Crossing Paths: A Brooklyn Shifters Romance Book 1

by Daphne Snow

  “I was sure I saw Benson on this.” Whilst he looked, Frannie quickly fixed her bun and attempted to look like she had herself together in the slightest. She also tried internally yelling at Fey for acting like she'd never seen a man before. Yet Frannie had to admit she had never seen a man...like this before.

  “It should say Bianchi on it. I hadn't thought so many other people would have a red bag. I should have done something to make it stick out...more.” She prattled on rambling as she stared at him. Unable to tear her gaze from him she watched as his hair fell forward a bit as he looked at the tag. The man Benson as she now knew him investigated the tag and a faint smile played on his lips.

  “I apologize. I should have looked closer. Looks like this belongs to you Mrs.Bianchi.” Making her blush he turned the handle of the rolling luggage her way.

  Not that it would have mattered but she needed to let him know she was free of any legal male attachment. It felt important for some strange reason. “It’s actually just Miss. And it's okay, happens all the time.”

  He stared at her sternly. The ghost of a smile she saw was now gone.

  “Maybe you should get a different bag then.” Was that a joke or was he serious? She couldn't tell. The longer he looked at her the more confused he seemed. His proud nose twitched a bit as if scenting something.

  Did she have something in her teeth? Did he just think she was funny looking? Did she smell? It had been hard to read but it was as if he was trying to figure out a problem or calculate her.

  He looked her up and down and her cheeks grew with heat. Her nipples peaked from his sheer gaze. His pine scent still swirling around her shrouded her in its deliciousness. She thought she saw a glimmer of his bear's eyes a tantalizing emerald green. But they were gone so quickly it was hard to say it was real. Frannie, not sure how to respond, smiled awkwardly.

  She should walk away and go on about her night but she felt she couldn’t leave his side not yet. He is ours! Fey who had been usually angry with any male attention was happy with his. It was a strange addictive feeling.

  “Looks like I'll have to go back in.” He gestured to the large and very vocal crowd behind them never taking his eyes from hers. But instead of taking this moment to be seductive and offering him her number, she blabbed.

  “I hate crowds, there's no reason for all the pushing. It’s worse than a zombie horde. ” Even though she knew she sounded like a fool, she eyed him. Wondering what a ride on a large rollercoaster like him would be like. Knowing Fey was aiding in her amorous thoughts she chided the bear again asking her to stop or they both would be in trouble.

  Her thighs clenched together trying to stomp out the need between her legs but it really just made her it worse. Aiding and abiding was the worst crime her thighs could commit right now.

  He is ours, he is our mate. Let him claim us. Fey muttered, egging her on again. And for a moment Frannie thought or more so she hoped this hulking handsome stranger could be hers. Her true fated mate. But even if he was he certainly wasn't acting like she was his. So she shook Feys thoughts away.

  “What's your name?” His tone was gruff and a bit husky making her shiver with utter delight. If Frannie was expecting anything it wasn’t that. It took her a moment to find her voice. She could feel Fey laughing at her. Not once had he even cracked a smile as he looked at her, at least not a real one.

  “Ah..ah...Francesca Bianchi but everyone calls me Frannie.” She reached out to shake his gloved hand and he promptly received it though turning her hand to kiss the back of it. A jolt of heat ran through her at the small touch and for a moment he stilled as if he felt it too. Before she could say anything he let go.

  “It was wonderful meeting you, Miss Bianchi.” Frannie knew her face was hot and red and she had no way of hiding it. She felt her sex clench again beneath his gaze. She just couldn't help it. The way he looked at her did things to her. Things she wasn't sure she hated or loved.

  His gaze had barely left her as he took his leave to fight back into the crowd. She couldn't help but watch him until he fully disappeared among the bobbing heads. Which took quite a moment considering he was so tall. She had felt an odd sense of loss at his departure.

  He was easy on the eyes, but more than that, he was captivating. All his quietness and mystery that surrounded him. She still wondered if maybe her nose had got it wrong; he could just be a really really attractive human. Fey shook telling Frannie that she was wrong. No, he’s a bear. Very attractive. We need him. The goddess picked well.

  “Alright that’s enough outta you.” She said quietly and sternly. Frannie decided to shake the whole thought. It wasn't like she was going to see him again anyway. And she thought Fey could use a pretty cold shower after all that so she grabbed her bag wheeling it towards the exit. His scent still lingered there in the air and attached to her suitcase. She wanted to bask in it a moment longer but what good would that do. It’d only serve to torture her.

  Fey tried to reach for the surface before the silver automatic doors opened, blasting her with cold air. She sneered, retreating within Frannies mind. I hate you. Frannie hoped that would quell her amorous nature for a while. She could hate her all she wanted. They were stuck together till the end.

  The wind was wild as it whipped through her bun and slapped across her cheeks. Snowflakes gathered on her jacket and luggage quickly. She cursed at the chill wishing she had brought gloves or a hat.

  People were starting to come out behind her one at a time loading themselves into taxis and waiting cars. Others crossed the long crosswalk into the covered garage in front of the building.

  Not needing to worry about her bear for the moment Frannie found a spot away from other waiting patrons. It was dark and she felt better when people weren't looking at her.

  She grabbed her phone from her pocket and noticed her fingers were quickly becoming an unnatural color. She wiped her hands across her coat trying to get rid of the wetness so she could type on the touch screen.

  She dialed her mother’s phone and waited for her to pick it up. It took a few tries but eventually, Frannie heard the familiar slurred speech of her mother.

  "Hel ugh hello." The woman almost belched into the phone. The sounds of a tv game show were playing in the background.

  "Hi ma it's me. Is Ray on his way to get me?" She was starting to feel a bit panicked asking. She hadn't smelled him or his car nearby and the fact her mother was already in a stupor didn’t help.

  "Oh, Fr-Frannie...You're in New York?" Frannie pushed her fingers into her eyes to stop from crying. Not again. She breathed out slowly trying to form words around the lump growing in her throat.

  "Yea ma you asked me to come this year. For the week. We were supposed to spend time together, remember? I'm at the airport." She heard a bit of what sounded like stumbling around and the pull of a chair across the floorboards.

  "Yea..yea I remember. How are you getting ugh here fr-from there." Frannie was starting to grow angry. Hot tears building in the corners of her eyes. Her first curled tightly around the handle of her luggage.

  "You said Ray was coming to get me." She bit out, the cold no longer bothering her as Fey fought her for control. "Mom, please tell me you reminded Ray to pick me up.” She remembered how she texted her mom about her new arrival time after her last layover in Chicago. She promised Ray would be there. She promised she wouldn't do this again.

  "He's sleep-sleeping Frannie he can't. Yo-you know how he is. He works a lot nowadays." Her mother attempted a laugh and Frannie wanted to scream, to cry, to throw her phone across the street and go home to California. Let me out.

  Fey was feeding off of her frustration and Frannie felt her jaw become tight and fingers ache as the bear fought her to come out. She did the only logical thing she could think of and just hung up. Her mother was in no condition to pick her up and Ray was probably passed out. She shoved her phone in her pocket and breathed.

  Frannie focused on control, on calming down even as her tears r
olled down her face. It had felt like hours had passed before she loosened her fist and her jaw returned to normal. Her eyes were stinging, she was exhausted and crying wasn’t helping. Fey finally subsided within her again relaxing a bit trusting her human to take care of it.

  Frannie looked at the time on her phone and it was well past one in the morning nearing two. She had to think. The buses probably weren't running and the subway seemed a little too dangerous to ride all the way to Bensonhurst. She figured she could run in form. How unusual was it to see a bear in New York City? She bit her lip. Pretty unusual.

  And even then by the time she got there would they be too strung out to even open the door for her? She was too upset to even see them at this point. It wasn't a good idea to go there. It was the worst idea possible really. But what other options did she have?

  She should have never believed them. It wasn't the first time and as the cold sunk back into her skin she doubted it would be the last. She knew better she should have had a backup plan, to begin with. Frannie found a vacant bench under the awning of the exit and plopped down defeated from the day.

  A cabbie drove by rolling down his window waving her over Frannie waved back a dismissive hand. The cabbie drove off in a huff looking for their next passenger. Frannie knew better than to grab a New York taxi. She wasn't rich. Even if she was she wouldn't know where to go.

  She was shivering, her hands getting worse. She had wished she had brought some damned gloves. She was the most unprepared new yorker New York had ever seen. Who doesn’t bring gloves with them?

  She was going to freeze to death out here. But hey that wouldn't be so bad. She wouldn’t have to pay rent anymore. Just as she was trying to look at the upside of her demise, a looming shadow approached her. The strong scent of a foggy forest filled her nose and made her shiver not with cold but with pleasure.

  “Miss Bianchi?” She looked up to meet the most gorgeous green eyes of a stranger and smiled.

  Chapter 2

  Alexander Benson had watched in the shadows and waited. He sent a text to his driver Carl, telling him he would be there in a minute but he hadn't suspected one minute would turn to twenty and then to thirty as he just stood there. Incapable of removing his gaze from her as she became more fascinating by the second.

  He saw how she almost changed form near the gate and how she was smart to keep her distance from curious patrons. And Benson saw how now she sat there defeated, shivering in the cold.

  Alexander could sense her bear was emotional. She wasn't exactly concealing it. She's cold. We must warm her. It's our duty as her mate to protect her. His bear declared it as if it were fact. He was still tired and energy spent, so his proclamations however strong they were, were dulled by his lack of strength. So Alexander quickly dismissed them.

  This random woman, radiant she might have been, was no friend to them. She was not their mate, she couldn’t be. They couldn’t go swearing allegiance to every sexy pair of legs that walked by.

  Her cheeks were tear-stained and bright red from the cold. Even though he had no reason to be angry, this sight of her in such a state seemed to be royally pissing him off. These were confusing and strong emotions he simply wasn’t used to.

  Whoever she spoke to over the phone caused her great pain. A boyfriend maybe? He hoped not but why was he even curious to begin with. She was just another shifter; it wasn't any of his business.

  However, he felt like he was pretty close to making it his goddamn business. He rubbed a gloved hand down his face in frustration. He remained anchored to watching her no matter how often he told himself that it was not his problem.

  More than once he thought to stop watching to just waltz right over to his waiting car and drive off. He would never have to think about her again. Besides, their encounter had ended when he almost stole her bag.

  That had been a mistake in it’s own right.

  His private jet had flown him in and instead of just giving him his luggage they had tossed it onto the carousel with another airplane's bags. An accident of course but one he was struggling to say, wasn't a blessing in disguise.

  Something was stopping him from walking away though. Besides his bear being adamant to stay near her. He had summed it up to the fact she was of his community and he was just looking out for another bear shifter. Not that he had ever really cared about looking out for others. He was selfish; he knew that. Yet as of this moment it was the only excuse he had.

  It wasn't that she was absolutely gorgeous or the fact he wanted to sink his fingers into her soft skin and ravish her. And definitely, it had nothing to do with how intrigued he was with her. How he liked the way her mind ran off course and her babbling made him wonder what else she could do with that pretty mouth of hers. No, it had nothing to do with that at all. Benson was just being a gentleman wanting to make sure she was safe.

  In the cold, she had looked frail like her bear had no idea how to warm her. It was common for bear shifters to be warmer than other shifters and people. Normally if they felt cold their bears would reach for the surface warming their human for survival.

  Even now as he argued with his own animal counterpart Axl, Benson was still warm and comfortable in the blistering cold. Frannies' fingers however looked like they were turning an unsightly blue black. They were getting worse by the minute. Either her bear was incompotent or unable to help.

  Why hadn't she brought warmer clothes, she was going to freeze to death out here. Why was he even worried at all? She's cold, we have many ways to warm her. His bear urged him with sexual intent. The normally constantly angry bear was being surprisingly docile with the idea of being near an unknown woman.

  “Fuck” He muttered his breath hot in tense confusion and sudden need for her to wrapped around his body. His cock already having been at attention with her first appearance in front of him had barely died down in the time after.

  Once he realized he couldn't just walk away from her he did what he should have done half an hour ago. He came from behind the pillar and walked her way. The orange overhead glows shining upon her like a spotlight. She was center stage the only thing his eyes could focus on. The sweet scent of morning dew filled his nose as he approached her. A beautiful heady scent he could find himself loving.

  “Miss Bianchi?” His words had came out strained and clipped.

  “Do you need a ride?” He had hoped she would say no. He tried to appear unfriendly or at least uninterested. So he could simply walk away. There would be no reason for him to stay. Then Alexander could forget these confusing urges guiding him. She smiled up at him, tears resting in the corners of her eyes.

  His breath hitched in his chest and he forgot how to breathe for a moment. Damn it all to hell she was so beautiful. An odd strange sensation he wasn’t used to in the slightest washed over him as he looked at her.

  Francesca's smile was astounding. Though he knew she could smile wider and seem more happy, what he got was enough to make his heart thump loudly. Her dark auburn hair had red hues in it. Her eyes which he originally thought were a darker brown were lighter like milk chocolate with amber flecks shining brightly.

  Sure he had seen her before but he wasn't really looking at her face before. Her curvy body had captivated too much of his attention then. His skin was a warm light brown honey color. It made him wonder just what her heritage consisted of and how soft she would be under his fingertips. His beast rolled in submission but Benson refused to let the bear reach for the surface. His own feral need was making it hard for him to contain himself; he didn’t need a wayward bear straining him further.

  Thankfully it was still worn out enough to not defy him. His bear fought him constantly. Wanting to take over and hurt those who would challenge him. Business wouldn’t go so smoothly though if Alexander allowed Axl to kill every threat they encountered.

  So once a month he had to take a trip to the west coast to run his bear for hours and hours on end. Making him docile for a short time.The cycle was endless, tirin
g and Alexander wondered how many more trips he could make before the beast completely consumed him.

  He hadn't always been this way.

  “Oh hey. No, I'll be okay. I-Im just admiring the snow. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any.” Even with her admission that she didn't need him, he just couldn't do it. He knew she didn’t have anyone coming to get her. She’d not be crying if that were the case, right? But he couldn't just stand there and admit he had been watching her like a creep. We protect, not creep. We protect what's ours. The fierceness from Axl made him flinch ever so slightly.

  But what did he care if one woman thought him creepy? Normally he didn't because women never thought he was strange, a cold bastard maybe but not strange. Then again normally he didn't watch women like some creepy peeping tom or at all for that matter.

  They would drape themselves over him as they pleased but he was uninterested, to say the least.