Piper laid her head against his chest, letting him lead her, his body moving against hers in a slow, sensual slide.
Ethan’s scent surrounded her, intoxicating her, and chipping away at her inhibitions.
He pulled her closer, if that were possible, swaying to the melodic tune of one of the most romantic songs ever written.
The room faded around her, leaving nothing but the two of them, body to body, moving as one.
Piper relaxed in his arms, closing off her mind to the possible repercussions of her actions.
Chapter Nine
Ethan’s wolf clawed at the surface, howling inside him, demanding to be freed. He wanted Piper Hollister with a hunger that floored him.
Her soft, subtle body pressing tightly against him was driving him insane with need.
The strange odor he’d picked up on in the parking lot suddenly filtered through the room and slid up Ethan’s nose. The scent was definitely not human, nor did it belong to anyone in Ethan’s pack.
He had no doubt that he’d been followed from the restaurant.
Ethan pulled Piper’s body tighter against him, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive.
He’d been seen kissing her, which could have inadvertently put her in danger.
There was only one thing Ethan could do to ensure Piper’s safety. Take out the threat.
The song came to an end, and Ethan stepped back, blanking his face of emotion. “Will you excuse me for a moment? I have an important call I need to make before it grows too late.”
“Of course,” she murmured, a small smile on her sexy lips. She returned to the table and picked up her glass of wine.
Ethan’s senses were on high alert. He turned slowly, his gaze touching on every person in the room, but found it empty of the supernatural.
The glass entrance door eased shut, signaling the exit of someone Ethan hadn’t seen.
He strode across the room, careful to keep his gait relaxed and nonthreatening, and then left through the same door.
The overpowering scent of wolf became stronger as Ethan stepped outside and sauntered toward the side of the building, removing his clothes as he went. Luckily there were no patrons milling about.
He unlocked his car, opened the door, and deposited his jacket, shoes, and pants onto the passenger seat, all the while keeping his gaze glued to the darkened woods behind the establishment.
The sheer willpower it took to keep from shifting in the open wrenched a deep growl from Ethan’s throat.
A barely audible sound echoed from the trees, and another scent burned through Ethan’s nostrils. The unknown shifter wasn’t alone.
Ethan ran toward the darkness, his wolf emerging before he cleared the tree line. He felt ripped apart, invigorated, and furious all at once.
The sounds coming from in front of him told Ethan the wolves had scattered in different directions: one to the east and one to the west. Ethan ran east.
A howl burst from Ethan’s chest, signaling to any of his members in the area about the westbound enemy in their midst.
Answering howls ricocheted through the night, letting Ethan know his call had been heard.
Ethan concentered on the wolf in front of him, pounding through the trees like the devil himself were following. And in a sense, he was.
It didn’t take Ethan long to catch up to the fleeing wolf, as no other could match Ethan in speed or strength.
With a mighty heave, Ethan sprang through the air, slamming into the wolf with the force of a truck.
They rolled for several yards before Ethan found his footing and drove into the stranger once more.
Snarls rent the air as the two of them came together in a mass of teeth and claws.
Ethan couldn’t recall the last time he’d fought with such rage fueling him. Then again, he’d never felt threatened in the way he had tonight.
If it had been only him, he would have left the bar, taunting them to follow. But Piper had been with him, and he couldn’t risk her being harmed by one of them, or at the very least landing on Foster’s radar.
Crushing the shifter’s throat with his powerful jaws, Ethan reared back and opened his senses.
The sounds of running had faded along with the distant howls echoing through the night.
Ethan stared down at the dead wolf lying before him. He would have to send Billy in to remove the animal before it began to rot and drew unwanted attention.
The last thing Ethan needed was to have a dead wolf discovered that close to the city. He could imagine the backlash that would cause.
Turning back toward the Blue Sapphire, Ethan thought about Piper and the danger she was in by being seen with him.
He either needed to leave her alone, or take out the entire Foster clan. And he damn sure didn’t want to leave her.
Ethan waited in the shadows for two giggling females to round the building and get into a car.
Waiting another few minutes for them to back out of the parking lot, Ethan shifted and strode back to his own vehicle to grab his clothes.
He dressed in record time, slipped on his shoes, and hurried back inside, only to find his table empty and Piper’s scent barely detectable.
Ethan returned to the parking lot, his gaze touching on the empty parking space where Piper’s car had sat not thirty minutes before. “Damn.”
Jerking his cell phone from his pants pocket, Ethan dialed Billy’s number.
“Yeah, boss.”
“There’s a dead shifter in the woods behind the Blue Sapphire, just east of Piney Point. I need you to get rid of him.”
A brief pause ensued. “One of Foster’s?”
“He reeked of the Kenwood pack,” Ethan murmured, climbing back in his car. “I’m sure Foster sent him. There was more than one, but I doubt the other fared any better than the one I ran down.”
Billy made a satisfied sound in his throat. “Your pack?”
“Yeah. I was fortunate that a few were nearby, else one of the intruders might have escaped.”
“Where are you now, boss?”
Ethan climbed behind the wheel of his car. “I’m heading out to Piper’s to make sure she made it home all right, and then I’ll be at the penthouse. Call me if you run into trouble.”
“Will do,” Billy assured him, disconnecting the call.
Pulling out of the parking lot, Ethan drove toward the address he had for Piper.
Ten minutes later, he arrived in front of a charming two-story house surrounded by live oaks and a white picket fence. Her car sat in the drive.
He pulled up along the curb, watching for signs of movement through the dimly lit windows.
A light came on in what Ethan assumed was an upstairs bedroom.
Piper’s silhouette drifted past the window several times before the room was plunged into darkness.
Rolling down his window, Ethan deeply inhaled, expanding his senses to the surrounding streets. But no signs of shifters could be detected nearby.
Since moving to Florida and learning of the feud between the Kenwood and the Sorrento packs, Ethan had never dated a woman for more than one night. Not that he’d been interested enough in any of them to take things further, but a few had been pleasant to be around.
For Ethan to show interest in another put them on the Foster’s radar, which was something he’d never been willing to do.
But Piper…ah, Piper was another story.
Chapter Ten
Piper undressed with jerky movements, tossing her clothes over the back of a nearby chair.
Ethan had left her at the Blue Sapphire.
She brushed her teeth and meandered back downstairs for a bottled water.
Angry and more than a little hurt by his actions, Piper grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and trailed off through the living room to the front door.
She stepped out onto the porch and took a seat in one of the white wicker chairs her mother had gotten her.
It wasn’t as if Ethan Seaborn had pro
mised her anything, nor had she expected more from him than dinner and a few drinks. But to leave her at the bar as if she were a common hood rat was unacceptable to her.
She wondered if the call he’d made had been to a girlfriend he’d neglected to tell her about.
The more Piper thought about his actions, the angrier she became.
A car door opened across the street, pulling Piper out of her angry contemplation.
She looked up, squinting against the porch light to see a man crossing the street and heading her way.
Piper stood and turned to go inside.
“Piper, wait!”
She would know that deep voice anywhere.
With her hand still on the doorknob, Piper stiffened, listening to Ethan’s approach. She spoke with her back to him. “What do you want?”
“To apologize,” he rasped, stopping directly behind her.
Swallowing the need to turn into his arms, Piper straightened her shoulders. “There’s nothing to apologize for, Mr. Seaborn. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s rather late.”
“Piper…”
Without answering, Piper opened the door, stepped inside, and locked it behind her.
She didn’t stop until she reached her bedroom. The sound of an engine roaring to life told her he’d taken the hint and left.
No matter how gorgeous the man was, there was no way in hell Piper would allow herself to be treated so callously. She deserved better. Much better.
Climbing into bed, Piper turned on her side, reliving the night’s events in torturous detail.
The feel of Ethan’s lips on hers. The taste of his tongue. The deep growl in his throat when she’d kissed him back. His scent. The sexy roll of his hips on the dance floor.
“Ugh,” she muttered into the darkness, pulling a pillow over her head. If she didn’t push him from her mind and soon, she’d find herself running down the street after him.
* * * *
The next morning, Piper showered and ate a light breakfast before trailing into her downstairs office.
She booted up her computer, sipping on a lukewarm cup of coffee.
After taking a couple of pain relievers for her head, she went to work on the latest design she’d been toying with for the past two months.
The doorbell rang, setting her teeth on edge. She really didn’t feel up to dealing with anyone today.
Piper blew out a breath and left her office to answer the door.
“Piper Hollister?” a male voice inquired from behind a bouquet of blood-red roses.
“Yes, I’m Piper.”
The man handed her the roses and then held up a finger. “One second, ma’am. There’s more.”
Dumbfounded, Piper accepted the roses, setting them on the end table next to the couch.
He quickly returned holding a dozen more roses in each hand. He thrust them at her. “Have a nice day, ma’am.”
Piper sent him a weak smile while juggling the beautiful glass vases. “Thank you.”
Shutting the door, she placed the flowers on the coffee table and plucked a card from one of them.
Please accept my apology. Sincerely, Ethan.
Taking an uneven breath, she laid the card down and moved to the next one. Allow me to make it up to you? Ethan.
Finding his persistence a little endearing, she pulled the last card free and read it aloud. “Have dinner with me, tonight. I’ll have my driver pick you up at six.”
Lifting an eyebrow, she tossed the card onto the table next to the other one. “A little presumptuous, are we?”
Though she wanted to stay angry at him, Piper decided perhaps she would give him a second chance. She could at least hear him out. Maybe he had a good reason for running out on her the way he had. At least he’d better have one.
Piper’s day went by in a blur of patterns and curse words. She couldn’t seem to concentrate on work with Ethan Seaborn occupying her every thought.
Pushing away from the insufferable design, Piper left her office only to find herself standing in front of her closet, attempting to decide what to wear for dinner with Ethan.
She blew out a defeated breath, grabbed a pale green silk top and a short brown tweed skirt, and laid them carefully across the foot of her bed.
After her shower, she blew her hair dry, applied a small amount of makeup, and donned her favorite jewelry.
By the time she’d dressed and stepped into her shoes, it was nearly six o’clock.
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Piper grabbed her small gold tote, switched off the light, and breezed down the stairs to answer the door.
“Are we ready?” a short, older man with intelligent eyes inquired.
With a nod, Piper locked the door, pulled it shut behind her, and strode toward the black limo waiting next to the curb.
The driver followed, rushing ahead to open her car door.
Piper thanked him and sat back in her seat.
Her stomach was in knots. From anticipation or fear, she wasn’t sure.
She did want to see him again. Really, what woman wouldn’t? But the thought of his blatant disregard for her feelings the night before still stuck in her craw.
If she were smart, she’d demand the driver take her home. Something about Ethan Seaborn threatened more than just her pride. He threatened her heart.
Piper had never been in love before. She’d had plenty of dates, and even a couple of relationships, but nothing she’d considered for long term.
But something about Ethan tied her stomach in knots, affected her common sense. She found it hard to breathe when in his presence. Piper had never experienced lust on such a level before.
The driver didn’t speak on the short ride to Ethan’s place, and Piper wasn’t sure if she should either. God forbid she blurt out something insane like, How many other women have you picked up for His Majesty in the past?
“We are here,” the driver informed her, stopping the limo in front of a high rise on Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.
He jumped out, rushed around the car to the back passenger side door, and helped her out. “Right this way, ma’am.”
Piper followed close behind the short driver and entered the building with as much grace as her jittery stomach would allow. It had to be the most incredible structure Piper had ever been in.
Stepping into the elevator, she watched as the driver slid a keycard into the slot beneath the keypad, and pressed the number thirty-five. He then stepped back and clasped his hands behind his back.
“Mr. Seaborn lives in the penthouse,” Piper murmured more to herself than the driver.
“Yes, ma’am, he does.”
The elevator took off smoothly before coming to a subtle stop and sliding open with a ding.
“Right this way, ma’am.”
Piper stepped off the elevator into a bright white foyer. The massive room in front of her was lined with windows showing off the view of the lake.
Lights flickered to life in the distance, signaling the impending darkness.
A cream-colored sofa sat in the center of the room, flanked by a loveseat boasting the same pale color.
Across the room to the left sat a grand piano situated next to a large fireplace.
“Piper.”
Ethan’s deep, masculine voice penetrated her starstruck mind. She’d been so busy admiring the view, she hadn’t heard him approach.
He took hold of both her hands and brought them to his lips.
With a gentle squeeze, he brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I’m so happy you came.”
Flustered, Piper pulled her hands free. “Yes, well. I wasn’t sure if I would come or not. But I thought I’d at least give you the chance to explain yourself.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “That’s one of the things I like most about you. Your straightforwardness.”
He took hold of her elbow. “I hope you’re hungry.”
His incredible scent reached Piper, weakening her defenses. “You’re
in luck. I skipped lunch.”
Another smile touched his lips. “A woman after my own heart. I love to eat.”
Piper found herself returning his smile. “As do I.”
“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” Ethan murmured, sliding his hand down her forearm to take hold of her palm. “Would you like a drink?”
Piper nodded. “A white wine would be great. But what I’d really like is a tour.”
Signaling to a small dark-haired woman, who suddenly appeared in the room, Ethan asked for two glasses of white wine, and then turned down a wide, intricate hallway.
A narrow table sat at the end, holding a beautiful stature of partially nude woman.
Hung along the walls were various art pieces that probably cost more than Piper’s entire house.
But it was the half-boy, half-wolf painting that drew her eye the most. “Wow. Who painted this?”
Something flickered in Ethan’s whiskey-colored eyes. “My mother.”
Stopping before the incredible painting, Piper studied the details, the artistic strokes, the eerie light burning in the wolf’s eyes to match the same light shining from the child’s.
“She was incredibly talented,” Piper breathed in awe. “A boy with the soul of a wolf. It’s beautiful.”
Chapter Eleven
Ethan’s heart turned over at Piper’s words. She’d seen exactly what his mother had depicted in the painting.
If Piper only knew that it was Ethan and his wolf in that painting, she’d probably run screaming from the building and never look back.
Giving her hand a slight tug, Ethan nodded to a room off to his right. “This is my study.”
Piper entered the room and ran her fingertips along the hundreds of books that lined the wall. “Wow. This is amazing. I could fit three of my offices in this space.”
The tour went on for the next fifteen minutes with Ethan glued to Piper’s every expression.
“What’s up there?” Piper nodded toward the staircase.
Instead of answering, Ethan guided her toward the stairs, holding tightly to her hand as she stepped onto the bottom step.
The Billionaire's Baby: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance Page 4
