Shapeshifter Romance: Duty of a Lion (Paranormal Army Hero Navy Seal Shifter Protector Alpha Lion Romance) (Fantasy Military Action Adventure Urban Wolf Romance Short Stories) (34 page)

I nodded. He walked over to the door, where he hesitated to leave. “Just hurry back…okay?” I all but whispered.

Erik nodded and then hurried downstairs to talk with his team. Wearily, I pulled off my light sweater, shoes, socks, and tights. I tossed them into my closet haphazardly, simply wanting my bed.

I crawled in between the sheets with nothing but my underwear on and snuggled against my pillow. I fished around for my TV remote and and pressed the power button. I wasn’t interested at all in what was playing on TV. All I could think about was Christopher’s cold black eyes and his predatory sneer, most of all his cryptic comment.
She gets the point
…was that another threat that he would get me soon? Was he that confident that he would? Was Christopher actually smarter than the team I hired?

Erik walked into the room, ready with assurances on his lips. “Stop worrying Tanya, you’re perfectly safe with us. He didn’t touch you, and really soon he’ll be behind bars. I promise you Tanya, it’s almost over.” I looked up at him and met his steady and confident gaze.

“Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly. Erik’s eyes blazed with purpose and sincerity.

“Yes, I
will
protect you Tanya,” Erik said with conviction. I nodded slowly and then took a deep breath.

“It just…seeing him was scary,” Erik closed my bedroom door and walked over to the bed to sit down next to me. I was well covered by the blankets so all Erik saw was my head and neck.

“I know it was, but soon he won’t scare you anymore. Soon he won’t have any power over you,” Erik promised.

I sighed and Erik pulled me against his chest. I rested my head in the crook of his neck and wrapped my arms around his hard midsection. I could feel the contours of his muscle beneath the thin, button down shirt. My hands had a mind of their own though, soon I was rubbing his stomach and chest while pressing my body against his.

I looked up at Erik and saw him watching me with hooded eyes. My breath caught in my throat at the heat in his gaze and soon his lips were pressed against mine.

*****

Erik shoved the blankets out of the way and soon his hands were on my skin as he gripped my waist. He gave a soft surprised moan and then his hands lowered to cup my soft bottom in both hands. My core rippled and clenched at the electric feelings his touch elicited in me. I pressed myself even tighter against his front and I felt the hard outline of his erection straining against his pants. I rubbed my core against it and Erik broke our kiss to practically rip the clothing from his body.

He was naked in under thirty seconds and then his warmth was surrounding me once more. Erik held himself above me and trailed kisses down my neck and back up to capture my lips with his. His tongue slid into my mouth and danced with mine; by that point I was arching up into him, needing to feel his skin on mine. I caressed his muscular arms and gripped his shoulders to pull him down onto me.

“I love kissing you,” Erik whispered against my lips before his mouth trailed downward once more, leaving a ribbon of fire against my skin in his wake. Erik pressed butterfly kisses against my belly and then his tongue dipped into my belly button. I giggled at the sensation and Erik’s hazel-brown eyes met mine as he smiled. His mouth was now hovering over my sex and the sight of him there was doing crazy things to my body. I wanted him bad and I marveled at how I’ve never reacted so intensely to anyone else before.

Erik ripped my thin satin panties at the seams and pulled them off of me. My eyes widened and my breathing picked up; could he
get
any sexier? Erik put his hands on my inner thighs, to hold my legs open, and then his mouth was on me. I cried out at the shock of pleasure his tongue pressed against my clitoris elicited. Erik slid one finger into my quivering sex and I moaned as I arched against his mouth. He slid his tongue around my clitoris, applying the perfect amount of pressure and my hands went to his hair.

I couldn’t control my hips as I rubbed myself against his mouth and gripped his hair tightly. I was lost in the pleasure he was giving me. Erik slid another finger into me and started slowly to push them in and draw them out. He sucked my clit into his mouth, again with perfect pressure, and I cried out at how perfect it all felt. My orgasm caught me off guard and crashed over me, sending me into a million pieces. I gasped Erik’s name as he was still teasing my clitoris with his tongue and thrusting his fingers into me, drawing out my orgasm. If he kept it up I would soon fall into another. My sex clenched and tightened again and I could feel another climax threaten, but that was when Erik pulled his fingers out and lifted his head.

I cried out in protest, but Erik simply bent to unclip my bra and pull it off, before he gripped his thick sex in his hand, stroking it while his eyes roamed all over my body. My eyes were riveted on the hard length and thickness of his cock. I licked my lips when a bead of moisture escaped the swollen head and Erik groaned before he positioned himself at my entrance and slowly pushed into me. He filled me up completely and my sex rippled in pleasure around him. I held onto his arms when his hips started to move against mine. He started off slowly, but soon his pace quickened and he pumped into me harder. I gripped his arms tight and held on as we both climbed toward the edge that would lead us to the sensational fall of ecstasy.

My back bowed with the strength of my orgasm as it coursed through me, wave after wave of pleasure. My sex clenched hard around Erik and milked his own orgasm from him. Erik shuddered against me with the force of his climax, but he held himself up over me while we both feathered down from the high.

“That was amazing,
you
are amazing Tanya…it’s never—I’ve never felt…” Erik struggled with his words, his tone sounding almost as if he were in awed shock. Erik kissed me hard before he slowly pulled out of me, I felt a little bereft once we were no longer connected. Erik got up and walked into the bathroom; he was gloriously naked and I enjoyed the view of his firm behind. He came back a second later with a damp wash cloth and I was speechless as he gently cleaned me up. He quickly went back into the bathroom and then returned and climbed into bed with me. He was really warm and I didn’t need the blanket as he wrapped his arms around me and tangled his legs with mine. I fell asleep contentedly, and more importantly thoughts of Christopher had fled my mind.

* * *

I woke up slowly the next morning, I felt like having a lazy Sunday and simply lying in bed with Erik all day. My heart was full and I’d be lying if I said that Erik didn’t make me feel three-hundred shades of happy. When I opened my eyes I looked directly into his.

“Good morning beautiful,” Erik said. I giggled at how cheesy that sounded. Secretly though, it made my chest feel all warm and fuzzy. Could it be possible that I loved him already? I found it actually hard not to love Erik, he was just so perfect. “Are you hungry? I can make you some pancakes and turkey bacon.” Erik grinned at me with a boyish smile and I giggled again. Okay I needed to pull myself together, I was acting like some giggling teenager.

“Pancakes sound amazing, so does turkey bacon,” I said a bit shyly. Erik kissed me twice on the lips and then we detangled from each other to head into the bathroom. Needless to say taking a shower and trying to brush my teeth was nearly impossible with Erik in the room. Our breakfast soon turned into brunch. Erik went downstairs to go and get the food ready while I was getting dressed. I was just about to step out into the hall when I heard a gunshot.

*****

I froze, as did my heart as the sound seemed to ricochet through the house. There was nothing but silence and icy dread laced with fear froze my veins as I thought of Erik. John was here too as he practically lived in the surveillance room. What if either of them had been shot or killed? I wouldn’t let myself think about that.

Another shot went off and I had to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. Silent tears ran down my face and my heart was cold with horror. It was Christopher, he was here. There was yelling and then a string of three gunshots were heard. I heard male voices, but I couldn’t tell who they came from. There was a screeching noise from the street outside and I ran to my window to see Nick and Stephan hastening to the house cautiously with guns drawn. Paul was with them also; he must have driven them. There was a large black truck on the curb that I didn’t recognize and I knew that must be the truck Christopher and his men came in. After Nick, Stephan, and Paul disappeared into the house I saw a sleek black BMW pull up. My eyes widened in horror as three more men with serious-looking automatic weapons rushed into the house, meanwhile Christopher was wearing all black and stayed behind with the car. He leaned against the passenger door and looked right up to my window. He smiled menacingly and waved.

I quickly drew the drapes and floundered in panic for a moment. Adrenaline coursed through my system; I needed to get out. I needed to get away from this mess. Erik’s team could be overrun as I didn’t know how many more of Christopher’s men were in the house on top of the other three. I wasn’t going to let Christopher have me; he’d torture me and worse. I pulled on a pair of running shoes and zipped up a dark grey fleece over my shirt. Quietly, with my heart pounding in my chest, I made my way down the hall that would lead to the back staircase. That would take me to the first floor family room, laundry room, and finally the rear mudroom that would take me to the backyard.

I just had to get there undetected. The house was silent, eerily so. I was afraid to think of what that meant. I made my way to the rear stairway and listened for any movement, any sound. After a moment’s pause I silently made my way down the stairs. Once I reached the bottom step I had to cover my mouth with my hands. A man lay bleeding against the banister and he was barely breathing or moving. It wasn’t anyone I recognized, but I wasn’t sure if I should help him or just run. I was halfway to freedom.

“
Tanya
!” Erik hissed at me. He had a mean-looking pistol in his hand and was crouched by the archway that opened into the hallway. He gestured at me to leave the guy alone and to go back upstairs. I was briefly flooded with relief that Erik was alive. There wasn’t a scratch on him. He was the same shirtless basketball shorts wearing guy that rolled out of my bed this morning. Whole and…frankly pissed at me that I didn’t stay in the room. I nodded my head and took a step backwards to head back upstairs.

That’s when a storm of footsteps came rushing down and before I could process what happened, Erik jumped over to the staircase, pulled me behind him and backed us up against the wall. Two of the three men that had come with Christopher came down with their guns raised.

“Give the bitch to us and no one else has to get hurt. She’s property of Christopher. If we have to kill you for her we will,” the one on the left barked at Erik. They
were
here to kidnap me, and were ready to murder my security team, too. I was shaking with horror, anger, and panic. Erik was going to die. He had two guns pointed at him; there was no way he’d come out of this unscathed.

“Alright, fine. Just lower your weapons. I’m handing her over,” Erik’s tone was hard and cold. It took me a moment for his words to sink in. He was going to
give
me to them? My heart threatened to break, but reason and logic gave me some hope. He was a military man, there had to be some strategy he was working. Erik wouldn’t give me over to them. He wouldn’t, he’d sworn to protect me from these people over and over again.

“I said lower your weapons, I’m handing her over,” Erik repeated. His tone just as much a command as the other guy’s. The two goons glanced at each other and slowly lowered their guns. Erik took my arm and pulled me slightly forward before he swiftly let off two shots from his gun.

I hadn’t had the time to process it all, all I knew was that they were standing there on second, and the next they were both on the ground. Each clutching a leg. Erik shot them again, this time in the shoulders and then quickly disarmed them. Erik grabbed me around the waist and we hurried into the backyard. Erik and I ran towards the back fence and then kept running through the small field behind the house until we reached the little stream that was surrounded by trees. We could still hear the occasional shot ring out from the house and we waited out until it was completely silent.

“We have to stay here until one of my men comes to get us. They know where we are. Don’t worry about them Tanya, my guys are highly trained,” Erik assured me. I nodded woodenly and Erik put down all the weapons he carried to walk over to me and hold me in his arms. The numbness and adrenaline was slowly fading and I was going into a state of shock. I couldn’t stop shaking and tears were falling from my eyes nonstop. Erik tried to comfort me with soft whispered words and reassurances, but the echoes of gunshots still rang in my ears.

Erik and I stayed in the safety of the trees for what felt like hours. Eventually I gave into pacing to try and steady my nerves, but the events of that morning kept circling around in my head. How could such an amazing morning with Erik turn so sour? There had been a
gunfight
in my
house
. I really hoped Nick and Stephan were able to prove Christopher’s guilt to the FBI. That man was sick and twisted and he needed to go away for more than a life sentence.

“It’s almost over Tanya, you’re going to drive yourself crazy pacing like that. Come over her and try to be still, it’ll help with the shock.” Erik spoke softly, as if I was a frightened puppy. I walked over to him and he put his strong arms around me. It was a comfort. After taking several deep breaths my thoughts stopped torturing me. The silence that emitted out from the house however, brought an entirely new set of anxieties.