Once Upon a Shifter (108 page)

“I guess I’m staying with you.”

Chapter 3

Jackson

I waited until we had made it back up to my condo before I spoke to her again. My driver, Noah, had been a friend since childhood. Like me, Noah was a bear shifter, and he was one of the few people in the world I trusted. He would need to be kept in the loop, but now was not the time for an update. But with Emily in the car, it was too risky. The situation was tenuous enough already, and I didn’t want to risk scaring Emily away. Not when there was so much at stake.

The cougar shifters were still out there, and I was certain they were after her because of me. I would need to come up with a plan to deal with them.

But at the moment, I couldn’t concentrate. In the confines of the car, Emily’s scent flooded into my nostrils and overpowered my ability to think of anything other than ravaging her there on the spot. It took every ounce of willpower I could muster to keep my bear inside me. I imagined the sweet taste of her lips as I held her body pressed close against me.

But I couldn’t. Having her in my life was dangerous enough. Already. Despite the irresistible pull I felt for this woman - the primal instinct screaming inside of me that she was my mate - I refused to put her in harm’s way. The cougars had already sensed my affinity for her. They would have to be dealt with.

I was grateful for the breath of fresh air when Noah finally dropped us off underneath the porte-cochere. If Emily was going to stay in my condo, I would have to find a better way to reign in the emotions that stirred inside me.

Emily couldn’t walk easily on her own, but luckily we didn’t draw any attention from the doorman as we passed by on the way to the elevator. Great. Another enclosed space. I would have to get her some perfume to mask that scent, or I wouldn’t be able to control myself.

“Well, this is home,” I said as I led her inside. “We’ll have Noah bring up the rest of your things.”

“This is…incredible!” said Emily. She stood frozen in the entryway, afraid to move or disturb anything. “Mr. Halloran,” she said, “I can’t stay here. This is really too much. I shouldn’t have agreed to this. I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you and I...”

“Jackson. Please.” I said. “And really, it’s no trouble. There’s plenty of space here. To be honest, I could use the company.”
And there’s no way I’m letting you out of my sights until we’ve dealt with that cougar.

“But, Mr., er, Jackson,” she said.

“No. I insist.”

“I’ll work on getting myself another place. Maybe you could even recommend somewhere for me to go. No, you’re probably far too busy for that. I’ll ask around, though. I won’t be in your hair for long.”

“Emily, please. You’re more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need. You won’t be in my way. I spend most of my time at the office anyway.”

She winced when I mentioned work.

“And please, don’t worry about coming in to the office yet. It can wait. I want you to take care of yourself first. Nothing is more important than your happiness and your safety.”

“My safety?” she asked. “What, do you run a company full of rampaging grizzly bears?”

“Something like that,” I said.
If you only knew
.

Her skin flushed bright red, and she turned away, hiding her eyes behind a defiant stand of wavy brunette hair. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult…Listen, I’ll find a way to make this up to you. I’ll be the best damn assistant you’ve ever had.”

I wanted to reach out and wrap my arms around her curvy body. Hold her close to me and show her that she could trust me. That everything would work out. To silence her worry with a kiss. But I needed her to trust me first, and that kind of forward gesture was
not
the best way to do that. At least not yet.

“Please,” I said. It’s my fault you’re in this situation in the first place. It’s the least I could do.”

“Your fault! I was the one who applied for this job. I’m the one who moved halfway across the country even though my living arrangements fell through. It’s hardly your fault.”

But it was my fault. I knew the minute I looked at her portfolio that she was going to be more to me than just another staff member. The moment I smelled the traces of her on the pages of her application package, something changed in me. Something I couldn’t fight, and had no desire to. It was definitely my fault that she was here in this position.

And it was a mistake. It was foolish to bring her into my life. Stupid to be so selfish, putting her in danger. It was my fault the cougars were after her. Because she is my mate. They think that by destroying me, by hurting my mate, I’ll back down and give them free reign to hunt the city. Breaking human and shifter laws alike. No, they will have to be dealt with. Before anything else happens to Emily.

“I’m sorry, Emily. You shouldn’t be in this position.”

“I don’t understand,” she said her brow furrowing with frustration.

“It’s nothing,” I said. “Please, let me show you to your room.”

She smiled meekly. I owed her an explanation, but it would have to wait. There was no need to exacerbate her trauma. I didn’t think she was ready to hear the truth yet anyway. Not to mention that if I didn’t free myself from her intoxicating scent soon, she would discover the truth about me firsthand. Her fighting spirit and her desire to do right were a powerful aphrodisiac, and it took everything I had to keep my bear in check.

“This way,” I said. “It’s the second door on the left.”

Emily’s leg buckled as she stepped out. I reacted instinctively, leaping to catch her in my arms before she hit the floor. Holding her against my body, her breasts pressed into my chest. I could feel her heartbeat racing in her chest as I picked her up, holding her for a long moment as the scent of her hair hit me like a freight train.

Her eyes darted up to meet me, searching. A trace of recognition. No, she couldn’t remember. Her breath shallowed as she leaned in close to me. I felt her warm breath on my cheek as her lips passed dangerously close to mine. My cock grew hard beneath my slacks as I inhaled her perfume.

“I have to go,” I said, releasing my grip on her. I needed to get far away, immediately, and clear my head. I couldn’t think straight in her proximity, and I would need to handle this situation with the delicacy it deserved. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I scared her off. “I’ll be back tonight.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Just…Try and get some rest, okay? I would imagine you didn’t sleep well at the hospital. There’s plenty of food around if you get hungry. Please, make yourself at home. If you need anything, call Noah. Anything at all.” He scrawled Noah’s number on a pad and left it on the kitchen counter. “I’ll be home later. And please,” I added, “Try not to do anything rash while I’m gone.”

I ran for the door as quickly as I could, fighting to regain my composure. This was going to be harder than I thought.

Chapter 4

Emily

I stared at the fan spinning around steadily on the vaulted ceiling, hypnotized by its thrumming as I lay down on the softest mattress I had ever felt. Like I was resting on a pile of stolen clouds. Jackson was right. I didn’t realize how tired I was. But my desire for sleep was overwhelmed by my curiosity. This place was magnificent, unlike anything I’d ever seen. I guess that’s what happens when you’re the CEO of a software company.

He must have spent a fortune furnishing this room. Not that he couldn’t afford it, but it seemed so extravagant for a room that was rarely, if ever, used. At least I assumed that it was rarely used. I didn’t see any photos of family or friends, or any of the warm, inviting personal knickknacks that suggested Jackson entertained many visitors.

If anything, this room seemed more like a library than a guest room. A pair of luxurious black cherry book cases lined the wall opposite the window, filled with a curious assortment of tomes, leather-bound and antique looking. A pair of ornately carved bear figurines served as book ends. Most of the volumes seemed to deal with ecology and the local flora and fauna of the Rockies. Strange choice for a software developer. I would have expected more about the history of technology or computing. Maybe biographies of tech pioneers. But if he’s into nature, who am I to begrudge a man his interests?

It didn’t seem so strange or out of character when viewed with the rest of the room. The entire place felt warm and inviting, more like a forest lodge than a modern, minimalist city loft. And it was unmistakably masculine. Not unlike Jackson himself. Warm and ruggedly handsome. Unmistakably masculine, in that live-off-the-land, woodcutter sort of way. I could picture him in a cabin swinging an axe, the muscles of his broad, shirtless back rippling as he gathered wood to build us a fire, and…

No, no, no. I can’t fantasize about my boss. If he’s even still going to
be
my boss after the giant pain in the ass my arrival here has been. I can picture it now.
Sorry, it just didn’t work out. Thanks for all your trouble.
I really couldn’t get attached to him. And even if by some miracle they
did
decide to keep me, and even if Jackson weren’t my boss, he’d never go for a girl like me. A man as attractive as Jackson, not to mention wealthy, charming, and genuine as him could have any woman he wanted. He’d never go for a curvy, freckled, spaz like me when he could date a supermodel. Oh well, his loss. I’ll never get taste his sweet lips or…

I bolted upright. I needed a distraction. Jackson did tell me to make myself at home. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I poked around the condo a bit.

The condo was easily the largest I had ever seen, taking up the entire top floor of the building. A large, open kitchen bled into the formal dining and living room. A large white Statuario marble countertop merged seamlessly with the stainless steel decor and fixtures. The place was clean, but not cold, helped by the carefully chosen array of well-kept flowers and plants that perfectly complimented to the rustic feeling of the guest suite.

But it was the view that captivated me. The outward facing wall was made entirely of glass, offering a breathtaking panorama of the Denver skyline. The city at my fingertips. Well, at Jackson’s fingertips anyway. But the vibe I got from Jackson wasn’t one of standing here laughing at the puppet people below. He seemed more like a sentinel, standing guard in his watchtower.

Maybe my perception was colored by the fact that he swooped in to rescue me from danger. But he seemed legit. Classically noble. Other than rushing out of here so quickly this morning, he had shown nothing but genuine, almost protective care for my well-being. But I could hardly fault him for leaving. He had a company to run after all, he couldn’t just stay here and make small talk with me all day.

I had wandered, along with my thoughts, to the far end of the hall and what must have been the master bedroom. It felt wrong to intrude on his privacy by barging in. But it would be harmless enough, I’m sure. I mean, nothing about him led me to believe that he was some depraved hedonist with a room full of secrets, but it would be stupid not to make sure right?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I pushed open the door and stepped into his room. The oaky smell hit me immediately, like Jackson was there with me, his arms wrapped around my body. The tasteful, dark wood of his dresser supported
another
carving of a bear. I didn’t understand the obsession, but I suppose it could be worse. Bears were terrifying, but majestic creatures. And the minute detail, the craftsmanship of the little statuette was truly beautiful.

But like the living room, the most striking feature of the room was the floor to ceiling glass of the back wall. The Rocky Mountains jutted up skyward, majestic jags of green trees and purple earth above the timberline. I had never seen anything quite like it.

I collapsed down onto the edge of his bed and stared out at the mountains, imagining the adventure and the freedom they promised. It was what drew me to the area. I mean, sure the job offer had something to do with it, but the promise of adventure sealed the deal.

And so far, it had been nothing but trouble. If Jackson hadn’t been there that night…wait, he wasn’t there was he? He couldn’t have been. I searched my hazy memory. I was walking home from the theater. The two men followed me. I remember fear, and then…nothing. Nothing but those soft, golden eyes, staring deep inside me, promising that everything would be okay. And even in the terror of that moment, I felt comforted. Safe. The same way I felt with him.

Surely that was it. In the blur of the past few days, I had confused some hallucinated delusion and transferred those qualities to my hero. I mean my boss. But he
did
make me feel safe. And he was so goddamn gorgeous.

My eyes had closed as I laid back on his bed, enveloped in the warmth of his down comforter. I could still feel the lingering electric warmth on my arms from where he caught me earlier. His strong hands holding my body. His broad, muscular chest pressed against me.

My hand had wandered down inside my panties and began tracing gentle swirls as I imagined the feeling of his lips on my skin. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face as his lips hovered over me, brushing gently against my lips as he teased. He would tease me until my skin ached for him, begging for the relief of his kiss as he lowered me gently onto the bed.

My fingers parted the folds of my pussy as I pictured his taut shirtless body looming over me. His hands gently raking through my hair as he kissed me, hungrily, with power and passion and need. I could feel his erection pressed against me, aching to enter me. And my body screamed to feel him inside me.

My breath grew shallow as I circled my bead faster. I could feel Jackson’s need as his pushed himself inside me to the hilt, filling my body. His love was powerful and raw. He couldn’t contain his desire for me and he couldn’t fight the orgasm building inside him. He growled deeply as he came.