The Shifter's Catch

by T. S. Ryder

  "Don't say that. You're strong and you'll get over this."

  "—and you are going to find yourself with more and more responsibilities. You have to think about your future as well as the kingdom's reputation. I'm too tired to be queen anymore, but I can't abdicate and allow you to be king when you are still behaving like this."

  Her words cut out any argument Benjamin had. He swallowed hard, taking in the papery quality of her skin, her sunken eyes and the exhaustion ringing them. It was true that he was already king in all but name since she was unable to fulfill her duties.

  Maria sighed. "I don't want to order you to marry, Benjamin. But if you would at least court a young lady, it would be one thing less for me to worry about."

  What was he meant to say to that? The thought of marrying just for the sake of having a wife and queen left his blood cold. His fire rebelled against the idea. To spend his life with someone he didn't care for, someone he would share his bed with but live a separate life . . .

  "I'll start looking," he promised. "But I can't say it will happen quickly . . . or that I will stop bringing women to my room until I have an idea whom I will pursue."

  Maria still didn't look happy, but she nodded. "It will do for now. Now, my little sunspot, call Heather. I'm feeling dizzy and think I ought to lie down."

  Benjamin nodded. Heather, Maria's maid, entered from a side door and he couldn't help but think she had been listening to this whole time. He wheeled his mother to her bed and helped lift her into it while Heather prepared her medicine. He kissed Maria's forehead before he left her room. His heart was heavy as he glanced at his watch. Forty-five minutes until his next meeting.

  That left him fifteen minutes to spare.

  The creak of wheels caught his attention. A woman dressed in a housekeeper's uniform wheeled her cart down the hallway, a map in one hand. Her brows were pinched together and she didn't seem to notice him there. The housekeepers weren't permitted in these hallways. There was a specially designated one for them, but it wasn't uncommon for newbies to get themselves lost.

  Fifteen minutes. Benjamin eyed the woman, considering. She was a dark-haired beauty with a generous hourglass shape that hardly looked natural. She was somewhat more slender than he usually liked, though he could still see her muscle definition. No, he couldn't . . . It was against his personal policy to seduce housekeepers while they were working . . . He usually preferred to seduce them after work . . . Although he had fifteen minutes and he did need something to settle his nerves.

  "Hey." He gave her his best grin as she jumped. "Lost?"

  "I am, yes — oh!" Her eyes widened, jaw-dropping. Her complexion actually paled a little, and Benjamin sighed. He didn't like it when people feared him. The housekeeper ran a hand down her front. "You're the prince."

  "I am. And you don't have to look at me like I'm going to bite you. What's your name?" He leaned forward and inhaled, looking for any scent that indicated she was in a committed relationship. There was no scent of a man around her.

  "Julia."

  "Well, Julia . . . There's some cleaning that needs to be done in my room and—"

  "Um . . . " Her face reddened. "I can't."

  Benjamin rose a brow.

  "I don't have clearance to be in the royal rooms. I shouldn’t even be here. I just got lost . . . I'm new," she blurted out. She took a deep breath and looked him up and down. For a moment she looked angry, and she put her hands on her hips. "Besides, I was warned to stay away from you. I'm not in the habit of dropping my pants for my employer."

  Benjamin's jaw hung slack. "Wait, that's not what I meant."

  "Sure it wasn't."

  Well, apparently she had him all figured out. At least she thought she did. It was odd: people, especially employees, usually treated him with more deference. He stepped back and held up his hands. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

  She huffed, putting a hand on her hip as she cocked it out. The movement puffed out her breasts and, if he didn't know better, he'd have thought she was trying to entice him. His nostrils flared again. Baby powder. She smelled like baby powder.

  "I have to get back to work . . . my lord." She ducked her head and the red in her cheeks increased. "I apologize if I said something I shouldn’t have."

  "Don't worry about it. I suppose my intentions weren't exactly honorable." He winked, loving how her skin turned even redder.

  "Thank you for your . . . interest. But I'm not . . . I have to go," she stumbled.

  Benjamin stepped aside and let her pass, smirking as she did. Those tight pants showed off her heart-shaped ass to perfection. His mouth watered. Considering everything that was going on – his mother's illness, the strain he was under trying to rule a kingdom and now the need to marry hanging over his head – he could use a distraction.

  "Are you sure? I've got fifteen minutes. No pants-dropping."

  She stopped and stared at him. A strangled noise escaped her mouth and for a moment he thought he saw desire flare in her eyes. Without a word, she continued away, and Benjamin let her go. A hunt was just what he needed.

  And Julia was going to be a delicious hunt.

  Chapter Three – The Game Begins

  Julia’s heart pounded as she ducked into the first closet she saw. Her mouth was dry and her head actually spun. Her knees buckled. She sagged against the wall, wondering if this was the result of an undiagnosed heart murmur or something. Because there was no freaking way she was reacting like this to Prince Benjamin.

  A strong, vengeful warrior like he did not get the hots for her nemesis.

  What made the thought even more ridiculous was the fact that this wasn't the first time she had seen him. There were plenty of news broadcasts focused on the prince that she had watched before he destroyed Cynthia's life. He was handsome, yeah, with those chiseled cheekbones and stormy eyes. In the news, he always had this way of looking right at the camera and making it seem like he was looking at her. But that didn't come close to the real thing.

  Not close at all.

  Maybe it was the smell. The smoky scent that was pure man clinging to him. Or her already amped-up nerves were getting the best of her. She was surprised she hadn't turned into a drooling puddle right there on the carpet. It was humiliating.

  Yet, she finally understood why her best friend had slept with him. Cynthia had worked at the palace for almost two years and had always declared she had no interest in the prince. One day, she came home and said she'd quit her job. Two months later, they'd found out she was pregnant. It wasn't until Cynthia was dying that she had revealed the truth about the baby’s father.

  Julia straightened and brushed off her uniform before looking at her map again. She pushed her cart into the correct hallway and continued down. She wasn't even supposed to be on this floor . . . Where were the elevators again?

  Shortly after, Natalie came jogging down the hallway. Her face was pulled into a frown, but she smiled at Julia when she got closer. Julia let out a sigh of relief. Natalie had been showing her around earlier but suddenly got called away. Julia had quickly gotten herself lost after that.

  "Thank goodness I found you," Natalie panted.

  "You're telling me. I was way out of my element here." Julia blurted out the whole story of what happened. "Next time, I think I'm just going to stay exactly where you leave me so I don't end up where I'm not supposed to be. I don't want to get fired."

  Natalie's eyes were round. "Oh, my! No, we don't want that at all. But you say he actually invited you back to his room?"

  This time, Julia was able to pull out the appropriate anger at Benjamin's suggestion rather than the hot rush of desire that had nearly made her say yes. "The nerve of him! Does he do that often? Just come onto a girl he doesn't know for the sake of getting some something-something while she's working? I mean, that's a sexual harassment suit just waiting to happen!"

  Natalie sniffed. "Usually he gets them after their work’s done... Are you okay?"

  "Yeah . . . " J
ulia frowned. Next time she saw him, she would need to keep her head cool.

  ***

  For the next few days, she saw nothing of Benjamin. It was just as well because working in the palace proved to be more difficult than she had thought. While she did have experience in housekeeping, the expectations were ridiculously high. She had to scrub everything, and more often than not ended up cleaning the bathrooms. It wouldn't have been so bad, except for some reason, men always seemed to walk in on her even when she thought she had locked the door.

  About a week after starting, she was unclogging a sink, bouncing her weight on the plunger while muttering swears under her breath. She wasn't a plumber, but Natalie had told her to get it going again. If the little blonde wasn't so regretful about it, Julia would have suspected that she was trying to sabotage her.

  The door opened just as Julia was pulling up the plunger, causing it to lose suction. With the bottom cup filled with water, it spun past her head and landed straight on the chest of the man who had stepped in. Julia's face went white then red as the prince glanced down at his expensive-looking shirt, now with dirty sink water dripping off of it.

  "Oh my goodness!" She grabbed a handful of paper towels and rushed over, beginning to mop him up before she remembered he was the prince and jumped back. She clenched the paper towel in her fists as she stared at him with wide eyes. She was fired for sure.

  Benjamin smiled at her and took a single sheet of paper towel to dry himself off. "Well, I didn't expect to take a shower with you today."

  Her cheeks warmed and Julia stepped back. Okay, so this was humiliating . . . but weren’t most meet-cutes in rom-coms embarrassing? This might just turn into an opportunity . . . if she could get her act together, unlike the first time she’d seen him. She began to mop at herself, then undid the first couple of buttons so she could dry off her cleavage. His gaze zeroed in on her breasts, as expected.

  "So clumsy," she muttered. "I had an out of order sign on that door. What happened to it?"

  "It's still there." The prince shut the door and locked it, a gleam in his eye.

  Julia's heart stuttered. She stepped back from him, holding the plunger up between them. Maybe unbuttoning her shirt was a bad idea. "Look, I—"

  "I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to," Benjamin interrupted. "And if you want me to leave, I will. Don't worry about your job, either. This won't go any further than the two of us."

  He moved closer, his stormy eyes locked on her. Another stutter in her heart. Seriously, she needed to go to the doctor. The air seemed to be thicker than normal – hotter. She swallowed hard and pointed at the door. Benjamin looked disappointed for a moment, then nodded. He opened the door and moved to step back but Julia jumped forward. If she was going to get her plan going, then she needed him to think she was into him.

  "Wait. I just meant unlock it."

  "We don't want to be interrupted."

  "I don't like being locked in small spaces with men. Even if they're . . . princes. And I . . . I want . . . " Why did she sound so breathless? She was supposed to be catty and seductive, luring him in. Not be this stuttering, clumsy oaf of a girl. This wasn't sexy. Currently, he was definitely the one doing the seducing.

  The prince grinned. His teeth were even and white, the grin one of triumph. He moved closer again, this time putting his hands on her hips. "You want what?"

  "Uh . . . " She couldn’t give in too easily. She had to be coquettish – a tease. String him along until she had the noose around his neck. "I . . . uh . . . Maybe . . . we could talk after work?"

  "I think not."

  He moved slowly, giving her ample time to pull away, but she felt like she was frozen. It felt like it was only a second before his mouth was on hers. His hands clasped over her ass, pulling her against him. Julia's eyes fluttered closed, her pulse skyrocketing. She moaned into his mouth, clinging to his damp shirt. He even tasted like smoke. Heat flooded her system, like a fire in her blood. She shifted closer, grinding against him as she teased his mouth open.

  If she was going to break his heart, she needed to get him addicted to her first. That was why she was doing this. Not because he was so handsome and her core was tightening, aching for him to complete her—

  The door burst open. Julia pulled away from the prince with a gasp and before she knew what was going on, an iron grip had clamped over her arm. She was dragged out of the bathroom to face a furious-looking Natalie.

  "You are not on break!" she screamed. "You are working and—"

  "Don't talk to her like that." Benjamin loomed over Natalie, glaring down at her. "Miss Julia was doing nothing wrong. I was the one who interrupted her work. I don't want to hear you speak like that to her again, understood?"

  Natalie's pale tones reddened. She dropped her gaze and nodded at her feet. "Of course, your highness."

  Benjamin brushed his fingers over Julia's arms. "I'll see you later."

  He left and Julia had to lean against the wall to steady herself. Her head spun. "Oh . . . Oh, no."

  "I'm sorry." Natalie sniffed. "I shouldn’t have screamed like that. I wasn't angry at you. I just can't see any more women taken in by Benjamin's charms. And while you're working, too! Doesn't he know what that looks like? What it is?"

  "I let things go too far." Julia shook her head. She couldn’t let herself be taken in. "It won't happen again. I'll admit that there is a part of me that is attracted to him, but I can't afford to let that get to my head. I won't let emotion get in my way." She couldn't.

  Natalie sniffed. "Oh, Julia. When it comes to Benjamin, there is nothing but emotion. Now, I've sent for a plumber to fix that sink. You should go on your break and see your little boy."

  Julia nodded her thanks, but as she walked away, she couldn’t help but ponder on the situation. It was clear that Benjamin had feelings for her . . . sexual feelings, at least. And she reciprocated them. That didn't mean she'd let emotion get in her way. But had she bitten off more than she could chew?

  Chapter Four – Complications

  She made little whimpering noises as he nuzzled into her neck. One of his hands pulled her leg over his hip, the other kneading her large, soft breast. Julia panted, leaning back against the wall. She rolled her hips forward gently, grinding against him through their clothing. Benjamin groaned. This had been going on for almost a week now. He couldn't get enough of her cherry taste, her fruity scent under the smell of cleaning agents and baby powder. He sought her out every day, making sure nobody found them. He wanted to keep her after work and take her to a fancy restaurant, then bring her back to make love all night, but she always managed to slip through his fingers and disappear as soon as her shift was over.

  So all he had were these stolen moments and an aching for more.

  Right on cue, Julia pulled away from him. She patted her hair nervously and shook her head. Her face and neck were flushed, the scent of her arousal between them, making him long for a taste.

  "Five more minutes," he moaned, leaning in.

  She pressed her hands to his chest. "You said you have a meeting to attend and I need to get back to work. Natalie is getting suspicious and it's not fair to not work when I'm on duty."

  "I'm the one paying you," Benjamin reminded her.

  It was the wrong thing to say. Her face fell into a dark frown. "And that's part of the problem. I'm not a hooker. You're not paying me to make out with you. So let me get back to work."

  Benjamin groaned as she elbowed past him. "Has Natalie been harassing you?"

  "None of your business. Good-day, your highness."

  And just like that, she was gone. Benjamin leaned against the wall, huffing out an annoyed breath. He didn't get her. One moment she was soft and receptive in his arms, the next she was gone, leaving him with an aching desire and no way to relieve it. At least, no gentlemanly way.

  Sighing, he left the closet and headed for the welcome room where he was due to meet the freshly-minted queen from Northfall, Caitlyn. A spo
iled, arrogant woman, Benjamin could hardly stand her. When they were younger, she had told everybody that they slept together, even though he had no more than glanced in her direction. He hadn't allowed her to be in a room alone with him ever since. It had led to a media frenzy, not to mention Caitlyn's father coming down to the kingdom to challenge Benjamin to a duel.

  Caitlyn had thought it was all dreadfully funny. She hadn't matured much since then.

  He sighed as he walked into his study, where she was waiting for him. She wore a flirty dress with a deep V-neck that featured her round, plump breasts. Her ankles were crossed demurely, but there was nothing demure about her. The dress had cutouts in its abdomen, the skirt falling approximately mid-thigh: highly inappropriate for a meeting between states. He liked to see some skin on women, but not when they were meant to discuss trade relations.

  Even worse, there was nobody else in the room. Her guard was nowhere to be seen and the servants he'd told to stay had vanished – no doubt bullied and mocked by Caitlyn until they left. Benjamin's nostrils flared as he stepped into the room, making sure to leave the door open behind himself.

  "Benjamin," she greeted with a smile. "Close the door and come sit down."

  "Where are your ministers? This meeting—"

  Caitlyn waved her hand. "Oh, pish posh. No need to be so formal. Daddy's gone and retired, leaving me queen. He's way out in the Caribbean. He's got better things to do than police me at all times. There will be time for business later. You and I have things to discuss."

  "What sort of things?"

  "Well . . . the possibility of marriage, for one. We're in the same boat, you know. My ministers are pressuring me to marry, your ministers are pressuring you to marry."

  Benjamin laughed.

  "Well. I didn't think it was that funny." Caitlyn scowled at him. "You're not my first choice either, you know. Unlike you, however, I actually think of my kingdom. You know how the old folks are. What is a king without his queen? And what is a queen without her prince charming? It would be beneficial, making us politically stronger in the eyes of our rivals. Can you imagine our combined economies?"