ALIEN ROMANCE: Ursa (Paranormal Science Fiction BBW Alpha Male Romance) (42 page)

Chapter 6

They lay back on the bed, her head pillowed on the substantial muscle of his chest. Adeline smoothed her hand over the line of hair that curled from the center of his chest all the way down, pointing like an arrow directly at the part of him that had just wrung the most excruciating pleasure from her body.

She gazed down, trying to see as much as she could, but the edge of the white cotton sheet denied her. She sighed, at least she’d always have her memories. And what memories they were. Adeline burrowed closer as her mind replayed the amazing scenes, remembering the feel of her entire body going up in flames.

What was truly seared into her brain was the look in his eyes. He had stared into hers, and she had seen…everything. Every desire, every fear, the attraction, affection, and something even deeper that had seeped into his dark chocolate gaze. It had made her breath catch, her chest tighten painfully as some of the walls she had built up around her heart had crumbled.

Damn
. She was in trouble. She’d gone and fallen for him, and she still hadn’t had the courage to bring up the whole weird animal thing she thought she had seen in the alley when he had saved her. How do you bring up something like that? Hi, yes, do you happen to be a bear?

She chuckled to herself, nearly convinced she had just made it up in the trauma of the moment, but she could remember it happening, if a little hazy. Jay cleared his throat, drawing her attention back up his body. His mouth was turned down in a frown that had her sitting up, before he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her back to his shoulder.

“I need to tell you something.” The seriousness of his voice had her pulse kicking in her chest. “I just ask that you listen to everything I have to say before you respond.” He quirked a questioning brow at her and she hastily nodded, wondering what was could have put that fierce scowl on his normally calm face.

“You know what I do. I’m a private investigator.” Adeline nodded again, he had told her about himself when she had talked to him about her trouble with her ex. He inhaled deeply before releasing an anxious sigh.

“A few weeks ago, a new client came to see me. He was real upset about his wife who had went missing. Said the cops weren’t doing anything, and he was desperate. So he hired me to find the woman.” Her stomach dropped, a denial ready on her lips, but he laid a gentle finger over them, stopping her words.

“Let me finish. The client’s name was Blake Newcombe.” Her body tensed, and she couldn’t help the involuntary move to put distance between them, his eyes filling with regret as she pulled away to sit up on the bed.

“As soon as I met you, saw you, I knew something was wrong, that he hadn’t told me the whole truth. Or maybe not any of it.”

“What about the alley?” Sudden horror filled her eyes. “Was the attack some sort of…of…set up or something? To get me to trust you?” Adeline choked on the words, and relief crashed over her as he grabbed her shoulders, rushing to set her mind at ease.

“No! No, that was pure coincidence. And pure luck. If it had been anyone else walking past that alley instead of me, I don’t know what would have happened.” He shook his head at the image filling his mind of all the what ifs.

He had to do something about Blake. He knew his type. Obsessive, Jealous. Dangerous. He would never give up, never leave her alone.

The plan that had been slowly forming in the back of his mind ever since Adeline had told him the whole story started to coalesce. Jay shot her a quick, assessing glance. The plan would depend on her. He took in the straight line of her back, her shoulders thrown back, neck straight. The gentle strength and fire in her blue eyes were undeniable.

Jay took one of her hands in his, lacing their fingers together. This woman was so incredible, and she was his. There was no way around that fact, or the masculine surge of pride the flooded his veins at the thought. She was more perfect than he could ever have imagined.

“I’ve been thinking.” Her eyes widened on his in mock severity.

“Uh oh.” He chuckled, his heart squeezing at her brave show of humor in the face of so many tragedies.
             

“Listen, Blake isn’t going to just go away.” Her expression closed, and he hated the fact that he was causing her any more pain, even inadvertently. “I’m supposed to check in with him in a few hours. I think I have a way we can deal with him for good, but you’re going to have to trust me.” Adeline nodded without hesitation. She knew in her bones that she could trust this man with her life, and her heart.

“Okay, so here’s the plan.”

Chapter 7

The motel room was still dark, despite the afternoon sun shining cheerfully outside in direct opposition to the nervous tension filling the small room. The heavy drapes were pulled closed across the window, and silence was the only sound.  Adeline sat on the bed, now made, her pulse beating a too fast rhythm that she couldn’t do anything about.

Jay had called Blake a few hours earlier to check in, letting him know he had found her, and accidentally letting slip the motel she was staying at. It wouldn’t take Blake longer than a trip to the front desk to find out which room was hers.

Adeline shivered despite the afternoon warmth, taking a deep breath to try and calm her rattling nerves. She didn’t know if she could do this. Suddenly standing, pacing back and forth in front of the foot of the mattress. She glanced at it, picturing her and Jay, their bodies tangled there just hours before.

The thought of him calmed her, gave her the strength she needed to go through with this. A scrape at the door had her jumping, spinning around, and adrenaline surging through her. No, she had been right before. She really couldn’t do this. Only, it was too late to back out now.

The brass doorknob rattled angrily, then a pressure against the door. Adeline tried to take a deep breath, but couldn’t. Panic closed her throat, and left her mind completely blank as the rusted lock finally gave in and the door swung open to bang back against the wall.

She tried to scream, but couldn't make a sound as Blake stepped into the room, and casually shut the door behind him. Fear had her paralyzed, frozen to the spot. All she could do was watch as Blake arrogantly sidled closer, the look on his face all conceited pride and self-impressed cockiness as if he knew she wouldn’t put up a fight. As if he’d already won.

“So, I found you, you bitch.” His sneer twisted his face as the rage and hatred that boiled just under the surface were exposed for a second, before hidden again over his pleasant facade.

“I’m going to take you home, and teach you a lesson you won’t ever forget.” His words jolted her out of her stupor.

“I’m not going with you.” Adeline hated the weakness in her voice, but at least she’d said the words. She had been worried she wouldn’t be able to do even that.

Blake’s eyes widened in outrage at her refusal.

“I don’t think you heard me.” His voice was hard, an edge of something unstable made her skin crawl. “We. Are. Going. Home.” Adeline couldn’t believe she had once thought herself in love with this man. How could she have been so blind to his true, twisted nature?

“And I said no! I’m not going anywhere with you. Not now. Not ever!” She was proud of the new found strength adding weight to her words. She was even a bit surprised, the old Adeline would have never dared to talk to Blake like this.

A thrill of confidence had her standing straighter, facing him head on. A challenging glint entered her dark blue eyes.

“We are over. I never want to see you again, I’m going to file a restraining order. I’m through with letting you hurt me.” Blake’s nostrils flared as anger turned his features ugly, unable to stand her challenging him. He walked towards her threateningly.

“Hurt? Oh, you think I hurt you before, just wait…Agghhh.” His temper-laced threats were cut off as Jay locked him in a choke hold, Detective Jones slapping cuffs around his wrists as he read him his rights.

Jay and his friend, the detective, had been hiding in the bathroom, lights off, door cracked just enough to hear every incriminating word, not mention witnessing his breaking and entering.  While Blake was being detained, Jay rushed to Adeline’s side, throwing his arms around her and squeezing so tight she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t complain either, there was no other place she wanted to be except in his embrace.

“I’m so proud of you.” His gruff compliment sent warmth shooting through her, helping to settle her still jangling nerves. She looked up into his eyes, her own shining with gratitude.

“Thank you.” She turned to watch Detective Jones walk Blake out of the motel room, out of her life, and into the unmarked squad car parked outside. She leaned into Jay, soaking in the feeling of his body, his strength, surrounding her. Adeline whispered again, so quietly Jay could barely hear it, but he felt it echo throughout his entire being.

“Thank you.”

Chapter 8

Jay sat back in the old desk chair, it creaked as it gave alarmingly under his weight, but soon stabilized. Rubbing his eyes against the headache that had been steadily growing all day, he glanced at the clock on his desk.
Damn it
. Almost seven already.

Another long day, and longer night stuck in the office had him feeling restless. As his reputation as a top Private Investigator had grown, so had the seriousness of his cases, and the file he had flipped open in front of him was one of the biggest jobs he’d had yet.

He was still waiting for a break, but his animal instincts told him to keep persevering. And his animal instincts were hardly ever wrong. They tingled now, the hair on the back of his neck rising just before the frosted glass door opened.

Jay could hear the soft click of high heels against the checkered linoleum floor as they drew closer to the back office, and where he was sitting. Her distinctive scent found him first, wrapping around him in clouds of Lavender and sweetness.

The door of his office opened, and Adeline’s shining blond curls peeked around the big slab of aged hardwood. It was closely followed by her wide forehead with furrowed brows slashing over the most beautiful blue eyes had ever seen. The sight of them still had him catching his breath, even after six months.

Her curved nose, full mouth, and pixie chin all followed in quick succession, but his eyes stayed fixated on her mouth. Oh, the things she could do with that mouth. Jay shifted, trying to ease some of the sudden pressure caused by his wayward thoughts, when the chair gave another ominous creak. He felt it give with a slight drop, level out, and then the back loosened completely, leaving him in an ungracious heap on the cold floor.

Peals of feminine laughter had him looking up, Adeline’s sweet face staring down at him with mirth and love shining clear and bright as she tried to control her giggles. She put a hand over her mouth, covering the inadvertent cause of his predicament.

“Are you okay?” She managed between chuckles, reaching her hands down to help him up to his feet. He took hold, but turned the tables on her by giving a quick tug, pulling her down on top of him instead, and inciting another burst of laughter.

“Hey, you better watch that bear strength of yours.” Adeline teased. It warmed his heart whenever she joked about his true nature. It had been a hard conversation a few months ago when he had brought it up, but it had turned out that she had known about him, and his other half, since the beginning.

She had seen him shift when he had defended her against those thugs in the alley, not quite believing her eyes at first. As she had come to know him, witnessed more of the incredible feats his bear half allowed him to accomplish, she was convinced.

Jay was still amazed that she had accepted him so easily, more open-hearted and generous than he had a right to ask for. And also sweeter. He stared up at her, awed at how lucky he was to have found this incredible woman, the twists and turns of fate that had led him into her path.

“Hey.” The mirth in her eyes slowly transformed into something more serious as she stared down into his dark brown eyes, still laying on his chest.

“Hey back.” He whispered back, his body hardening, impossible to ignore the press of her luscious curves, or the spark of desire firing behind the blue in her eyes.

“I was thinking we should go get some food, but maybe we should just find someplace more comfortable first.” Jay chuckled, the sound distinctly masculine as he drew her up his already straining body.

“How about you just stay on top,” He grinned at her, “It’s your favorite anyways.” It had quickly become his as well. Adeline grinned saucily back at him.

“You’ll be my bed?”

“Baby, I’ll be your bed, your house, your whole world if you just promise me one thing.”

She shifted on top of him, tilting her head to one side.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” His eyes stared up at hers holding all the love he had in his heart for her.

“Don’t let go”

THE END

Chapter 1

Lanie felt her nerves beginning to tremble as she sat in the quiet waiting area.  Though for her money it seemed like it was less of a “waiting area” and more like a foot chamber for some kind of royalty.  The walls around here were granite… the floors were marble… and there were ten chairs that were fit to be thrones in one of the old monarchies.  With nothing but a skylight above her to give her light – and considering how high up she was in the building – it felt like she had died and was awaiting the final judgement of God. 

Not far from the truth though, is it?
Asked the little voice in the back of her head.

“Shut up,” she whispered to the small voice nervously.  She caught herself in that and realized that she had whispered at all without meaning to.  A nervous habit, that was, and a sign of the kind of state of mind that she was in. 

She did not get nervous often, but it wasn’t something that she could ignore or suppress.  As few and far between as such instances were for her, they were like wine: the longer she had them stored away the more potent they became.  More than that, she got nervous at predictable times, like now: the unavoidable time spent inside a waiting area for her job interview to begin.  Her nerves always waited until such a time to begin their dance, making her feel as if there was some invisible soiree behind her eyes and only the neurons in her brain were invited to rave.

Her skin tingled, she drummed her fingers nervously on the cover of her personal portfolio, and she resisted the urge to touch her hair considering it had taken her more than an hour to get it the way she wanted.  Not a single hair could be out of place… not today it couldn’t… not for
this
.

She recalled the advertisement on the net like it was only yesterday, she had been so excited to see it. 

Wanted: A live-in attaché to CEO of high stakes and fast-paced technology company.  High pay, 9 figures a year to the right candidate.  Comprehension of business practices, ability to multitask, fluent with computers a must.  Applicants must be clean, orderly, understanding of multiple languages a plus.  Respond this link for application. 

She had sprung for that link the same way that teenage boys went after the bra clasps to their first dates.  And though the advertisement had been simple she knew enough about computers – everyone did – to know that it was legit.  Though her hopes had not been high and merely childish at best, she had sent her application off with the same grace as someone taking a shot in the dark.

It had been less than week later before she got her response, detailing where and when she was to come for her interview.  She had about hit the roof of her living unit when she authenticated the business title on her receipt message.

The response had come from Madison Technologies.

She still couldn’t believe her good fortune.  It was like she had wished upon a single lucky star or something of that nature.  As a child she had been taught about wishing upon a star, like all children had been, and had eventually given such a belief over to childish superstition as she had matured.  But now, just a few short months out of college, and she was sitting and waiting for her interview in one of the largest – and most
influential
– conglomerates on the planet.

Madison Technologies
… she thought excitedly for the umpteenth time since she had opened her eyes from sleep this morning.  Anyone in her line of work knew the name, the same way that people all over the world knew Santa Claus even if they didn’t believe in him.  Such a powerful entity was on the bucket list of anyone who wanted to work on the cutting edge of the most advanced technologies… to be close to the
real
frontier of
anything
.  If it was new, M.T. was researching it… developing it… building it… or patenting it.  If it was something that was unknown, then M.T. was theorizing it… looking for it… or developing a means to prove it.

M.T. owned the patents on so many ground breaking technologies that it was considered by most to be the new Rome of the world.  If all roads led to Rome in the ancient world, then every piece of tech in the new world was born in the labs of M.T.  And it wasn’t only the tech that the company developed… it was the market share that made it the envy of every other conglomerate in the world. 

It’s how they can afford nine figures to a glorified assistant
, she thought, feeling the tingle at the opportunity that she had been sitting patiently for within the last ten minutes.  Or at least what
felt
like ten minutes as she didn’t have the heart to check and see how long she actually had been sitting here.  She wanted to savor every sweet instance of this day… the bliss of it all was too real to believe and she could scarcely believe that she had made it at all.

Lanie had done some research when she had applied for the job. 
Forbes
Magazine
had put Madison Technologies at the #1 spot on the Fortune 500 list.  So had
Time Magazine
…
Business World… Tech Frontiers
and a hundred other magazines that she didn’t need to read to know that M.T. was at the center of the bullseye for business and development. 

That added to her frayed nerves, the research that she had done.  Statistics showed that 95% of all people who applied to work for M.T. never made it past the application process since the business was so selective about the people that they hired.  That much was common knowledge; only
the
best of the best ever made it in, allowing for how many breakthroughs that the company made.  And of the 5% that made it in, only 1% ever made it as far as interviewing for the man behind it all.

That explains why you’re alone here
, the little voice said, causing her feet to start bouncing nervously on the floor. 

She looked around, anxious for something else to focus on besides the very reason she had been called in here.  There were certainly plenty of other – albeit small – distractions in the room with her.  Like so many other waiting rooms that she had seen it was an impressive place that, if she were to judge such things, was expensive to build. 

No credit card was safe when they built this place,
she thought looking around. 

The floors were made of white marble and polished so highly that she could have used it for a mirror.  The chair she sat in conformed to her shape and she was able to look at the floor over her knees as she leaned forward.  Her reflected twin stared up at her and she gave herself an appraising look.  Her chocolate colored skin was perfect, her eyes were dark, and her jet black hair was tied in a ponytail that hung limply over her right shoulder.  Her figure was rounded, she carried full breasts, hips, thighs, and calves that were not the average size of most women in her business but that had never held her back from becoming the best at what she did.  Dressed in her best gray business suit, she almost felt intimidated by her own reflection.

I’ve got this
; she thought to herself, gazing at her own reflection in the floor,
I can do this… I’m going to go in there… I’m going to conquer… and I’m going to be sitting as the personal attaché
the
most influential man on the fucking planet!

Positive as she tried to be it did nothing to calm her nerves.  She continued to drum away on her portfolio and looked to her watch.  Not to check the time, but simply to look upon the device itself as if gave her no small amount of comfort.

The watch itself was an antique, more than two hundred years old, and still in working order.  Her great-great-grandfather had worn the watch from his days in the military when he’d served in one of the wars that America had fought… it was called the Gulf War, if she remembered it right.  Back in the days when the Middle East was still a collection of warring religious tribes or something like that.  History had never been one of her exceedingly strong skills.

The watch had been passed from one generation to the next until it had come all the way down to her.  Her own father, never wanting her to join the military – and also because she had no brothers – had inherited the watch.  And he’d kept it until the day he’d passed it to her.

“It’s been through a lot of shit,” her father always used to tell her.   “You wear this, you can survive anything.  It’s a part of you… it’ll keep you safe.”

She smiled at the watch.  It was one of the few things that she had left of her father… of her whole family, come to that.  The face of the device looked brand new; there wasn’t so much as a scratch upon the hardened plastic.  It was designed to function in the military after all, so it was probably sturdier than most other time pieces.  The three hands inside of it had carried on with their function, telling her the hour, minute, and second of the day. 

She allowed her fingers to trace the circular edge of the watch and felt the old steel construction of it.  The watch was warm from being worn on her wrist and she marveled at it and not for the first time.  It had been built in a time when things were not made to endure.  All she had ever done – all that
anyone
in her family had ever done – to ensure that the watch would work was to change the battery.  Apart from that, there had never been any work done to the device.  It truly was, she believed, a marvel of engineering.  Not so different from what she was trying to accomplish here.

“Ms. Church?” said a woman’s voice, startling her.

She almost jumped in her chair, but managed to keep still… barely.  She didn’t’ want to appear nervous and every fiber of muscle in her body became as rigid as hull steel.  She looked and saw another dark-skinned woman standing in the doorway of the highly glossed waiting room.  This woman, much like herself, was dressed in a business suit, her hair tied into numerous braids behind her head and an oddly serene look upon her face. 

“Yes?” Lanie said, acknowledging the other woman.

“Mr. Madison will see you now,” the woman said.  “Please, follow me.”