Shifters, Beasts, and Monsters (20 page)

Chapter 4

Shamus had been watching
Suzanne through the pool of molten gold for the majority of the weekend. Her
luck held out for Friday, but come Saturday it went back to being a slew of
pure bad luck for the woman. After he had watched as she was being told she was
to be laid off he knew he had to find her once again and try to correct this
luck problem once and for all. The pot was not allowing him to forget he hadn't
remedied her situation, as with each day thoughts of her needing him invaded
his mind, while the spark that had been ignited continued to affect his body.
It was a losing battle for him. If he ever wanted peace, then he'd have to deal
with the situation.

Shamus found her on Monday
evening, the same day she had been told she was losing her job, walking through
the Boston Public Gardens. The majority of the flowers were in full bloom in
each of the garden plots, allowing for the sweet smell of nature to linger in
the middle of a busy city.

He stepped up beside her as
she was admiring someone's extensive herb garden. She hadn't heard him come up
behind her, allowing for him to take a moment to enjoy the warm and exotic
feelings that came over him as a result of being close to her. Despite the
fragrant smell of the flowers around them, he still detected a faint smell of
peaches that he assumed to be the shampoo she had used. He found himself
subconsciously leaning into her, compelled by the sweet scent.

Urges began to rise up within
him. Urges to have her, urges to claim her, urges that the spark provoked,
though if he were completely honest with himself he doubted he would have
needed the spark to be attracted to her. He loved that she tended to wear
skirts and dresses, like the red sundress she was currently wearing: the
above-the-knee types of skirts that accentuated her long, toned legs, and lay
snugly over her womanly hips.

"People have been known
to use white sage to rid themselves of negative energy and promote good
luck," Shamus commented, causing her to yelp in surprise as she spun
around to face him.

Suzanne laughed softly.
"Reminds me of something one of those new age, spiritual people would
say."

"Luck is more or less my
business." Shamus couldn't help himself from taking a quick glance at her
ample cleavage, displayed thanks to the low neckline of the dress's bodice.

Her bright blue eyes looked
at him curiously. "It's funny how I keep running into you lately."
She made a sweeping motion with her hand towards the gardens, "and here of
all places. Do you have a plot?"

Shamus shook his head.
"No. I just enjoy being close to nature."

Suzanne's eyes narrowed as
she looked him up and down, taking in every inch of him. "You don't seem
the naturalist type to me."

"I could say the same
for you," Shamus said with a heart-warming smile. He could understand the
reason for her hesitancy with him. It did seem an awfully large coincidence to
run into him three times in little over a week. Not to mention he began to
suspect that she was feeling the pull between them as strongly as he was. He
just didn't know how to explain what was happening between them, without
sounding slightly insane and having her bolt towards the exit.

"Why did you leave so
suddenly the other day? At the service station." She crossed her arms over
her chest as she continued to eye him.

"Something came up that
I had forgotten about. How about we walk while we talk?" Shamus offered
his arm up for her to take.

After a moment’s pause she
smiled back at him and took his arm. "All right." The cotton material
of his long-sleeved forest green button-down shirt prevented the flare-up
between them. He was thankful for that. He still had to figure out how he was going
to tell her what she wanted to know, without having her think him mentally
unbalanced. He had no intention of lying to her, but some of the truth he felt
he was better off avoiding, at least for the time being.

They walked arm in arm up and
down a couple rows of gardens before Suzanne finally broke the silence.

"If I ask you a question
do you promise not to be offended?" Suzanne asked.

Shamus clucked his tongue on
the roof of his mouth, pretending to think about it. "Seems like this
might be an intriguing question, if you're asking permission," he teased.

Suzanne felt her heart skip a
beat, just from a simple look. He seemed to have a way about him that made her
feel good. She hadn't noticed it before, perhaps because she was so distracted
with the car, but she was noticing it now. She felt comfortable with him, like
she would with someone she’d known for years, not like someone she had just
recently met and really knew nothing about.

"What's with the buckled
shoes?" she finally got up the nerve to ask.

Shamus looked down at her
with curiosity. "My what?"

"It's not like they’re
ugly – I just," she could feel her face redden. "You know what,
I'm sorry. That was rude. Forget it."

She started to pull away from
him, but he held tight to her arm pulling her back next to him, their shoulders
grazing.

"They're part of the
uniform. For my job," he looked down at his feet. "They are pretty
ghastly-looking aren't they?" He laughed heartily. "You should see
the hat that we have to match them."

Suzanne laughed with him, her
worries fading with the laughter. "So you work as a bartender for some
Irish pub or something?"

He nodded, avoiding the
question by simply agreeing with the “or something,” in response.

Suzanne felt the urge to
pursue it further, but opted to leave it for now. He'd tell her more when he
was ready. It wasn't like they were dating. They were simply two people, who
shared an attraction for each other, taking a stroll in the gardens. Nothing
more. As she gave him another once-over she couldn't stop her body from heating
up at the feeling of having him so close to her.

"These past few weeks
have been a nightmare for me," Suzanne blurted out, not really sure why
she was telling him, but felt she just needed to say it. "To top it off, I
lost my job today."

Shamus was silent for a
moment then asked in a tone that said he already knew the answer, "Did you
really like it all that much, anyhow?" He looked down at her, one eyebrow
arched and a hint of a smile on his face.

Suzanne laughed as she
replied, "No." Something about being with him made her
feel
better.
It seemed to turn her pessimistic attitude into an optimistic one; like it was
going to get better as long as long as he was by her side. "I hated it
there."

Shamus shrugged. "Then
how is that a bad thing?" He stopped in his tracks, stopping her with him.
Taking her shoulders in his hands, keeping in mind the need to keep his hands
from coming in contact with her bare skin, he asked: "Do you believe in
fate Suzanne? In destiny?"

Suzanne's bright blue eyes looked
up into his dark, determined ones. In truth, she had never given it much
thought before. Fate. Destiny. "I just don't know if such a thing
exists," she admitted, not able to look him in the eye when she answered.
When she finally summoned the nerve to look up, she found him watching her
intently. There was something about the intensity of the look he gave her that
told her this wasn't just a random question he was asking of her. The look in
his eyes sent a heated shiver down her spine, making her weak at the knees.

"I can tell you that
without a doubt there is. It's what led me to you," he spoke softly.

Whether it was the fact that
they were in the middle of one of the most beautiful spots in Boston, or the
fact that her attraction to him overwhelmed her, or that she just needed the
comfort of someone else – regardless of the reason – she couldn't
stop herself from sliding her arms up over his muscled chest and wrapping them
around his neck. Reaching up to him, her lips sought his.

As her lips grazed his, the
multi-coloured spark seemed to shimmer between them for a brief moment before
dying out. Startled, she pulled back in his arms, looking into his eyes
questioningly.

"It's all right. We'll
discuss it later," he whispered in her ear before trailing his lips back
to hers. As they kissed, his hands dropped to her waist, pulling her tight
against his hard, rigid body.

She moaned as his tongue
sought entry into her mouth. His kiss seemed to start an inferno within her,
unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. As their tongues duelled, her
body seemed to sing out for him, her pelvis rubbing up against his hardening
member. His hand worked its way slowly up her body to lose itself in her hair,
urging her to deepen their kiss.

As her tongue explored his mouth,
her hands investigated the fine definition of his shoulders and chest, over the
soft fabric of his shirt. For a brief moment it occurred to her that she barely
knew the man she was pressing her body up against. But it didn't seem to
matter, because it felt right. It felt as if she had been waiting all her life
for his kiss, to feel his hands on her body. Her body cried out for more of
him, cried out to feel more of his cock, which was hardening against her.

Summoning every ounce of
restraint she had in her, she placed her palms against his chest and
reluctantly pushed herself away from him. She stood, breathless, staring up
into his dark, desire-ridden eyes.

"Who are you? Who are
you
really
?" Suzanne’s heart was thumping so hard within her chest,
she was certain it was going to explode. She took her lower lip between her
teeth to prevent it trembling as she anxiously awaited his response. She wanted
to hear the truth, not the nonsense he had been feeding her up until that
point. Certainly he had been joking with her, but it was time for him to put
the jokes aside for now.

Shamus let out a loud sigh,
running a hand through his thick dark hair. "Everything I have said to you
is true."

Suzanne took a step back from
him, then another. Crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowed at him
suspiciously. "You have a wife, that's why you're being evasive. Do you
weave these foolish tales about mystical dimensions and destiny with all the
women you try to pick up? Or am I the first?"

"What?" Shamus
shook his head. "No. It's nothing like that, Suzanne." As he took a
step towards her, she took one back, keeping a safe three-foot distance between
them.

She reached out and touched
the bare skin of his hand with her own, causing the rainbow spark to light up.
"Is that some type of parlour trick you've devised?" Despite her
gradually building anger, the spark sent another wave of desire through her.
Heat simmered between her legs. As much as she wanted to think it was a trick,
something he had invented, she still couldn't figure out why the touch of his
bare skin built up such a deep desire within her.

"It's all true
Suzanne," he protested, taking a step closer, reaching out and touching
her bare shoulder with his hand.

Another spark accompanied a
deepening urge to take her up into his arms.

"All right... Take me
there."

"What? Where?

"This mystical dimension
you say you're from. Take me there." Suzanne tapped her heel-clad foot
impatiently on the asphalt pathway.

"I can't. Humans cannot
leave this realm of existence. I would, but it's simply not possible."
Shamus cursed himself. He was handling this all wrong, he knew that. But how
else was he expected to handle it? If there was a good way to tell a woman
you're a leprechaun, then it would have been invaluable knowledge to him at
this moment.

Suzanne laughed; it sounded
cold and hollow even to her own ears.
He is insane
, she thought,
disgusted with herself for allowing him to draw her in with his charms,
Not
married, or just in it for a fling; he's truly insane
.

After taking a moment to
gather her thoughts, she had to ask the question looming between them now,
"So what are you, if not human?"

Shamus stepped up to her,
closing the distance and placing a hand on each of her shoulders. He looked
deep into her hurt, confused eyes before telling her in a hushed tone:
"Suzanne, I'm a leprechaun."

Suzanne looked down at the
ground, focusing her attention on a single ant that was bustling its busy way
between their feet. Finally she looked back up at him and nodded.
"Good-bye Shamus." She brushed past him, making her way to the
gardens’ exit as he stood watching her leave.
Go figure, first man I've been
attracted to in months and he's a few bricks short of a load.

"Leprechauns.
Pfft," she muttered under her breath.

Suzanne had almost made it to
the exit when her mobile phone rang. She halted in her tracks and rummaged
through the contents of her overloaded handbag until she found her cellular
phone. She flipped it open with one hand on the fourth ring. "Hello."

"Miss Winters?" She
didn't recognize the telephone number or the male voice on the other end of the
call.

"Speaking." Suzanne
looked back to where she had left Shamus. He was gone. Another one of his
Houdini disappearing acts.