Christmas After Dark: A Holiday Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Abigail Owen

  Smooth, her inner voice giggled. Nice way to ask if he's got a wife and kids.

  Alec leaned back into the cushions. "No, no one's waiting nervously for me to return. My family—we tend to wander a lot. Sometimes we don't bump into another shifter for weeks at a time, running the rivers and streams."

  He studied her with dark, caramel-colored eyes. "So, I guess you're stuck with me for the time being."

  Perhaps it was the coffee, but she could have sworn her heart fluttered.

  "Ah... I've got the extra room. You're welcome to it, as long as you want." She kept a firm grip on her coffee mug, forcing her pulse rate down. "You said you've got other skills. Aside from changing a tire, what can you do?"

  "You'd be surprised." He tilted his head to one side, one edge of his mouth twisting up. "I'm very talented."

  The smirk shot right down her spine to her core, the low heat simmering in places she thought she'd forgotten over the past few months.

  "You knew enough to make Danny think you really were a family friend." She had to say something to defuse the ticking bomb he'd triggered inside her. "How did you get that information?"

  "I've been around this area for a bit." A shadow crossed his face. "Patty used to come down to the water, toss bread in for the ducks."

  "And Dad yelled at her for it." Cass hesitated, running back through her memories. "Were you one of the otters I've seen in the river over all these years?"

  "One of them. We get around." Alec rolled his shoulders back. "Been hanging about for a decade or so."

  She frowned. "How old are you? How long do your people live? Why come around here?"

  "Not much longer than humans. And we come because you've got some interesting things down at the bottom of the river." He rubbed his hands together. "I love the shiny things and so do the rest of my family. We stop on by now and then to check on what's been thrown in and what we can dig up." Alec gave her a dazzling smile. "Let me tell you what we've found…"

  Cass rocked back and forth in the chair, wondering what celestial being had decided her life was too boring and decided to toss a hot, handsome man into her life.

  4

  By the end of the first week, she was sure she'd lost her mind.

  The regular bar patrons had taken to Alec, finding him a fresh ear for old, ancient stories. While the bar didn't have a kitchen and didn't offer much more than snack food, Alec managed to whip up various tasty mixes with store-bought nuts and cereals, keeping the bowls on the bar filled.

  He was also a fast learner—within a few days, he'd memorized most of the mixing lists and could make a great martini for Alice, who came in every day after work for her favorite drink before heading home. The senior licked her lips every time she saw Alec, and Cassie suspected it was for more than just the super dry drink.

  The cover story they'd agreed on, that Alec was a friend of the family who had come to pay his respects and decided to hang around for a while, held up. Most of the regulars didn't care, as long as he kept the drinks coming.

  The Rolling River bar was small, intimate, and Cassie liked keeping it that way. Danny had no complaints, enjoying the extra help—he was heading toward retirement age and Alec was a young, strong man who didn't mind lifting heavy crates of liquor.

  At the end of every shift, they'd lock up the bar or hand it over to Danny, and walk along the riverbank, Alec telling her fantastic stories. A whole new world opened up to her, filled with people she had only viewed as fantasy before.

  Alec would help make dinner and then sleep in the spare bedroom—what had been her father's, once upon a time.

  It was getting...

  Domestic.

  Suddenly a month had passed, and she was comfortable with him being there.

  More than she thought she should be.

  It became apparent how important he'd become when a fight broke out at the bar—not the first time during her shift, but the first since her father's passing.

  It'd been a short fight.

  Before Cassie could react, Alec leaped over the bar and grabbed Frank's shirt, lifting him up off the ground. His free hand shot out and took hold of Frank's "friend", who he'd brought in tonight for the first time and had started the argument over some sports trivia.

  Both men calmed down almost immediately.

  Alec marched both to the door, telling Frank he wasn't welcome back for a month—and for his new friend, a permanent ban.

  Behind the bar, Cassie forced herself to take long, steady breaths. Ed, the part-time employee, came out from the back where he'd been busy stacking empty beer bottles for return, frowning as he took in the astonished faces.

  No one dared start anything while Alec was around, not after that.

  Except now over a month had passed, and she knew, she knew his wound was healed. One time he'd stepped out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his middle, sending her pulse skyward, and she'd spotted the thin, white line on his leg. The slight limp he'd suffered since his arrival was gone, his pace along the riverbank steady and firm.

  So why was he staying?

  Every time she tried to think about it, her heart kicked into overdrive. If she asked, he might leave.

  But she had to ask...

  Her curiosity broke a day later.

  Cassie sat on the couch as Alec finished up the dishes, in a now-familiar evening routine. She turned the volume down on the television when he joined her, pressing her lips together in a tight line in an attempt to gin herself up to ask.

  He looked... fuck, yeah, sexy as hell. He always took his shirt off when doing the dishes, claiming it saved the shirt from getting wet.

  She suspected it was because he liked being as close to naked as possible—she'd caught him more than once walking around the house with just his pelt on, covering his privates. His chest was littered with scars, each with a story—he'd told them to her, the wild underwater adventures beating out any fantasy novel she'd ever read.

  When dressed, his pelt was tucked into the waistband of his jeans, keeping skin contact. It wasn't mandatory for him to have it on his person to stay in human form, but Alec had told her it felt reassuring to keep it nearby, either on his person or sitting on a table, within reach.

  Having read legends about selkies and other shapeshifters, she couldn't blame him. One fairy tale told of a man keeping a woman's sealskin from her for years, forcing her to marry him and have children, until she found where he'd been hiding her fur skin and escaped.

  Whatever sort of relationship she was going to have with Alec, it wouldn't be like that.

  Speaking of...

  "I..." She blinked, trying to focus. "I was wondering when you were thinking of leaving."

  He turned, capturing her in those dark, brown eyes. "What?" His forehead furrowed. "Did I do something to upset you?"

  "I just... you said you'd stay until you've healed." She tried hard not to look at his leg, imagine the naked skin lying under the jeans. "Except..."

  Alec cocked his head to one side, giving her the now-familiar soft smile. "Why am I still here when I could have put my pelt back on and swum away, down the river and back to my people?"

  "Yes."

  "What do you think?" He moved closer on the couch.

  "I..." She closed her eyes. "I don't know."

  "Yes, you do." The command in his voice shocked her even as it tempted her.

  "Yes..." she said as his lips brushed hers, waiting for her response.

  Cassie didn't hesitate. She leaned in, meeting his intensity with her own, deepening the kiss until she was dizzy. Her hand wrapped around the back of his neck, tangling in the loose hair there.

  "Nice," Alec replied as his arms went around her, pulling her into his lap. "But I can do better."

  Her hands roamed over his chest, wallowing in his embrace. The strong, toned shoulder muscles she'd admired from afar were now flexing under her touch, the silent strength within setting her insides afire.

  Cassie moan
ed as he dropped kisses along her jawline, settling in at the base of her throat as Alec unbuttoned her blouse with swift, measured flicks of his fingers.

  Her hand slipped under his waistband, pausing as she touched the soft, silky fur.

  "Before you ask," he said, "Yes. I'm like every other man." He took her hand and moved it down.

  "Oh. My." She felt him rising through the jeans, the zipper already straining under her hand.

  Alec kissed his way up to her ear while sliding the blouse off her shoulders, pushing it onto the cushions. Another flick of his fingers and her bra fell away. "I have to confess, you're the first and only human woman I've ever been attracted to."

  She paused and pulled back, her hand slipping under his jeans to undo the single button. "Have you been around many?" A nugget of jealousy curdled in her gut, escaping into her words.

  "A few. Except none like you and not what I want to talk about right now." He let out a soft grunt as she pulled the zipper down at a slow, steady, pace. "If that's all right with you."

  "Perfectly." Cassie smirked as she pushed his underwear aside and took hold of him, thick and heavy in her grip. "Not to mention I can think of much better things to do with your mouth. And mine."

  Alec let out a sigh before arching back against her. "Agreed."

  It wasn't a perfect relationship.

  She yelled at him when he threw out the fresh fish she brought home from the local grocery store for dinner, telling her it wasn't.

  He yelled at her in the back room when she stepped between a loud argument between two bar patrons, pulling them apart seconds before they came to blows.

  In his eyes, she was putting herself in danger. To her, it was just another day, dealing with drunken fools.

  Except whatever arguments they had during the day disappeared at night, curled up around each other in bed, whispering apologies and murmuring sweet words after making love.

  Cassie knew it couldn't last, wouldn't last—she might be falling in love with an otter shapeshifter, but she knew reality.

  And reality told her nothing good lasted forever.

  The first sign of trouble started five months in after Alec's arrival, three months into their relationship, when Aunt Jean came to visit. In theory, she had come to visit her brother's grave and spend Easter with them—but Cassie suspected Jean's goal was to convince Cassie to sell her share of the bar to Danny and move to Arizona.

  The older woman was easily won over by Alec's cheerful personality, accepting his presence with little negative comment—at least in public.

  It wasn't until Alec left early to help Danny with a morning delivery that her aunt made her true feelings known.

  "Seriously, Cassandra. He might claim to have been a friend of the family, but I don't remember your father ever mentioning him." She scowled as she collected the breakfast dishes.

  "Alec said he ran into Dad once or twice over the years, upriver at Brownsville with his family. Not surprising I hadn't met him—don't forget, I left right after graduating high school," Cassie offered. "He knew enough about Dad to convince me, personal stuff he wouldn't have picked up sitting at the bar. And Danny—you know he'd pick up fast if Alec were up to no good."

  Jean gave an annoyed huff. "Your father always liked talking to strangers. For all you know, he had a handful of words with Alec, nothing more. Then he passes, Alec checks the paper and picks up on the obituary—comes here with the specific goal of robbing you blind. Or worse." She shook her head. "God only knows what sort of past he has. Danny should check the books—he's likely been skimming off the till and getting ready to disappear."

  Cassie paused, her mind spinning as she tried to construct some sort of decent rebuttal. She was still her aunt, after all.

  "Danny's fine with Alec working at the bar. You know he'll protect his investment—if he had any issues with Alec, he'd bring them to me. Or take care of it himself."

  "Good point," Jean said, conceding the point. "Except..."

  "I trust Alec. He's a good man." The words sounded bland even as Cass heard them come out of her mouth.

  "Yes, but..." Jean shook her head as she settled in the chair, gripping her coffee mug. "So soon after your father's death? You have to know Alec's taking advantage of you—you're emotionally vulnerable." She lowered her voice. "I'm only saying this out of love. Let's be honest—where do you see this going?"

  An icy dagger of fear dug into Cassie's gut, fighting for space.

  "What sort of future can you have with Alec? You came home to help your father out—and you did a wonderful job of caring for him."

  She let out a deep sigh, tearing at Cass's heart. "Losing both your parents so soon... it was a kick in the gut. Now you've got to think about the future, about what you're going to do. Sell Danny your half of the bar, take the money and go back to Philly, find a good job and pursue your dreams. Or come out where I am, get settled and start fresh."

  Cassie sat there, her mind racing through a thousand different scenarios, trying to figure out what to say, what not to say.

  Jean sipped her cooling coffee. "Step back and think about it. Where do you want to be, a year from now. Five, ten years. Do you still want to be here, pouring beers? Ask yourself, what do you want out of life? And then see if Alec has a place in that picture."

  Cassie fell silent, the churning in her belly twisting the invisible knife in deep.

  Jean left two days later, cheerful and happy, shaking Alec's hand before getting back in her rental car and heading for the airport.

  The emotional bomb she left behind took only a few hours to blow up.

  Cassie looked outside and saw Alec down by the riverbank, gazing out over the water. Spring was arriving, mossy soil erupting in long, luscious green weeds. He scuffed his running shoe in the mud, leaving a deep dent in the dirt.

  He wore his dark blue pea coat jacket, his first real purchase—they'd gone to the store and picked out clothing for him not long after his decision to stay; Alec eager to stop wearing her father's outfits.

  The way he stared at the river...

  There was a longing in his gaze, a hunger she knew only too well from seeing it in the mirror—she'd worn that look when she left for Philadelphia, for what she thought would be a whole new life.

  Instead, she'd come home to a new reality, leaving her standing on a sandy beach—the ground under her likely to shift at any second.

  Cass turned back to the kitchen and the evening meal, a simple meatloaf and mashed potatoes tonight. The familiar routine didn't banish the fear building inside her, entwined with a growing sense of anger and confusion.

  Her vision blurred as she plated up the food, causing her to step back from the counter.

  A gust of cold air swept through the kitchen, signaling Alec's return.

  She grabbed at the nearby dishtowel in an attempt to push back the tears.

  "What..." Alec took hold of her from behind, wrapping his arms around her. He'd shed his pea coat, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. "What's wrong? You're crying." His gaze went around the kitchen, searching for any possible cause. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

  "Nothing. No. Not yet." She snapped, anger surging up her throat like bile. "Just tell me one thing—why are you still here? Are you playing some sort of game? Is this what shifters do, screw around with humans until they finish having their fun and then disappear?"

  "What? What?" he repeated as he turned her to face him. "What brought this on?" A scowl married his handsome features. "Is this coming from Jean? She said something, didn't she?"

  Cassie pushed him away, throwing the dishtowel against his chest.

  "Yes. No. It's just..." She shook her head as she ran out of the kitchen, retreating to the couch.

  The emotional dam burst, raging through her with a hurricane's intensity. "Damn it! I came here to care for Dad, and now he's gone. I should have sold the house and left as soon as he was buried. If I'd had done that, I'd..."

  She covered her
face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Thoughts spun around inside her head like a merry-go-round on overdrive.

  "Hey. Hey." The cushions beside her shifted as Alec sat down, pulling her close. "You stayed here because you wanted to, because you wanted to feel close to your dad. That's okay—you weren't ready to make another big change in your life. No one made you stay and no one's going to make you leave." He touched her shoulder, the heat burning through the light fabric and onto her skin.

  "I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm saying." She looked up through the tears. "I'm just..." Cassie tried to organize her thoughts, catch the scattered slips of consciousness before they disappeared. "I have to ask you—what sort of future can we have together?"

  Alec frowned. "What do you want?" He took her hands, his long slender fingers caressing hers. "Marriage? If you want, I can—"

  "No." The pain bubbled out of her. "I don't want you to do anything because you feel you owe it to me." She sniffled. "At some point, you're going to want to go back to your family and I understand that, I respect it. The river, the water. I can't stop you and I wouldn't, but what happens to me?"

  He kissed her cheek. "Why are you worried about that right now? We've got plenty of time to make decisions, plenty of—"

  She pulled back, out of his embrace. "You've been here for how long? Six, seven months? Your family..." She sucked in a deep breath, unable to stop shaking. "They'll want you back at some point. Then I'll be alone." Cassie wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm sorry. What we have here... it can't last."

  They sat in silence for a moment.

  Finally, Alec spoke. "I'm sorry. I never intended for this to happen when I came here."

  Cassie sniffled, letting out a soft laugh. "You didn't come here willingly. I picked you up, off the riverbank and brought you in." She couldn't help grinning. "Put you in the damned tub."

  "The water was nice," he offered, reaching out to cup her chin. "But I much prefer being out here on dry land, with you."

  The soft kiss soothed over the rough edges Jean had brought to the surface, tamping down her nerves.