The Fairy Tales Collection (20 page)

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed.

“What’s your question, honey?”  Belle
asked.

“You’re really not afraid of Bennett, are
you?”

“No,” Belle said firmly.  “He would never
hurt me.”

“He’s never just lost control and
shifted?”  She asked.

“No.  Bennett says shifters have excellent
control when it comes to that.”

“Do they?  I’m pretty sure that Duncan
didn’t mean to shift while we were sleeping.  Has Bennett ever done that?”

“Once or twice,” Belle admitted.  “It
usually happens when he doesn’t get enough sleep.  One morning I woke up and he
was in his bear form and I was sprawled on top of him like he was my own
personal bear rug that breathed.” 

She laughed softly at the memory as Ella
said nervously, “What if - do you think about what would happen if he shifted
while you were having sex?”

Belle blinked at her before a small grin
crossed her face. “No, I can’t say that I have.  I don’t think that would ever
happen, honey.  I mean, when we’re having sex Bennett’s fangs do come out and
he usually grows a beard and, good Lord, the growling,” she grinned at Ella,
“but he would never fully shift.”

“Duncan purrs really loudly when we’re, uh,
having sex,” Ella said.

“That’s kind of adorable,” Belle said.

“Actually he purrs just when I touch him.”

“Even more adorable,” Belle replied.

Ella sighed.  “I miss him so much, Belle.”

“I know you do, honey.  You should talk to
him.  He wants to be with you, I know he does.”

“I want to be with him too.”

She suddenly stood and Belle grinned
delightedly at her.  “Are you going to see him?”

“Yes.”

“Yay!”  Belle clapped her hands excitedly. 
“You want me to go with you?” 

Ella shook her head.  “No, I want to go
alone.  I’m not afraid of him anymore.”

“What are you going to say to him?”  Belle
asked gently.

“I’m not entirely sure.  I know I’m going
to apologize for freaking out the way I did and I think – I think I’m going to
ask him if he wants to, I don’t know, date or something.  I really like him,
Belle.”

“He really likes you,” Belle said.  “He’s
going to be so happy when he sees you.”

“I guess we’ll find out.  Wish me luck,”
Ella said.

“Good luck, honey.  If you decide to stay
at Duncan’s and have a marathon sex session, text me so I know to feed Gus.”

Less than thirty minutes later, Ella was
standing on Duncan’s doorway.  She took a deep breath and knocked firmly.  She
smiled tentatively at Duncan when he opened the door.

“Hi, Duncan.”

“Hi, Ella.”

“Can I come in?”

He nodded and she followed him down the
hallway and into the kitchen.

“Can I get you something to drink?”  He
asked politely as he kept a careful distance from her.

She shook her head.  There was something
different about him, something she couldn’t quite place her finger on, and she
studied him silently for a moment before saying, “I came to say I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he
said.  “I need to say I’m sorry.  I never meant to shift like that in front of
you.”

“Why did you then?”  She asked.

A look of embarrassment flickered across
his face.  “My lion wants you as its mate.  When I was sleeping, it – it took
control and shifted so that it could mark you with its scent.”

“You want me as your mate?”  She said.

“My lion does.”

“And you?”

Her stomach dropped when he said, “No, I
don’t.”

“So, your lion wants me as a mate but you
just wanted me for a few rounds of fucking?”  She was unable to hide the hurt
in her voice.

He hesitated before dropping his gaze to
the floor. “That’s right.”

“Well, I guess you got what you wanted.” 
She blinked back the tears.

“I’m sorry, Ella,” he said in a low voice.

“Gosh, knowing you’re sorry makes me feel
so much better.  You said you’d never get tired of me.  Remember?”

He swallowed thickly.  “I was wrong.”

“Apparently,” she said bitterly.  “You know
I came over here thinking that you actually wanted something more from me.  All
that talk about how I belonged to you, the flipping out when other guys went
near me – I was flattered by it, thought it meant you liked me.  But it was
just a game to you, wasn’t it?”

“Ella,” he said, “I – I’m truly sorry.”

“You’ve made a fool out of me, Duncan Gillis,
and I will never forgive you for it.”

She turned to leave, pausing when Duncan
called her name.

“Stay away from me, Duncan.  You and your
stupid lion,” she said quietly before walking out of the room.

* * *

“Open the damn door, Duncan!”  Bennett pounded
on the front door of Duncan’s house.  “I know you’re home.”

The door was yanked open and Duncan glared
at him.  “What do you want, Bennett?”

Bennett pushed past him and Duncan slammed
the door shut.  “I’m tired and I don’t feel like company.”

“This isn’t a social call, you jackass,” Bennett
said.  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?”  Duncan said
defensively.

“What do I mean?  I’ve got one sobbing
woman and one extremely pissed off woman at my house right now, Duncan. 
Belle’s ready to murder you.”

“It’s none of your business, all right? 
Let it go, Bennett.”  He shouldered past the large bear shifter and stalked
into the kitchen, growling lightly when Bennett followed him.

“I’m your best friend, Duncan, and I know
better than anyone how you feel about Ella Cinders.”

“I don’t feel anything for her,” Duncan
lied.

“Bullshit!”  Bennett snapped.  “You’re in
love with the woman and, according to Belle, she’s in love with you too.  Why
the fuck did you tell her that you were just using her?  Have you lost your
goddamn mind?”

“Shifters and humans aren’t meant to be
together,” Duncan said.

“What the hell are you talking about?”  Bennett
said in astonishment.  “You were the one who told me to go after Belle.  You
have a cousin who’s married to a human!  What is going on with you, Duncan? 
You want Ella so why the sudden change in heart?”

“Because she’s afraid of me!”  Duncan
suddenly shouted.  He slammed his fist onto the counter and glared at Bennett. 
“You saw the look on her face, Bennett!  She’s terrified of what I am!”

“She’s not afraid of you, Duncan.  It was
just a shock to her, that’s all.  You can’t blame her for her reaction.”

“Belle was never afraid of you!”  Duncan
snapped.  “She didn’t act like you were going to rip her apart when you shifted
in front of her.”

“Ella isn’t Belle, all right?  Belle’s
mother was a tiger shifter, and she saw me shift when we were children.  It was
much easier for her to accept that shifters were real.  You need to give Ella a
chance.”

“I can’t do that,” Duncan said quietly.  “I
– the look on her face in the bedroom.  It fucking destroyed me.”

“She came to your house alone yesterday. 
She was doing it because she wanted to be with you.  If she was still afraid of
you, she wouldn’t have gone anywhere near you, Duncan.”

“She wouldn’t even touch me when I was in
my lion form,” Duncan said.  “What happens the next time we’re sleeping and I
accidentally shift.  What happens when I’m – I’m making love to her and my
fangs pop out or my eyes start to glow.  I can’t always control that around
her, Bennett.  Fuck, all I have to do is think about her touching me and I
start purring!  When it happens, and it will, she’ll freak out again.  I know
she will.  It’s too much for her and I can’t spend my life trying to suppress my
lion.  We have to shift - you know that!  The longer we don’t the less control
we have over it.”

“Give her a chance to get used to it,
Duncan,” Bennett said.  “You can’t expect her to just accept it right away. 
She’s spent her entire life believing that humans were the only species on the
planet.  It’s a big adjustment to learn that shifters exist.”

“It’s too late,” Duncan said quietly.  “I
broke her heart yesterday and she’ll never forgive me.  She hates me now.”

“She might forgive you,” Bennett said.  “The
Centennial Celebration is in two days.  Belle’s convinced Ella that she needs
to go and I think you should go too and talk to her.  She’ll be less likely to
punch your lights out if there’s a crowd of people around.”

Duncan shook his head.  “I’m not going
anywhere near the celebration.”

“So you’re just going to let your mate
dance with whichever male asks her?”

Duncan’s eyes glowed and he growled
fiercely as his claws extended.  Bennett stared steadily at him and after a
moment Duncan’s eyes returned to their normal colour and he shook his head. 
“Yes, because she’s not my mate.”

Bennett clapped him on the shoulder.  “She
is, Duncan.  You can deny it all you want but deep down you know the truth.”

“I can’t be with her,” Duncan said.

“If you really believe that then you’re as
big of a fool as Ella says you are.”  Bennett squeezed his shoulder and left.

“Ella, you look gorgeous,” Rowan squealed
with delight when Ella opened the door.

She stared at the pale-blue ball gown
before touching the silk fabric.  “You look like a princess.  This dress is
amazing and I love your hair.”

Ella touched her hair.  “Thank you, it took
me forever to get it up in this stupid French twist.”

“It looks fantastic,” Rowan said.

Ella grinned at her before standing back a
little.  “You’re looking pretty damn hot yourself.”

The slender redhead was dressed in a long,
form-fitting green dress and she grinned at Ella before turning around.  “Think
the back is too much?”

“Damn,” Ella said.  “What back?”  The dress
was completely backless, the green material stopped just above Rowan’s ass and
Rowan twisted her head to look at her. 

“Is my ass showing?”

Ella shook her head. “No, but you might
want to go easy on the dancing.”

Rowan laughed.  “I’ve got about eight
strips of clothing tape stuck on there.  It shouldn’t move.”

She turned around and Ella eyed her small
breasts.  “Do you have any idea how jealous I am of your boobs?  They’re so
damn perky even without a bra.”

“Yes, well, the boys would be much happier
if they were about two cups bigger.  You ready to go?”

“I am.”  She closed the door and Rowan
grabbed her arm when she stumbled a bit.

“Whoa, princess, you’re not supposed to
start drinking until we get to the ball.”

“I’m not drunk, it’s these damn shoes.” 
She lifted her gown so Rowan could see the silver, glittery shoes.  “These
heels are impossible to walk in.”

“You’ll be dancing, not walking so it’s
fine,” Rowan said gleefully.

They walked slowly toward Rowan’s car. 
“Did Belle and Bennett already leave?”

Ella nodded.  “Yes.  Wait until you see
Belle.  She’s wearing a bright red mini-dress with matching heels.  She looks
incredible.”

As they climbed into the car, Rowan gave
Ella a thoughtful look.  “Honey, are you sure you want to go?  I know you’re
still sad about what happened with Duncan and if you’d rather just stay home
and watch sappy romance movies, I’m down with that.  I’m a super easy date.”

Ella shook her head.  “Nope.  We’re going. 
You’ve been looking forward to this and, hell, so have I.  I’m not going to let
Duncan Gillis ruin it.  I hate that guy.”

“Do you?”  Rowan said softly.

“No,” Ella sighed.  “But Bennett said he
wasn’t going to be there anyway and I need to – to move on with my life.  He
made it perfectly clear that I was just a fling for him.  I shouldn’t be so
surprised or hurt by that.  I knew what he was like, you know?”

“I’m sorry,” Rowan said.  “I wish it was
different.”

Ella shrugged.  “Me too but it is what it
is, right?  I don’t want to even think about Duncan for the rest of the night. 
I’m going to eat a little, drink a lot, attempt to dance with these ridiculous
shoes and find a prince to kiss at midnight.”

* * *

Rowan stepped out into the cool night air
and stared up at the sky.  The Centennial Celebration was in full swing and
even with the door closed, she could hear the loud music and the babble of
hundreds of people as they mingled in the ball room.

The Centennial committee had applied for
and received permission to hold the celebration at the oldest home in town.  A
plantation-style home, it had been turned into a historic landmark in the late
eighties and the town council had spent over ten years returning it to its
former glory.  It held twice-daily tours for school children and tourists and
it was the perfect setting for the celebration of the town’s birthday.

She swept her hand along the porch
railing.  A terrace ran across the front of the house, supported by the soaring
white porch columns and she could hear people laughing and talking above her as
they nibbled on the catered food. 

She hesitated before slipping off her shoes
and rubbing her aching feet.  She had been dancing most of the night – God she
loved to dance – and she was feeling warm and a little tipsy from the wine she
drank.

The moon was out, shining brightly in the sky,
and she admired it for a moment before her attention was caught by the figure
standing in the middle of the well-kept front lawn.  He was staring up at the
moon and her pulse began to pound.  She knew exactly who it was, even in the
dark, and she was stupidly happy to see him.  She could admit to herself that
she had looked for him several times in the night and had finally decided he
had skipped the celebration.  He was as much of a hermit as her grandmother and
it had been too much to hope that he would join the entire town in celebrating.

Leaving her shoes on the porch, she walked
silently down the porch steps and crossed the lawn.  The grass was cool on her
bare feet and she tried to move as quietly as possible.  God, it was like she
was trying not to spook a wild horse, which, she supposed, she kind of was. 
She needn’t have bothered.  He didn’t move a muscle as she approached him.  He
was staring up at the moon with an almost rapturous look of pleasure and he
actually jumped when she touched his arm.

“I’m sorry,” she said.  “I didn’t mean to
scare you.”

He stared silently at her and her breath
caught in her throat when his gaze travelled over her body to stop at the sight
of her bare toes peeking out from under her dress.  When his gaze returned to her
face, she gasped softly.  His dark eyes were full of a dark lust that her body
responded immediately to and she was pretty certain she had just ruined her
damn panties.

“Mr. Taggert?”  She whispered.  “Are you
okay?”

“Fine,” he said hoarsely.  A tight mask of
control slipped over his darkly-handsome face and he resumed his usual
stare-over-her-shoulder expression.  “Enjoying the party, Ms. Jameson?”

“I am,” she said.  “I’m a little surprised
to see you here.”

He cleared his throat.  “Occasionally I
enjoy the company of others.”

She smiled at him.  “So does my grandmother
but I couldn’t convince her to come tonight.  She insisted that she was much
happier in her pajamas and slippers at home.”

“Indeed,” he said.  “Well, I – “

“You’re looking very handsome tonight,” she
said.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a suit before.”

She studied the charcoal-coloured suit, her
eyes lingering on his broad chest.  He did look good, she thought dimly.  He
looked good and he smelled good and fuck, had she ever wanted anyone between
her thighs as much as she wanted him?

“Thank you,” he said stiffly.  “You’re, uh,
looking very pretty.”  His eyes flickered briefly to her hair.  She had
straightened it and it hung halfway down her back in a smooth waterfall of
red.  It had taken forever to straighten but she was suddenly very glad she had
made the effort when he said, “I like your hair.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

There was a moment of awkward silence as
the music drifting out from the building in front of them died out.  As a new
song began, one with a slow beat, he said, “Well, I should be going. It was
good to – “

She touched his arm, ignoring the way he
stiffened, and said, “Will you dance with me?”

“I – that’s not a good idea,” he said.

“Please, Rafe,” she said softly.  “Just one
dance.  That’s all I want.”

He paused and then made a brief chopping
motion with his head that suggested a nod.  As he turned and started toward the
house, she tightened her hand on his arm.  “No, right here.”

“Outside?”  He frowned at her and she
nodded.

“Yes, in the moonlight.”

He glanced up at the moon, that weird look
of pleasure crossing his face again, before he nodded.  She stepped closer to
him, a shiver running through her body when he put his arm around her and
rested his hand against her lower back.  The heat of his hand against her naked
skin sent shockwaves of lust through her and she bit back her moan of delight
as she placed her hand on his broad shoulder.  He held her other hand in a
loose grip and smiled politely at her before swaying to the music.  They moved
in small circles, he kept a healthy distance between their bodies, and she
tried to hide her frustration.  She wanted to be pressed against him, wanted to
fit her soft curves against the hardness of his body but he kept a firm grip on
her and made it impossible to breach the space between them.

“You’re a good dancer,” she said softly.

He gave her another polite smile.  “Thank
you, Ms. Jameson.”

“Rowan,” she said.

He nodded but didn’t say anything.  She
lifted her head to stare at the moon and he followed her gaze.  After a few
seconds his grip eased and she quickly stepped closer to him, pressing her body
against his and slinging her arm around his shoulders.  She held the back of
his neck tightly, stroking the feather-soft hair she found there, as he made a
low noise of panic.

“Ms. Jameson, what are you doing?”

“Dancing with you, Mr. Taggert.”

He started to push her back and she clung
to him.  “No,” she breathed into his ear, “don’t push me away.  Not tonight.”

He groaned, the sound sent more shivers
down her spine, and then he was nearly crushing her against him, his arm a band
of steel around her waist as he buried his face in her hair and breathed
deeply.

“You smell so good,” he whispered.

“So do you,” she replied.

His hand stroked her naked back, moving
higher in slow circles as he rasped, “I really like your dress.”

“Thank you.”

His hand was in the middle of her back now,
stroking the area where her bra should have been and when his hand slid to her
ribs and slipped under the fabric of her dress, she held her breath.  She had
no real belief that he would go any further, it was too fucking much to hope
for, so when his hand moved again and she felt his hard palm slide across her
nipple and his long fingers cup her breast, her knees buckled.

He held her up easily, they had given up
all pretense of dancing, and she pressed her stomach against his erection as he
gently squeezed her breast.  His fingers played with her nipple, tugging it
into an aching hardness and she moaned loudly before dropping his hand and
throwing her other arm around his shoulders.  He immediately moved his free
hand to her ass, cupping and kneading it with a roughness that made her head
spin.

“I love your breasts,” he rasped into her
ear.  “You have no idea how badly I want to know what they look like.”  He
toyed with her nipple.  “How many freckles are on them, what colour your
nipples are.”

“Take me home and I’ll show you,” she
breathed into his ear before sucking on his earlobe.

He groaned harshly, his hand tightening on
her ass until she made a squeak of pain, and ground his erection against her
stomach.

She leaned back and smiled up at him. 
“Leave with me.  Right now.”

“Ms. Jameson, I can’t.”

“Rowan,” she whispered.  “Say my name,
Rafe.”

“Rowan,” he said.  The sound of her given
name spoken in his deep voice sent a fresh flood of wetness to her panties and
she bit at her bottom lip. 

“Take me home, Rafe.  Please.”

“I can’t, Rowan.  It isn’t – “

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him,
licking at the seam of his lips until he groaned and parted them.  She pushed
her tongue into his mouth and gasped with surprise when he immediately took
control of the kiss.  His hand moved from her ass to her head and he wound her
red hair in his hand and pulled tightly.

“I’ve dreamed about fucking you,” he
muttered against her mouth.  “Of having you in my bed and under me.  This,” he
tugged again on her hair, “amazing red hair spread out like flame on my
pillow.”

His fingers pinched her nipple again, it
was swollen and throbbing now and she made a sharp cry of need that he quickly
swallowed when he slammed his mouth down onto hers.  The gentleness was gone
now, he was all hard power and desperate need, and she returned his kiss
frantically as he sucked hard on her tongue.  She was intoxicated by the light
hint of scotch she could taste in his mouth, the hard scrape of his teeth
against hers, and she moaned when he sucked roughly on her bottom lip.

“I need to fuck you, Rowan.  I need to fuck
you right now,” he growled.

He dropped to his knees, dragging her down
with him and pushed her onto her back in the soft grass.  He covered her body
with his, his knee shoving her thighs apart as he kissed her neck with hard,
wet kisses.

Rowan stared at the moon.  Her body was
throbbing and she couldn’t believe that Rafe Taggert was about to fuck her
right here in the open with hundreds of people less than a hundred feet away. 
She should have been telling him to stop, should have been asking him to at
least take her to his damn car or something, but she realized with utter
sureness that this was how it was supposed to be.  It somehow felt incredibly
right to have Rafe, the man she had fantasized about since she was fourteen
years old, take her outside with the low whisper of the wind and the bright
light of the moon surrounding them.