Bought by the Puma (Studly Shifters Book 1) (4 page)

Simon was still smouldering hours later as he sat in his jeep while watching Grattidge's apartment with the use of hidden cameras. When Grattidge had been out at work, Simon had slipped inside dressed as maintenance and got into his apartment, planting cameras everywhere in the rooms, including the bathroom.

They were activated the minute someone stepped inside and now Simon was watching Grattidge in his lounge, entertaining two young women in skimpy outfits.

He thought Whitney had no right to go snooping. But it was the journalist part of her to go looking for something to make a story out of. However, as the day had gone by and Simon had found a lot of empty time waiting for Grattidge to get back, he had begun to think more clearly about the situation. He still wasn't happy but he had surmised that it was his own fault as much as Whitney's.

Why he still held onto that photograph long after the incident, Simon had no idea. And it was stupid to leave it in the cutlery drawer. Inevitably, Whitney was going to go in there and accidentally find it. And Simon couldn't expect to sit on the couch all day twiddling her thumbs.

That food had looked good and Simon's stomach had growled for food when he smelt it coming into the drive. But when he had seen the picture in Whitney's hand, all thoughts of food had disappeared. He had managed to eat from a nice little diner down the street but it didn't seem to compare to the food Whitney had thoughtfully prepared for both of them.

He was going to have to go back once he was relieved and apologize to her for his behaviour. While she shouldn't have been looking at his things, he shouldn't have been as rude as he had been. His puma had been unhappy with him all day, swiping at him every chance it got.

They were going to have to go for a very long run before Simon faced Whitney. His beast wanted blood or sex, it didn't mind which. It would be better to wear the beast out than let Whitney get hurt or humiliated because his puma wanted some action.

His mate deserved better than that.

Things were heating up in Grattidge's apartment. One of the girls was sitting astride his lap while the other girl, whose dress was on the floor to reveal her thong panties and nothing else, undressed her from behind, kissing her neck and cupping her breasts while Grattidge's hand played between the woman's legs.

Simon didn't want to watch. He wasn't a voyeur but he couldn't take his eyes off the scene. His cock hardened at the sight and immediately an image of Whitney paraded across his mind, stripping out of his robe to reveal her naked body. His beast growled, pleased at the imagery he was throwing up.

His thoughts were distracted when his cell phone began ringing. A glance at Simon’s phone told him he wouldn't be allowed to ignore this call. Not from this man. Sighing, he put the phone into the holder on his dashboard and put the call on speaker.

"I'm kind of busy here, John."

"Sorry but I do need an update."

Simon sighed. John Chalk was his boss and handler as well as a close friend. He was also one of the few people who knew about Simon's secret and that enabled them to work as a close team. But it also did mean he had to check up on Simon more than he should so they could make sure his beast was kept in check.

It was Simon's request to check in more regularly but it was still a pain in the butt.

He gave John a quick update, omitting the incident between him and Whitney. It wasn't much so it only took a couple of minutes to relay.

"What have you done about the girl?" John asked.

Simon closed his eyes. This was where he was going to get into trouble.

"She's still at the cottage."

"What? I thought you were going to send her back with a warning not to make an article about this."

"I think she'll be safer if she stays with me for now." That and she was his mate. He wasn't letting her get away. "Those men might click who I am and try to get her back."

"That's not a reason to keep her. You know that as well as I do, Simon."

Simon said nothing, focusing on the activity in Grattidge's apartment. All three participants were naked, Grattidge lying on his back on the couch. One girl was bouncing on his cock and the other was grinding on Grattidge's face as he lapped greedily while the two girls curled their tongues together in an erotic kiss.

He heard the audible groan from John, the sign that he had finally clicked at what was going on.

"Oh, shit, don't tell me she's your mate."

"Okay, I won't."

"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me this morning?"

"I didn't want to say anything at all." Simon pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "But letting her go while Grattidge is still about is asking for trouble. I just wanted to make sure she was safe, John."

"What about when you're not there?"

Simon had sorted that already, long before he left to get Whitney's things from her apartment.

"Already covered. I called Lucas to watch the cottage when I'm not there. If you add the security I've put up around the place, Whitney will be safe."

It also prevented Whitney from leaving if she wanted to due to the alarms. Only Simon and Lucas knew the code to switch it off. Whitney wasn't going to be harmed but she wouldn't be leaving either.

If Simon had anything to do with it, he'd make sure she didn't waltz out of his life. Selfish as it was, his puma was demanding its mate soon and Simon was starting to give in.

"I hope you're right." John growled. "I'm not going down with you if you get a civilian killed."

"She's not going to die." Although the thought of Whitney even getting a scratch from the ones who would want her dead left a nasty taste in Simon's mouth. His hands clenched. "I won't let it happen."

And he wouldn't. Whitney wasn't going to be hurt on his watch.

Chapter 4: The Ex

Whitney saw the lights of a car flash across the ceiling. Sitting up on the couch, she went over to the window and peered through the curtains. Simon's car had pulled up outside and he was climbing out.

Whitney ducked away as Simon turned towards the cottage and ran up the stairs to the bedroom. She had been lying on the couch, hugging a cushion watching more trash TV and craving ice cream to try and make her feel better. Even changing into her favourite zebra-print pyjamas didn't improve her mood.

The words Simon had directed at her before he left still hurt. Badly.

She jumped into the bed and kept her back on the stairs, burrowing deep into the duvet. She heard the door open and close before footsteps came up the stairs. Whitney shut her eyes tight and tried not to move.

"Whitney?"

Whitney didn't move, hoping he would go away. She wasn't in the mood to talk.

Her mother had told her once that the ones who should be arrested for being too handsome were the nastier ones. She had been referring to Whitney's father. And she was right with Simon.

She felt the bed dip as Simon sat down.

"I know you're not asleep. I saw you at the window just now." He sighed. "We need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Whitney, please."

Maybe it was the pain in his voice. Maybe it was the fact he said please. But Whitney found herself slowly rolling over and staring up at Simon. His face was half in the shadows but the expression in his eyes had Whitney's heart aching.

Simon reached out and brushed a thumb delicately across her wet cheek.

"I'm sorry, I made you cry."

Whitney sniffed and swiped at her eyes.

"I didn't cry." She lied.

"Don't lie to me, sweetheart."

The term of endearment had Whitney staring. Had someone kidnapped this man and replaced him with a clone? This one seemed to be different to the one who had left that morning.

Simon dropped his hand away from her and looked away, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I said what I said. But my past is my business. I don't know why I even keep that picture. That's a chunk of my life I want to forget."

Whitney sat up. She understood about wanting to forget things about what happened before today; there were plenty of things in her life she wanted to forget. She pulled the duvet to her breasts. Even dressed in her own pyjamas, she felt somewhat exposed to Simon.

"Who was she?" She asked quietly.

"My ex Natalya." Simon said bitterly. "We were together for three years. She said she loved me. I was ready to ask her to marry me." His jaw tightened. "Then, I caught her in bed with my best friend. So I cut both of them out of my life."

Whitney wanted to reach out and lean on him, give him some comfort. But, she didn't know how Simon would react so she kept her distance.

"So trust is a big issue for you."

"It always has." Simon shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face. "I should've thrown that photo out a long time ago. It only brought me pain whenever I looked at it."

Whitney understood that. Everyone clung onto something in the past even if it hurt them. She was always doing that.

Her opinion of Simon changed. He hadn't done it with intentional malice. She touched his hand.

"You can trust me, Simon." She said quietly. "I'm a very trustworthy person."

Simon grunted and glanced up at her.

"No disrespect to you, honey, but I don't trust people in the writing business. They're always after something. And, it's very hard to gain my trust at all."

"I can imagine." Whitney grunted. She lifted her chin at him. "But I'm determined to get it."

Simon stared at her. Whitney could see his thoughts going round and round in his head. His eyes glowed golden for a brief moment before disappearing. Whitney stared. Had she seen that correctly?

Simon coughed and looked away. It was hard to tell but Whitney was sure that he was blushing.

"How are your things? Did I get everything you wanted?"

"Yes, thanks."

They were silent for a moment more. And another. Whitney could feel the tension building and her heart began to pick up speed.

Simon coughed and drew away, standing and rubbing his hands on his jeans.

"I'll let you go back to sleep." He said gruffly. "Goodnight, Whitney."

Whitney could only stare at his retreating back as he left the room. Then, she realized that she hadn't replied and swallowed.

"Goodnight, Simon."

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Simon felt better for speaking to Whitney the night before and apologizing for his treatment of her. He didn't feel so much like a bastard anymore. But at the same time, he felt the tension coiling in his body.

He had shifted in the woods around the cottage and gone for a long run before he had ventured into the house to face her. But seeing her in those pyjamas that fitted the line of her body better than his robe had, clinging onto those gorgeous breasts of hers, had sent his arousal to near overdrive.

His cock had been rigid the whole time they had talked and his beast had been impatient, demanding that he pushed her onto the bed, ripped off her clothes and fucked her.

Simon wanted her. He wasn't going to deny that. But he wasn't one to force himself onto women and Whitney hadn't shown any indication now the drug was out of her system of being attracted to him. Simon wasn't going to explore what might be there until he knew for certain.

He didn't want his mate running away screaming because he had scared her.

The door to Grattidge's building opened for the umpteenth time and the man himself stepped out onto the street. He was dressed smartly in a light brown suit, his dark tie loosened and the top two buttons on his shirt undone. He was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Simon picked up his camera from the passenger seat and raised it to his eyes. He took several pictures as Grattidge walked to the crosswalk and waited with the other commuters to cross the street. Simon could see him eyeing a young woman in front of him hungrily. He hoped she wasn't about to become another victim of his charm or his teeth.

Neither of them had a good conclusion.

The passenger door opened and Simon scented a familiar smell as his visitor slid into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him.

"What's he been up to?"

"Lots of meetings this morning." Simon took another photo of Grattidge behind the woman he was eyeing up and lowered the camera. "He seems to be very busy today."

"Sounds like he's building up to something big."

"I snuck in and saw him in conference with a lot of his pack. They were talking about something to do with the southern pack from what I could gather."

Simon's hearing was enhanced due to his shifter blood but it wasn't easy to eavesdrop in an office where everyone was bustling about. Anyone might have noticed that he was doing something that he shouldn't so he had had to change position around the room several times.

John Chalk grunted.

"I'll get onto Larry and notify them that Grattidge is planning something." He frowned at Simon. "How are you holding up?"

Simon sat back in his seat and looked at his boss. As a bear-shifter, John was one of the few people he couldn't lie to. They were secretive about their statuses and that alone made them close. Simon had figured John was a bear-shifter the minute they met and not because of his scent.

His huge size alone gave him away. Big and beefy, he carried his solid mass with easy grace despite his arms and legs the size of tree trunks.

With his military-style buzz cut to his grey-streaked brown hair and the dusting of a beard to his jaw, he looked intimidating. But Simon knew that John was really a big teddy bear. His mate Sandra knew that as well, which was why she hadn't walked away when she first saw him.

"I'm fine." Simon rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sleeping on the couch isn't too bad but it's a bit small."

Not that he had done much sleeping. After talking to Whitney, Simon had gone on another long run, both as a human and as his beast. Then he had taken a long cold shower before lying down and attempting to sleep.

But his cock hadn't eased and demanded release, something his hand wasn't able to give. Now his hand was sore and his cock felt raw. And it still wanted attention that Simon couldn't give it with his usual ministrations.

Not that he was about to tell John any of that.

"I would've thought you'd be in bed with the girl. From the pictures I saw of her when I did some checking, she's a tasty morsel."

"I'm not going to eat her." Simon winced. "Okay, that was a bad choice of words."

Especially, since it made his cock even harder than it was before. John grinned and waved at Simon's crotch.

"Someone seems to like the idea." He teased. "I'd go for her if I was in your position."

"And Sandra would be glad that you're not." Simon grunted. "But I'm not there to fuck someone who refuses to leave."

Not that he had done much persuading to make her go. He wanted her to stay. His mate wasn't walking away now. Simon just needed to get this business with Bryce Grattidge dealt with and then he could focus his attentions on Whitney.

"Where is she now?" John asked.

"She said she had a few deadlines to work on so she's going to focus on those today. I left her in the kitchen with her laptop."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course. She doesn't drive and there isn't a way to leave there unless she's with me. And the place is alarmed so I would know if she did leave." Simon frowned. "Why?"

"Because either she has a twin or she's down the street taking photographs of Grattidge."

John was staring out down the street. Then Simon caught Whitney's scent in his nostrils. It wasn't a twin. It was her.

Snapping his head round, he saw Whitney standing partially behind a tree further down the road, a camera up to her face as Grattidge crossed the street and towards a restaurant that he frequented on a regular basis. Whitney kept taking pictures even when Grattidge walked by her with only metres between them.

His heart sank as fear gripped him.

"Oh, fuck."

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