Damaged Billionaire Daddy Bear: A Paranormal Romance (Exotic Pack Shifters Book 1)

by Leela Ash

  Anita’s eyes flicked between both of them in apparent confusion, then without another word, she turned on her heel and returned to her desk.

  Theodore also strode back to sink into the large chair behind his desk. “We have a lot to do today, Harris, so get your ass in gear.”

  With a sigh, Jessica sank into the chair across from his and got right to work. Tension continued to arch in the air between them as they worked on the data for the animals in isolation.

  Jessica looked up at one time and found Theodore studying her closely, “What?”

  He shook his head and continued studying the data on his own laptop. He read very fast, she thought with a frown as he flicked pages and pages of the document in his hand without even seeming to study them.

  As she continued to stare, it was his turn to look up and ask, “What?”

  She started to shake her head, then she thought better of it and said, “Are you really reading any of that, or are you just flicking through?”

  “What do you think?” he growled.

  Jessica sighed and slammed her laptop shut. “Okay, let’s hear it. Why have you been so testy since I walked in the door?”

  Her phone chimed an email and after one glance at it, she looked up at him in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  Theodore looked up in silence, waiting for clarification.

  She waved the phone under his nose, “It says here that I’m expected to be at Carla Cooper’s party because the exchange staff are planning a small ceremony to honor her father.”

  He frowned. “Is it? What ceremony is that?”

  Jessica narrowed her eyes at him, “Are you telling me that you have no idea what this is about? Didn’t you put Maria up to this?”

  He didn’t blink, “Of course, I did. You weren’t gonna be there on my invitation, so now it’s open to the entire staff.”

  He wasn’t even going to lie about it, she thought fuming. Well, what had she expected? In the short time she had known Theodore, he had struck her strongly as Mr. Integrity with his core of honesty and openness, his strong principles and his inherent stubbornness, which he had passed on to his daughter. He wouldn’t even fib or evade to save face, which was why the attitude of some of the townsfolk, and some of his own staff, didn’t make sense.

  Jessica sighed, “Would my presence make such a difference? I mean, it’s just one party. I could send the kids for Carla, but I don’t have to be there.”

  “Oh, you have to be there, Jessica. It’s imperative.”

  “Why?”

  His green eyes burned with such fire that she felt branded as he enunciated, “Because I cannot ravish you if you’re not there. And I have decided to seduce you tonight.”

  Jessica swallowed audibly.

  Chapter 14

  “What a jerk! How could he say such a thing to me?” Jessica asked aloud of no one in particular as she painstakingly applied mascara to her long lashes.

  She had managed to wrangle herself into a long, flowing, sapphire dress with a soft-as-silk texture and slits on both legs. She had tied her hair into a messy bun atop her head, exposing the slim feminine curve of her neck. Then she had applied a faint shade of peach lipstick to her lips. Tiny diamond earrings adorned her ears and her feet were encased in one of those fancy flat sandals she favored.

  Her eyes sparkled with light and life, she thought poetically, pursing her lips at her reflection in the mirror.

  What was wrong with her? A man had told her, in no uncertain terms, that he planned to make love to her tonight. No, he had said seduce, that was his exact term. And instead of running for the hills, here she was, preparing and trussing herself up like a turkey at Thanksgiving for his ... ravishing.

  She sank onto the edge of her bed on shaky legs. What was wrong with her?

  “You’ve fallen for him, Jessica. Maybe you’re not all the way in love, but you’re as good as, dammit. Because why else would you be preparing to go to the party after he made his intentions known to you?” she demanded of herself.

  Liquid pooled between her legs and she sighed as she shifted restlessly. She was as eager for his touch as a mare in heat, she thought. She wanted him with a desperation that defied all logic.

  Fine, she thought, squaring her shoulders. This was the 21st century and any two adults could have consensual sex and move on like ships passing in the night. There didn’t have to be a name affixed to it, she decided. She would have fun with him tonight, enjoy herself and move on; that was all there was to it.

  She grabbed her purse from the bedside table and went to check on the kids. They were already dressed and bursting at the seams to go. Arizona ran up to her mother as soon as she saw her, “Mommy. I look like a fairy princess.”

  Jessica grinned at her daughter and immediately dropped to her haunches to pull her little girl into a spontaneous hug. “You don’t just look like a princess, you are a princess, darling,” she affirmed, placing kisses on both cheeks.

  Arizona giggled and planted precious kisses of her own on her mother’s cheeks. Jessica’s heart turned over in her chest. Whatever else might be wrong in her life, she knew the one thing she had gotten right was having these two kids. They were beyond precious. She extended an arm to pull Kal into the hug and he let out a put-upon sigh. Jessica hid a grin as he came forward with pretend-reluctance and was promptly absorbed into the group hug.

  Five minutes later, she was shepherding them through the doors of Thomas Cooper’s mansion. It wasn’t in any way a house; it was a mansion. It sprawled at one corner of Exotic Rescue, and towered above most buildings in its vicinity. It was pristine, extravagant and surprisingly homey. She liked it as soon as she walked through the doors. There were no ostentatious displays of wealth in anyway at all. Everything was necessary but in the first lap of luxury.

  The kids cooed with delight when they spied the small goldfish peddling furiously in a glass tank on display in one corner of the house.

  Jessica wrenched them away with great effort, only for them to be enthralled, all over again, by the bouncing castle seating in one corner of a large empty hall.

  When she finally located the great hall where all the guests were gathered, Jessica was more than a little frazzled. Her kids were so taken in by the scene she had to keep a tight leash on them so they didn’t wander off.

  They heard “Kal! Ari! Over here!” called form across the room.

  All three of them turned in that direction and saw Carla dressed up as a little witch with a black lace gown and an exaggerated pointy hat. Jessica beamed, “Oh, aren’t you the cutest little witch in the world? Happy birthday, Carla.”

  Carla bestowed a blinding smile on Jessica. “Thank you! Daddy says they are the most sly, devious and powerful of creatures, so that’s what I am.”

  Jessica frowned at the strange reply but said nothing. She held out her parcel instead, “Well, I say you make a cute little birthday girl. Happy birthday from the three of us.”

  Carla’s eyes lit up as though the sun had just come out, and she catapulted across the space separating them to fling her arms around Jessica’s waist. “You got me a gift! You’re the bestest new aunt ever!”

  A warm chuckle followed the declaration, followed by a familiar voice, “She’s really pulling out all the stops tonight, isn’t she? I wondered when she was gonna use that line on you.”

  Theodore!

  Jessica studiously avoided looking at him, and instead, gave Carla a disappointed look, “Don’t tell me you use the same line on other girls.”

  Carla threw back her head, “You’re so silly, Aunt Jess. Hey, Ari, Kal, come on. I want us to try out my new toys. My room is upstairs.”

  Her kids looked at her for approval. She’d barely managed to finish the nod before all three of them scampered from the room with the speed of people hoping to outrun rockets.

  Left with nothing else to do — or pretend to do — Jessica lifted her eyes to him and promptly lost her breath. He was dressed i
n a navy-colored t-shirt and pair of navy-colored jeans, with an oxblood jacket flung over it. He looked decisively handsome and his green eyes sparkled with life and vitality as he looked her over.

  He gave a small whistle. “You look very hot tonight.”

  “I could say the same to you,” she smiled.

  Fire lit his eyes, and he grinned at her. “Well, in that case, let’s go somewhere private where you can say even more to me.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes, “I have nothing to say to you. I’m waiting for the kids to be done, so I can get out of here.”

  “Well, have a drink while you wait so … stoically,” he offered with another smile as he cupped a hand at her elbow and began to lead her in what she assumed was the direction of the bar.

  Jessica searched his eyes. He was saying the right things and smiling, but somehow … something felt off.

  He led her off toward a different part of the house away from the guests. As he pushed the door open, the towering shelves of books on either side told her they were heading toward the library. As they started to enter, long drawn-out moans and grunts hit their ears and they both froze.

  Theodore peeked around the door and came away, face actually flaming.

  “Who is it?” she whispered.

  “No one you know,” he responded but he looked so embarrassed; almost as though he had seen his parents making love.

  “Who?” she insisted, forgetting herself in her curiosity and grabbing his arm. Fire zinged through his skin, and she jerked her hand back.

  He sighed, “Joshua Cox and his new bride, Klyana. The sheer stamina of the man…”

  Now, it was her turn to have a flaming face.

  Theodore grabbed a drink from a passing waiter and guided her with a hand at the small of her back to another section of the house.

  “Where are we going now?” she asked.

  “You’ll see,” he promised.

  The room was filled with toys from floor to ceiling. What on Earth?

  “Souvenirs for the kids at Carla’s party,” he supplied.

  Jessica began to explore the room and as she went around the room, she couldn’t help noticing how lavish, extravagant and expensive everything was.

  Thoughtful too, her subconscious supplied.

  Well, that too, she reluctantly conceded. When she saw a small pink dollhouse, complete with library set, tears misted in her eyes as she recognized, at once, that the gift was for Arizona.

  She continued to explore the room until he led her in another direction of the room where more toys were stashed.

  Jessica spied a small toy football field wide enough for at least two little players to run around on. She grinned, recalling Kal’s obsession with football; something he had gotten from his father.

  She tried to kick a football lying beside the field but she miscalculated and kicked the air and went flying. Theodore caught her up in his arms and his body heat warmed her.

  He clutched her to his chest, his green eyes melting as they stared into hers with their familiar heat.

  Jessica felt pleasure pool, felt desire pulse her veins, and before she could think better of it, she opened her mouth and breathed the words that had been bursting to get through, “Make love to me, Theodore. Now.”

  His grin was sensuously wicked as he rumbled, “I thought you would never ask.”

  Chapter 15

  Theodore seemed to develop hands everywhere in two seconds. He pressed Jessica up against the wall and leaned down to milk her lips with his. She moaned and closed her eyes, her body trembling with pleasure as he deepened the kiss and sucked the sweet nectar from her lips.

  His hands caressed her slim figure through the soft texture of her dress, and she moaned. “Your dress is incredibly soft and beautiful,” he complimented. “The moment I saw you, I wanted to tear it off with my teeth in a room full of candles.”

  She trembled with pleasure at his words. They evoked such a powerful, erotic, wild image that she was almost drenched, below, from the fire he had stoked.

  Jessica caressed his chest and stomach, and he moaned as he began to press his hard frame against her. His erection prodded her stomach, so hard and tough in its intensity, and she whimpered, rubbing against him.

  His hand drifted to cup her breast through the material of her dress. He bent his head and kissed her, and then he began to drift lower until he was kissing her breasts through her clothes. He lifted his head again and his lips melded with hers in a dizzying kiss, and she sighed as she held him close to her.

  “You’re so damn beautiful, Jessica,” he growled, the words sounding as though he had done everything possible to resist the effect of her beauty on him.

  She didn’t realize she had spoken aloud until he responded, “Of course, I didn’t want to be caught by your beauty. I tried to resist you a thousand times, but I could not,” he whispered.

  He expertly reached behind her and unzipped the gown she had been wearing. The bodice of the dress fell down to pool around her waist exposing her breasts and cleavage to his hungry gaze. He buried his face in her cleavage, nuzzling and groaning like a thirsty man encountering water in a desert.

  Then, he began to suckle her breasts. Jessica had never known such pleasure was possible from being sucked. She held his head against her breasts and threw her head back, letting him have more access.

  His hands trailed down to her hips, stroking, caressing and then lifting the material of her dress until it was bunched around her waist too. His hands found her pussy through the lacy scrap of material covering it, and he growled low in his throat.

  “You’re so wet, Jess.”

  She groaned and spread her legs further. Theodore closed one mouth over a bare nipple and she startled in surprise. When had he removed her bra?

  His other hand delved deep into her pussy, drawing out her pleasure and making her scream. She grabbed his shoulders for support, even as a strange wildness entered her. She became almost frantic in her efforts to remove his jacket, he lifted his head and helped her. The jacket fell to the floor, and she dived underneath his t-shirt with her hands and began to stroke and caress his chest.

  His breath hitched but he bent against her breasts again, swiping his tongue against the soft skin of her nipple. Her hands shook and she moaned, grabbing him against her and kissing his chest, his neck and any part of him she could reach, with feverish desperation. His hands began to thrust, moving his finger in and out of her. By the fifth thrust, she could feel the pleasure pooling as the tension curled tighter. She threw back her head in disbelief and screamed as he thrust one more time with his finger, and she convulsed helplessly in his arms.

  “I want to make love to you. I cannot wait again,” he groaned.

  His hands hurriedly did something at his fly and his penis sprang free. It nudged her hip and she gasped. It felt huge; even bigger than she had imagined. He turned her around against the wall and he pressed against her from behind. Her legs fell open wider as she leaned against the wall. His hands grabbed her breasts gently from behind and then he positioned himself against her pussy and slammed into her with one sure thrust.

  She screamed with the pleasure of it and began to cum again. He began to drive into her.

  “You like it?” he whispered in her ear.

  She nodded breathlessly, enjoying the thrusts. He was so large that he stretched her completely and her tightness gloved itself around his hard warm length.

  “I love it,” she whispered. “I love it. I love it. I love it. I love your dick,” she chanted mindlessly.

  His thrusts were pressing him against her G-spot, and she groaned as she continued to feel the onslaught of his passion and thrusts. His hands were kneading and squeezing her breasts, sending thrills of pleasure through her as he continued to pummel her pussy rapidly.

  “You’re so fucking tight. Whoa,” he moaned as he dove into her.

  Her hands were splayed against the wall as he took to her, and she moaned as he deepened and
quickened his thrusts. He continued to love her furiously until she couldn’t control the onslaught of sensations spiraling through her anymore. She came in rivulets and then her legs began to shake as she undulated and twisted in reaction.

  Sensation slammed her from every corner and she groaned mindlessly in response. Her body continued to quake and shake. She could sense his growing hunger and desperation for her as though it were a tangible thing, and it matched hers as another orgasm reared on the horizon. Jessica was incredulous as she felt the unmistakable tightening of her body again, and before she could say a word, she was cumming on his delicious cock.

  Theodore’s voice was a harsh guttural cry of pure, undiluted, masculine triumph in her ear as he quickened his thrusts, impossibly again, and began to cum. Jessica was drifting down to earth from her own orgasm when she spotted the hand he had splayed onto the wall beside her head. She squinted in disbelief at the animal fur appearing on his forearms. Then, when she started to turn her head to look at him, he pressed her head back against the wall, gently but firmly, and with a mighty growl, guttural and animal, he released, pouring his sperm all the way into her wet pussy.

  Jessica’s heart was thudding, as he finally pulled out of her, but not with desire anymore. She was filled with alarm. What had she seen?

  She spun around to look at him but he seemed normal. There was nothing to indicate anything untoward.

  He was watching her carefully as though gauging and assessing what she was feeling. Then, without warning, warmth seemed to begin to radiate from him to her like a warm liquid blanket, and she moaned as she felt her panic begin to thaw and recede until it was as though it had never been.

  Her eyes went to him and she smiled, “That was … amazing.”

  Theodore smiled at her, but he was troubled. What had happened to him? He had been unable to control his own abilities in the throes with her, which was why he had started to shift right then when he was still inside her. She had seen his hands changing into his bear form and the fur, which was why she had been panicking. He had had to use his abilities to control emotions to calm her down, without her knowledge; otherwise, who knows what would have happened?