Wild Mate: BBW Bear Shifter Romance (7 page)

She had told him to stop
following her. But three and a half streets later, he was still
behind her.

She huffed out a breath,
stealing a glance over her shoulder. Yup, he was still walking
quietly behind her.

He said he had to watch her
all the time. But he wasn't a pervert, right? She had seen his
Enforcer's Badge.
Levi Madden, senior Enforcer
. He was a PAC
Enforcer, and he was doing his job. Enforcers patrolled New Moon
City and checked on the blood bars and the clubs.

Rebecca balled her fists and
took a shaky breath.

She couldn't even finish her
dance tonight. Instead, she had tripped and fell gracelessly from
the stage. And she would have broken her crown if he hadn't caught
her.

But—she wouldn't have
stumbled if she hadn't caught sight of him. Somehow, seeing him
staring at her with those intense blue eyes made it impossible for
her to carry on her routine. She couldn't, just couldn't peel off
her clothes and bare her body to the crowd when he was looking at her
like that.

It was his fault.

She had lost a night's
earnings because of him.

Stopping suddenly, she spun
round to face him. He was walking a few paces behind her, but his
eyes were on her on the time.

“
Look,” she said.
“Can you please not follow me around? I...I just want to get
on with my life, okay?”

She saw something flash in his
eyes, but he managed to keep his face straight.

“
What?” she
demanded.

He seemed to hesitate. Then
he said just two words, “Phin Lester.”

At this, Rebecca stilled.
Phin! He was out of her house, out of her life, and still he
continued to affect her. He was the biggest mistake she had ever
made.

Rebecca lowered her head.
“He...can't hurt me anymore.”

“
Yes he can, Rebecca.”
Levi approached her slowly. “He's still out there. And you
know how vicious he can be. He will try to hurt you. Again.”
Levi held her by the arms gently but firmly. “But I won't let
him. I will protect you. Trust me.”

She swallowed. “I'll be
fine. I'll be careful. You can't follow me around all the time.
It's...crazy.”

The corners of his lips
twitched, like he wanted to say something but was holding back.

“
Just pretend I'm not
here,” he told her. “Get on with your life, just do what
you have to do. I won't get in your way.” He stepped back.
“I'm invisible to you.”

She watched him back away
until he was a few meters from her. Pretend he's not here? How
could she pretend that she wasn't being followed by a devastatingly
handsome, hot hunk?

Invisible? No way. He was
very, very visible.

In fact, she had been acutely
aware of his presence the moment she stepped on that stage. Her eyes
had just unconsciously and automatically sought him out. He hadn't
caused her to stumble. She had done that all by herself. She had
been angry and humiliated, and just wanted to lash out.

The truth was, he was a
comforting presence. He was like a beacon, a magnet, a safe harbor
in a sea of strangers.

Rebecca turned and continued
walking home slowly. Somehow, knowing that Levi was behind her,
watching her back, walking with her made her feel—safe. And
oddly warm and happy inside.

He was a nice guy. No doubt
about it. He was professional and polite, and he respectfully kept a
safe distance from her.

He wasn't trying to get in her
pants or anything. Not like all those men at the club.

Levi was big, much bigger and
broader than Phin. Yet she wasn't the least bit intimidated by him.

Trust me
.

Rebecca blew out a breath.
The funny thing was, she did. After what happened with Phin, she
thought she would never trust another man again. But she trusted
Levi Madden, the Enforcer sent to protect her.

She stole another glance at
him as she walked on. He was really very handsome. The jolt of heat
and desire she had felt when he held her arms had shocked her. Was
she lusting after her bodyguard?

Was she out of her mind?

Rebecca scowled. Her body's
reaction to Levi was utterly inappropriate. She put it down to the
excitement of the evening, and her own exhaustion.

Still, she would be careful.
She trusted Levi instinctively, but she had learned a very hard
lesson. And she wasn't about to forget it anytime soon. She would
still protect herself. Make sure all her doors were locked, and make
sure that no one, not even that hot PAC Enforcer could get into her
house while she was sleeping.

But where was he going to
sleep?

Not my business,
Rebecca
told herself sternly. After all, he did tell her to pretend that he
wasn't here.

I should do what he says.

He's invisible to me.

But no matter how many times
she repeated the words to herself, she couldn't stop glancing back at
him, and feeling increasingly guilty at having to lock him out of her
house.

The poor man is going to
sleep out in the open
, her
conscience nagged at her.

Rebecca stormed up the front
steps of her house. Her conscience could take a hike.

She
wasn't letting any man into her house.
Her
life, her safety was her responsibility.

Rebecca unlocked her front
door with trembling hands and rushed into her house. She slammed the
door and bolted it, then leaned against the wall, gulping and
panting.

After a few minutes, she
peeked out of the window and saw Levi standing across the street,
watching her house. She watched him walk to a nearby tree and lean
against it. He looked relaxed, but she knew that his senses were
fully alert.

Easing back from the window,
Rebecca went to her room and peeled off her costume. She didn't look
at her reflection as she stepped into the shower. She would scrub
all that makeup, the raven tattoo and the smell of the club off her,
and Raven Rose would be gone.

She felt much better after her
shower. Wearing a comfortable old t-shirt and shorts, she padded to
the kitchen. She was famished. She had done some grocery shopping
in the afternoon, and she could whip up a simple bowl of pasta in a
few minutes.

On a whim, she added more
pasta into the pot. Why she did that she had no idea. After all,
she was just cooking for one, right?

Just as she sat down at her
kitchen table with a steaming bowl of pasta, there was a loud rumble
of thunder. She heard the pitter-patter of raindrops against her
windowpane, and in a few minutes, what started as a drizzle became a
flat out thunderstorm.

The rain poured down in sheets
and as Rebecca rushed to close her windows, she glimpsed Levi
crouching under the rusty slide in the abandoned playground opposite
her house.

He could barely fit his
massive frame under the flimsy slide, but it was clear he wasn't
leaving. He persisted in sitting out in the downpour and keeping
watch on her house.

Strange, stubborn man.

Rebecca grabbed an umbrella
and went out. She couldn't leave him there. That just wasn't right.

Holding on to her umbrella
with both hands as the wind whipped it in all directions, she marched
across the street and right up to him.

“
Get up,” she
said.

He raised a brow at her. “I'm
quite comfortable here. Thank you.”

“
Oh, for heaven's sake,
get up and get out of the rain!” she snapped, tapping her foot
impatiently on the sodden ground.

He grumbled as he squeezed out
from under the slide. She let him take the umbrella from her, and
huffily led him to her house.

“
Oh, don't just stand
there. Come in!”

He stood at her doorway,
dripping wet. He had leaned the umbrella towards her, shielding her
completely from the wind and the rain with his broad body. A puddle
was forming around his big boots.

Rebecca went to him and
ordered, “Take off your jacket.”

“
I...”

“
Just take it off. I'll
dry it for you. And leave your boots by the side of the door.”

“
You sure...”

“
Yes, yes, just come in
already. Really. You've been out there for hours, watching over my
house. The least I can do is dry your clothes, and...feed you.”

Her house smelled of warm food
and...her. Her sweet, feminine scent was everywhere.

A growl erupted from him at
the glorious smell. But the sound didn't come from his throat. Levi
stared down at his stomach, trying to silence it with his most
intimidating, ferocious glare.

Rebecca pulled him into the
house and locked the front door behind them. “I'm about to
eat,” she said. “I'll get you a bowl.”

“
It's really all
right...” he began, and his stomach rumbled again, louder and
longer this time.

Rebecca took his jacket from
him and beckoned him into her kitchen. She stared at his drenched
t-shirt and motioned for him to remove that as well. “I'll
throw them both in the dryer. They'll be ready when you finish your
meal.”

“
It's really...”

“
You've been out there
all night. Feeding you and drying your clothes is really the least I
can do.” She put one hand on her hip, and the other hand out
for his shirt.

Levi held Rebecca's gaze as he
slowly tugged his t-shirt out from his leather pants and pulled it
over his head. He saw Rebecca blink, and drag her eyes down his
chest and torso. Her lips parted slightly and he heard her swallow.

“
I...I'll put them in
the dryer now,” she said breathlessly, her eyes still glued to
his bare body.

There was a growl, but this
time it wasn't from his stomach.

Rebecca was aroused. He could
scent it, and he saw the flush in her cheeks. She was aroused by
him, her mate.

She doesn't know she's your
mate. She can't even remember you!
Levi mentally screamed at
his bear.

He watched her bend and push
his clothes into the dryer. The sight of her generous buttocks
sticking out and quivering a little under her micro shorts almost
drove him to his knees.

He pulled out a chair and sat
down, hearing the chair creak and groan under him.

What was he thinking? Levi
shook his head hard.

Coming into her house was a
very bad idea.

Being so near her, having his
senses filled with her scent and her presence was going to drive his
bear mad. How could he just sit here and not touch her? Did she
even know the effect she had on him, what she was doing to him?

Levi clenched his fists and
his jaw. He was a disciplined man. And he would control his beast
and his lust.

An aromatic bowl of pasta
appeared in front of him. “Eat,” she urged. “I'm
not much of a cook, so...”

Levi dug in with gusto. “What
are you talking about? This is great! The greatest!” He ate
like he hadn't eaten in days. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.
Shoveling the last spoonful into his mouth, he looked up and saw that
her bowl was still full.

“
Why aren't you eating?”
he asked.

She smiled a little
sheepishly. “I like watching you eat.”

Levi wiped his mouth with the
back of his hand. “I eat like a hog.” He grinned. “But
that's because you're a great cook.”

She actually blushed at his
compliment. “I...thank you,” she stammered, looking
down.

She looked so pretty when she
blushed. Levi resisted the urge to reach across the table and take
her hand.

Instead, he said, “Now
it's my turn to watch you eat.”

She started and blushed even
deeper.

“
If you won't eat, I'll
feed you,” he threatened, injecting a note of menace into his
voice.

Rebecca laughed, and it was a
lovely sound. “I think I can feed myself just fine.”

Levi leaned back, and looked
around the kitchen. When he saw the faint blood stains on the wall,
he felt his hackles and his bear rise. He wanted to rip Phin's black
heart right out of his chest. How dare that piece of shit lay his
hands on Rebecca?

He turned round and saw that
Rebecca was following his gaze. Her face had paled and she pushed
away her half eaten bowl of pasta.

Levi cursed under his breath.
He had just reminded her of her past, her pain and horrendous
suffering.

“
Why did you choose
to...become a stripper?” he asked, pulling her thoughts away
from Phin Lester. He was genuinely curious as well.

She didn't look too surprised
at his question. Taking the bowls to the sink, she began to talk as
she washed the dishes.