Romance: Wanted by the Alpha Lion (A BBW Paranormal Suspense Romance) (Heroes of Shifter Creek Book 2) (46 page)

              “I just got here,” Daisy snapped. “But I guess I could take a nap. I was up all night crying and drinking.”

              “You can sleep in my bed,” I offered. “Not with me, of course, but…. It’s comfortable. And Orion slept in the guestroom, so you might not want to sleep there.”

              “Wherever.”

              I shrugged to Mom and Patrick and led her to my room. I got out some pajamas for her to wear while also grabbing some real clothes for myself. She sat on my bed, smiling at me.

              “This is very nice of you to let me sleep here,” she said in a sultry voice. “Is there anything you’d like to do with me?”

              “No, you’re drunk.” I handed her the pajamas. “I’m going to take a shower and get into real clothes. Sleep here as long as you like.”

              She started to take off her clothes and change into the pajamas. She wore a lacy white bra with a striped cotton thong. I turned to let her change, though my body had gone into overdrive. She chuckled at me.

              “Are you sure you don’t want to lay down with me?” she asked in a sweet angel voice.

              I didn’t turn to look at her. “No, I don’t trust myself. Just get some sleep, okay?”

              “Will you give me a goodnight kiss?”

              “Yes.”

              I turned to see her wrapped in my blankets. I gave her a kiss on the forehead. She smiled and kissed me on the forehead too before sinking into the bed for sleep. I sighed, just watching her for a moment. She looked heavenly with her strawberry blonde hair splayed across the pillow. She hadn’t quite buttoned the pajama top all the way, so I could see her cleavage peeking out. I wanted to get back into bed to sleep with her, but I knew I couldn’t control myself.

              I sighed and left to take a shower. Probably a cold one.

Daisy

              Jimmy sat downstairs with Dad and Ruth, drinking coffee and talking about something I couldn’t make out as I walked down the stairs. My head ached from a hangover, and my stomach felt like it just wanted to turn inside out. I thought my heart would hurt more than it did, but it actually felt okay. I almost felt relieved Jaden was gone – I wouldn’t have to pretend to care about politics anymore.

              “Good afternoon, Sleeping Beauty,” Dad smiled at me as I came down, lumbering into the couch next to him. “Do you feel better now?”

              “I feel emotionally better, but not physically better,” I answered. “I feel an absolute wreck.”

              “We tried some of your cupcakes,” Ruth commented. “They were pretty good, even though Jimmy helped you make them.”

              “I didn’t do much.” Jimmy raised his hands in defeat. “Don’t look at me.”

              He looked more awake than he had been that morning, and somehow sexier. I hadn’t noticed before that he had that effortless way about him that Orion had too. He didn’t act like anyone – he was just himself. And his gorgeous smile always looked genuine. It was enough to make my legs go weak as he turned his grin toward me.

              “Why don’t we go to a late lunch, Miss Daisy?” he asked. “I think it would do you good.”

              “I don’t know if I want to go outside right now. I feel like refried ass.”

              “You look great to me. I know a great Thai place that has helped with my hangovers many a time. Let’s try it out.”

              “You might as well go out and have some fun, sweetie,” Dad said, putting his arm around me. “You’re going to have to have a long discussion with your mother.”

              “Oh no. What did she say?” I grimaced.

              “She said Jaden had already called her and explained his reasoning for leaving. So, she wasn’t happy. She really wanted you to call, but I told her you were too emotional.”

              “Why would he call her?”

              “Who knows? I guess he still wants her vote.”

              Jimmy and Ruth snickered as Dad smirked. I gave only a slight smile. Jimmy sensed this and stood, holding his hand out to me to lift me up. When my hand touched his, I felt that electricity again. It made my drunk sickness almost fade away, although my head still hurt terribly. Still, looking into his eyes, I instantly felt safe. I didn’t need to feel sad anymore because I knew I’d be taken care of. I never felt that with Jaden, even when we first fell in love.

              “Come, fair lady,” Jimmy said. “I will lead you to your chariot.”

              “Are you driving?” Ruth asked.

              “Whose care are you driving?” Dad added.

              “It’s a metaphorical chariot,” Jimmy replied. “We’ll probably just walk.”

              I didn’t feel up to that, but I pretended I could make it. We walked in a pleasant silence for a few minutes. He kept his hands in his pockets nervously, and I felt like death. I wondered if the sun would make me burst into flames until what only remained was ashes.

              “Do you like Thai food?” Jimmy asked, finally breaking the silence.

              “I like it okay,” I responded. “Actually, I haven’t really tried it before.”

              “That’s a real shame! It’s fantastic.”

              “Jaden didn’t really like… um… as he said ‘ethnic’ foods. So, we never really went anywhere but diners and that.”

“A true American.”

I chuckled. “I think Nina tried to take me somewhere once, but I was a picky eater then.”

              “Not now?”

              “No. My dad took me to sushi, and I was hooked.”

              “Well, that was nice of him.”

              “Yeah, we got a little closer after Nina left. I guess he wanted a daughter to hang out with.”

              “Are you worried about calling your mom?”

              “Terrified.”

              He nodded, grabbing my arm gently to guide me to the restaurant. He greeted the hostess, who seemed happy to see him. She hugged him and said something to him in a different language. He smiled and answered her, his voice confident even when speaking foreign words. She led us to a table and patted him on the back before returning to her post.

              “You know how to speak their language?” I asked as soon as I knew she was gone.

              “Yeah, I used to come here a lot,” he answered, looking at the menu. “I even worked here for a little bit when I wanted to buy a car.”

              “I didn’t know you had a job,” I said softly. “I would’ve thought…”

              “That I was a rich kid so I didn’t need one?”

              “That makes it sound really bad.”

              He laughed, “Oh, don’t feel that way. I just wanted to make my own money. Mom and I struggled a lot when my dad died, so I couldn’t ask her to help me with a car.”

              “They bought Nina a car.”

              “
Your mom
bought Nina a car. She sold it and bought herself an old junker. We fixed our cars up together.”

              “Mom must’ve been furious.”

              “I’m sure she was. But no big deal. You should get the Pad See Ew. You’ll love it.”

              “Okay, I’ll try it. Thank you for being so nice to me.”

              “You don’t have to thank me. I’m just relishing being with you.”

              I couldn’t help but smile. Jaden had never been so kind, even when we first met. Of course, our parents set us up, so that might have been part of the reason. I felt like I had to try with him, but he didn’t feel he had to try with me. I morphed to what he wanted instead of just being myself. Jimmy has always liked me, even when I was a weird eleven-year-old with braces and skinny chicken legs.

              We ordered our food, and Jimmy asked for two Thai iced teas, insisting I would “love it.” I let him choose because it seemed to give him such joy. He really liked showing me new things and hoped I’d like them. The waitress brought the teas, and I knew I’d made a new friend.

              “These are so good,” I said. “Like, really, really good.”

              “I know! I can’t get enough Thai iced tea,” he grinned. “I dream about it.”

              “Is there like a fountain of it you can run through and drink?”

              “Get out of my head. You got it.”

              I laughed, knowing he was just playing with me. Still, he acted so warmly about it, that he didn’t seem like he was making fun of me; instead, he had fun
with
me. The food quickly came, and we shared our dishes. He got a red curry, which I didn’t think I would like but was actually delicious. I knew as soon as my dish arrived that I would love it – I love anything noodles. The lunch felt like the best first date I’d ever been on, even though Jimmy sat across from me.

              Maybe, just maybe, I should have paid closer attention to his letters.

              “So, what did you think?” he asked when we walked out of the restaurant.

              “It was wonderful,” I grinned from ear to ear. “I actually really do feel better.”

              “I knew you would! It’s that Thai magic.”

              “You were right. I have to admit it.”

              “Well, what do you want to do now?”

              “I should probably go home. I’m sure Jaden won’t be there anymore, and I really should look at my work email and stuff.”

              “Cool. I think it’s not that far of walk from here, right?”

              “Not too far, no.”

              “Do you mind if maybe… I held your hand?”

              I looked into his nervous face, seeing all the restrained yearning in it. “I don’t mind at all.”

              He grasped my hand, making my body jolt with tingles. My thighs especially shook with the touch. I never felt such abject desire before. I couldn’t wait to get home and feel him closer. Part of me hated that I wanted him so quickly – that I wanted him at all – but another part thought it felt right. Perhaps he was right all along.

              “All right, I should probably get home now,” he smiled as we approached the door. “I’ll let you get to your work.”

              “You can come in if you want. You just walked a long way.”

              “I don’t want to burden you.”

              “Please. I’d like you to come in.”

              His smile grew, but he tried to hide the overwhelming joy that already played on his face. I entered the door cautiously, worried Jaden might still be there; yet, with a note on the kitchen counter telling of his departure, I knew he wouldn’t be coming back.

              “So, what should we do?” he asked. “Do you want to watch a movie or something? Then you can do work while we watch.”

              “I guess we could. Is that what you want to do?”

              “I’m easy.”

              I walked forward to him purposefully. He looked around the room, seeming calmer than the first time he came in.

              “This is a really nice place you have here,” he said, turning to me. “Are you okay?”

              I took off his glasses and nodded. Before he could speak again, I kissed him. He seemed surprised at first, but quickly gave into it by wrapping his arms around my waist. He spun me around to rest on the couch. Normally, I would have guided him to the bedroom, but it felt exciting to make out with him on the couch. Jaden had been my first, and he had never been very adventurous.

              “I don’t know if I can control myself,” Jimmy whispered between kisses. “I have wanted you for so long.”

              “You don’t have to,” I responded. “I am yours.”

              He kissed with me passionately, making my body turn to jelly. I pulled at his shirt, which he quickly unbuttoned and removed. The clothes seemed to just fall off of us as our bodies yearned more and more for each other. I’ve never felt a need so strongly.

              “Are you sure about this?” he asked as our bare skin finally touched. “Are you still drunk?”

              “I’m not still drunk,” I laughed. “And I am sure.”

              He leaned in, holding my face as he kissed me again. Then I felt him slowly slide inside of me. I instantly felt uplifted, transported, to some kind of earthly heaven. He moved slowly at first, listening to my breathing and responding to it.

              “Move with me,” he whispered right into my ear, making my body tremble even more than it already was. “Move your hips.”

              I did as he said, moving with him as he slowly slid in and out. Finally, we seemed to gain a rhythm. We moved as if we were dancing perfectly in sync, our bodies responding to each other’s moves. He started to speed up, holding his hand under my head so it didn’t hit against the hard couch arm. I tried to move with him, but I suddenly felt paralyzed by pleasure. I arched into him, not having the faculties to do anything else.

He thrust deeper and starting to moan with every hip movement. My voice bounced through my throat with breathy whimpers, longing for him to keep touching that one spot. I felt myself unconsciously arching higher and my toes start to curl. Then, with a scream of passion, pleasure overtook me. He thrust a few more times until he gave a deep, guttural moan too and climaxed. I felt his heart beating swiftly against my chest as our breathing evened to a normal pace.

“Do you want to go another round?” he asked after a long moment.

“Are you kidding?”

“No. I’m up for it.”

I touched his nose with mine. “Yes, I think I could do that. Let’s try the bedroom this time though.”

He nodded, slowly lifting himself off of me. Then, he picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. I’m like a real princess being carried away to her happily ever after. We made love the rest of the night, then fell asleep in each other’s arms. His warmth never left me, making my dreams dance with sweet, happy things.

In the morning, the soft sunlight lifted my lids with worry. I turned to him, hoping he’d wake up with my movement.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, still half asleep.

“What am I going to tell my mom?” I responded, touching his still peacefully sleeping face.

He opened his eyes, now looking more beautiful without his glasses hiding them. “I guess tell her that I love you, and no matter what happens, I always will. And if you need me to be a senator, I can give it a shot.”

I laughed, nuzzling him. “You’d be a terrible politician.”

“Yeah, but I’d win if you were by my side. They’d vote for me just so they could gaze upon your beauty.”

“I think I love you, as crazy as that seems.”

“I’ve loved you since I was thirteen. That doesn’t seem crazy at all.”

He wrapped his arms tighter around me and kissed my forehead, easing me into a happy slumber again. For once, even though I’d always worried about my life and how I could make my mother happy, I finally felt like I made the right decision. And, finally, true happiness and hope has bloomed onto the horizon.