PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Bear Naked Satisfaction (Fantasy Shapeshifter Alpha Male Romance Book 3) (Contemporary New Adult Billionaire Steamy Romance Short Stories) (2 page)

Chapter 2

Once frisked, poked, glared at, and interrogated, Andrea and Reed were led into the anteroom of the mansion by seven guards—she counted them twice. The room they were all in was actually small compared to Reed’s and Hank’s entryway, but it was about the size of Andrea’s bedroom back home; she didn’t feel crowded nor liberated, though the blank, empty walls and the crude flooring did remind her of a prison cell…except that even prison cells contained furniture within them.

“He will be with you shortly,” one of the guards said before all seven of them walked out the front door.

More curious than affronted, Andrea took a few tentative steps toward the eastern wall. She could see no blinking lights—no indication of cameras—but she couldn’t put it past Fernando to somehow equip this place with the best kind of security in the world. A part of her found this all so twistedly amusing, but that reaction was more of a taught habit than anything else. In truth, she couldn’t really blame Fernando for being as cautious as he was—not after everything she had seen and learned over the past couple of weeks.

“Are you all right?” Reed asked, wrapping one arm around her and tilting his head toward her temple. “I understand if all of that was a little…invasive.”

“I’m fine,” she said honestly, her eyes still scanning the wall. When she still found nothing on it, she turned her attention toward a different wall and ended up bumping her nose against his face. A startled giggle erupted from her throat. “Sorry. I’m just…”

She could feel him smile against her skin. “It’s okay. I get it. When I met Fernando for the first time, I had a similar reaction to his protocols.”

              “Really?”

              He hummed his assertion. “He comes off a bit strange and offensive, but he always means well. He’s really nothing to be afraid of, I promise.”

              Andrea frowned. She wasn’t afraid, nor was she as trustworthy as Reed believed. A twinge of discomfort—of a sense of rejection—made her heart stutter, but with a self-righteous anger, she mentally shoved the sensation aside. What right did she have to feel hurt by Reed and his misdiagnosis? It was what had gotten her this far in her investigation. She gritted her teeth at this reminder, self-loathing familiar but still painful beneath her breastbone.

              The doors to the rest of the mansion were swung open, Fernando and a few other guards walking through them. Fernando, his shoes scuffed up and his attire wrinkled, stood in the middle of the room and studied Andrea, who had turned to face him the moment he entered the room. Reed stood beside her, his shoulder brushing up against the back of her neck.

              Andrea, in return, did the same to him. He wasn’t as tall as Reed or Hank, but his shoulders were a little wider than the other two of the Trio—his arms a little thicker. His eyes were lighter than Reed’s, and they seemed incapable of staring at one thing for more than a brief second. Fernando acted over-caffeinated, even as he stood in place; there just seemed to be an energy thrumming through him, making him twitch every so often.

              “Miss Andrea Watson,” Fernando eventually said, nodding at her.

              Andrea frowned. “Yes?”

              “I do not like the nature of games, of cons, of courtesy—I do not have the patience for them, so I am going to be frank with you.” Fernando’s entire body went rigid, his gaze narrowing as he bared his teeth. “If you hurt me and my friends in any way, I will have you killed. Is that clear?”

              Andrea glared to hide the instinctive fear that flashed through her. She crossed her arms and opened her mouth to convey her understanding when Reed shoved past her and headed for Fernando.

              “That’s uncalled for,” Reed growled.

              Fernando turned to him. “You’ve let your feelings blind you. She’s. A. Journalist. It’s her job to snoop into other people’s business and then tell the public about them.”

              “She isn’t like that.”

              “And what if she is? What if she is lying to you?”

              Reed’s body tensed, his shoulders rising and his hands clenching into fists. He was so quiet that Andrea barely heard him when he said, “She isn’t.”

              “Compelling argument,” Fernando said. He tilted his head, his expression conveying disappointment and sardonic amusement. “Let me guess, you decided that after she slept with you.”

              A monstrous roar burst from Reed, and he stumbled forward a few steps as his flesh contorted into larger, furrier shapes.

              Fernando didn’t even blink.

              Andrea held her breath, her heart pounding wildly and her mind racing. Though she could only see the back of Reed, he still appeared demonic—only partially transformed. Unease settled in her gut, and she had to fight against the urge to back away.

              “We don’t have time for this,” Fernando said, exasperation and a hint of rage seeping in his tone. His frown widened, revealing his teeth. “Since the three of us last spoke, I have found the location of the alchemist.”

              Reed’s breathing calmed into a steady rhythm, but otherwise, he remained motionless.

              Tempted as she was to move, Andrea also remained motionless. Ignoring everything else, she focused on Fernando’s words.

              “This is almost over,” the Colombian said fiercely. “We have almost ensured that. And right at this moment of our triumphant, this Andrea Watson just happens to show up and want to help? That is too coincidental.”

              In a quick yet violent motion, Reed transformed back into himself. His clothes were stretched—even torn in some place—and he awkwardly swiped at the front part of his attire. His quietness, as well as the growing sense of certainty that shone in Fernando’s eyes, made Andrea’s gut churn. An instinctive jolt shot through her—telling her to survive—and she stepped forward.

              “I promised Reed I would say nothing about your kind or your plans,” she said, gaining Fernando’s and Reed’s full attention. She fought against the urge to wince under Fernando’s harsh glare, and instead, she held his gaze and jutted her chin upward. “I was assigned by Monumental Press to investigate the rumor of Hank Bennet potentially owning a bear as a pet, but when I learned what was really happening, I put aside my initial and, admittedly, shallow goals to help Reed. He is a good man who deserves peace.”

              “He is,” Fernando said testily. “I know that because I know him. All I know about you is that you are a journalist who caused Hank a great deal of trouble and then who convinced Reed to tell you everything you wanted to know.”

              Reed shook his head. “Hank caused himself a great deal of trouble. If anything, Andrea is a victim of another shifter with too much power and not enough accountability.”

              Fernando huffed, his expression softening as his gaze hardened on Andrea. The longer her observed her, the more tempted she was to squirm. As defensive and petty as Fernando came off, he also seemed to just…know. He knew everything about her without actually knowing it, and while the egotistical nature of that could be his downfall, it didn’t help that his accusations were spot on. Andrea was too aware of this, her anxiety feeling like cold static in her blood. She forced herself to appear calm, but the amount of focus and energy she used to do this was making her dizzy—making her weak.

              Silence hung among them for a long, tedious moment.

              And then Fernando’s cell rang. He answered it so quickly that Andrea flinched, feeling as if the quickness of his hand had somehow slapped her. He spoke into the phone, his gaze still trained on her.

              Andrea sighed tiredly, letting her body slump a bit.

              “Thank you,” Fernando said into his cell before hanging it up and putting it back in his pocket. “That was one of the guards in the city. They searched your rental car and found recording equipment in your suitcase.”

              Panic spiked through Andrea as Reed let out an indignant noise.

              “You searched my car?” Reed spat.

              “Did you not hear what I just said?” Fernando said, shaking his head incredulously at his friend. “She brought a tape recorder and a camera.”

              Andrea crossed her arms and quickly said, “When I first came to Reed, yes, I packed a tape recorder and a camera. As you have repeatedly said, I am a journalist. It was my job to record information. I did not bring those items up here to your—” She pointedly glanced around her, her lips spreading into a disgusted frown. “—lovely home because I do not plan to use them at all.”

              “See?” Reed said, and the confidence in his voice reassured Andrea as much as it pained her. He stepped closer to Fernando and grabbed the shorter man’s arm. “Now will you please give me the benefit of the doubt, just this once? When in our friendship have I ever asked anything of you?”

              Fernando sighed, leaning back a little and eyeing Reed’s hold on him. The shorter man said nothing for a few seconds, his expression slowly conveying a guarded kind of indifference. “You should know better than to use sentiment to try to outweigh common sense—at least with me.” The words themselves seemed like a conviction of some sort, but Fernando spoke them in a low, defeated tone. “I care about you, but I cannot trust you when your judgment has clearly been compromised. But, in the sake of our friendship, I will allow her to remain here with you and the guards while I go confront this alchemist on my own. After all, they only need my blood, not yours.”

              “I suppose that is understandable,” Reed said slowly, lowering his arm.

              No, Andrea thought, her own potential defeat clawing into her. Quickly, she strode up to stand beside Reed and face Fernando. Smiling sweetly yet with condescension, she blurted, “I’m surprised by you, Fernando. You’ve been acting so convinced of your own capabilities of perception while mocking others that I would have thought that you would want to keep an eye on me, yourself. I mean, how trustworthy can every single one of your guards be?” She ignored Reed’s look of confusion and smile wider at Fernando, who looked more irritated than anything else. “If you’re truly afraid of me, then leaving me here—even with supervision—would be unwise, wouldn’t?”

              “Andrea,” Reed said softly, warningly. He placed a gentle had on her arm, his thumb running over it. “Andrea, please, this isn’t worth another argument. He didn’t mean to hurt your feelings; that’s just how he is.”

              Fernando rolled his eyes. “Reed, she’s trying to talk her way into joining me.”

              Reed glanced at him. Almost laughing, the bigger man said, “What? Why—?”

              “I can help,” Andrea said. She had said those words so often, and with so much passion, a part of her was beginning to believe the lie; she used that belief to make herself sound convincing as she continued. “I want to help. This is important to world peace and for Reed’s peace. I can’t just stand back and hope that something works out. I want to help you all in any way I can.”

              “Bull. Shit,” Fernando said, the corner of his lips quirking upward. Something in his face flickered—humor? The tension in his shoulders eased a little, his gaze raking over her yet again. “But, despite the fact that you obviously want to use me, I do agree that no one I know is truly trustworthy of keeping an eye on you. You’re like the snake in the garden.”

              “Well,” she said, fighting back a wave of defensiveness and self-hatred, “a snake in the garden shouldn’t be a match for a bear, should it?”

              Fernando smirked bitterly. “No, it shouldn’t.”

              Reed pulled her aside, startling Andrea by tearing her away from her staring match with Fernando. The concern evident in Reed’s face softened her emotions while strengthening her turmoil, and for a second, she couldn’t bring herself to speak—to question what he was doing with her.

              “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Reed whispered, wincing at his own words. He swallowed thickly. “Fernando is a good guy—he really is—but he is terrified as hell of our secrets getting out. I didn’t even think he would threaten you, but he did. I can’t be sure what he will do to you if…” Reed’s eyes watered, an unrecognizable emotion flashing within them. “I want you to stay here with me. Fernando can handle this on his own. He really doesn’t need any of us.”

              Andrea placed her hands against his neck, a slight tremor wracking through her. Feeling his pulse grounded her, relaxed her. Even as she stared into his eyes, full of confliction and worry, she felt reassured by herself.

              “I can’t stay here,” she said. “I can’t live with that.”

              He closed his eyes, leaning toward her. “You’ve said as much before, but…” His forehead was against hers, his small exhales brushing over her mouth. “Damn it.”

              “I’m an adult, Reed,” she said, smiling. “I’ll be able to handle myself.”

              “He’s a bear, Andrea.”

              “A bear-shifter. There’s a difference.” She bumped her nose against him in an attempt to get him to smile back. “Or so I’ve been told.”

              He blew out a long breath, tickling her. His voice was gruff when he said, “I know I can’t convince you. Just be careful, please.”