He rolled over so they remained connected, but he wouldn’t crush her. Then he stroked her spine from neck to ass and back.
“You bit me again.”
“No,” he said. “I didn’t bite you. I marked you again. It’s a sign to other shape shifters that you now have a mate. It’s a sign to other humans that your man loves you in his own kinky way. Don’t you like it?”
“I do, though it’s another of those don’t know if it is because I’m crazy or because this is all a dream. Will I wake up and be back in my little rented house with no job, a stack of bills, and the sheriff knocking at the door?” Margot admitted softly.
Instead of answering with words, Adam ran his hand down her spine then pinched her left ass cheek hard.
“Ow! What was that for?” Margot rolled away and sat up.
“I just wanted to prove that you’re not sleeping. You are wide awake. You are the life mate of a billionaire shape shifter who loves you more today than he did yesterday and will love you even more tomorrow. Why don’t you go back to sleep? I need to go for a run, and I’ll wake you when I come back.”
“Can I go with you? No, never mind, I’ll never be able to keep up.” She looked at his long legs as he climbed from the bed.
“Especially since I’ll be running on four feet and not two. If you don’t want to sleep, get dressed and go down and meet Mrs. Nicholas. I’ll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast in about an hour, okay?” He leaned over the bed and brushed a kiss over her lips.
Margot paused before saying, “Does Mrs. Nicholas know about your furry half?”
“Yes, she’s been taking care of me since I made my first million. She knows all my secrets. She also knows which ones to share and which ones to forget. Love you, mate of mine,” he said with a grin as he opened the door to the hall.
In an instant, a big black wolf looked at her with Adam’s blue-green eyes. He gave a soft woof before trotting out the door and disappearing down the hall.
Margot shook her head before lying back down, but she couldn’t go back to sleep. Once she was awake, she was up for the day. Throwing back the covers, she rolled from the bed and began to explore, for the first time in her life not self-conscious that she was naked.
Forty minutes later, she headed down the stairs. She had explored her new bedroom, finding her clothes neatly put away on one side of a closet that was almost as big as the bedroom in her tiny house. Adam’s filled the other side, proving he did prefer jeans to suits.
After indulging in an extra long hot shower, which soothed the muscle aches she’d discovered after starting to move, she dressed in her favorite jeans. The old, soft fabric always made her feel braver than she was. The plum-colored sweater she wore with them did good things for her too-pale complexion.
As she dried her hair she decided that she would need to spend some of Adam’s money on new clothes. A moment later, she grinned at herself in the mirror. She really was a fairy tale princess who’d fallen for the handsome prince. Only in her case, the prince had the ability to turn into the big, black wolf.
Once she’d cleaned up the bathroom, she made the bed then wondered if she would get in trouble for cleaning up after herself. She’d never had a housekeeper before and didn’t know what the protocol was. After slipping on her sneakers, she grabbed her purse. She felt silly carrying it with her around the house, but she also didn’t want to have to trek up and down the stairs a dozen times because she’d left something upstairs.
Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, someone began pounding on the front door.
Looking around, she half expected an ancient liveried butler to pop out of the woodwork and open the door. When no one appeared and the knock sounded again, she shrugged. After draping her purse over the post at the bottom of the banister, she went to answer it herself.
Opening the door, she wasn’t sure who was more surprised, her or Leigh what’s-her-name. Looking the younger woman up and down, Margot had the suspicion she was up to something. Looking past her, she noted it was another beautiful North Carolina day with deep blue skies and comfortable temperatures. So why was the society bitch wrapped up tight in an ankle-length black fur coat?
“Good morning. Can I help you?” Margot vowed to remain pleasant, at least until she couldn’t any longer. Then all bets were off. She just wished Adam would show up soon.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Leigh growled as she pushed Margot aside and stalked into the foyer.
Margot counted to ten as she closed the door. “I live here. Is there something I can do for you?”
She watched as the other woman swung around to stare daggers at her. “You’ve got to be kidding. He moved you in?” Her words grew louder and sharper.
She began to stalk back and forth across the foyer in her bright red stiletto heels, muttering to herself. She cursed her mother for her not-so-brilliant brain fart and her friends for goading her to follow through with the insane idea.
Margot crossed her arms and leaned back against the front door, at a loss as what else she should do.
With Adam out for his run and not sure if anyone else was within shouting distance, she decided to let Leigh have her tirade and get it out of her system before she told her to get the hell out.
Problem was, Leigh didn’t calm down as she ranted. Instead she grew more and more agitated. With each pass across the foyer, her steps grew faster and her turns more dramatic. On the last turn, she slipped on the marble tile, squealing as her feet flew out from under her. Her coat flew open as she landed on her ass, exposing the skimpy red teddy she wore underneath.
Not surprised, Margot strolled over. “Are you all right?”
“No, I’m not all right. I’m supposed to be Adam’s mate, not some backstreet, no-class old tramp who can’t even dress herself properly. I can’t believe he marked you and moved you in and everything. This was supposed to be my house.”
Margot was about to offer the woman a hand to help her up when Leigh disappeared. In her place stood a tawny-brown wolf dressed in a red teddy.
“Oh, shit,” Margot swore as she began to back away from Leigh, the crazy shape shifting bitch.
The wolf shook off the fur coat, then stepped out of the teddy and began to stalk Margot across the foyer.
Adam, where the hell are you?
Margot continued backing away, moving around the perimeter of the foyer in a circle until she reached the hallway that led to the kitchen.
The wolf continued stalking her, making grumbling, growling sounds as if continuing her earlier tirade. Margot watched the wolf lick her lips and knew that she was dead meat. With that, panic set in, and she turned to run. She’d taken two steps when something big and furry hit her between the shoulders blades, pushing her to the floor.
“Adam!” she screamed as she fell.
It felt like large pins pricked her back as the beast continued snarling and snapping just above her head. A moment later, she heard a deeper growl, and the weight holding her down was gone. Pushing to her knees and then to her feet, Margot ran without glancing to the fight going on behind her.
Run to the kitchen, sweet mate. I’ll deal with Leigh.
Not sure if it really was Adam’s voice or just her vivid imagination at play, Margot did as instructed. She ran. Bursting into the kitchen, she found Sam at the kitchen table as well as an older woman whose appearance seemed to personify the word grandmother. Her salt-and-pepper hair was pulled back into a low bun, and she wore a brightly flowered chef’s apron over her sweater and jeans.
“Stop them, she’s going to kill him,” she screamed as the sounds of animals fighting filled the silence of the room.
She made it halfway across the room before her knees gave out. Sam caught her and helped her to a chair across the room.
“Who is it, Margot?” he asked.
“Leigh something or other. The bitch who attacked me at the auction last night. Says she’s supposed to be Adam’s mate. She was wearing a teddy an
d spike heels with a full-length fur coat. Isn’t it an oxymoron or something for a shape shifter to wear a fur coat?”
She didn’t notice Sam pull out a gun and disappear into the hall. She kept talking though she had no memory of it later. She didn’t notice the cup of coffee Mrs. Nicholas put in front of her or that the older woman lifted the back of her sweater to check for wounds. She didn’t even hear the fight end with several high-pitched yelps followed by a long, deep-throated howl.
“I didn’t even get a chance to tell him that even though we’ve know each other less than a day, I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone. It doesn’t even matter that he’s younger and prettier than me.”
“Shh, baby. I love you, too. And you’ve got to stop talking about yourself like that.” A pair of strong arms wrapped around her as the scent of Adam’s musky male sweat filled her nostrils.
“Adam? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Adam lifted her, then took her seat and settled her in his lap. He cradled her close and kissed her hair.
Margot ran her hands over his bare chest and arms to the top of the gray sweatpants he’d put on.
Though tempted to ask if he’d killed the crazy woman, she decided she really didn’t want to know. “Leigh what’s-her-name is not a very nice lady,” she murmured as she buried her face into his neck and rubbed her cheek against his damp skin.
“No, she’s not. She’s gone, so you don’t need to worry about her bothering us anymore.”
“You didn’t kill her, did you?” The words were out before she realized she’d opened her mouth.
“No. I just reminded her that I am the alpha, and she is not. She also understands that her life is forfeit if she ever comes near you again.” Adam licked at the dried tear tracks on her cheek as he hugged her close.
“Oh, okay. How was your run?”
“It was fine until I saw Leigh’s car parked in front of the house. I ran around to the kitchen as fast as I could, afraid I might be too late. I half expected she’d try something like this, but I figured she’d wait another day or two.”
“Yeah, it was a close call. Next time, could you warn me which of your crazy, jealous ex-lovers are shape shifters and are going to try to kill me?”
“Leigh and I were never lovers. She wanted, but I can’t stand the bitch. I was waiting for my mate. My beautiful mate who is now going to come upstairs with me and wash my back. Then she’s going to tell me again that she loves me and is going to stay with me forever. After that, I’ll show her how much I love her. Then maybe we’ll get around to planning the rest of the day.”
Standing, Adam tossed her over his shoulder and started toward the staircase tucked in the far corner of the room next to the door to the pantry.
“Mrs. Nicholas, we’d like a full breakfast brought upstairs in an hour, please.”
THE END
www.coopermckenzie.webs.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cooper McKenzie always thought she had been born a hundred years too late, but appreciates air conditioning, computers and other conveniences of modern day living. She enjoys the slower pace of New Bern, North Carolina as well as the history and small town community found there. In addition to dreaming up her next story, Cooper enjoys reading everything except scary books, singing in her church choir and needle-weaving.
Also by Cooper McKenzie
Their Dream Weaver 1: Claiming Their Dream Weaver
Their Dream Weaver 2: Loving Their Dream Weaver
Their Dream Weaver 3: Marrying Their Dream Weaver
Available at
BOOKSTRAND.COM
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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