“No, I doubt it. As long as you stay in public then you should be ok. Kade isn’t going to risk exposing what he is to the general public. There are cameras pretty much everywhere. That sort of thing would be in government hands before the day is out and we’d all get rounded up.”
“That does not sound like fun,” Doria said.
“I’m going to bed,” Rob said. “I’m beat. You sure you can find everything ok?”
“Yeah. This place is huge, but I’ll manage.”
As he started to walk away, Doria realized she had to come clean about something.
“Rob?”
He stopped and looked to her.
“Kade told me all about The Ganno’s and everything. I have to tell you something. The Ganno’s killed my parents. I didn’t realize it until I was bitten and became a werewolf. But my parents were attacked in their home while I was sleeping over at a friend’s house. The cops said it was a mountain lion that somehow got inside. It crashed through the window. It didn’t make sense to me then, but now I know the truth. I can recognize the signs that I saw that day when the cops got me from my friend’s house in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah. It was Kade and his tribe, or maybe it was just Kade. I don’t know.”
“We will find him and make him pay for everything.”
Doria went to her own bed about ten minutes later. It was the most comfortable bed, the most serene room that she had ever slept in. It was a guest bedroom, but it was bigger than the downstairs of her own house. Plus, it had its own bathroom that was also humongous with a large glass shower with marble walls and flooring, and a Jacuzzi big enough for six people. She was definitely going to try that out in the morning.
If she had time that was. She really had to get to work and finish the story. She was still scared to go anywhere, as if Kade was going to leap out at her at any moment and take her away. This time he would probably kill her and then try to get Rob to come to him. Something told her this maniac was not the kind of guy who liked to lose.
She tried to get those negative thoughts out of her head and focus on something more positive, like Rob. And the fact that he might be sleeping naked right now. She was getting wet at the very thought of it. She wished he was right there beside her in the bed. The more time she spent with him, the more irresistible he became. She wanted him in every possible way and she wanted to be there for him. She felt her body responding to these thoughts, undulating as she grew wetter with every single fantasy. She could smell him on her, his sensual, masculine scent; she wanted to lick up every drop of it.
Maybe she would go to his room and knock on the door. Would he invite her in? There would be an unspoken want between the two of them and they would begin to make love, right then and there.
Oh, she wanted it so badly… she was aching for it, her mind racing, her heart pounding, sweat pouring from her body as the wetness between her legs grew by leaps and bounds. Oh, she was so swollen, so wet, imagining his tight, hard member pounding away at her tender body.
She had to resist the urge with everything she had right then; it was not time. It was too soon. Doria didn’t fully understand what was going on and she didn’t know if this was what she really wanted.
But the more she tried to fight it, tried to put a leash on her feelings, the more they started to overwhelm her.
Somehow among the chaos of her mind, she found sleep.
Chapter Seven
Doria woke up to the smell of food wafting through the air. She was instantly starving, her stomach rumbling loudly. She concentrated slightly and she could hear the bacon sizzling, and smell the eggs cooking in the pan.
She usually woke up early, grabbed a protein bar to power her workout, and then ate a quick bowl of oatmeal at her desk at work. This was usually enough to keep her satisfied most of the morning, but she had gotten pretty good at ignoring the rumblings of her stomach lately, especially when she was staring down a deadline and she was really focused on the work in front of her.
Doria made her way downstairs to find Rob standing over the stove cooking the delicious breakfast. For some reason, she figured he would have a butler or a full-time chef to make all of his meals and keep him happy and fed. But there he was cooking up a storm like it was something he always did. She could not deny how sexy it was to see a man fixing her breakfast, especially when he was only wearing a pair of silk pajama bottoms.
Nothing had prepared her for the sight of him totally topless. His body was incredible. Every single muscle was rippling and defined, so hard. He appeared to have been chiseled out of marble with flesh stretched over it. It was like a Renaissance sculpture come to life. She felt the warmth of desire spreading over her body. She tried to ignore it and took a seat.
“Hey there,” Rob said. “I hope you are hungry this morning.”
“I am,” she replied.
Rob sat a plate in front of her and scooped three eggs, six slices of bacon, and a sliced-up avocado on her plate.
“Wow, that is a bit more than I usually eat for breakfast; it’s delicious.”
“Really? I thought I gave you a small portion. Well at least its small to my usual,” Rob said.
Doria noticed he had about eight scrambled eggs, ten slices of bacon, two avocados, and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit and peanut butter in it. Plus, a large mug of black coffee.
“Wow…” Doria remarked. “How do you stay so ripped eating all that?”
“It’s because I eat all this. High protein, and good healthy carbs. I am very active. I lift weights two hours a day and about another hour of cardio, plus I’m practicing baseball most of the year for at least three hours on non-game days and a good hour on game days if we are at home. I have to feed the beast,” Rob said with a smile. “There is more oatmeal on the stove if you want some.”
“Oh, I’m good. I’ll do well to finish all of this,” Doria replied.
She noticed that it was barely after five in the morning. She had slept like a rock; as she looked out the window she could see the sunrise coming up over the desert. It was beautiful.
“I actually wasn’t sure what time you woke up,” Rob said. “But I’m an early riser. I always have been.”
“Oh, me too. Usually my friends and I get up early and hit the gym near where we live and then I head to work right after that. It works pretty well for me. I like to start the day with exercise; it really gets me energized.”
Doria willed herself to stop talking. She must have sounded like a total spaz. But she was nervous. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but she figured it was just a variety of things happening. The realization that she and Rob were mated, the fact that there was a deranged werewolf after them, and the fact that she was sitting there with the most attractive man she’d ever met and he had just cooked her breakfast. It was all overwhelming, and she felt like a giggling schoolgirl.
She tried to breathe and just relax.
“Well, you are welcome to use my gym downstairs. It’s fully equipped. I used it already this morning. It even has a steam room, a tanning bed, a Jacuzzi, and an electric massage chair.”
“Wow, that is not excessive at all,” Doria said a bit more sarcastically than she intended it to be. But then again, she couldn’t help but feel that Rob was somehow trying to impress her with all of this, and she especially hated it when rich people tried to flaunt their belongings.
Rob smiled. “I think it is a little lacking, but then again I like to live in style.”
Doria rolled her eyes and finished her eggs. After a few bites of bacon, she was getting a bit full.
“So, how am I getting to work?” Doria asked. “My car is at home.”
“Well, I can arrange for someone to drive you or you can drive one of my cars,” Rob said.
“I can drive myself,” Doria replied. “Do you have any cars that aren’t super flashy and ritzy?”
Rob thought a moment. “You can use my old Pontiac. I’ve had it
since high school; I kept it for its sentimental attachment.”
“Ok, that would be fine,” Doria replied.
“You sure you don’t want to drive the Porsche?” Rob asked.
“That won’t be necessary,” Doria said. “I prefer to keep a low profile.”
Rob did not reply.
“Thanks for breakfast,” Doria replied as she ran upstairs to take a shower.
She realized that she was being a little bit snippy with Rob, but she was a strong, independent woman and she hated being cared for. The whole thing was really starting to get to her. She was basically being told that she was betrothed to Rob, she was not able to go to her own home because some psychotic was after her, he was trying to pamper her like she was a child, and on top of that this whole thing had been forced upon her by a wild animal attack. She was a victim who was still being victimized. If she ever found the person who had thrust this curse upon her, she would make them pay dearly.
Doria tried to put it all out of her mind by the time she got to work. She expected Rob to have somebody following her or in some other way keeping tabs on her, but as far as she could tell he was giving her space. Was he finally getting the message that she really was not ok with any of this?
The only thing she was ok with, which of course she could not tell him, was the fact that she could no longer deny that she was so attracted to him. Just being near him made her tremble. It was like some odd addiction that had just come out of nowhere and she hated it. She hated that she had no control over the way she felt around him. Every part of her body and soul yearned for him; she thought endlessly of his touch, and how it would feel to have him deep inside of her. It was almost all she could think about.
But it was so far beyond her control that she was trying to fight it. It was wrong for her to be so wrapped up in a man she hardly knew and didn’t really like that much. Or was it that she did like him, even the bad and terrible parts of him, and that was the thing that was so hard to understand. It was tying her head in knots.
Doria tried to focus on work, and on finishing that piece. Her boss was adamant about having it today. She couldn’t tell him that she had been kidnaped by werewolves last night and so she was a bit off her game today. That would not have gone over well.
There was something else going on with Rob; she could sense his presence somehow. Ever since they kissed she kept having this nagging feeling in her mind, it was like something bad was about to happen but it never did. She felt like she needed to find him, track him down, and be close to him. It didn’t make any sense to someone as independent and strong minded as she was. What in the world was going on? Maybe she really was losing her mind.
She got through the day somehow, finished the piece on Rob, and even managed to insert a sidebar for Dan as she had promised him, and then she went to Rob’s place. The drive to his home was a long one, but it was pretty peaceful. He lived in Paradise Valley, where most of the wealthy elite and the celebrities who had homes in the area lived. It was far from where she lived and of course it was beautiful. She loved to watch the area changing from one locale to another as she made the trip out there.
She was tempted to swing by her house to pick up a few things; after all she only had one set of clothes. She felt weird putting them back on this morning after she’d worn them yesterday. They didn’t smell as far as she could tell, but she hoped that no one else noticed the same outfit. Maybe they just figured she was on another laundry cycle.
She arrived back at Rob’s feeling a little tired, but then again, she’d forgotten to eat lunch. That happened to her sometimes when she was in the middle of a story. And then she craved sweet things. She hoped Rob had ice cream; she could see it being in her future.
When she arrived she didn’t see Rob anywhere. It was possible that he was still gone for the day. She was not totally aware of how much work went into preparing for World Series Playoffs, but she imagined it was a lot more prep work than most people thought.
She set the alarm system with the code that Rob had given her and then went upstairs to her room. She was hoping she might catch a quick nap before dinner.
When she entered the room, she noticed something different about it. The closet door was open. And it was no longer empty. She’d marveled before at how big the walk-in closet was and how it seemed so much bigger when it was totally empty, but now it was totally full of brand new clothes.
She walked through the closet pulling out different articles of clothing that were all her size. They were gorgeous. She could not resist trying several outfits on. They all felt amazing, adhering perfectly to her body as if they’d been tailor made. It was unreal.
Rob had arranged to have her entire closet outfitted with amazing, expensive clothes? And they were part of her own style too. Everything there was something that she would wear. How did he know? She wasn’t sure whether to be creeped out or super impressed by this. And when it came down to it, she was a little bit of both.
A knock on her bedroom door came right then. She finished putting on a sleek blouse with a great skirt that made her hips really pop and then answered the door.
Rob was standing there. He took a look at the outfit and gave her a small standing ovation right there as he entered the room walking past her without an invitation. He was walking slowly, circling her as his eyes scanned the outfit up and down.
“Well, it looks like Sheila did a great job,” he said.
“I’m sorry? Sheila?” Doria asked.
“Sheila is my personal tailor. I asked her to pick out some clothes for you since you are going to be here for a while, and of course it’s too dangerous for any of us to go back to your place right now.”
“Ah, that explains it. This is… amazing…” Doria said. “I hope you can take some of this stuff back and get the money. I don’t need this much stuff at all. Just a few outfits would have been fine, cheap ones so I could pay you back.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Rob said.
“I do worry about it. I don’t like handouts. Nothing in my life has been given to me and I don’t want to start now. I like to earn my own way in the world. Besides you’ve already saved my life, something that I can never repay.”
Rob held his fingers up to her lips. He leaned closer. She could smell his sweet breath, his succulent scent invading her nostrils. “Don’t worry about it. Sometimes people like to do for others, just because they are in a position to. I don’t expect anything in return.”
Doria sighed. She was not going to win this argument. Besides, she did need clothes.
But she hated feeling pampered and catered to. That was not the way she was raised, and it was not the type of person she was. Rob was an alpha and he seemed to have a need to give to others, but not for the reward; just so he could do it. Or maybe he really had more money than he knew what to do with.
“Late day?” Doria asked.
“Not really, I’ve been home for a few hours.”
“Oh, I thought I was alone when I got here.”
“No. I heard you come in. I was down in the gym.”
“Again?”
Rob smiled. “You think this body built itself?”
Doria laughed. “I guess not.”
“I have to stay in the best possible shape now.”
“Weird question, but since you are a wolf why bother? Any time you need to perform you can just tap into it, right?”
“I can, but that is a slippery slope. I can easily lose control and transform in front of everybody, and I can also become addicted and reliant on the wolf to do things for me. I didn’t ask to be this way, but I don’t think of it as a curse anymore. It is a valuable tool—a great power. But you have to use great power correctly, or the power ends up using you.”
“I understand that,” Doria said.
“Get dressed. I’m taking you out to dinner. Wear something fancy…” Rob said as he walked out of the room.
Doria watched him walk down the hall to his
own room. A moment later she heard his shower running.
Fancy? She was hoping for an easy-going evening at home with a glass of wine, maybe a steak or something. But she was intrigued, especially by the idea of getting dressed up in one of those amazing gowns and being taken to some amazing restaurant, feeling almost like a princess. She felt a bit silly about it, but then again what woman did not want to feel this way?
As she showered and then began to prepare for the date, she began to wonder if maybe Rob was doing this just to court her because he truly believed they were destined to be together. She had not really resigned her mind to think that it was definitely supposed to happen with the two of them, but her body had other ideas. The more time she spent around Rob the closer she felt to him, the more she desired him, the more she craved his touch, his presence, and even the deep, bassy sound of his voice. She just wanted his strong arms to wrap around her.
She kept replaying the scene over and over in her mind when he was fighting Kade. He changed most of the way into a wolf. And then he changed back… it was so different to watch someone else do that. She’d only ever seen herself and she hated to watch it. She despised seeing her flesh being covered by fur, her bones and muscles reshaping, shifting, and the result being some dreaded animal standing in the mirror where her normal self was just a minute before.
But it was different when she saw Rob do it. There was something primal, unbridled, animalistic about it that turned her on like a furnace, her whole body getting warm to the very thought of it. And the way he fought as the wolf; he was so fast, so strong. It was as if he had been able to tap into a primitive urge of rage and power that no normal man could even dream of. She was in love with the beast. She knew it. She could not lie to herself; she was not sure exactly how she felt about the man yet, but the beast inside of him was beautiful.
She finished doing her hair and makeup and then put on the most exquisite red dress she had ever laid against her skin. It fit her perfectly, shaping every single curve that most clothes off the rack struggled to accommodate properly. The world was not designed to embrace a bigger woman like her, but Rob was.
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