ROMANCE: LION - In His Claws (New Adult, Paranormal, Shapeshifter, Alpha Male, Short Story)

by Celia Styles

  Copyright@2015 by Celia Styles

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

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  In His Claws

  By Celia Styles

  Jeremy Stevens loved his family, but he loved his time away too. So much drama had gone down in the last few months that he was happy to get away. Jeremy was the sheriff of the small town next to his community. He kept an apartment in town, however, because he needed to be close in case anything went down. He had the apartment put in over the jail so that he could keep an eye on the town and the prisoners that were kept there. Most of the time the only people who could be found in the cell were regulars who had too much to drink. They partied hard at night and sometimes took it a little too far. They were normally thrown in until they sobered up the next day, and then they were released.

  He got the call from an old friend from the academy two days prior. He had a job that needed to be done and they needed a new face that people didn’t recognize. He would be working hand in hand with another detective from out of town. The job was at a strip club in town that was suspected of buying nuclear weapons. She was going to be a headliner stripper and Jeremy would be her bodyguard/boyfriend. They needed to find out who the seller was and confiscate the weapons. He had been the first person Darrell had thought of. He said he needed someone he could trust.

  Jeremy and Darrell had been the outcasts in the academy, always being the ones that the sergeants had picked on the most. Jeremy had decided to settle down back home wanting the comfort of the mountains. Darrell, on the other hand, had chosen to travel to California and worked as a detective until he was finally promoted to captain. This is where Jeremy was headed. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to turn while he was there except when he could go to the Sequoia National Park. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far from where he would be. Darrell had found out his secret of being a shape shifter.

  Darrel had come home to the apartment they shared to find his clothes by the back door. He had gone in search of him thinking that something was seriously wrong. He had come around the tree just when Jeremy had been turning back into a human. Darrell had told him that he was the best friend he could have and has kept his secret since then. Jeremy had been happy that his brother Leon had taken over as alpha. Jeremy liked his personal space and time away from the pack. He loved his family but sometimes he just had to get away. Leon was different and liked to be in the middle of everything which is part of the reason that he made such a good alpha for the pack of lions.

  When the plane finally landed Jeremy quickly went to the baggage claim and then made his way out the front door.

  “Hey man. Glad you could make it here. Jewel will meet you at the hotel. She has already arrived. You will be in room 104 together.”

  “Together. Now hold on. I didn’t say I would shack up with some weird woman.”

  “It is part of the cover. Have you ever known lovers to get two separate rooms? Come on man. I’m begging you. She’s really nice and is a phenomenal detective.”

  “Fine. But you know you owe me big time for this one.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “What hotel are we staying in?”

  “It’s a little joint right down from the bar. I texted you the address already.”

  “Ok. Thanks.”

  Jeremy pulled into the hotel and drove down to the door that said 104. There was a huge black SUV parked outside of the door. Pulling into the spot he walked to the door and knocked. He was surprised by what he saw next. The woman who opened the door wore a loose fitting black suit and had dark hair. Her hair was pulled back in a bun type and was so tight there was no way that her head didn’t hurt from the strain. On her nose sat a small pair of glasses that she was looking through at him questioningly.

  “Sorry. I must have the wrong room. I’m looking for a stripper named Jewel.”

  “No you are in the right place. I am Jewel.” She held her hand out and he took it in his own. It was soft like a baby’s bottom. She opened the door up to let him in.

  He walked in and turned to look at her. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but how are you going to pull this off? I mean, you don’t look like a stripper.”

  “Well, I have tits and an ass. That’s pretty much the things that men look for right? Don’t worry I can do my part. You just make sure you do yours.” She cocked her head to the side and gave him a challenging stare.

  “Look darling I can do my job and I must say I do it well. I just don’t see you up on the stage shaking that ass that you pointed out you have. Can you dance at all?” They stood in the middle of the room glaring at each other.

  “Come on. I’ll show you what I’ve got so far. While you were taking your time getting here I took a few surveillance photos.”

  “Man do you owe me Darrell.” He muttered it under his breath. How in the hell was he going to not only stay with this woman but also act like her boyfriend? She was apparently a prude and had an attitude to boot. She turned around to look back at him.

  “Did you say something?”

  “No just show me what you’ve got.”

  “Fine, but then I have to go. Darrell is friends with a local stripper and she is meeting me at her studio to help me get where I need to be.”

  “Alright. What did you find while I was on a plane here? You know the only one they had out.” She made a little sound as she turned back around. He liked to tell her what he really thought about her.

  She went over all the suspects including the manager and owner of the bar. There were two regular bartenders and three waitresses. There were also 7 different girls other than Jewel that would be dancing. There were some hot women there. Too bad he was supposed to be tight to Ms. Tight Ass there. How in the hell was this woman going to get up on stage and have people think she was a dancer?

  They went to leave and he insisted that he drive and she instruct him on where to go. She was reluctant at first until he pointed out that he was supposed to be the man and be her bodyguard. He couldn’t protect her if she was driving. She hopped up in the truck and directed him until they got to the studio. It was late, and nobody was there except a little red sports car. They walked in and met a small woman. She was definitely a dancer by the way her curves molded to her small shorts and short tank top. She looked like Aphrodite with long blond hair in waves and a knockout body. He pulled a chair up to watch.

  “Hi, I’m Mandy.”

  “Hi. I’m Jewel and this is my boyfriend Jeremy.”

  “Nice to meet you both. Now first thing is we have to get you out of those clothes. Honey you look as straight as a pencil.” Jeremy smirked in her direction. She glared back as she turned to follow Mandy to the dressing room. The girls appeared shortly after. First Mandy walked in, and he was happy to look at her. He sat back in the chair and relaxed to watch the show.

  Jewel appeared from behind her and shock registered across his face. She wasn’t as bad as he had thought. She had on a pair of cloth shorts and tank top. Her hair was loose as well and fell to the middle of her back. It wa
s a medium brown color and lay in waves from the bun. It framed her face and her dark brown eyes turned a little darker. She didn’t have a bad body either. She wasn’t as curvy as Mandy but she had nice sized breasts that pressed against her tank top. She did have legs that went on for a mile though, which made his breath catch. He was definitely a leg man. A woman could have a flat chest or have a top heavy rack and he didn’t care. If she had long legs he wanted her. He wondered what her legs would feel and look like wrapped around him. Shaking himself mentally he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

  Mandy had her hands on Jewel’s hips and was at the moment rotating them in time to the music as well as her own. “Just listen to the music. Close your eyes and listen to it. Let it move your body not your brain. There you go. That’s it.”

  They danced for another hour and Mandy said she had to go. She would be needed at the club soon and had to get ready.

  “Would you like to stay? If so, that’s fine. Just lock up for me when you leave ok? Oh, and if anyone comes by just tell them Candy Mandy said it was ok and you’ll be fine.”

  “Oh. Ok. Thank you for your help.”

  “You’re welcome. Don’t worry honey, you’ll have em’ eating out of your hand. Just have confidence. You’re a gorgeous woman and should show it off.”

  “Thanks I will.”

  Jeremy sat watching her. She turned the radio back on and started dancing alone. “So you have the dancing down. How about the other part?”

  “What other part?”

  “The stripping part.”

  “What about it?”

  “So, strip for me.”

  “Um. No.”

  “Look darling. If you can’t strip for me then you won’t be able to strip for multiple people at a club. Which points out that I was right. You can’t do this job.”

  “Fine. You want me to strip. I will.”

  She slowly slid her hips back and forth and turned around to show him her ass, shaking it back and forth to the music. Grabbing the sides of her shorts she slid them a little lower until the G string of her thong was showing. She saw the surprise in his eyes and smiled. She may wear stuffy suits every day for work, but she loved her Victoria Secret lingerie. She turned back around and slowly lifted her shirt up until it was right below her breasts. Slowly she flipped her head down and took the tank top off with one swift motion. Rising back up, she shook her hair out as she continued to sway to the music. She looked straight at him. He held her gaze shooting bright blue sparks of desire at her. Next she slowly glided over to him, planting her feet on either side of him and straddling his lap.

  “You are playing with fire getting so close little girl.”

  “I know where the water is to put it out.”

  “Oh do you?”

  She slid her body against his rocking back and forth. Her eyes widened when she felt his dick harden underneath her.

  “Yes, my dick is hard watching you flaunt your stuff. Does that bother you little girl?”

  “No. Why would it? I’m not a virgin for Pete’s sake.”

  “Good because IF you go on stage there will be a lot of dick’s hard watching you. If you do it right.”

  She slid off of him to turn her back to him. She took two steps forward and bent straight forward taking the shorts down with her. She smiled as she heard him suck in a deep breath. Turning back around, she slid against him again this time putting more pressure down. She felt hot all over. The looks he was giving her was making her so wet she was sure it probably leaked on his jeans if she rubbed the right way. She looked down at him and bit her bottom lip in.

  “Do it.”

  She slid against him again and took a deep breath. His hands came up to encircle her waist. Looking up at her he entwined a hand into her hair and brought her lips to his. He devoured her mouth like a man starving. Taking her tongue in his mouth he sucked it harder and harder. They were both panting and staring into the other’s eyes. She looked at him and suddenly stopped moving. He grabbed her tight to him trying to keep his breath.

  “We should head back.” She got up off his lap and picked up the shorts and tank as she walked to the dressing room to change.

  “Damn.” Why did he let himself get carried away? He was supposed to be proving her wrong about being able to do the job. Instead, he was hard as a rock and if she wouldn’t have stopped he would have taken her right there on the floor until she was screaming his name. That would have been music to his ears.

  Jewel walked back out 45 minutes later. Her hair was in a tight braid and wet and she was back in her stuffy clothes. Who knew they held a body like hers inside them. No, she wasn’t a knock out like Mandy had been, but she had a natural beauty that shone. That is, when she let herself go and showed it.

  “Ok. Let’s go.” His voice was gruff even to his own ears. They went out and rode back to the hotel in silence. He walked in behind her and looked at the room. He hadn’t noticed before but there was only one bed. There was no way he could lay next to her without taking her after her performance.

  “I’m going to go for a run. I will be back shortly.”

  “Ok.”

  Jeremy ran through the woods as fast as he could. It felt good to let the air run through his hair. He just needed to finish this job and get back home. He didn’t need the aggravation and chaos dealing with a woman. Jeremy walked back into the hotel and saw that Jewel was already asleep in bed. Quietly, he carried his clothes into the bathroom and started the water. He took a quick shower and closed off the light before easing back out. There was only one bed and a chair at the table. He would have to stay on his side of the bed. It shouldn’t be hard considering it was a king bed. He crawled in and instantly recognized his mistake. He could feel the heat radiating off of her towards him. He also smelled her desire and release. The little minx had gotten herself off.

  After a couple of hours lying in the bed listening to her breathing he finally felt his eyelids start to droop.

  Jewel knew the minute he came back. She didn’t need the sound of the water to make her realize he was there. Although he was quiet, she sensed him. The waft of sandalwood and pine that drifted in the air when he was in the area flowed up her nose. She loved it.

  She laid there and listened to the water, imagining it running off of his body. Slowly, she slid her hand down under the band of her shorts and then under her underwear. Stroking her clit she bit her lip to keep the moan from escaping. Rubbing it harder and harder imagining how it felt when Jeremy had held her and the feel of his tongue in her mouth. She slid a finger inside and curled it up to hit her sweet spot. Moaning lightly she moved her other hand to her clit and when she climaxed she turned her head into the pillow and bit it to keep from making much noise. She got up and quickly washed her hands in the sink before siding back in bed.

  She had just slid under the covers and got her breathing under control when she heard the water shut off. Talk about good timing. She felt the bed dip as he slid in on the other side. How the hell was she supposed to pretend he was her boyfriend when she couldn’t control herself around him? After she felt him lay down she let her eyelids drift shut and was soon asleep.

  Jewel woke to find herself warm and overheated. She tried to throw off the covers and realized it was a body and a very well defined arm across her middle. She knew if she tried to get out of bed the person would wake. She knew Jeremy was a light sleeper so she laid there thinking about what to do.

  “Looks like you like to cuddle huh?” The voice was whispered into her ear. She felt his warm breath fan her neck and the side of her cheek. She knew that he could feel her heart rate quicken due to where his hand was lying. His right hand was curled up under her left breast. She knew that if he moved his hand the slightest bit he would rub against her already hard nipple. She tried to contain her breathing.

  “How do you know it wasn’t you?”

  “Because sweetheart, you are on my side of the bed.” She looked to see that he was right.
She was on his side of the bed. Not even in the middle. She was used to sleeping with a body pillow.

  “Oh sorry. Guess I thought you were my body pillow from back home.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not complaining. You can come to my side anytime. However, we do now have a small problem.” She felt him shift his pelvis against her to show her a surprise. She gasped and couldn’t help the small shudder that went through her body. She soon felt flush all over and automatically pushed back against him. He groaned deep as his hand flowed up to cover her breast. He pinched her nipple lightly as he whispered.

  “Can you put this fire out little girl?” Pushing himself up against her again.

  “I think I can.” She whispered back as she pushed against him again. She didn’t know where her brain was. This should not be happening. She should be getting up, but instead she kept pressing against him and moaned. She took his hand and raised it up to her mouth, slipping his thumb inside her mouth to gently suck it.