Wolf Rock Shifters Books 1-5: Five BBW Paranormal Romance Standalone Novels (40 page)

“Gonorrhea, then.”

“Much better.”

N
ash phoned
Zoe that evening and told her about the neighbours’ visitor.

“This isn’t good,” she said. “Thanks for the heads up though. Tell me, do you know Conrad Malcolm? The mogul who just moved here?”

“I don’t. But I’ve met his daughter. She’s…nice,” said Nash, his mind filling with the image of Cecile’s full, rounded body on that saddle, and his mouth wanting to emit words like “incredibly sexy, rideable, edible and doable.”

“Do you think you could get close to her?”

“Not sure. Why?”

“Just a hunch. Nothing concrete, but I wonder if maybe he engages in some less than savoury business practices.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Nash.

“Be careful.”

“I will.”

Nash hung up and tried to figure out how he could get Cecile back to the ranch.

He didn’t have to think too long, though. The following morning she phoned early and said she wanted to come riding again.

“I need to clear my head,” she said.

“Okay, come by anytime,” said Nash.

“I’ll be there in half an hour.”

Cecile arrived, dressed in much the same way as the previous day. Nash’s parents were in the stable, mucking out stalls and tending to the horses so he invited her into the house.

He handed her a cup of coffee and the two sat on the couch in the living room, in front of a roaring fire. Nash took in Cecile now, his face breaking into a smile as he did so. She really was gorgeous. And something about her bee-stung lower lip made him want to bite it.

“Have you heard anything more about the attack?” she asked.

“I have,” he said, hesitating. “But I’m not sure how much I should tell you.”

“Nash,” she said, laying fingertips on his thigh. This move caught him off guard and caused his cock to twitch and he wanted her, suddenly, to keep her hand moving.

“You can trust me,” she added, seemingly unaware of the effect she was having on his anatomy.

“If you keep touching me like that I’ll tell you anything,” he said. This was the opposite of what was meant to occur. He was supposed to be interrogating her, and yet she was weaving a spell on him.

Cecile pulled her hand back, laughing. “Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be so forward.”

“That’s quite all right. It’s not like I wasn’t enjoying it.”

By now he was telling his cock to calm itself as it strained against his jeans. Damn it, why did he have to be at his parents’ place? It was time to consider renting his own apartment.

“Anyhow,” he said, “someone showed up at the ranch and offered them protection. For a fee.”

Cecile seemed to go white and the hand that was holding the coffee dropped suddenly, nearly spilling it.

“Sorry,” she said. “Damn it, I’m a klutz.”

“It’s okay.” He handed her a napkin. “Jesus, just tell me, Cecile, what do you know? It’s obvious that something’s going on in your mind.”

“I don’t…I don’t know anything, not really. But I’ve heard of these protection rackets. It’s an easy way for shifters to extract money from people. Humans and weaker shifters tend to be fearful enough to just want to be left alone.”

“What I’d like to know is where it’s all coming from,” said Nash. “Who the boss is.”

“Do you have any leads?” asked Cecile.

“No, though the wolf alpha’s out of town for a while and I don’t think his replacement is the most trustworthy guy.”

Cecile breathed a quiet sigh of relief, hoping that Nash wouldn’t read her body language. If they thought the replacement alpha was a suspect, that meant that her father was most likely not being considered.

“Well, I hope we can sort it out before anyone gets hurt,” she said, putting the coffee down on the table in front of her. She moved closer to Nash, looking into his eyes, and put her hand on his thigh again.

“So listen,” she said. “I have to come clean: yes, I would have loved to go for a ride today. But I came here, really, to ask you something. I was wondering if you’d go out with me sometime.”

“Oh, man.”

“Is that a no?”

“I’m just not used to being touched and asked out by a woman like you. You’re so…”

Before Nash could finish the sentence, Cecile had put a soft hand around his neck and was pulling his face to hers. Her swollen lips made contact with his, sending electrical jolts from his brain down to his cock, which seemed to want to defy the laws of physics and make its way out of his pants before they were undone.

Nash kissed her back, his hand reaching around her, pulling her onto him so that her thighs were on either side of his hips. Oh, God, yes. This was what he’d wanted when he’d watched her astride the horse.

He felt her ease onto him, pressing herself into his pelvis, rubbing her body into his, slowly and deliberately. She was delighted, he knew, to make him grow for her. She was the sort of woman who would revel in that feat.

“Cecile,” he moaned between kisses.

“Mmm?”

“I will happily go out on a date with you. And let’s face it: I would happily tear every bit of your clothing off and…make love to you right here.”

“Would you?” she asked, her voice sultry.

“Except that my parents will come in any minute now.”

“Well then,” she said, kissing his neck, “We’ll have to find somewhere else to go on our date.”

“Fuck,” he said. “You’re killing me.”

“I know. If it makes you feel any better, you’re killing me too.”

She sat back and looked at his body, her legs still around him. Nash’s form was perfection, even clothed, and Cecile could feel his firm, pronounced muscles under the hands that had wrapped themselves around his arms. She let her eyes glide down his torso, stopping when they arrived at the bulge in his pants. Nash watched her full lips curl up in a smile.

“Yes,” he said, “You did that.”

“Well, I’m very pleased with myself.”

“As well you should be.”

She leaned in and kissed him again, their tongues mingling in perfect synchronicity. God, she tasted good.

“I want you,” she whispered when they’d stopped.

“I want you too. Hell, I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

“Where can we go?”

Nash reached a hand out and with his fingertips he caressed her breast, feeling the hard peak of a nipple grow still harder through her sweater.

“Let me think about that. For now we might have to go for coffee like civilized people. Shifters. Cats. Animals.”

“Aw,” said Cecile, a mock pout on her face.

Nash leaned in and kissed her breast to make up for her disappointment.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever turned me on like this,” she laughed. “I’m not usually so aggressive, I swear.”

“It’s okay. I like it. A woman who knows what she wants.”

Cecile thrust her hips into him again, her body rubbing up against his swollen shaft.

“I want this,” she said. “I want your body.”

Nash’s fingers were around her waist now, stroking her curves through her clothes.

“I think you know by now that I want yours, too.”

“Well, we’re in agreement then. You call me later and we’ll meet up somewhere.”

“I will,” replied Nash. “Jesus, I feel like a high school kid trying to figure out where to make out.” He leaned forwards and said, “And ‘make out’ is nowhere near what I want to do with you. There is no word in the English language for what I want to do to your body.”

“No? How about ‘fuck?’”

“That doesn’t begin. I want to be part of you. I want to consume you. I want to engrave my signature into your flesh.”

Cecile allowed her eyes to lock on his. The intensity of the glacier-colour of hers seemed to penetrate him to the core.

“You, Nash, are hereby invited to carve your first, middle and last names into me wherever you see fit. Just maybe not the face.”

“Okay. Fair enough.” Nash kissed her one last time.

Her tongue was silk. His cock was stone. He was in Heaven and Hell at the same time.

C
ecile dismounted
his lap just as they heard the front door open. By the time Nash’s parents were inside, she was standing, ready to greet them with a smile while their son tried to calm the throbbing erection between his legs. Then again, there was nothing like one’s parents entering a room to soothe one’s arousal.

“Mom, dad, this is Cecile,” Nash said as his parents approached. He could see his mother sizing her up and approving. His father approved as well, his mouth erupting into a smile. But it was hard to imagine any man looking at her and not smiling, after all.

When they’d made the requisite amount of small talk, Nash escorted Cecile to her car.

“Remember,” she said, laying an innocent and yet meaning-filled kiss on his cheek. “Tonight. You and me.”

“I don’t imagine that I could possibly forget that possibility,” he said, his cock starting up again.

As he watched her drive off, he said, “At ease, boy. You have a few hours’ wait before you can play with that pussy.”

His cock didn’t listen.

T
hat evening
, just as Nash was preparing to call Cecile about their prospective date, two things happened: a man showed up at the Richardson ranch, and Nash’s plans were scuttled.

Nash heard the knock but it was his father who answered the door.

“Can I help you?” he asked, seeing a man standing before him.

The stranger was short and wiry, made shorter by the fact that he was slightly hunched over. His hair was greasy and his nose was too large for his face.

“Mr. Richardson?”

“Yes. What can I do for you?”

“I presume that by now you’ve heard about the ranch next door. Terrible business, that wolf attacking their calf.”

“Wolf shifter, you mean.”

“Well, we don’t know that for a fact.”

“We do, actually. My son was the one who stopped him.”

“Ah. I see. Well, let me say this to you: there are strange things happening these days. Sightings of shifters who aren’t from around here. Talk of violence. But we can offer you and your family protection.”

As he spoke, his eyes veered away from the elder Richardsons. A large, angry-looking young man was walking down the stairs towards the front door, and towards him.

“Who the hell are you?” Nash asked, his fingers clenching into fists as he eyed the stranger. He disliked him immediately, though he couldn’t entirely say why.

“My name is Fargo,” said the man at the door. “And I’m here to offer my services. My protection, that is.”

“You don’t look as though you could protect an anthill, let alone a ranch,” said Nash.

“Now, Nash,” said his father. “Be polite.” He turned back to Fargo. “I’m curious to hear what you’d want in return for the services you’re offering.”

“Nothing at all. Just a little monthly fee. And I assure you, I am not working alone.” He gestured towards the car in the driveway. A man got out and stood next to the passenger door. He was tall and muscular, and looked like he might be able to challenge even Nash in a fight. Fargo continued, “My colleague is a shifter as well. A strong one. I am the negotiator, but he is a fighter.”

“Yeah? Well, so am I,” growled Nash, baring the fangs that sprouted from his upper row of teeth. “And if you don’t get the hell off our property I’ll throw you off myself.”

Fargo cowered before the lion shifter like a nervous dog, then seemed to regain some confidence, straightening his spine as his head turned towards his colleague and back again.

“Very well,” he said. “But it’s very likely that you’ll regret this impulsive decision, sir.”

With that, he turned and left.

Mrs. Richardson, who’d been standing in the background listening, said, “Oh, Nathaniel. I’m not sure it was a good idea to be so rude to that man.”

“Sorry, mom, but these people are bullies, and I won’t have our family intimidated. Don’t worry; I’ll keep an eye on things tonight.” He knew that by offering these words he was destroying any chance he had of seeing Cecile that night, but after all, they would have plenty of time to spend together.

Or so he thought.

He sent her a text, to which she replied,
“It’s no problem. I totally understand. Hope to see you very, very soon though. xox”

Nash’s frustration at not getting to spend more time with Cecile was somewhat quelled by his desire to protect his home, which was the first of his lion’s instincts in spite of his desire to get his paws on a beautiful woman. Having turned the two shifters away it made no sense to abandon his parents.

Nothing happened, however. At least not in the first several hours. After his parents had gone to bed, Nash sat up in the living room, waiting and watching, occasionally sniffing the air. At around midnight he removed his clothing and shifted, prowling around the house in lion form. His large cat was more prone to staying awake at night but also had better night vision than his human form.

Eventually he headed outside into the cold. His thick coat and shifter blood were amazingly good at keeping him warm despite the fact that his species was meant to exist in warmer climates. Nash could see his breath, huffing out through his muzzle under the stars. It was a night when more snow was impossible; the temperature was simply too low.

At first he saw nothing as he traced a route around the stable, not wanting to enter for fear of alarming the horses. And then, as he moved around to the back of the building, he heard the sound of tires on gravel. At some point an engine and lights had been turned off, and the car coasted to a stop before the family’s barn, which housed the hay and supplies for the horses.

Nash stalked around the edge of the stable, his eyes fixed on the barn. Nothing moved for a moment and then he saw the shadow of a man, moving quickly to the corner of the building with something in his hands.

The lion prowled towards him, preparing to pounce as soon as he came near. As he approached, he heard the sickening sound of fluid being poured out of a container and smelled it:

Gasoline.

He ran now towards the man, who had just lit a match and was tossing it onto the puddle which butted up onto the barn’s wall. The gasoline ignited, lighting the man’s face: it was that same weasely creature that Nash had seen earlier in the day, standing in their doorway. The man turned tail and fled back through the open door of his vehicle and started the engine before backing away. At first Nash pursued him but he quickly turned back, his priority to save the barn.