ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (97 page)

After what seemed like hours, she glanced at the clock on her nightstand.  Its red numbers blinked 4:01AM at her.  How was that even possible?

She threw the covers off, padded to the door and peeked outside.  The hallway was dark, and so was his room.  She carefully walked on the soft carpet and treaded down the stairs lightly.  She tiptoed across the wood floor until she reached the media room.  She tugged the pocket doors nearly closed and collapsed onto the worn leather couch.  She snuggled into it and flipped on a Lifetime movie.

CHAPTER THREE

She must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she was floating.  She struggled to lift her heavy eyelids.  She was surrounded by a warmth that she couldn’t place.  And that warmth smelled really good.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she jolted awake.  She was being carried up the stairs.  She tilted her head back, but didn’t need to see the familiar face to place the scent.

“Carson, put me down,” she shrieked.  “You’re going to drop me!”

He tilted her forward threateningly until she squealed and then tipped her back into the safety of his arms.  “Relax, I’m not going to drop you.  You were going to wake up with one hell of a stiff neck if I left you down there.”

She caught the hands of the clock in the hallway as they glided past.  It had only been an hour since the last time she’d looked.  “Why are you still awake?”

He didn’t answer for a few seconds.  “Couldn’t sleep.  Why’d you go downstairs?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” she retorted.

He laughed softly.  She tried to ignore the seductive grumbling in his chest at the sound.  “Poor baby.”

They kept silent until they got to the intersection of his room and hers.  He hesitated slightly.  She tilted her head back again to look up at him.

He was looking down at her.  “How drunk are you?”

“Not drunk enough apparently,” she quipped.  He didn’t seem to find that funny.

“G, tell me,” he ordered, deceptively quiet.

“I had a few glasses of wine, couple shots but they were earlier in the night.  I’m not sober, but I’m okay,” she admitted.

He breathed in so deeply his chest pushed her against his forearms.  “Right.  No sleeping alone for you then.”

“What?”  She couldn’t have heard that right.  “Come again?”

“Our parents aren’t here, so there’s no one to wake up if you start puking.  And I’m a deep sleeper.  I’ll never hear you.”

“Carson, I’m not going to puke.  And even if I did, I’ll survive.  I’ve done worse, I assure you,” she said, affronted.

“I had a friend say that once to me.”

“Yeah, and did she give in and climb into bed with you, and find the light?”  She retorted.

“No, he threw up in the middle of the night lying on his back and choked on his own vomit.  He died while I was sound asleep in the next room.”

Gianna stopped breathing.  She struggled in his arms until she could look up in his eyes fully.  “Carson, I’m so sorry.  I had no idea.”

He offered her a lopsided smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.  “You had no way of knowing, but neither am I adhering to your wishes about this.  Not ever.”

She tossed around her options.  Him in her bed.  Hers in his.  Not sleeping until they were both sober.  Taking a breathalyzer.  Crossing out the two impossible choices, she realized that she was going to have to sleep in the same bed as him no matter where they were.

Mentally admitting defeat, she nodded in the direction of his room.  Better that she stay in his than wake up every morning smelling him in her bed.

He dumped her gently on the bed and stepped back.  His gaze heated when he realized what she was wearing.

“Is that my shirt?“

“No,” she interrupted quickly.  He smiled a devilish smile and she knew that he didn’t believe her for a second.

She made a half hearted attempt to cover her near nakedness.  But tugging down just made it tug up at the top and she knew that he saw more cleavage than she had bargained for.  She realized the worn hem and sighed in agitation.  He turned around to put his watch on the end table and she swore she heard him chuckle.

When he turned back around, the moonlight from the uncovered window made his eyes look like they glowed.  Annoyed, she stood, turned, and flounced underneath the covers.

She decided to lay some rules for the night.  “This is my side.  Don’t even think about coming over here.  And if you snore, you’re sleeping at the foot of the bed.”

He nodded in acceptance.  But just as she was sidling in for the night, he responded, “And if you put your cold ass feet on mine, I’m going to make sure you’re never cold again.”

Her brain sleepily tried to figure out that cryptic message but the activities of the night rested heavily on her and she started to drift off.  The last thing she remembered was him tugging the covers up over her and the dip in the mattress when he joined her.

When Carson woke up, the first thing he felt was warmth.  And softness.  It was the smell that really got to him.  Like fruit and seduction, wrapped up into one tantalizing aroma.  He had never smelled that perfume before, but he knew that even if he smelled it on someone else, it would never be the same.  It was just her.  Gianna.  She was woman, and lioness, and temptress in one tiny little package.

Then he realized that while she was certainly still sleeping, she was going to flip her shit when she realized how entangled they had become during the night.  His right arm was underneath both her head and her pillow.  Her left hand was sprawled across the sheets and threaded together with his.  His right hand was protectively covering her breast.  It took everything in him not to squeeze softly, to palm her hard nipple.

Instead he started to plan for his retraction.  They had just reached a decent amount of friendship.  He didn’t want to ruin it by her waking up to his erection pressed against her butt.

His first move was to slide his hand from her breast to her hip.  He bit back a groan at the sensation of sweeping his hand along her soft skin.  His tee shirt had ridden up on her so that all that covered her hip was a lacy strip of black underwear and an expanse of smooth tanned skin.

His second move was to slide back slowly, away from his warm body pressed so tightly up against his.  His cock fairly ached with the urge to bury himself in her.  Instead he unlaced his fingers from hers and withdrew.  He hopped up, shaking himself in the effort to rid himself of the unexplainable pull she had over him.

He got in the shower and when he returned, she was still sleeping.  She looked like an angel, with her long hair spread over the pillow, her fist pressed against her flushed cheek.  Her legs were sprawled across his side, tangled in the covers.

He mentally slapped himself and threw on some shorts.  He needed to go for a run.  Clear his head.

Gianna woke up alone, and she was grateful for that.  He had spared her what she knew would’ve been an insane amount of embarrassment.  She had woken up a few times through the night, and she had felt his arms around her.  She had been semi-awake when she had reached up and grasped his hand.  He had just felt so protective, so safe.  She had snuggled deeper in his arms, knowing that, come morning, everything would have to go back to the way it was.

She groaned and stood up.  She was loathe to leave his room, and leave the night behind, but she knew that if she came up here while she was still in his clothes, in his room, that everything would come to a head.  And she wasn’t ready for that yet.  Was she?

She ducked into her room and got ready for the day.  Luckily, she didn’t have to work today since it was inventory.  Instead she had a fun day planned with her girlfriends.  She didn’t expect to be back at all tonight and her mind gave a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t be presented with the temptation again.

All she had to do was stay sober.

Carson had been sound asleep when he heard her car pull in.  He checked his clock.  It was only midnight.  And she was driving, so at least he wouldn’t be put in that position again.  It was a good thing.  Right?

He heard her open the front door, and trek up the stairs.  Curiously, he heard her pause at the opening of his doorway.  He let out his breath when her footsteps continued to her own.

He waited until he heard her door shut, and then opened the pocket door to the shared Jack-and-Jill bathroom.  He was just washing her hands when he heard the pocket door on the far end slide open.

“Oh, I’m sorry!  Let me know when you’re done,” she said, a flush highlighting her high cheekbones.

“I’m done.  Don’t worry about it.”  He went to leave, and then some devilish instinct in him forced him back around.  “Have you been drinking?”

She paused for a second, not meeting his eyes.  “Only a few beers.”

He breathed in.  “Gianna, we talked about this.  You know I can’t let you sleep alone.  I’m sorry, but I won’t do it.  It’s not worth the risk.”

Gianna couldn’t believe she was doing this.  Yes, she’d had a few beers but that had been early afternoon while they were relaxing before the game.  She hadn’t had a drop in over six hours.  She was as close to being sober as she could be.  But some part of her didn’t want him to know the truth.

Some part of her was apparently a glutton for punishment that wanted to sleep next to her stepbrother.  That she wanted to feel his body pressed against hers.

“I’m fine, Carson.  Really.”

“Not gonna happen, G.  Get in your PJs, drink a glass of water, and come to bed.”

Gianna’s heart stumbled at that last order.  Come to bed.  Like this was completely normal.  Like this was their house, and he was her man.  She had turned around to get her PJ’s when his voice stopped her.

“And they better cover you, Gianna.”

She turned to berate him, but he was already gone.  Seriously?  Like she was some skank that strutted around in her underwear with the sole purpose to tempt him?  She blew out her frustrated breath.  She’d show him.  They weren’t blood related, for heaven’s sake.  He could still find her attractive.  He didn’t have to act like she was a leper.

She reached inside her closet and found the perfect thing.  A skimpy black teddy that left more to the imagination than it actually covered.  She had bought it on a whim a few nights after she had met him.  It had obviously never been used, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring it out and cut off the tags.  She’d show him sisterly.

Carson debated throwing on a pair of athletic shorts over top of his boxer briefs.  He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but he would be uncomfortable if he had to sleep with those on again.

He opted not to.  She was going to have to get used to him in this state anyway.  He’d been careful not to come out of his room without shorts, but while their parents weren’t here, he had no reason to be so careful.  She could deal with it.

He heard her open the doorway.  “Hey, catch the light will y—“

He cut off his words mid-sentence, catching a glimpse of her in the mirror.  He sucked in his breath.  She was looking back at him, staring at him really.  She looked about as bulldozed as he felt.  Realizing she was probably not expecting his state of undress either, he felt a weird twinge of satisfaction knowing that she was as affected by his physicality as he was to hers.

She had on a wisp of black fabric that barely touched her thighs.  If she turned, he knew he’d get a good glimpse of her delicious ass.  Silently, he willed her to turn.  Anything was better than the front view she presented him with.  Her breasts were pushed high in their practically see-through confinement.  The whole thing looked like a couple tugs on the black ribbon and it would come unraveling apart.

She looked back at him and took in the view he presented as well.  He felt her eyes travel from his mussed hair to his chiseled chest, and down his flat stomach instead the line of hair that disappeared beneath the band of his black boxer briefs.

He took it to mean he could peruse her body as well.  His eyes kept getting stuck on the perky breasts that sat temptingly like a shelf just feet away from him.  He could see the indentation of her belly button through the thin fabric, saw how fit she kept herself.  Fit, but not thin.  Never thin.  She was full in all the right places.  Her hips were rounded, her calves smooth.

Even her feet tempted him.  He could see the pink toenails and wanted to massage them until she started to quiver in his hands.

He groaned.  “G –“

“Yeah, I’ll catch the light,” she interrupted, opting for the safest choice of words.  She flipped the light and they were plunged into what felt like immediate darkness.  With the still almost-f moon though, he could see the outline of her body through the material and actually thought that was worse.  The moonlight wreaked havoc on his senses, casting her in shadows and light until she seemed like a fantasy come to life.

And he supposed she was his fantasy come to life.  She was smart and playful, but had this softer side that made him ache to protect her; to destroy her demons and carry her away with him to somewhere safe. 

He’d never felt that kind of attraction that leaned so far towards obsessive.  He was more than jealous of the other guys in her life.  He wanted to eliminate the threat, to possess her so fully that every breath of her smelled of him, every touch of her skin erases the touches that had been there before.

They must’ve stood there for a few minutes, just looking at each other, and aching.  He had no idea how affected she was but even if it was only a part of what he was feeling, it was intense.

He decided to ignore it.  They both climbed into bed.  He set his alarm clock for work the next morning, knowing that she liked to get up early to get her run in before she started work as well.

They both attempted and feigned sleep over the course of the next hour.  Gianna seemed to be more successful at it than Carson, who tossed and turned until she finally had to say something.