ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense) (3 page)

“Adam?” Beth croaked.

“Yes, Beth it is me.”

Beth stumbled back. She had not really expected Adam to answer and hearing his voice coming from the mouth of a dragon was mind blowing in another way.

“Oh, my God!”

“It’s ok. Don’t be afraid. I’m still me. This is who I am.”

“How did this happen to you?”

“I was born this way. It runs in families. There aren’t many shifters left in the world, but I am one of them.”

Beth walked closer to him to inspect the dragon up close. She hated to stare at him like he was a carnival freak or something, but this was the most insane thing she had ever seen and she had to touch it up close. She ran her hands along the dragon’s arms, feeling the roughness of the skin, and then she felt the wings. They were made out of fleshy material and kind of reminded her of the wings of a bat.

“This is amazing,” Beth said.

“Are you glad that you know?” Adam asked.

“Yes. It means a lot that you chose to share this with me.”

“Want to go for a ride?” Adam asked.

Beth smiled.

A
dam picked
her up and held her close to him as he flew over the city. From that high up Beth could see city lights stretching out for miles in all directions. It was mind altering to know how huge the city of LA really was. It was like its own galaxy and it almost seemed to have its own set of rules. The air felt wonderful blowing through her hair and brushing her face as she snuggled up to Adam’s warmness. Even as a dragon he still felt like Adam.

As a little girl she had often dreamt of what it would be like to fly above the clouds and now she was actually doing it. The déjà vu of it all was surreal. Everything looked exactly how she had always pictured it but it was even more vivid because she was actually there. In her dreams it always seemed somehow two dimensional, as if she was watching it on a great big screen. It had been incredible but now it was so much more. Her dreams and fantasies had only hinted at the possibilities.

Adam went slowly at first, just gliding over the outskirts of the city and then flying along the ocean shore. The beaches looked so peaceful at night, watching the water meet the shoreline. It was so captivating that Beth took some snapshots of it in her mind. She would never forget this. She probably wouldn’t have to, actually. Adam had confided in her this huge secret because he cared deeply about her. He said he had not told anyone this secret before, which meant that he saw a long term future for the two of them. The whole thing sounded too good to be true and it was also a bit frightening. There was still so much she didn’t know about Adam; he was so mysterious, but the fact that he had divulged the most important secret of his life to her meant that he was an open book only to her. It made her feel special and privileged. It made her feel loved.

Afterwards Adam landed back on the hotel roof with Beth. She was still awestruck by this magnificent looking creature standing in front of her, but in a few seconds he shifted back and he was Adam again. Beth wrapped her arms around him and the two embraced each other, enjoying the moment that only the two of them could share.

B
eth had never been so
nervous.

She was walking down the aisle in front of two hundred people on the biggest day of her life. If she’d had a stick she would have poked herself several times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, but staring down the long aisle, Adam was waiting for her.

It had been a month since their trip to LA where Adam had exposed himself to her as a dragon shifter and it had been the most amazing month she had ever known. Falling in love was not like what she had expected it would be or what she had come to know from romance novels and chick flicks; it was much more than that. She felt it was probably different for everybody because nobody ever told you how it really felt or how it happened to them. Beth felt that she had one of the most unique experiences of anyone around on the subject of romance.

During the past month Adam and her had shared every meal together, she had been cooking less and less. It was eventually kind of decided that she did not really work there anymore. She was Adam’s live-in girlfriend. Then she had become his live-in fiancée.

Adam had proposed in the most romantic place on Earth. He had flown her to Paris where they spent several days sightseeing and indulging in all of the fun things that Paris had to offer. To Beth everything she saw in Paris was something romantic. She wasn’t sure how much of that was in her mind and how much was just Paris, but she had soaked up everything out of the place that she could. It was a dream come true and she kept asking herself how she had gotten so lucky.

Then on their last night there, they were enjoying a beautiful walk along the streets of Paris when suddenly Adam dropped to his knees, right in front of the Eiffel Tower and proposed to her. It was the most romantic thing she could have imagined.

They decided they wanted to get married quickly. Adam and Beth both decided that they hated the idea of a long drawn out engagement, but this meant that they had a month to plan a wedding. Of course Adam had hired the best wedding planner in town to dream up the perfect wedding. Beth was relieved because for a moment she thought that the whole thing was going to be on her shoulders.

Adam told her right from the start that she could have any kind of wedding she wanted and that he didn’t care if he had much input in that particular thing, unless she wanted him to. She had valued any idea he had and they had compromised on small things that they couldn’t totally agree on. Adam was just the perfect guy because he was so strong and secure in himself that he didn’t get hung up on being right. If he knew he was right about something he simply ordered it to be that way and didn’t ask. When he did that it was easy to tell that he knew what he was talking about and it was easy to follow his lead.

Now here she was walking down the aisle. As nervous as she was walking down the aisle, standing in front of Adam now everything in the world seemed perfect and she had no stitch of fear within her. She felt as safe as she had ever felt in her life and as certain as she had ever been about anything. Here and now she was ready to start her new life.

She glanced over at her niece, Daphne. She had been the most adorable flower girl. Her eyes drifted over to Thomas, the ring bearer who was completely bored out of his mind. She didn’t blame the kid, but she knew one day he would be in Adam’s shoes about to make the biggest decision of his life. She hoped he was as certain as she was.

The ceremony was quick and to the point, which was the way she liked it. She’d had a blast being admired in the beautiful wedding gown that Adam had bought her, but it was also the most uncomfortable thing she had ever put on. After wearing it for an hour, she was ready to be out of the thing and let her hair down to party. They both got dressed into something more comfortable and rode to the reception.

The reception was the biggest party by far that she had ever been to and probably ever would be, or at least until one of Adam’s wealthy friends got married. His best buddy, Anthony, had been married twice already and was only twenty-five. He was ridiculous and judging by the way he was flirting with all of the bridesmaids he would be getting married again soon. She guessed for some people marriage was just a habit.

Beth loved all of the adulation that she was being given from all of her friends and family and also from all of the people that she didn’t even know. She kept staring at the huge table full of gifts that awaited them later. How in the world were they going to open all of that stuff?

The end of the evening came with the first dance of the newlyweds. Beth was a little nervous about this because she was not the best dancer, but Adam guided her through it and she realized that everyone was so in awe of the true love they were seeing between the two of them that they didn’t care if she tripped or fell. She could have probably goofed up any which way that did not end up with her naked and they would have been ok with it. It was the romance that people loved to see; that was why people went to weddings to begin with.

After the wedding as they were being driven to the airport in their limo on their way to London for the first leg of their honeymoon, Adam told Beth how much he loved her.

“Beth, I vow to do everything in my power to give you the kind of life that you deserve and be the kind of man that you deserve. I love you more than anybody could love someone.”

Beth smiled as the tears welled up in her eyes. Adam leaned forward and kissed her gently, taking her in his arms, and holding her close. She could feel the beating of his heart and she thought she could hear the beating of her own and the two sounded in perfect sync with each other. She smiled enjoying the sentiment, as cheesy as she thought it sounded. She was living in her very own fairytale.

As they boarded the airplane headed for London she took Adam’s hand and held it tightly. Then she closed her eyes, leaned back in her spacious first class seat and thought of beautiful things.

“
A
re you stalking me
?”

“Maybe.” He gave me a slow sexy smile and I sauntered over to him. He was leaning against a shiny black sports car. I didn’t know what type of car it was, but it was fancy. He was handsome, witty and he drove a nice car. Call me superficial, but so far he was a winner.

Jasmine Kidd is accustomed to people dismissing her as just another struggling actress, all looks and no brains. So when she meets Greer, a mysterious, gorgeous artist, internationally renowned for his work, she’s immediately drawn to him and surprised that he wants to get to know her on a deeper level. Jasmine’s past though is not something she wants to reveal to anyone, let alone Greer. She’s afraid that once he knows the real her and the things she’s capable of, he’ll leave. However, little does Jasmine know; Greer has secrets of his own, secrets that when revealed could cost Jasmine her life.

“
I
f you’re going
to rip my throat out, do it now.” I said with a calmness I didn’t feel as I looked at the man who stood over me. His light-gray eyes showed only one emotion, regret. Regret not for the events that transpired, but regret because I finally knew the truth about him, and that truth was frightening.

To think: Only an hour ago I had been in his arms, naked and exposed, writhing in ecstasy as he slid easily in and out of me. Our lovemaking meant nothing to me now, I thought to myself, as he continued to look down at me. My sex still felt swollen and wet from our earlier encounter. My hands were still tied to the bedrails and I spied my panties haphazardly tossed on the dresser next to the bed. We had both been in a frenzy to get them off. I had wanted him bad. So bad. And now, I realized that I didn’t even know him. I didn’t know this man who had kissed and caressed parts of me that I didn’t even know I had.

I felt betrayal more than fear. Our entire relationship had been a lie. Everyone had secrets, but his secret could mean I would possibly lose my life. I had done some truly regrettable things in the past, but his secret, now revealed, was dizzying in its severity. Instead of luxuriating in the afterglow of our lovemaking, I was trying to come up with a way to get away from this man. This monster.

“I’m not going to kill you, Jasmine,” he said simply. He then lowered his hand towards me and I began to scream.

I
was tired
. I’m not sure why I thought it would be a great idea to go for a jog in the middle of the sweltering heat, when one: I didn’t jog, and two: I burned easily. My shoulders were on fire just five minutes into my run and my legs and lungs didn’t feel much better. As I collapsed against a wall holding my sides, trying not to throw up; I saw the store of my dreams: a candy shop.

I understood the irony of abandoning my “get healthy quick” scheme in order to buy candy, but a girl had needs and right now my needs centered around something sweet in my mouth.

I guess I wasn’t paying attention as I started purposefully across the street because suddenly a car horn blared and I looked up to see a car hurtling towards me. I froze in shock and if my heart could have hit the floor, it would have. I opened my mouth to scream when suddenly the breath was knocked out of me as someone shoved me to the ground and out of the way of the oncoming car, which kept going, a police cruiser right on its tail.

Grateful to be alive, I looked up at the person who had saved me. He was still on top of me actually. He was heavy, the good kind of heavy. The type of heavy that made you feel protected, secure and safe. The way his body was molded to mine left nothing to my imagination. I had my hands gripping his biceps and as he raised up off of me, I let a little sigh of frustration escape. Frankly, I was sorry he had gotten up.

“That was a close one,” he said fully standing up now and I rose up into a sitting position, and just stared at him. Was it possible for a man to be that beautiful? I was instantly jealous. And then I told myself I was being ridiculous. Maybe Susie, my coworker was right: maybe I was impossible to date. I mean, come on, here I was jealous of the beauty of a man who had just saved my life. If anything, I should be grateful. I blamed my vanity on being a Leo. Although most-likely, it was my mother’s fault; as a bona fide Jersey girl she always told me to always look my best when I went out anywhere, and to always wear a ton of mascara. Looks and appearances had been so important to her and unfortunately, it had rubbed off on me in the form of insecurities that I hid from others.

The beautiful man in question extended his hand to me and I reached for it. I didn’t want to let go of his hand as he pulled me up, and again, I felt disappointment when he let go.

I must have let my disappointment show on my face because he suddenly smiled and said with a teasing tone, “Is something wrong?”

I shook my head, “Nothing at all. I was almost run over by a criminal and a cop in pursuit of said criminal, but otherwise, everything’s great. It’s not every day that a handsome man wrestles me to the ground to save my life.” Okay, maybe I had laid it on a bit thick, but the guy was sexy and I wasn’t shy. He could be the future Mr. Jasmine Kidd.

I liked the way his full lips tilted up just on one side as he smiled even wider, and his light-gray eyes seemed to be trying to figure me out. He might as well stop, I thought to myself. I was an enigma and I definitely wasn’t going to let him see more than I wanted him to. After all, we all have secrets.

After he was done studying my face, looking for what… I wasn’t sure. He let his eyes glide down my body. I know what he saw when he looked at me. He saw a sexy petite brunette with a Marilyn Monroe body. I was a bombshell and I knew it. I posed a little so that he could appreciate the image I made in my hot pink sweatpants and black sports bra. His eyes came back up to stare into my dark blue eyes with flecks of green, and I waited for him to ask me for my name or number, something. But that didn’t happen.

“Next time look before you cross the street,” he said to me, again in that teasing tone and then he walked away from me, not saying another word.

I watched him leave. I had my hands on my hips as he sauntered down the street, walking with confidence. I let myself admire his lean muscular body and tight backside as he left me standing there.

“Oh well,” I said, letting myself look one more time at the way his jeans hugged that fantastic butt of his. I shrugged, telling myself not to be too disappointed by the missed opportunity of getting to know that sexy stranger better. And following the stranger’s advice, before I continued over to the candy shop, this time I did look both ways before crossing the street.

Once inside, I helped myself to candies I hadn’t had since I was a child and left the candy shop happily humming with my bag of goodies. I had an appointment with my agent later that day so there was pep in my step as I meandered to my part-time job which I normally dreaded. I was an actress. I did mostly commercials, but I wanted to get back into theatre where I had first started. It actually had been my agent’s idea for me to get in shape. He had said my perfect little body wouldn’t last forever and I had reluctantly agreed. If I were going to get anywhere in Hollywood, no matter how smart and clever I was, I had to look good too. I made a face as I looked at the bag of candy I carried and instead of eating it, I handed it to a little old man I found sitting at a bus stop. He looked at me like I was insane when I snatched a few of the jellybeans out of the bag, after I had handed it over to him. But let’s be honest; I was trying to be healthy, but even my good intentions couldn’t stand up against jellybeans.

Feeling good about what I considered my good deed of the day, I called my older sister, Nahla, to tell her about my run. Nahla was a marathon runner before she had her twins. I thought since we were sisters, maybe it would be genetic and I would be naturally gifted at running, but apparently, that assumption had been way off base.

“Nahla! Hi!” I said as soon as she picked up. I loved my big sister who had single-handedly stepped in for my parents and raised me when they had died in a car accident when I was twelve. Nahla was twenty at the time. She was naturally motherly though and that was proven by her ability to handle the new editions to her family that she was so very proud of.

Speaking of which, I could hear the twins crying in the background. My sister was a strange creature. As soon as she turned thirty-five, she had decided she was done waiting for a man to come into her life and had adopted twins from Korea earlier that year. Her company had a very accommodating maternity leave policy, so my sister hadn’t been to work for at least six months. Not that raising twins alone wasn’t work. From all the noise in the background, it sounded like her twins had finally learned to crawl. Uh-oh.

“Kennedy, no! Kennedy, please! No! Mommy said no. Jason, sit down. Jason. Oh God,” were the words that greeted me. I waited patiently until I had her attention.

She sighed deeply into the phone, “Jasmine, do you want a set of adorable twins? They’re absolute angels. Or how about one? Just one of them? Maybe we can trade? Like every other weekend you take them and then I have them the rest of the time?”

I had to laugh: Nahla was always hilarious. She didn’t sugarcoat the harsh realities of parenting. Instead, she wrote a blog in what little free time she had, and she had a ton of followers as a result. Her take on parenting was honest, retrospective and refreshing.

“No, no. You have that motherhood thing all figured out. If I had to babysit, both Jason and Kennedy would be covered in makeup and cat hair when you got them back.” I said referring to my huge makeup stash and my cat, Peewee.

“Hmmm....” she said as if she were giving my offer some thought, “Maybe that wouldn’t be too bad?”

“Nahla!”

“What?! They’ve taken over my life.”

“And you’re loving every moment of it.” I said smiling to myself.

I could hear the love in her voice as she said, “More than anything in the world.”

I was happy for my sister. Traveling to another country and adopting kids wasn’t my idea of a good time, but I was happy for the life she chose for herself. She had always been the good one, I thought to myself, not for the first time. Stop comparing yourself to Nahla, I reprimanded my internal thoughts. You’ve led your life the way you wanted and so has she.

“I do need a favor though. Kennedy has an appointment next week and I don’t want to take Jason. I know I’m being overprotective, but I don’t want to expose Jason to all those germs. You know he has a weird immune system.”

I didn’t bother reminding my sister that germs were everywhere and that she was being silly. I didn’t know what it felt like being a mom to twins. I didn’t even let Peewee ride in my car without wearing a seatbelt, and he was a cat.

“Sure, sis. Whatever you need. Anyway, I tried running today.”

“You lucky girl!”

“Well, not so much. I almost got hit by a car, but I met a cutie in the process.”

“Of course you did.”

“Hey!”

“What? You could be at the podiatrist getting a corn removed and you would meet a hot guy. That’s just your luck.”

I shivered, “First of all, that would never happen to me. A corn! Ughhh! God forbid. But you are right. I met a really sexy dental hygienist once when I got my wisdom teeth removed. I think he only thought I was charming when I was under the influence of laughing gas though, since he didn’t ask me out on a second date.”

“His loss,” my sister said shortly. She was nothing, if not loyal. I was about to continue our conversation when I heard her scream in alarm, and the phone dropped. I could also hear lots of giggles from the twins and then my sister saying, “Oh my gosh, you can’t eat mommy’s shoe. Not mommy’s shoe.”

“Bye sis!” I yelled and then hung up. I figured she would be too busy washing out one of their mouths to get back to me anyway.

As I headed to my part-time job, I hummed a little. I was having a good day. And as I entered the building and saw a man sitting there, I realized that my day was getting even better. The stranger who had saved me was sitting in the lobby.