She shrugged. “But it will be worth it.”
“Why the hell are you being so stubborn?”
“Why are you being so stubborn, Shaun? You don’t need this shop, so why don’t you return it to me? I’ll pay off the loan. I only need until the end of the month.”
He sighed, running a hand through his long dark hair. “That’s not how we do business. I have to stick to the rules, Angie.”
“In that case, I’ll arrange the funds elsewhere.” A ring of black surrounded the amber in his eyes. She didn’t understand what it meant, but it came across as a warning, telling her to back off. But there was no way she would give in. “There are a hundred other lenders who will arrange the funds, Shaun. I’ll find someone else.”
“You’re right. A hundred other companies will fall over each other to provide the loan, but only because those guys plan to clean you out when it comes to your money. And the day you can’t repay them, you’ll lose the shop. And you’re lucky if that’s the worst that happens. You’ve no idea of what people in this business can do.”
People like him. People who wouldn’t think twice before messing up someone’s life to make a quick buck. “I don’t care about what happens to me. I’ve decided, so please keep out of my business.” She turned the door handle, intending to leave, but as she struggled with the automatic lock system, he moved to her with a few long strides and then placed a hand against the door, using the other to grab her upper arm and spin her around. “Let go of me, Shaun. What gives you the right—”
“Angie. Keep away from these loan sharks.” His face was so close that if she leaned forward, their mouths would meet. Heat surged to between her thighs, making her want to cry out in frustration. How the hell could she still desire him? Why was it that despite all the reasons to hate him, she wanted nothing more than to kiss those full lips and beg him to fuck her?
She bit her lower lip. “Very well.” Her insides might be a mess, but she kept her voice under control. “If you don’t want me to go to these lenders, why don’t you give me time to organize the loan? Like we agreed?”
“Believe me, I intended to return the shop to you. There are good reasons I can’t, and I want to explain them to you.” His gray eyes softened, the amber glow less bright. “But first, I know that it’s unfair for you to be left with nothing. I’m willing to pay you for the business, above the market rate.”
She frowned. “Why the hell would you do that? It’s stupid.”
“Because you make me stupid.” His eyes roamed over her face, landing on her lips as light flickered through them. “I’ve no idea why,” he whispered, “But I’ll do it, if that goes toward making up for breaking a promise I intended to keep.”
She glanced down, away from the intensity of his gaze, but his muscled chest filled her eyes instead. It had been too long since she was pushed up against that strength, and she had to fight the temptation to fall against him. “I don’t want the cash,” she insisted, her voice low. “I want you to give me the chance to arrange the loan with the bank.”
“Let me explain why I can’t do that—”
“I don’t want to listen to any of your excuses. Is it a yes or a no?”
He paused, shaking his head. “No, but—”
“Then I’ve no other choice.”
He released a deep sigh, resting his forehead against hers, his breath soft and warm on her face. “These guys you’re dealing with, they’re—”
“I don’t care.” Nothing could be rougher than these feelings that raged through her now. Her anger at being attracted to a shifter responsible for taking her parents’ dream away…her helplessness before him. “I’ll do what I can to take that shop back. I don’t care what trouble I get into.”
He lifted his head to stare down at her. “Fine. But once I spread the word that the property belongs to me and the mob, none of these financial companies will deal with you. Not one of them will give you a loan, not even at a 50% interest rate.”
“You can’t do that.”
His face turned hard, displaying no emotion. “I can. And if anyone defies me and gives you the loan, I won’t stop until I drive them and their business underground.” Judging by his expression, he meant it. “You’re not getting that money, Angie.”
Why the hell was he making this so difficult? “You don’t care about that shop. It’s just a bit of money to you—but for me, it’s everything. I need it. Why can’t you understand?”
“Why don’t you understand?” He smoothed her hair with his fingers. It had a calming effect. “I hate seeing you like this, upset.” When he trailed a thumb across her lips, she almost did forget about everything but him. “Let’s not fight, Angie. I already waste too much time arguing with idiots at work. The last person I want to fight is you.” There was a plea in his voice, shifting something inside her. He held her chin to lift her face, and when his mouth came toward hers, she didn’t resist. What was the point? Her willpower went out of the window when he was around, no matter how she hated herself for it. His lips moved across hers, probing, his hand gentle on her jaw. His softness, her undoing. She placed her arms around his neck and pressed closer instead of walking out of here and leaving him and his damn business behind, along with these shitty feelings.
“God, Angie.” His voice was so deep it reached inside her core to caress it, slow, “I’ve missed you so fucking much.”
And she’d missed him, too. More than she was comfortable with. When he murmured soft nothings in between his kisses, the thought came to her. He cares about me. There was no other reason for him to arrange this meeting, was there? As they kissed, his tongue fluttering across her lower lip, his breathing became labored, and an intense response rocked her own body. He could have told the loan sharks to back off, couldn’t he, and that would have been it? But instead, he’d wanted to meet her to explain why he couldn’t give her what she needed. He wanted her to understand. Confusion raged alongside the shudders in her body. What did that mean? What did Shaun want from her?
He stepped back and took her hand, pulling her toward the desk. Trapping her between the wood and his body, he turned her so her back was against him. He kissed the back of her neck, moaning as he rubbed her nipple through the blouse material. His touch made her insides flutter and pushed her head into a daze. As the dizzy sensation overcame her, she fell against his hard strength, even though her mind warned against it. It was as if something else had taken over her body, making every part of her beg and tremble for his touch. No matter what else had happened over the past few weeks and despite the damn heartache, she did not regret having been with him. And she never would.
He held her shoulders to turn her, lifting her skirt before he sat her on the desk. Her back arched of its own accord as she leaned back on to her hands. When he ran a finger over the lace panties, along her crease, it made her shiver with anticipation. “Beautiful.” He pulled at the flimsy lace, and she lifted her hips so he could shift it down her thighs. They were in his office and her first instinct should have been to stand and cover herself, but there was another side of her—the wild side that had reared its head since meeting him—that wanted this. She had to be with him now, needed to have him inside her…and there went that little voice inside her head. He could have any woman he wants, but he keeps coming back to me. If she meant more to Shaun than a casual fuck, they could work things out, couldn’t they? Perhaps there was more to this, and they both were just unable to see it…
Those thoughts were pushed from her head when he pulled the lace to her ankles and over her feet. When he spoke, his voice was even deeper. “You’ve got no idea of how I’ve missed you, Angie.” When his admission sent a rush of wetness to between her legs, he released a grunt of approval.
And it suddenly hit her. This effect he had on her—it was one that no other man would. She could never have this with anyone else and that caused something to clench deep inside. Part of her didn’t want this intensity that made her incapable of distingui
shing between what was important, but another part of her yearned for it and wanted it to fill her whole being until there was nothing else left…
Shaun drew a finger across her swollen clit, circling it before he worked his way down. He stuck a finger into her wetness and pumped inside her a few times before he added another finger. As he pushed deeper into her, she moaned as sensation flooded her body. “You like that, don’t you, baby?”
“Yes!” she gasped.
He then curled his fingers to find that spot, and she scratched the table with her nails as she whimpered, nearly coming: but she inhaled deep, wanting to hold on. When his fingers pulled out, they left an emptiness behind, but the next thing she knew, he kneeled on the floor and pulled her to the edge of the table so his soft breath was on her sex. And then his mouth sucked her, hard, as if he was intent on consuming her. “You taste so good,” he groaned against her most private part.
His words sent another jolt searing through her. “Shaun…” she moaned. “I’m going to—”
“Hold on. You can’t come yet.”
“But I don’t think I can stop myself.”
He held her hips, his fingers biting into her skin. “I said hold on,” he murmured against her sex. He licked her clit before pressing his lips against it. And then he penetrated her with his tongue, pumping into her heat until she writhed against his mouth and lifted her hips, wanting more. He stood, and the sound of his trouser zip opening made her inner muscles clench. When he placed the tip of his cock at her entrance, she pushed against him. He entered her with a hard shove, making her cry out in pleasure. He pumped inside her with long slow movements, filling her deeper with each stroke. Damn, how did it feel better each time she was with him? His hands gripped her hips, holding her in place and pulling so he could go even further. Those grunts he released with each thrust sent even more heat surging through her. “You are mine, Angie.”
For a moment, she froze at his words. What the hell did that mean? But she forgot about it when his movements became more frenzied. He kept one hand on her hip to pull her against him as he took the other to her shirt buttons, opening them and then shifting his fingers inside her bra. He pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger until it caused pain, but that only turned her on even more. The assault on her sex and nipples drove her over the edge, making her moan, loud. She did not give a damn if anyone passing outside the office might hear what was going on inside.
“Angie.” His voice was deeper than she’d ever heard it. “You drive my beast wild.”
“Please, Shaun,” she whimpered against his chest. “I need you.”
There was a loud growl at her words, almost animal-like, and she shifted to look up at him, but he tugged her hair and pulled her face against his shoulder, keeping it in place. The growls kept coming, and after the initial surprise, the rough noises turned her on as he pushed into her, hard and fast. His breathing was heavy and as his cock went deeper, he dipped his head until she felt his teeth against her neck. He didn’t bite, but the anticipation made her come hard around his shaft. He moved his lips away from her skin without a nip and then released inside her with a loud moan, his seed pumping into her as her orgasm went on.
After he pulled out of her, she leaned back onto her elbows with her eyes closed, the shivers out of control as pleasure continued to surge through her. She sensed Shaun shift from her, and when she had recovered, she stood and pulled on her panties. He had moved to the other side of the room, next to the door. His back was to her, his elbows resting on the wall as he leaned against it. His shoulders were broader, straining his shirt seams, and his hands clawed—yes, clawed—at the walls, his nails longer than she remembered. The change…“Shaun?”
“Give me a minute, Angie.” A few moments later, he turned, and his features were even more defined than usual, his eyes burning amber. “I got carried away. It won’t happen again.”
When he spoke, he gave her a flash of his fangs. Seeing him like this now and knowing that it was his need for her that had brought about the change…it was an incredible turn on. What the fuck was wrong with her? Before she met him, she was a normal woman with a limited sexual appetite. Her only wish had been to save her parents’ shop.
Her parents’ shop…that was the reason she was here, so why had it ended with her sat on his desk as he made her scream with pleasure? Because I want to be with him. Not just for sex but something more… “Shaun,” she murmured, “We need to talk—”
His face twisted. “I know you want that business. I want nothing more than to return it to you, Angie, but it’s not up to me.”
She had wanted to talk about them, but if there was any chance of what they shared developing into something deeper, they needed to sort the shop situation first…or it would always stand between them. He had tried to explain to her before about why he couldn’t hand the premises over, and perhaps it was time to listen. “Tell me why.”
When he held out a hand, she stepped closer. His claws had retracted into fingernails, and he brought his palm to her face, running it softly across her jaw. “When I came to Manhattan a few years ago, I started off by working at Eclipse.”
“You never mentioned this before.”
“There was nothing to mention. I began behind the bar. Blade noticed I was tough as hell and put me to work as a security guard and sent me out to other jobs, like collecting debts.” He glanced around the plush office. “Let’s say I put myself in danger more than a few times to get together the money to set up my business.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I just want you to know that I came from nothing but worked damn hard to get to where I am today.”
“I still don’t understand why you backed out of your promise.”
“The shop deal came to me before I met you.” He gave her a soft kiss on the lips before continuing. “I agreed to a partnership with the mob.”
She nodded. “I know.”
“I tried to back out of the arrangement. I told them I didn’t want to go ahead, so I could return the business to you. But they wouldn’t agree. The thing is, Angie, the line of work I’m in…if I get on the wrong side of those kind of people—”
“You don’t need to say anything else.” Tears stung her eyes. The business was gone, and she needed to let it go. Something emptied inside her, along with those memories she’d clung to. It was over. Her voice trembled when she spoke. “I get it. I won’t go after the shop.”
“You believe me, don’t you? That I wanted to give the property to you?” She nodded. It brought relief that he had not done this intentionally, but it didn’t change the fact that he planned to get rid of her shop—no, that shop, because it didn’t belong to her anymore. And he was going to convert it to a mob hangout. “Angie. Do you understand?”
“Yes. You didn’t have much choice.” She couldn’t expect him to throw away all he had worked for, for the sake of her dream. Why would he, when there was nothing between them? And what about the possibility that he would put himself in danger? She could never live with that.
“That’s a relief.” He smoothed her hair from her forehead. “And now, what about us?”
She frowned, looking up at him. “I don’t understand.”
A soft sigh escaped his lips. “I’ll be honest. I doubt I’ll ever be up for a serious relationship, but I want to keep seeing you. When you’re not with me, you’re all I think about. We’re both good together…don’t you agree?” She also needed to be with Shaun and yearned for him when they were apart. Even now, his intent gaze as he took in her face made her breath catch. “What do you think, Angie?”
Yes, he was not promising her anything, but he was not reducing what they had to just sex, either. A little piece of hope fluttered in her chest, spreading its wings as it spread joy through her body, the kind that brought tears to her eyes. And then, just as suddenly, something inside her broke. She couldn’t see him again, not when he intended to replace Bygone with a mob business. She wou
ld be betraying her own parents.
But she couldn’t bring herself to tell him, not when her own longing was reflected on his face. “Give me time to think about it, Shaun.”
He nodded. “But don’t take too long. Like I said, I can’t stay away from you.”
She reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. “I better get going now. There’s a lot to consider.”
But when she moved back, he frowned, holding her by the shoulders. “Are you sure you’re all right, Angie?”
“Of course. This has just been a hell of a meeting. Not what I was expecting…”
He grinned as he leaned behind her to release the door lock. “Like I said, don’t take too long. I’ll be waiting.”
She rushed out of his office before she changed her mind.
She ran all the way down the stairs and only stopped when she was outside the building. As she gulped air, a hundred emotions pulsed through her. One thing was for sure. If she remained here, in Manhattan, she couldn’t stay away from him. And if she started seeing him, she’d never be able to forgive herself.
She’d been looking for a change of scenery for a while. Yes, that change had involved the shop, but with it gone, it was time for a new start. Even as something cracked inside her at the thought of not seeing Shaun again, it was the right decision.
She needed to move away from Manhattan, as far away from the shifter as possible.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
* * *
WHERE THE HELL WAS ANGIE?
Shaun turned away from his laptop in frustration and stared out of the window at the city skyline, seeing nothing. It was over a week since she left his office that day, and he hadn’t heard from her. He had made countless phone calls and it felt as if he messaged her every hour without a single response. Driven sick by worry about her safety and the need to see her, he asked Jack to enquire at her workplace after the first day, but the damn firm cited confidentiality clauses and refused to give any information. So the thug had hung around her office building, discreet, for a few days before reporting to Shaun and telling him she had not been there. And why the hell hadn’t she registered her new address anywhere? Every lead ended up at the bloody antique shop. He would set those premises on fire before he was through with this scenario. Each time his mobile rang, his heart skipped a beat and breath caught in anticipation, only for him to be disappointed.
Marked By The Alpha (Blood Moon Book 1) Page 11
