MoonlightBundleSet

by Moonlight Protector, Hero, Guardian, Champion (mobi)

  He nodded. “I know, but you’ve shared more of your life with me than I have with you. Sabrina caught you off guard and I’m sorry for that.” He paused and looked at her thoughtfully. “She’s called a few times over the past month or two. This is the first time she’s actually caught me at home though.”

  “You haven’t spoken to her since you moved here?” Chloe asked.

  “Not until now.”

  Chloe grinned. “I get the feeling she wasn’t happy that I answered the phone.”

  “Probably not.”

  “I didn’t mean to sound like a jealous girlfriend,” she said quietly.

  “Sweetheart, you have nothing to be jealous of. Sabrina is firmly in my past,” Ramsey said as he pulled her into his arms.

  “If you start something, we’ll never eat dinner,” she murmured right before he kissed her.

  He lifted his head and grinned at her. “Then I guess I better not start anything. You and the baby definitely need to eat.”

  ***

  The next morning the phone rang and Chloe answered it again. Once more, it was Sabrina asking to speak to Ramsey. Chloe hesitated. She knew Ramsey didn’t want to talk to Sabrina, but didn’t feel she had the right to hang up on the woman.

  “I’ll look for him, Sabrina. I think he’s in the shower.”

  “What? The two of you don’t shower together?” the woman asked snidely.

  Chloe’s temper got the best of her and she responded without thinking. “Sometimes we do, but my pregnant stomach gets in the way these days.”

  Dead silence followed her response. Part of her was sorry she’d given the impression the baby was Ramsey’s, and the other part of her felt triumphant. She carried the phone into the bedroom and found Ramsey toweling his hair dry in the bedroom, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.

  “Sabrina is on the phone for you,” she said as she handed the phone to him.

  Ramsey took the phone and pulled her close. “Thanks, sweetheart,” he said before giving her a lingering kiss.

  “Ramsey… your call,” she murmured against his lips.

  “Right,” he said with a sigh.

  Chloe left him to his conversation and went to gather her things for work. She was enjoying her job, but she hated that she still needed a ride to and from work. It would be a while before she could afford a car, but she’d found herself browsing through the classifieds on more than one occasion looking at used cars.

  She looked up when she saw Ramsey leaning against the doorway. He had a strained look on his face, which she figured didn’t bode well.

  “I need to talk to you for a minute,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “If this is about my comment to Sabrina, I’m sorry.”

  His brow furrowed. “What comment?”

  Chloe inwardly winced, wishing she had kept her mouth shut. “It was nothing.”

  He pushed away from the door and walked over to her. “I get the feeling it was more than nothing. What did you say to her, Chloe?”

  She blushed and looked everywhere but at Ramsey. “When she called I mentioned you were in the shower. She made a snide remark about me not being in there with you.” Chloe paused, not wanting to continue.

  “What did you tell her?”

  She cleared her throat. “That we did shower together, but it was getting difficult now that my stomach was getting so big.”

  Ramsey’s lips twitched and then he roared with laughter. “No wonder she was in a jealous snit when I got on the phone.”

  “If you didn’t want to talk to me about that, what did you want to talk to me about?” she asked.

  Ramsey’s laughter died and he quietly pulled her into his arms. He rubbed her back as he thought of what to tell her.

  “Some friends in Colorado need my help for a few days. Sabrina was just their unfortunate choice of spokesperson for the phone call.”

  “So you’re leaving?” she asked quietly.

  “Tomorrow. I’ll be gone through the weekend at the latest.”

  Chloe nodded. She didn’t mind being on her own, but she wasn’t sure how she was going to get to and from work.

  “I’m going to ask a friend if I can borrow his wolf dog while I’m gone.”

  Chloe looked at him quizzically.

  “For you. I don’t want to leave you completely alone. You can use the Hummer while I’m gone, of course, and I’d prefer that you stay here and not move back into the apartment. I don’t want to take any chances on you being hurt while I’m away.”

  “Ramsey, I’ll be fine. I don’t need a guardian while you’re gone.”

  “This isn’t a debate, Chloe. You’ll be guarded while I’m gone, you’ll use the Hummer, and you’ll stay in the house.”

  She bristled under his authoritative tone. “You don’t own me, Ramsey. I’ll do as I damn well please!”

  He sighed, knowing he'd chosen the wrong tactic with her. “I know I don’t, sweetheart. I just want to make sure you’re safe and taken care of while I’m gone. I know you don’t have your own transportation and I don’t want you climbing stairs while I’m gone. Is that such a bad thing?”

  She chewed on her lip thoughtfully. “I guess not,” she conceded.

  “I’ll be leaving early in the morning. I’ll make sure your watch dog is in place before I leave.”

  Chloe buried her face against his chest. “Are you sure you have to go?”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. They called and asked for my help. I couldn’t say no.”

  She nodded, but couldn’t respond past the tears clogging her throat. She’d gotten so used to him being around that a few days would seem like an eternity. The house would feel empty without him.

  “I know you have to work, but I’m going to take the day off so I can get some things in order. Do you want to go to breakfast before I drop you off?” he asked.

  “Will Gabriel let you take so much time off on such short notice?” she asked.

  “He’s pretty understanding.”

  “Then I’d love to go to breakfast.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next morning Chloe woke to find herself alone in bed. Rolling over, she buried her face in Ramsey’s pillow and inhaled his scent. Loneliness washed over her and tears dampened her cheeks. She sobbed into the pillow until a noise startled her. She looked over the edge of the bed and spotted a red and white wolf dog with blue eyes.

  She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “You must be the watch dog Ramsey borrowed.”

  The dog in question snorted as if he didn’t agree.

  “I bet you think I’m a silly woman, crying into a pillow.”

  The dog leaned forward and licked her hand in comfort.

  “I should get up and start getting ready for work. There’s no sense lying in bed feeling sorry for myself all day. Not if I want to keep my job anyway,” she said to the dog.

  Chloe climbed out of bed, pulled some clothes out the dresser, and walked into the bathroom. She took a long shower, taking her time in the bathroom. When she walked back into the bedroom wrapped in a towel, she would have sworn she saw the dog’s eyes widen. She shook her head at her folly and let the towel fall to the floor. She struggled to get into her clothes and finished getting ready for work.

  “I’m guessing Ramsey left something for you to eat in the kitchen. Shall we go see?” she asked the dog.

  The dog cocked his head to the side and watched her. When she walked out of the room, he followed on her heels. Chloe searched the kitchen for both food and a note, but found neither.

  She looked at the dog perplexed. “What am I supposed to feed you? I can’t very well give fix you bacon and eggs.”

  Apparently, the dog disagreed since he nudged her toward the refrigerator.

  Chloe laughed and opened the refrigerator, playing along. “You’re pretty smart if you understood that.”

  Taking out the ingredients she needed to fix breakfast, she talked to the dog as she cooked. She
had to admit it was nice having the dog around. The house was a little less lonely.

  As she sat down to eat, she hand fed the dog pieces of bacon.

  “Ramsey said it was an emergency or he wouldn’t have left.”

  The dog made a rumbling noise like he didn’t agree.

  “I just don’t understand why that woman had to start calling. It seems the emergency didn’t pop up until she called.” Chloe eyed the dog for his reaction to the whole thing. “You don’t think he lied to me, do you? He said he didn’t really care about her.”

  The dog gave her that you have to be kidding look.

  Chloe sighed. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Ramsey is just like the others.”

  The dog cocked his head to the side and gave her a questioning look.

  “All of my boyfriends haven’t been anything to write home about.” She rubbed her belly. “The father of my baby seems to have a temper and can’t keep his hands off anything in a skirt.”

  The dog dropped his gaze to the floor and his ears drooped.

  “The guy I dated before that just used me for sex. And now Ramsey… I don’t know what to make of Ramsey. I thought I’d found a winner. Maybe he had good reason not to tell me what was going on, and to run off like that. But what if he didn’t tell me because he knew I’d be unhappy about it?”

  Chloe shrugged her shoulders. “I guess maybe there really aren’t any winners out there after all. I really do have only myself to rely on. Come on, I need to get to work. I don’t think Matt will mind if I take you with me today.”

  The dog gave her a look that Chloe would have sworn was a grin.

  “Besides,” she said, “I’m feeling a little vindictive. Let’s see how much dog hair we can get in Ramsey’s car.”

  The dog made a noise oddly like a laugh and trotted after her.

  ***

  When Chloe arrived at work, to say her boss was shocked to see the large wolf dog at her heels was an understatement.

  “I know I should have called you to see if it was okay to bring him, but I didn’t want to leave him home alone,” Chloe explained.

  “Uh, Chloe, where exactly did you get that, um, dog?” Matt asked.

  The dog in question gave him an innocent look.

  “Ramsey had to go out of town unexpectedly and said he was leaving a guard dog to watch over me. When I woke up, the dog was beside the bed.”

  Matt eyed the dog doubtfully. “I somehow doubt Ramsey left that dog to watch over you.”

  The dog growled a warning at Matt.

  Chloe beamed at the dog. “See, he’s a good watch dog.”

  Matt mumbled something under his breath. “He can stay, but I don’t like it, and neither will Ramsey, I assure you.” He glared at the dog. “You bite so much as one customer and I’ll let Gabriel deal with you.”

  Chloe looked at Matt like he’d lost his mind, but she didn’t say anything, merely sat at her desk and waited for him to leave to go on his rounds. Once she had the office to herself, she looked down at the dog.

  “I think he’s not getting enough sleep these days. I hear their smallest one is teething and is getting up at all hours.”

  The dog smiled at her.

  Chloe busied herself with filing and browsed the internet when she wasn’t answering the phone or helping customers. Her short day flew by and before long it was time to go. Gathering her things, she headed for the door, the dog right on her heels.

  As she locked up the office, she felt the prick of something sharp at her side.

  “Don’t make a sound and don’t move,” a deep voice said in her ear.

  Chloe froze. “What do you want?” she asked shakily.

  “Hand me your wallet.”

  At her feet, the dog positioned himself between her and the attacker and growled.

  “Shh,” Chloe said. “Here, here’s my wallet,” she said, reaching into her purse.

  “Get the damn dog away from me or I’ll kill it,” her attacker said.

  “He’s just trying to protect me. He doesn’t know any better,” she said.

  The dog squeezed himself further between Chloe and the man, forcing the man to back up a step. When the knife was no longer pressed against Chloe’s side, the dog lunged at the man, knocking him to the ground.

  The knife clattered across the sidewalk. Man and dog fought on the concrete; the man cursing and beating against the slavering beast on top of him, the dog growling and snapping.

  Chloe reached into her purse with shaking hands and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly dialed 9-1-1 and told the operator what was happening. Within minutes, police sirens could be heard in the distance. Her heart was pounding against her ribs and tears streamed down her face. At that moment, she wished more than anything that Ramsey were with her.

  When the police arrived, the dog immediately backed off and allowed the officers to take over. After Chloe answered their questions, she and her guard dog were allowed to leave. But once she was in the SUV, she found that her hands were shaking too badly to drive. She sat in the driver’s seat and cried. The dog nudged her and licked her cheek, trying to give her comfort. She threw her arms around his warm furry neck and hugged him.

  “Thank you! If you hadn’t been with me today, I don’t know what would have happened,” she cried against his fur.

  When she felt more in control of herself, she started the monstrous vehicle and pulled out of the parking space. Driving aimlessly, she found herself in front of the Victorian. The dog gave her a quizzical look.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing here. I guess I just don’t want to be alone right now.”

  Chloe wiped the tears from her eyes and got out of the SUV. She made her way up to the front door and rang the bell. When Kiera answered, Chloe started crying again. She poured out the whole story – about Ramsey leaving, finding her guard dog, almost being robbed, and missing Ramsey.

  Kiera looked down at the dog and raised an eyebrow, but she refrained from outing beast. Instead, she let Chloe and her guardian in the house. Once her guests were settled, she called the garage and told her husband what was going on. It didn’t take long for Gabriel to join them.

  “You’re welcome to stay here until Ramsey returns,” Kiera offered.

  “That’s sweet of you Kiera, but I like being at the house. It feels a little empty right now, but the bed smells like him.”

  The dog made a grumbling noise.

  “Hush,” Gabriel said.

  The dog groaned and lay down on the floor at Chloe’s feet, turning his head away from Gabriel.

  Kiera grinned. “I take it you miss him.”

  Chloe sighed. “I do. He said it was an emergency and I want to believe him, but…”

  “Why wouldn’t you believe him?” Gabriel asked.

  “A woman started calling from Colorado about a week ago. Her name is Sabrina. She’s the one that called the day Ramsey said he needed to go to Colorado. If it was innocent, why couldn’t he just tell me why he had to leave?”

  Kiera looked at Gabriel and then down at the dog before looking back at her husband. “You need to tell her, and you need to tell her now.”

  “Need to tell me what?” Chloe asked. “Does this have to do with that family secret Michael mentioned?”

  The dog’s head popped up, and he looked from Chloe to Gabriel and back again.

  “Yeah,” Gabriel said with a sigh. “It does, and it’s time you knew about it.”

  Kiera reached over and took Chloe’s hand. “What he’s going to tell you is going to sound impossible. In fact, you’re going to think we’re completely insane. But it’s true… all of it. I need you to keep an open mind.”

  “How open?” Chloe asked uneasily.

  “About as wide open as the ocean,” Kiera replied.

  Chloe nodded.

  Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck. “Our family, and all of the guys you met at the party that night, has a secret. You’ve probably heard fairy tales of werewolves and shapeshifters
growing up.”

  “Yeah, who hasn’t?” Chloe wondered.

  “Well, they’re more than just fairy tales. The stories are based off reality to some extent.”

  Chloe looked from Gabriel to Kiera waiting to see if she was the brunt of a joke. When she realized they were serious, she remembered Kiera’s words about keeping her mind open. Surely they didn’t expect her to believe they were werewolves?

  “So you’re telling me you’re werewolves?” she asked.

  “I am, but Kiera’s not. Only the males can be werewolves.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And the dog at your feet isn’t a dog…. It’s the father of your baby,” Gabriel said.

  Chloe jumped out of her chair and backed against the kitchen counter, eyeing the dog with huge eyes. “Michael?” she squeaked.

  The dog grinned at her and winked.

  She gasped and blushed. Once the realization that her guard dog was Michael truly sank her, her embarrassment turned to fury. “You son-of-a-bitch! I changed clothes in front of you! I hand fed you! You – you – you….”

  She lunged at the dog, but he scooted out of the way with his tail tucked between his legs and his ears drooped to the sides. Before she could lunge again, he ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Chloe was hot on his heels. He had barely cleared the guest bedroom when he shifted in a blinding flash of light.

  Chloe gasped at the sight, the realization that werewolves truly existed sinking in. The last think she remembered was hearing Michael call her name as the room faded to black.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Michael leaned over the bed, his brow furrowed. “Maybe we should take her to the hospital.”

  Gabriel pulled him back. “Or maybe you could just give her some breathing room. She’s had quite a shock.”

  “Maybe we should call Ramsey,” Kiera said.

  Michael gave her a dark look.

  “I know you don’t like it, but regardless, she’s staying with him. You heard her in the kitchen. It’s obvious they’re sleeping together,” Kiera said.

  “I posed as her guard dog so I could get close to her again. Now that you’ve ruined any chance I had of doing that, you owe me. We don’t call Ramsey,” Michael said.