15 Paranormal Romance Collection Boxset- Billionaire Bad Boy (29 page)

Colin helped her out of the car and she took his hand softly in hers. He was such a gentleman and when he looked at her that way, she could not help but melt. “Are you enchanting me again, Sir?”

His sharp look made her laugh. A few of his clients had found it fun to put her under their spell. She was essentially a human plaything to them as they waited. If Colin had not put up boundaries, Lois was sure that she would not still be there.

“I am offended that you would ask. You know how I feel about taking away choice.”

She nodded her head, wishing that he would give her one. Or maybe he was? Lois could feel all necessary thoughts leave her and if it wasn’t for his hand in hers, she doubted that she would have been able to walk the long pier to the boat. Like Colin, his boat was not what would be expected. He liked simplicity and instead of a yacht that he could have easily afforded with a crew, he chose a small sail boat and his privacy. It was not without its added luxuries, but it was unexpected for such a man.

Lois took a seat and watched him start the engine to get them out of the marina. When they were a distance away from the maze of short docks, he unfurled the sails and directed them to the other side of the river. The rode along the shoreline for some time and finally anchored a ways from shore.

“It is so beautiful here. I have lived here all of my life and I didn’t even know it was here.”

Colin nodded and pulled out some covered dishes, handing her a plate of pasta. “I hope you like it, I made it myself.”

She thanked him and was surprised at how good it was. He never seemed to stop amazing her, the skills that he knew. The one in particular that she was interested in was the skills of his body and mouth. He was talking to her, saying something, but her eyes were fixated on his lips. God how those lips were feel on her skin. “Huh?”

“Where does your mind go Lois? I wish I could get in there one time when you stare off like that.”

Lois blushed and mumbled under her breath. She knew that most shifters were connected in some way that she couldn’t understand. They could basically read each other’s thoughts, but she was safe for being normal. “I am sure it would quite shock you. So what are we doing here? It is beautiful and all, but I thought you had a meeting at one?”

“We do and we are going on location. A few trolls need some mediation about a family dispute and they can’t make it into the office. You should have realized that.”

“Oh well, I didn’t think they would really be trolls. I mean, what do trolls even look like?”

“You will see soon enough.”

The mood was broken and she was left clawing for the lost sexual tension. It came and went that way, though she was not as able to quickly turn it off as he seemed to be. Lois crushed on her boss bad and even the prospect of meeting real life trolls, did not seem to take her mind away from it.

***

The trolls were well, trolls. Huge creatures that were more animal-like then she had expected. Lois had always envisioned dirty big people, but they were something far different. The dirt from all the stories and tales that she had read, were a way to explain the moss that grew on their skin.

Bogart was not too happy that she was there and for a moment, there had been a tense stare-off, but he had mellowed and Lois had tried to meld into the background as far away from the angry looking beast as she could. This was not going to be one of those days that she looked back at fondly. The mosquitoes nibbled on her while she waited for three hours in the heat. Colin worked his magic, mediating and making everything right in the world, but Lois was miserable. She had red marks and sunburn on her fair skin when they got back to the boat.

“Let me get some ointment for you. I forget how delicate you guys are.”

It was not meant as a compliment, her delicacy had come up before. It was seen by the paras as a weakness and a hindrance. Colin thankfully didn’t make her feel that way on purpose, but she actually felt bad that she had not acted more stoically. “Yeah I know. I don’t need anything right now. I will take care of it when I get home. It is what I usually do with my work wounds.”

A few bites and burns were not the worst she had endured in her new line as an assistant and she imagined that it would not be her last. “What does that mean?”

“Stuff happens and it is no big deal.”

He moved closer. “You never told me that you were hurt before.”

“Why would I? Really Colin, it is fine.”

His name rolled off her tongue with too much familiarity. She sat down on the same seat as before, ignoring the burning sun on her skin. “Although, you could have warned me that we were going to be out in a bog all day, so I could prepare better. You know a heads up in the morning before I come in would be nice. I could dress accordingly.”

He looked properly guilty and the pair sat silently for quite some time. The sun was starting to set earlier in the day with the change of seasons and it was close to dusk when they got back to the office. He had asked her if she wanted to go out for dinner, but Lois felt miserable and just wanted to go take a cool bath and lather herself up in aloe.

“Don’t worry about coming in tomorrow Lois. I don’t have much on the schedule and it looks like you could use a 3-day weekend.”

She nodded and thanked him, though she knew it was to assuage his own guilt. Colin moved closer and brushed his lips against hers, startling her from the unexpectedness of it all. He pulled back and she wished he hadn’t. Her lips burned where his hot flesh had touched her, they tingled as she touched them. Colin said nothing, but turned away and got back in his vehicle. Something more dangerous than the powerful clients she dealt with every day was the hope that swelled up in her chest as he drove off.

The three day was exactly what she needed and she was ready to get back to work Monday. There was something to be said about the excitement of the job and if she was truly honest with herself, she really missed Colin. He had become a part of her life, even if he was just her employer. His kiss had her hoping that it would be more, one day soon. That he would look at her like more than just a human indentured to him.

The phone rang on her bedside table as she mused what the day would bring. “Hello.”

“Hey good morning sleepyhead. Are you ever going to get out of bed?”

She sat up and looked around. “How did you know I was still in bed?”

“I can just tell. Get up and dress appropriately for a day in the woods.”

“Um, okay.”

“I am out front waiting for you, so hurry up.”

Lois sighed to herself. Her musing was put to an end and she rushed to get ready. She threw on some clothes and pushed some bug spray into her pocket. Grabbing an apple as she ran out the door, she almost ran into him as he waited for her out on the stoop.

“So what are we doing today?”

“I have a tribal meeting that I have to go to and well, I can’t leave you at the office alone, so you will come with me.”

Lois did not like the sound of meeting any tribes, especially a bunch of male shifters known to take delight in human women. “Um, I can always just stay home today if you want me to.” She didn’t add the part that she knew his kind didn’t particularly like human and moreover, her in particular. Many had thought she should have been silenced, instead of being given a job more privy to the para-world’s secrets.

“No I insist that you go Lois. It is about time you met everyone. They had heard about you, yet I think it is time that they met you as well. I am sure they will be as entranced as I am.”

Entranced? When did that happen and why did he want her to meet his tribe all of a sudden? The questions raced through her head, but her exterior showed none of the turmoil she was feeling. All she wanted to do was throw herself at him and let the cards lay where they will. His kiss was too close in her mind and she caught herself watching him talk instead of listening to him again.

“You have a bad habit of that.”

“Huh?” She reddened and looked down as he pulled away from the curb. Lois chided herself with the distraction and promised that she would do better in the future. Her own mind rejected the words as soon as she thought them. How could she not be distracted with such a handsome man next to her? He was literally her Savior and it was safe to say that she had built him up to epic proportions in her head the time since they had met. Lois would have done anything for Colin. All he had to do was ask.

*** 

The ride was silent and long enough that Lois was woken up hours later. She had fallen asleep by the lull in the car. Colin touched her gently, saying her name softly in her ear. In the dream his voice was repeated by her dream lover and when their eyes met, Lois was ready to beg him to take her. Her lips pushed forward, as her hands pulled him down to her. She kissed him much as she had the one in her dream, no shyness in the way her body leaned closer to his.

Reality hit her and she finally pulled away, though she enjoyed his taste for several more seconds. “Well good morning again. I think I should wake you up more often.”

Scarlet covered her face and she cursed herself. Damn, he was going to drive her insane! Pushing her thighs together to qualm the pounding need, she looked around her. They were pulled off into the woods and nothing looked familiar. There were no roads, houses or buildings of any kind. It was as if they had been dropped in the middle of nowhere. “Where are we?”

“The meeting. Well, it is up a ways. You don’t mind walking a bit, do you?”

She shook her head. After kissing him that way, there was nothing to say, even if she could find her voice. Getting out, the air was a tad warmer and she pulled her cardigan off, leaving just a short sleeve shirt to ward the autumn air off. Lois waited for him to get out, her eyes unable to meet his, her lips still feeling his touch on hers. She wanted to touch them, but instead took his offered hand. The day was feeling less and less like a work day and more like a date.

The pair walked for quite some time, Lois trying to relax as he towered over her. The trees broke open and there was a clearing in the middle and what she saw made her draw a sharp breath. There were dragons everywhere and men that looked similar to Colin, their eyes falling on her immediately. They knew instantly that there was a human in their midst. Attention then went back to the one who brought her there. Lois just wanted to shrink into the background and hide. It was even more intimidating than she had imagined it would be.

Lois pushed closer to her escort and didn’t care how it was construed. He told her it was alright, but even she could feel the stiffness in his body as they walked toward the throng of people. Lois took the time to look at the rest of the clearing, unwilling to meet anymore gazes. There were tiny huts and tent like things pulled up. They looked old and mobile, like they could be taken down and put up within an hour. She wanted to inspect the dwellings, but she knew her curiosity would be seen in poor taste. She was not at a museum, she reminded herself several times.

“Stay close to me until you are announced, okay Lois?”

She nodded quickly. He did not have to tell her twice. She had no intentions on going anywhere without him and preferably actually in physical contact with him the whole time. It was the only time that Lois could remember not being suffocated with need for him. That suffocation was brought on by fear much swifter. And what did he mean by announced?

Lois was sent into one of the small hut-like structures and if there wouldn’t have been several other females around her all of a sudden, she would have taken the time to check out the way they were made. She felt the women’s judging looks and she was equally surprised when she was left with them. Colin had said he wouldn’t leave her, but apparently that didn’t count. The six eyes around her, sized her up and she figured they were shifters just like Colin. Were they all dragons there?

“Come, we have to get you ready for tonight.”

“What is tonight?”

There was a silence and the young blonde woman that was not much older than her, pulled the flap of the structure closed. The room got darker, the only light coming from a banked fire and a smoke hole in the roof. “You don’t know?”

Lois shook her head, realizing that she should know. “You are to be in a ceremony of sorts with Colin.”

“Oh. I thought I was here for work stuff. That man is infuriating! Why can’t he make his damn mind up?”

The women seemed surprised by her outburst and the way she talked about Colin. “Surely you don’t mean that?”

Lois looked towards the redheaded woman that had hair much like hers, curly and wild-looking. “Why wouldn’t I? You can’t let him get away with it or he will do it all the time.”

“He can do whatever he pleases.”

The blonde hushed the third woman that spoke, her dark eyes trained on Lois with a sneer. She decided that she was not in a good position to argue. “Fine, what am I supposed to do?”

“Just sit down and we will take care of the rest. You are to be put in traditional paint and attire for the ceremony.”

The raven-haired beauty spat on the ground, obviously upset. “Leave Marla. We do not need the negativity in here. When you have recovered come back.”

The woman stormed out and it left the other people in the darkened room out of sorts and a silence stretched out. “Don’t mind her Lois. She is just jealous. Many of us would love to be in your position.”

Lois nodded, though she really did not know what she was talking about. The whole day was getting stranger by the moment and she didn’t want to piss off anyone else. They could all kill her in a heartbeat and her vulnerable human body was even more obvious to her when they were mad. She sat there as they painted her face and did something to her hair. Her tiny red curls were almost impossible to tame and she smiled to herself with the frustrated sighs from Melinda. Eventually it was just left around her shoulders like a shroud.

She was told to stand up and undress. Lois was self-conscious and was not used to showing herself to people. It felt strange to be standing in the small enclosure naked, knowing there were dozens of shifters all around her. Every one of them was able to fly, as well as breathe deathly fire from their mouths. And there she was, in the midst with only a piece of leather between them and her. She shouldn’t have been aroused, but the slick feeling escaping the side of her panties made it clear.

Eyes on her burned her already flushed skin and the women were nice enough to not make too much of a deal about it, going back to work on her painting quickly. It tickled in some areas, but it was a sight to behold when done. The spirals and lines drawn on her skin made up a huge pattern, one that she didn’t understand, but saw for its beauty. The two stepped back and looked at her. “You almost don’t even look human anymore. You could be one of us.”

While it was a half-handed compliment, she took it as just that. She didn’t feel like herself, she felt powerful all of a sudden. When they started to push her out of the tent though, she squeaked in surprise. “What? Wait! I have no clothes on!”

“That is the way it is to be Lois. Come now, everyone is waiting.”

Her knees almost buckled as she was pushed forward. She almost dug her heels in, but in this world, she was helpless to stop anything from happening. Lois wanted to leave, to hide, but instead she squared her shoulders and walked out the leather flap that was being held by the one who had spit on the ground before her. The woman’s eyes still held anger, but with what she was told, Lois looked back with pity. She too knew how it felt to long for someone that she couldn’t have. It was not a pleasant feeling.

When her focus turned away from the disapproving woman’s face, she almost looked there again because it was easier to take then all the rest of the tribe looking at her naked body. She shivered as she caught several hungry glares. This was definitely not what she had in mind when she left the house that day. It was not just a stroll in the woods to talk to a couple of trolls, she would have wished for a similar assignment, burns and all. But there she stood, in front of the whole community naked, save for paint that did nothing to help her nerves.

A hush fell over the crowd that had been noisy only seconds before. All eyes were on her and no one seemed to be looking away. She tried to hold her head high as she walked towards the gathered people. While her body tried to convey how non-pulsed she was about the whole thing, Lois was shaking inside. Her eyes searched the sea of faces for Colin and he was nowhere to be seen.

Words were spoken by a tall man wearing skins from several animals and a scowl that match many there. He was saying something she couldn’t understand and then the sun was blotted out for a moment. She looked up and saw a silver and black dragon racing towards her. She didn’t know why, but she somehow knew that it was Colin and she stood still as the beast got closer, landing right in front of her. There was a murmur in the crowd, though Lois was not sure why.

More words were said, but like before, any time she was in his presence she got tongue-tied and her mind went to mush. She was no longer listening to the gibberish being spoken, but focused on the dragon’s eyes as it watched her go towards him. There was a sudden joy as she touched the creature’s head. She didn’t have to be told it was Colin, the eyes were the same. It was as it had been the night he had saved her and their bond had been created.

Colin nudged her and she moved closer, wrapping her arms around its neck. Her body pressed against the sleek feel of the scales, amazed at how soft they were against her. She was even more amazed at how much she wanted to touch the dragon. It was more than curiosity, but a need that came from her very being. “I better be getting overtime for this Colin. It was definitely not in the job description.”