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.<
br />
“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.
She knew that he found her very attractive, he had since the moment he laid eyes on her. At first, she thought he might just be attracted to her power, her confidence, and the way that she carried herself in the world. Ever since she was young she had been blessed with bulletproof self-confidence. She loved what she saw when she looked into the mirror and even though at times she had convinced herself she was wrong (mostly because other skinny women had worked so hard to convince her she was) she knew deep down that she was right; she was a knockout. She had been blessed with a large, soft chest, curvy hips, and a large backside.
She turned to the side and looked at her butt in the mirror; the dress fit against it nice and snug, but still perfectly comfortable. She wondered if Rob had it designed that way on purpose so that he could see her large derriere. She smiled at the thought.
As she’d delved into his past and looked at the women he had been tied to, she noticed the pattern that most of the women were curvy, BBW’s like herself. The tabloids had a field day with this sort of thing and had called Rob out on it several times. He always smiled and winked without replying. The man liked real women apparently. And Doria was about to show him a real woman…
The restaurant he took her to was breathtaking. It was a five-star restaurant called Galla’s located just outside of Scottsdale’s wealthier district. She figured that Rob would have hired a limo to drive them, but he drove her himself which was actually sexier. She loved the way he maneuvered the car in and out of the traffic and the command he had over the machine beneath him.
And it was a machine. He had pulled a car out of his massive garage that she had never seen before. It was the newest version of the Ferrari. The car looked almost otherworldly as if it was going to turn into a spaceship and take them to some far away galaxy or something. It moved almost as if you were floating on air; it was unbelievable the way that it handled.
Doria felt a bit out of place in a restaurant this nice. It was located on the top floor of a big building. She didn’t even know it was here and she imagined that most people did not. As she looked around she was flabbergasted to see several celebrities in her midst. She could not believe her eyes, but Ryan Gosling was eating dinner just on the other side of the restaurant, she saw a new rapper called Realyez hanging with some friends at the bar, an NBA superstar at another table and several executives that she was sure worked in the entertainment business also. They were all just there hanging out and eating like normal people.
She had never been in a room with so many stars before, and even though she had never considered herself to be a star struck type of person, she could not help but feel a bit flushed and nervous. But she did her best to hide it well; after all, she could not have Rob thinking that she was gushing like some schoolgirl over celebrity crushes. Besides she doubted any of them were werewolves like Rob; she had to think that made him a cut above the rest.
When the waiter came, Rob ordered for the both of them. He ordered a variation of Fettuccine that she had never heard of and probably could not have pronounced if she tried. It sounded French, though she did not think this was an exclusively French restaurant.
The waiter took their orders and returned a few minutes later with a big bottle of wine. He uncorked the wine and then poured them both generous glasses of the merlot. Then he brought out a plate with very small, but hard looking bread she was unfamiliar with. Last the waiter opened a few of the seasoning dishes he’d brought with him. He took a few scoops from each of the three containers of powdery looking substances and mixed them together in a small bowl. Then he finally poured in a very carefully eyeballed dose of extra virgin olive oil, finishing it off with several gently laid leaves of parsley.
When he was done, it looked so beautiful on the small plate he laid it on that she didn’t even want to disturb it enough to eat it. Rob smiled at her; he must have sensed her amusement, but he did not say anything. He grabbed a piece of the bread and using the knife he spread a thin layer of the concoction over it. Then he laid it on her plate in front of her.
“Take a bite of this, chew it slowly savoring the flavor. And the second it is gone take a small sip of the wine. Prepare to have your mind blown.”
Doria laughed. “Ok.”
She did as he instructed. The bread was the most delicious thing she had ever put between her lips. The sauce was like a floodgate of flavors opening up and swirling around inside of her mouth. It was amazing. She remembered the wine as she swallowed and took a sip.
Doria grabbed onto the side of the table as the amazing flavors intensified and now mixed in with the wine. It left her whole body feeling almost orgasmic. It was the most intense thing she’d ever eaten. How was such simple food able to have so much effect on her?
“Wow…” she sa
id as she swallowed. “Just… wow…”
Rob laughed. “It isn’t that good for everybody; there is something about those spices and herbs mixed together that activates a primal part of our wolf brains. It tends to have a certain…effect on us.”
“That’s insane… how did you discover this?”
“I didn’t; it was taught to me. One of the perks of growing up as a pure blood.”
“I see. Question…when a hybrid is created do they ever age beyond that point?”
“You will age unless you are mated. That is the only thing that will stop aging and guarantee immortality for any wolf.”
“How many hybrids are mated?”
“Not many; it is highly unusual for a hybrid to be chosen as a mate for a pure blood. It has only happened a few times in history. So, you are very special.”
“Wow, that is really messing with my head.”
“That’s only because your mind is still fighting what your heart knows to be true. It’s ok; I don’t ever want to pressure you to accept your destiny. It is something that will eventually happen naturally.”
“I appreciate that,” Doria said. She wasn’t sure why she said anything. The deeper she got into this the more she resented it, but she also knew he was right. Her natural instincts, her feelings—they were all leaning to the acceptance of it all. It was almost like her body was breathing a huge sigh of relief.
It was frightening. She wanted to run from it as far as she could, shout in the face of the powers that be and tell them all that she would decide who she was. But the more she thought of doing this the more she just wanted to curl up in Rob’s arms and let him take away all of her pain.
The food arrived and Doria ate it slowly, savoring the flavors and subtle nuances of tastes that this exotic meal was providing for her. It was so simple, yet it was so much better than anything she had ever tasted. She had never really questioned the quality of food before. It was food, after all. How could it be improved upon so dramatically.
Alpha's Love (Rocky Mountain Shifters Book 3) Page 13
