ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense) (2 page)

B
eth had woken
up early in an attempt to explore the kitchen before she actually had to prepare breakfast for Adam. He had left her a list of things he had bought, and from it she could easily see what he had for each meal. While his lunches varied, his breakfast often consisted of bacon, eggs and toast-- and the only thing she knew how to make was toast. That was, if you didn’t count cereal.

She quickly went to work getting ready to prepare breakfast before Adam came downstairs. Pulling out her trusty, but outdated iPhone, she pulled up some You Tube videos and followed along. First she cracked several eggs into a large pan that had been preheated and watched as they began to cook. It looked so good so far. Next, she placed several strips of bacon into another heating pan. She wasn’t sure how much Adam liked to eat, so she used the entire package of bacon. Adam was an elite athlete, so she figured he ate a lot of food, even though nowadays he probably wasn’t training the way he used to since he was retired. He still kept in great shape though and muscles like his had to be well fed.

She wasn’t sure how Adam liked his eggs, but she preferred hers over medium so she just guessed that it would be ok to do that. It went better with toast because she loved to dip her toast in the yolk. She wondered if he did the same. She let the bacon cook until it was crispy, but not overly crispy, again guessing as to how he liked it. She followed the same procedure with the toast. Sitting everything down on the table, she was very proud of herself. She hadn’t burnt anything and it all looked really good, causing her stomach to rumble, which she took as a good sign.

She noticed the coffee maker was automatic and it looked like Adam had set it up the night before and programmed it to turn on at a specific time. She quietly thanked him for remembering because she had totally forgotten about the coffee until now, when it started to smell really good. She located the cups and poured a few cups of coffee and grabbed some creamer from the fridge. She noticed that Adam had several different flavors. She was going to sample a few this morning, that was for sure. She definitely appreciated that Adam was a coffee lover like herself. It was important to start the day off right and she was never able to get fully awake without getting her coffee into her in the morning.

She finished the breakfast preparations with a couple of glasses of orange juice, thankful that Adam bought pulp free. Pulp was just disgusting and she couldn’t for the life of her understand how anyone drank juice with pulp in it.

Just then Adam came bouncing into the room. He was freshly showered and wearing some fancy, yet casual clothes. He appeared to have been up for a while.

“Hey, that looks great," Adam said sitting down to his place at the table. Beth decided it was ok for her to do the same.

“Thanks,” Beth said. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yea, I slept fine. I just got back from my morning workout. It always works up an appetite. I’m glad to see you made a lot of food.”

“I wasn’t sure how much to make,” Beth said.

“You did perfect. I eat a lot, but not as much as I used to.”

“Really? That sounds like a fun job; getting to eat a lot of food every day and not get fat,” Beth said.

“It became a job, actually. When you have to spend three hours in the gym and five hours on the training field every day, and then you have to eat every three hours—it gets to be a chore. I’m happy now to just eat normally, but I also have to make sure I don’t overdo it or I will get fat. I can’t tell you how many guys I see who are retired and two years later they are carrying around a thirty pound spare tire.”

“Ouch.”

“How was your room? Did you sleep comfortably?” Adam asked sipping the coffee.

“Yes, it’s great. It may be the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in.”

“’I’m glad to hear that,” Adam said.

They chatted about some mundane things over the rest of breakfast, although Adam didn’t really talk that much. He was a man who really loved his food. He scarfed the bacon and eggs down quickly and gulped up several cups of coffee and juice in the process.

Beth only finished about half of her plate and she was stuffed. She was used to grabbing a few pop tarts and heading out the door, but she could definitely get used to this sort of food every morning, even if she was the one cooking it. She actually found she didn’t mind preparing the food and the breakfast had actually been really easy.

Adam excused himself after breakfast. He had some errands in town to run. Beth didn’t pry but she wondered what sort of errands he had to take care of and why he didn’t have a bunch of people to do that for him. She was beginning to see that Adam was a very take charge kind of guy and while he had hired help for a variety of menial tasks, he was also a man who liked to deal with things head on.

She admired that and found the passion he exhibited as being very sexy. Beth didn’t want to admit it because it felt wrong in many ways, and that may have been why it was so exciting, but she was having strong feelings of attraction for Adam. He was so strong, bold, and confident. It was his take charge attitude that just made her melt. He was dominant without being controlling and weird like a lot of men were. He just didn’t have the ego or the childlike neediness that most men she had been around exhibited.

She wasn’t sure she should be feeling this way, and she was going to do her best to bury it.

B
eth sat
down on the fancy living room sofa, plopped her feet up, and let out a huge sigh. The beautiful mansion had been far dirtier than it had appeared upon initial inspection and she had cleaned the entire downstairs today. She would do the upstairs tomorrow, but for now she was going to take a few minutes to rest. She figured she had a little while before she would have to fix dinner for Adam and she hoped that he wasn’t going to be home for a while. There was almost nothing that was going to make her want to move from this spot.

Then she heard Adam walking downstairs. She wasn’t even aware that he was home. The house was so huge that it was like one big maze. She doubted that Adam had even been in every room, but she guessed she would learn them all as she cleaned everything.

“Wow, somebody looks tired,” Adam said.

“I’m ok. Want me to get dinner started?” Beth said.

“I have a better idea; how about I take you out for dinner?” Adam asked.

Beth had to do a double take. She wasn’t sure she had heard him right.

“What?” Beth asked.

“You’ve worked so hard cleaning this house today, and I know how dirty it was since it’s been awhile, so I was thinking I’d take you out for dinner tonight. What do you think? Are you up for it?”

“Wow that would be great. Thanks!” Beth said.

“No problem. Now go upstairs and get changed. I’m taking you someplace fancy.”

“Fancy? Wow, I don’t know I’ve ever really been anywhere like that,” Beth said, immediately regretting that she didn’t know when to shut up.

“It’s a nice place. You will love it.”

“I’m not sure I have anything to wear to some place like that—“ Beth began.

Adam held up his hand cutting her off. He gave her a sly grin.

“It will be fine. Trust me.”

When Beth walked into her room she saw what the grin was about; lying on her bed was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. Adam had bought this for her? She wasn’t sure what to think. He had asked her out for a fancy dinner and now he was buying her dresses. Was he just being sweet because it was her first week or was there something else going on?

She decided that right now she didn’t care. The dress fit perfectly and when she walked downstairs Adam smiled approvingly. The man had excellent taste and he had even picked out the perfect size. She wasn’t sure if that was sexy or creepy. There was often a fine line, she decided.

Her first fine dining experience at a five star restaurant was perfect. The food and the atmosphere had placed a smile on her face that would take weeks to come off. It was all a bit too much to take in and she found herself just succumbing to the overwhelming sensations that were all around her, assaulting her senses.

The conversation between her and Adam was so easy and relaxed. She found out about his growing up and then his evolution into one of the greatest footballers to play the game and his reasons for leaving the game behind. She admired that he wanted to give back and work in either broadcasting or coaching. He had even expressed an interest in starting up his own line of sporting goods, plus he had several endorsement deals lined up for the near future. She loved to hear him talk about all of his plans and the passion and excitement in his voice. It made her excited for him and she hoped that she would be able to witness much of this since she was now living with him.

He had even asked her about herself. She had been a little shy about revealing the details of her less than stellar life and especially her past, but he listened intently and gave advice to her in a very non-judgmental way. She really appreciated that. He was such a great listener. It felt amazing to really relax and open up with someone, even if it did take a huge risk and leap of faith on her part. She was very glad that she did it in the end. It helped her connect with him and he seemed to be really connecting with her as well.

Beth’s feelings for Adam were intensifying and she had to admit to herself that she was starting to fall a bit for him. She told herself it was silly. He was her employer and besides his status and prestige were far above her or anything she would ever accomplish. Why in the world would he be interested in her? It was a nice little fantasy, but she tried to keep a level head and chalked it all up to a nice dinner with a new friend.

But that night when they returned to the house they decided to hang out in the huge living room for a while, even though it was getting late and she felt like she was ready to drop. Adam insisted and poured them both a few drinks while they listened to some romantic music. They talked more about their individual plans for the future.

At some point in the evening, Adam abruptly stood up and extended his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her into a dance, allowing the romantic sounds to fill the air. Beth was not sure what was going on or why, but she was enjoying the feeling of letting go. It was freeing and the romance that was filling the air was a new sensation to her. She understood at that moment that she had never really been romanced before and it took her a while to understand it was happening to her right then. She had to question it several times to herself.

At the end of the evening as she was starting up the stairs to her room, Adam surprised her once again by grabbing her hand and pulling her close. He looked deeply into her eyes and kissed her softly on the lips. Then he let her hand go, smiled at her sweetly, and walked away.

Beth stood there for several seconds before climbing the stairs and moving towards her bedroom. She realized that her life was about to change.

T
he next morning
at breakfast Adam was his usual chipper self. He made small talk with her and asked her if she’d had a good time the night before.

“Yea, it was great,” Beth said.

“I told you that restaurant was the bomb," Adam said.

Beth had to laugh. She loved the way he talked.

“It was pretty special,” Beth said.

She was wondering if they should talk about the kiss and what it meant. Did it mean anything? Would he fire her if she asked too many questions about it? Was she just reading too much into things? He was a really passionate guy and maybe he had just gotten caught up in the moment.

Beth tried to concentrate on her work, which for the most part involved cleaning the upstairs and the bathrooms. It was mind numbing work, which allowed her mind to wander and it kept drifting to the thoughts of the previous evening. The uncertainty of things was really nagging at her and the more they did the more she realized the intensity of the feelings she was starting to have for Adam. She tried to force them down because she didn’t want it to interfere with their working relationship, especially if he didn’t feel the same way. Given Adam’s status he was probably used to women flaunting over him and kissing one of them didn’t have to mean anything at all. It was just a friendly gesture to him. She wasn’t sure and the more she tried to convince herself the more confused she became.

She took a small break from cleaning to make Adam’s lunch. She checked the menu that he had prepared and began to fix the food. He wanted ten ounces of cod with two cups of rice and one cup of steamed veggies. She put the rice in the rice maker, which made things so much easier, the cod in the oven, and a steamer bag of frozen veggies in the microwave. It was getting easier and she was starting to learn shortcuts to making good food without killing yourself. Thank God for YouTube.

Lunch conversation was about the same as breakfast and though it was killing her to not talk about the kiss, she held her lips sealed. She wasn’t going to break on this. She had decided to leave the ball in his court on the matter and just see what happened. It was kind of a curious thing actually and she was enjoying the not knowing, even though at the same time it felt like it was tearing her apart. She realized that Adam was a mysterious guy and it was part of this mystery that added to his charisma and charm. If she started prodding and acting clingy then it would not end well. She figured he would turn her down gently and possibly fire her so that things wouldn’t be weird.

That night after dinner she had just finished taking a shower when there was a knock at her door. She quickly dried off and put on her bath robe. She was a bit nervous opening the door, but she tried to hide it. The thought that all that separated her naked body from Adam was a small robe belt, which could be undone with the flick of a finger, swirled in her mind. That would have been pretty hot, she thought. She entertained a brief fantasy of Adam just removing the robe and ravaging her body.

She opened the door and Adam stood there, shirtless in a pair of silk pajama pants. His body was ripped and muscular, but not bulky. He had a lean athletic look still and his washboard abs glistened in the light. He looked as if he had just stepped out of the shower also.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you what your plans were for the weekend,” Adam said.

Beth thought a moment and realized that she did indeed have the next two days off.

“No plans. Why?”

“Have you ever been on a four-wheeler?” Adam asked flashing that sly and devilish grin at her that continued to make her heart melt.

B
eth screamed loudly
as the trees whipped past her face. She was on a four-wheeler several yards behind Adam ripping through the woods about thirty miles outside of town. She had heard of people coming up here and riding, but she had never considered doing it herself at all. Beth had never felt like much of a thrill seeker and she was learning that Adam was. He loved everything that seemed to put his life in danger. It was an odd thing to her, but she had to admit that even though she was terrified, she was having a blast. It was such a thrill to have the wind ripping through her hair and to feel this magnificent machine under her, hitting every bump and nuance of the ground and feeling it reverberate through the machine between her legs. It was actually kind of sexual and she felt naughty for thinking this, but she was having too much fun to care.

She had started out riding slowly until she got the hang of it, but she quickly picked it up and at Adam’s encouragement she had joined him on riding The Course, as it was called. It was almost an obstacle course. The trail was comprised of several hills and bumps that threatened to throw her off the four-wheeler and near constant twists and turns through heavily wooded areas with just enough of a trail forged to fit the four-wheeler through. Adam was appreciating that she was willing to throw caution to the wind and try anything fun.

She just needed a little push first.

They finished The Course and Adam gave her a high five and a hug. She loved the way he felt against her and she caught the gleam in his eye when he stared at her, again flashing that devilish smile.

They decided to grab some lunch and then headed home. They had taken Adam’s new Ferrari today. Another first for Beth; she had always wanted to ride in a fancy sports car, but she had never even had the guts to test drive one. She always figured the dealer would take one look at her and tell her to get lost. It wasn’t like you could just test drive a $250,000 car. Apparently there were rules.

That evening they decided to spend time at the house watching some movies on Netflix. She had never seen the show Breaking Bad, but it had been all the rage a few years ago and it was Adam’s favorite show. He wanted her to watch it so she gave in and much to her surprise she became totally hooked on it right away. It had been a long time since a show had grabbed her and pulled her into it that quickly.

Halfway through the third episode, Adam pulled her close to him and kissed her sweetly on the lips. It had taken her totally by surprise and she had almost pulled away at first out of surprise, but once his lips touched hers she instantly fell into the sweetness of it.

“Wow, that was nice,” Adam said.

“Yeah, it was,” Beth replied.

“I want to take you to LA with me for the week,” Adam said.

“What?” Beth exclaimed.

“Have you ever been?”

“No, but I’ve always wanted to.”

Christian, even though he could afford it, had refused to take her anywhere. He was such a sleaze.

“Great, then it’s settled. I have a little business to attend to, but most of the week will be totally free.”

“I can’t believe you are asking me to go. What about my work?”

“Well, I asked your boss if you could have the week off and he said yes. He must be a really cool guy,” Adam teased.

Beth laughed as she snuggled closer to him.

T
hey arrived
in LA the next evening. The weather was beautiful and Beth marveled at the sights she saw just traveling from the airport to the hotel. She had never really seen the ocean before and the beautiful sandy beaches that lined the coast were breathtaking.

After they settled into the hotel and unpacked they decided to do some sightseeing. Adam had been in LA many times before and he made an excellent tour guide. First they stopped at the Hard Rock Café and grabbed some lunch. Beth was enamored with the wonderful artifacts and the atmosphere of the place. She had always heard it was the coolest place to visit and she was glad that the hype was true.

Then it was on to Hollywood. Adam had hired a driver and a car to take them anywhere they wanted to go for the week. Beth wasn’t even going to ask how much that cost, but the car was exquisitely awesome. It was a brand new SUV, which Beth actually preferred to the limo because a limo just drew too much attention. Adam seemed to echo her sentiments on the subject as well.

They visited Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and took several pictures. Beth had always dreamt of visiting somewhere like this and it was even better in person. They then spent hours walking up and down the strip looking at the stars on the walk of fame. Beth figured Adam had to be getting annoyed by her suggesting he take her picture after every other actor’s name that she came to. It was just a mind trip for her to realize that so many of these people had been standing right there to commemorate their achievements. Beth had always been a bit of a film buff, so Hollywood was the greatest place on Earth in her eyes.

They spent the rest of the afternoon going in and out of every souvenir shop that they came to. Beth couldn’t believe how much cool stuff Adam was buying her. It was so sweet, but she also felt bad about it. Although he insisted, she felt a bit like she was being a loafer. That wasn’t her nature and she wasn’t used to people buying her things, but at the same time it felt really nice to be taken care of.

They ended the evening hanging out at the hotel room. Adam had reserved the biggest room in the place. It even had a bowling alley in the middle of the room. She had never seen anything like this before. She didn’t even like bowling, but she and Adam decided not to waste it since it was there.

Adam proved to be excellent at bowling too. She was starting to think that he was good at everything. He never seemed to lose no matter what he did. She found it to be both irresistible and strange. He was almost too perfect, but she was sure that if she waited long enough she would find at least one small flaw that would make him seem more human.

Every guy had a rough edge somewhere.

They finished off the day relaxing in the Jacuzzi in the room. It was a large eight person Jacuzzi. Beth loved the extra space and she was glad that she had brought her swim suit. It was a two piece thong set, but she figured that Adam would enjoy it. She felt odd at first being so exposed to him, but she also felt that she should up the ante and take a few risks as well.

Adam sat across from her smiling and sipping a beer. He had not spoken for a few minutes. He appeared to be mulling something over in his mind. It was like he wanted to say something to her, but he wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it. The curiosity was killing her, so she had to ask.

“What is on your mind?”

“Is it that obvious?” Adam asked.

“Yes. You look like you have something really gnawing on your noggin. It’s ok, just blurt it out. Don’t be shy, now,” Beth teased.

Adam laughed.

“Well, ok I guess I will. You and I have been spending a lot of time together and I think you know I really like you and I believe you really like me too.”

“Yes, I feel the same way,” Beth said. She could not stop the smile spreading over her face. It felt so good to finally acknowledge the elephant in the room. She had so much she wanted to say to him. She was tired of holding her feelings back.

“Great, because I see us having a real future together. I know it feels sudden, and I don’t want to rush anything, but I have never felt as much of a connection to someone like this. Maybe I’m crazy, but that is how I feel.”

“I know what you are saying. I don’t think you are crazy. I have strong feelings for you, too.”

Adam leaned close to her and put his arm around her, pulling her close.

“I want to tell you something that I have never told anyone, and you may not believe me, but I’ll show you if I have to. Like I said, I see a future for us and I don’t want to have any secrets.”

“It’s ok. Adam, you can tell me anything.”

Adam took a deep breath.

“I’m a dragon shifter.”

Beth let the words ring in her ears for several seconds trying to fully understand their meaning.

“You’re a what?”

“I’m a dragon shifter.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Beth replied.

“Shifters are real. I belong to a race of humans who are able to shift into other animals and creatures. I am able to shift into a dragon.”

“Are you joking? This is absurd.”

“Like I said, I didn’t think you would believe me.”

“Well, you thought right. I’m not sure what you are trying to pull—“

Suddenly Adam grabbed her and in an instant lifted her up and a split second later they were in the bedroom.

“Jesus!” Beth said. “How did you do that?”

“Just a few basic movements, at ten times human speed.”

“I don’t understand what is going on.”

“I know. That’s why I’m going to show you.”

A few minutes later they were on the roof of the hotel. Beth was terrified of heights and refused to go near the edge. She felt like something bad was about to happen and she knew that all of this was against her better judgment. She took several deep breaths. She was glad she had put on her sweats and her hoody. The evening had grown chilly, and a mild breeze blew across the roof.

“What are we doing up here?” Beth asked.

“The only way for you to truly grasp what I am is for me to show you.”

Adam took off his clothes. He was now standing bare naked several feet in front of her on the roof. This was the first time she had seen him naked and a million thoughts were whirring through her mind. His body was amazing and she had to fight the instinct to check out his crotch.

“Are you crazy?” She asked.

Adam didn’t answer her. Suddenly his body began to convulse. She thought he might be having a seizure, but she quickly saw that something else was happening. His skin began to peel away from his face as large wings leapt off of his back. His bones moved, lengthened, shortened, and contorted creating a new creature that she had never seen before.

The whole process took less than ten seconds. She hardly had time to react to it, but standing before her now was a ten foot tall dragon. Adam was no longer there.

Beth’s whole body was numb with terror and shock. What had just happened? Where did Adam go? Was that him? She found her feet were glued to the rooftop and she was unable to move. It was all too much to take. She had never expected in her wildest dreams to see something like this happening right in front of her face. Dragons were real. People turned into them. She kept repeating the idea over and over in her mind hoping that one of these times it was actually going to gel and make rational sense. It wasn’t happening.