletic you are and that’s what we need for this to work. My department is making you patient zero-zero-one of our new dog soldier program. Stephen was picked for round one about twenty years ago, and with that being such a big success, we’ve opened it up again.”
“Who’s we?”
“The U.S. Government. You should be proud of yourself. You get to be a part of the elite. Now, eat up. You’re going to need your strength.” Ted stood up and left, leaving Jana to pick up the pieces and deal with that huge pile of news that got dropped on her.
A knock came at the door. Jana had no idea what time it was, but the sun hung low in the sky. The black and midnight blue of night leaned on the sun, nudging it slowly below the horizon line.
Three more knocks came. “What do you want?” Jana said irritably. “The door is locked from the outside, you idiot.”
The knocking stopped and she didn’t hear another thing until the hinges on her bedroom door squeaked. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath.
“Jana?” a rough voice whispered. “Jana, are you in here?”
She didn’t dare speak or move.
The voice came a little louder. “Jana, it’s me. Where are you?”
Her eyes popped open. “Stephen? You’re alive?” She threw the covers back and hopped out of bed. The floor pitched beneath her feet as her legs gave way.
“Whoa.” Stephen caught her as she crumpled. “Sit down. Tell me what’s happened to you. Did Ted hurt you?”
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He held her in her arms and those felt solid and real. “You’re dead. How did you get in here?”
“Um, only on paper. As you can tell, I’m very real and very much in front of you. And I picked the lock.”
Jana threw her arms around him and hugged him close. Fresh tears soaked Stephen’s t-shirt. “You’re not dead! Ted told me you were dead!”
“I faked it. It was the only way I could think of to get back to you and take out Ted without him getting suspicious. The mission was a success though. I was sent to kill a Supreme Court Justice and I got it done. I alerted the proper channels to make sure I got paid and then I ‘died’.”
Jana stepped back and wiped her nose. “He said you were part of some dog soldier program and was going to be the first to be a part of phase two.”
It was time to come clean. “In the nineteen nineties, the United States military brought together a select group of elite soldiers from each branch and pooled us together into this super soldier program. The program was so underground that none of what they did was ever documented except for a few select details that I wasn’t made privy to. I’ll spare you the gory details, but I will tell you that I went in at twenty-seven not a shifter and came out a few months later with the ability to change. There were a few soldiers that were shifters and they were recruited to change us and guide us through the first few months as we transitioned.
“After that we were trained and honed into finely tuned weapons and we were used as such for assassinations and tactical ground work that human soldiers couldn’t do. After I got out three years ago, I would still take on the odd contract. The payouts were great until Ted found me again. He was the one who recruited me into the program in the first place.”
Stephen and Jana froze as a key clicked in the lock. “You need to hide. That’s Ted.” She slipped back into bed and pulled the sheets over her head.
“Don’t say a word and don’t roll over,” Stephen warned.
This one Stephen’s one shot to take Ted out for good. He shifted and lay in wait at the foot of the bed for the door to open. If Ted caught him and had a chance to shift himself, Stephen was as good as dead again; he was no match against a bear.
Crouched low to the floor, he held his breath as the door opened.
“I’ve got your din–, “Ted’s words were cut off mid-sentence and a blood curdling scream took their place.
Stephen was on him in a flash. The element of surprise was all he had. His teeth closed over the soft flesh of Ted’s neck and with one good turn of the head, he had ripped Ted’s throat out. It was all over in a matter of seconds as Ted’s knees buckled and he collapsed, face down on the floor.
Jana kept her back to the carnage. The sharp tang of fresh blood invaded her nostrils and as bad as she wanted to turn and look, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“You can turn around now, honey. It’s over.”
She ate up and saw that Ted’s body had been covered with a couple of sheets, although the growing pool of blood seeping out from underneath clued her in for the most part. “Did you get hurt at all?”
“Nope. Not a scratch.” Stephen turned to show her, no damage was done.
Jana wobbled up onto her knees and beckoned Stephen to come to her. He knelt in front of her then she cupped his face and kissed him deeply and passionately, as though she would never get to kiss him again. “I thought you were gone. A part of me died right along with you when I found out.”
Stephen pressed his forehead to hers. “I am so sorry for putting you through that and for not telling you the truth about all this sooner. I know I’m asking a lot, but do you think you’ll ever forgive me?”
“Absolutely. You wanted to protect me from all this, even though I don’t think you could have either way. I love you, Stephen and I forgive you.” THE END
The firefighter’s ball in Austin, Texas was one of the most intensely planned and organized fete’s in the city. Each detail from the venue down to the silverware and table linens was organized to perfection.
Everyone who was anyone descended on the Crowne Plaza Hotel dressed to the nines in their black-tie finery, ready to mingle and be noticed. The annual event had always been a themed fundraiser for either a scholarship fund, or an inner-city school project, this year was a Casino Night to benefit the Fallen Heroes fund. The charity directly impacted the widows and children of fallen firefighters and police officers in the Austin area. Slot machines, blackjack tables, and roulette wheels had been set up around the ballroom. A poker tournament was being held in a separate room with a one hundred dollar buy-in, with one hundred per cent of the money received being donated.
Anna Nash was not one of the most beautiful or wealthy people invited to the ball. Considering the cost of entry alone was five hundred dollars a plate for non-firefighters, Anna couldn’t afford to attend even if she had the opportunity. What she could do, was earn a scant fifty bucks waiting tables and filling water glasses. With any luck, she could schmooze a few tips out of the patrons.
The catering company she worked for, Park Ave. Caterers, had been hired to provide the food and beverage menus for the first time ever in the thirteen years since the ball’s inception. Her excitable and very Greek boss, Melina Tsangarelis, was naturally ecstatic at the idea of so much exposure; and for such a good cause. Melina had Anna rolling dolmades and mixing marinades for several hundred whole chickens all week in prep for the event.
After a long week of prep and back breaking work, at last it was ten minutes until go time. Melina had assembled her entire team of twenty in the kitchen for the pep talk to end all pep talks. “Okay, everybody! We have worked hard all week for tonight. There are going to be a lot of people out there, most of them haven’t ever tried our food before so this is our chance to make a lasting impression on each one of them. So with that, let’s go out there and have fun. Oh, and don’t screw it up!”
Anna joined in for the “ready break” moment, but she found it hard to be enthusiastic about such an exciting and heartwarming moment. Not three days ago, she had been dumped by her boyfriend of nearly two years. She found it tough to muster up any feeling of “Go Team!” when her heart had been shattered into a million pieces.
Pete had called her Wednesday night that week to ask if she wanted to meet him for breakfast the next morning. “Anna, I need to discuss something with you and it’s super important that I see you in person.”
“Of course. I don’t have to be at work until eleven so breakfast is perfect.”
“Great, See you tomorrow.”
Pete had hung up before Anna could tell him she loved him, but he sounded like he was in a hurry so that was no big deal. Her hands shook as she set her phone down and her heart raced. Was this it? After two years together and six months of her dropping hints, Pete was finally going to propose! She jumped up and down on her second-hand couch whooping and clapping with the excitement of finally taking the next step with the love of her life. She called her mother and her best friend that night to tell them the good news.
She had no idea how far off base her thought process was and hard it would be to rescind the good news.
Pete had chosen a crowded public place to drop the hammer on their relationship. A smart move on his part, because while Anna could shed a tear or two, she was forced to mind her manners.
“Anna, I wanted to say that the last two years with you have been great. I’ve had a really good time, haven’t you?”
Anna beamed at him over her bacon and egg plate. “Absolutely. This has been the best two years of my life!”
A frown tugged at the corners of Pete’s mouth. While her response was nice, her enthusiasm made what he was about to do, that much harder. “I’m glad, but I think it’s time we go our separate ways. I– I’ve met somebody else.”
Anna pressed her lips together and gritted her teeth. Through sheer force of will, she avoided blinking because she was about to cry. “But, why? Who did you meet?”
Pete sighed and scrubbed his face. “Don’t worry about any of that. Listen, I said what I needed to say.” He threw a ten-dollar bill on the table. “I need to be going now. Take care, Anna.”
He had left his now ex-girlfriend gaping at him from a window booth and on the verge of tears. The entire break up only took minutes; they hadn’t even had their meal before Pete pulled the trigger. Anna had barely made it out of the diner before breaking down into crippling sobs.
She shook her head and put aside the memory. Anna knew she wouldn’t survive the night if she kept thinking about Pete. With her boss under so much pressure, she couldn’t afford to test the limits of Melina’s patience tonight.
“Do I have time for a quick bathroom break before everyone starts trickling in?” Anna asked.
Melina finished rolling up the sleeves of her chef’s coat and checked her watch. “You have five minutes, Anna. Go ahead.”
Anna dashed across the hall to the restroom. It was time for her own kind of pep talk to be able to work without going to pieces. It was one thing to push a memory aside, it was another to be able to keep it out.
After locking the door behind her, she stood in front of the mirror and adjusted her black uniform vest and bowtie. With black tie rules in place, Melina was adamant about no tattoos showing at the event. Anna had spent an hour that afternoon being extra liberal with the cover up on her neck. She had a black dragon that started at her neck, and snaked its way down her arm to just past her elbow. While the tattoo wasn’t massive, the head was about as big as her two thumbs stacked on top of each other, in some collared shirts, the spikes on his head would show. “No hint of lizard anywhere.” She pulled a pink lip gloss from her pocket to reapply. She liked how full her lips were and did whatever she could to play them up.
It was her eyes that needed little more than a coat of mascara for enhancement. Her father had always called her doll eyes; a nickname she grew to love as she got older, but as a teenager, it made her self-conscious because it only drew attention to the fact that her brown eyes were slightly too large for her face. Since recently coloring her naturally blonde hair a deep walnut, her eyes only stood out more. She loved how unique she looked.
With one last tug on her vest and a tightening of her stubby ponytail, she was ready for battle.
The night was moving along at a steady clip. Each course at dinner transitioned smoothly to the next and before Anna knew it, the entrée was over and she could take a minute to rest her feet. She skated through the kitchen, plucking a couple of leftover shrimp from an untouched cocktail setup. Hopefully, the few bites she would get out of them would quiet the growling beast in her belly; at least until her shift was over at midnight.
She checked her phone on her way out of the kitchen. “Ten-thirty, already? Hot damn!” The knowledge that she was so close to the end put a huge smile on her face. Anna wandered toward the lobby and the vending machines. The handful of shrimp were fine, but what she wanted was a Coke to keep her energy humming.
The welcoming glow of the soda machine held the promise of all things sugary, caffeinated, and good in the world. Anna pulled a handful of singles from her apron pocket and fed two into the machine. Her mouth was practically watering as she punched in the code. Then the bottle got stuck. “No! Awe, man!” She cursed as she kicked the base of the machine. Not a smart move.
“Here, let me help.” A masculine baritone offered. With two whacks of his fist on the front, the bottle dropped.
Anna gratefully retrieved her liquid ambrosia. “Thank you for Fonzie-ing that for me.” She looked up into the face of her hero and had lost all ability to speak. At nearly six feet tall, it wasn’t often that somebody made Anna feel small, but the man in front of her dwarfed her by half a foot and had the kind of broad shoulders and slim waist that carried a suit really well. Or in this case a tux.
“You’re welcome, miss?”
“Uh,” Oh, hell! What’s my name? “Nash. My name is Anna Nash.”
“Well Anna Nash, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” His wide mouth stretched into a gorgeous smile that carried all the way to his pale blue eyes. “I’m Sonny Adams. I work for Station 1. Judging by the get up, you work for the catering company that’s here tonight?”
Instead of the usual Texas drawl, Sonny’ s voice had a tinge of a lilt, Irish or Welsh, maybe? “You guessed correctly, Sonny. Is that short for something?”
He chuckled and leaned against the vending machine. “Yeah, Morrison. My parents were huge Doors fans. Still are as a matter of fact. They thought it would be cute to name their son after a dead rock star.”
“Ah. Well, I need to be going now, Sonny; my break’s over. It was nice to meet you.” Anna sucked in a deep breath and walked away. She hadn’t ever seen a man so beautiful before.
“Anna, hang on. Let me walk you back,” Sonny offered.
Anna continued down the hallway while Sonny caught up. “Sure, but don’t you have a date to get back to?”
“Yeah, but she can wait. She’s probably fixing her makeup or gossiping with the other wives or something.”
Other wives? “So, you’re married then?”
Sonny screwed up his face. “Oh hell no. Lily wishes we were, but that definitely will not happen. I refuse to even commit to being exclusive to her. I have some tastes that I’m not willing to give up for a relationship. Most women are fine with it early on, but don’t want me to keep up my habits after going exclusive.”
What sorts of habits? Judging by the way his eyes smoldered, they had to be something fun. Anna stopped in the hall and shook her head. “Let me get this straight, then. You’re basically stringing along some poor woman who thinks someday you’ll magically want to commit. For what?”
Sonny shrugged and put on that panty-dropping grin again. “She’s reliable. If I don’t find someone more interesting for the night, I can always call Lily. She’s always willing to go the extra mile for me.”
Anna’s stomach went from butterflies to nausea. “And she’s okay with being your old reliable?” Sonny shrugged. Anna’s ears got hot. The flippant way he handled this other woman’s feelings didn’t sit well with her. “Lily isn’t a dog, she’s a human being. You are so gross!” With a curt wave Anna took off down the hall. “Take care, Sonny.”
She could feel his eyes on her as she pushed through the swinging door to the kitchen. Sonny was sexy and obviously honest, which she could appreciate on some twisted level. He hadn’t bothered trying to hide the fact that he was with a date, or that he was a wicked slut, but Anna just couldn’t be okay with a guy who treated women no different than a toy. To play with someone only until something shiny and new crossed their path, was not how to treat people.
She jumped right back into her work without another thought about Sonny Adams. There was too much to do to close kitchen service to worry about the handsome and promiscuous firefighter. Besides, the ball had been teeming with more than its fair share of heroic eye candy.
Anna grabbed a bus bucket and headed for the dining room. If she hurried, she’d be able to get the tables cleared and sanitized and she’d get out no later than twelve-oh-one.
“So what time do you get out of here?” Sonny’s velvety voice teased at her most intimate places as he spoke.
Anna had to remind herself that Sonny was a cad of the highest order and she needed to stay as far away from him as possible. “That is none of your business.” Don’t look him in the eye. She maneuvered around him with her bus tub, only giving Sonny the view of her backside.
Sonny followed close behind with his hands in his pockets. The round, tempting ass of Miss Anna was quite the view, but he was eager to catch the view sans clothes. She was just the type Brandon looked for too.
As he followed Anna around the ballroom, he shot off a quick text to his best friend and fellow firefighter, Brandon Kofax. They had been close since they were kids and shared everything, including their women.
“Is there a reason you’re following me, Mr. Adams? I can see if we’re hiring if you like?” She bent low over a table to grab a couple of wine glasses. Just because she had no intention of taking the handsome firefighter home, did not mean she couldn’t have a little bit of fun with him.
Sonny slid into a chair in front of her and put his head in his hands. “Come out with me after work.”
Anna straightened up and put her fist on her hip. “I already told you no.”
“Ah, that you didn’t,” he said with a wag of a finger. “You told me the time of the end of your shift was none of my business. Big difference.”
Anna’s mouth flattened into a line. He got her on a technicality. “Fine. I’m telling you now. I’m not interested.” The plan was to go home and wash off the stink of spilled grape leaf water and red wine.
She grabbed the last few plates and hustled back to the kitchen with the bus tub on her hip and Sonny hot on her heels. “Anna, hang on.” He hopped in front of her, blocking the only kitchen door in the room. “I have a proposition for you. Meet me after your shift. I’m only asking for one night.”
Anna blinked at the bold specimen in front of her. “You got yourself a mighty pair, don’t you?”
Sonny grinned. “That I do, Miss Anna.” He moved in closer, leaving only inches between them. “I’d be happy to show you just how big. Come out with me tonight.”
With the tension humming between them, Anna was dangerously close to saying yes, but just couldn’t do it. Even if the wounds from Pete weren’t so fresh, Sonny was not the kind of guy who would be good for her to get involved with. “Sorry. My answer is still no,” she said as she pushed past him into the kitchen.
Sonny stood in shock as he watched Anna walk away. He couldn’t believe it; a woman had rejected him, turned him down flat. Women never said no to him.
She didn’t even pretend to be interested, didn’t women at least humor a guy? Sure, he got to scope out her ass, but he wanted more and had been denied. The fact that he had never been turned down before only made him want her more. He was going to get her in his bed, he just had to figure out how.
“Don’t you think it’s time to get back on the horse, Anna? It’s been over a month since you and Pete broke up.”
Anna frowned. If this was where the conversation was going, she didn’t think that accepting a lunch date with Winnie was a good idea after all. “I don’t want to date yet, Win.” It didn’t help that her mind waffled between being consumed by memories of Pete to thoughts of her and Sonny Adams tangled in the sheets. Sonny had been starring in her dreams at least once a week since meeting him, leaving her wholly unsatisfied.
“You don’t even have to date anybody. It just might be time for a ride to get the practice down again.” Winnie’s green eyes watched Anna over the rim of her mug. She was waiting for Anna to admit she was right. Winnie could tell that Anna needed a little lovin’, her best friend intuition told her that.
“Ugh, you’ve been on this kick for over a week now. If I join a dating site, will you get off my back?”
Winnie grinned at her friend. “Absolutely. And let me just recommend one for you. Have you checked out ComeShift yet?”
Anna furrowed her brow. The name sounded familiar. “Is that the shifter dating site?”
“Oh yeah. That’s where all the hotties are. You should definitely check it out.” Winnie pulled out her tablet out of her purse and signed into the app. “Go ahead and scan through a few on my account.”
Anna hesitantly grabbed the tablet from Winnie’s hand. “Your account? You’ve been on here?”
“Of course! Why do you think I can give such a glowing recommendation? Do you remember Zach, the construction worker?”
“No way! He was a shifter?” Zach was the poster child for the All-American, white-bread male with his mop of sandy blonde hair, chiseled physique, and awe shucks attitude, he could have been Captain America.
“Yup. Lion shifter and fantastic in the sack. Probably the best I ever had.”
“But you aren’t dating him anymore.”
“Oh, honey. Zach and I never dated. You were lucky enough to meet him because I invited you to. Most of the time, we never got out of bed.” Winnie had an almost wistful look in her eye as she thought about that lover. “Which reminds me, I don’t have plans this weekend. I should call him.”
“Wow.”
Anna scrolled through photo after photo of gorgeous men. Each fell into different categories based on their animal, relationship wants, and sexual orientation. Even the women that popped up were exceptionally beautiful. “Is it a rule that in order to be supernatural you have to be really, really, ridiculously good looking? There isn’t one average looking person on here.” Anna was in awe as she kept on scrolling.
“I don’t think so,” Winnie said. “At least it’s not a written rule. I personally haven’t met a shifter, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I’ve only known a few.”
One striking fellow caught Anna’s attention. He had blonde hair and a similar look to Winnie’s Zach, but there was a darkness about him that drew her in. She committed his name, Brandon, to memory so she could look him up later. “Alright, I’m convinced. I’m still not sure I’m ready for a relationship.”
Winnie giggled. “You don’t have to be, just take one for a test drive, no one says you have to buy right away, or at all if you don’t want to. Just go and have yourself a little fun.”
“I can do fun,” Annie declared.
“Can you? I hope so because I don’t like seeing you so mopey.”
“I have not been mopey!” Anna scoffed.
“You think so? I had to drag you out of your apartment after four days of being holed up in there watching Bridget Jones’ Diary and Pretty Woman over and over. I vaguely remember having to wash you in your shower, but I’ve tried to block that out.”
That was true. After the firefighter’s ball Anna had called out sick with the flu and hunkered down under the covers. Some would say she was wallowing in self-pity, but not Anna. She saw it as self-reflection time… with ice cream. “You call it mopey, I call it me-time,” Anna said with a shrug.
Winnie chuckled. “Whatever you say, Anna.”
Anna handed Winnie back her tablet and took her phone out. That Brandon guy caught her attention and she didn’t want to risk him getting snapped up by someone else.
“Are you signing up now?” Winnie asked as she bounced in her seat.
Anna nodded. “I am. I think I found someone I want to meet.”
Winnie squealed and clapped her hands. “Oh! I can’t wait. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.”
Anna told Winnie, she’d give the ComeShift app a shot, but she never thought in a million years that she’d get such a fast response from anybody; especially a guy she assumed was way out of her league. Within hours of sending her hello, Brandon had responded back.
I’d love to meet up sometime. How’s Friday night? I’ll plan the date.
Friday? Anna rifled through her mental planner. She was waiting tables for a wedding until about seven. She worked out the logistics of whether or not that would work, all while trying to not let her nerves get the best of her.
Friday will do just fine. I have to work until seven and will have to clean up after. Want to do a nine o’clock meet up?
Meeting up with a guy that late almost always spelled booty call. Anna needed to decide before she got there what this was going to be. Brandon’s profile said single and open to a relationship, but what did that mean? Relationship was such a broad term that could mean anything from friends with benefits to marriage potential and anything in between. Anna felt like she ought to heed Winnie’s advice and just go with it and if things get physical, then why not enjoy the ride?
Nine o’clock is perfect. I can pick you up, just tell me where.
Brandon had included his phone number in the last message. Anna’s heart pounded in her ears as she read through the message twice more. Would her being picked up by a perfect stranger be a terrible idea? She would be in a public place if she brought a change of clothes with her, it wasn’t like he’d see where she lived.
Anna picked her phone up off the scarred coffee table and clicked her fingernails against the screen. Her half chewed nails and chipped black polish looked terrible. Seeing as she was going to go on her first, first date in two years, it might be worth springing for a manicure
“Just tell him yes, you weenie. What are you afraid of?” That was easy. Her heart was still broken thanks to Pete. She was afraid of disappointment, of being happy, of having a good time, and most of all, healing. There was a chance that no matter how this date turned out, she could come out better on the other side. That was the scariest part of all.
Anna shook her head and put the phone back down. “You’re over thinking this, kid,” she mumbled. “Text him later when you’re thinking clearer.”
Then there was the current resident in her fantasies, Sonny Adams. She couldn’t emotionally afford to have a scoundrel like him in her system. If she kept thinking about him, she’d have a really hard time accepting a real lover over her fantasy one. That was all the motivation Anna needed to pick her phone back up and text Brandon her response.
Friday had rolled around a lot faster than Anna had anticipated. After a long week of working business functions and helping Melina at the farmer’s market, it was time to get ready for her date. Well, almost.
Anna had packed a bag that morning with a casual option of jeans and a t-shirt, and a dressier option in case they were looking at a sit down dinner.
The wedding reception was being held in the same hotel ballroom as the firefighter’s ball, a fact that was not lost on Anna. She had spent her entire shift looking over her shoulder for her dark fantasy man. After a while, she felt pretty stupid. Why would Sonny show up at a Hindu wedding? While she knew how stupid the very notion was, it didn’t stop her from being wound tighter than a clock her entire shift.
At last, seven o’clock rolled around. Anna said goodbye to Melina and the rest of the staff before making a break for the hotel gym locker room. It was the only place available quickly for her to wash off the aroma of curry that was currently clinging to her body.
The hotel gym was deserted. The only sounds Anna heard were her footsteps echoing off the tile as she approached a shower stall. The white tiles had been scrubbed to pristine perfection. It looked like the showers had never been used.
Her fingers fumbled over the buttons of her blouse and because of her sweaty palms, she couldn’t get a grip on any of her fasteners. “Ugh!” Anna exclaimed. “Get your shit together! It’s just a date. You don’t have to marry him.” Anna gave herself a pep talk as she finally stumbled out of her work clothes and turned the water on.
The hot water began to work out the knots in her shoulders and slough away some of her doubts “Okay, you can do this. Sure, Brandon is mega hot, but don’t let that intimidate you.” Anna knew she had a lot going for her. It was a shame that Pete never realized it. Deep down she knew that by dumping her, Pete had done something that Anna wasn’t sure she’d have had the strength to do herself. Years of being unappreciated and taken for granted had taken their toll on her self-worth. Anna was starting to feel better about herself, it would do her no good to backslide and she knew it.
Anna poured out a generous dollop of her rose scented shampoo and set to work. With less than two hours until Brandon picked her up, she couldn’t afford to dawdle.
***
Anna was coiffed, fluffed and powdered to perfection by ten minutes to nine. Her dark hair fell to her waist and was the most time consuming part of the entire process with the washing, blow drying, and flat ironing of the ridiculous length. All the work was worth how well her look came together from the board straight hair to the figure hugging dress to the sky high heels, which made her legs look amazing.
She waited anxiously on the sidewalk, checking her phone. Brandon had sent a text letting her know what he’d be driving, but for all her nervousness, she had forgotten. “A midnight blue Camaro. Alrighty. I’m looking for a dark blue phallic symbol. Hoo boy.” Anna had a chuckle at Brandon’s expense. She was familiar with the term “overcompensation” and how it applied to the guys that drove cars like that. She hoped that this one would be the exception.
A minute later, the car she was looking for, pulled up to the curb in front of her. Anna took a deep breath and reached for the handle when the most gorgeous man she had ever seen stepped out of the driver’s side.
Brandon Kofax looked like a blonde Clark Kent had jumped off the page of a comic book and came to life. His hair had been cropped short, and judging by the clean neckline, very recently. The intensity of his blue eyes made Anna’s belly quiver as they raked over her body… twice.
Brandon smiled warmly at her. “Allow me,” he said as he maneuvered around to the passenger side.
Of course, his teeth are perfect. His profile picture couldn’t begin to do this guy justice. Brandon wore a well-tailored gray suit that perfectly hugged the lines of his body. Oh lord, there’s something about a man in a suit. He wasn’t wearing a tie, but there was still no doubt that they were off to somewhere a little more upscale than the typical chain restaurant.
As Brandon opened the door Anna, stepped in. He was shocked by the black dragon winding its way down her neck and arm. He blinked twice to make sure his eyelids could still touch each other. The mark on Anna’s body told him everything he needed to know. Brandon shut the door and quickly fired off a text to his best friend before hurrying back to the driver’s side.
His night was about to get interesting.
***
The pair had arrived at a swanky yet rustic looking restaurant with a planter box filled with cacti and succulents to greet them as Anna and Brandon approached the front door. A white pergola covered the front entrance, making Anna feel like she was visiting a friend’s house rather than a hip downtown restaurant.
Brandon once again got the door for Anna and allowed her inside first.
“I hope you like this place. It’s one of my favorite restaurants. The owner and chef work with local farmers and ranchers to create their menu.”
The poor girl didn’t know what hit her as Brandon sauntered up to the host stand. Her green eyes grew wide and she wiped her hands on her pants. “Ca- can I help you?”
Anna bit back a grin as Brandon leaned it and turned on the charm.
“Yes. I have a reservation for three under the name Kofax.”
The hostess’ hands shook as she turned the page of her black leather book and found his name. “R- right this way, Mr. Kofax.”
“I think you’ve positively dazzled that poor girl, Brandon. And I think you made the reservation wrong. She said it was for three people?”
With an “awe shucks” shrug and a half-smile, Brandon slid into the booth and nodded to the now blushing hostess. She handed them their menus and scampered back to the host stand; no doubt to tell her friends about the stud at table twelve.
Anna turned the paper printout over in her hands, wondering about the reservation for three. “Care to enlighten me about this reservation situation?”
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of Brandon’s mouth. “The restaurant didn’t make a mistake. The reservation is for three. I have a friend coming to join us and he’ll be here in a few minutes. Oh good, they got more of the snapper.”
Anna set her menu down and folded her hands. “Hang on. I thought this was going to be a one-on-one. You didn’t tell me we’d be a trio tonight.” Anna watched as something flickered in Brandon’s eyes. For a moment she thought she imagined it, but whatever it was, gave her a little jolt south of her belly button.
“I promise you, you will have a good time tonight. Scout’s honor.” Brandon held up the three-finger salute and did his best to put on an innocent face.
“Were you even a scout?”
“No, but my brother was so I’m a scout by proxy.”
Anna chuckled despite herself. Brandon had been evasive, but was disarmingly charming. If he turned out to be a downright liar, Anna would be sure to never call him again, but for now she’d let it go. Besides, Brandon said “he” so their third wheel wasn’t another woman and Anna was comfortable with that. It meant no weird stuff.
“Sorry, I’m late, Brandon. I got caught at the station and couldn’t get away.”
Anna stiffened at the sound of the familiar baritone. It couldn’t belong to who she thought, could it? With a deep breath she turned her head to examine their third wheel out of her peripheral. The soft lighting glinted off a mop of almost black hair. “Shit,” she whispered to herself.
Brandon stood and clapped the new arrival on the back. “No big, man. Sonny, I’d like you to meet Miss Anna Nash. Anna, this is my friend Sonny Adams.”
Anna felt the heat burning in her cheeks and refused to look either of them in the eye. “Hello,” she mumbled. “We’ve met.” She was starting to feel like the universe had a real fucked up sense of humor.
“You’ve met?” Brandon looked from Anna to Sonny. “Oh! She’s the one from the ball?”
Sonny nodded, but couldn’t take his eyes off the blushing woman or her serious ink. Somehow, he’d missed seeing that the first tie he’d met her. “It’s good to see you again, Anna.” Although it felt like, no time had gone by since their last encounter. He had been thinking and fantasizing about her since they met.
Brandon dropped back into his seat. “Take a load off, man. I was just debating on which bottle of wine to order.
Sonny sat next to Brandon, still staring at Anna. He couldn’t believe his luck! Another chance to get the woman into bed. If they played their cards right, he and Brandon would have her naked by the end of the night.
Brandon carefully watched Anna. She refused to look either of the men in the eye and her cheeks were still tinged with blush. “What do you want to drink, Anna? Do you prefer red or white?”
Anna’s head snapped up, betrayal and anger burning in her eyes. “I’d prefer if you take me home now.”
Brandon tilted his head. “Oh? Why?”
Anna felt the anger burning through her veins. “Probably because this isn’t what I signed up for. Let’s just say, there was no truth in advertising.”
Sonny smirked and looked at Brandon. “I’m pretty sure, my name wasn’t even mentioned in the conversation.”
Anna shot daggers at Sonny. “No it wasn’t. I also didn’t see the fine print where I was going on a date with what I thought was a nice guy and wound up with a total asshat for a third wheel.” She turned back to Brandon. “Please, take me home.”
Just then, the server arrived. “Hi! My name is Janey and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Can I start you off with some wine? We have an excellent Portuguese red we just got in or perhaps a Chenin Blanc from Oregon if you’re feeling a little less adventurous.”
Before Anna could protest any further, Brandon ordered. “We’ll have the Quinta dos Murcas Assobio Douro, please. Three glasses.”
The server nodded and took off to the bar. The reclaimed wood furniture and barn wood floors lent an air of rustic sophistication to the place. While Anna could appreciate the vibe, she still wasn’t thrilled with situation she was put in. It didn’t matter that she’d had wet dreams about Sonny, she still felt duped. “I don’t know why you bothered ordering anything. I don’t want to stay.”
“Am I really that bad? You’ve only met me once.” Sonny kept a straight face, but deep down, he was hurt and confused by Anna’s reaction.
“And that one conversation was enough. I don’t like guys like you, Sonny. Or guys like you Brandon.”
“Guys like me?” The two men asked in unison.
“Yes, guys like you. Brandon, you’re a con artist and Sonny you’re a cad. If neither of you want to take me home, I’ll call a car.” She reached into the depths of her purse to fish for her phone.
Sonny made to take her purse, but stopped himself midway. “Tell you what, Anna. Just give us a chance until the end of dinner. If after that, you still feel the same way, I’ll take you home myself.”
Why did that statement feel so loaded? “Fine. You have until that check hits the table to change my mind.”
Sonny and Brandon both exhaled. That was all they needed, they were sure of it.
Brandon had ordered a mess of shared plates for the table. The trio had a little bit of everything from the marinated olives to the pig skin noodles to the blackened octopus. Brandon wanted to get in a little bit of all of his favorites. Since he and Sonny were splitting the bill right down the middle, he didn’t worry about the cost as much.
Anna spent most of the dinner giving the two men the stink eye while they chatted away about work and weekend plans. At first, she had even refused to eat, but the aroma of the parsley croissants and marrow pate was too much to handle. Soon enough, she was picking at a little bit of everything. “Oh my god,” she said at her first bite of pig skin noodles. “These are amazing.”
Brandon and Sonny both stopped mid-conversation to stare. “Whoa! She speaks!” Sonny joked.
“Ha ha, guys,” she said. But Anna couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed of herself. She had been rude to them, she felt justified in being so, but the proper Southern Girl in her couldn’t abide by such behavior and forced her to stop. “So, um. You’re both firefighters?”
Brandon spoke first. “We are. Sonny and I have been friends since we were kids. Like, the fifth grade I think? We do everything together.”
“That’s cool. I’m kind of jealous f you guys. My childhood best friend dicked me over in college so I don’t have one of those anymore.”
Sonny leaned in a little closer. “What happened?”
Anna chuckled and shook her head. “She fucked my boyfriend.” Neither man responded, which encouraged her to keep talking. “Jokes on them though. She trapped him by getting pregnant. Now they’re married with four kids and they’re both miserable. He cheats on her pretty regularly and she just takes it.”
“Man, that makes me glad we have the arrangement we do,” Brandon said, shaking his head.
“What arrangement is that?”
Sonny piped up. “We just share women.”
Anna blanched. “Share? As in…”
Brandon finished her thought. “As in women in the bedroom? Yes, we do. In fact, it’s a pretty rare thing when we don’t.”
“You mean, you guys are regular about the,” she almost couldn’t say the word without blushing. “threesome thing?”
“Yeah. And we haven’t met a woman yet that didn’t mind,” Sonny answered with a wry grin.
“Huh.” Anna slouched back in her chair, a little overwhelmed. “So tonight is supposed to be that?” Despite being a little overwhelmed, Anna wasn’t totally opposed to the idea. A fact that caught her a little by surprise.
Brandon reached out and took Anna’s hand. “Only if you want to. We don’t ever force a woman to do what she doesn’t want to.”
The warmth of Brandon’s hand helped to steady her. “Really? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure you both refused me a ride to keep me here.”
“Sex is totally different. We wanted you to give us a chance– me a chance, really. Brandon hadn’t had a chance to make a bad impression on you like I did.”
Sonny looked a little sheepish. He continued to surprise her; Anna didn’t think he had a shameful bone in his entire body. “I’m actually glad you guys made me stay. I’m having a good time. Thank you. I do have one question though.”
“What’s that?” Both men said in unison.
“Ah! Cut that out, it’s creepy!” Anna shook her head to remove the Children of the Corn imagery out of her head. “What happens when one of you has feelings for the girl you’ve been sharing?”
Sonny and Brandon looked at each other for a moment before Brandon spoke. “You know; it’s never come up. Neither of us has ever been in love before.”
Anna gaped at them. “Never? Neither of you has been in love before? That’s crazy to me!” Then it dawned on her. The sharing of women might be the reason why. They can’t form attachments the way they do things. The threesome agreement is also a method of emotional protection.
“Nope. And that’s fine,” Sonny answered. “No attachments, no problems.”
Now that Anna understood, she was a little more willing to come along for the ride. “That’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Being in love bites. Trust me, I’ve done it and I really wasn’t a fan of the fall out.” Anna took a bite of food to end the conversation. She hadn’t meant to bring it up, but she did not want to talk about Pete.
The guys got the hint and didn’t press her further.
They ate in silence a little while. Anna mulled over the idea of being with both men. What would that be like? How would the logistics of that work? A threesome had never really been on her radar so she hadn’t thought about it before, but now that she was, the idea was arousing. Both men in front of her were gorgeous in their own way. Sonny being a little darker while Brandon was fairer. They were both built roughly the same way and were in phenomenal shape. Their looks would certainly not be a problem. They were also shifters; another experience she hadn’t had. “Can I ask you what sort of shifters you guys are?”
Brandon answered as Sonny had a mouthful of food. “Dragon. We’re both dragon shifters. Every guy at Station One is a dragon shifter. We’re part of the same clan.”
Anna grinned. “Dragons? You’re all aware of the irony of that, right?”
Sonny chuckled. “That fact is not lost on us.” His eyes flicked to the dragon head on Anna’s neck.
She noticed the casual look. It was the third one from Sonny and Brandon had been caught staring a few times too. “Does my tattoo bother you?”
“No. I was just curious as to where you got it done and what made you pick it,” Sonny said.
“I’ve had it for about five years now. I got it done at this funky little place on First Street.” Both Brandon and Sonny’s eyebrows shot up, but they let Anna continue her story. “There was only one woman who worked there and she did my tattoo. I wandered in looking for something, I wasn’t sure what, but after talking with her for twenty minutes, this is what we came up with.”
Sonny leaned in to Brandon. “She has no idea, does she?” he whispered. Brandon shook his head. “Do you remember the conversation you two had?” Brandon asked.
“Not really. We talked a bit about my ex, who I was with at the time, and where I saw my life heading. She was more like a soothsayer than a tattoo artist.” Anna’s belly suddenly filled with a million pairs of flapping wings. The two men in front of her knew something she didn’t. “Um, anyway, she told me the dragon would guide me down the right path and lead me to where I needed to be. I wasn’t too sure about the meaning she gave it, but the design was really cool so I went for it.”
Neither man spoke, but Sonny felt a weight he didn’t know he was carrying lift off his shoulders. “You met Nikki. She’s one of us and has a unique gift of being able to find the chosen ones for us.”
“Chosen? What are you talking about?” Anna hadn’t ever regretted her tattoo before, but she was now seriously considering it.”
Sonny elbowed Brandon. “You can tell the story more coherently than I can. Why don’ you take this.”
“Dragons are a little different than other shifters. We’re harder to match with a mate than others. Each clan has, for lack of a better word, a matchmaker that finds the mates. I can’t explain how they do it, but they have a knack for finding those with the right spirit.”
Anna gaped at them both. “And then they brand them? That’s crazy!” Her hand automatically went to her neck. The overwhelming sense of betrayal rose up in her again.
Brandon nodded. “They do. The traditional way is a tattoo, although Nikki has a flair for the artistic and likes to add her own touch to them. Yours looks amazing by the way.”
“What’s the difference between how the matchmaker tattoos and any other artist? You do know how many dragons are walking around on people’s skin, right?
“There’s a difference.” Brandon continued. “Do you see here?” He swept an index finger up her arm to the shoulder, leaving a trail of goose bumps in his wake. “The matchmakers have a little symbol they embed in the faces that tips us off. Ours is a tiger’s eye stone. She put it in the dragon’s eye for us to know she did it.” His finger lingered on Anna’s skin a moment before tracing along her collarbone. Her skin was so soft and he loved how her pulsed quickened under his touch. Miss Anna wasn’t immune to their charms after all.
Anna wasn’t sure about what Brandon just told her; she couldn’t be sure if it was at all true, but what she did want was for him to touch her again; and that freaked her out a little.
Brandon sat back down and watched the struggle on Anna’s face. Neither he nor Sonny was going to push, but he could tell that she was close to coming over to their side. The fact that Nikki had found Anna, who knew how long ago, was enough to know that she was the one. Now, Anna just had to realize it.
Sonny tried to get Anna’s attention again. “Are you okay with all this, Anna?”
What could she say? Anna felt like she should have been more upset or offended that she had been marked no, branded without consent. Somehow she felt, relieved or at least calm about what happened to her.
Try as she might, she couldn’t recall the conversation she had had with the mysterious artist. Anna remembered the woman being incredibly gentle and light-handed while working. She was chatty and professional, but Anna couldn’t think of what she said to the matchmaker to make her think that she was dragon mate material. She took a long swallow and drained her wine glass; it was her fourth of the night and she was feeling happy, warm, and fuzzy.
Their server returned. “How was your experience, guys? Did you save room for dessert?”
Sonny’s eyes never left Anna’s face as he answered. “We’re all set. Just the check, thanks.” Anna finally looked up into his eyes and it was electricity.
Anna felt a tug in her belly as she stared into those icy depths. Any fear or apprehension she had been feeling about getting involved with him and Brandon seemed to dissolve away from her body. She wasn’t sure how much faith she put in the idea of a matchmaker, but she had been chosen specifically for something that made her a perfect fit for the dragons. What it was, she had no idea, but she was sure if she asked, she’d find out.
Brandon had appeared at her shoulder with his hand outstretched. “Are you ready to go?”
Was she? The image of her tangled up with the two handsome shifters was appealing, but could she do it? Anna took Brandon’s hand and stood. Brandon tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. Sonny did the same on her other side and the trio left the restaurant.
Anna smiled to herself as she thought about what they must look like to the staff and the people on the sidewalk. She felt a bit like a she was being flocked by a pair of gorgeous peacocks and the world was looking at her. Well, let them look. She was going to have the time of her life.
Anna had wondered where they were going. Even under the glow of the streetlights, she recognized all the shops and restaurants as Brandon’s Camaro breezed through downtown. “What’s the next stop then?” she asked.
“That depends.” Brandon glanced at her. “Are you comfortable with us?” Sonny had followed them in his pickup truck after leaving. “Because if not, I won’t be happy about it, but I’ll take you home.”
“I’d like to see where the night takes us.” Anna’s hand flew to her mouth as the words fell out. She was surprised to find that she had meant what she said, no discomfort to be found.
Brandon grinned and placed his hand on her knee. “That’s good to hear.” He gave her knee a little squeeze before inching himself up her thigh, pushing the hem of her dress up as he moved.
Anna’s breath hitched as he caressed the soft skin of her inner thigh. Brandon was teasing his way up into her most sensitive places. She pulled the edge of the skirt up to help him along. In a moment, her skirt was rucked up around her hips and his fingers were toying with the black silk edge of her underwear.
A quiet moan slipped from her mouth as he rubbed her lips through the thin fabric. The silk was growing wet with every stroke of his finger. The pleasure was over far too soon as Brandon edged his car up to the curb in front of an apartment building.
Brandon took off his seatbelt and leaned in close enough for Anna to feel his hot breath on her ear. “We’re at my apartment. I’d like you to spend the night,” he commanded as he drew one soft earlobe into his mouth.
Anna gasped as his teeth closed down on the supple flesh. At that point, he could have asked her to punch her own father and she would have done it. “I’ll stay.”
Releasing her ear, Brandon turned her head to face him. Pressing his lips to hers, he claimed them, feeding, commanding, owning her until she was sure she’d melt into a puddle and ruin his upholstery. “Come upstairs,” Brandon whispered.
He pulled away and got out. Immediately, the passenger door opened and revealed Sonny standing in front of her. His eyes blazed with hunger as he raked them over her exposed legs. Anna rearranged herself and got out of the car. She followed Brandon inside the building with Sonny hot on her heels. Anna could feel the heat coming off of both men even with a couple of feet between them.
Brandon led them onto an elevator. As soon as the doors closed, they were on her. Sonny buried his fist in Anna’s hair and pulled her gasping to his lips. He was both soft and claiming of her mouth. Anna sighed as Sonny’s tongue invaded her mouth, and tickled her tongue.
Brandon’s mouth was on her neck nibbling, licking, and caressing his way up and down the long column of skin. As the floors ticked by, it was a tangle of hands, mouths, and hair as the men devoured Anna. At least until the elevator dinged and the doors flew open. “This is our floor,” Brandon whispered into Anna’s ear. She tugged her clothing back into place again and followed the men across the hall. Sonny reached behind her to playfully squeeze her ass. Anna yelped and giggled, and she ran a few steps.
Brandon already had his keys out and in the lock. The man moved fast when he wanted something. The door swung open and he pulled Anna in with him.
***
The three tumbled into Brandon’s bedroom and made a beeline to the bed. There was no pretense of politeness, no drinks were offered. This night was to be about only one thing: pure, unadulterated sex.
Anna found herself sandwiched between the two men with two pairs of hot hands roaming her body. Their eyes glowed orange, and she could see shiny scaly patterns emerge on their soft skin. Brandon had his mouth on hers while Sonny pushed the straps of her dress off her shoulders. She was overwhelmed by the power of the two shifters, and by how much she wanted them both.
Her head dropped back against the chest of one man, while the other’s mouth closed around her nipple. Her last thought before giving herself over completely was, this is the craziest thing I have ever done.
Brandon rucked her skirt up to her waist while Sonny pulled the top down, exposing her bare breasts to the air. The sudden chill rippled across her skin, drawing her nipples erect and goose pimples across her skin.
Brandon sat her down and each man took one of her nipples in their mouths. The sucking and teasing of their lips and teeth made Anna’s breathing speed up. She was embarrassingly wet and so turned on, she thought she’d come if the wind shifted.
Her skin tingled and the air crackled around her. Her nose was filled with the heady combination of cologne, sex, and the powerful aphrodisiac known as the human male. As Sonny’s mouth roamed its way down her torso she shuddered with pleasure, and just a little bit of anxiety. She hadn’t been with anyone but Pete in years, what could she expect? With the first lap of Sonny’s tongue over her panties, she gasped and forgot all about those silly concerns; and as his finger pulled the damp fabric aside, she damn near forgot her name.
As Sonny was going down on her, Brandon led her mouth to his erect cock. She took his girth into her mouth and let her tongue enjoy the smooth, salty swirl.
Sonny pushed her up on to her knees, and thrust into her from behind, rocking back and forth, while she continued to satisfy Brandon. As the night progressed she soon lost track of who was inside of her, and how many orgasms they all collectively shared.
The trio collapsed to the bed in a tangle of sheets and limbs. Anna was panting and sweaty from the exertion of keeping up with the two fit men. “Holy shit. That was, wow!”
Brandon grinned. “Check it out, Sonny. She’s speechless.”
Sonny looked over at Anna. She looked so beautiful with such a deep flush in her cheeks. “Uh huh,” was all he could manage. He was used to sharing with Brandon, but something about tonight was different. For the first time, he wanted to shove Brandon out of bed so he could have the girl all to himself. It might have been because Anna Nash wasn’t just any girl. She had been a constant, running thought in his mind since he first laid eyes on her.
“I’m going to get some water. Do you two want anything?” He tossed back the covers and started padding across the room before either of them answered. He needed distance, maybe a little breathing room to clear his head.
“I’ll have some water too. If you don’t mind,” Anna called.
Without turning around, Sonny nodded and left the room. What was the matter with him? He had only met this girl one time and she rejected him flat out. The only reason he was able to get her at all was because of Brandon spinning his seductive magic. If he had a second chance on his own, he would have screwed it up again for himself, he could almost guarantee that.
Anna watched Sonny walk away and felt an intense pull to follow him. Something was wrong, she just knew it. Brandon had rolled over and was softly snoring with his back to her. “Well, that was quick,” she mumbled. And a good thing too. It gave her a chance to see what was up with Sonny.
She slid from the king-sized bed and went after Sonny; after having had a three way, she didn’t bother with clothes. The man had already seen her in some less than modest positions, being naked was tame in comparison.
“Sonny?” she asked as she poked her head into the kitchen. The vent light was on over the stove, casting just enough light for her to catch Sonny’s form leaning against the counter.
“Yeah? Go on back to bed. I’ll bring your water to you in a minute.”
Anna ignored the request and went to him instead. “Are you okay?”
“Why did you tell me no the other night?” he asked.
Anna paused, she hadn’t expected a line of questioning. “That’s easy. Because you were cocky and rude. You acted like a guy who knew he could charm the pants off any woman he wanted. You needed to hear a different answer.”
Sonny smiled as he took in Anna’s half-shadowed figure. “So you wanted to teach me a lesson, then?”
“Not really. I didn’t know you and hadn’t planned on seeing you again. I just didn’t want to get involved with Rhett Butler.”
Sonny’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. “You know what’s funny? You aren’t the first woman to call me that, but it was the first time the comparison had backfired on me.” Sonny chuckled again, but quickly grew serious. “What made you change your mind?” Please don’t say Brandon.
“I’m not sure. I think it was the need to try something new. I just got out of a shit relationship recently and needed to cut loose a little.”
Sonny turned his head so Anna couldn’t see his disappointment. “Oh, that’s all? Cool. I’m glad we could help.”
“Hang on a second.” Anna closed the last couple of feet between them. “Would it help if I told you that I was curious about you? The fact that you happened to show up on a date I was on, had to have been a sign, right?”
“Well not really. Brandon likes to invite me on all his dates and vice versa.”
Anna held up a hand. “Regardless. Tonight just felt a little bit serendipitous to me. I thought I’d see it through and find out what happens.”
Sonny cocked an eyebrow. “And?”
Anna took his hands. “And I’ve had the best night of my life. Thank you.” She stood on tiptoe and planted a gentle kiss on his mouth. Her breasts just barely brushed over his chest, commanding her nipples to attention.
Her soft thank you kiss quickly deepened into something hungrier, more demanding. Their tongues swept over each other and Sonny pulled her into him, crushing her to his body.
Every inch where his skin touched hers, set Anna’s body on fire. Her greedy hands roamed over his back and ass, curving around his hips to the front of him. She wrapped her hand around his half-hard cock and began to stroke it to its full size. Sonny was well-endowed and filled her hand.
He sighed and dropped is head back, egging Anna on. “That feels amazing, baby,” he declared before biting his lip.
“If you think that feels good…” Anna dropped to her knees and ran her tongue along the underside of the shaft. She watched Sonny’s face as she drew him into her mouth. He sucked in a breath through his teeth as she toyed with him. Her mouth and fist moving in tandem, driving Sonny crazy.
She didn’t care about her first impression of him any longer. The beautiful man in front of her was under her power and she liked it.
“Anna,” Sonny sighed. His hands dove into the tangled waves of her hair. “Anna, stop.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Stand up.”
Anna obeyed and rose to her feet. Something in the dragon’s manner compelled her to listen.
Sonny grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her onto the counter. His eyes glowed with flames. Her pelvis was level with his on the cold granite surface. Sonny gripped her thighs, and pushed her legs open as he sidled up to her.
Anna cupped Sonny’s face and pressed her lips to his. The taste of her from earlier lingered on his mouth and tongue, turning her on with every sweep of the tongue. It hadn’t been long since she’ had both men, but she wanted Sonny as badly as a man in the desert wants water.
Sonny nudged at her opening, teasing at the sensitive and swollen flesh with his head. With a groan, he eased himself inside her. “Oh God, you’re so big.” Anna gasped.
Sonny growled low in his throat as he thrusted, and the fire in his eyes brightened. “You belong to me, do you understand that?” Starting slow at first, then picking up speed as Anna gasped and moaned.
She loved every last stroke of him inside her, and as he drove her over the edge again, she called his name out and dug her nails into his shoulders. “Yes! Oh, god Sonny. Yes!”
“Tell me you’re mine.”
Anna came apart with a moan. “I’m yours,” she gasped as her body lost control.
With a shudder and groan, Sonny came quickly after her. He stayed buried in her with his arms wrapped around her waist as though she were his life raft.
“Tell me why I said no to you again,” Anna said with a giggle.
“Ah! Easy! I’m still inside you.” Sonny reluctantly withdrew, but the spasms from Anna’s laughing were a little too much for his oversensitive parts. “It’s because I had made myself as unappealing as possible.” He stroked her cheek as he spoke. “But I am really glad you changed your mind.”
Epilogue
“So it’s been a few months since I’ve seen you. What’s been going on?” Winnie asked with a glance at Anna’s midsection. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”
Anna rubbed a hand over the slight swell of her belly. She had just begun to show in the last couple of weeks so her whole life felt new. “You could say that,” she said with a giggle. “I’m sorry I’ve been MIA, but Sonny and I have just been in the throes of the new relationship period. I can’t get enough of him.”
Winnie smiled and leaned back in her chair. “That’s fine. I’ve kind of been in the same boat myself with Zack.”
“Oh, you mean you two have finally come out of the bedroom?”
“Yup. I’m not sure what happened, but one day we just decided to go see a movie and we somehow wound up committed. It’s been pretty great.”
Anna reclined in her lawn chair. Her feet hurt from running around all day and she wanted a good view of Sonny. “I’m finally going to get to see Sonny in action today. Isn’t that great? Have you ever seen Zack shifted?”
Winnie took a sip of tea, the ice tinkled against the glass. “Not yet. He’s still a little shy about letting me see his lion. I think he’s getting more comfortable with the idea though. He mentioned something about a hunt in the next couple of weeks. So what are we going to see from Mr. Sonny today?”
“He and Brandon have an exercise they’re going to do. I think it’s just to stretch their wings a bit. Sometimes they like to race just to burn off some energy.”
“I still can’t believe the relationship you found yourself in with those two. It’s so weird.” Winnie watched her friend through her dark glasses and wondered about what exactly went on with the three of them behind closed doors.
“My relationship is with Sonny. In the beginning, Brandon got an invite to join, but since confirming the pregnancy, Sonny has kept me all to himself.” A fact that she didn’t mind one bit. Anna felt the heat in her cheeks and hid her face in her magazine.
Winnie yanked the magazine from Anna’s hands. “Well, don’t be ashamed about it. It was interesting while it lasted, I’m sure.” She closed the pages to see the cover. “Celebrity gossip, huh?”
Anna shrugged. “I don’t smoke and I can’t drink for a while, so that’s my vice at the moment.” A whoosh broke from the edge of the trees and two large reptiles rose into the sky. They were nowhere near as large as the dragons depicted in legends, but they were still nearly twice the size of the men who inhabited the scaly bodies. Anna recognized Sonny right away. His scales were nearly black, only when the sun hit him just right did it actually reveal that they were green. Brandon’s was lighter, more of a deep golden brown, and both were stunning. Anna and Winnie sat in shock as the two dragons rose into the air. There was a pause as if to count down from three and then the pair took off over the tops of the trees and away from the two women.
“Wow,” Winnie exclaimed. “That was amazing! I know they didn’t do anything, but to see two dragons in real life!”
Anna was too shocked to speak. To think that she had found her mate in such an unlikely way and was now carrying his baby– who might actually be a dragon too! She felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
***
“So what’d you think?” Sonny asked on the way back home.
“I’m still speechless. That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen a shifter in their animal form–at least that I know of–and I certainly have never seen a dragon.” She laced her fingers with his.
Sonny gave her hand a squeeze. “You were the right choice then. Most people would have run screaming right to the asylum if they saw the pair of us.”
“How is it no one did see you?”
“We keep to the areas with next to zero population like where we were at today. That way, if a farmer or someone does see us, they can just chock it up to the heat or something.”
“The world knows about shifters, though. It’s not like some underground thing. I mean, I found you on a dating app and you don’t get much more public than that.”
“Technically, you found Brandon on the app. It was I who found you working a party, remember?”
Anna squinted in thought. “Oh yeah. I guess pregnancy brain is a real thing then, huh?”
Sonny’s face softened. “Yeah. And it’s pretty great.” He loved knowing that Anna was having his child. At the next red light, he snuck a look at Anna and his chest swelled with so much pride and love. The woman who didn’t want him was now his mate for life.
Anna caught Sonny staring and smiling at her. “What?”
He grinned. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” He gave her hand another squeeze as the light turned green and they headed for home.
The End.