Forbidden Seduction

by R. L. Kenderson

  The people in her life always left her, and if she turned the tables and left now, she wouldn’t have to worry about Saxon telling her good-bye.

  This time, she would be in control.

  She quietly packed her bag and stopped at the hall. She looked into his room one last time.

  “Good-bye,” she whispered.

  And then she was out the door.

  Chapter42

  One Week Later

  Demi rolled onto her stomach and grabbed her phone. It was Saturday morning, and she should be sleeping in, but she’d just spent the last twenty minutes or so staring at her popcorn ceiling.

  She scanned a little social media but ultimately ended up at her messages. Her thumb hovered over Saxon’s name before she finally hit it.

  She hadn’t heard from him since she moved back to her house, and every day, she was disappointed. It only showed her that she’d been right in leaving because he hadn’t even attempted to get her back. It was good that her logical brain had seen this coming. Unfortunately, her stupid heart had held out hope.

  She took a deep breath.

  “Suck it up, Demi,” she said out loud to herself. “You knew what kind of guy he was when you met him. That’s why you took him home.” She couldn’t be upset with him for being who he was. Or she could, but that would make her an asshole.

  How’s everything going? Everything going well with Gavin? No bad news or anything?

  She hit Send, threw her phone on the bed, and tried to smother herself with her pillow for being such a wuss about texting someone.

  Her phone rang, and she froze.

  She fumbled for her cell and saw that it was Saxon.

  Oh shit. She hadn’t been prepared to actually speak to him.

  “Play it cool, Demi. Play it cool.”

  Wuss.

  “Hello?” she said as nonchalantly as possible.

  “Hey.”

  She bit her lip. How had she missed how sexy his voice was?

  “Hey,” she said back.

  “So, I thought Vance was keeping you up-to-date on everything. I thought he’d mentioned that he told you that Eldon was getting an award.”

  Crap. “Oh, he is. He did.” I just wanted to have an excuse to talk to you. “I just hadn’t heard from him for a few days, and I didn’t want to bother him. I kind of have a thing I have to go to today, and I didn’t want there to be any trouble.”

  “A thing?” It was a question, but he really didn’t sound that interested.

  She might as well tell him. Trying to get a guy to fish for answers wasn’t who she was.

  “Don’t be jealous. It’s only a family birthday party for my younger sister.”

  “Oh.” Saxon sounded genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know you saw your family.”

  Demi rolled onto her back. “It’s not very often, but my youngest sister is eighteen, and my mother wants me there. While I will be bored the entire time, I don’t want any danger coming to my family. So, I thought I’d check with you.”

  Saxon didn’t say anything.

  Demi sighed. “Anyway, I’m sorry I bothered you. I’ll see you…” Would she see him again? If she showed up at Club Seduction? Could she handle it if she didn’t? Either way, she needed to figure out what to do about her heat because she didn’t want to sleep with anyone else yet. And she couldn’t go back to being once-a-month heat buddies with Saxon. “I mean, I’ll see you around. Gotta go.”

  “Demi—”

  “Bye.” She quickly hit End and dropped her phone on her chest. “I am such a wuss,” she said to her empty bedroom.

  Demi hit the doorbell of her mom and stepfather’s house and then stood back, straightened her clothes, and smoothed down her hair. Her mother didn’t really care about looks that much, but she always wanted to look her best.

  The door swung open, and her sister, Stacy, opened the door.

  “Hey you. You don’t have to knock, silly.” Stacy opened the door wide to let Demi in.

  “I don’t mind.” She was not close enough to her mom and stepfather to simply walk into their house, even when she had been invited for a birthday party.

  “I can take the present.”

  Stacy was the oldest of her half-sisters at twenty, and she had always been nice to Demi. Sometimes, it made her sad that they weren’t closer, but her mother didn’t want her sisters or stepfather to know she was half-shifter. It was easier to keep a distance between the two rather than hide that part of herself.

  Demi put the small box in Stacy’s hands. “Thank you.”

  “Come on in. You’re one of the last to arrive. Stephanie will be happy to see you, seeing as how Aunt Carol won’t stop talking about her latest visit to the doctor.”

  “Eh, that sounds fun,” Demi said sarcastically.

  Their mother’s older sister was a hypochondriac and mistakenly thought everyone loved to hear her hospital stories.

  Demi followed Stacy into the kitchen. When Stephanie saw her, her eyes lit up. Stacy hurried off, probably so she wouldn’t get roped into a conversation with Aunt Carol, too.

  “Demi, you’re here.” Stephanie pulled her into a hug. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

  “Happy birthday.”

  They separated.

  “Thank you.”

  “I gave your present to Stacy. She said she’d put it in the pile.”

  “Demi.”

  She turned to see her mother entering the kitchen. “Hi, Mom.”

  Her mom pulled her into a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Thanks. You, too.” It was mostly true. Despite their distance, this woman was still her mother.

  “So, how is everything, Demi? How’s work?” Aunt Carol asked as she took a sip of wine.

  “Do you want anything to drink?” Stephanie asked.

  “Yes, please.” She looked at her aunt. “Things are good. Summers are always busy at the library.”

  “Any men in your life?” The way she asked came out condescending and judgmental. As if Aunt Carol were happily married. She and her husband acted more like coworkers than husband and wife.

  “Well, actually—”

  “Demi,” Stacy said from the other room. “You didn’t tell me your boyfriend was coming.”

  Boyfriend? She quickly tried to figure out who would show up at her mom’s house.

  Stacy walked into the kitchen with Saxon behind her.

  Demi started to gasp but quickly recovered when all eyes went to her.

  Saxon came up to Demi, put his arm around her, and kissed her on the forehead. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “Uh—that’s—uh—yeah—that’s okay,” Demi said, stumbling over her words. “I thought you couldn’t make it.”

  Saxon smiled. “I moved some things around.”

  Demi’s mother cleared her throat. “Demi, are you going to introduce us?”

  “Oh, yeah.” She looked up into Saxon’s handsome face. She had no idea why he was here, but she had never been more grateful to see him. “This is Saxon. Saxon, this is my mom, Sharon, my aunt Carol, and my sisters, Stacy and Stephanie.”

  Saxon shook each of their hands. “Happy birthday,” he said to her little sister.

  Stephanie blushed. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 43

  Everyone loved Saxon, and Demi was amazed at his behavior because he’d really brought out the charm with her family. She’d had no idea he had it in him.

  After what felt like a game of Twenty Questions, Demi decided it was time to figure out why Saxon was really there. Despite Saxon’s laid-back attitude, her immediate thought was that she was in danger again, and if someone was after her, she wanted to leave as soon as she could. She didn’t want anyone hurting her family.

  “Can you all excuse us? I need to speak to Saxon alone for a second.”

  Stacy wiggled her eyebrows. “You can use my bedroom.”

  Demi laughed awkwardly. “That’s okay. Thank you though.”

  She grabbed Saxo
n’s hand and led him outside.

  “What are you doing here? You just told me this morning that everything was okay.” Demi did a three-sixty, trying to spot anything out of place.

  Saxon put his hands on her arms. “Damn it. I’m an ass. I didn’t even think that you’d jump to that conclusion.” He shook his head and smiled. “But, knowing you, I should have guessed that’s where your mind would go right away.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “I’m confused. Does that mean we’re safe?”

  Saxon laughed. “You’re fine. Everything is the same as the way it was this morning.”

  Demi’s body sagged with relief as she put a hand to her chest. “Thank God.” She straightened. “But then, what are you doing here? How did you know where my mom lived?”

  “Reid.”

  Of course.

  “And I’m here for you. That’s what mates or boyfriends do after all.”

  Demi shook her head. “But you’re not my boyfriend or my mate.”

  Saxon pushed the collar of her blouse out of the way. “That’s not what my bite mark says.”

  “Saxon, we both know we did that to keep me safe. It’s not real.”

  He lifted his brow. “And what if I want it to be real?”

  Demi opened her mouth, but she couldn’t seem to find her words.

  Saxon stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. “And, as I recall, we marked each other after we found out you were safe again. There was no secondary incentive.”

  Demi was desperate to believe everything Saxon had said, but she was scared. What if Saxon remembered that she was less than? What if he wanted a full shifter? What if she wasn’t enough for him?

  She lifted her chin. “That was my mistake. I shouldn’t have led you on.”

  “You’re saying you don’t want me?”

  She opened her mouth again.

  “And don’t lie to me.” He tapped his nose. “I can smell it.”

  “Fine,” she said like a bratty teenager. She’d just have to scare him away. “Yes, I want you. I don’t want anyone else. I think I’m probably even in love with you.”

  Saxon grinned and clapped his hands together. “Great.”

  “Great?” She stomped her foot on the ground. “You’re a confirmed bachelor. You’re afraid of commitment.”

  “I don’t remember ever saying I was afraid of commitment. It kind of grossed me out sometimes when couples got sappy, but I’m not afraid.” He picked up her hands. “I think you’re confusing me with you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, you. You’re afraid I’m going to leave you, aren’t you?”

  “There is a possibility you’ll get sick of me.”

  “Oh, I’m sure I’ll get sick of you.”

  Demi’s jaw dropped in outrage. He wasn’t supposed to admit that.

  Saxon laughed. “But, even if I’m sick of you, I will still love you. And I will still want you in my life forever.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I’ve never felt about anybody the way I feel about you. You’re never getting rid of me, Demi.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise. I love you.”

  Demi pushed herself into his arms and buried her face in his shirt. “I love you, too.”

  Saxon wrapped his arms around her. “I can’t wait to show you the bunkhouse.”

  “I’ve already seen it,” she said into his chest.

  “Not since we’ve been working hard to add on the extra bedrooms.”

  Demi looked up at Saxon in surprise. “Already?”

  Saxon smiled. “That’s what happens when you own a construction company. You call in a few favors to get everything approved by the city, and then you make your employees work round the clock.”

  “Wow. But how did you work in the dark?”

  “Big-ass lights.”

  Demi laughed. “Does this mean, we’ll have our own room?” She was almost afraid to ask, worried that he’d tell her he’d been joking. But he’d promised her, and she had to trust him. Or at least, learn to try.

  “Do you want to live there? You still have your house. My apartment. We could get rid of them both and buy something closer.”

  “You’re leaving it up to me?”

  “Yes. I want you to be happy. Wherever you go, I go.”

  She’d had no idea Saxon could be so sweet. She had to fight back tears. She swallowed down her crying. She could do that later. “I think I’d like to live at the bunkhouse. I liked living with others who are like me.”

  “Bunkhouse it is then.”

  Demi reached her mouth up and kissed him. She pulled back and decided to give him one more test. “If we choose bunkhouse, it doesn’t have to be that way forever, right?”

  “Right. We might get sick of everyone in a few years.”

  “Or we might have a kid or two and want our own place.”

  Saxon didn’t even flinch. “Maybe.” He winced. “But let’s keep that information quiet right now. If my mother even gets a whiff of grandchildren, she will hound me every day.”

  “Your mother, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah. She’s going to fucking love you.”

  “I can’t wait to meet her.”

  Saxon brought Demi into the bunkhouse and paused to listen for any sounds. He had warned some of them that he was bringing her home and to not make a big deal out of it, but he wouldn’t put it past his friends to jump out and yell, Surprise.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked him.

  “Nothing. I was just wondering who else was here. Come on.”

  “Did you get a new room, or do you have your old one?”

  “We got a new room. Camden gets the old one.”

  “Exciting. I love new-paint smell.”

  Saxon showed her down the new hallway. The bunkhouse before had been shaped like a capital T. Instead of making the hall longer, they had put another hall on the opposite side of the kitchen and living room, making the bunkhouse shaped like a plus sign or cross now.

  “Here it is,” Saxon said, pushing the door open.

  “Wow. It’s so big.”

  “It’s the same size as the other rooms. It just looks huge now that there is only one bed. This way, we have plenty of room to set up our own little living area.” He walked over to the corner. “I thought we could maybe put a chair here or something and our own TV, so we can be alone when we want to.”

  Demi stared at him, and he could not read her expression.

  “What is it?”

  “You’ve really thought about this.”

  He shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I? I want it to be perfect for you.”

  Demi ran to him and jumped into his arms.

  “Oof.”

  She smiled down at him. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” He licked his lips and gave her a heated look. “What do you say we christen the place?”

  “You’re on.”

  Down the hall and across the living room, Kendall lay on her bed with her tablet on her lap. She typed her keywords into the search engine until she found what she had been searching for.

  Local Detective Earns Award

  She clicked on the video to make it play. It was a video of Eldon being honored by the chief of police for his work in his brother’s arrest. His abduction had probably had something to do with it.

  Kendall rubbed her little bump. “That’s your daddy right there, little one. I wonder what he’s going to do when I tell him about you.”

  That was a conversation she was not looking forward to.

  Epilogue

  Several Months Later

  “Come on, baby. I know you can do it,” Saxon chanted to urge Demi on. He was her biggest cheerleader and believed in her more than she believed in herself sometimes.

  She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and concentrated. She reached deep down inside—although not as deep as she’d once had to—and connected with her cat.

  Let’s do this, he
r cat said, and a feeling like she’d been hit by lightning went through her body.

  Saxon whooped loudly, and she opened her eyes.

  She took a step back because everything looked weird, and she fell on her butt.

  Saxon laughed.

  I’m not used to having four legs, she said. Or tried to. It came out as a weird half-meow, half-growl.

  Saxon laughed again. “You’ll get used to not being able to talk.” He walked over to her and crouched down on his knees. “You are a beautiful golden color,” he said as he rubbed her ears.

  Damn. That felt really good.

  She looked down at her legs. She could still see colors, but they were muted and not as bright. She’d have to take Saxon’s word for it.

  “I knew you could shift.”

  And he was right. It had taken a lot of work, but here she was, and it was amazing.

  Saxon petted her from head to butt and wondered if it was a weird thing to have your mate pet you. She needed to ask one of the girls because it made her feel a little like a kid.

  Demi pushed her head into Saxon’s chest.

  “You want me to shift with you?”

  She nodded.

  “Deal.”

  After running for what had to be a good hour, Demi and Saxon collapsed on the grass where they’d left their clothes. They often went running and took naps outside when they were done. But they hadn’t been able to do that as much now that the weather was getting cold.

  Saxon shifted back, and it suddenly occurred to Demi that she could get stuck in her cat form.

  Saxon put his hand on her head. “Just think about your human form again. You can do it.”

  Demi closed her eyes again, and almost immediately, the same feeling of lightning struck. She opened her eyes and laughed. “That was easier than I’d thought it would be.” Demi kissed him. “Thank you for helping me.”

  Saxon grinned at her. “No thanks needed. I always knew you could do it.”