ROMANCE: PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Coveted by the Werewolves (Paranormal MMF Bisexual Menage Romance) (New Adult Shifter Romance Short Stories) (263 page)

*****

Driving into the airport was like driving to the end of her life. Emma had never felt so sad in her life before and seeing Brandon leave was like running a blade through her heart. She knew that they would still be together by heart, but she needed his physical presence. She needed to hear his voice, feel his touch and feel his love. She was in love with him and she knew that the pain that she felt from being so far away from him was one of the prices that she was going to pay for. She pulled the jeep into a vacant parking lot and killed the engine.

“Well then I guess this is it, this is good bye,” she said, turning to look at him.

“Not so much like good bye, but rather see you later; I'll see you again soon,” he winked at her, and Emma wondered where Brandon got so much energy to stay calm even under such circumstances.

She was having a hard time trying to hide the tears threatening to pour out of her eyes and here was Brandon taking things so lightly. Maybe that was one of the reasons that they were meant to be together, she was weak while he was strong, and that way, they would support each other. Brandon opened the passenger door while Emma unlocked the trunk and then also got out of the car. Retrieving his suitcase from the trunk, Emma escorted him into the departure lounge of the airport unable to believe, or want to believe, that he was leaving. It was not long before they announced his flight and she threw her hands around his neck, her tears finally finding their way to her eyes and flowing out freely, seeping into his shirt.

“I'm gonna miss you, baby,” she whispered into his ear as she clung onto him, reveling in his heat and scent for the last time before they parted.

“I'll miss you too, Emma. Take care of yourself for me, will you,” he said, finally pulling away from her and holding her at arms’ length, looking into her eyes. “I love you.”

“And I love you too, Brandon. Make sure that you call me as soon as the plane touches down, okay?” she said, padding away the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief.

“I will definitely do that,” he said, taking a hold of the handle of his suitcase and dragging it away.

Emma watched his back as he walked away, wondering if this was the last time that she would be seeing him as her lover. Maybe the next time things might get complicated between them and their parents, and they might have to act like virtual strangers again. She stood there long after he had gone as if for some reason hoping that the flight would be cancelled. She finally made her way back to the jeep and drove back home.

The house that had seemed so alive and full of life suddenly seemed so dead and quiet. She could not pass anywhere without thinking and remembering her time there with Brandon and she swore that she could still smell his delicious scent in the house. She went over to the bedroom that he was supposed to stay in but never used and as she opened the closet, she realized that he had forgotten one of his sweaters. She took it off the hanger and brought the soft fabric up to her nose, inhaling deeply to take in his scent. She headed back to her bedroom and got into bed, holding the sweater to herself closely as she cried herself to sleep, missing deeply the only man that she had ever really loved.

TO BE CONTINUED

Summer of Sweetness

              “Do you have all the toys you wanted to bring?” Laura asked her charges. She was busy putting toys in their bins within the playroom, items she was pretty sure they wouldn’t want to bring, which was a fairly large list.

              “NO! I WANT THAT!” A little boy screamed. He ran at her and grabbed a toy car from her hand. 

              “Jim!” She put her hands on her hips and tightened her lips. He’d gotten worse, lately, much worse about outbursts. A certain amount of defiance was to be expected from a five year-old, but Jim’s were increasing. She’d try to remind the DeVilliers about it again soon. “Jim, I’m about to put you on time-out.”

              “NoooooOOOOOO!” He stomped away, turning his back on her. Always ready to throw fuel on the fire, his twin brother Tim pointed and laughed. Before Jim could respond, Laura quickly stepped in.

              “I can put you on time out too, Tim. Do you want that?”

              “Sorry, Miss Laura.”

              “Sorry, Miss Laura.” Jim added, a little more quietly than his brother.

              She nodded and began putting toys away again. “Very well. Now put the toys you want to bring in the box as we talked about, and then we should be very nearly ready to go. No more acting up!”

              “No, Miss Laura.” They said together. She always found it a little creepy when the pair of blonde boys spoke together, giving her the inevitable image of the ghost sisters from the movie “The Shining.” She shivered slightly.

              The playroom door opened and one of her employers poked her head in. Sue DeVilliers had a broad, though friendly face. She was always friendly, even when gently reprimanding Laura or her husband, Wes. These were, unfortunately, complaints that happened all too often. “Have you got the boys ready, Laura?”

              “Another ten minutes, Sue.” Despite the formality with which the DeVilliers conducted almost all of their interactions, they always insisted on being called by their first names, almost as one would a friend. Laura knew very well they weren’t friends. They were friendly, but quick to remind her she was a nanny and nothing more.

              Sue looked around as though checking out a strange planet. She was rarely home and almost never in this particular room. “Very well. Have them down in the foyer then, if you would.”

              “Certainly, Sue.”

              She gave her the usual friendly smile before shutting the door on the trio again.

              Laura dropped into a rocking chair in the corner of the brightly-lit, white room as the boys slowly picked out their last favorite possessions to bring for the trip. She looked out the window at the first falling snowflakes. She had to admit she wouldn’t miss Minneapolis for the first few weeks of winter. She was never a big fan of winter; being born in Minnesota hadn’t made her a natural winter fanatic. She hoped that after a year or two working for the DeVilliers she might be able to move somewhere south, like- well, Florida, their destination by the end of the day. She could get used to the idea of waking up each and every day to sun and water.

              Best of all, the weather outlook was pretty good for today and tomorrow. Yes, she’d spend a lot of her time at the resort watching the boys, of course. That was to be expected. But a free trip to Florida was still a free trip. The pay would help her pay her student loans, so she had no real reason to complain.

              “No, THAT’S MINE!” Jim shouted with a sudden flare of fury and slapped his twin. Tim retaliated.

              Well. Maybe some reason to complain
, she thought, and got up to separate them again.

---

              “Boys, this is the last time.” She reminded them both as they argued over who got the window seat. “You will each get an equal share of time in front of the window. I’m timing it. If you continue to act up, the first thing I’m doing when we get to Florida is-”

              “No!” Jim objected, knowing what she was going to say. A gray-haired man with a neat mustache looked over his chair and gave Laura a disapproving glare. Clearly, he wasn’t enjoying first class as advertised, and she didn’t entirely blame him. Jim had been whining the entire first hour in the air.

              “Well, then get it together. Tim,” She thought, considering a possibility. “Would you be willing to give Jim the window seat for a trade?”

              “Like what?”

              She pointed to Jim’s comic book. “Jim, you could let him read your comic. Besides, you can’t read and look out of the window, can you?”

              She knew Jim was deeply possessive of his comics, and that it would be a big trade. Perhaps a compromise paper things over.

              Laura saw the wheels turning in Jim’s small, cute head. The boys were often insufferable, but they were also adorable when on decent behavior. She tried not to blame them; their parents spoiled the boys terribly, ruining all the progress she made with them and, until she’d recently insisted they stop, sometimes countermanded her adult directives. They paid well, but she wasn’t going to work for anyone who’d do that.

              “Well… okay.” He conceded. Tim was happy enough with the trade, Jim switched seats, and Laura breathed a little sigh of relief.

              As the boys switched seats, she suddenly realized that in the rush to get the boys together, she’d managed to forget all of her toiletries. Her toothbrush, makeup, hairbrush, shampoo, even the sunscreen she’d picked out for its excellent SPF were all back in snowy Minneapolis. She groaned, realizing she’d have to waste some of her limited free time getting all of that back.

              Wonderful
, she thought. Hell of a trip so far. She looked over the boy’s heads and looked at the green and white of the land below. She wondered if they were out of the Midwest yet. She assumed it wouldn’t be long.

              Oh well. Buying a bunch of necessities, watching the kids, flying in first class- it was all very comfortable, boring, commonplace stuff. She wished, as she often did, that her life didn’t revolve so much around another family’s plans and whims while she had watched her social life wither and die. It’s seemed a terrible fate, given she was in her early twenties. She wanted to date, party, travel.

              Well- she was traveling anyway. Jim rested his blonde head on her arm and she gave him a little pet. Bratty, sure, but affectionate. She didn’t mind the nannying so much, but she did wish she wasn’t watching her own life pass her by.

---

              “I’ve never even heard of this island.” Laura confessed when her employers asked her what she thought about San Marcos Island. They’d just completed a brief boat ride from West Palm Beach after a limo ride up from Miami International Airport. With the flight having taken up most of the day, they boat had landed at the docks during the twilight hours, as the lights were beginning to spring up all over the island.

              “You’re in for a treat!” Sue proclaimed in her relentlessly cheery way. She led the way as Wes, her equally middle-aged and oppositionally dour husband, trailed several steps behind. He was struggling with his share of luggage which he was insisting on carrying through the town, despite the fact they had hired a pair of strong men to help them out.

              “When the hell are they going to allow cars here?” Wes demanded. He had complained a few times already about the luggage. Laura suspected he just wanted to assert a degree of masculinity and, more importantly, to have something to complain about.

              Sue clucked her tongue. “They’ve never had cars, never will, dear. I think it’s part of the charm.”

              “A little too backwoodsy charm for what I’m paying for this shindig.” He groused as he sweat through his bright red Hawaiian shirt.

              As far as Laura was concerned, there was nothing backwoods about San Marcos Island. The town they were walking through was intentionally small and vibrant, with strings of festive lights lining every shop window. Cuban, rap, and rock music boomed from nearby bars, making her wish she could drop in for a drink and to check out the local guys. But instead, she had two small, tired, irritable boys holding onto each hand. She sighed and they continued down the main street towards their resort.

              “Here we are!” Sue announced as the group walked up to the gates of the luxury resort. The vast complex lay before them, facing the sea and surrounded by palm trees. Laura was grateful to see that a cart had pulled up to the gates to carry them the rest of the way.

              Their porters loaded up the carts and Laura and the boys climbed into a second cart. The man driving had her back to her as she approached, so her first look at him was when she sat in the passenger seat. She turned her head and caught her breath.

              The dark-haired, tall guy had a strong jaw, wide shoulders, and killer green eyes. He turned them on her then and asked in a low voice, “Long trip, ma’am?”

              “Um, yes.”
Um yes? Really?
She kicked herself and tried to think of something smart to say. “But we made good time.

              Great. Boring chit chat.

              He started up the cart and they followed her employers. “I’m Josh Philips and I’ll be your activities director for your stay. How long are you with us?”

              “I’m Laura Martin. We’re here for three weeks.”

              “Pretty name. Three weeks, hmm? Very nice. I hope you like keeping busy, because I’ve got some fun things planned for you and your boys.”

              “Oh,” she quickly corrected him. “They’re not my boys. I mean, they are, I’m just their nanny. You know.”

              “I see. Well, we have plenty of fun for the little guys in mind, trust me. Don’t worry, we’ll wear them out and there will be fun for off-work nannies as well, assuming you like snorkeling.” He winked and she melted.

              They reached the front of the pink and white building. The decor was very focused on soft colors; baby blues, light greens, and lots of white. Josh hopped out to help unload the carts and the staff quickly moved their things to their rooms. As Wes and Sue checked in, Laura helped the boys find the bathroom as she waited outside. Josh crossed the pretty, wide lobby with its huge fountain in the center and stopped in front of her.

              “They seem a little busy, so can I ask you- does the family already have plans for tomorrow?”

              “I honestly don’t know. Other than breakfast and swimming in the pool, I don’t think they had anything definite. They haven’t told me, anyway.”

              “Okay. Anything they might be interested in, I can assist. Our activities range from golf, sailing, fishing, parasailing, tennis, yoga, anything you might find fun. It’s not too late for dinner in our world-class restaurant, or you can order room service.”

              “Maybe. I’m not that hungry.”

              “Even for a sundae? We’ve got great sundaes. I swear by them. Well- you know. Once a week.” He patted his stomach. “More than that and I’ll wind up with a beer belly, you know?”

              She laughed and he started to turn to go. “What’s your favorite flavor?”

              “What?”

              “Sundaes! What’s your favorite flavor?”

              “How do you know I like ice cream? Maybe I prefer pie.” She teased.

              “Nah. You’re an ice cream girl, I can tell. I bet you like strawberry.”

              “Nope! I prefer hot chocolate.”

              He snapped his fingers. “Can’t always be right. Good luck.” He added as the boys ran out of the restroom, shouting as they were already in the midst of an impromptu game of tag.

              “Thanks.” She watched him turn and go, her eyes lingering a little longer than she wanted to admit. She thought she caught Sue looking at her from the counter, so she quickly diverted her attention to getting the boys under control.

              Even so, she thought she’d seen Sue’s eyes narrow when she’d caught her checking out Josh.

              Once upstairs, she found she and the boys had an adjacent suite next to the DeVilliers parents. “We’re going out. Feel free to order whatever you like from room service. The boys can stay up, if they’re watching TV in bed.”

              The boys were happy to order burgers and fries - so was Laura for that matter - and were surprisingly calm once they knew they could stay up and watch cartoons. They found a movie that even she didn’t mind, and when they’d finished their dinner there was another knock on the door.

              “Your chocolate sundae, ma’am.” Josh presented the little dish on a silver platter. She involuntarily covered her face with happy surprise.

              “Josh! I mean, I didn’t-”