Her chin trembled and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. God, she was gorgeous. His gaze lingered on the full curves of her breasts before travelling to the full bottom lip that begged to be nipped and sucked.
His cock twitched at the thought.
Yeah, that's what he needed, a hard-on for the daughter of his mortal enemy. A man whose death he was somewhat responsible for.
Fucking perfect.
Her breathing was rapid and shallow. She was in shock. Either that or she'd inherited her father's unhinged mind. The latter thought sent a chill down Turner's spine.
"You want to tell me why you're standing out in the middle of the road in your pajamas?"
She blinked slowly, then turned her attention back to the red brick bungalow. "My-my sis-sister."
He laid a calloused hand on her bare shoulder. She was ice cold. "What about your sister?"
She placed her palms over her eyes and shook her head. "Oh God, I'm losing my mind."
Was crazy genetic? It wouldn't help to agree with her, but knowing who her father was, her words held a high probability. Still, he couldn't leave her like this.
He gripped her elbow. "Let's get you back inside."
She jerked her arm away, eyes rounding in fear and took an unsteady step backwards. "I can't go back in there."
He scrubbed his hands over his face. "Is there someone you want me to call?"
A hysterical laugh escaped her lips. "Yeah, Animal Control."
He looked back at the house and inhaled deeply through his nose. Fuck, and double shit. It was faint, but even from thirty feet away he could smell its scent. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Probably because he was having a hard time keeping his eyes diverted from the taut nipples that pressed against the thin fabric of her tank top.
The day was just getting better and better.
He put his hands up, hoping to look unthreatening, but with his height and build, that was no easy feat. He took a tentative step towards her. "Can you tell me what happened?"
With shaky fingers, she tucked her tussled red hair behind her ears. "You wo-won't be-believe me. I don't know if I believe it myself."
"Try me."
"I heard Kiera's alarm going off." She closed her eyes, and her lips quivered as she spoke. "She never sleeps in. I don't even know why she sets it; she's up at the same time every day."
Turner clenched his teeth and fought for patience. "And then what happened?"
She hugged herself, her eyes dazed as she tried to articulate what she'd seen. "I went to Kiera's room to check on her."
"But she wasn't there?" he asked, already knowing the answer. His questions were only putting off the inevitable, but he needed confirmation. "Was the room empty?"
She flinched at his question.
In that single gesture, his suspicions were confirmed. Shit, he had to call the agency, but how was he going to explain why he was near her house in the first place?
He cursed Richard Boyd under his breath. Figured the asshole would find a way to screw with his life, even beyond the grave.
A little too roughly, he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her towards the SUV. "Get in the car."
"What?" She stared at him, wide-eyed, and tried unsuccessfully to pull free of his grip.
"Get in the car, Riley. I'll deal with it."
She gave him an odd look. "Deal with what? You don't even know what's in there."
He moved quickly, leaning down so he was nose to nose with her. "Then tell me." He kept his voice deliberately low, but she didn't shrink in fear as he expected her to.
"A lion." She pushed at his chest, and he released her. Bordering on hysterical, she threw her hands in the air. "There was a freaking lion on my sister's bed."
That did surprise him.
Of all the victims Turner had analyzed, not one had been of the species panthera leo.
He opened the passenger door and motioned for her to get in. "I'll deal with it."
Blinking at him, she gave her head a small shake. "Did you hear me? There's a lion—"
He held out a hand to stop her. An older couple stared at them curiously as they walked by. The last thing he needed was to draw more attention. What he needed to do was get the lion contained. Wipe Riley's memory, and somehow get the animal to the agency's underground research lab without being detected—So much for his morning nap.
"You need to trust me."
"Trust you?" Her eyes instantly narrowed and filled with suspicion. "I don't even know you."
His phone vibrated in his back pocket.
Incoming Call, Chase Payne flashed on the screen. If there was anyone in the world he could rely on to help him with this mess, it was his older brother.
He pressed Talk, and brought the phone to his ear. "I need your help."
There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. "What did you do now?"
Riley's gaze darted between him and the house. He wasn't sure which she looked more scared of.
He turned his back to her and lowered his voice. "I'm at the Boyd's house. I need you to get your ass over here ASAP."
"Dammit Turner. If anyone finds out your anywhere near that man's family—"
"Lay off the lecture. Just get over here. We have a—situation."
He ended the call before his brother could argue.
Riley chewed on her bottom lip and took a step back when he approached her. "How do you know my name?"
"Let's go inside and I'll explain." He held out his hand and gave her a half-smile.
She shook her head and took another step backwards.
He shrugged and turned.
"Wait," she called out as he stalked towards the house.
The front door was slightly open. The moment he stepped inside, the animal's scent slammed into him.
"You can't just barge into someone's—"
"Sit." He motioned to the sofa in the living room just off the front entrance.
"Look." She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "I don't need you here. I was probably just sleepwalking. I do that sometimes when I'm really stressed, or overheated—"
She didn't finish the sentence. Her jaw went slack as her gaze focused on something behind him.
He didn't need to turn to know what caused her reaction. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. You didn't think to shut the bedroom door?"
Chantel Seabrook
Swoonworthy romances from the heart!
❤️
Chantel Seabrook writes hot, steamy paranormal and fantasy romances with possessive bad boys, and the passionate, fiery women who love them.
She also writes contemporary romance as C.M. Seabrook.
SIGN UP FOR HER NEWSLETTER HERE!
http://eepurl.com/cB56an
Also by Chantel Seabrook
Reverse Harem Fantasy
Cara’s Twelve
Six Men of Alaska Series
The Wife Lottery
The Wife Protectors
The Wife Gamble
The Wife Code
The Wife Pact
The Wife Legacy
Therian Agents Series
Chasing Payne
Turning Payne
Taming Kiera
C.M. Seabrook Books
Men with Wood Series
Second Draft
Second Shot
Fighting Blind Series
Theo
Moody
Wild Irish Series
Wild Irish
Tempting Irish
Taming Irish
Savages & Saints Series
Torment
Gravity
Salvage
Standalones
Melting Steel
tyle = " -webkit-filter: grayscale(100%); -moz-filter: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
[Therian Agents 01.0] Chasing Payne Page 15
