Curves & Alphas: A Paranormal Box Set: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (38 page)

They were going to have to man up. Sure she hated the fact that she had to get the guilty off, but she was still going to be the best damn lawyer she could no matter what cases were handed to her. She knew how to manipulate the law, and sadly she’d proven herself an asset on the wrong side of it.

She could hope that these men were not actually doing anything wrong, and this would be her chance to show herself as one that fought for the good guys, but she just couldn’t imagine that was going to be the case. The fact was that the Munick’s and who knew who else had gotten immediately upset about her calls was all but solid proof that she was fighting for the bad guys again.

She just wished she didn’t want this one in particular. She’d never had a thing for the bad boys before, and was mystified how she could so strongly want this virtual stranger of one now.

Not able to take it anymore, she asked, “So if it isn’t that you don’t like me, then what is it then? I can’t fix a problem I’m not aware of. Same with the case. I don’t want dinner, not to sound ungrateful, I want answers. I am a straight shooter, Mr. Faust. It makes me good at what I do.”

He threw his fork down on the table, making her jump. Swallowing hard, so she could see his neck working, he pushed back his chair and stood up. In the seconds it took the man to stealthily grab her up by her arms, she’d basically stopped breathing. Finding herself face to face with him, up on her tiptoes, her chest, soft and full, now smashed against his that was as hard as steel, her vision blurred a second.

Thoughts of business drained from her mind as his lips pressed against hers. Hard, insistent, demanding, his kiss immediately deepened. He took her mouth like he did everything else. She gave in though, let herself be possessed.

While this should have scared the shit out of her, so uncharacteristic, she gave herself over fully to the feeling of being taken, wanted, and thus out of control. His hands came to her lower back with one sliding down to her ass, grabbing to the point of pain her left butt cheek as his tongue invaded her mouth.

His erection made itself known as he pulled her body against it, lifting her off of her feet now so that he had control of her entirely. Her hands reached up, ran through his hair. She found her hips pushing forward, wanting more as her thighs opened more. When his mouth scrapped down over her chin to her neck and he started to bite her flesh, she grabbed his hair, but he pulled her away from him so fast that when her feet hit the floor she had no balance.

As she teetered, he caught her, but placed her back in her chair so hard that with wheels it rolled until it hit the table. While she felt lost to the motion, he finally stopped it, leaving her go and grabbing the chair.

“Shit,” he grumbled. “I’m sorry. This is not how I imagined this going. My dislike of you, my tension, is my denial of attraction. I can’t want you like I do. We need you, Ms. Walton. I will talk to my brothers about disclosing more information. But, for now, for your safety, you better go. I don’t know how much longer I can control myself from taking you.”

He didn’t touch her, only stood, moving away from the chair she sat on as if she had the plague rather than a body he claimed to want. Stunned, mystified, sitting so un-lady like in her suit in the chair, not actually trusting herself or the throb between her legs, the mounting tightness in her stomach, she got to her feet not sure her legs would hold her. Concentrating on each step, she walked to the door of the office not looking back.

This wasn’t her taking an order but her fleeing for a safe haven, one where this man didn’t exist, didn’t do things to her that were upsetting, unsettling, and damaging to her job, maybe her life. She felt in his arms that he could have broken her into pieces and she wouldn’t have complained.

If that didn’t bring about fear, nothing would. In a moment of being honest with herself, she’d have let this suspected criminal tie her up and do whatever the hell he wanted with her body just to have him touch her one moment more.

As she opened the door, feeling his stare on her backside like a permanent brand, she didn’t bother to check her hair, tug straight her suit, she just made a beeline for the elevator not daring to look at his secretary.

Once she found herself safely inside, the most bizarre thing yet occurred. For a lawyer who stood up straight and looked the most dangerous men in the eyes and argued for or against them, she leaned against the wall and felt the burn of tears in her eyes.

She grabbed her phone out of her purse, and with trembling fingers, she poked the poor screen until the thing dialed her best friend’s number.

When Stacey’s cheery voice came on the line berating her for being a stranger, she cried out into the phone, “I’m in trouble. Can I come over?”

Chapter Four

Alex sat with his arms resting heavy on his thighs, hunched over with his head between his knees like he was trying to stop himself from passing out. It wasn’t far from the truth with all of the emotions racing through him. He’d ordered his secretary, Sandra to go home in no uncertain terms after she came to check on him once Katrina left. He didn’t have time for the guilt though as he fought his lion from emerging, his rage at himself for touching the lawyer as powerful as the lust coursing through his veins, consuming every inch of him.

He was still hard and throbbing, each sniff of her rose-scented perfume a tease, a taunt, by life, that he couldn’t have her. Damn though, when he had finally gotten his hands on those curves that drove him nuts, the way her body had conformed to his had thrown him further over the edge rather than stopped him. It wasn’t until her hips had pushed forward, her body surrounding his erection that warning sirens had gone off in his brain.

He’d wanted to be buried deep inside of her so badly that his lion had roared a mating call. It couldn’t happen. To mate with a human was a death sentence, or might as well be. He would only pine for a woman he was forbidden to have for his entire life. Yet, sitting here, the scent of her skin still strong on his, the taste of her still lingering on his tongue, he felt doomed anyway. He may just suffer anyway, always wanting to bite her, to taste her blood and make her his.

It wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t feel the same way. The enzymes in his saliva would drive her mad, make her want him too. He couldn’t do that to her, and the idea that he cared so much about her happiness scared him even more, to the point of paralysis. She had wanted him though, and that thought alone sucked more than any other at this point.

Before he could get himself together at all, his door flew open. If he had had a momentary hope of it being her coming back, claiming she wanted him no matter what, not that it would matter, that momentary ray of light was extinguished as all three of his brothers stormed into the room.

“Shit, Alex. Look at you,” Kris started in on him, towering over him still sitting in the chair.

“Looks like Sandra was right,” Jackson added. “Want to fill us in on your day bro?”

“Not really,” Alex said with a sigh, hanging his head.

The four of them were always honest with each other. They had seen each other through the best and worst of their lives. They had each other’s backs no matter what, and were there with a strong arm if needed, ready to fight to defend you whether you were right or wrong.

Or, they were there to kick your ass for you if you needed it too. That was where they were tonight. Alex had screwed up big time, and yet, his irritation at not being able to have what he wanted was at an all-time high. He shook not only to have her, but at the injustice of not being able to.

“Try,” Ben said, the most compassionate of the four of them.

Their mother had pegged each one of them from an early age. Alex, the oldest, had a head for numbers even as a child, and so when he had started this business out of a true need for the packs to earn and do what they had to with their money to protect themselves if the worst happened, his brothers had supported him one hundred percent.

Benjamin, the second born, always had a heart for the underdog, bringing stray dogs home all the time. So, he was the peacemaker of the group, a necessary role when four alpha brothers who not only looked like quadruplets, but had a bond like them too, went into business together. Oddly, Ben was also the wildest of them, so no stray had been left behind.

Kristopher, the third born, he had always wanted to be the center of attention, so his current political aspirations were no surprise to anyone either. Only, it made him a stickler for the rules, and Alex could see with one glance at his scrunched expression how pissed he was right now.

Jackson, on the other hand, the baby of the family, he served as an all-around friend. He was a bit wild in spirit, but good natured, and he did whatever was asked of him, just happy to be along for the ride, included in anything his big brothers did. He usually ended up the true peacemaker in the end, if Ben failed.

He looked to Jack, hoping to get at least a smile, a small kindness before they all raked him over the coals. He needed to change, to run, as his animal, to express his dominating, king of all nature.

“I screwed up, but I’m not taking all of the heat for it,” Alex began. “You guys didn’t want to tell her the truth, even though it wouldn’t have mattered, she couldn’t have told anyone if she wanted to keep practicing law. And, I think she wants to keep practicing law. She’s smart, savvy, a hound dog in the court room just like we heard. She doesn’t pull any punches, and I believe she is pissed we lied to her. She knows.”

“So, she called the packs we work with? I mean she didn’t do anything wrong, she just confirmed them as clients, but still, it made then nervous. Many are pissed,” Jack said.

“Exactly, she called us on our lie,” Alex argued, just in the mood for a fight. “As she pointed out, no client would have been upset by such a call if they had nothing to hide. So mission accomplished, we got ourselves a good lawyer.”

Too bad she is such a fine woman as well
, he thought to himself then looked up at his brothers as if they may have heard his thoughts.

“Fine, we tell her some truth then. But, we have to be careful. I am not taking any risks here. We hired her because she was the best. We need out from under this investigation before it ruins any chance I have of even being able to run for office,” Kris stated like he was the oldest, the alpha.

“Yes, we are all well aware of your political aspirations, but not everything in the world revolves around you Kris,” Alex growled back.

Ben stepped in between them and redirected the conversation, “So, you want to tell us then why Sandra called us all concerned that this lawyer went running out of here, her clothes rumpled and her hair falling out of it’s neat little, what did she call it, up do.”

“I screwed up, okay. I don’t know what came over me. But, from the first second that I laid eyes on her this morning, all I have been able to think about is getting my hands on her, grabbing those curves, lifting her skirt to see her thighs, pulling her hair out of that damn up do until it falls around her shoulders so I can yank her head back and ravish her.

I’m sorry. I lost my cool. She thought I hated her or something because of the tense way I was holding back, and that moment of weakness in that strong woman, it undid something in me. I grabbed her, kissed her, and when she responded, I came to my senses and sent her away,” Alex confessed, each brutal word lifting a weight off of him where some sort of blasted sadness crept in.

Not consistent with his alpha nature, it unnerved him enough to make him look up at his brothers hoping they would remind him who the hell he was. Sadly, they were just staring at him in all sorts of stages of disbelief laced with frustration. He threw his head down in his hands.

“She’s human. She’s working for us. We need her!” Kris yelled, not keeping his cool, unlike him, far outside of his usual politician speak he’d naturally perfected over the years.

“Thanks. I wasn’t aware. All is better now, dickhead.” Alex spat back, hedging for that fight, wanting to take this to the woods so he could unleash the lion that roared under his skin, wanted blood.

This time Ben and Jack came between them, both of them putting their hands on Kris’ chest to stop him from laying into his brother. Alex didn’t care. He just sat there, mad at them all. Not that they had done anything, but he wanted the impossible from them, permission to break all of the rules. An outlaw type in a business suit, he wants to break each and every rule of their kind that said he couldn’t be with her.

Sadly, where his mind went was not in getting over her, but to figuring out how he could be with her without getting caught. This was the most terrifying moment of all.