Curves 'em Right (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 4) (9 page)

“Tom, don't do this. You're my friend and I care about you. I would never want to hurt you, but you need to understand you and I would never work out.”

Her words fell on deaf ears.

“Goodnight, Daniella.”

“Goodnight, Tom.”

With a heavy heart she set her phone down. She hadn’t meant to upset Tom or to be mean to him. But she just could not lie to herself or him. For so many years, she’d lived in bursts of relationships. Where she'd give in to other’s suggestions and end up unhappy.

Then she’d find herself with a man who wanted her to change who she was to fit what he wanted. And that was just not going to happen anymore. She needed a man who wanted her as she was. With her quirks. With her purple hair and with her love for books. She needed a man that would want her body like no other woman existed in the world. But more than that, she wanted to feel cherished and loved because of who she was.

NINE

The following morning Kane came by her office looking absolutely delicious. With his scruffy hair and days old beard she wanted to do nothing but whimper at the sight of him. Her boss rushed out of her office when he came to the desk.

“Can I help you?” Marla asked with a flirtatious smile.

“I'm here for Daniella.” He smiled.

The moment the words came out of his mouth, her boss turned around with wide eyes and stared at her, the look she gave her was a combination of confusion and disbelief.

“Marla, Kane is a family friend,” she said, trying to pacify her boss and at the same time keep the privacy of their relationship to herself.

Marla’s brows rose with interest. She made it seem like Daniella couldn’t have someone like Kane as a friend. After a heartbeat, Marla excused herself and turned around, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder. She headed back to the office. Probably to tell the others all about the unusual visit Dani had at the front.

“Hi.” She smiled at Kane. She went around the front desk and stopped next to him. Her first instinct was to throw herself in his arms and give him a kiss on his sexy smirk, but she held back. It took every ounce of willpower, but she did it.

“Hello, little librarian,” he said, in that deep voice that made her toes curl in her comfortable walking shoes. “You’re a contradiction.”

She frowned, wondering why he’d said that. “I don’t think I am.”

He turned away from the prying eyes at their back and took a few steps to the library entrance. He offered her a hand, but she knew if she took it, there would be hell to pay later with the amount of questioning she’d be subjected to. She shook her head and started walking. She really needed a better job, but she loved the library. She loved books. Hell, she even loved the old people that came and sat there day in and day out to read the newspaper for free.

“Why would you say that?” she asked.

“Because you are. You wear your beautiful long hair with purple streaks. Your outfits can be daring on some days but not on other days. You’re a little angel with long skirts, comfortable shoes and glasses to hide your eyes behind. It never ceases to amaze me how many sides you have.”

She wasn't sure if he was complimenting or insulting her so she asked. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Yes, it’s a compliment. I know that you are never going to be boring because there's that wild sexy side of you. But there's also the quiet super intelligent librarian that can be so fucking hot,” he said, his eyes going liquid gold.

Thank God he whispered the words or she might have died on the spot. For him to say her being a librarian was fucking hot was not something she heard every day. Okay, not something she heard ever.

“Kane, you are out of your mind. How is being a librarian sexy?”

He grinned, bringing his head down to just inches away from her, his eyes bright with the wild animal inside him. “Well, you being a librarian is sexy. Maybe not anyone else. Nobody does it the way you do. With your soft brown eyes looking deep into my soul. Those sexy lips asking me for a kiss. Not to mention those delectable curves hidden under all those clothes. You and I both know that you have a body made for loving and I want to taste you all over, sweep my tongue over your body like a blanket. Then I want to lick right between your legs. I want to see your wet pink folds. I want to see your body shake. I want to hear your moans and groans.”

She blinked, her pussy aching from how turned on she was. “Kane...stop.”

“I want to hear you beg for more. I want to make you scream my name. Grip my hair. Then I want to fuck you until there are no words that can come out of your mouth. Until all you can do is hold on to the bed while I pound deep into you.” He lowered to bring his head even closer to her ear. “Then I want to come in your hot little pussy.”

She stood there, unable to say a word. All she could do was listen intently as he went on and on about the things he wanted to do to her. Holy fuck!  Was it wrong that she wanted him then and there? She really hoped not because the reality was that her mind was focused on the two men driving her crazy.

The front door opened and a group of kids brushed past them, breaking the spell. She’d almost melted to the floor and might have needed CPR if they hadn’t been interrupted.

“Will you come to dinner tonight at my place?” he asked, lifting her hand to his lips and brushing a light kiss on her wrist.

Like there was any doubt. She should say no if she knew what was good for her. But she wouldn't. It was hard to resist wanting them even though she knew she shouldn’t. She wanted Blake and Kane more than her next breath. All those years of waiting were nothing compared to being with them. “I'll come but I need you to understand that I know very well where I stand.”

His brows curved downward. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that you and Blake need a third and you need one soon. I know this can't last. I am not a shifter and there's no guarantee that I ever will be. So yes I will take what time I can with you guys tonight but that doesn’t change what you must do to keep your pack. I could not live with myself if you guys lost your people because of me.”

He shook his head. “We will never lose our people. They are faithful to us. I'm sure you are just confused. We can choose whoever we want for a mate and you need to understand that.”

“What I know is you need someone strong and a shifter is the best.”

He coughed and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Will you come, yes or no?”

“Yes. I said I would. But don't think for a second that I will forget this conversation. We both know where we stand.”

He took a step toward her. She held her breath hoping that he wouldn't do what she could see in his eyes he wanted to do. He wanted to kiss her right then and there and as much as she wanted him to, it would only give her co-workers a way to get into her personal life.

He stopped before he touched her, curling his hands into fists and bringing them to his side. “You'll learn soon that you are not just some woman, you are more. You are special and we want to cherish you. Let us.”

Christ, the way he said those words she wanted to get down on her knees and thank the Lord, but instead she just nodded. “I'll see you tonight thank you for the invite.”

“Don't thank me yet. Wait until it’s over. You might regret those words.”

Kane let his frustrations loose on a piece of wood. How could he convince the only woman that he and his wolf wanted to take a chance on them? He’d told Blake what she’d said. They had been hopeful that with time she would change her mind. It was clear that he needed to take drastic measures.

He put another piece of wood on the trunk, his mind drifting back a few nights to when they'd been at her home. She had been so sexy. Willing to allow both men to do as they pleased with her. It would have been so natural for the three of them to be together. And though they had shared women previously this was the first time they’d shared a future mate.

A gust of wind blew his hair over his face. The breeze cooled some of the frustration riding him.

How could he do it? How could he convince her that she was the right one for them?

His chest ached at the thought that she might not want to be with them for the long run. He no longer cared that she could or could not shift, that she might not take the change. All he wanted was more time. Time with Daniella.

In his years as Alpha, he learned that he had to work really hard to get what he wanted and not allow anyone to get in his way. But what was he to do if the one getting in his way was the one he wanted?

His mother had always told him one of his qualities as a leader was being able to think about obstacles and figure out strategic moves to get what he wanted. Whether it was with his pack or life in general, he knew everything was about strategy.

So what if she did not shift? He no longer cared about that. It had taken spending time with her, without knowing it was her, for them to realize she was who they had been missing. The woman they had been missing. His pack members were not stupid. They wouldn't question him unless they felt her being in the Triad would somehow mess with the pack.

Besides, he’d fight every single one of them for her. It was obvious to him and the animal within there was just her.

He needed to figure out how to make her see it.

His phone buzzed.

Marcos. He could pick up the phone and lie to his friend but he refused to do that. So he rejected the call until he was ready to admit to his friend how much he and Blake wanted Dani. Until he was ready to tell him how bleak the future seemed without her. It would take Marcos time to understand that they weren’t trying to use Dani for sex. That they truly wanted a long lasting relationship with her.

He thought back to her beautiful brown eyes and long dark hair. Just the thought of touching her, watching her smile and say something silly, made him grin. She was so cute when she was confused. Back when she’d been a teen, they’d stayed away from her. Ignoring the pull of their animals to her had been hard, but friendship had been more important. Now all he could think about was taking her. Mating her. Keeping her and cherishing every moment with her. No. Marcos wouldn’t understand that at all.

He swung the axe again, the new piece of wood splitting in half and falling to either side of the tree trunk he’d been working on. He stood up straight, rubbing the back of his hand over his forehead and wiping his brow. He needed a shower. The pile of wood would be great to keep Dani warm once winter came. Fall was fast approaching and he intended to make sure her every comfort was taken care of.

“Are you working yourself to death?” his mother asked at his back.

He slammed the axe down, locking it in the center of the trunk and turned to face her. This was going to be hard. She’d been right all along.

“Hello, Mom. What brings you over?” He already knew, though. Her cat that ate the canary smile told him all he needed to know.

“So how was your date?”

Fucking incredible. “It was good.”

Her grin widened. “That’s all? Care to tell me anything about your woman?”

He shook his head, moving past her to head to the laundry room next to the kitchen. “What do you want to know?”

“What’s she like?”

“I’m sure your friend Mrs. Wilder has given you a heads up already.”

She laughed. “She only confirmed what I knew.”

“And that was?”

“That you were too blind to see what was in front of your face. That all these years, ignoring Daniella had been the stupidest thing you and Blake have ever done.”

He slipped out of his dirty jeans and sweaty T-shirt. “It’s not stupid. We value our friendship with Marcos. We’ve been staying away from her at his request.”

He entered the kitchen and caught her rolling her eyes.

“So what changed now? It’s not like you’ve done anything different? Why did you finally decide to say to hell with what Marcos told you both and take matters into your own hands when it comes to Dani?”

They wanted her. Plain and simple. “It’s not that we don’t care about Marcos’s request any longer, but now we’re more concerned with her wants. She wants us.”

She nodded and threw a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “How do you propose to keep her and the friendship?”

That was harder than accepting Dani wanting them. They might lose their friend. She was human. They might lose their pack. And getting Dani to understand she was the one meant to fulfill the role of Alpha Triad mate was going to be an even bigger challenge since she kept ignoring them whenever it was brought up.

“I don’t know. I hope he can understand.”

She sighed and tapped his sweaty arm. “I’m sorry, son. I know your friendship with Marcos means the world to you.”

They’d been friends since they were teens. Marcos had always been overly protective of Daniella. She was a bigger girl and some of the kids had made fun which in turn had made Marcos do anything to shield her from the bullies. But even his overprotectiveness hadn’t stopped Dani from developing into a smart-mouthed sexy curvy temptress.

Through the years, he’d learned to shut his wolf up when it wanted to get near Dani. Marcos had always had his back. Just like Blake. When his father and his Omega had passed in a plane crash, Marcos was the first person to offer support. He had stood up next to him, offering to take on anyone who wanted to fight for the Alpha position. Fortunately, at the time, it hadn’t been necessary. But he’d learned that Marcos would never allow anyone to be with his sister if he thought she was being used. So he’d need to speak to Blake about being honest with their friend. He wanted Marcos’s blessing.

Daniella had been a forbidden fruit for far too long. Now, all he could think about was touching her. Watching her push her sexy little glasses up the bridge of her nose and pout in surprise when she was caught off guard.

He’d stood outside the library for a while, watching her read something on her computer screen. She’d smiled, frowned and cocked her head as if that would help her understand whatever was confusing her. But it was the fact that she’d been so unaware of her sex appeal that he loved.