by Ruby Shae
Muscles laced his broad chest, and his arms were big and defined without being excessive. He might work out in a gym, but that wasn’t his sole form of exercise, and she immediately wondered about his profession.
More so because his rare, violet eyes, were hidden behind a pair of dark, stylish frames. The superhero reference slammed into her again, and she had a feeling only a privileged few ever got to see him without the much-needed accessory.
God, she wanted to be one of those people.
The image of him hovering over her, his face inches from hers, flashed through her mind, and her face turned up in a smile at the same time her pussy tingled.
What would it feel like to be filled by him? She had nothing to compare it to, but she had a feeling he knew what he was doing when it came to sex, and he could definitely show her how it’s done. In fact, women probably threw themselves at him all the time.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, he abruptly dropped back into his chair so dramatically he nearly missed the edge, and the blatant rejection wasn’t lost on her. She glanced to the left, and for the first time since spotting the man, she noticed his tablemate.
Shame swamped her.
What the hell was she doing ogling another woman’s man? Or any man for that matter? She’d learned a long time ago that her curvy body, combined with her plain brown hair, and dull, boring, grey eyes, rarely equaled anyone’s type, and the reality, while disappointing, would never change.
She would always be alone.
Embarrassed, she turned back toward the display case, and willed the woman in front of her to order faster. She could feel the couple staring, their eyes boring into her back, and the temperature in the room seemed to escalate at least ten degrees.
The low brush of whispers teased her ears, but she didn’t know where the sounds were coming from, and she couldn’t understand the words being said anyway.
Were they laughing at her?
The urge to fidget warred with the desire to run, and the moment she solidified her decision to leave, the shop owner arrived to take her order.
She didn’t want to make a scene, so she glanced in the case, and ordered the first thing she saw. Delilah filled a brown paper bag with a half-dozen cinnamon rolls, and a couple of minutes later, Sierra white-knuckled the handles of the bag, and moved to the door as quickly as possible without drawing undo attention to herself.
Once out on the street, the urge to run eased a bit, but she moved with purpose down the sidewalk. She wanted to put as much distance between herself and the shop as possible, and deep down, she hated the fact that she’d made a fool of herself in one of her favorite places.
How could she ever go back there again?
The irrational thought jarred her, and though she was still uncomfortable about the incident, she knew it was ridiculous to let it stop her from going back.
Besides, what were the odds that she would ever see the couple again?
She’d visited Delilah’s literally hundreds of times in the past, and today was the first time they’d ever crossed paths. It could be literally one hundred times more before it happened again.
“Excuse me.”
The words, strong and firm, echoed around the buildings, and she automatically glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact with the man from the shop.
What the hell?
Was he following her? Why? What did he want?
Sierra returned her gaze forward, and quickened her step.
She refused to allow a stranger to scold and mock her on the street for enjoying the view of his sexy body a few moments longer than she should have.
Unfortunately, he caught up to her easily.
“Hey,” he said, nearly occupying the space beside her. “Hold up.”
She looked back at him again, and this time he smiled and waved.
Shit!
She’d never be able to outrun him.
Might as well get it over with.
She stopped walking, and turned to face him head-on.
“Thanks for stopping.”
He paused, as if taking the time needed to catch his breath, but she knew he was stalling. What she didn’t understand was why.
She took a quick inventory of the few passersby, and luckily, she didn’t recognize anyone. They were still standing on Main Street, but the block they were on was less crowded than the one containing Delilah’s.
Good! Let’s get this done and over with!
“Well…I didn’t really have a choice,” she said, finally. “You obviously walk a lot faster than I do. What do you want?”
“I…”
He was stalling again, but the strange, intense-dreamy look on his face left her immobile. It was the look she’d always hoped to see from a man—one full of love and desire—and though she knew she was misreading him, she allowed herself to enjoy it for a few fleeting seconds.
I must be a glutton for punishment!
“Cinnamon rolls!”
“Um…what?”
As she uttered the words, the truth set in, and she felt her cheeks warm. Now things were starting to make a little more sense. The longing on his face had been for her bag of pastries, of course. She’d purchased the last six rolls in the display case.
“I…” he cleared his throat. “I’ll give you a thousand dollars for that bag of cinnamon rolls.”
A thousand dollars? What a nut!
He was definitely crazy, but at least he didn’t seem intent on lashing out and embarrassing her on the street because she’d been gawking at him.
“That seems a bit extreme,” she laughed. “It’s not even a full dozen.”
Not that it mattered, but she couldn’t think of anything else to day.
“I have to take cinnamon rolls home today,” he stated, matter-of-factly.
Yeah, probably because that’s what his girlfriend wanted and he’d do anything to make the lucky woman happy.
Damnit!
“I don’t want your money,” she said, holding out the bag, “but you can have the rolls.”
“Let me make it up to you another way then,” he said, reaching for his wallet. He opened the trendy, slim leather case, and handed her a business card.
She took the card on instinct, and immediately noted how the stylish, bold, black lettering stood out on the white background. There were only four lines listed: name, workplace, job position, and phone number.
Graham Roth.
God, even his name was sexy.
“How about dinner? Or a movie? Do you need help with any tech stuff? I’m really good with computers and phones, and…well, all devices really.”
Dinner? A movie? Yep, definitely crazy!
No way she was sitting through dinner and a movie with him and his girlfriend.
“No, that’s okay,” she said, letting a nervous laugh escape. She shook her head, and offered him the bag again. “Thank you for the offers, but I’m pretty sure your girlfriend wouldn’t go for any of those things, and it doesn’t matter anyway. You don’t need to repay me. You obviously need these more than I do.”
He reached for the bag, but instead of taking it from her, he closed his hand over hers. A spark of electricity raced up her arm, and spread through her entire body, making her tingle from head to toe. Her pussy throbbed in the aftermath, and liquid heat dampened her panties.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he smiled, taking a step closer. “The woman I was with, Tegan, is a friend and nothing more. What’s your name?”
“Um…”
For a moment, she forgot everything, but luckily it didn’t last long.
“Sierra,” she whispered. “My name is Sierra Bennett.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sierra Bennett,” he said, taking the bag from her. “I owe you one—anything—and I hope you’ll contact me soon so I can settle my debt.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but her throat refused to comply. He was so close, so gorgeous, and so deliciously perfect, that she would h
ave agreed to anything, and she instinctively nodded to seal the deal.
“Good,” he smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Sierra watched his retreat until he ducked back into the bakery, and then suddenly, it was as if the spell had been broken. She ignored the irrational disappointment that swamped her when he didn’t look back, closed her gaping mouth, and studied her surroundings.
People rushed up and down the sidewalk, but no one seemed to notice her blatant, gut-wrenching desire for the man she now gazed after like a lovesick puppy.
God, I’m an idiot.
She took a deep breath, shook her head, and continued on her original path.
Despite what he’d said, the man—Graham—had wanted the rolls and nothing else.
It didn’t matter that her hand still tingled from his touch.
Chapter Two
Sierra took another drink from her water bottle, and set the container on the worn, round table. The setting sun cast an orange glow on everything left in her nearly bare kitchen, including the white business card she held in her hand.
While the bold lettering still popped, the white background was now dingy, and the card itself looked like it had seen better days. It no longer held that fresh out-of-the-box crispness it had just a few hours before, and one of the dog-eared corners was starting to fray.
She traced her finger over the words, and thought about her day.
After the encounter with Graham, she’d gone to work prepared for the worst, and she’d gotten it, and more. In fact, she’d purchased the cinnamon rolls as a peace offering, but in hindsight, they wouldn’t have helped anyway. The events of the day were too chaotic, the wounds too deep to smooth over with sugar, and yet, it had all been totally worth it.
Her parents, partners at Bennett & Bennett Legal Services, were also her bosses, and they hadn’t been happy when she’d introduced them to their new legal secretary. They’d been even more angry when they’d found out she’d been training her replacement after hours and on weekends when the office was closed.
Luckily, she’d prepared her replacement for their reaction as well.
The woman, Melanie, efficiently manned the front office until the yelling had stopped, and then seamlessly slid into her official job description when the couple had no choice but to accept their new employee, or operate without a legal secretary.
Considering Sierra had been doing the job for them since her senior year in high school, she knew the latter would never happen.
They needed someone to run the office, but no matter how much they wanted it to be their daughter, it didn’t have to be. She’d been at the job for seven years too long, and Melanie was more than qualified.
She waited for the guilt that should follow her deceit, but it never came.
Having two parents in the legal field, especially two that had seen the worst in humanity, had never boded well for her, and over-protective was an understatement when used to describe their parenting style.
If the decision were up to them, she’d still live at home and they’d commute to work every day as a family. In fact, after being forced to live at home and work in their office while attending college, the only reason she still worked for them up until today was because of their many community connections.
Simply put, no one else would hire her.
It wasn’t just in the legal field, either. She’d tried everything, and if she happened to land an interview, even with someone her parents didn’t know, they would always step-in, offer some sort of free legal advice or services, and she’d be right back to square one.
After almost a year of disappointment, she’d wised up, and made a new plan.
As much as she loved Blackbeary Creek, she couldn’t live in the same town as her parents if she ever wanted any kind of freedom. Once the decision to leave town was made, things sort of just fell into place.
She’d landed a job at the elite, five-star, Locke Hotel in Maple Bear Falls, and the perfect apartment fell into her lap a few days later. With the exception of necessities and furniture, most of her apartment was packed, and she would embark on her new life in a little less than two weeks.
Her parents didn’t know about her plans yet, and she wasn’t going to tell them until moving day. Even then, she wasn’t giving out her new address or place of employment. If they wanted to speak to her, they could call, text or video-chat.
She refused to live a half-life because of her parents’ irrational fears.
Speaking of a half-life…
She ran her fingers over his information again, and tapped the edge of the card on the table as she thought about her conversation with Graham. He might not have said the exact words, but she was pretty sure he’d asked her out. Especially after she found out he didn’t have a girlfriend.
In fact, his parting words had been specific:
I owe you one—anything—and I hope you’ll contact me soon so I can settle my debt.
Did he really mean anything? Probably not, but what did it hurt to ask?
She flipped the card in her fingers, and tapped the other edge.
It didn’t make any sense, but for some reason, the card had felt like a tether when she’d faced her parents. She’d slid it into her jacket pocket right before the yelling started, and when things had gotten tough, she’d wrapped her clammy palms around it and stood her ground. That was the reason the white had faded so fast.
This moment wasn’t any different.
The card seemed to bolster her confidence as she thought about reaching out to Graham, and yet, it seemed to provide a safe haven in new, uncharted territory.
She stared at the card, and a plan started to take shape in her mind.
If she went through with it, then it had to be in person, because she wanted him to know exactly who he was talking to, and exactly what she was asking.
She weighed the pros and cons, but the cons didn’t really matter.
The worst-case scenario would be an emphatic “no way” followed by several rounds of laughter. The rejection would hurt, but she’d get over it, especially knowing she only had two weeks left in town.
If he said yes, however, it would be a dream come true. Not only would she lose her virginity—finally—but her first time would be with a tall, muscle-bound, gorgeous man who was way out of her league.
There was literally no contest between the two sides.
She grabbed the card, stood, and slid the small rectangle into her pocket as she rushed to her bedroom. Organization had always been one of her virtues, and she read all of the labels on the neatly stacked cardboard boxes until she found the one she wanted.
She now had a better, faster, more expensive machine, but she’d always been reluctant to get rid of her small, unremarkable college laptop.
Now she understood why.
She plugged in the device, and headed for the bathroom.
An hour later, after a long shower that included shaving everything, she left the house dressed in what she hoped was a cute, sexy outfit, accessorized with a small messenger bag.
It was time to change her life.
***
Fuck!
Graham skimmed through the information he’d found one more time, and resisted the urge to put his fist through the wall. The irrational surge of anger would have scared him if he hadn’t seen first-hand what kind of mess a shifter turned into once he found his other half.
Beneath the surface, his bear growled and paced, desperate to claim his mate. The desire to show up on Sierra’s doorstep and force a mating rode him hard, but his human side knew that wasn’t the way to win her heart.
Or to stop her from leaving.
He shook his head, and closed his hand as he read the words on the screen again. This time, the fist wasn’t from anger.
It had been hours since he’d touched her, but it didn’t matter. He could still feel the heat from her soft skin warming his palm. It was
as if she’d physically branded him, but there were no marks, no evidence of any kind, to indicate he’d touched her at all.
He replayed their encounter over for the millionth time, and silently cursed again. Only a lunatic—or a fucking nerd—would offer someone a thousand dollars for a bag of rolls. The sweet bread was spectacular, but to offer so much had been ridiculous, and she’d thought so, too. He’d seen it written all over her face.
Of course, she’d also thought he’d had a girlfriend.
Great first impression, loser!
By the time he’d caught up with Sierra, Tegan had been a distant memory. If he’d remembered anything about eating breakfast with the other woman, he would have stated his single status right in the beginning.
Not that it would have helped.
Stating your relationship status in the first two minutes of a conversation is another loser move, but at least she wouldn’t have thought he was a cheating asshole on top of everything else.
In the end, he’d been able to set the record straight, but he wasn’t sure it made a difference. Especially now that he knew she was leaving.
He picked up his cell, searched for the name he needed, and then stared at the call button as his conscience reared its ugly head. What he was considering was wrong, there was no other way to describe it, and yet he couldn’t let her go.
Leaving her on the street had been hard enough.
He’d chased her down, and then proceeded to make a complete fool out of himself, but neither of those things compared to the challenge of taking the bag out of her hand, and then turning to walk away.
It was, hands down, the most difficult thing he’d ever done, and faith in his abilities to find intel had been the only thing to keep him going.
Back in his office, the information he’d found on Sierra had been trivial at first, but two key factors had sent him on an emotional rollercoaster.
Her nearly nonexistent past relationships, combined with the fact that she was a virgin, filled him with a sense of pride and possession he didn’t think was possible. The fact that he would be the only man to ever touch her—ever make love to her—made his dick harden, and he had to force himself to stay in his seat.
